dog days

Well not much going on lately:

+ lots and lots of tomatoes in the garden
+ went to Grave's Mountain Sunday evening to see Cherryholmes - they were really good. Every time I see them they are better singers and pickers ... and they were good before
+ going to take truck in tomorrow morning for service and inspection
+ I think I'll go on down and talk to Bruce about the tile after the truck stuff
+ James Taylor is going to be at UVA Thursday but the tickets are $65 each plus about $15 for the privlege of buying the ticket ... and he's not really bluegrass

I steamed the neck off the guitar and will finish each separtely ... got the fret board done ... so guess I gotta get a bridge so I can place it and mask of the area before finish

more later

LeRoy and other dobros

Well, we're back from a week at the Augusta Bluegrass camp. The festivities were held at Davis and Elkins college in Elkins WV. Just a three hour drive from here - west on Rt 33 until you run into it. Some really beautiful hill country on that drive! I think we miss a lot on the interstates.

I attended the LeRoy Mack sessions on dobro. LeRoy started out as a teenager in California with a group of other teens including Clarance and Roland White. Their group was called the Kentucky Colonels. They were featured on episode 19 of the Andy Griffith show. LeRoy's mentor was Josh Graves of the Flatt and Skruggs band. So he taught that style of dobro. We learned Houndog Ramble, Amazing Grace, Home Sweet Home, Fireball Mail and Foggy Mountain Rock.

The other instructors were equally fantastic... if you are a guitar flat picker, this was the place to be! Check out the Augusta web site for a list of these talented folks. Pat and Sully were there and made the week even more fun.

Here is LeRoy playing Foggy Mountain Rock. He is playing the LeRoy Mack edition of a Beard Guitar. It has 4 way book matched back and engraving everywhere. I think Paul charges about $4500 for this model.















vvv



This is the class picture. Guess who has the red dobro?
















This is Leah. She is going to be a senior in high school this year and is REALLY talented! She is playing a new Paul Beard ... Mike Auldridge edition guitar. This thing sounds great (when she plays it)














And here is your's truly trying to play Foggy Mountain Rock for Rose. She was not impressed ;-) .... I've got the hard part but need to learn the rest.