The Sandwich Life

Random Is As Random Does

1. Random notes because I don't think I could focus on anything to save my soul. 

2. Poor Owen is experiencing a let down going back to normal life as a high school sophomore. My poor boy. I totally understand. I don't really like going back to real life either.

3. I forgot to link to Leo's flickr page with his train photos from the last trip. Here it is.

4. I ask you...why is it that no matter how many times I say, "Don't leave the bathmat on the floor after your shower because Bob will pee on it" nobody remembers? Further questions....when said cat DOES pee on it, why am I the only one that smells it? I know, I know. Asking the unanswerable.

5. Probably my all time favorite Halloween costume...Leo as a doughnut. There was a ribbon to hang it around his neck but he refused to do that so he just clutched it in front of him. That's my boy. I think he was terrified that first year. Even his feet look tense.

6. Owen's most iconic costume was probably when he was Indiana Jones, but you gotta love when he was the blonde Ramone. Kinda says it all, doesn't it?

7. Speaking of holidays...some sad news to report. Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose will not be making their annual Christmas performance at Sandwich Life this year. Our calendars just didn't match up. Don't worry however...they WILL be back, and we do have a tentative show booked in the near future. Details to follow.

8. One of my favorite pictures from the other night. Owen and Peter Case talking as Owen plays Peter's twelve string.

Onward.

 

 

Random Notes on a Gloomy Monday Morning

1. Ok, I've been talking about Owen nonstop, but I must say I had a really nice long hang out with Leo Sunday morning. We watched the videos he'd put together of the Milwaukee Road 261 trip in Minneapolis and then I saw that he had done a long blog post about the trip too. I read it and I was so impressed with his writing and thoughtful commentary on the trip. Again, please excuse maternal bias, but if you like steam engines, or just like my sweet Leo, give this a read. It's on his website where he documents his work on Trainz videos----digital recreations of his favorite trains. Man, I love that boy.

https://smworks.weebly.com/blog--misc/chasing-milwaukee-road-261-updates

2. We celebrated our, gulp, 29th anniversary yesterday. Ernie spent the morning driving to Litchfield with Owen so they could pick up an amp Owen had bought on Craigslist. They hit an antique mall or two on the way back and generally had a good time. I think both of them were still floating from Friday night. Then they walked into a Walgreens in Litchfield and ran into Karen, a friend of Sue Davis' whom we'd just met once before. Sometimes you just gotta love Facebook!

3. While they were off gallivanting I met my dear friend Renee and had a long, long lunch. When I looked at my phone and saw it was almost 3:00 we were both shocked. It had flown by. It felt good to talk to her. She is grieving. It's been five months since her husband Michael passed away. We talked a lot about grief and love and mothering and family and it felt good. Renee always makes me feel more myself. I hope I give her something of that as well.

4. The boys had already returned home when Renee dropped me off. The four of us sat and talked and laughed. Then Ann and Bob stopped by (in true Rasmus fashion they always forget something at our house...we think it's kind of like dropping breadcrumbs...so they know they can come back) and had a celebratory anniversary drink with us. 

5. We'd been so focused on the house concert that we had absolutely no plans for our anniversary. We went out for a drink and then came home and ordered Chinese food, Yet again give us a reason to quote Handsome Dick Manitoba, "I used to live on pizza, now I live on Chinese food!"

6. Here's the full Taxi Boys set! Thanks to my beloved Doug Fink!

Onward!

 

In Which Cynthia's Heart Bursts: Peter Case and the Taxi Boys

Man. There is SO much I want to say about Friday night's show with Peter Case and the Taxi Boys. I feel like the words and thoughts are all still whirling around in my head, but Monday looms so I better see about putting down some of them.

First.

Peter Case.

I freaking adore Peter Case. There's the fact that he is just a master performer...the entire package as they say...brilliant songwriting, singing, playing, story telling, and then there's the fact that I just like him as a person so damn much too. It was an incredible show. I could have listened to him all night long. Add the fact that he was so kind to Owen and the other Taxi Boys...well, my heart was, and continues to be, just full to bursting. Bursting.

ALL his albums are great...but I do really love his most recent, Hwy 62...and the one that just came out that day, On the Way Downtown: Live on Folkscene. You won't go wrong with any of them. Go buy one, and if you can see him live, DO IT!

The place was CROWDED. Perhaps I should have announced it sold out sooner...I panicked a bit, but in the end I think it all worked out and I was happy to be able to pay Peter what we did. That's what it's all about after all...trying to help just a bit so the musicians can stay on the road and do what they do so well. It was great to have some new folks, our beloved regulars, and some we hadn't seen in awhile...thank you so much to all. And thanks to those that left behind their food because the band and Ernie and I devoured it after the show!

And then there's the Taxi Boys.

I can't properly write about them I'm afraid. I am just so enormously proud of Owen, and all of them. To see what Owen can do when he sets his mind to something, when he feels the passion, I am besides myself with happiness. When I watched them, and then remembered that they are 15 year old sophomores and this was their first show...I was just blown away. Please excuse all maternal bias of course. Congrats to Owen, Duncan, David, and Dave!

I had flashbacks to the Vertebrats when the guys were soundchecking. Not that they sound like them per se, but the youthful energy, the excitement and the songs....it brought it all back to me. And so many folks from our little corner of the CU music scene have been kind to Owen, reaching out, or encouraging him, that I feel somehow as though he's linked to all of them. It was a truly joyous night. This isn't Leo's kind of music but he watched the whole thing, Snapchatted it, and gave Owen some comments that pleased him beyond words. God I love those boys.

Thanks to all that made the night what it was. I send our love.

 
More pictures to follow on the Sandwich Life House Concerts Facebook page!

 

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1. I can't say my week has gone as planned. Tuesday morning I got ready for work, put my jacket on, put my purse on my shoulder and said to Ernie, "Let's go." And with that back went YOWWWW right in between my shoulder blades. I just stood there saying, "What the hell just happened." It didn't seem to be going anywhere...eventually Ernie got me lying down with a heating pad but damn...what a painful waste of a day. The next day I woke up, still feeling tender, but better, and proceeded to get sick. I'm guessing food poisoning but I really don't know. Today I'm finally feeling ok. I think I'm back on the rails.

2. When Owen talked to Cyril Jordan last week they shared their love of wide whale corduroy. I tell you. I just don't know where that boy came from.

I'm getting quite anxious about it being too crowded tonight but I'm sure it will all work out. My adrenalin is HIGH!!!

See you tonight...we'll be jumpin in the night...

 

Tunnel of a Week

It was a long, and somewhat stressful weekend. So last night when it was dark and rainy, we called the guys into the media room and we all watched the 1969 version of the Love Bug in honor of Cyril. Cyril the bug, not Cyril the Groovie, although Cyril is named after Cyril so I suppose with some sort of transitive property it was in honor of him as well.

Good lord but it was awful but we howled throughout the whole thing. Nothing like sitting and laughing with your boys on a rainy night to help put things into perspective. By the time we ate dinner I think I was mad at Owen about something but I don't really remember at the moment so I guess it's all ok. I think he is mad at me this morning so perhaps it all balances out, huh?

Now I am trying to wrap my head around getting ready for Friday's house concert. It's the first one since May so I'm a bit out of practice. I'm a little worried about getting the Taxi Boys' equipment in and out before Peter Case but I'm sure it will all work out. We're pretty full at this point but if you are interested in coming please email me.

I think I'm going to do that Nigella sausage and chicken bake and for sides do a green salad and a quinoa salad. Please bring anything you like to share. I need to make some lists...then I'll feel more in control.

Onward with a gloomy Monday, but there is definitely light at the end of this tunnel of a week.

 

 

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1. Owen had assured us he would drive home after the Groovies show. He indeed took off and drove, heading down Lake Shore Drive, onto the Dan Ryan, and then eventually 57. He drove and drove but when he got to the sign that said Champaign was still 85 miles away he freaked out. "85 MORE MILES?" He quietly asked Ernie if he would drive. We stopped to get gas and they switched. As Ernie turned back onto 57 he said something to Owen in the back seat. No response...he was out cold. We giggled and agreed that the crash of adrenalin probably had something to do with it.

2. During our stop at the gas station I saw a display of Affy Tapples and got very excited. When I was in grade school they would always sell Affy Tapples one day around this time of year and it was a very big deal. I don't even remember actually eating them but I just remember being very excited. Owen and I each got one. Ernie declined. He just doesn't understand sometimes. When Ernie and I lived in Rogers Park the Affy Tapple business was right there on Clark Street. Sadly they moved it out to the suburbs, but this is what it looked like when we lived there. It made me happy every time we walked by.

I have yet to eat mine but Owen was quite happy with his.

3. Don't forget....the great Peter Case will be at our house this Friday, October 27, 2017. I can't believe it's almost here. Peter is an utterly tremendous talent and performer, and a lovely guy to boot. He will have cds for sale (I love, love, love his newest one...but they're all great). We are filling up...please contact me via email or messenger to let me know if you are coming (unless you have already communicated with me). $20+ donation per person. We'll have a potluck at 6 pm...feel free to bring something or just join in. I think I will be doing a big batch of roasted chicken and sausages, a green salad and a quinoa salad. BYOB although we'll have some iced tea and pop.

4. The Taxi Boys will make their debut with a brief set before Peter plays. We'll have a tip jar for the band; they are Dave Cerezo, Owen Blackwelder, David Krejci, and Duncan Starks.

Can't wait!

If anyone wants a copy of the poster I will need to know by Thursday. I forget what they cost, but just a buck or two.

I'm happy to have a grey day and some rain coming. I'm thinking comfort food for dinner tonight. Onward.

 

 

Owen's Flamin' Groovies Adventure Continues

Ok, I must state that when we scheduled the trip to DC for Owen and Ernie to see the Groovies, they hadn't announced the midwest leg of the tour. We are not totally insane. Hopefully. Welllll...whatever. Once they announced the shows in Chicago and St. Louis though, Owen got MOST excited. We can't make the St. Louis show because it's the night before the Peter Case show and I can't take off more work, but Ernie and I agreed to the show at Space, which fortunately is not 21+. 

I told Owen we could pull him out of school a bit early, that I had to work in the morning but we could leave early afternoon. Ernie reported that Owen asked to picked up a bit early so he could take a shower. I rolled my eyes as hard as I could. He took his shower and started begging to leave. I told him I was working (I work at home on Thursday mornings) and he sighed and said he could have stayed at school longer if he'd known. I looked at him in amazement and resisted hitting him, or me, or both of us, over the head. Eventually we took off; the day was beautiful and Owen was radiating excitement as he drove. It turns out the reason he wanted to leave a bit early was so we could stop at the Chicago Music Exchange so he could play a 12 string Rickenbacker. They have comfortable chairs so I read a novel on my phone and pretty much felt that all was right with the world.

We drove up to Evanston on Ashland to Clark to Chicago. It felt so familiar but Owen started making fun of me for saying, "Oh, that's new...oh, that's a new building." As Ernie pointed out we haven't lived there for, gulp, 23 years, so yeah, there's bound to be a few new buildings. We stopped at cute little restaurant and had ok food but service so bad we actually complained, something we rarely do. We were too happy to care all that much though. Owen insisted we get to Space EARLY. Then when we got there he was worried about the crowd. I tried pointing out that it was only 20 some minutes after the doors opened to no avail. He felt much better as the place filled up. 

We had reserved seats at a table and it was RIGHT next to the right side of the stage. After the opening band (the Mixture, whom we liked quite a bit) Owen and Ernie headed over to the merch table. I looked back at one point and thought, "What the fuck" because they were talking to Cyril and I was sitting there guarding our drinks. Heh. They came back and Owen was vibratingly happy. They'd run into Barry, whom he'd met in DC, and talked. When Owen decided to purchase the miniature of Cyril's signature Dan Armstrong, Barry ran to get Cyril. It was the first one they'd sold and Barry took pictures. He told Owen he was famous among the band, that he was their superfan. Such kind men.

Thanks so much to Barry Simmons for taking these pictures and sending them along to Owen.

 The show was great. It made us extraordinarily happy. I love this video someone took. If you go to about the 1:40 mark, after Chris sings  Owen bent his head to me and whispered, "He just sang the harmonica part." I nodded and laughed and you can see that Chris saw Owen and started laughing and pointed to him. ❤️

When they came off stage right next to us Chris smiled and Cyril gave Owen a thumbs up. We hung out for a bit. Barry was charming and thanked me for bringing Owen to them. Chris was voluble and kind and funny. Tony was lovely...loved him. Chris Von S was kind and talked about finding his old Groovies tape from  when he was about Owen's age. Cyril was delightful and chatted away to Owen about tunings, VW's and the like. I acted like a mother and thanked them all for being so kind to my boy. Owen had specifically requested that I not call him my baby, but I may have slipped once or twice.

As I said to Tony as we were chatting, we take Owen to see the Groovies, we take our other son to see steam engines, because you have to respect their passions when they're deep and true, and they truly are.

Heartfelt thanks to all the guys for inspiring Owen and showing him such kindness. We send our love.

 

 

Fall: Back to Cooking

Not that I haven't been cooking but I've been somewhat uninspired. The Fall weather turns things around though. We recently signed up for a share in Sitka Salmon Shares and just got our first delivery. The Pacific cod we had last night was wonderful so I'm excited about it. At first it sounds expensive and then I think of what spend at the grocery store every month and it puts it in perspective. You get about five lbs of frozen fish a month...it comes out to about $15 per pound, which is about what you spend to get good quality fish. This month we got Pacific cod and Black Bass. I used a recipe off their site for the cod. It was just simply sauteed and then a sauce of lemon, butter, shallot, and chopped green olives. I'm cautiously adding fodmaps like shallots back in and am doing ok so far. To go with the fish I made a pilaf of sorts from tricolor quinoa, chopped tomato, chopped parsley, and pecans. It was pretty delightful.

Tomorrow....Flamin Groovies.

Onward.

 

Signs of Fall

I am officially a bad parent. I haven’t scheduled the Fall parent teacher conferences. At this point I know to a T what will be said in them. They’ll say Leo is a good student but isn’t good at asking for help if he needs (See: apple and tree). They usually seem to like him because he meets their eyes and smiles at their jokes. He’s a nice boy that Leo is. Sometimes they’ll throw in a wildcard like telling me he is funny but that’s pretty much it. Owen’s teachers will smile and sigh at the same time, and tell me he’s bright and a good student but he’s not so good at getting his work in. Then we all usually end up laughing at something they say he said or that we tell him that he said. We leave and get ready to do the exact same thing all over again the following semester. Eh. I’m just a bit worn down. How the hell do people do this with lots of children?

I’ve got a busy week coming up. Lots to do at work, then Thursday evening off to Space in Evanston to see the Flamin Groovies, then back probably that night, work meetings and events on Friday, work all day Saturday at our Open House and then have to attend a couple of work events on Sunday, then another week at work and then BOOM, Peter Case and the debut of the Taxi Boys. And then it’s November. Help!

Oh, by the way, I've been listening to Peter Case's newest album, Hwy 62. God it's good.

In the spirit of fall…do we call this Native American Corn now?

And yes, this would look better if the laundry wasn’t at the table, but I try to be honest, for better or worse…. 

Thank God for Non-Refundable Hotel Rooms

Thursday night I picked up the laptop after 9:00 pm when I'd had some wine. This is a very bad idea and I need to invest in some sort of alarm that refuses to log me in at moments like that. Somebody should really work on that. So before long I had written Denise at Hillbilly Haiku house concerts in Lebanon, TN to check if they had space for the Kieran Kane/Rayna Gellert house concert WITH Peter Cooper/Thomm Jutz opening....and I'd booked a hotel room. 

Yeah.

The next morning this of course seemed like an asinine and expensive thing to have done but guess what? Non-refundable hotel room. So, see...we had no choice in the matter! I canceled on my friends that I'd made plans with (sorry) and told Leo we were going. Owen, of course, had been egging me on the whole time. No surprise there.

We took off midmorning on Saturday and had a pretty uneventful drive down. We did one regional potato chip tasting: Tom's, from North Carolina. High marks for a classic Lay's type chip.

We got into town and checked into our hotel and then went and wandered a bit, exploring town. We stopped and had a drink. We walked in and you could have knocked me over. I haven't been in a bar that allowed smoking in eons. The fact that Witchy Woman was playing only added to the retro atmosphere. After a bit we drove over to Hillbilly Haiku. Before we even got in the door we got big hugs from Peter and Thomm. Nice. Denise and Rick were welcoming and kind and we got to chat with Thomm's wife, who was delightful. We found a spot on the couch and settled in.  

I think Ernie was somewhat tickled by Kieran's expression of confusion as he tried to compute Ernie=Tennesee..huh? Ernie adores Kieran. I think Kieran is the only person I've ever seen Ernie nervous about meeting. We'd seen Kieran play with Kevin a time or two at Schuba's when we lived in Chicago, and we loved his solo work, and of course the O'Kanes. When we moved down from Chicago, they founded Dead Reckoning not long after. Ernie saw a notice in Billboard and was excited so he called the number and spoke to somebody about ordering some cds. After a bit Ernie asked to whom he was speaking and when the response was "Kieran Kane,' Ernie's poor little heart sped up. He ordered the cds and when they arrived there was a little handwritten note from Kieran that said his partners had told him he'd sold them too cheap so they'd have to be more next time. We still have that little note somewhere. I'll have to dig it up. Anyway, months later we drove over to Indianapolis to see all the Dead Reckoners and I've never seen Ernie so damn nervous. Of course Kieran was charming, as they all were. Kieran introduced him to Kevin and Kevin said, "I've HEARD of you," in that Kevin voice. Ernie does a mean imitation of it. I'm rambling, sorry. Ernie came back and handed me my glass of wine and told me he'd chatted to Kieran so I bounced up and found Kieran to give him a big hug and got to meet Rayna Gellert, who was absolutely lovely. Happy, happy, happy.

Peter and Thomm played and good Lord but they are wonderful. Thomm's playing is so understated and beautiful...it's incredible what it adds. And I just happen to adore that Peter Cooper. Yup. Later Kieran and Rayna played, and although I've heard them online, and on video, in person, it of course was sublime. Rayna's voice is gorgeous...a hint of Linda Thompson in it, and their voices together are even greater than the sum of their parts. Kieran, as always, is a rhythm machine...that groove of his really sets him apart. They sounded just glorious. They will have an album out next year, which they taunted us with... Well, they didn't taunt...we just FELT taunted because it sounded so great...can't wait.

It's fun to be at other house concerts than our own. Despite differences here and there, the spirit is the same...and it just feels so good. A million thanks to Denise and Rick Williams (Hillbilly Haiku), Peter Cooper, Thomm Jutz, Rayna Gellert, and Kieran Kane. It was worth every single mile and every single dollar of that non-refundable hotel room!!

We left early this morning and drove home, in and out of rain the whole way. The fields looked beautiful. It was perfect.

Oh, and we did one more regional chip tasting: Golden Flake. Smaller, and a bit thicker, a slight off taste due to different oil perhaps? After a chip or two however, we acclimated just fine.

Onward to Monday...hopefully very slowly....