Sub Porch Fest

   Over the winter, I was at WVBR and set a bag of salt down on the porch.  The floor bounced.  Thanks to  over 20 years of experience making sure porches are well supported through set-up of the Infield Stage at GrassRoots, I put in a bid to support it.  Management accepted my offer.  

  The first time I looked at it through the lattice, I didn't notice the beam that was already in place.  Eventually, I crawled under and noticed this post "supporting" the beam not reaching the ground.  I knew were to start.

   There was a house renovation underway around the corner from our house, so I made arrangements with the owner to help myself to the scrap pile, then loaded up the truck and hauled it from South Hill to East Hill.  I made the same arrangement with contractors working just up the hill from the station and was able to carry lots of useful lumber down while walking the dog.  Once I had critical mass, I got to work.

   It took a little more than just fixing that one post.  Miraculously, I only hit my head once, and lightly at that, but I did have a board flip back and hit the bridge of my nose.  Not bad.

     In addition to new beams and posts, both outside corners are supported significantly better.

  I turned down the request to fix the roof and ceiling.

   That rusty can of old paint has been there since last November.  Maybe the students will feel safer about being on the porch now and tidy things up.  Who knows, one of them might come up with a song about their time there.

Things Around Town, & Beyond

 

  Don't stand too close to the curb.  Do stand where you can see the light changing so you can get out in the lane before the turning cars get there.  Repeat, ad nauseam.  

  More impenetrable vegetation on the Coddington Valley Rail Trail.  It was promptly removed and there is a passable foot trail.   Become a friend, help get a safe passage away from cars.

   The transformation is significant.

  

  A misty morning at Ithaca Falls after a spring rain.  How lucky have I been to have this on my commute for over 20 years?

  

  The Botanical Gardens are so far out of my way, I get my bike out of the basement and ride to work.

   It's nice to have the Cascadilla Trail open again.  Not too far out of the way, so no bike needed.

    

  I'm certain those rocks at the top right are coming down soon.  I always walk quickly past that spot.

  The Ithaca Festival Parade happened on a perfect evening for it this year.  Here are a few pictures by Casey Martin that he posted to the Ithaca Voice.  I love getting to hear from my students the perspective of people from other countries on Friday morning.  "Different" is the most commonly heard description.
 

   Chimes concerts are always nice to catch before going to work.  This was just before Reunion Weekend.

  Jim and I finally got to the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport.  I first got interested in going when I biked past on my way to the Blue Heron many years ago.  The more I learned about Glenn Curtiss, the more determined I was to get there.  Jim taught high school history before moving to Ithaca in retirement, and has in mind to take a docent spot to stay sharp and engaged with education.

  My history with motorcycles is checkered; I crashed on at least 2 of the three I tried to ride.  I didn't have any trouble with this one and treated Jim to a full tour despite his troubled back.  He might have to kiss that docent spot goodbye though.  Seemed appropriate to us.

  I am getting a lantern light.  And losing the plastic fenders for that model.

   Oh yeah, there were some airplanes there too.  Curtiss' last grasp of a dying career after being a bicycle mechanic.

   Speaking of transportation: I got fed up with an icy sidewalk back in December and reported it to the building department.  It passed inspection, on May 26.  Win some, lose some.

  Maybe my latest First Swim in all my years living by Six Mile Creek.

Everybody Gets a Birthday

 

 

   Nano got a warm, spring day to celebrate 25.  As I recall, it was seasonably cold and dark for Yardana's.

  

  I had to work on my birthday, but it was worth it to go in for the three cakes and a plate of brownies.  I know a lot of growing children with appropriate appetites.  Ask me about the skippers who came in with a forest fire on the cake they delivered at the end of the day.  Or not, that's pretty much the whole story.  

 

  Gail did the heavy lifting to have a backyard party on a cold day in May.  We loved it and were so glad all who could make it did.  Though some couldn't, we carried on.

   The outta-towners came from Hamburg, NY.  Separately.  Karen and Tom come to town regularly to visit family and brought them to the party.  Chris and Darryl hadn't spent a night out of town together in more than three decades, but now that Darryl is retired and doesn't have daily chores on the farm, they made Ithaca and our party Road Trip #1.  There will be more.  

   Darryl made it clear that no future trip will include the steepest way up South Hill from downtown.  Saved only by the last 100 yards being down hill.  It's like that here.

  Dear friends of old and new.  I met Sara in 1988.  Jen in the early 21st century, and Bailey and Cici just a couple years ago.

  

  Tom and Jody played tunes until their fingers lost the battle with the cold.  I had enough requests/suggestions that I lit a fire, but they say out of its range.  It was nice to have the tunes, I was in the wrong key and didn't join them.  Next time.

    Gail and I were the same age for the standard 36 days before she moved on ahead of me again.  The party was last year.  This year she got her choice of taco and Jarritos at CDMX, and Sweet Melissa's ice cream.  

  Hope you all have enjoyable birthdays this year. 

 

People All Over

  

At a memorial for Arora, this thorough write-up about the labyrinth at GrassRoots was passed around.  I was honored and fortunate to have spent lots of wonderful time with Arora and Estelle. 

  

Andy and Nancy went all the way to the Adriatic Sea for this pic.  Maybe you're there looking at it now?

  

The adults in the room at GK/IHS have their pics from high school on display.  At least Bailey still looks like the old days.
 

  

Uncle John was heading for the barn, and then France.  He never came back.

Brother John is hanging with the grand kids and Jenny. 

  

  Some Westfield Friends shared a picture from a concert in Buffalo(?).
 

  Gail took a spring dip in the lake.  She lasted several minutes, and came back.

  I got a visit from an un-photographed Karen.  She has been distributing letters to their senders and brought a stuffed envelope from me.  There was quite a string of customized Christmas/ New Years cards for a couple decades.

    She moved around a lot between 1991 and 2002: made it as far as Egypt for a medical study when we used to believe in those.  There were only two different return addresses. 

Spring Break Radio

 

 

As a bonus for doing the Salt Creek Show on WVBR on Sunday mornings, I get to go into the studio whenever I want if the Cornell students are away on break.  Unlike the obligation to stick to the various genres of Salt Creek, these evening shows have no standards.  I can play whatever I feel like, what gets requested, or pops up surreptitiously.  The Salt Creek setlists get posted to its Facebook page every week, and I'm told there are people who actually look at them.  I was also told I should post my free-form shows setlists.  I guess people want to check them to listen to what they missed.  It's about 150 songs so good luck.  I got into the groove of starting each show with "Joe's Garage" and due to political mayhem by the current administration, felt the need to play "Dance in the Street" every night.

  All week I was highlighting songs by Chip Taylor as he died a few days before.  I'd also gone on a little shopping spree at Angry Mom Records and played songs from my new CDs and albums.  I celebrated birthdays each day: in this case my friend Lauren who requested the Frank Sinatra, and the birthdays of Tracy Chapman, Nora Jones and Eric Clapton.

   Tuesday was the birthday of Angus Young of AC/DC and Chuck Berry.

   Wednesday was April Fools Day so songs of fools and jokers were the focus.  It was the birthday of John Barbata, who played drums with everyone and their mother, and Ronnie Lane, who also had a fool song he did with Pete Townsend.  It was also the night of an incredible series of thunderstorms.  The first one delayed my walk to the station.  When I did go up, there were raging rivers flowing down the streets on East Hill.  The second one prompted an interruption by the Emergency Broadcast System.

   Thursday was a night to play my favorite artists, as well as sneak in a few songs for Connie who turned 70.

  Feeling the end of the week coming, I was reluctant to quit as early as the other nights and stayed almost four hours.

  Friday, I figured I'd play all long songs.  I tried to make them be at least eight minutes, but there were a few exceptions.  I thought it would be a chance to relax a bit more without so much running around the studio looking for records and CDs and more time to sit and listen, but that really wasn't the case.  I did fix the latch on the basement door during the first three minutes of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well."  It had been broken for at least two winters and blew open a couple times resulting in frozen pipes.

  It was just a couple weeks later before I got to do the Salt Creek Show again.  The date was 4/19 so I did a special 4/20 Eve Show.  Had to stick with the format, so no Afroman, and I didn't find a countrified version of "Rainy Day Women 12 and 35" which I believe was the real reason 420 became associated with pot.  Here's the setlist (in the format required) that got posted to the Salt Creek Facebook page:

6 AM

Joe/ Fred Eaglesmith and the Flying Squirrels/ Things is Changin’/ Sweetwater

Illegal Smile/ John Prine/ John Prine/ Columbia

Greencastle Blues/ Todd Snider/ The Excitement Plan/ Yep Roc

Too Stoned to Cry/ Andrew Combs/ Worried Man/ Loose Music

Getting High in Hotel Rooms/ Christina Vane/ Hear My Call/ Lossless

Morning Again/ Paper Wings/ Mountains on the Moon                           New

Stars Fell on Alabama/ Tara Nevins/ Wood and Stone/ Sugar Hill

Lonestar State of Mind/ Nancy Griffith/ Lonestar State of Mind/ MCA

Okie From Muskogee/ Merle Hagard/ Oh Boy Classics Presents Merle Haggard/ Oh Boy

Cigarettes and Truckstops/ Lindi Ortega/ Cigarettes and Truckstops/ Last Gang

Sunday Morning Coming Down/ Kris Kristofferson/ Super Hits/ Monument

Waiting on Horses/ Janet Batch/ You Be the Wolf

Fine Time at Our House/ Foghorn String Band/ Rattlesnake Tidal Wave/ Foghorn Music

Another Day/ Tim O’Brien/ Traveler/ Sugar Hill

Barcelona Lighthouse/ Western Centuries/ Call the Captain/ Free Dirt

7 AM

This Train/ Sister Rosetta Tharpe/ Rock Me [Disc 2]: The Original Soul Sister/ Gospel Train

You’re Finally Hurtin/ Brennen Leigh/ Don’t You Ever Give Up on Love/ Signature Sounds

We’ve Got It Made/ Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms/ Gold in Your Pocket/ Free Dirt

Morebud4me/ Billy Strings/ Highway Prayers/ Reprise

Me and My Baby Love to Wake and Bake/ Asylum Street Spankers/ Spanker Madness/ Yellow Dog Records

Stoned/ Old 97s/ Hitchhike to Rhome/ Big Iron

One Toke Over the Line/ Brewer and Shipley/ Tarkio/ Kama Sutra Records

Were You There?/ Johnny Cash/ Ultimate Gospel/ Columbia

Dance In the Street/ Donna the Buffalo/ Dance In the Street/ Self

Lonesome Fiddle Blues/ Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/ Will the Circle be Unbroken/ EMI

8 AM

Stoned at the Jukebox/ Hank Williams Jr./Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels Vol 7/ MGM

Worry B Gone/ Guy Clark/ Workbench Songs/ Dual Tone

Alabama Hightest/ Old Crow Medicine Show/ Tennessee Pusher/ Netwerk

Long Haired Country Boy/ Charlie Daniels/ Fire on the Mountain/ CBS-Embassy

Please Help Me (I’m Falling In Love)/ Charley Pride/ The Essential Charley Pride/ Pride Music

Buffalo Street/ Driftwood/ Driftwood

I Must Be High/ Wilco/ A.M./ Sire

Rain and Snow/ The Lonesome Sisters with Riley Baugus/ The Lonesome Sisters with Riley Baugus/ Tin Halo

The Rat Race/ The Rabble Rousers String Band/ Rat Race

Walking After Midnight/ Cyndi Lauper/ Detour/ Rhino

How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away/ Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks/ The Most of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks/ Sony Legacy

Kelly Joe’s Shoes/ Tim O’Brien/ Traveler/ Sugar Hill

I’ll Go Stepping Too/ Emmylou Harris/ Roses in the Snow/ Rhino-Warner Bros

Lovesick Blues/ The Burnett Sisters Band/ Easy Come, Easy Go/ Pinecastle     New

Silver Dollar/ Sierra Ferrell/ Long Time Coming/ Rounder

Holding/ John Hartford/ Aereo-Plain/ Warner Bros

Granny Wontcha Smoke Some Marijuana/ Sam Bush/ Radio John: Songs of John Hartford/ Smithsonian

Julie/ Rhiannon Giddens/ Freedom Highway/ Nonesuch

The Riveter/ Sami Braman/ The Riveter/ Padiddle Records

Rain Again/ Alison Brown. Look Left/ Vanguard

Danville Girl/ Bobbie Henrie and Aaron Lipp

9 AM

Easy on Your Way/  The Steel Wheels/ Sideways/ Big Ring Records

Betty and Dupree/ Dave Alvin and Jimmy Dale Gilmore/ Mexicalli/ Yep Roc

Broke Down Engine/ Dave Alvin and Jimmy Dale Gilmore/ Mexicalli/ Yep Roc 

It’s All Going to Pot/ Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard/ 

Seeds and Stems/ Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen/ We’ve Got a Live One Here/ Warner Bros

Crooked Piece of Time/ Todd Snider/ new connection/ Oh Boy

(Burn One with) John Prine/ Kasey Musgraves/ Self

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die/ Willie Nelson/ Heroes    

Keep Off the Grass/ Todd Snider/ Happy to Be Here/ Aimless

Winning the War On Drugs/ Asylum Street Spankers/ Spanker Madness/ Yellow Dog Records

The Basement/ Sami Braman/ Riveter/ Padiddle Records

And speaking of 4-20 related setlists:  I made it to the Cornell Chimes midday concert.  Jokes about getting high now....

   The snow showers passing over the city were worth the price of admission.  I didn't recognize any of the songs played, but I was able to Name That Tune while walking to work in the morning.  Here's what got played on 4-20:

Monday, April 20, 2026

Morning

Smoking Song -- Cornell / Wood
The Falling Green / Jenkins, Keith (KGJ '93)
Puff, the Magic Dragon / Yarrow, Peter

Afternoon

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Duet for Chimesmaster and Mortal) / Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Barrett's Privateers / Rogers, Stan
Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile) / Santana, Carlos
Gymnopédie No. 1 / Satie, Erik
Rain / Scallon, Rob
Kamado Tanjiro no Uta / Shiina, Go

Evening

The Rainbow Connection / Williams, Paul
Largo / Chopin, Frederic
Two-Part Inventions: VIII (8) / Bach, Johann Sebastian
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring -- Cantata No. 147 / Bach, Johann Sebastian
Happy Birthday

 

 
 

Another Last Waltz

 

  The MacGillicuddies had another farewell show at Bike Bar.  This one was extra-special as Richie Stearns opened for them and then sat in with the band.

  

  Amy and Jason held down the beat on bass and drums, and their son made a guest appearance on flute for "Low Rider."