Maine Minutiae: Take a Walk on the Wild Side

I have covered Maine Huts and Trails before. It's a great resource for the outdoors-minded during the long, cold, damn-I-miss-Texas winters. But when in Maine, do as the Mainers do. That's where Maine Huts and Trails come in. Their web site gives us an idea of what they're about, "Maine's newest, year-round outdoor adventure destination. We're located in the beautiful and wild, western mountains region of Maine. In time, our system of backcountry eco-lodges connected by people-powered trails will stretch nearly 200 miles from near the New Hampshire border to the Moosehead Lake region." The Moosehead Lake region of Maine is an astonishingly beautiful place.

These huts, while modern in their construction, take you back to a time when snowshoeing and the like was the only way to get around during the harsh Maine winter. I'll let the folks who run Maine Huts and Trails tell you more, "Each hut is "off-the grid" and features state-of-the-art utility systems that generate and store their own power through a combination of alternative energy sources. Each facility will accommodate up to 42 guests plus 4 staff in a variety of room sizes. The huts each provide sleeping accommodations, with a soft mattress and a pillow on each bunk, hot showers, toilets and healthy, homemade meals. These amenities at remote locations along the trails help to manage human impact and provide accessibility for those seeking a 'comfort camping' experience."

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen for enjoying the outdoors and still have some creature comforts like electricity and a good strong shelter in what can be a brutal climate during the winter months in Maine. Hiking to one of the cabins and drilling a hole in the ice on the lake to do some fishing for some pan size trout to cook for supper sounds like a great experience. I have done some similar things back in Texas, but I'd like to take my two little girls on a trip like this. The things they would learn about surviving in the wilderness would be a valuable lesson for them to carry with them for the rest of their lives. Plus the scenery ain't bad either. :)

Country Music Month: The Texas Connection - The Pride of Wink, Texas

The guy we're gonna talk about today is one of those rare artists whose music crosses over from pop to country to rock and roll and back again. Roy Kelton Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas on April 23, 1936 and as a young child moved to Wink, where he grew up the son of an oil driller and car mechanic. Roy received a guitar on his sixth birthday, and by time he was seven, he knew he was going to be a musician. By the age of eight, Roy was singing on a local radio show and in no time at all he became the host. Destiny had called and Roy Orbison answered and little did he know that he was on his way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was 1960 when Orbison caught a break. He pitched a song to Elvis and the Everly Brothers and both acts turned him down, so Roy decided to record it himself. The song? Only the Lonely . The song shot up the Billboard chart all the way to Number 2 and Orbison was noticed by everybody in the music business, namely Dick Clark, who, in wake of the success of Only the Lonely, invited Orbison to appear on American Bandstand. Other smash hits soon followed, Crying, Blue Bayou and others. Roy Orbison had come a long way from Wink, Texas and was now a star.

Orbison was very shy man who actually suffered from severe stage fright. Here's where the dark sunglasses come in. the story from wikipedia, "He had no publicist in the early 1960s, no presence in fan magazines, and his single sleeves did not feature his picture. Life magazine called him an "anonymous celebrity".^[29] After leaving his thick eyeglasses on an airplane in 1962 or 1963, Orbison was forced to wear his Ray-Ban Wayfarer prescription sunglasses on stage and found that he preferred them. His biographers suggest that although he had a good sense of humor and was never morose, Orbison was very shy and suffered from severe stage fright; wearing sunglasses helped him hide somewhat from the attention. The black clothes and desperation in his songs led to an aura of mystery and introversion.^[6][30][31] Years later, Orbison said "I wasn't trying to be weird, you know? I didn't have a manager who told me to dress or how to present myself or anything. But the image developed of a man of mystery and a quiet man in black somewhat of a recluse, although I never was, really."[32] Read the rest of the bio, it reveals a lot about Orbison that few people at the time knew.

Here's the obligatory List of  Roy Orbison hits:

• Pretty Woman - People will still be listening to this song in a hundred years. Enuff said.
• Crying - Listed above. Hauntingly beautiful.
• It's Over - Depressing as hell, but I want to listen to it again.
• You Got It - One of his last hits and my favorite Roy Orbison tune.

I remember as kid that my parents had a stack of Roy Orbison records. The thing that caught my eye was his last name. I'm thinking at the time, "that's an odd name", so I played the records to see what an "Orbison" was. I soon found my answer. An Orbison was something that made even a small child "feel" the songs it sang. That's a very rare talent, making a kid "feel" a song. I also recall going out to eat with my family at places that had the small "jukeboxes" at the booths, more like jukebox remotes actually, where you put in a dime and could play three songs. I spent a lot of dimes playing "Orbisons". And that's a good thing.

Country Music Month: The Texas Connection - The Gentle Giant of Country Music

One of the interesting facts about Country Music to me is that so many of its stars come from very small towns and meager backgrounds. Some of Country Music's legends hail from towns called Butcher Holler (Loretta Lynn), Abbott (Willie) and Floydada, Texas, Don Williams. Known as the Gentle Giant of Country Music, Williams was one of the genre's biggest stars in the '70s and '80s with hits like Amanda and You're My Best Friend. Along with those two hits, Williams released a total of 46 singles and only four of them failed to make the Top 10. That's what you call consistency. I was honored to have emceed four Don Williams concerts and I gotta tell ya, the guy you saw on TV is the exact same guy in person - a quiet, unassuming Gentle Giant. I remember one show of his that I emceed in Wichita Falls. I did the intro, the curtains opened and Williams started singing and sang two or three songs. The crowd applauded generously and Williams said three words with that smooth as silk baritone voice of his, "Well, thank ya". The crowd went nuts! It was the weirdest thing. I think the audience liked Don Williams so much because he was one of them - dressed in blue jeans, a faded as hell denim jacket, boots and a well-worn cowboy hat. He looked like a guy you might run into at the Floydada hardware/pharmacy/general store instead of a star musician who had racked up 17 Number 1 hits.

Some my personal favorite Don Williams tunes include:

• I Believe in You - One of his biggest, if not the, biggest hits. It was a monster smash.
• Good Old Boys Like Me - Good song with excellent imagery.
• You're My Best Friend - I listed this one above also, but this probably the most-requested Don Williams song over the 15 years I was a DJ-type guy. During his show, the crowd joins in on the chorus and it was like being at Church. Pretty neat stuff.
• Tulsa Time - This one was written by Danny Flowers, Williams' lead guitarist. In the video at the link, Flowers is easy to spot, he's the very young man wearing all red. He's a good guitar picker, too.

As I was looking up some of Don Williams hits for this post, I got thinking that I can't recall a single song of his that I didn't like. Jump on this link to a YouTube page jam packed with the musical velvet that is the Gentle Giant of Country Music, Don Williams.

Country Music Month: The Texas Connection - Mac Davis

I was a Mac Davis fan the minute I heard, what was for me, his first song on the radio on KLIF, The Mighty 1190, in the early '70s. That song was Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me - a damn good tune. I don't know what's in the water in Lubbock, but it must be something good. Besides Mac Davis, Lubbock has given such superstars as Buddy Holly and Waylon Jennings. That's a trio that Lubbock has so kindly shared with the rest of the world and we should be thankful for it.

Scott Mac Davis is one of my personal all time favorites. Besides his great musical abilities, when I saw him in a movie, he was so damn slick. (Audience shouts: How slick was he?) He was slicker than greased owl shit on a glass doorknob. I mean the guy oozed "cool". I remember watching his Emmy-winning TV show back in the day and it was a riot. Great music, some real funny stuff and, if memory serves me right, eefin' and eiffin'. One of my favorite parts of the show was when Mac let the audience give him a subject for a song and out of the blue WHAM! Mac would ad lib a verse that was flat funny. I tried to find some clips of the show, but my search proved futile. Dammit.

Not only was Mac a great singer, he was also a helluva songwriter. You might recognize one of these songs written by Mac - a guy from Memphis did OK with Memories and In the Ghetto. And let's not forget Don't Cry Daddy, another Mac Davis penned tune. Bobby Goldsboro also had a hit with one of Mac's songs, Watching Scotty Grow. The story I heard about Watching Scotty Grow was that Goldsboror wanted to record the song in the worst way, but wanted to change it from "Scotty" to "Brian" or whatever his son's name was and Davis said "No way, Jose. This was written for my son Scottyand that's the way it is". Bobby relented and it turned out pretty damn good for both guys.

In addition to the songs scattered throughout the post here are some other Mac Davis songs I really like:

• One Hell of a Woman    
• Stop and Smell the Roses
• It's Hard to Be Humble (with the Muppets)
• Hooked On Music 

I wish I could list all the great songs by Mac Davis, but that would take a while. I do have for your listening pleasure a YouTube page of them. Look around that page and a flood of memories will come gushing to you. Like Mac wrote, "memories pressed between the pages of mind, memories sweetened through the ages just like wine....sweet memories".

Blog Heads Up for Tuesday, 10/19 - Live Blogging the Birth of a Baby? UPDATED (scroll down)

I am not sure about new blog content for Tuesday. Ashley the Cousin By Marriage Who Could Have Been My Next Ex Wife But Chose a Young Handsome Guy Instead is going into to labor with her first baby. We could get a call at any minute saying that we need to head to the hospital to be part of this big event. We know that the baby is a boy and his name will be Cooper, we are just a bit iffy on the time of arrival. If it looks like a go for tomorrow, I'll probably have my laptop with me and if it's OK with the parents-to-be and the hospital staff, I'll do as much as I can to live blog the arrival of my new fishin' buddy. Obviously, I won't be in the delivery room, but I'll be in close contact with those in the know. In the meantime, I'll just play it by ear to see what is going on. Say some prayers, if you will, for Ashley, Shawn and Cooper as well as the first-time grandparents to be, Arthur and Mary Ellen. Hasta la baby, y'all.

UPDATE:  Baby Cooper is still hidin' out in his Mama's tummy. No word yet this morning on the progress (or lack thereof) of Ashley's labor pains and all that baby-havin' stuff. We (me, wife & kids) are on stand-by to make a mad dash to the horse pistol in Waterville, about 25 miles from here. When this all happens, I will try to post from the horse pistol as events unfold. If I can find my laptop battery. :)

UPDATE #2- Just got a phone call from Grandma-to-be. She told us that Ashley's water broke and she was administered something to induce labor. The Miracle Express with baby Cooper aboard will arrive late this afternoon or early this evening. Much fun and ooo's and ah's will ensue.

UPDATE #3 - Baby Cooper came in kickin' and screamin' a few minutes ago! (It's 6:25PM EDT now) 6lbs. 8oz, 20in. long. Congrats to the parents, Shawn and Ashley and to Grandma and Grandpa, Mary Ellen and Arthur!

Country Music Month; The Texas Connection - The Gambler

One of the biggest Country Music stars of the '70s and "80s hails from Houston, Texas. The dude had what seems like thousands of songs that hit the top of the Country and Pop charts, making him one of the most successful crossover artists ever. Kenneth Donald Rogers has been a star singer/songwriter/actor for more than forty years. Overall, his career has spanned six decades. Rogers was one the first Country singers to make hit movies in addition to his songs being featured in the soundtracks of major motion pictures. such as Convoy, The Big Lebowski and Urban Cowboy.

In 1967, as a member of The First Edition, Rogers cranked out some great records including Reuben James, Ruby (Don't Take Your Love to Town) written by Mel Tillis, Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In and Something's Burning. Great songs, all, but my favorite out that bunch is Reuben James.
Rogers also released smash hits as duets with partners including Dolly Parton, Islands in the Stream, Sheena Easton, with the Bob Seger classic, We've Got Tonight, and several hits with the late Dottie West, What Are We Doin' in Love. Click on any of those links and explore the music of Kenny Rogers. I had forgotten just many smash hits and awards the man had to his name. It seems almost impossible to be that successful.

Here's a list of Kenny's songs that are my personal favorites along with Reuben James that I previously mentioned.

• The Greatest - this one brings back a flood of memories from my childhood. It also reminds me of my Dad. 
• The Gambler - one of the biggest Country hits ever, later made into a movie or two. Another one my Dad liked a lot.
• Lucille - who doesn't know this song? Gotta include it.
• Morning Desire - the title says it all. I really like this one.

There are, of course, dozens of other songs I could list  here, but Wikipedia has already done that for me and they also have a good bio on Kenny. For a man who as a child shared a room with something like eight siblings and whose father made only sixty dollars a week, I'd Kenny Rogers ended up doing OK for himself. Rogers has never forgotten those poverty-stricken days and has donated and help raise millions of dollars for the needy. Kenny Rogers is The Greatest.

Will You Be My Daddy?

Here I am all alone in the room at 6:23AM, EDT. My better half took the girls and they are all snuggled up on the bed in mine and Heather's room. We woke up at about 5:00AM to send my mother-in-law off, back to her cave where her caldron is probably at full boil. It was kind of cool when the Swamp Thing left this morning. I learned two things - 1) brooms really do fly and 2) flying brooms don't leave a contrail.

This week is gonna be hectic for us as there are some very important things happening, possibly all on the same day. Tuesday the 19th is Isabella's eighth birthday, the Wii I bought on eBay may arrive on that day and my newest fishin' buddy, Coop is due  to take a ride on The Miracle Express at any time. Even at 54, I get excited about some things like I was a kid again - I can't wait for the Wii to get here. I'm just kiddin' about that, although I do plan to play on it a lot.

I don't know why, but I have quite sentimental for the last week or so.  Much of it has to do with my oldest daughter, Isabella. When I first arrived in Maine 4 1/2 years ago, she was a blonde haired, blue eyed fireplug. Now, at age eight minus two days, I see her making the transition from little girl to something else, a teenager I guess. She's kind of in between stages, not quite a teen but no longer a little girl. Does that make sense? I think about the future when she's in high school and beyond, and the boys who'll take notice of this beautiful young woman. Does eBay sell shotguns and rock salt? Issy has grown enough that I can't pick her up and swing her around like a helicopter, and that makes me sad. She doesn't help me in the garden as much as she used to, friends are all over the place, riding bicycles and skateboards. Think about it. If you were eight years old which would you choose? Handsome boys on bikes and skateboards or an arthritic old fart talking to tomato plants? What use to be Daddy and Issy time has been reduced to Daddy teaching tomato and pepper plants simple Spanish. I'm surely the only man in New England who has bi-lingual vegetables. Next spring I'll be teaching the squash pig Latin.

Will You Be My Little Girl?

I've always heard about the special relationship that Dads and daughters share, but I was ill-prepared for what was to come when Issy became part of my life. The bond between us is something that I can't put into words other than to say, she's my little girl, and always will be. I remember a time about six months after I moved here to be with Heather and Issy. I was washing some dishes minding my own buidness when my little blonde fireplug came into the kitchen. She was four years old and said, "Toby, I have a question". "I've got an answer", I replied. I was not expecting this particular question. She asked, "Will you be my Daddy?". Wow!! Talk about being knocked over with feather. All of the sudden, I got something in my eyes that made them water. Dish water or something. (cough, cough). I told her that it would be my honor and privilege to be her Daddy. A large hug between us and more dishwater got into my eyes ensued. Damn dishwater! Now she's stuck with me! hahahahahahaha All you guys out there with little girls, I am jealous of you. I am jealous because it took me nearly fifty years to get a little girl and you guys have had them for so much longer. :) I gotta tell ya, that one little question, all five words of it, changed my life forever. I thank God for my little girl, and those five little words, everyday. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some dishwater in my eyes.