Back to the familiar...

The last few months have been quite a ride as far as music and instruments go. In January I wanted to start on shakuhachi again. Then changed my mind and decided to switch up things and give the bagpipes and tin whistle a shot as they seemed interesting and would be a something honoring my heritage. After the amount of time I've now invested in this I admit I was wrong. Not that the instruments are bad or that I'm not gifted enough to continue.Simply put, they are just not the instruments for me. They don't feel "right" at the present time. What about them is causing this?

  For me an instrument has to feel good in the hands,to become a part of my body. The whistle was not too bad I will admit as I play flutes and thought this would be easy.But the sound and range are not something I want to study right now. The same goes with the bagpipes and chanter. It is both a "not right" feeling as well as the fact it is simply not an extension of me. So these two instruments are now going to be put away and I shall perhaps some other time in my life take them up again. At least they are there for me if desired.

  So what instruments am I going to go back to? The familiar. Those that feel an extension of my soul,my body and essentially,my heart: the classical guitar and the Native American flutes. I might also delve back into blues guitar as well but for now I want to get the fingers back into shape.

This is my classical guitar: A Cordoba Dolce 7/8 classical with

• Solid Canadian cedar top
• Mahogany back and sides
• 50mm nut width
• Solid Cedar top
• All wood inlaid rosette
• Solid Cedar top, 7/8 size

This is the guitar I've had now for 5 years and I love it. Granted, there are much better guitars out there with higher price tags and better sound. But this 7/8 size fits me well and sounds delightful!
So back to this beauty I go with hopes of being back where I belong in a month of practice.

In addition to my classical, I also have a superb Fender Stratocaster in Midnight Blue,made in 2001.
Love the maple fretboard and the way the action lets me move quickly and effortlessly. This is a guitar I plan on using for years. Also use a Fender Mustang I as an amp.

Also on my list of instruments that "work" well for me and are something I can actually play decently, are the many Native American flutes owned. I currently have 6 rim blown flutes made by both Coyote Oldman and also Geoffrey Ellis is various species such as black walnut,cedar and others.

Here are the three from Michael Allen, aka Coyote Oldman, a very well known Native American flute player and craftsman. Top to bottom: Hopi flute,Mojave and then Anasazi, all from cedar.

                                                              http://coyoteoldman.com

Next up are the two made by Geoffrey Ellis of Earth Tone flutes, one an Anasazi (Pueblo) flute and the other a

                                                            http://www.ellisflutes.com

And also a Mojave 6 in black walnut that looks very similar to the Anasazi above but shorter with a slightly different range and tone.

Then there is the Butch Hall NA fipple flute in black walnut as well. A wonderful tone and strong flute!

 So there they are. These are the flutes I shall be playing again very soon. They have been part of my life for years but I strayed and tried other things. Now I'm full circle and back to them. Might happen again too. That is the fun part about living and learning.

If you are interested in hearing some of my flute playing, I have a few low grade recordings on Soundcloud at this link:

 https://soundcloud.com/handlebar

Also, check out Flute Portla for other flute related goodies.

 http://forums.fluteportal.com


That is all for this post. As I just found out tonight that my Ross tartan kilt is in after 8 weeks, I shall be heading down to fetch it tomorrow and hope to have a review with pics soon.

Why???

Monday's events in Boston at the marathon continue to prompt my question of why. WHY?
As the events of today have unfolded and more information is known about these insane men and their desire to kill innocent civilians,I STILL ask the same question. Runners,children,men,women and people from around the world...having fun and enjoying life. All shattered by two,maybe more, mentally deranged idiots. WHY?

 To show support individually,runners everywhere wore their race shirts on Tuesday. I did this too,wearing my Vancouver,Marathon finisher shirt to work at Lingonberries Gluten free market,where I work.

Not my best look but I didn't care as I wanted to show support for my friends and others in Boston.


 In addition to Tuesday,to honor and support those in Boston and the many million of us angered at such action, the What? run scheduled for Wednesday at the Grant House,on Officers Row in Vancouver,proved to be apropos for such respect. Brian Davis and his Energy Events group did a fine job in getting things together at late notice for such a huge gathering,the largest ever for these events. Below are a few photos from Wednesday's event.

This was my favourite shot as we all cheered support for Boston!!

Many thanks to you Brian and all of the runners and walkers in Vancouver who showed up in support for this worthy event. As I type this,the Boston area is still under lock down as one bomber has been dispatched and another being hunted. One can hope they don't harm others as this continues.



  On a more positive note, I finally have received some brown based kilt items for my outfits.
Black is usually the most popular but I have some delightful brown Allen Edmonds wingtips and also some Broadstreets that would look grand with any kilt I have. The new sporran is from Stillwater Kilts and is nice although I will have to find another in a darker brown for other shoes. Also need to start thinking of sporran straps without a chain. Should be able to make those myself from belts purchased at Goodwill as brown is an easy colour to find there for pennies. Being on a budget makes kilt outfits a bit tougher as one does not find sporrans and kilts nor great shirts and hose at thrift stores. The fun remains in the search!!!

Here are shots in brown taken at a local mall and off NW 23rd in Portland.

Also found some new kilt hose at Sock Dreams in Sellwood,Portland,that add some splash to the outfit. Also a new Sgian Dubh to fill in. Finally getting some things together for the outfits.
Hoping to add my House of Edgar Ross tartan kilt in the next 3 weeks.

To end this post, I'm seriously considering a kilt marathon. NOT wearing my kilt in a marathon,which I shall do soon enough in June. But donning my kilts for a certain length of time as I've been inspired by other blogs such as A Year in a Kilt and 51 Days in a kilt. Might try a solid month first. Now to choose how long and which month. Of course, running days will still be with shorts but otherwise,a kilt it is. Let me know what you all think on either Facebook or here as a comment.

Until next time...

Tartan Day 2013

Every year there is a national, actually international, day called Tartan Day. Today, over eleven million Americans claim Scottish and Scotch-Irish roots -- making them the eighth largest ethnic group in the United States. These are the people and accomplishments that are honored on National Tartan Day, April 6th. And even a week of celebration called Scottish Week gives us of Scottish descent a chance to recognize our past and future. A great time to wear the kilt and show respect.
This year it is 3 April to 10 April with Tartan Day the 6th on a Saturday. Therefore, a get together of my friends from X Marks the Scot, an online forum for kilt lovers and indeed those who love Scotland and things Scottish, was in order. Arrangements were made to meet at the Rose and Thistle pub in Portland, a great small establishment off Broadway on the east side. Here we, myself,Ann and Liberty, met up with a delightful group to celebrate with Guinness and other assorted ales!!

Hopefully we can do this every few months and keep the Scottish spirit going in Portland as there is a wonderful presence of Scotland here in the Rose City.

Today was the Bridge to Brews 10K race in which Ann was running, so another chance to get out in the kilt. This time I wanted to go casual and wear something different. This was the combination I came up with and for the most part it worked OK. The kilt is the Black Watch tartan and shirt a red dragon of Eastern design but with a very Welsh look, which suited me just fine. Found it at a Goodwill store yesterday and found it perfect with this outfit.

 The one thing I don't care for as much about wearing the kilt higher around the navel is the extra padding it makes, giving the appearance of a belly. I have worked hard to lose that and don't like the look it gives so I might have to play with the design a bit from now on. Call me a bit vain about it but there it is.

 On the music front, I have finally purchased some new waxed hemp cord to get my chanter back operating again in hopes of practice. No guarantee but I'm fitting in playing time when I can. I admit that I'm just not good with playing and practicing certain instruments. At least with languages I can take them with me everywhere!! The Welsh is coming along decently albeit slowly.

Until next post, enjoy the springtime we have and always be positive!!!!!

In closing ,how about this photo I snapped at the race today.   Truly delightful!!!