Friends - 10 years of house concerts

 If I confess to you -
About some bad things that I've done,
Would you love me still?
Would I still be the one?
Would you be with me,
Or would you set me free?
If I confess to you ....

                                                  ~ Bruce Jones from "If I confess to you"

My brother has been posting "gratitude Friday" thoughts each week. It has been a powerful exercise.  I have learned a thing or two about him and about our shared (but apparently somewhat different) childhoods. And, following his mindful and thankful example, I will share this message of gratitude.

My friend CS took this photo. There's a flash of Flash on the left, then Jeanne, Emily, and Bruce. Melinda disappeared (how did that happen?).

Last night I attended the celebration of the 10th year of house concerts at my friend HK's home. Some amazing musicians/friends and a great audience of friends gathered for a few hours. The musicians (in no particular order*), The Eastside Flash (Bennet Spielvogel), Jeanne Kyser, Melinda Brooks, Bruce Jones, and Emily Kaitz are amazing, talented, big-hearted, sensitive, funny, wry...well, you get the idea.

A friend I have not seen in a couple of years was the first person I almost "ran over" when I entered and sprinted for a seat in the living room/concert venue. "Oh my goodness how great to see you! Where have you been?" ** and similar messages were exchanged as we embraced and caught up.

HK had cooked for us. Coffee was ready. Snacks and beverages awaited.

The some musicians and audience members milled around while a little tuning and warming up floated down the hall.

I have known some of these performers for more than 30 years. One member of the audience (also a musician, artist, teacher, father) has been a friend for 43 years.***

There's no way to recount this walk we have had - to describe the entire journey. But I can take this moment to be grateful for the gift of companionship, music, comfort, and acceptance.  My "fellow travelers" have so enriched my life.

We sang, we talked, we laughed, we shared. No one wanted to leave. But home we headed (me to fight with a cat who insisted on lounging on the computer - keeping me from writing then).

So, thanks HK, Emily, Flash, Jeanne, Bruce, Melinda, CS, HS, and all.**** You have so enriched my life.

How fortunate am I.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
NOTES:

*Well, actually, from left to right as I observed them performing. I guess I am a visual learner after all.

**"Retired and traveling" was the reply. We first met at this house concert series, years ago.

***How can this be? Strangely enough, when I moved to this town 26 years ago, I ran into this fellow, who grew up in a town near my hometown and who performed music with his brother at area churches, including mine. We met again while sitting on a sidewalk with our families, waiting for the July 4th parade to begin.

****Thanks for the photo, CS!

Hobbes does not encourage my writing. Computers are for lounging, apparently.

MUSIC:  Here's a sample, if you are interested. And you should be.

Blinding Light - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJ-CMt6kTo

Me & the Cat Are On a Diet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggzkMZ2tgaQ

Monotone Land - with some different artists, but a taste of a house concert if you have never attended one. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI-qzdOZNT0

We almost missed the bus

The first spring rain fell last evening. It settled the dust and brightened things - and is enough, I suspect, to encourage some blooming. We will watch and see.

Only the dandelions bloom in the fields. Yards* boast of paperwhite narcissus, snowdrops, forsythia, and redbud blooms. In a few places early iris have sent up scapes.

Paddy girl and I walked late...late for a week day. Traffic rushed by. We watched children at the stop line up and climb on when the school bus arrived.

We are not the only folks up late/procrastinating. Newspapers rested in lawns - even in the lawns of those we usually greet on early walks. Maybe the rain lulled us all to rest a little longer.

Still, one neighbor wins the prize for procrastination. A Christmas tree had been placed curbside for pick-up. Yes, a Christmas tree. No, this was not yard refuse, but a straggler from the holiday.

No walkers joined us today. The cattle dog who lives near the park spoke, a mockingbird serenaded** us as we skirted the edge of the woods, and a snail ignored us as we headed for home.

The lights came on and we stopped to let the children load.

Dandelion

Snail was the only thing moving slower than us.

"Ho, ho, ho!"

 NOTES:

*Older yards have started blooming. These are the yards with heritage bulbs and flowering shrubs. Minimalist yards are, well, minimalist. They have grass and trees. Some days that sounds good to me.

**Oh, the mockingbird - if you don't like the tune, wait. The mockingbird has a song for everyone.

Two old girls head to the park

Cool and grey outside - is it still winter? The breeze started in from the east and shifted from the south before the walk was over.

Paddy wore her fur. I tried fleece and reflective belt. By the end of the trip we were both warm.

It's been a long time since we took this walk; not since we lost Scruff have we wandered the neighborhood. However, I have "committed" and have started receiving reminder messages from OC. So, the leash light flashed green and we two old girls headed to the park in the dim light of dawn.

Saturdays are great for walking. People sleep in. Their late start allows a safer walk - no cars rushing to get anywhere. Most dogs were inside too as we walked down the street, although they were out and barking as we headed back up the hills.

The ravens remarked on our early exercise and other birds sang their morning songs. No runners or other creatures joined us although a man bundled up in quilted jacket and stocking cap spoke as he passed. A block later a fellow in straw cowboy hat and loafers did not even glance our way as he headed north on a major street.

Things in the neighborhood seem about the same though the artist, Jane, who had lived in the cat man's house is gone. Her rocker has been replaced by a baby carriage on the front porch. We will notice and know more as we work to regain this habit of an early morning park visit.

Paddy's behavior was above reproach save the first block where she held grass, twigs, and leaves in her muzzle. After a few stern "leave it" commands she dropped the mouthful on the sidewalk. Gross. Honestly...dogs are so weird.

Miss Paddy. There was no "off leash" romp, but we were both the better for the mile walk.

The day we got to stop

The roads narrow at night. Something happens in your 50s. It becomes even harder to navigate after dark.* The signs blur. Exits and streets hide.** I no longer enjoy hurtling through the night.

Still, I had a goal - spend the night with a friend and head to the hill country for the day - a long day and sad farewell. I suppose the start was somehow proper - an hour on dark and narrow roads, mostly alone with my thoughts, and steeling myself for tomorrow.

The trip ended the same way - an hour in the dark trusting the maps on my phone and missing only one exit***

But "in between" we talked and ate and shared and stopped wherever we wanted. It seems we both have partners who won't stop.  We visited a nursery, market/post office, fence/cedar furniture store, and herb farm. A search for a weathered board took us to a trash pile.

I snagged a few photos to remember the day we got to stop.

The "little library" my friends are creating and donating.

Ideas for the yard.

This is not the milkweed I so not the seeds I collect. I am reminded that my seeds need to be planted.

I almost stopped for purple coneflower seeds, but decided I have enough work to do in the yard (and enough seeds floating around the kitchen).

I love to see jars lined up on shelves. What kind of preserves do you want?

Hot sauce always reminds me of my brothers.

I love the texture on these pots - inspiration!

This kind of snake is welcome in my yard.

How about a lizard?

New old windmill.

Silly little blinged-out giraffe.

Wish that this old hardware store nail/screw/nut & bolt container had fit in my pocket.

The old Hye Market and Post office was interesting.

The old post office safe was half opened. Robbers got the first door open. No one knows how to open the inside door. Nor does anyone know what is inside.

Another safe provides the rest of the support for a desk. This one is open and used for storage.

A display that will shock some, but just made me laugh.

The post office and display.

It has not been so long ago that the post office was the center of the community (the post office and the barber shop).

You can buy hay in Hye.

You have to love a good hardware/feed store.

Century plants and cactus.

Notes:

* I blame it on bifocals, but that's another story. And I can only say "50s" for another month.
**Yes, it is time for a eye exam. Yes, I will have my cataracts checked.
***Left exits can be tricky without street lights and poor signage. Construction changes everything.

A bend of the Colorado

Early morning sun.

I have heard about this place for years. DH went here back when it was a fishing camp (soldiers after a training exercise sometimes wake in the night.*)  MC's scout group canoed and hiked there many times. DH and brother RF have camped there recently. Friends have shared photos. So, I was happy when DH recommended we hike at Colorado Bend.

Our oldest joined us and added wry comments and perspective.

This park offers a large number of trails of varying difficulty (easy, moderate, challenging, and very challenging). DH looked at the map and showed us some short hikes he assured us were easy.** I suggested we walk to Gorman Falls. We walked, climbed, crawled, and slid along the mostly rocky paths.

Highway is almost empty in the early morning.

Red dirt means something in our family.

Some of the trail was narrow and shady.

DH heads out.

Lichen covered rocks are seen on the river side of the trail.

Holes in the trail hint at the many caves below.

We suggested to OC that we lower her into this crack. She declined.

Stopping to check the map at a trail crossing. We hiked Cedar Chopper Loop. That name seems to be a bit loaded using a pejorative name, but then no one asked me.

On this trail there were few overlooks. Here you can see lots of dead cedar.

DH and OC keep a steady pace.

Some of the limestone ledge.

We start climbing.

The trail continues up and gets rougher.

The limestone is smoothed in spots - from thousands of feet passing over.

Then we headed down towards the river. Not much of a trail here.

As we got closer to the waterfall convenient cable allowed a balanced descent.

The entire cliff face was dripping - a waterfall "under construction" according to signage.

Gorgeous.

Viewers were kept at a distance to protect the area.

It must be stunning after some rains.

A poured concrete step had a backwards and upside down message. Of course I read it wrong initially - an anagram of "this."  I think it says something like "THIS AREA" and "TO PARK."

Barbed wire fencing

Lily pads in the creek that feeds the falls.

 
It's red dirt, limestone shelf, cedar, oak, caves, cactus, cactus, and cactus. And the waterfall was unusual and lovely. We saw a few deer as we drove in, heard a few birds along the river,*** and saw evidence of wild hogs. Otherwise the only creatures we observed were early yellow butterflies, flitting through the brush.

Some lovely cedar stumps.

While I am sure it has a specific name, we called of this type of cactus "devil's pincushion."

Pitted limestone - like the surface of the moon.

Cedar log.

Lady finger cactus fruit.

Yucca

Fern growing on the path to the falls.

Prickly pear.

Milkweed seed pod

Live cedar and dead cedar.

Three hours and 3.5 miles later we were back at the car and headed to Lampasas for lunch.

You know you wanted to see it.

Then it was time for home, ibuprofen, and a nap.


NOTES:

* DH swears he got up for the loo and saw a mountain lion across the river. He told his story (and still tells it) and was teased unmercifully. Later, when the unit was training in Germany, one man had a Lampasas newspaper that included a story about a rancher shooting a mountain lion. Vindication - or so he claims.

** The legend was on the back of the map. I only saw it after the hike. DH lied. We were on a moderate and then challenging trails. It's okay. I am used to "march or die"  DH. And he is used to me - I stop to take photos and stop to rest.

*** Including a raven (I am making the call. It was a crow or raven and who will argue?).