Father's Day Surprise

The subject of this post, may sound different than it actually is. The surprise I got had nothing to do with Father's Day, just that it happened on that day.

On the Saturday before Father's Day we drove to my daughter's house in Athens. The plan was to work some in her Attic to prepare for putting some plywood there as a flooring for storage of several boxes of her memorabilia that is currently stored in our basement. Patrick, our oldest, planned to join us and help. The weekend weather was extremely hot and as it happened, the AC went out at her house. With the heat as it was, we decided to avoid the attic completely.

Sunday afternoon, my wife decided that I was acting less normal than usual (later she has said that it started on Saturday). Of the things that she has noted was that I was not doing the things I normally did as we prepared to leave, but also was doing what she told me to without any argument. The gist of it all was that she decided I needed to see a doctor. The choices was the ER in Athens, in Gaines ville, or in Blairsville. She talked with my younger sister, who is an ER nurse in Gainesville and we ended up at the ER in Gaines ville.

They took blood and gave me several types of tests. Then I was taken to have a CT Scan. Surprise to me and to them, the CT showed that I had experienced a stroke. Later I had an MRI, which confirmed that diagnosis and gave more information concerning what had happened. I then spent two nights in the hospital as they continued to check me, give me fluids, and tried to make sure I was continuing to do well.

Later, my sister got a copy of the results of the MRI. It was an eye opener to me and proof that God is watching over me. As the doctor told her, I took a pretty good hit. The good news was that it was the best kind of stroke to have, if you have one at all. The other good news was that it did not affect me at all physically or in my speech or any of the other classic signals of stroke. The bottom line is that it hit in the cognitive areas of my brain.

Last week I went to see a neurologist. He sent me to have a post stroke assessment at the rehabilitation center. I told David that I must be a real musician now that I have been sent to rehab. The assessment went very well and I am going back for another session on Friday afternoon.

There are some things I have learned since this happened. I don't like being sick, I don't like people treating me as if I am sick. I understand my dad's frustration with having everyone you see asking how you are doing. I appreciate knowing they are concerned, but I feel fine and don't notice any difference. It is also very strange to admit that, yes, I had a stroke. That is something you think of happening to older people and something that is very serious and even life threatening. But it happened to me. Yes it is serious and it concerns me. I am now on blood pressure medicine, blood thinner, and cholesterol medicine, even though my cholesterol was in good shape when they checked it. However, the neurologist said that since I have had a stroke they would want my cholesterol to be even lower than they would normally want it to be.

The key now, I guess, is to take care of myself without becoming too pessimistic or scared of what might or might not happen. I want to live while I am living. I hope the next Father's Day surprise I have has more to do with my children and them getting me outdoors for a hike, a canoe trip, a camping trip, or some other activity that I love.

Nelson

Roots & Music

We had the opportunity to open the Roots & Music Festival in Hiawassee, GA this year. It was nice to be on the Anderson Music Hall Stage and to share the stage with some wonderful acts.



The Festival was held on Friday and Saturday, June 5 & 6th. Our program began at 6:00 pm on Friday. There was a good crowd and we had a nice set. The response to us was great and enjoyble for us. Later we had the opportunity to listed to Irons in the Fire, Dale Ann Bradley, IBMA Female Vocalist of the year for the past two years, and the Seldom Scene, a band that has been around and well known as long as we have been picking , which started in the early 1970's.

Saturday had a great lineup and I am sorry to say I missed it. I started to the festival when my vehicle broke down. It turned out to be a fuel pump that was the problem. There were a few acts that I really wanted to see, including the final act of Dan Tyminski. Hearing from some who were able to attend, I missed a great day of music.

The people putting on the festival were excellent to work with. I appreciate the efforts of everyone, and especially the sound crew. It was wonderful to be a part of this festival and to have the opportunity to perform at Anderson Music Hall.

Memorial Weekend Concert 2009

We hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Weekend and are having a good Memorial Day. I also hope you take few minutes to reflect on the true meaning of the day.

Saturday night we had the privilege of kicking off the summer concert season at Unicoi State Park in Helen. We have played many times at Unicoi and it is always a pleasure to play there. Jessica, Smith, Ellen and all the others are always helpful and friendly. They promote the shows and have not only the guests of the park attending, but residents of the surrounding area as well.
Over the years we have played just about everywhere they have had music at Unicoi. In the campground area, we have played on the old back deck of the trading post, in the room in the back of the Trading Post, at the amphitheater, on the porch of the log cabin, and even on the old kiosk that has now been removed. We have played for several groups at the beach house and even a couple down at the meadow near the staff housing. The lodge has become one of the best places of all. While we have had the chance to play in most of the meeting rooms and some of the lobby areas, Master's Hall seems to be the best area to get everyone in (though A,B,C of the Logo Lobby is pretty good as well).

This weekend's concert was held in Master's Hall 1 & 2. We had a crowd of over 200. It was good to see the numbers up again. Hopefully they will have good crowds all summer. If you get a chance, go see some of their acts. We will be back again before the end of the summer as well.

See you down the road.

Nelson

Playing Solo

There is a little different way of thinking when you are playing a solo program as compared to playing a program with someone else. It is different with a duo or trio as compared to a full band as well. I have played several solo gigs over the years, and there are things I enjoy about doing this.

The picking and instrumentation is often different when playing solo than it is when you have someone else playing along. You have to make sure to keep some rhythm going while playing a melody. It is often a chance to do some songs that we do not normally do as a duo. It is also a time to try out things that I think are fun or just want to see how they go over. Of course, I do some of that when we play as a duo as well.

While I enjoy doing solo programs all along, I do not really want to do them all the time. I enjoy the give and take of playing in a duo or even a trio (though it has been quite a while since we played in a trio). There are things we can to together that is just not possible when playing alone. Additionally, I find an extra energy to a program with more than one personality involved. Not to mention how good a picker Buck is.

The first of this month I played at a festival in TN. Because Buck had to be somewhere else, I played solo. This was the first time in a while that I had played alone. The first day went well enough, though I was trying to get my solo feet back under me. The next day I was more relaxed and at least had more fun myself. I wasn't on the listening side, but I did feel it was a few steps ahead of the program from the day before.

An extra gift for me from this festival was the chance to see Steve Kaufman perform. I even had a chance to meet and talk with him for a while. I have followed his career along since he won the Flatpicking Contest in Winfield several years ago, and was glad to have the chance to finally hear him in person. It was a good evening.

Full bands are enjoyable to listen to, especially those that have played together enough to really perform and play relaxed and tight. However, it seems that the groups I most often want to hear these days are solo, duo, or trio. Not to say there aren't bands out there that I will go a long way to listen to, but there is something about the sound of a small group that I find particularly appealing.

Nelson

Traveling to Gigs

I enjoy traveling and seeing other parts of the country and the world. I have tried to do that every chance I get. Sometimes I get a lot of chances, sometimes not many at all. There are times when I combine some travels with performances, and that can be a lot of fun as well.

Saturday we traveled up into Tennessee for a program. Not a long distance, but a few hours from home. There is often some benefits to traveling some distance to a gig. We have the opportunity to discuss things concerning our music and plans we may have. There is also time to brainstorm, listen to CD's of other artists, work on singing new and old songs, and at times to listen to one of our own shows to see what we like and what we want to work on.

On the trip Saturday, we talked quite a bit about several aspects of our music. All the time there were CD's playing. Sometimes we let the music be background, then a song would come up that we wanted to concentrate on. One somewhat humorous thing that happened along with that was as we crossed into Tennessee. Just before reaching the state line, we were listening to a Norman Blake CD and he changed songs just as we were getting to the line. The song he started was "Columbus Stockade Blues" and as we crossed the line, he sang 'wish I was back in Tennessee'. He was wishing and we were there.

The traveling is enjoyable, or at least can be. Of course, the best part is getting to perform music for an audience that wants to listen. As Doc Watson says, 'it is like a warm handshake multiplied by all the people applauding'. I like to think it is a mutually beneficial activity. I know I benefit from it and feel better for days after a good program.

See you down the road.

Nelson

April Snows

The snow came during the evening and last night, and still it snows a little this morning. There is something about snow that is alluring to me. It makes me happy, it makes me melancholy, it makes me feel alive, and it makes me think. Spring snows are a quickly vanishing act as well. The ground is so warm that they melt quickly here.

Saturday night we played for a group outside. We were in our shirtsleeves and quite warm at 8:30 pm. Then last night (Monday) we played for a group inside with the snow falling outside. The weather has been just a little volatile in the last couple of days.

I enjoy winter and summer. I love fall, and love spring almost as much as fall. This is a time to get the picking juices going for a season full of picking and performing. I hope you have a great season and we get to see you somewhere down the road.

Nelson

In Like a Lion

March has been described as either "in like a lion, out like a lamb", or "in like a lamb, out like a lion". This year it came in like a lion. Sunday was rainy, windy, winter mix, and some snow.

Living in the highest mountains of north Georgia, our weather has always been more like southern Virginia than Georgia. Over the last several years, it has steadily gotten much warmer overall than the type of weather I grew up with.

Up until around 1980 the weather patterns in this part of the world were pretty much the same. In the summer we would get some pretty warm (hot) days in July and August - sometimes in the upper 90 degrees. However, every night it would cool down considerably. Most nights it would be down to around 60 degrees are below. Very few nights that you did not want a blanket or quilt before morning if you left the windows open. In the winter, we would get at least 3 or 4 snows that were 3 inches deep and a couple more that would be 6 inches deep or more. Then we would have a few more dustings of up to an inch or so. There would be some warm days in the winter, but there would also be spells of freezing temperatures that would allow several lakes to freeze over enough to walk on.

Spring and fall were definite and separate seasons. In fact, each season was roughly the same length of time it seemed. Those spring and fall times were marked with cool to warm days and nights that might show a little frost, or almost to frost temps. Certainly, there is always a little bit of romanticizing when you look back at the times of your youth and childhood - at least for most of us. However, I do have some hard information on these weather patterns.

My dad ran a real estate business for many years - he was the first in the area, and the largest. A part of his advertising was on the climate of the cool mountains. In order to back that up, we had information from the weather service showing the type climate we were enjoying.

This Sunday, the first of March, was a different day though. Here in the mountains, at a base elevation of almost 2,000', we were not getting hardly any snow. Oh there was some on the mountain tops, but not in the valleys and not in town. A winter weather advisory for almost half of the state of Georgia and we in the area with a climate more like southern Virginia were getting shut out. It did snow for about an hour with big, pretty flakes. But the ground was so wet and warm that it melted as fast as it came down.

In the Atlanta area and especially farther east in Athens, GA there was snow in plenty. My daughter, who is now living in Athens, was getting the snow. They got almost 6" before it was over with. While the snow was beautiful, it was wet and heavy. This caused some big limbs and more than a few trees to come down. Luckily she had no damage at her house. Just some limbs to clean up, and a couple of hours without electricity.

I couldn't let all the snow just pass me by though. So I took a ride up to Neel's Gap in the afternoon to see the snow on the mountain. I did take a few pictures and will add them if they come out decent. I enjoy the winter too much not to go see the snow when I had the chance.

I hope you are having a good winter and looking forward the spring. It will be here soon. In the meantime, pray for snow. See you down the road.

Nelson