Winter Highlights 2016 Non musical part

This winter has been different. It was an adventure for several reasons.
The main reason is that  Jenny's parents Bob and Jean Young, ages 90 and 92,  lived with us for over two months arriving just before Thanksgiving and staying until the last week of January.  They live in Combermere, Ontario and finally agreed to come South for a while, to have an adventure late in life. They had not been here for several years.  They used to make  regular  trips South to visit friends and family since moving to Canada in the early 1980's.  We have made regular trips to visit them as well.  Our most recent trip north was in late September to help celebrate Bob's 90th birthday.  The
party was held at the home of Jenny's older sister, Terry and husband Jack who have lived next door to Bob & Jean for over 30 years.  Plans were solidified for them to come here for a lengthy visit to give Terry and Jack a much needed break from being daily care givers for the past several years.

 So this winter was a time for us to help in the effort to see Bob and Jean through comfortably as they both gracefully move closer to the end of their long and rich lives.  Some adventures included visiting three times the Wild Goose Uprising, a weekly gathering of Christians who love sharing food, mountain music, and worship in a relaxed atmosphere in a small country church building.  I have been a part of the effort to keep 'appalachian' music a major part of what makes this gathering distinct from others for about 3 years now.   Visit wildgoosecc.com  for more info.

 Attending the monthly Floyd Radio show at the Floyd Country Store with its wonderful variety of musicians and humor was another.  Floydcountrystore.com  Root beer floats were in order for Jean and me when we attended.
Jean, almost daily,  kept busy knitting and working on a rag rug for a commission job while Bob worked at least  a dozen 500 - 1000 piece jig saw puzzles.  Reading books, naps and daily walks helped fill up the time when we weren't eating or sleeping at night.

By being here in Virginia,  visits from certain family members was more possible and Bob and  Jean
had some great ones with certain nieces and nephews and children.  Our own children, Ben and wife Lisa,  as well as our new grandson, Beau, as well as Hanna and Poest came from afar and visited.  So Christmas was a  wonderful time indeed.

 Since Bob and Jean became rural Canadians in the 1980's  wood heat has been a fact of life for them every winter.  To get back to basics ourselves,  Jenny and I purchased a new wood cookstove just before Bob and Jean arrived.  We had only small fires in it due to the unseasonably warm temperatures but, by end of January, we had bigger fires due to the late arrival of 'real' winter. BTW, Bob was my main assistant  in my annual effort to get fire wood.  He  loaded and unloaded my pick-up truck 3 times during his stay.  Having spent winters in Canada living a country lifestyle he has moved literally 100's
of truck loads of wood from outside stacks to his own basement routinely over a 30 year period.

 Our first real snow storm of 2016 yielded only a foot of snow.   It finally seemed that a normal winter was about to begin. And of course it did.  Bob and Jean followed thru on plans to go home as they were not obligated to stay with us the entire winter.  They wanted to get back to a normal Canadian winter it seemed.
About a week before their planned departure,  I caught a basic cold and unfortunately gave it to Jean. At age 92,  such a respiratory ailment  can be scary and uncertain to recover from so,  she spent the last part of her visit in the local hospital and later in local rehab.   The trip home to Ontario got delayed of course.  Jenny's younger sister Polly agreed to come from Seattle WA
and help in the effort to get them home via air travel.  So with much effort Bob and Jean made it back to  their home before the end of January. Unfortunately, with Jean's health problems they were not able
to live independently in their house together like they did last winter. So moving forward a contingency plan is being enacted  as of this writing for them to continue on together if possible.

They are embarking on yet another  new adventure  to live in a local facility in their home community where their essential needs will be met.
The local nursing facility called "The Water Tower' in Barry's Bay, Ontario will be their new home.  It will so easy for  family and old friends to visit  while staff helps them live on in comfort and safety.
They are well loved so they'll have plenty of attention via visits and phone calls.

As of this writing, things are not quite settled but the hope is for a smooth ride for the forseeable future.

2015 - Highlights

For a recap of the year to date I'll see what I can recall in reverse Chronological order.
Sept 12th  Rockbridge OT music party.
Sept 5   Floyd Radio Show  w/ Anna Roberts-Gevault and Elizabeth LaPrelle - 5th season opener
 August 31 -  birthdate of our first Grandson  Thomas Beau Traynham  9lbs 1oz.  We made an in person visit on Sept 3 to Reston Va where he lives with our son Ben and wife Lisa.

 Aug 15   First place OT band and Fiddle at the annual Fries Fiddler's Convention

 Aug 21   Busked on the streets of Richmond Va with Mark Campbell and John Schwab as the 

 Sunny Mountain Seranaders

 Aug 22       The Sunny Mountain Seranaders appeared at the CrossRoads Music Venue near   Gordonsville, Va.

July 17 -Aug 9    Hanna came east to go with Jenny and me to the annual Swannannoa Gathering to teach classes  in OT music.  Hanna taught her first class in beginning claw hammer banjo and handled it like a pro.  Jenny had a wonderful class on Old-time back-up guitar teaching some challenging bass runs to make a simple song like Careless Love sound  much more interesting. Inspired by OT guitar great Byrd Moore.  I had a large class of upper level banjo players who were able to rise to the challenges that I gave them in the way of right hand techniques.  We performed the modal song Cuckoo Bird at the final student showcase.   Jenny and I also had success in a class on old-time duet singing  where we emphasized listening and memorization of cool versions from older recordings.

July 17  Hanna began her visit to her parents at her Blue Ridge mountain home.   While here she played her banjo with me in several settings including the first annual Wild Goose a-                  Paloosa festival  in Indian Valley and the Floyd Country Store Sunday PM OT Jam.  We made a brief

trip to  Clifftop where we saw many music and banjo friends.
July 4th - Jenny and my 34th wedding anniversary saw us riding bikes on the New River Trail near Fries, Va.
June 26  -  Elk Creek Fiddler's Convention was ravaged by a massive wind and rain/hail storm that damaged  most camps and put a 'damper' on the festival, no pun intended.

June  23 - 25  Elk Creek Warm-up  - rhythm & Repertoire

June 15    I played fiddle in a band with left handed phenom, Ronald Pennington, on a Monday night  in Stuart Va.  as part of the first  annual Crooked Road Festival, a region-wide event that featured music all week long in many towns across Southwest Virginia.

June 13th  I served as a judge for the annual Henry Reed festival.
June 5-6    Mt Airy fiddler's convention -  good music jams although I was not able to be there as much 

 due to cabinet work commitment to our son, Ben.

May 30    Solo Set at Glen Alton  in Giles County.  Rare for me but enjoyable.

May 23    The Sunny Mountain Seranaders did a two set appearance in Burkeville, Va at Across the Trax,  a small arts and music lunch counter.
May 16th  One day workshop here   Beginner/intermediate level. well attended
May 9    Several kids from the Floyd JAMs program played for an audience as part of Youthfest on the premises of Heartwood near Abingdon, Va.  I was proud to present a group of kids
that I had influenced playing in a regional style before an audience.
May 1-3   Music Weekend at our place - rhythm and repertoire.
April 17th  Jenny and I did a set of OT gospel songs for the Floyd Country Store weekly gospel set that opens each Friday Night Jamboree.
April 18   One Day workshop  - beginners workshop for OT Fiddle, Clawhammer Banjo, and OT Guitar
April 4 - 11   Maple Syrup making with family in Ontario.  Played some tunes and songs with Hanna for family
Feb 28th    The Sunny Mountain Seranaders hold afternoon workshops and an evening  concert at Gene Bowlin's home and studio near Harrisonburg, Va.
Jan 27th  Jenny and I did a special set of songs for the Wild Goose Uprising bi-monthly concert /dance series.


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