This looks just like my old Fender Champ, which I found at a house sale, about 15 years ago. It's 70's vintage - all tubes and wires, no transisters to speak of. Great, fat sound. I play my Harmony Roy Smeck model through it. The Roy Smeck is a 50's or 60's vintage. See the picture. Old is sometimes better.

Recently gave my pre-CBS (1962) Fender Custom Esquire (tele), back to it's original owner, my brother-in-law. Actually, gave it to his son, who is a guitar freak. He says he will keep it forever, which is cool with me. I found it in my inlaws attic back in late 60's, and co-opted it. During a tight spell in the '80's, I toyed with selling it to raise cash, but the wife made it clear it was "in the family", and I shouldn't sell it. After that, I felt like it wasn't really mine. In fact, I felt guilty for taking it from my brother in law, even though we worked out a deal at the time - I paid him $295. Value now is about $12,000, at least. Not may of these left. I haven't really played it in 20 years. Now I am left with only 3 guitars, and 3 amps. Don't know how I will get by!

First post since May! Blogspot wouldnt let me post a photo (error 53?), so no great pics this time. Since may, was out to Tucson, Arizona. Very hot (up to 106), but dry. Nice mountains, 70's at noon, at 9,000 feet. Wife wants to move out there to retire next year. We looked at a bunch of houses, but didn't find the right one. Oh well. I'm in no hurry, although I must say I do like the place. Desert, mountains, lots of good stuff within a days drive. Unlike Fla., which is hot and humid (or cold and humid), all year. Sick of beating back the Jungle. Wait!

Blogspot let me post some pics, so enjoy.

Long time, no post. No real significance to the picture, just that I have been listening to the Stones again a lot. Downloaded an '83 show, from Germany. Loose, and good mix of old and newer (at that time) tunes. I just don't get tired of these old guys. They are never pretencious, just play good Rock and R&B. Gives me hope.

This Gulf of Mexico oil leak business sucks. Hope they can put a cork in it sooner than later. Not impressed with BP, or Obama so far on this one. If he is, as he claims. on top of it, he isn't conveying any sense of passion or urgency about it to the public. He needs to go on TV, prime time, and make a bigger deal out of it. Bring in Exxon, or Shell - they have a lot of real world experience with oil spills.

Not much else to say, except hope the oil doesn't get to our west Florida beaches. Feel bad for the northern gulf states - they are getting screwed again. No more shrimp, for quite a while.

Here is a recent pic from the Hubble Telescope. Pretty sensational, if I do say so. Troubles me that the Obama administration wants to abandon manned space flight. Looks like we wont get to the moon again, or to Mars, in my lifetime, most likely. I know rationally that we can do a lot using robot craft, and some space station earth orbit stuff, but it's that kind of stuff doesn't lift the soul like outer space travel. Guess I'll have to settle for SciFi.

Not much else going on. Working (wife and i both). She's out of work for summer in mid-June. Maybe we can get to Tucson, for a change of pace. If we have the energy, and want to spend the money.

Long Time, No Post!

Keef! (My hero).
I dont know why no post for so long. Life just gets in my way sometimes. Nothing really happening. Have been trying out Secondlife, avatar world. Pretty realistic, in some respects. You can be anybody (or anything - dog, tree, etc), in Secondlife. It is promoted as a way to meet people, but I find I spend most of my time wandering around, ignored for the most part. If I wanted to be lonely and unappreciated, I could stay in Firstlife. A big waste of time, although kind of addictive. However, one problem (maybe) is you dont know who anybody really is. A nice looking 20 year old chick might be a hairy 60 year old guy (yuch).

Not much new on the family front, either. Finally recovering from our trip to see my wife's mom in South Carolina, earlier in April. She seems to have plateaued, so not much to say about it. Just glad shes not living with us at the moment, although I do miss her at times.

Reading some wild SF short stories at present, which is good for escapism. Since Pres. Obama says we are going slow on manned space exploration, it will have to remain a fantasy.

I haven't posted in a while, as usual. Nothing great to say, I guess. The world just keeps on a-turnin'. The wife and I have been watching the 6 Waltons movies, which were made in the 80's and 90's as follow-up to the series, which we still love. We have all 9 seasons, plus the movies now. Had them before in versions taped from TV. Don't know why it took them 20 years to put it all out there - if they waited much longer, most of their 70's fans would be dead. Used to watch it with my daughter, Jill, who is now 40. It makes me an old fogey, but don't know why they cant make a serious family drama, with believable characters of good moral integrity, but still full of good natured humor, and drama. 7th heaven, earlier seasons, came close, but got too much wrapped up in teenage angst, and some bizarre ramblings in late seasons.

The picture of Muddy is not included for any reason in particular. A pic of him is always good. Pretty Funky.

I hope they pass some healthcare reform soon, and let us get on with our lives. The Republicans are bent on preserving the status quo, for their corporate clients. The Democrates are bent on reforming the system to extend care (at least insurance), to the masses. The current system is a mess, I don't know how you can say it's ok. However, the Dems have trouble getting their message out in a popular way, what with the conservatives spreading fear and loathing about it at every chance. They are masters of negative propaganda.

We get to go up to South Carolina and see Ma again, later this month, which will be a joy. I miss here down here in Fla., but she wont be getting back here again, given her condition. Tough on the wife.

Downloaded some new Jimi Hendrix (new?), at least new to me. They keep finding more tapes of hime, some pretty good, some I'm sure he didn't want to see light of day for good reason. At least it keeps his music alive for awhile.

First entry in a long time. Not much to say this time. Listening to the Stones again, mostly early 70's stuff. Back when Mick Taylor was adding his snakey lead lines to the mix. Woody is great, but sometimes sounds like two rhythm guitars, with Keith. I like Silver Train - straight ahead, old fashioned R&R. Also like Sway - listen to Charlie's drumwork on that one. Perfect. Pete Smith, my old friend from Crestview Heights days (highschool) came to visit. He and wife have a condo in Englewood. Petes the same, except less hair. We seemed to fall right back into the same easy friendship. Maybel we'll do better than waiting 40 years til our next conversation now. Apparently, once your retire, you have more time for talking to old friends.

Yet another meaninless blog entry. Wife has a cold. Hope I don't get it. Weather warmed up, though. Hope we get some rain. Roofer says no roof leak, but condensation on the air duct in attic, so spot on ceiling. Oh well. Dems couldn't get the lady elected in Mass. to fill Teddy's senate seat. Pretty pathetic. We should have run a Kennedy kid, even if we had to twist some arms. Typical Democratic pathetic politics - always have to be inclusive, always respect local political people, etc. However, we still have a big majority - will see how clever Nancy and the gang can be, to get something passed healthcare wise. Don't know anyone who doesn't hat the insurance companies and their swindles.

My mother is having a birthday on February 3, will be 89. Shes in good shape, considering - some problems walking, and not much stamina -can't hear on the phone. Dad says her memory isn't what it was. Dad is in good shape, for his age, as well - still drives, although he says his eyes somewhat fuzzy. He's 86. They live in central Pa., in their old hometown (and mine). Wish I could see them more.

Hey, all you hep cats out there. No posts to this blog in quite awhile - is that a bad thing, or a good thing? Depends on if you appreciate my scrawls. Christmas came and went without much ado. Got to see my daughter and grandkids (Johanna 12, Meghan 7), for a few days, so that was nice. Sue was sad we didn't get to see grandma, who as you will recall is up in Anderson, SC, with Jim. She's worried ma is forgetting who she is. However, at end of their daily phone calls, she always says, "say hello to Bill", so at least she remembers who Sue lives with. Gets confused, however as to geography -thinks we live up north, not in Florida. She's not bad for 86, I guess.

Still miss Johnny and June. It disturbs me somewhat that our unique personalities are lost when we die. Of course, artists like Johnny and June achieve a certain type of immortality through their legacy of work, but unfortately, they aren't around to appreciate it any more. At least, I don't think they are around (unless it's like Ghost Whisperer, where they can hang around and watch what's going on, or as in Christian mythology, can watch over us from heaven. Hope its the latter.

Well, we survived our 9 day epic journey to Anderson, SC, and Louisburg (up from Raliegh), NC. Left Saturday last week at 9 am, got as far as just North of Macon, Ga. by nightfall. Stayed at a Comfort Inn - supposedly new, but not great. Left about 8 am next day, got to brother-in-laws house, where Sue's Mom is, by mid-day. Stayed there till Wednesday, mid-day. Overnight first night at a LaQuinta, that was obviously a converted old dump. Nice conversion, but it didn't smell too good, and the wife insisted we relocate for the second two nights. Moved to the Homewood Suites we had stayed at before, which wasn't much better, but didn't smell so bad. Adele (Jim's wife) cooked for us the whole time, so that was good. Ate too much , as usual, drank a lot of coffee to stay awake. Mom did pretty well. Sue put her little Xmas tree together, did a puzzle with her, showed her the Slovak dolls, etc. and basically spent a good deal of time with her. It was nice to be with her. On Wednesday, drove up I-85, past Greenville, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham, to daughter's house in Louisburg. Had a nice thanksgiving dinner, which we didn't have to cook. Visited with the 2 granddaughters, endured the son in law, who was not thrilled we came, as usual. Weather wasn't bad (50's for highs), but too cold for us Florida people. We were glad to start for home on Saturday morning. Drove down I-95 as far as St. Augustine that day, put in at a Fairfield Inn for the night. It was new, clean, and by far the best motel we stayed at on that trip. Marriot does a good job, generally. At at a local Italian place recommended by the staff, which was pretty good. Left at 8:30 AM Saturday, stopped at Disney Marketplace. Took a baloon ride (tethered, goes up 400 feet), which was new, and cool - you can see all of Disneyworld. Then, at at the nearby steamboat restaurant (cant remember the name), which was cool too. Decent food. We browsed through the soveineer shops, particularly the Cristmas stuff, didn't buy anything, and left about 1 Pm. Got home as expeced by 3 PM. The house was in pretty good order - usually something is broken when we come back. Sure as shootin, next day the wife says the water-on-the-door of the refrigerator wouldn't work. Monday, I called a repairman, who charged me $40 to come out and tell me the water line in the freezer door was frozen cause we had it too cold, and didn't use it for a week. Told me to turn off the freezer, leave door open for awhile, and he left. Sure enough, it thawed within less than an hour. Next time I will know what to do, so guess it was worth $40. At least not a big deal.
Glad to be back in FLA~!

Going on the road again tomarrow. Up to Anderson, SC so the wife can visit with her mom for a couple days, and deliver some stuff to her. Then, up to Raliegh area, for Thanksgiving, to visit with daughter, her 7 and 12 year olds (and husband). Will be gruelling, but good to get away. Hope it doesn't rain too much - supposed to rain in Atlanta on Sunday, but we should be through there by noon (to Anderson).

This is a boring blog entry, I am sure. See that Oprah is quitting her show ! (horrors!). She should get by well enough, though, with her 20 or so Billion $$$, I think. She is starting her own cable network, so maybe she'll show up there as a news anchor. Who knows. She was good with Sarah Palin the other day, but too easy on her, I think. Sarah seems like a likeable, down to earth person, but not a great intellect. And some of the far-right ideas that come out of her mouth are pretty reactionary.

These pictures are what you would call "juxtiposed". They have little, if anything, to do with each other. I've been listening lately to a 2008 live show of The Who, who sound as great as ever. Pete's kid plays bass, and Zack Starkey (Ringo's boy, of course), plays drums. As good as ever. Makes me a little wistful, however, listening to them - how long can they keep it up? Bottom pic is Stan and Ollie, of course. They have achieved a kind of imortality. Still crack me up when I watch them - Stan drives Ollie nuts, but they still love each other. What a riot.

Eagles Mere is a little mountain town, in central Pa., my old home place. In the first half of the 20th century, it was somewhat of a resort town. Don't know if it still is, but is certainly remote (down around Bradford). I recall going there once, with my folks, and Nana (dad's mother), back in the 50's, when I was but a wee lad. Nana grew up in her early years in that area, where I was told her father was a country hotel keeper. Later, they moved to Williamsport (the big city), where he got into the gift store business, which she continued through the 1980's (till she was about 85). I have talked about my Grandmas in previous posts - they made quite an impression on me as a young man.

The second picture has absolutely nothing to do with anything, except it is a cool picture of Muddy in his prime, or more accurately on the brink of his world wide celebrity, when he had just been discovered by the folkie crowd. He was, of course, at the height of his powers earlier, in the 50's, but known mostly at that time only to the black blues audience.

Having a garage sale at my mother-in-laws house tomarrow, as part of a neighborhood sale. She's the one moved up to South Carolina, to live with her son for awhile. She can't live by herself these days, and unlikely she will come back to the Sarasota house. So, at the wife's behest, we are liquidating some (but not all) of her accumulated junk. She does have some nice collectibles, but much of it is garage sale stuff she bought. Somewhat of a pack rat, she was, but there are worse things. Cleaning out is good for the soul.

I got a call from my old friend, Don, this weekend - first in about 30 years. Don and I have exchanged Christmas cards over the years, and he kept threatening to call me. It was nice to talk to him, but somewhat of a strain as well. He didn't sound like he did in 1969. And a lot of water has flown under the bridge for both of us since that time of youthful drunkeness and hijinks. Like me, he married (Betty), had a bunch of kids, now has grandkids. He worked for the VA, now works for Purple Hearty, helping Vets lobby the VA for help. I am a real estate appraiser (hurrah). We talked about some of the old Crestview Heights gang (Endicott, NY); Pete C., Pete S., Randy M. He recently heard from Pete, who was trying to track me down (not sure why). Pete and I used to walk home a few miles from high school. He always had to stop for a milkshake or double cone, at Pat's. Remembered an embarrasing trip (for me), we took to Lake George, where I made a drunken ass of myself with her folks. Pete thought it was a hoot at the time. My how times have changed (much tamer). I don't drink much; it makes me sleepy and stupid. Used to think it made me more social. My wife says it did, and that I acted like an ass when I was drunk.

Some images from my old home place; central Pennsylvania. First is the old city jail, in Williamsport. My Nana had a gift shop near there, and I used to walk around town and check everything out. In those days (50's), a 10 year old kid could wander far and wide, even downtown, without being harrassed. Second is a 50's picture of World's End State Park. We used to go down there, about an hour southwest of Williamsport, in Sullivan County. Shallow rapids in a wide creek

Wow - 3 pictures! All things I love. First is Goldie, of course -in her 20's, best blonde I know of. The Moodies - kept me sane in the70's. Finally, a nice watercolor of one of the creek crossings in Sabino Canyon (Tucson). Sept 17 is my Birthday. Born in the last year of WWII. I am pleased to say I have some memory of the 50's (Elvis on Ed Sullivan, Bandstand, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Rick Nelson, do-wop, etc. The 60's, I remember very well. Beach Boys, Beatles, Franki Valli, Supremes, MoTown in general, Stax/Volt, the Stones, Hendrix, Janis, Airplane, Moodies, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Procol Harum, Dylan, Who, Neil Young, etc. The 70's was Moodies, Stones, The Band, Dylan, Donna Summer, Talking Heads, etc. The 80's was good for REM, Hall & Oates, and a lot of decent music I can't remember very well. My daughter liked Bowie, Hall & Oates, stuff like that. The 90's, can't recommend much, and definitely nothing worthwhile in the 2000's, except old fogies doing good new work (like Neil Young, Who, Stones, Bob Dylan). Sue and i are survivors, still living the Dream.

I've got nothing to say, but it's OK; good morning, good morning, good morning-a!

(followed by great, GH guitar rif)

My birthday September 17; 63. Wife and I are going up to Wally World, for two days, staying overnite at the Movies motel. Take the bus around the World, no worries. Probably to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, maybe to MGM (Movies). Crowds shouldnt be too bad this time of year. Hope it doesn't rain too much. Still hot and humid in The Swamp. Determined to have a good time anyway.

We moved our offices Monday. No, the above pic has nothing to do with that - My grandmother used to have one of those, and old 78's. Low-tech is best! Just crank it up, and put the nail int eh groove, and it plays music. The new office is nice, not scummy yet. Only about a mile east of the old one, but closer to my house (about 5 min. drive now, instead of 10). That's great. I figure about 2 more years, till the wife wants to seriously move to Tucson, so will enjoy it for know. Not much going on for us this Labor Day weekend, except some yard and house chores - what fun. Maybe will see son, Mark and his wife, Betsy (maybe not). You know how 30ish kids are - they think we are a burden, most of the time. Were a lot more interesting than they give us credit for. They don't want to remember that they got to be the independent, smart and successful people they are because we raised them right. Oh well.