Update

Digital camera is broken so I've been holding off on some posts. Seeing as I'm not getting it fixed anytime soon, you'll have to use your imagination.


Two Sunday evenings ago, me, Justin, Marc, Amanda, and a bunch of friends sat on the lawn in Hudson Gardens for an outdoor Charlie Daniels Band concert. I've never seen anything quite like it. Talk about redneck city. I wore my cowgirl hat, determined to hide my Philly girl naivite underneath. It worked like a charm. It was my turn to fetch beer, and Cowboy Dave (apparently quite known across the country) made a pass at me. Freaked out for sure, but I was glad I looked like a regular ol' cowgirl. I was so into it, I even turned him down with a bit of an accent.

The concert itself was unbelievable. One of the best I've ever seen. Never seen anyone play a fiddle quite like Charlie Daniels does. Each member of the band had their own story and their own great talents. Chris Wormer, the youngest (and the hottest by far), plays the guitar. He banged out "The Flight of the Bumblebee" in about 2 minutes which I was able to record (on my now broken digital camera).


... fast forward to just this past weekend ...


Justin and I flew to Tallahasee, FL on Friday and enjoyed a long weekend in the tiny little town of Apalachicola (I love saying that name). His Uncle Bill owns a house down there which he frequents every other weekend or so. Saturday, we woke up at the crack of dawn and jumped on Bill's fishing boat. We ran out of the marina, along the channel in the bay between town and St. George's and Vincent's islands. We caught live bait and ran out to the Gulf of Mexico. From there, I learned how to cast, tie my own cinch knots to my hooks and anchors, and reel in fish. I'm not talking 8 inch long little fish either. I'm talking 3 foot long black-finned sharks and spanish mackerel. These things could have pulled me into the water. I got some great shots (hopefully soon to come). We each caught trout that day and had a great fish dinner.

The next day we weren't so lucky, but still had a blast. We headed up the river and hoped for some freshwater fish. Having no luck, we headed back to where the river met the bay and Justin caught a flounder. Once again, excellent dinner.

Fortunately for me, Yeungling has a distributor in Florida. We each put down about a 12-pack a day, starting bright and early in the morning on the boat, and ending late at night after we were stuffed from dinner while smoking cigars. The people of Apalachicola are great. Every afternoon, after an exhausting day in the sun, Justin, Bill, and I would sit out back the house with our booze, right on the bay and watch the water. It would take about 5 minutes before 2 or 3 of Bill's neighbors came over to join us with some fresh shrimp or fish they had caught earlier in the day for exchange of a few beers. Driving through the town, everyone waves to everyone. Everyone at the foodstore knows every one of the cashiers and bagboys. Every waitress at either of the two restaurants in town knows every story about every local. The owner of the marina personally knows each of his boaters and shared his good trout spots with us. Adding this place to my list of places to retire to some day.

I just got back into town here in Vail a few hours ago. I leave this Sunday morning and have only packed half a box. Steph and Jeff fly in Thursday morning, so I don't have much time to lose (good thing I'm procrastinating with my blog right now). After they get in to town, the next couple days will be filled with rodeos, 14ers, fishing, and drinking. I've finished work at the Brewery and hoping I can manage to save enough cash to pay for gas for the way home.

I'm stressed about school starting in less than three weeks. I'm still working out all the financial aid crap, and I know I have a bill sitting in my mailbox that'll be due in a week and a half. Excluding the money stress, I'm nervous about the actual classes. I've been a big bum for a year and my reading has consisted of several books read for leisure. I'm not sure how I'm going to do being thrown into it all again. Here's hoping.


So it looks like I had much to update. Or maybe I just really don't want to pack.

Country Music

I've never been much of a fan of country music. The knee-slapping banjo-playing rhythm never really appealed to my musical taste. However, I've come to not only listen to country, but actually fairly enjoy it.

More modern country (Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Toby Kieth, etc) plays 24/7 out here on just about every radio station. The old-school country (Charlie Daniels band) isn't heard quite as often. So with the music playing on every other station, it's hard to not settle on one and listen for a while. I've become quite the fan of Kenny Chesney and the Rascal Flats.

Country music tells a story from the heart. It's honest (and funny! - Joe Nichols - Tequila makes her clothes fall off). Hokey, I know. But sit down and listen for a while. You may find you like it better than Kelly Clarkson's issues with crossing a sidewalk, or not having a girlfriend as hot as the Pussycat Dolls.

This Sunday, Justin and I are going to an outdoor Charlie Daniels Band concert. I've tried to become more familiar with what I'm going to hear by googling and limewiring. I have to admit, the music is a little bit too hack-jawed yokel for me. But, I'm keeping an open mind about it. If anything, an outdoor concert with a few rednecks on a Sunday afternoon is a pretty good day.

So this Sunday, cowgirl hat and boots in tow, I'll be heading to my first redneck country concert. Tell you all about it.