http://ignoregon.com/rss/bandon Aggregated Blog Posts From Bandon Tue, 7 Feb 2012 07:17:57 +0000 en http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IbGKO/~3/QXAaPkGUzq0/oregon-old-time-fiddlers.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IbGKO/~3/QXAaPkGUzq0/oregon-old-time-fiddlers.html Sun, 5 Feb 2012 12:39:00 +0000 Yesterday we drove 300 miles over mountains and rivers to hear Oregon Old Time Fiddlers play in Grants Pass, Oregon, at Fruitdale Grange.  These events take place often in and around the area of Medford, Grants Pass, and all around Oregon.  An excellent crowd sat in at this show, and most people got up and danced whenever possible. The last picture/video gives you a taste of the actual music. I don't know about you, but my feet were stomping the entire two hours we were there. You do notice that these folks are old people; yet, some of them just started to play. Now, I know what I'm supposed to sound like. Off to practice I go. Wish me luck and patience!Thanks for viewing! Are you retired? Let's Talk about how we're doing. Got smething about Itqaly to share? So do I. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IbGKO/~3/9cVucHK69zY/learning-new-tricks.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IbGKO/~3/9cVucHK69zY/learning-new-tricks.html Thu, 2 Feb 2012 14:23:00 +0000 Hubby and I have purchased violins, tuning mechanisms, books, cases, and have signed up for fiddle classes. After three lessons, we can safely state that fiddling is great! A real joy to listen to! A coordinated effort of ear, memory, hand, arm, fingers, shoulder and foot tamping. So far, we have learned the following: 1. Tune your instrument every time you play. 2. Keep your instrument in a case, carefully stored in the perfect temperature. 3. If you leave your fiddle in the car overnight, or play it when it is too drafty, the instrument will go out of tune! 4. Forget nails. Keep them trimmed, because if you  don't, you can't use your fingers to make notes. 5. Fiddling is more forgiving in style than violin playing. 6. You can join a fiddling group and just keep the rhythm if you don't know the tune. 7. There are many ways to play, to hold the bow, to STYLE! 8. Fiddling has long roots, in Europe, in Appalachia, in camps. 9. Have fiddle, and improvise. That's how new tunes are created. 10. You learn to play mostly by ear; listen and repeat. Our wonderful teacher is Port Orford's own Diane Cassel, who taught in our school district for years before retiring. Her daughter, Hanneke Cassel is a famous fiddle player. If you hear her just once, you want to go and learn to play the fiddle! Thanks for viewing! Are you retired? Let's Talk about how we're doing. Got smething about Itqaly to share? So do I. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IbGKO/~3/y-Hy5nn5sbE/countdown.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IbGKO/~3/y-Hy5nn5sbE/countdown.html Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:25:00 +0000 Yesterday was my birthday. The day was this good. By noon, it warmed up enough for me to take a good walk around the block, even after a busy morning of Tai-Chi and housecleaning. I started Tai-Chi just a few weeks ago, a way to find my breathing, to meditate, to stretch my body and soul. I have limited capital left in this life. How many more losses will I experience before I die? As I age, after each birthday, I notice that my body betrays me more and more.  I can no longer keep the svelte figure I had in my youth.  My digestion has changed: it doesn't like ice-cream, pizza, cakes,  any indulgences.  I used to spend hours cleaning and organizing the house. Now, my strength and flexibility are so unreliable that I barely do an hour of housekeeping before I collapse. (I do housekeeping as an aerobic exercise, pushing and lifting and moving the whole body!).  I sleep in spurts. I read and write in spurts too. I'm only seventy! What will happen when I'm eighty, ninety? (At our book club, on Thursday, Dot celebrated her 95th birthday! She reads a couple of books a week, belongs to The League of Women's Voters and many other groups active in the community!) We have access to two canoes for lake rides. They sit, forlorn. Brian was the last person to ride the canoe to the Ocean and back. I need to rustle up a youthful  desire and resolve for adventure,  a long sojourn somewhere with new sights, sounds, tastes, midnight cruises, mid-morning hikes. I need to live while I'm alive. How about you? Do you countdown to doing things differently? What changes are you looking forward to? Thanks for viewing! Are you retired? Let's Talk about how we're doing. Got smething about Itqaly to share? So do I.