More jewelry

I was sure I had posted that last entry, but there it was in my draft folder.  That was a week or two ago. Since then I've worked my regular work, had the Minivan fixed (ouch!), and made more jewelry.  Here are pictures.

Jewelry Making

So one of the challenges of RV life is lack of storage space. It would be much simpler if I were a TV watching couch potato, but that's never going to happen. I do bead work, quill work, knitting, crocheting, sewing, and music - all of which require supplies, and most of which have a tendency to build a stash of materials.
Well my stash of materials has outgrown my motorhome, and I'm certainly not just getting rid of the stuff. So, since I'm going to be at my daughters for a few weeks, I brought all of my long-neglected beading supplies. I've been working and visiting and doing stuff, but I've also taken care of some repair work and designed some new jewelry.
In the first picture you see the repair work.  The necklace with the seeds and shells was a gift from my late aunt, and I'm embarrassed to admit how long it was in the repair box. It required complete restringing. The string tie simply needed glued back together and the turquoise necklace was a simple repair also.

In the second picture is the result of a couple of afternoons of making jewelry from scratch. A couple of these projects had been started previously, but the rest are brand new.

Today's Yard, Cherokee NC

After a month at SC daughter's house, I'm spending this weekend camping with friends at Yogi in the Smokies, Cherokee NC.  It's a twice yearly gathering which I've been unable to attend for way too long.  It's good to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.  And it's wonderful to sleep in my hammock, which is the only way I wake up and my body doesn't hurt.
The pool is still open here.  Today was too busy to even think about swimming but if tomorrow is warm enough, I might.  It is so much more pleasant here in the mountains, cooler and drier.  Creekside camping with the soothing sounds of flowing water, bugs, campers.  Life is good.

Whole New World, the new album

As I said, I picked up my freshly minted CDs a month or so ago. (I've been busy not blogging again. Oops.) This one took so long and I'm really glad it's done and my song-children can go out into the world and seek their fortunes.

I believe the reason I haven't written a song in quite a while is that I had so many written but not recorded and released.  Songs want to be sung, not just sit in a notebook or the composer's personal iPod.  So I'm really trying to get caught up.  The second album came out last year, and this third one just now.  There is a fourth one in progress, and another in concept stage.

This album, Whole New World, is different.  On my first two albums, about half of the songs are about rendezvous / living history / reenacting.  The rest are an assortment of other subjects.  This new album is entirely music by and for recovering people.  If you're looking for drinking songs - and I have written a couple - you will not find them here.  But if you are in recovery, this one's for you.  Or if you know someone in recovery, it would be a good gift idea.

I've got to recover from the production expense before I put it on CDBaby, but you can get it from me.  Email me.

Today's Yard: soccer field

So I've been traveling in Maxine the Minivan, and came to SC to camp with my kids for a weekend.  We had a good time camping, and much to my surprise, I'm still here, house/kid/critter sitting for my SC daughter and son in law who had to go out of state for his family.  There hasn't been work lately, which is good because I'm free to do this.  It's a neat thing to be able to spend time with my SC grandson, and take him to soccer practice and stuff.  

Soccer finished just in time for us to get home and have dinner before this thunderstorm started.

The lack of work also meant I had time to finally finish a recording project that had been on hold for way too long.  So this morning I picked up the CDs.  Yay!

Oh, my poor neglected blog!

Oh, my poor neglected blog! Dear readers... It's been a while. I'm blaming lack of internet access, vehicle repairs, and just being busy in real life.
I started the year off with my motorhome in the shop and me camping in my van, or in my hammock.

Osceola National Forest in Florida is wonderful for that - lots of trees. A bunch of us were down there camping this winter.

The motorhome being buried in snow in Virginia, I stayed in the van and went to Stagger Lee Music Park for my third year as camp host there. Then I returned to Virginia, stayed with my daughter for a while after her back surgery, and went to several Rendezvous.

By the way, my second CD came out last year. WHEN THE HOOTER'S GOT YOUR KNIFE is available from CDBaby.

That was the Spring OVPR, in March.

That was the new West Augusta, in Doddridge County WV, in June.

Somewhere in there, there were a LOT of motorhome repairs, but it still gets air in the steering, so I'm still not roaming around in it. There were some relatively minor van repairs. And there was a minivan acquisition, because when a great car drops in your lap, you tell the Gods thank you and put plates on it quick. And take it for its maiden voyage to the mountains near Asheville to go camping with daughters and their families and our hammocks.

Today's Lap

I'm workamping again at Stagger Lee Music Park again this winter.  The job has a new perk: the latest addition to the staff, Theo the Camp Cat.
Theo is one of the sweetest cats I've ever met (and I've loved quite a few).