Our Grandparents

 I was playing old Carter family tunes on YouTube and realized that I had my own old photos from the time when Maybelle was having the girls. This is my Grandfather holding my father. My Grandmother was a small town flapper of sorts. That's my Great-Grandmother and Great Aunt and Great great Uncle there. They were on a picnic on the farm. My Great-Grandmother lived into her nineties. I visited her when I was 19. She told me about how my grandmother here was a drug addict. My Grandfather ended up a famous drunk in my hometown. He's in my book. I loved the hopeless old fool.

Done with the first draft

Well, Daydee had her baby tonight. And the first draft of the book is done. About 58K in words. A lot of work ahead to do. Need to develop a entire sub-plot about her relationship with Sara, the bad guy's ex-wife that I didn't know was there until about half way thru this draft. I need to plan out and insert the stages of her pregnancy throughout and tie each section to each stage. There's a whole lot of under developed dramatic stuff to work on. And to find. Stuff to cut, I'm going to try to make this one as commercial as I know how to do, Gonna go for stripped down style, so even a dummy can read it. I went back and looked. I started it in March 2011- so there's a year and 1/2. The last one took me three years and it was twice as long as this, but I wasn't playing in a band every week back then. Gonna print it out tomorrow.

Cheers.

'The Author'

Listen To The Mocking Bird

It took me a while to load up this one here- there was some weirdness with the blogger software. It kept loading up the prior embed notation for the first one I put up. Weird. Anyhow, I've probably spent a year off and on rewriting the lyrics to this. The only part that's the same is the chorus. Hope you like it.

We Out Grew It

We out grew it. How many folks you know get written into a folk song?

At Sonny McLean's on Wilshire on Thursday night. The kid letting it hang out there.
It was great fun. A big noisy pub with football on the big screens and people eating and drinking

Come on over tonight

Rhubarb In Black & White Photos by One of the Bears

These were all taken in the last couple of weeks at the Melrose Trading Post and Westchester First Fridays

Mama Don't Allow

On 9/12/2012 5:15 PM, Hailey Villaire wrote:

Hi Dan,

We are a division of a community college.  We do not have any “venues” per say to perform in… was there a class you were interested in teaching?

Hailey

From: Dan McNay [mailto:mcnay@mosis.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2012 8:43 AM
To: Hailey Villaire
Subject: Re: Band interested in playing for tips

Hailey,

This email was listed as a contact for a swap meet at your location.

Dan McNay

On 9/14/2012 10:02 AM, Hailey Villaire wrote:

Dan,

 This is the correct email for the Swap Meet, however the Swap Meet isn’t a venue for services or entertainment.

 Hailey

From: Dan McNay [mailto:mcnay@mosis.com]
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 10:08 AM
To: Hailey Villaire
Subject: Re: Band interested in playing for tips

Halley,

I was trying to contact someone to see if they were interested in have us come perform. I've had good luck booking us in places where they've not had entertainment before. Is there someone to contact to discuss it?

Thanks

Dan McNay

Dan,

While your zeal is respected, there is no way the Swap Meet would be able to accommodate a band.  Services, including playing for tips, as well as soliciting of any kind is strictly forbidden.  We are a buy-and-sell swap meet only.  I apologize for any inconvenience. 

Best,

Hailey

They got balloons

They got balloons Live music was provided by members of the Wiseburn school faculty and members of the community.  They were having a great time performing and everyone was enjoying their music.

We were rejected, but I had already booked us somewhere else that night. Above was the band from a couple of years ago I guess.

On 9/11/2012 12:36 PM, Wiseburnwatch@aol.com wrote:

HI Dan     

My name is Harley Hoff and I coordinate the food truck event in Wiseburn. Our board discussed your offer to perform and has decided to give it a try for our event coming up on September 28th from 5-9pm. Would you and your band be available to play? We have an area we'd like for you outside in our courtyard.  I will need to know what you need as far as power or anything. We do have a few things we don't want done - you cannot sell anything, and cannot put out any kind of tip "jar". You may freely promote your band, and music with flyers etc. if you choose too,     

Please let me know if this is agreeable and we can work out the details, Thank you for your interest in our event.            p.s. I am a female, cant tell from my name :
Best Regards     Harley Hoff     Wiseburn Education Foundation

Pacific Daylight Time, mcnay@mosis.com writes:

 
Harley,

    Thanks for your offer. We usually put out my banjo case with flyers and free CDs and do receive tips. We are playing for free. The tip money we are getting is for recording studio time for the band. None of us are well off. If you'd like to pay us $40.00 for coming, we don't have to ask for tips.

    The tips are why folks play for free. Musicians don't get to write off their time performing as a charitable contribution. You aren't asking the food trucks not to accept tips, are you?

    We'd love to come. Let me know.

    Dan McNay

\
Hello again;

 We thank you very much for the offer to come play. We understand your need for tips to perform but it just isn't a fit for our event. Coincidentally we fund the music programs for our district and plan to have our children perform at future events. We would have liked to have had you to see how it worked but we do understand your need.

We wish you and the band the best of luck !

 Harley

How I spent my Labor Day Weekend

A little excitement around my house.All three bears showed up and we had a couple over Saturday night for cards and the kids coming and going. Our friends left around 10:30 pm and we walked them out. I recall telling the dog she couldn't go. (I've trained her to come out into the front yard with me and not to cross the curb, but she's getting senile) Anyway, we said goodbye, came in, cleaned up and went to bed. I awoke at six the next morning realizing some how that the dog was not in the house. I searched the snoring kids rooms and outside. The only thing we figure is that she went out anyway by pushing the screen door open the night before. She was gone. I drove around and around the neighborhood for at least three - four hours, we posted signs, we contacted the pound. Went out again in the evening and emailed the Boy Scout Troop and put it up on Facebook and was giving flyers to the folks out rifling our trash for cans - offering a reward to them. We took a break and went to the beach. The neighbors were out looking.
Monday morning I drove one bear down to meet her friend for brunch and to catch the bus back up north, so I decided to run by the pound on the way home. (My wife had already gone the day before and left them info and a picture) It was closed. Came back and looked again.
At work, me youngest one who is at home for a week or two yet, gets a call. Someone had found her and called the pound and they had given her number to my daughter. All from the tag number on her collar. She drove down to get her in Lawndale and brings her home. We've called to thank the lady, but haven't had a chance to hear the full story yet. My daughter understands the woman found the dog near LAX where she works and drove her to her home in Lawndale. The dog looks tired. She's sixteen and has cataracts and is deaf. She was glad to be home. I feed her string cheese (her favorite) and petted her more than I did all last week, I think. 

The Best Breakfast Cereal Big Business Could Buy

One last gasp of my political photoshop endevours.