April 2006

It has been an incredible year so far and I can't believe that I'm writing this from the car wash place here in Denver. January started out nice and quiet - a few concerts in Nebraska with my brothers, Chuck and Tom - The Minden Opera House is wonderful! I was just starting to think that retirement might be a beautiful thing down the road, many years from now, then the phone rang...and rang... and seems to keep ringing. That's a blessing when you are a self employed musician!

I have experienced the Pavlov's Bell Syndrome, only with me it's getting on the United Express route to Reno from DIA, plugging the ear plugs in and falling asleep for a 2 hour ride to a new opportunity. Northstar Ski Area at Lake Tahoe is going through some huge changes. They are in the middle of a complete renovation of their base area and adding many new condominiums as well as a Ritz Carlton. I've been playing there and helping them keep a calendar together for entertainment. This will be an ongoing thing and I hope I can accommodate their wish to get folks to visit and enjoy their new resort.

There have been a few trips to a very special private ski resort next to Big Sky Montana. Warren Miller is the Director of Skiing and to meet him was a thrill! He has done so much for all of us who love to ski or watch others fly down the mountain - he had some great stories about skiing with John Denver. Pam and James got to experience this too, one weekend.

I had a wonderful trip to Nashville seeing my friends Tom Rutledge and Richard Dennison. I stayed at Rad's new home and played with Apple's Garage Band, with his wonderful daughter Hannah (do any of you remember Hannah's Song - she's the gal) and a trip to St. Louis to see David Oetting and The Mid Life Crisis Orchestra.

I had a landmark birthday in February (you can figure it out...I've been here since 1956) and had the joy of making turns down the most beautiful ski runs with good friends new and old. Then I had the most incredible ride home from Montana thanks to an incredible family - my birthday present, The Car, arrived the next day.

Shows in Steamboat for the DeSo Foundation, Keystone for the Dartmouth Bunch from the AD House (Animal House Alumni) and so many other things I can't keep the memories all straight. Pam wants me to write a book - I think that'd be pretty hard and weird but who knows? I've been in San Francisco, Palm Springs, Breckenridge and working on finishing a new album called Open Spaces. New songs keep popping into my head and Rosie's Song is one that I'm excited about. Trips to New York and Baltimore, as well as trips to Lake Tahoe, Montana, and Northern California this summer will keep the calendar full. Kathryn McKiernan from Ireland will hopefully join us over the 4th of July and I hope we can finish producing her album. She sings like an angel.

Two road rally's in September, one in Colorado and one in Montana will let me play with the car they're washing right now (my birthday present is black and goes too fast and used to belong to a famous car driver named Nick Soprano - they are too cool). Daughter Casey will soon be a senior in film studies at CU Boulder - wow, where did the time fly? She just returned from Italy and Spain for a spring break - sounds like fun huh? And James will be a senior at Ralston Valley. He's playing tennis and guitar and bass and rockin' out' --- They are both doing just great....two loving, caring, children we love so much. Pam keeps us all together and continues to keep it all straight. We go to the Czech Republic the end of September - and will be gearing up for the winter with me going back and forth to Tahoe, hopefully Montana too, and playing once again in our blasted beloved Breckenridge at Beaver Run....stay tuned!

Well the car is done and so I must fly...back home to Vincent the Wonderdog and Schatze the weird cat-
Love to all of you - please write - life is so much fun and making music for you is the greatest gift of all!