Any of you monkeys want a banana?

Wheatland Music Festival happened again last weekend, and I had a blast. The weather was perfect, and having the camper along was a good decision since I didn't have to deal with the fermenting porta-johns. I had extra room in the camper, so I was asked to watch a little girl whose mom was working as a volunteer on the night shift. She is a sweetheart, and reminds me so much of Laini. She woke me about 6 am and cried a bit, but went back to sleep soon after.

The Partly Brothers played every night, so there wasn't as much picking as I had hoped, but I made up for it at some other campsites. Playing the mandolin with Al, Milo, and Dave1 was a bit of a challenge, and I was able to demonstate my technique of wandering about the neck trying to find some notes that fit. It was pretty funny at times. The food was good, the ribs were excellent, the music was abundant, and the beer was cold. What more could you possibly ask for? I'm sure it's safe to say that a good time was had by all.

I was able to stop by and see Nathan and Alex's house. It's a nice little place and should suit them very well. Alex is handling the pregnancy very well and Nathan is so excited by the new baby coming. He has suffered no ill effects as a result of the accident, seems to be settled in his job, and now has a house to tinker with. The next few years should be very interesting for them.

Gabi heads off to basic training today. I wish I had been there to see her off, but there was no way to do that. Talk about changes! Gabi, if you get a chance to read this, here's a way to get a great shine on your shoes: put a thick coat of polish on the leather and use a lighter to get it warm enough to flow a little (don't burn the leather). Rub it in with cotton balls until it shines shines shines. Of course, your mother got into trouble because the drill instructor thought she had used floor wax. I thought it was pretty funny, actually. Anyway, I wish her well, and offer this piece of advice: KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!!!

Camping at the fair was good, with the exception of my trip to Ky. for Jeremy's funeral. That was hard, and my sister will be a long time recovering. There were so many people there, well over 500 that came to the wake (or "viewing") on Monday. He had many friends and will be missed by everyone that knew him. Tuesday, the day of the funeral, there was a downpour most of the day, until we went to the gravesite. The good part of the trip was spending time at Elaine's house and getting to know some of her crazy friends. I kept myself entertained on the trip down and back by singing along with the cd player. It's about 11 cds down and the same back. That's a trip I hope to not soon repeat.

My friends and I have been picking pretty often this summer. It's so much fun playing the mandolin with these folks. I've developed a real attraction with the older bluegrass and country and look for opportunities to play it. The Baitshop Boys are a local group that plays out and jams once a week on Sunday afternoon. We played a bit together at the shooting range last Saturday, and they invited me to join them whenever I could. They even have a web site - The Baitshop Boys. I think I'll take'em up on the offer.