New Years Eve 2011

We rang in the New Year this weekend at The Grey Eagle in Asheville with two of our favorite bands, Town Mountain and Acoustic Syndicate. It made for a fun time spent with good friends and great live music. 

So we happily ended 2011 and started 2012 just how we prefer to live our lives by savoring the moments and smelling the flowers along the way. Here's hoping that the New Year brings health, happiness, and lots of good love and music to you and your families in 2012!

Black Betty and Hometown

The Best of 2010 - Woody Wood at The Grey Eagle

Your Hometown Hiker: Woody Wood / I'm Gonna Miss You (Like The Devil): "Those who know us, will attest that Black Betty and I thoroughly love rockin' it at the Grey Eagle with Woody Wood! Friday night I had an..."

Cades Cove Weekend

Black Betty and I are home from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend camping trip to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I figured that the crowds would be gone (they were) and the camping would be sweet. It was a rare opportunity to enjoy the Cove without having to experience the horrible traffic-choked nightmare that the loop has become during peak season. The campground was also sparsely populated, creating a quiet and peaceful campsite.

We awoke to heavy frosts on Saturday and Sunday mornings with temps in the 20's. The little pop-up was pretty chilly, the only warm place around was deep inside our sleeping bags. It made for some great camp fire time, though.  The stars were spectacular in the night sky and I was treated to a couple of the quietest nights that I've experienced since my AT hike. What a great setting to enjoy eating our Thanksgiving left-overs in. Mmmm pie!

Black Betty told me that it was all worth it (speaking of the cold) as we watched 2 bear cubs and their momma dig for grubs while they sauntered through the  chilly woods on Sunday morning. She was right!

Black Betty's Birthday/Tsali/Father's Day/ Summer Solstice

There's nothing quite like summertime and we've had a full week of it at the Hometown Homestead. Black Betty celebrated a birthday earlier in the week and then we spent a long weekend at Tsali for celebration of the Solstice, Father's day, and summer in general! School is out and the heat is on. We set up Gnometown at Tsali, did a little mountain biking, a little swimming, some great campstyle cooking, and lots of relaxing in general.. We had a great visit with Holly, David, Wyatt, and little Jack. It really doesn't get any better than this!

Wyatt and Jack hanging out in the Gnometown Camper.

Papa and Wyatt riding bikes.

Big boys on Nanna's Birthday.

Wyatt cooling off in Fontana Lake.

Cricket walks Wyatt.

Hometown still in all one piece.

And finally here is Wyatt on his first trip to my favorite mountain biking destination, Tsali. He's actually outgrown his helmet and wouldn't let me put it on his head, so I insisted on the hat. He'll be winning races in no time....

Suwannee SpringFest 2010

In three short weeks, the 2010 festival season will start for Black Betty and I with the Suwannee Springfest near Live Oak, Florida.

I can hardly wait. We are really looking forward to reuniting with our Festivarian friends, many of whom we haven't seen since October. Our little popup camper has been waiting patiently in the garage for the cold weather and snow to leave, knowing that we'll soon take her south. I've also got a new dutch oven that I want to break in with some new camp food recipes. And then of course, there's all the great music!

The lineup looks great again this year, and includes: Robert Earl Keen, Leftover Salmon, Johnathon Edwards, Donna the Buffalo, The Mosier Brothers with David Blackmon, The Dirty Dozen Dirt Band, Peter Rowan, Jim Lauderdale,18 South, Dread Clampitt, Belleville Outfit, Sythian, The Steeldrivers, Roy Bookbinder, Verlon Thompson and Shawn Camp, Tornado Rider (I'm a Falcon!) and the Turtle Duhks. We will be rockin' the weekend away, for sure!

From MagFest 2009

Black Betty and I with our favorite music minister,the Reverend Jeff Mosier.

The Music Camp 2009

Hi everyone, I'm back from a little camping trip that Black Betty and I took up to the Maine woods. More about that later, I want to get this video up from the hot (literally) little festival that we attended in Spartanburg a few weeks back. We really enjoyed the music and vibes at the Music Camp. It was a real small crowd (I don't know...maybe 1,000 people?) and a young crowd (majority under 29) which we enjoy more than the older crowd (our age). The weather was HOT (South Carolina in June) and our fragile mountain thermostats would have boiled over if it hadn't been for the wonderful wet and refreshing Pacolet river. Jumping in the river several times a day actually saved the whole experience for me..........

So, the music...high energy performances by Donna the Buffalo, The Duhks, The Stringdusters, and the host band, The Belleville Outfit.........and many, many more good shows. What's not to love? We'll be back next year with bathing suits!

The Music Camp

Black Betty and I are packing up the popup and heading towards Spartanburg on Friday to try a new festival experience. This will really be the 5th year for this little festival put on by members of The Bellville Outfit, but will be our 1st experience with it.

I actually learned of both the band and the festival while driving home from Asheville last month and listening to WNCW. The Bellville Outfit were live guests and I really enjoyed their music. They talked about the festival and I came home and purchased the incredibly affordable tickets ($60. each for the weekend and $30. a carload to camp).

The line-up looks awesome, the crowd should be small, and the camping fun! What's not to like?

French Broad River Festival

We had a wonderful weekend at Hot Springs for the French Broad River Festival. In spite of some rain (what's a festival without rain?) we boogied 'til we dropped to some of the best music in the region.

A great time was had by all, what a cool vibe at this little festival. I can't wait for next year!


Highlights of the weekend include:

The Will Ferrell Loofa.

Meeting my Blog Buddy, Caroline Pond (emcee and Snake Oil salesman).

Visiting with some Appalachian Trail friends.

Eating some delicious camping meals.

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge ripping it up, Acoustic Syndicate tearing it down, dancing to Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys. Snake Oil Medicine show in the big tent.

Black Betty and our daughter Becky

Mark Schimick showing his stuff on the mandolin.

Heading out to the Smokies

I met Segue last summer in the Whites, while I was thru hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Rethinker and I had been hiking in a deluge (and met up with SiteSee, Apostle, and Sir Bacon along the way) and we all headed into Crawford Notch to escape the rain. We found a bunk house at the campground where we met fellow hikers, Segue and Boy Floyd.

Segue and Hometown in the White Mountains.

Rethinker and I ended up taking a zero the next day because of continuing rain and I really enjoyed getting to know Segue and Floyd. We hiked with them on and off through the Whites and spent a memorable night at Lake of the Clouds Hut at the foot of Mt Washington. We ended up parting company close to the Maine border, but as thru hikers tend to do, we were destined to see each other again.

Segue hiked into Franklin this week and spent a zero with me and Black Betty at the Hometown Hostel. I'm awful glad that he did because I'm going to spend the next five days hiking the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains with him.

I can't wait to reconnect with the trail! Thanks, Segue!

Easter Services 2009 with the Dead

Black Betty and Hometown ready for Shakedown Street!

We enjoyed a glorious and celebatory Easter at the first show of The Dead last night at the Greensboro Coliseum. We arrived with family and friends early enough to enjoy several hours of parking lot hippie action before seeing the big sold-out show.

All in all it was great, the band seemed to really gel, Phil's singing really didn't sound too bad, Billy and Mickey kicked ass with their drums, AND the band threw a pretty cool Watchtower to Warren. The band sounded good and the vibe seemed right. The set list seemed a little strange, but who am I to complain? I had lots of fun!

Set List 4/12/09 Greensboro Colesium
(set 1)The Music Never Stopped>Jack StrawEstimated Prophet>He's Gone>Touch Of Grey>I Need A Miracle>Truckin'
(set 2)JamShakedown Street>All Along The Watchtower>Caution>Rhythm Devils>Space>Cosmic Charlie>New Potato Caboose>Help On The Way>Slipknot!>Franklin's Tower
(encore)Samson And Delilah