A blog by Jorma Kaukonen

To Lose A Child…

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I cannot think of anything worse than to lose a child. At 83 I have lived a full life and continue to do so but truthfully, at this point in my life each day is a bonus round. A friend reached out to Vanessa and myself today in  a brief, stark and very short email. After a long battle with depression, his son took his own life this morning.

As a parent I could find nothing adequate to say… how ...
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The Vicissitudes Of A Coffee Drinker

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The Boca Boca Bean Roaster

Photo by Jorma Kaukonen

Here’s where it all started. Well it actually started in the Java Highlands where the beans came from. Roasting coffee beans requires an outdoor space where the smoke can dissipate freely, and there’s always plenty of smoke when you roast! It was a moderately warm day here in Southeast Ohio so I grabbed the Boca Boca and a bag of Bali Blue Moon Kintamani Highlands Wet Hulled green beans. These beans were ...
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Saturday Waiting For Spring

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Not much to weigh in on this weekend… yet. It’s drizzling and in the high 40’s. It just feels dank and dreary but at least I’m not shoveling snow. Being home for a bit I’ve had the chance to hang with the four footed ones, Maverick and Perseus. The boys and I have been enjoying each other’s company. It’s nice to be home and yet there are aspects of the road I do miss. On the road, purpose is ...
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Writing With Friends In San Diego

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Vanessa, always optimistic hoping for sunshine, dances at the Dana with the eternal children who never tire!

Photo by Jorma Kaukonen

On Monday the 5th, we welcomed our songwriting class to a week of intense writing here in San Diego. When we left Athens we looked forward to some moderate Southern California weather and while there was no snow here in SoCal, the weather was anything but moderate. I’m actually seeing some blue skies outside the hotel window today but it’s ...
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The Cavalcade Of Stars Comes To River Of Time

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So Saturday last Izze Kaukonen, Cass Wilhelm, Myron Hart, John Hurlbut and me converged at River Of Time conveniently located at 19 W. Washington St. between The Donkey and Salaam. River Of Time is currently hosting The Art Of Grace Slick and our gallery space is also the de facto location for our free concerts. It was colder than a you-know-what outside but congenially warm inside ROT.

Izze, Cass, Myron Hart, John Hurlbut and Yours Truly in the ‘Green Room’  ...
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Another Year, Another Milestone And Shadows Of Old Friends

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Spencer & Paul at Woodstock

Spencer Dryden April 7, 1938 – January 11, 2005

Here’s to us and those like us, damn few left!

In the photo above you see Spencer Dryden and Paul Kantner at Bethel Woods. It was more than a lifetime ago for some and a fading memory for those of us still inhabiting this earth. Spencer Dryden and Jack Casady were the anchormen for Jefferson Airplane in that time. In my opinion, even these many years later, the ...
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Just Like A Woman

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Monday, January 8, 2024

Just Like A Woman…

It was quite cold as I drove to town this morning to make some doctor appointments and pick up some meds at the pharmacy. Since I live in a small town I find it easier to actually drive to the doctor’s office and make appointments in person rather than fight through the maze of button pressing that doing it on the phone entails.

Anyway, for some reason I went down the Blonde On Blonde ...
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What Are You Gonna Do?

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You know Percy… sometimes I just don’t know what to think?

Photo by Vanessa Kaukonen

 

Being on Planet Earth for a couple of 24 hours just never gets old and there is always something to make me say, ‘WTF’ on an almost daily basis. Vanessa, my life partner, is always up to something… ever involved, the grass never grows under her feet. We have been together for three and a half decades and in addition to her managing Jack and myself ...
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Happy 2024

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A light dusting on the Jeep

Photo by Jorma Kaukonen

Well folks… a Happy New Year to you all out there. No need to rehash 2023. I won’t miss it and it wouldn’t matter if I did. I had hoped for a New Year’s Day motorcycle ride but as you can see by my faithful Jeep… this wasn’t that day. I did see a couple of hardy bike riders out there while I was running some errands a bit ago… but ...
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Happy 83 to Me!

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Jorma’s Birthday Saturday, December 23, 2023

Vanessa asked me, ‘What does it feel like to be 83?’ At this point in my life that’s a complex question. I am aware of the changes in my body that age inflicts. I’m not happy about some of them but all things considered I am doing better than many. My 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were still flights of youthful fancy looking back from the hillside today. Being 80 something requires that one accepts ...
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