A week spent by the lake in a thirty-five square mile town inhabited by roughly one thousand people in Penobscot County, Maine can be wholly rejuvenating. Or not. To tell the truth, I'm not quite sure yet—being just back from the bivouac.
I have a large family, but only eight of us were at the lakeside home my father built. I did relax, at times. At other times, I drank too much wine. Or got pink with too much sun. I had some vivid and strange dreams. We played mad horseshoes and Texas hold 'em. I read The Old Man and the Sea out loud to the children (now that's a book that really ought to be read aloud, even if only to oneself). And my daughter, from the floating dock, had her own Santiago/marlin moment. Only her big fish turned out to be a rock.
The lake is absent a portal to the virtual world other than a spotty Verizon signal on my smartphone—a rather old smart phone, which seems to have lost some of its smartness—though I managed to post a few stippled, mildly smart smartphone photographs to my Facebook wall. Like the painted indigo skies and shimmery coralline waters of the early evening lake and such.
I didn't open my laptop.
I didn't write.
Well, that's not entirely true, I opened my laptop twice to slide in Pete Wernick's ("Dr. Banjo") Bluegrass Banjo CD instructions.
And I wrote a poem. A failure of a poem. But this is how all writing starts: as a ruddy failure.
I also watched a lot of this:
So, rather than write, which I find difficult to do unless I'm alone, I decided to focus on the banjo (an instrument I've been slowly learning to play since I featured this talented woman back in March). I followed Wernick's instructions and practiced right-hand rolls and slides, worked on three-finger banjo picking, and took a break from the frail. And while writing this post and researching Wernick/Dr. Banjo I unearthed some startling information: Wernick is a survivor of a horrific 1989 plane crash in which a little more than one-third of the 296 passengers and crew were killed. That he—or anyone else—was able to walk away from the catastrophe is not a minor miracle. And once again, here, I find myself writing about planes—a subject that prompts bitty seeds of sweat to articulate along the frons.
(It wasn't always like this, me and aerophobia. As a young professional I was often air bound. Only after both of my children were born did I become panicky at the thought of flying. But I do it. If I must.)
Later that same day—the day United Airlines Flight 232 went down hard, fracturing into several pieces and somersaulting into a blazing crimson orb in Sioux City, Iowa—Wernick, along with his wife and son, boarded another flight to his destination: a music festival in Albany, NY. That is a dedicated banjoist. Werner later wrote an unrecorded song about the tragedy.
Here, you will find Werner picking away at Foggy Mountain Breakdown with Steve Martin and Earl Scruggs. On Martin's Grammy Award-winning The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, Werner played on two songs, having co-written one of them with Martin.
But Wernick and Martin, established and well recognized banjoists, are not who I'm showcasing today (though they're both certainly showcase-worthy) because it's come to my attention that I've been featuring a succession of male musicians. Meaning it's high time to make some room for the ladies:
Red Molly is a New York based folk/bluegrass force. But as the Boston Globe reported last year:
"Red Molly may be from New York, but their bluegrass and old-time gospel sounds and buoyant three-part harmonies are so down-home it's as if their notes are carried to you on the crisp air of the Ozarks."The rosy trio is currently on a yearlong nationwide tour. You can find their schedule on their website. Here, their newest band member, Molly Venter, is introduced:
Strumming the banjo, dreaming of playing it as well as these ladies, and back to my laptop's keyboard, now, I feel rejuvenated and as buoyant as a pinkened hyaline floaty.
One of the things my son did during his long year in Iraq was buy a banjo over the Internet. Turns out the boys could buy anything they wanted and it would be delivered to the base. He didn't however learn to play it.
ReplyDeleteI never get to take a vacation over the holidays. They work us like sled-dogs and there's no energy left at the end of each day for cognitive thought.
ReplyDeleteI think I missed your post last week because of it.
When I grow up, I want to play the fiddle. I hope to play it terribly, so I can start a rock band with the kids. We'll all be superstars.
I get out to the boondocks a lot, at least once a month, it's good for me to get away from the connections to the Internut.
ReplyDeleteDueling banjo's are cool. I suck at playing instruments but do pretty well at karaoke, even if I haven't had any beer. :-)
was that the plane crash that the movie 'fearless' is based on? i seem to remember that it had crashed in iowa, a corn field. i suppose i could just google it and find out but i'm feeling lazy. i apologize for my laziness. :)
ReplyDeleteArriving too late to listen to the music with focus, to comment without sounding drugged or witless, I will be back. Just wanted to say that I think teaching yourself to play the banjo is a joyously subversive act. :D
ReplyDeleteMaine looks fab Jayne - great post as always
ReplyDeleteOh Jayne, what an idyllic spot you and your family have, it sounds utterly perfect - I do envy you so! Steve Martin is in the UK this week, as chance would have it I caught him and his band performing on TV yesterday!
ReplyDeleteWelcome home Jayne. Hmm…unplugged from writing and posting, letting your stream of consciousness alight, like a curious bird, on a high branch with an amazing view of all that was unfolding before you, drinking in the scenes as they transformed you into a vacationing woman; without the voyeuristic writer demanding most of your attentions.
ReplyDeleteToo much wine, too much sun, reading aloud to your children, strumming a banjo, jotting down a poem…sounds like you made some memories;)
it doesn't seem that long ago that there were no laptops or digital toys and we got along fine without them.
ReplyDeleteof all the stuff i've run into on friday night frolics, red molly might be my favorite.
Love the FNFs. Your vacation spot sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteEllen- That's what I'm afraid of! I need to practice a lot more. ;)
ReplyDeleteNessa- Take a holiday, you deserve it! Good idea to start a band... something along the lines of the Partridge Family? Ha--I think you're band would be much more rockin'. Especially w/a fiddle. :)
BBC- Good for you--it is very refreshing, and I think one of the rare ways in which we can really center ourselves and reconnect with the with simple pleasures.
ReplyDeleteKaraoke counts: the voice is an instrument. Though I do much better at it if start with a beer. ;)
Id- Now I know why I had that feeling that a movie I had seen was based on the US Flight 232 crash! But I didn't take that step, so I'm glad you mentioned it. And it's a Peter Weir (director of a few of my favorite movies) film no less.
ReplyDeleteIt's alright to be lazy sometimes--it's like taking a mini vacation.
And anyway, I'm always happy to do the research. ;)
Marylinn- Joyously subversive act! Hadn't thought about picking up the banjo as being subversive. Oh, but I like that. Now I want to master it even more so. ;)
ReplyDeleteDavid- Maine's beautiful country. And adventure-wise, there are abundant opportunities. :)
ReplyDeleteShrinky- Yes, like you, we're fortunate to have a place near the water. It's a lot of fun for the kids--especially when all the cousins show up at the same time!
Enjoy Steve! :)
Leah- Thank you. It's been a bit of an odyssey since I've returned--haven't had much time to get back to routine matters... like say, writing, and peeking in on my blog friends. But hopefully, life we'll get back to normal--or, um, just a bit saner--soon. This week! At least that's what I keep telling myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your sweet comments here and on my FB page. :-)
Billy- We did, didn't we? And cards and board games are still just as much fun. Sitting around a campfire, too, can quickly make you forget about high tech contraptions. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you like Red Molly--such great harmonies, and a lot of fun to watch.
Munk- Thanks--every Friday, God willing. And yes, it's a nice spot--just takes too darn long to get up there. ;)
ReplyDeleteWOW, I need a break like that. Lake, sun and NO smartphone. :) Funny I have the same fear of flying but I will not do it. :)
ReplyDeletePS Sorry I've been MIA, my temp job is killing me.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
Ahhh, summer. Sounds perfect!
ReplyDeleteJules- I'll drive or take the train as far as I possibly can! Otherwise, I'll get a plane, but not without first having a Bloody Mary!
ReplyDeleteHope the project is going well. :)
Lin Ann- Almost as perfect as your beach. I like salt water. ;)
ReplyDeletesounds like a wonderful and very rejuvenating vacation. That is a gorgeous photo.
ReplyDeleteShopgirl- It was rejuvinating. And it's hard not to take a beautiful photo of that lake!
ReplyDeleteEvery since I was a little girl I've dreamed about playing the banjo! Only I figured I'd have to get better on the guitar, because I've heard the banjo requires a heck of amount of skill. So...how bad is it? Do I have a hope, you think?
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're back!
ReplyDeleteBy sheer stupefying coincidence, last week I took delivery on a new harmonica. Maybe a bunch of us could do something like an online version of that worldwide "Stand By Me" number... all we need is for some brave soul to lay down a rhythm track which s/he doesn't mind being butchered by complete strangers. :)
Red Molly kicked my weekend off to an outstanding start, and I'm still exploring their various Web sites (solo as well as group). They had me in the first few seconds of "Jezebel" -- that singer's got a blinding smile. (Reminds me of Sandra Bullock's smile in some roles.) I read in the bio on the Red Molly site that her first memories of what it must be like to work as a musician came from her father, "a swing jazz and stride pianist and dixieland trombonist" -- especially the way he'd be laughing as he headed off to "work." Like father, like daughter!
Thank you for adding the word hyaline to my vocabulary. I'm still trying to work out what it's doing here in your post, however... I suspect it's some obscure non-literal latter-day cultural reference. :)
It sounds like a sublime trip. Also very nice music. Thanks for posting about them.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your brain needed to rest and what better way than to do it by the sea.
ReplyDeleteHillary- Keep at it girl! It's so much fun to play. I learned just a few chords on the guitar, never having kept up with it, so if you can play guitar, I'm sure you'll do very well with the banjo.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the difference in strings, but both my husband and son play guitar and have begun fiddling with the banjo, so to speak--seems to be a smooth transition for them.
So... go for it, and good luck! Some day, we'll get together and duel. ;)
JES- And it's good to be back! has been a rough start, but I'm motoring along...
ReplyDeleteSo...The harmonica! That's terrific. We've got a little collection here, but no one really plays them. My brother, though, is quite skilled with his "harps" as he calls them, and is the front man in a blues band for which I've had the pleasure of singing back-up. Much fun.
And I love your idea of an on-line music collaboration. Maybe we could start with, say, Gus Cannon's Minglewood Blues? I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to put it together, but I have a feeling you'd know just where to start.
So glad you like Red Molly. They are very talented, as a trio, and each in their own right. Glad you looked at their bios, too--such an interesting group of ladies, each with a special story. I had read about Abby Gardner having grown up a midst music, and thought, how lucky to do something you really love. Something the whole family loves. Every day! You can tell that she and the others have great passion for what they do. They also have great fun with it. It's evident, as you said, by their enormous smiles.
And yes, hyaline here is used to convey a certain transparency. (Maybe I didn't quite pull that off, though?) Anyway, I like the sound of that word. ;)
Laoch- Great trip... I'll be returning soon hopefully. Thanks for checking out the Frolic. :)
ReplyDeleteAntares- I think my brain still needs to rest! I feel like I'm hatching... a slow return to the world, still trying to shake that last piece of shell off of my derriere! Getting there... ;)
ReplyDeleteThe lake looks amazing- great photo too! It must feel good to get away somewhere so peaceful.
ReplyDeleteAm very impressed that you've been practising your banjo whilst on holiday!
Thanks for your kind comment.
I like girl-driven bluegrass! that was a great video, thanks!
ReplyDeleteSF- It is a little gem. The sort of place that's conducive to picking up the banjo. I'm looking forward to heading back there soon!
ReplyDeleteLydia- Yeah, aren't they great? Serious girl power! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to give those ladies a listen! Thanks for the hat tip!
ReplyDeleteEven though you say you weren't writing on your vacation, it sounds like you were, on a different level, soaking up all kinds of good life around you to eventually bring back to the page ...
ReplyDeleteSo many great comments here and I truly do want to add something to the conversation, but here's what showed up in what passes for my mind:
ReplyDelete1)I, too flew with ease before having kids and then, gradually, succumbed to terrible flight phobia. I've conquered it with a judicious use of anxiolytics so that I could make flights from coast to coast to see my grandson. For the two of us, flying seems to have everything to do with children.
2)I've been wasting my time on triceps curls, deltoid lifts, and biceps building exercises. It's clear from these video clips that what my arms need is a stringed instrument and hours of practice!
3)Lovely, lovely lake and it all sounds idyllic. If it wasn't, at least it reads that way and isn't that why we're all here?
Maine looks great. I've never been there, unfortunately, only know it from John Irving's books. All mys visits to America have been to the south and the west >:)
ReplyDeleteCold As Heaven
JanieGirl- You must! They're a lot of fun. :)
ReplyDeleteJoanne- You're right, of course. Aren't we writers always scribbling in our head? I really do try to turn it off though. Sometimes. ;)
ReplyDeleteNance- I'm going to work backwards...
ReplyDelete3) It is pretty idyllic, so long as your idea of idyllic is the boondocks. Every summer, the boondocks, or what we have named "Cedar Arch" is where we head for the ideal vacation. And, of course, I wanted to take you all there, too.
2) Haha! I hadn't thought about the stringed instrument as a work out, but dang, it is! Now I don't have to feel so guilty about not going to the gym. Let's practice together.
1) Thank you for helping me feel like I'm not alone. If I could take my Lorazepam (you bet, I have some!) without falling asleep before a flight, I would. In may case, a little Bloody Mary works fairly well. Darn kids!
Wish I had you right across the street, Nance. But you might get pretty tired of me and my crazy thoughts. Least you're here in cyberspace. xo
Cold- Maine has some great skiing, too! Although perhaps a bit icier than you're used to. It's still worth a trip to the northeast... ;)
ReplyDeleteWonderful, sweet Jayne. Sounds like a good vacation--especially the sometimes drinking too much with the banjo chaser. What a great pic of wrestling swimkids (I'd heard this sort of creature existed, now I know for sure).
ReplyDelete