Morning in Meigs
Foto by Jorma Kaukonen
A lovely chilly morning at the Fur Peace Ranch as I headed to the airport in Columbus to fly down to Sanibel Island to teach song writing for a week. My class didn’t begin until Monday and John Hurlbut and I got down there Sunday afternoon in time to drive over to Captiva for a Mexican dinner.
The ceiling at the Cantina Captiva
Foto by John Hurlbut
Delightful food and inexpensive. My rule of thumb is that any time Mexican food is expensive… it’s not real. On Monday before class started I got a little walk on the beach and picked up some shells for Izze.
Shell City...
Foto by Jorma Kaukonen
That was it for my being a tourist. With three classes a day I only saw the beach from my window from then on. At lwast it wasn’t snowing! Working with a songwriting group is both rewarding and humbling. I never cease to be amazed at the creativity humans show when given the chance. Thanks team!
The Sanibel Songwriters
Foto by Joe Couri
Thursday night I played a little set for the folks, Roy Book Binder stopped by for w tune or two and John Hurlbut and I recreated our dinner show from the Pho Peace Kitchen.
Blowing on Bird Song
Foto by Joe Couri
And then it was time to come home. Lots of nice things to remember about Sanibel Island… dark skies, no chain stores, no traffic lights, lots of beaches and shells, nice people and good food.
Waiting for the green flash...
Foto by Joe Couri
A great week and an uneventful flight home. It’s chilly… but it’s home.
You must be getting excited. Front row center – you are in for a treat. Lucky you – Jorma doesn’t usually get down to Texas. Must be the good karma.
@carey georgas
PLEASE Pray for Pomeroy! Ohio River flood waters are knee deep on Main Street. m
I have witnessed the Green Flash 🙂
Absolutely beautiful sunset.
@Brian Doyle
Golden Sanibel sunset:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=815402601976689&set=p.815402601976689&type=3&theater
I’m sure the lone star state will be better for the pickin.
Death don’t have no mercy in this town.
Well, the road trip’s begun, so I reckon now’s as good a time as any to start my countdown. I’ll be ticking off performances until next Thursday, when I’ll get to be at one. Got me some front row center tickets and me and my lady are gonna plant ourselves right there and watch and listen ’til there ain’t nuthin’ left to see or hear. Can’t hardly wait!
Absolutely on the Mexican food. Some of the best I ever had was at a big outdoor stand in Mexico City around 10:30 at night– tacos were about a buck. It’s where the cab drivers go at the end of their shifts. Those guys know. I think I had five of them.
Happy Mardi Gras everyone
Yes indeed Johno. The fact is that one day one gig, and four to five hundred miles incorporated, the whole thing in the 24 hrs, day after day, for weeks, and the daily itinerating stage glowing by excited fingers Jorma’s style. That doesn’t prevent you from loving it. I loved it when I was in jail, not the first night though, when I had to share the restricted space with an assassin, the bouncing vibes didn’t quite match with mine. I consider the fatiguing iterance from town to town, through a territory of incomparable beauty and history, converted into the most staunch and astounding Concert throughout always, this kind of cool concentration, the sense of duty, is what pulls me in and keeps giving me always new valued hopes in my daily wandering.
Jorma loves what he is doing. He travels around the country going wherever and whenever he wants to go. He’s a real traveling troubadour. What a life!
@carlo pagliano
Jorma Solo.
Heavy, heavy duty tour.
Peace be the long journey.
Jorma, I love the blue and white “Jorma Live ’18” stylized image currently on the home page. Who is the artist? I think it would make a fantastic poster that I would love to purchase. Reminds me of winter and Scandinavian imagery which is just exactly perfect. Or the cover of your book or next album. It’s a keeper, for sure.
Jorma missed a streak of summery weather by a week…
Tonight’s sunset from the Sanibel causeway high bridge:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=813832868800329&set=a.544087025774916.1073741830.100005208704771&type=3&theater
Jorma – I’m curious if you knew, or made the acquaintance of, Barlow at any time in your peregrinations. Fascinating guy, may he rest in peace. Wrote some pretty good songs too.
Tonight’s sunset on Sanibel…It was really warm today and all this week will be near 80…This sunset is only a 1 or 2 out of 10 rating compared to some of the sky fire pastels we sometimes get:
https://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Doyle/100005208704771
I have heard that Lisbon was a beautiful place to visit. Thanks for sharing!@Barbara Jacobs
Great story! @johno
@Kevin
Thanks for the link. Those were the days.
Though I didn’t go to Woodstock, I tried. We went upstate with the intention of going to the festival. But as we approached the exit for White Lake – where Woodstock took place – the exit was closed and the State Police were stopping cars. We freaked out because we had just smoked a joint. Luckily he waved us through. I wasn’t prepared to park alongside route 17 and walk 10-15 miles carrying my sleeping bag, tent, food etc. I wasn’t the only one who turned around and went elsewhere. I went camping to Big Indian.
Jorma,
I recently returned from working in Lisbon. It’s always been the best value for
travelers and since the economic downturn there, it’s now a place where artists
and musicians are attracted to the low cost of living.
You have quite a few fans there now, they especially love your solo work and performances.
Many of the Fado musicians and singers are attracted to the songs.
They would like to see you play Fado, on those old Portuguese guitars.
The best musical difference there, is that kids aren’t plugged-in to their devices
(they can’t afford it and really aren’t interested.) They are out on the streets singing and playing guitars. It’s not unusual to walk down any street and see young kids
(8-teens) playing guitar and singing. Not busking (playing for tips/money) — instead
for enjoyment and self-expression.
Hey Jorma,
Really nice pictures. Hope your enjoying the time at home and getting some writing done. It’s been a pretty brutal winter here in Upstate looking forward to some warmer weather.
Take Care and hoping to see you guys soon..
🙂
It would help to include the link. Another senior moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT5Zt4TppYg
Some pictures from Woodstock I had never seen before. A stunningly beautiful Grace at 3:49, followed shortly by a very studious looking finger picker on his favorite mode of transportation (with a pretty good bass player in the background). Bring back any memories of this pic Jorma?
Damn, I was hoping to meet you Jorma…Those shells you show are picked-out…The time to shell is right after a particular southern fetch drives fresh shells from the sea bottom on to the shore…That happened one November and I got there at night before anyone and picked a couple of shopping bags of a Neptune’s treasure chest of exotic perfect shells…Oh well, see you from the second row at Melbourne…And, yes, you can stand here in the street in August in perfect tranquility and the only thing you can hear is the whirr of the air conditioners…
Seen dozens of sunsets over the gulf – I’ve never saw the Green Flash. Was that dollar bill put there by you? Or did you just happen to see it at the Mexican joint?
Uneventful isn’t a bad thing when paired with flight. And I agree with the Mexican food rule. The cheaper it is, the closer to the wire. Got any taquerias in Ohio?