The NFC B-Day Chat Thread

Oh, yes! Evan's tuba is terrified of storms, the dark, bugs....all kinds of things like that. And when that tuba gets scared, the sounds it can make are horrifying! Actually no amount of persuasion is going to get Tam out in the camper, and Ken refuses to set it up just to hold luggage. But it's only for a couple of weeks, he and I will be at Grand Lodge in Gillette for 4 days of that, so we'll cope. She'd do it for me, and besides then we don't have to worry about Fiona, either.

We've had trees like that....took a huge limb off one a couple of years ago - that thing was the size of an entire tree - and it was hollow as can be inside. In fact, we had the tree guys cut it in half across, then cut one half across lengthwise and used half of that in the run as a panic room for the chicks. 18 chicks fit under there! The other half of section served the same propose outside the chicken run, and the last whole piece that we left intact is sitting in front of the coop. The chickens liked to go inside that log to look for bugs. This is that piece of the limb:
View attachment 1493591
Good use for it Blooie! This one is full of ants or hubby would cut it up to use in the wood stove. I said cut it up for campfire wood then.
 
He’s been plaguing...Er....playing tuba for one very looooooong school year! <sigh> Here they let the kids check instruments out for the summer. They have to have an adult initial the Practice Sheets and much to his dad’s horror Evan elected to do that - and take the tuba for the summer. Well, at least we didn’t have to worry about Dan forgetting to pack it and load it like he forgot Evan’s fishing pole and sleeping bag last year. I imagine he was glad to see the last of it! Evan started with trombone 2 years ago, and he was really getting pretty good at it. But the school band didn’t have a tuba player and he jumped at the chance. Lucky us. <sigh>
 
I vote with you on the campfire wood...a few toasted ants wouldn't hurt the s'mores!
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My best man was a tuba guy... We had great fun all through HS. Him on the tuba and me on the Sax. I was fortunate... DD went for the sax, did the rental and loved it... So since we were in Europe, I went to Holland and got a Paris mad Selmer super action 80 for her Christmas Present. She's teaching her daughter's how to play it today. One of these days I need to get my horn refurbished... All new springs, pads and corks. Also need a new mouth piece. But I'd love to try and play again at some point.

ETA: At the time we were in Europe we lived in Saudi.
 
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My best man was a tuba guy... We had great fun all through HS. Him on the tuba and me on the Sax. I was fortunate... DD went for the sax, did the rental and loved it... So since we were in Europe, I went to Holland and got a Paris mad Selmer super action 80 for her Christmas Present. She's teaching her daughter's how to play it today. One of these days I need to get my horn refurbished... All new springs, pads and corks. Also need a new mouth piece. But I'd love to try and play again at some point.

ETA: At the time we were in Europe we lived in Saudi.

Good times Bob!

P.S. How was living in Saudi? Did you enjoy it?
 
I didn't know you played the sax, RJ! That's cool. Sax is such a fun instrument. I played clarinet but I was terrible at it and band class was boring (even though I love music) so I quit in 7th grade haha we started in 5th. I probably should have kept with it since it gets more fun in high school, trips to Disney and playing Fanuil Hall and whatnot but I wasn't really into it. I still have the clarinet though. I kinda wanted to do percussion but that's what all the boys chose and you know how middle school boys are. Probably better anyway since I don't think you ever actually play on a drum kit, mostly just the little triangles or whatever other instruments bands use aha I've always wanted to learn guitar, or like at least for the last like 8 years, but I never have and now with possible carpal tunnel and my finger joints how they are I don't think I'd be able to. And drums well my back would hurt lol we used to have a drum kit though but my brothers always hogged it and then my parents didn't like how loud it was and how we constantly played it lol I might learn piano/keyboard though. I think I took a few lessons way back but never was very good or into it but now I'm way more into music. And I might still learn guitar or drums eventually. I've written a few songs but since I don't play any instruments and can't sing they never amounted to anything. They weren't very good anyway though. Sorry now I'm just rambling haha
 
Good times Bob!

P.S. How was living in Saudi? Did you enjoy it?

It was interesting... The work was fantastic, home life with dependents not so much. Had to follow DW to and from work to be sure she wasn't harassed by the crazies. Funny, Saudi law would imprison me for decades if I beat someone up for harassing my DW, but it was OK if I killed them. If the latter, I was just doing what a husband should do. :confused:

Advantage I had was 6'3" 250 lbs and mean looking... It solved 99.9% of problems before they started.

KD, I could play anything with a single reed. I prefer the tenor and spent years learning Jimmy Dorsey's style and loved big or symphonic band. Had a blast playing the 1812 orchestra. In my senior year of HS (you know when we used to scribe things in stone) we had a key player for our HS play drop out of the pit band. I spent all night rescoring the music to make it show worthy. The show was a hit.

I also love the soprano sax and jazz, I'm just not any good at it.

My first year at Purdue I was in the top symphonic band. That too was a blast. Don't sell yourself short. Learn any instrument and play your songs... I'm betting they're pretty good.:old
 
I didn't know that either, RJ......that is so cool! Wonder if we should start a game of "I've Got a Secret" on here? Nah, prolly not a good idea!!

I started playing guitar when I was 12 so that's what, 55 years ago? Right now I still have the 6 string guitar I got when I was 17 - even has my name on it - and about 6 years ago Ken bought me my Fender 12 string to replace the 12 string that my daughter stole, pawned, and lost when she abandoned Jamie and Little Diane here in 2002. (No, not Tam). That brand new Fender probably only has a total of 8 hours on it. Shame on me! I don't play as much as I used to, and by golly I should probably pick them up and get back into it. I prefer the 12 over the 6....I think it's far easier to play - more comfortable on the fingertips because the pressure of pushing 2 strings down is more disbursed than pressing on a single string. I love the richer sound too. It's a bear to tune, though. My hands are older now, with some arthritis and tendon issues, but I could still pick enough to teach Katie and Evan, I think. I also played the 5 string banjo and mandolin, but not very well I'm afraid. I once played guitar and sang with another guy, and we used to play gigs in some of the restaurant/lounges in the San Diego area.

I remember Dad telling me I hadn't learned the guitar until I could play "Under the Double Eagle". Back then I was still just picking AT the guitar. I didn't start really playing a lot until after Ken and I got married. Then I'd use every deployment as a chance to focus on learning something new to fill the hours. It took me 20 years, but before Dad died I was able to play that song for him! What I really want to play is the Violin/Uke, or Ukelin, as it's also called. Salesmen used to go door-to-door and sell them, and my biological dad bought one, as did two of his brothers. Grampa played the fiddle and 6 of Dad's brothers played guitar. So with the 10 of them, Gramma's house dang rang with music. I have a Violin/Uke, but aside from picking out a bad rendition of "Drink to me Only With Thine Eyes" my repertoire is pretty much non-existent. Since few people have ever seen one, it's tough to figure out the tuning and sheet music is available on line but hard to figure out. But it's under my bed, still in its original box, and maybe someday.......
 

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