My Cruise Debut

Just last week I found my sea legs on the Rotterdam and a whole lot of other adventures, too.

Cruising life has much to recommend it. I most enjoyed the opportunity to expand my horizons, discover new lands, see the sights -- from the safety of Dad's shoulders, of course.
I sang the praises of the spectacular Alaska scenery...
...when I wasn't playing with my train tracks or being mesmerized by the one Thomas the Train DVD my parents brought along. I didn't even mind that I had to watch it 20 times.
I got to stay up late almost every night. My favorite haunt was the piano bar, where the fabulous Neptunes (piano, bass, drums) played each night and folks took to the dance floor for waltzes, rhumbas, and the fast and furious mommy swing, pictured here.

The piano player, Raddy, performed a variation of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" for me. For me! Twice I feel asleep in Dad's arms listening to his twinkling fingers across the keys.
One night my mom got to sing with the Neptunes, since she was the only person aboard who knew all the verses to "Rocky Top" -- an especial request of a guest from Tennessee. "My only qualification for being up here is that I was born in Tennessee and grew up hearing this song," she said before launching into a darn good rendition of one of my favorite songs, too. Everyone clapped. No one booed. If they had, I would have kicked their shins.
I got to watch a couple of the Broadway-style shows in the theatre, and after being wowed by the special effects (shifting lights, steam!) and the positive role models of handsome men in tuxes singing and dancing, I decided I should go into show business myself. I practiced drawing the curtains in our cabin's porthole window and flinging them open again to reveal myself and Baby. Mom and Dad kindly applauded my early efforts.
But the highlight of the cruise ship for me was the pool. I mean, is this not the pool of your dreams? The retractable roof was open much of the time, and the water sloshed with the movement of the ship, like a real wave pool. The water was WARM.
Dad and I zoomed in circles. He and Mom threw me back and forth between them. And I jumped off the edge I don't know how many times. I like to go under water!
I always ended our daily (or sometimes twice daily) pool session with a dip in one of the hot tubs. A perfect time to get cozy with my Mommy.
And while my parents oohed and aahed over the desserts, the omelets, the smoked salmon, I discovered a new culinary taste of my own: cheese. Or at least, that's what I called those artfully wrapped pats of butter, which by the end of the cruise my parents would allow me one per meal. By the time I unwrapped it and licked it bit by bit, they could nearly be done eating. Or at least one of them would get up and chase me around then. I've got them trained to do this fairly well.
You can read more about the trip on my family's blog and see why I'd be happy as a clam to go cruising again.

They Know Music in Marshall, N.C.

My ears are still ringing with the melodious sounds I heard this week in Marshall, N.C. From our family's trip around Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, I can see that the place to live if you're a musician is in western North Carolina. Yes, that's me on the pennywhistle, accompanied by my dad on banjo and Robert John on fiddle! (OK, I haven't really learned to blow air through the whistle yet, but I practice fingering while sucking on the mouthpiece...)

These musicians are friends of my friend Lorna's, who we stayed with in Marshall, N.C. Lorna plays the hammered dulcimer and along with the fiddler Robert John, she invited over Carol on guitar and Dorothy on psaltry. We had a mountain music jam on Lorna's porch, and Mom and Dorothy's husband Bruce and I clapped along. They played tunes like "Shady Grove" and "Rocky Top" and also folk standards like "Scarborough Fair." This group gets together and plays in hospitals and nursing homes. I'd sure rather be listening to their music than anything else if I had to sit through kidney dialysis.
Oh, here's a better view of the psaltry (at far left, the funny-looking triangular instrument played with a bow), and Lorna's dulcimer. Dad is playing a bodhran (Irish drum) that Bruce brought but didn't really know how to play. Dad gave him a lesson, and now he does!
The porch jam was on Thursday afternoon. That evening we headed downtown to a hip little coffee shop (reminded me of the ones in Port Townsend Mom likes to frequent) called Zuma's, and Dad joined in a bluegrass jam. The room behind him was filled with appreciate people sipping coffee and eating delicious cookies.
I got up front to dance, and then the nice lady playing the bass fiddle let me pluck her strings from the bottom while she plucked them up top! I could feel the deep vibrations in my hands and whole body.
The next morning we awoke to rain and even some thunder and lightning, but that didn't stop the music festivities from happening in downtown Marshall. We hit three music venues that Friday night, starting with the old-time music at the restored railroad depot at 7 p.m. Each band played 30 minutes of music, and tradition holds that they finish their set with a gospel tune.
I liked sitting on Lorna's lap and bouncing to the music, and smiling at everyone around me. You can see a grapevine of dancers winding their way around the room in this photo.
People with hard taps on their shoes danced beside the stage on the fast tunes (and made a racket!), but Mom and I danced to a slow one. You can see I was the youngest one up there, but not by much! This was truly a place for young and old to mix.
At 8 p.m., ducking under our umbrellas, we walked down the street to catch the end of an exhibit opening at the Madison County Arts Center. The show's theme was "found art," and we had heard there was to be a "found art fashion show." Sure enough, the models were wearing things like clothespins and plastic bags, and they were grooving across the stage to the improvised sounds of a guitarist and a drummer. This is where all the hip young people in Marshall could be found that Friday night.
Around 9 p.m. we ducked into a chiropractor's office where Lorna had heard there was a music circle, and sure enough, there were eight or so musicians jamming away in a room with a human skeleton in the corner (!). Two of the musicians were teenage girls, giving me hope that when I am a teenage boy, I will be able to find cool girl to hang out with like the ones living in Marshall. Maybe if I keep practicing the pennywhistle...

St. Paddy's Day Music & Dance

Erin go braugh! I celebrated my first St. Patrick's day in proper fashion, listening to my dad play bodhran (Irish drum) in a band. I've been practicing the bodhran, too (I have a mini one I'm allowed to pound on to my heart's content), and was showing Daddy's bandmates my technique in the photo above.
And here's my dad playing that very same drum, above with a group of fiddle students and below with a trio consisting of fiddle, guitar and mandolin. He played for a total of three hours and said afterward that his arm felt like it was going to fall off. Yikes.
I got to stay up past my bedtime, and wear my onesie with the green frogs on it, and my mom walked me all over the restaurant (it is called The Upstage and it's the coolest music venue in town). We knew a lot of people to talk to, and one point I took a little nap in my carseat up in the balcony, where the music wasn't so loud. This is the view looking down at the fiddle students. They were still learning the Irish session tunes, but they were pretty good, and Mom said their presence made The Upstage feel like a real Irish pub -- and she should know, because she and dad went on their honeymoon to Ireland!
I even got to waltz with Mom while Dad was waltzing the fiddler's wife to a tune written in her honor. (Her husband would have danced with her, but he was playing the fiddle at the time.)
Oh, did I mention the music was awesome?!!! Traditional tunes with lilting melodies and driving beats, my favorite kind of music. Toward the end of the evening, other people were dancing in the aisles -- stepdancing to the jigs and all that. And it was so crowded, people without reservations were turned away at the door. I felt lucky my dad was one of the musicians, so we had a spot right up front. And I feel lucky to be part Irish -- my dad's great-great-grandfather was a Clancy -- born in the Emerald Isle, don't you know?

For a few seconds of music, play the video!
[Photos #3 & 5 as well as the video are courtesy of Michael Bosold (c)2009.]

I've Been Busy

Hi, sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been busy and sick with a cold that I'm just getting over. But mostly I've been busy.

Mom takes me all over the place. Every day there's an outing to either the library, the grocery store, a friend's house, a coffee shop, the Nia dance studio, or other places I can't identify. Like, what is the big building with all the tiny boxes mounted on the walls inside? We have a key to one of the boxes, and about once a week Mom and I visit this place and open the box. I keep hoping there will be a new toy inside, but there's only paper.

Mmmm, paper. Did I mention I like to chew paper? I can turn a magazine tear-out card to mush in 60 seconds. Then Mom has to swipe her finger inside my mouth to remove the pulp balls before I swallow them down. This is my new favorite game.

So, the photo above is of my family on Valentine's Day. This is a nice holiday, I've decided, and I can't wait until it comes around again next year. Lots of people were wearing red (one of my favorite colors), and hearts were displayed everywhere, and it smelled like chocolate. I got dressed up to go to my second contra dance that night. See my new polo shirt?

I actually danced this time, one dance. Mom and Dad took turns holding me as we sashayed through the contra lines. Some of the dancers tried to hold my hand when we circled, but I didn't like that. After that I preferred just to watch the band members play fiddles and guitar. They pulled up a chair for me so I could sit with them -- that was cool! We only stayed at the dance an hour, but as it was already past my bedtime, that was a treat. On the car ride back home, as I was dozing, I heard Dad tell Mom he hoped I would sleep in, since I was going to bed two hours later than normal, but I fooled them and got up at the same time I usually do, 5:30 a.m.

I know, I know, it's still dark out, but this little alarm clock goes off inside my head and my eyes just pop open and I know it's time to start the day. My mouth starts making happy sounds like "bah, bah, bah" and "puh, puh, puh" and one of my parents stumbles out of their bedroom to say, "Good morning to you, too." And then we're off and running for another day of fun.

Hmmm, I wonder what tomorrow's outing will hold?

I Will Eliminate 90% of the Competition...

Dad always tells me, "You can't make yourself smarter or better-looking, but you can eliminate 90% of the competition if you just learn to dance." I started my lessons this weekend, by attending my first contra dance. (Mom & Dad met at a contra dance, by the way, which is a type of folk dancing with a caller and live band and lots of opportunities to mix and mingle -- thank goodness, or I might not be here today.)
I didn't join any of the contra lines, but my parents held me and danced with me on the sidelines. I didn't fuss once during the whole hour; I was too entranced by the swirling dancers, stomping feet, and the driving tunes played by the fiddles, guitar and banjo -- just the kind of music I like!

I'd like to go back soon and maybe join a dance or two. I think if Mom or Dad wore me in a front-pack it would work. Only they'd better not swing too fast or I'll get dizzy!

Please note in the photos that I am also wearing shoes for the first time.