Good to see you!!

I’m posting these pics that Kevin T. took or his friend. They show what it looked like Sunday night at our drumming. Kevin hasn’t been in awhile and he is our fire twirling master wizard. So, a show we received….twirling and whirling in the darkness, with only the circles of fire in the air, and our drumming to egg him on too of course! We had a good one, you just never know who’s going to show and that’s one of the draws of this game we play every Sunday night along the Kaweah River.
Yea, were still pretty darn dry and no river hardly flowing, but its gotten cold like a frozen Alaskan lake!
Did a real nice ride up Yokohl today and we could feel the cold air arriving with a blowing wind. Nice though, that’s what it’s all about ………….
So, big things coming up……….I’ll let you in soon so like always my friends….Please stay tuned……………….Love to you………….

The beach is just 3 hours away.............

Moving along the conveyor of life over here. Its gotten colder and I’ve heard about 30 degree temps going around this morning. Well yea! It’s supposed to be snowing and it is in Iowa I hear. Here it’s still dry and no snow and well, it better hurry up. Can you imagine owning a ski resort in Tahoe right now! All dressed up and nowhere to go!! Thanksgiving holiday was always a big ski weekend for some, but now we’ve got the global warming and all that. That’s if you believe in it………..And I do by the way!!
So, we’ve been hard at the socializing. I’ve been working at the barn at Slickee with friends stopping by to say hi. Do come by too if your in the area, it’s the best part of the river. We did a nice sauna Friday nite, Wil, Gary and myself. Purging the bad and enjoying the good. Then went to Bruce’s 50th birthday party last night. All pretty easy fun for the funsters. And Tonite, we’ve got the big Sunday Night Drumming in the center of Three Rivers. Big warm fire, and lots of beats to push you into the week. A great way to start the week………..I hope to see you there my friends……Bring cookies and cake but no leftover Turkey please…………Lets catch up…………

Thanks and more................

I’m feeling pretty fat my friends…I’ve eaten a lot and dessert too and well I’m burping and feeling like a good day has passed. The moon is big and bright and there’s probably going to be frost on the pumpkin over here in the eastern edge of the Central Valley of California.
We had a really good music session last night. We had a Violin, flute and 2 guitars and some drums. This made for a nice sound and range. Considering we all were just jamming the whole time, we actually came up with several movie soundtracks that need to be repeated to show all that we can make music…………….Good luck with that you say……Well, it was only the first one……….Come on!!
Alright, stay warm and lets get together soon and I’ll tell you some more juicy stuff I’m hearing……………………Happy, Happy…………….

Holidays here we Come...................

A Happy Thanksgiving to all of you friends out there! I hope its happy and things are going your way. We all went to the big Drumming performance by the ….Obo Addy..Drummers …at the COS theater last night and it was great! 4 drummers with lots of long cylinder drums and some small ones and squeeze drums and a Marimba. They gave a 90 minute show and we were into every minute of it. Friends from Auberry were there, as were the locals and us. We got the call to get something inspirational out of this to bring home and we sure did.
We’ll be doing a little music tonite, starting the Wednesday Nites again we’ve got the coffee on and the heater too. So come on by my friends and warm your Soul……………Happy Thanksgiving and Thanks for Giving!

Tuesday Night Drumming Show....................

Been out riding a couple of times now….Rode up to Badger from Lemon Cove yesterday and today did about 20 miles , that makes around 67 so far. I’m off work now and I can do this kinda stuff if I want. If feels good out there, blowing through the foothills, fresh coolness and good friends to talk to while riding along. Its our kind of golf.
And Drumming, yea, it was pretty darn good last night! Dave Crow came by, a longtime drummer and tribe leader from Visalia. We had some nice talking with the drums…..Logrhtymns if you will and lots of interaction amongst ourselves. It was almost all the old core drummers who were there and of course we were tight and played like we’ve been together for a long time………..Hey Wait, we have!!!!
What are you up to for this Monday?? Don’t forget about tomorrow nite….COS theater at 7 oclock, There is going to be a drum group playing….Sorry, I don’t know their name, but everyone’s going…..And Wadaba will be in the audience, before he heads to Africa. So, see you all there ……………………….

A New Life begins....................

They call it a carry out….its when someone gets injured in the backcountry, or frontcountry in this case, and needs to be carried out. Preferably on a one wheeled litter, stretcher. This all happened as I was leaving work on Thursday. A call on the radio of a med-a-vac with a person injured, and they started calling for help in the form of emergency resources. A couple of us left got called to go help with anything we could and off we went. An hour later found me hiking behind our fast moving Captain, headlamp on and the heavy smell of the Bay and Oak tree in the air. It was ink black all around and only the starry night above. It was uphill and I was glad the tempature was really cool! After going in about 1 mile and a half we found the crew starting the litter down the trail, a mass of headlamps in that blackness of trees and we got in line to help. This guy was looking pretty hurt! Broken arm, broken leg and concussion so far from his fall off a cliff. So, that’s how the evening went, and after carrying, sweating and getting lots of dirt in my shoes the job was done. My last big bang as my 6 month season of work with the Wildland Fire Department in Sequoia National Park ends.We had a end of the season party last nite at Brewbakers and we toasted the high adventures and cheered as we parted ways with big hugs and see ya next season!

We are doing a sweat tonite down at the Slickee site. Join us……7 oclock. Bring your swimming shorts! And, Food or goodies like Juice or Cookies. Hopefully we will see you there! See you next entry……when a new life begins……………….Love to You,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bear in action..................

We get bears at work that just stroll on through looking for that picnic basket or morsels of food. This week they are attracted to a big garbage truck that’s been parked at our auto shop, behind where I work. They prowl around the truck at night and hope to get in. Its gotta be some kind of big interest to bring a 350 pound bear to the area. He leaves down this slope and goes over a chain link fence that I’ve watched go from being bent over to now being just broke and the pieces laying on the trail that goes down to the river. He leaves behind big piles of scat too. Yesterday this bear even tried to just go into the office via the front door, but was immediately dispatched outta there!!
Its been party week at the office with all the goodbye stuff going on every night after work. I am going to the big goodbye party Friday nite and then that’s it………..
I hope you’ve been on the edge of the best time of your life and I want to hear all about it….so, hey, keep my in the loop eh…………Love to YOU…………

Humphrey's Hobos and Harlots..........a Band we like

Yo, four more days here and its off to the next life. The life of a builder, electrician and general construction. I love doing this kind of work and using my tools and setting my own schedule. I’m hoping to have at least one day to goof around.
And, I’ll be back at getting Wednesday music on the list of fun things to do with all of the friends who want to join us.
I put the picture of Jons band up so you can see that members of our Drumcircle have branched out and are doing other music. We have all come from here and there are many spinners who spin out into the world having learned what we have learned and now are ready for the big world of bands and all that. They are a great band to watch and all are good friends of ours. If you get a chance to see them play, I highly recommend you head on over. Having a good day here and how bout you??

The future is NOW................

It rained a lot yesterday, Sunday. Into the night and of course this made us have to drum inside, The BOOM room. It really wasn’t that bad I guess, considering we had around 20 people at the 8 O’clock check. We drummed around the stove with a good warm fire going. Willie our Native American friend from way back was there all the way from San Jose. He cooked steaks and we all ate some. We played music with good food smells in the air and good friends all around the small circle we made. Into the night…..around 1 am it was just Willie and myself, talking about old times with Tom and with Indian music playing in the background. The Blacklodge drum from Washington playing powwow songs. We both have been to lots of dances and we know some common friends back on the Porcupine Reservation in South Dakota. This brought back lots of good memories of the past! I brought in the Sage we picked last weekend and this too brought memories of a good life on the Powwow trail. I’ll have to tell you those stories sometime…………Hou Kola my Friends………….

The only way down is to Jump............

Going good over here, and yea, Thanks for checking in. I think your going to find that as the time now moves on, there will be a lot more entries and I hope you will like it!!
As always, you can double click the big pics to make screen savers or just to check it out bigger, and the little pictures you can save to your own set and do as you please. I do enjoy comments of any sort, even from the peanut gallery if you will………..
Well, don’t know for sure but this big storm is supposed to arrive sometime soon here, although presently its sunny and mild out…….
Its been a GREAT few days so far………You better just keep looking cuz you know how we are………ever looking for that adventure in life……Love to you till we meet again………

You should go tonight............

Hey, How’s it going there for you today? Its Thursday, yea, and I’m heading up to Lodgepole today. This should be great fun in the sun! I’m looking forward to seeing how fall is moving along in the big trees and the dogwood that turns that really cool redish color.
Linda from her new home in Truckee, is coming to town today and would like to see you at Brewbakers tonight at 8………….Please come by say hi……..
I’m having a family Thanksgiving this Saturday. This should be fun and interesting to see us all together again after all that’s happened. I’m sure I’ll eat a lot……….Have a great day and Think Big…………………

It is Fall after all.......................

Wednesdays can always go either way since it’s the middle of the week. How is yours going so far?? I’m getting ready for a big day and a really good day. Not that anything’s happening, its just that I’m telling myself to make it that way……..
We’ve actually got 2 fires going in the Park that will be let to burn. They are in pretty rocky areas so as long as it doesn’t burn the big Fox TV antenna we should be alrite.
We’ve got to plan something, its that time of the week where we drummers go, hey, what’s going on this weekend……….Let me know ……….Love to you and wow, I can smell that perfume your wearing this morning all the way over here………and I really like it……….see you soon…………

Brought to you by a warm November day...........

I owe you guys I know! So, what’s new? I passed my final! Yippee!! That was a hard thing to do, but now that its done, it wasn’t really that hard. Its that way sometimes, you get all worked up about something that you think is in your way and then you look back and think, man that really wasn’t that bad and I can handle it better now. It takes getting out of your comfort zone to make big things happen. This is the only way. You know what I’m talking about ………
Maharupa brought some pretty good cookies to drumming last nite. They were store bought, but man, they hit the spot! And, they were passed around our pretty good sized crowd a few times. Some didn’t take any cuz they make you fat I guess. I didn’t get any fatter and I ate about 20 of em………..
Drummed too we did, around a big fire that got alittle smokey there boys, but you did good in getting the fire built and going before I got there. I try to always get there early and make the fire, but I sure appreciate it when someone else steps up………as many have!! We all know how to make a fire………..its really not that easy to get all of them sticks to lite! It takes some boyscout logic and some paper. Yea, you could torch it with fuel, but we don’t do that……….its wood, sized ones, twos and threes. Little to big and just a few pages of the newspaper (we prefer the Kaweah commonwealth) and off she goes. It should be just like that, and if it ain’t go back to step one………………
So the week, ah yes, Tuesday is coming and its been pretty darn sunny and kinda hot. No rain in sight for several days. We’ll be doing the Rain Dance at drumming from now on. You all remember the last time we did this don’t you???? El Nino…………………
Bye for now, and hey you are looking good in that you know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See you soon.

Kiss and a Hug...........Its Friday............

Its Friday and that didn’t really take that long! I’m going to work for the big final test after training for the last 2 days………it was really hard and bringing up the memory of doing big math problems and all that. Its good to go into this part of the brain again and push all the cobwebs away and …….well, get smart about it.
So, the weekend……..I’m going on a little trip and will be back on Sunday, just in time for drumming of course! What are you doing this weekend?? Well, make plans to join us Sunday night and we’ll talk about our up coming sweat. Its time to start getting really clean and jumping in the river…………..See you soon and I’ll be thinking ………Have a great weekend my friends……………

Thinking about you................

Hello Friends, Thanks for staying tuned here! Its been a crazy week with lots of weather and now sun and fairly mild temps. I guess this would be an Indian summer here then . There was snow on Alta peak after the big storm, but it soon melted away. Things are in line for some snow and rain soon I hope there oh mighty one!.
Well, its one more week of work here and then another life to work on and new work to do. I’m excited and apprehensive to say the least! I’m glad I have you to help me through this all! I’m going to miss all my friends in the park, new and old and will probably see them during the winter. The winter, think about that now!!
We pulled tarot cards last nite at the little Halloween gathering around the fire in the drumcircle . We were all dressed like the ghouls we are and laughed and sang and played drums and ate the goodies that Paul brought. And , yes the tarot cards…….we all pulled one and had them read by Lizzy, who turns out is an expert tarot reader. Mine was Happiness and it couldn’t be more true!! I only pulled one but others pulled several and then threw them in the fire. I think that cancels it out there bro!!
I’m done eating all the candy and watching all the wonders of the rites of Halloween. Its time to be thinking turkeys now I guess. Strange stuff we do eh……….See you soon I hope!!!!