Is it time yet?

So the joke was - during the time of building the East Bridge, the Treehouse, the Zipline, the Chapel, the Sky Bridge, the West Bridge and Zip Line - that all we needed now was a Gift Shop. I guess my question is - Is it time yet? We've got Wildernest hiking sticks and canes, Wildernest hiking stick medallions, "I rode the Wildernest Zipline" bumper stickers, Wildernest T-shirts, Wildernest Treehouse Jamfest T-shirts, Wildernest Treehouse Jamfest Photo Books, and assorted Wildernest DVD's ("Building the Treehouse", several Thanksgiving DVD's, several special Treehouse and Zipline events. I guess we could get some coffee mugs made too. So what do you think?

Just finished "Cross Fire"

Just finished reading "Cross Fire" the last in the Alex Cross series of books by James Patterson. I believe that there were 17 of them. All were good reads and fast reads and entertaining reads. My only complaint is that he found it necessary to have the murders in each novel committed in a more grisly manner than the previous. In the one before this one he had to resort to a method made famous in the movie "Fargo". It can't get any worse so he had to stop I suppose. This last book was a wrap-up that finally did away with the menace that tracked him through many of the books.

I'll probably go now to another series of books that Patterson has written, The Women's Murder Club. There are ten in this series with the eleventh due out in next May.

Another weekend at Crossroads Music Co. & Listening Room!

Here Comes the Sun. Listen to this and compare it to the Beatles sound! And look at the smiles - they're having a good time playing this!

Dave Walser and Brian Magnus on cello.   We saw these guys at Crossroads last night and it was a unique experience.  Dave Walser was a member of Beatlegras, a trio that played mostly Beatle music and they did a great job - and Dave voice was a big part of that.  We were all singing along last night especially with the encore - "Hey Jude"!  In addition to Beatles music he also did some Bob Dylan, some James Taylor, and a couple of his own songs.  Wonderfully enjoyable evening!  We liked every song!  Brian is a freelance cellist and cello teacher.  He also plays with Heather McCready (which I've posted about before - another Crossroads favorite) and with the Allen Philharmonic. (Another parenthetical - the other two members of Beatlegras, Milo Deering and George Anderson also play with Heather.)

The night before we heard Druha Trava, from the Czech Republic. These guys make it to Crossroads every year and I've wanted to check them out the last two times they were and we finally did it this year. They've been touring the US for six weeks and played in Wichita, Kansas the night after they played here. You may have seen my FB post - in the Czech Republic they have only one top music list (not one for each genre) and Druha Trava has been number one on that list this year.

I don't know how Gus continues to bring in these quality musicians to play at the modest venue of Crossroads Music Co. and Listening Room. I think it must be something like the Wildernest Treehouse Jamfest. It's just a neat place to play and the finances sorta take a back seat. (Speaking of seats, we've been fortunate enough to get good ones for these two shows and the photos here were taken from our seats.)

It's unusual to have two shows on one weekend but it happened this weekend. Nothing more now until the Saturday after Thanksgiving when they'll have the sixth anniversary show!

Wish I had a photo for this one

We were walking the trail this morning and Glynda stopped suddenly and pointed ahead.  About 20-30 yards ahead was a big buck (deer) probably an 8-10 pointer.  We stared at each other for a minute or so then he raised his tail and trotted off.

(Shadow was with us but had dropped away at the time.  We'd been at the Treehouse and she'd gained access to it by climbing a small tree beside it and then jumping over to it. When we got back to the house she still had not rejoined us and the last I'd heard of her sounded like distress.  So I hopped on the lawn tractor and drove back to the Treehouse and she came walking down the steps to see me.  I petted her a bit and since she was OK I got on the tractor to go back to the house - and Shadow ran over to the same small tree, climbed it, and jumped over to the Treehouse again. I guess she wanted to stay there awhile?) 

Blast from the past!

Someone posted this on FB the other day and it reminds you what a special place the old Rubaiyat in Dallas was. It was THE place in Dallas for listening to this kind of music - this kind being in the folk genre.  This is the calendar for March 1971.  Almost all of these guys eventually succeeded in music to one degree or another and several made it to the international stage. The first guy on the list is Jimmy Johnson played blues for many years but, with the very common name, it's been hard to find anything current.  The second act is Uncle Mike and Micky Mouth.  Mickey is Mickey Raphael and he's been in Willis Nelson's band for year playing harmonica. Allen Damron ran the Chequered Flag night club in Austin for many years and was second in command at Kerrville. One of our favorites from him is "Is There a Heaven fro Balloons".  John Vandiver stayed on the Texas scene until his death (about 1979 I believe) - here's a 2010 tribute to him by Shake Russell. .  England Dan and John Ford Colley  England Dan is Dan Seals of Seals & Croft, Summer Breeze, etc. Mike Murphy is Michael Martin Murphy, Wildfire.  Mike Williams was another successful Texas musician and is now a pastor.  I could find almost nothing on Karen Oznick.  Frummox was Steve Fromholtx (The Man in the Big Hat, written by Steve, recorded by Jerry Jeff) and Dan McCrimmon - both successful Texas musicians and Steve is still making music.  Three Faces West was Ray Wylie Hubbard's first group.  It was him and Rick Fowler and Wayne Kidd.  Ray has had some national success (Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother also recorder by Jerry Jeff) but is still a music maker on the Texas scene (and will be in Winnsboro later this year).    And that was one month at the Rubaiyat.  (It was fun reading the FB comments from other people that remembered it.)

You know you're old and in a small town when

you say "Look, Jeff moved his car".

The pub, which is part of but behind Brewbaker's restaurant, opens onto Market Street.  The restaurant opens onto Main Street.  Jeff is the owner of both. We were going to lunch down Market Street and saw Jeff's car parked outside the pub - it's a yellow BMW convertible so at least it's a special car.  A hour and a half later on our way home from the library we were driving back down Main Street and noticed his car in front of the restaurant.  So I said "Look, Jeff moved his car". I guess small things get noticed when there aren't that many big things happening.

If you love our country you should check out this 2009 video!

Antique Car Parade - One of the "Funnest" Days of the Year in Winnsboro

Yep - that says "Willis" on there!

Lots of folks having a good time, lots of old cars!  More cars than you can take pictures of.  I said I'd do just a few this year so I only took 47 pictures!

Lindsey Gail at the JamFest

They had to remove the video of Lindsey from Youtube so the link we had here doesn't work anymore - but check out her website.  She was our headliner act.

See her website at Lindsey Gail.com

Wildernest Treehouse JamFest



Gus and the blues band

Jack "Scruffy" Ainsworth

Ty Lenius

Amy Haid

Tami Hix

Kent Gooding

KMG - Kevin, Mia and Gus (with a little help from some friends)

Lindsey Gail

Alex and Kent

Lee Ann Mitchell



It had to be a cool Saturday evening when the moon is full (or close to it) and the hint of Fall is in the air.  The woods can be dark but moonlight makes it inviting.   Place was important because a stage in the woods at a tree house seemed to touch the imagination of audience and performer alike – and they all came. And our listeners were just right in number (about 100) and their appreciation for what they were listening to was there.  Our lineup of talent was still growing just a few days before.

The performers – Jack “Scruffy” Ainsworth, Ty Lenius, Amy Haid, Tami Hix, Kent Gooding, Lee Ann and her group, KMG (Kevin, Mia, and Gus), Lindsey Gayle, Alex and Kent, Gus and the blues band.  That’s ten acts – and they all came just to share music – and thanked us for inviting them.  And there were a bunch of back-up guys too; Jim and Greg on bass, Limbo on mouth harp, Alex O., on guitar, Allen on percussion and the back-up guys with the others.

Gus Gustafson

Several of us worked very hard to try to make this thing come out right but it would have happened anyway without our efforts.  But Gus is the man that pulled it all together organizing equipment, booking the performers, and much more - and we're really thankful to him.  We're proud to say that the Wildernest Treehouse JamFest was a Gus Gustafson Production!!!

WilderNest Treehouse JamFest

I'm getting a little scared - every time I go to town I hear someone talking about the "Wildernest Treehouse JamFest"!!  Looks like it's the hottest ticket in town! Such a little stage for so much notoriety!  There will be Gus Gustafson with a blues band that will be the anchor act with sets from Jack Ainsworth, KMG, Tami Hix, and Kent Gooding of Slightly Tilted.  Folks just seem to really like the idea of music in the woods at the Treehouse.

We really don't know how many are coming but a few businesses in Winnsboro are planning on closing as soon as they can to get out here.  I think the mayor is coming?  AND - It's the second evening of the "Autumn Trails" celebration in Winnsboro.  Folks are already talking about the "Second Annual ---"   Facebook event for Crossroads Music Company and Listening Room.

Two weeks from today is the JamFest!!

Stage in waiting - with some protection from the weather

Looks like a good size group coming so we'll need a little traffic control!

All music stages need a rug - so we've got a rug! (and a little "Wildernest" banner!)

The Orange Trail is under there somewhere!

Conversation at breakfast after the storm last night:

Glynda: How much water was in the rain gauge?
Jim: None.
Glynda: None?  How can that be?
Jim:  It had blown over!

Hummers are getting ready to go south!

Yesterday we were holding the feeder in our hand and they were still coming to it and sometimes several were swarming around our heads.

Today I've been photographing them through the kitchen window.  Seven on a feeder at the same time happens only just before migration when they don't attack one another.

Another shot through the kitchen window.

Wildernest Treehouse JamFest

Plans are moving along for the music event in October.  What was initially looking like a modest gathering has been growing.  Right now there are plans for about a dozen musicians and a pretty good size crowd in attendance. The confirmed musicians include the Blues Monday group from Zazuz, Kent Gooding of "Slightly Tilted", KMG (Kevin, Mia, and Gus), and Tami Hix.  Jack "Scruffy" Ainsworth will be there and will hopefully do a few songs.  We've cleared a much larger area around the Treehouse and have added a stage, mowed a good size area in the west meadow for parking, put out a bunch of solar lights for the trail, and there's a generator onsite about 300-400 feet from the treehouse.  I think that Gus is planning on bringing the Crossroads sound system.  Word is getting around town and it seems like everyone wants to come.  It's really hard to know what to expect but - we'll find out.  It's just over a month away!