10.01.2006

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Don says:

Weeks before Lisa's birthday (September 27th) I gave her a new camera.   Weeks before my birthday (October 16th) she gave me two tickets to see BB King in concert in Ft Worth (TX) next January.   Neither of us is capable of keeping a secret; I told her about her camera a few hours after I'd ordered it and she told me about the BB King concert a few hours after she'd ordered the tickets.   Sure, we'd like to keep a secret once in a while but neither of us knows how, that's just how it is. *shrug*


BB King is one of my heroes.   There's just nobody like him.   A few years ago the people who make the Austin City Limits television program did a special Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn program with BB King, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Rait, Buddy Guy and Jimmy Vaughn (Stevie's brother).   I watched it the first time it was aired on the Austin public television station.   It was awesome.   The next evening the band I was in (Phase II) had a gig and as we were setting up, Pat Gibbons (the bass player) asked "Hey, did you see that Tribute to Stevie Ray program on television last night?"; I said "Oh yeah, I loved it."; Pat said "Me too, but what was up with the silly grin on Buddy Guy's face?"; I told him "You really don't know what that was about?"; Pat said "No, do you?"; I said "Sure, he was standing on stage between BB King and Eric Clapton and he was playing his guitar.   The man was jamming with BB King and Eric Clapton.   If that had been you, what sort of look do you think would have been on your face?"   At that point we both laughed and Pat nodded to acknowledge that the mystery of Buddy's smile was solved.   Incidentally when I told Lisa about this program she tracked down, and bought a copy of, the DVD for me (what a woman).

Buddy Guy?   I've never seen anybody who could get so much mileage out of one note.   Seriously, the man can hold an audience spellbound in the palm of his hand for twenty or thirty seconds at a time by playing a single note.   Don't take my word for that, go see for yourself.

I've been playing the guitar since I was fourteen years old.   Playing music has always been a big part of my life, but I never heard of, or knew anything at all about, some of America's finest guitarists until I was over 50 years old.   I first saw Albert Collins in an incredibly stupid movie called "Adventures in Babysitting".   He made a huge impression on me and I didn't even know his name but it didn't take long to find out because I asked everyone I knew, and kept asking, until I found somebody who'd seen that silly little movie and could tell me who that amazing blues man was.

I first saw Buddy Guy on Austin City Limits and thought he was awesome but I wondered, how could I have grown up in this country and never have heard this incredible musician.

This has been, for me, a year of revelations.   Not only am I finally learning, for the first time, how wonderful a good marriage can truly be, I'm finally learning about the Blues which was born in America and is cherished all over the world but only now beginning to be accepted and embraced by mainstream America.   This year I've listened to hundreds of wonderful American artists courtesy of KUT, FM 90.5 Public Radio from Austin Texas (they have a program on Monday evenings titled, appropriately enough, Blue Monday) and two fabulous internet radio stations; The Atlanta Blues Society of Atlanta Georgia and Blues On Air from a private collector in Korea.   Both of these internet radio stations broadcasts a continuous stream of wonderful Blues, both contemporary and vintage.

So, in the 57th year of my life, I've finally been permitted to hear the wonderful American music which influenced all the bands responsible for the (musical) British Invasion of America, back when I was a teenager.   A sadly belated gift but one I'm no less grateful to have finally received.

Lisa says:

We're sitting at the computers on a Wednesday night amusing ourselves writing the personal news page, the ezine, sundry other little tasks, watching and listening to You Tube clips.   For example; the Buddy Guy page , I'm just making my way through each selection.   Albert Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, we're huge fans.  Etta James, Billy Holiday, Janis Joplin, all these and more.  It's a little weird, when I was in high school, most everyone was listening to the Carpenters, I was diggin' Joplin *grin*.  I weighed 90 pounds and 5 pounds of that was hair.   Go figure. *big grin*

Commercial Art Class-1974

If you're following my little adventure attempting to become a notary public via a package and support I ordered online, I'm impressed with the Secretary of State's Office; they are fast and efficient.   I Googled "Secretary of State+Texas", in the 'quick links' box clicked on Statutory Documents> Notary Public> Education> Video and then followed the instructions on how to receive, cost-free, the loan of an instructional DVD.   In 5 days I received a package containing the DVD, a copy of the "Texas Notary Handbook", "Notary Public Rules", two applications for appointment as a Texas Notary Public and a post-paid padded return envelope for the return of the DVD.   Not bad.

A couple of weeks ago Don was at a gig and I was at home having dinner with mom. I looked outside and saw an incredible rainbow and sunset, rushed outside with my camera and got a few choice shots.   At the same time Don was on his break at the gig and stepped outside for some fresh air (bars are almost too smoky for him now that he's quit smoking). He had just decided to start carrying my old camera just in case "something cool happened".   Something did.   The best part was, in any direction you looked, the sky had different, almost fluorescent colors and a rainbow that crossed the whole sky.   What a day.

Sunset over Texas