Our Trip to Gat3 Studio in Charlotte, NC

Sarah and I were blessed with the opportunity to go with Buddy and Kay down to Charlotte, NC to see him record his new CD of Noah's Ark songs. We have been wanting to go with them the past couple of times, but our schedules never worked out. I have always wanted to see behind-the-scenes of music recording, and it certainly wasn't a let down!

Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Mom drove us (and the luggage, although we didn't over-pack this time!) down to B & K's and we left their house at 8:00am. They have a little Subaru station wagon, and with the four of us, luggage and some instruments, we were pretty loaded down. We made a quick stop at a Tim Horton's in Zanesville. After that, we only made one stop, and that was in Beckley, West Virginia. They had a squished penny machine in the plaza, so Sarah and I each got one with the WV capitol building pressed into it! Sarah and I had packed veggie burgers and Goldfish crackers to eat in the car, so we didn't even have to get food out.

Drove for a couple hours on the turnpike, so it wasn't really built up. Actually, the lack of traffic was pretty amazing. The trip from Knox County to WV was beautiful and we hardly had any other vehicles on the rode. While on the turnpike, we went through two huge tunnels that go under mountains. At the end of the second was the Virginia border. Sarah and I absolutely LOVE WV and VA. They are such beautiful states that you can really understand the pride of Virginians during the Civil War. We drove through a small section of Jefferson National Forest, and you have never seen anything like it! Just green tree tops for as far as you can see! Simply breathtaking! Once in North Carolina, the scenery/greenery became somewhat flat and scrubby. Rather dull really. We arrived at the hotel at 4pm and decided to unpack and wait a bit before heading to dinner. The hotel was really nice! Much better than either of us had expected. It the Staybridge Suites (Arrowwood) in Charlotte at Exit 3 of I-77.



We were at the way back corner of one wing on the second floor. Right across from the back stairway, way far from the elevator (Yay!). You entered into the living area which had a kitchen with a full-size fridge/freezer, a dishwasher, mini sink, two-burner stovetop, convection & microwave ovens, cabinets and real dishes; dining area with a four-seat table; and a living room area with a couch, armchair, and an entertainment center with a TV and DVD/VCR unit. To the right was a room with a king bed, closet, TV, conference table, dresser and a full bath (B & K got this one). To the left was our room with two double beds, dresser, TV, closet, and another full bath! Really swell.



We unpacked before heading out to dinner. There was a Ruby Tuesday right down the street and Buddy had been thinking of ribs all day, so that was chosen. Sarah and I had salad bar and sides of onion rings and french fries. Usually sides of those are teeny-tiny servings. Man, were we surprised when we got huge platters full of them! We ended up taking a bunch back to the hotel for later. We sat around in the living area for a while, talking about Buddy's family and his cousin, etc. Went to bed a bit after 9pm and Sarah and I plugged our little travel DVD player into the screen and watched about half an hour of an Audie Murphy western before hitting the snooze den.

Thursday, 14 June 2012
Due to the strange beds and excitement, Sarah and I were up before 6am. We all went to the lobby for breakfast. A really nice continental breakfast. The typical juice, coffee, bagels, English muffins, pastries, and fruit, but they also had hot stuff. Bacon, eggs, grits, oatmeal, and waffles! Really nice. Didn't have to be at the studio until 10am, so we went back to the room and We talked to Mom for a while. Buddy wanted to take doughnuts to the studio, so we searched for a doughnut shop, eventually finding a Dunkin' Donuts. We got to the studio on the dot and settled in. The musicians started arriving after we did and by 10:30 they began recording. Mark, the bass guitarist, came from Nashville, TN. Danny, the pianist, came from SC, and Tony, the drummer, and David (who plays everything else) were from NC.

Musicians:

Danny Crawford (Piano and Keyboard)
Tony Creasman (Drums)

David Johnson (Guitar, Various Acoustic Instruments)
Buddy Davis (Vocals)
Mark Fain (Bass Guitar)

Buddy wanted this CD to have the 50s/60/70s Country style sound, so they would listen to the demo of each song and then decided what particular style they would do each song in. They started recording at 10:30 and didn't stop until lunch break at 2pm.

We sat in the room with the sound guys. There is a listening area in front of the sound boards and a huge glass window that showed the entire recording room. Tony and Mark sat in the room together. Mark's guitars were plugged directly into the board, so all you heard if you were sitting in the room was the sound of the metal string. Tony's drums were surrounded by a dozen microphones. There are two little sound booths in the two far corners of the room. The left had the grand piano and that is where Danny played. The right is where David played. He is amazing. On this CD alone he plays Acoustic, electric, and steel guitar; dobro; harmonica; violin; mandolin; octave mandolin; and dulcimer! Right next to the sofa in the sound room where we sat is a little sound booth where Buddy sang. While the guys recorded all the tracks, Buddy sang a scratch vocals, but the real vocals were not recorded.



Some of the songs were finished in twenty minutes! The guys were really amazing. At 2pm, they broke for lunch and we all went to an Italian restaurant called Villa Antonio which looked nice, but was super expensive, had terrible service and every single thing had meat! Definitely not the place for vegetarians. So we ate a really poor salad bar. It was nice to get to talk to the guys though. Turns out that Tony, the drummer, has always dreamed of going to Monaco to see the Auto Rally. We were telling him about stamps and stuff and he was so interested. I am going to send him some of my extra Monaco stamps.

They recorded 13 songs, in the order they will appear on the CD. They did seven before lunch and then the other six. They ended up working solidly until 8:30pm. The four of us were really tired and didn't feel like going out to dinner, so we ordered pizza into the room. Sarah and I ate some more of our onion rings, too! :o)

Friday, 15 June 2012
Got up early on Friday. We all ate breakfast in the lobby again. Sarah and I had oatmeal and waffles. Then we took some juice and a bagel and english muffin back to the room and hung around for a bit. We were all a bit tired, so Sarah and I finished watching Ride Clear of Diablo. Got to the studio at 10am and were back in the same room. We spread out in the viewing area and Buddy got into the little sound booth. Buddy recorded all the songs in reverse order, because he thought that the last two were going to be the hardest to sing. He only got surprised when the second to last (second on the cd) was in a different key than he thought and was really low for him.



Kay was lyric police and watched to make sure he said everything correctly. Sarah and I were the 'peanut gallery' and gave our opinions as well. Wade, one of the interns and the two of us had a great time. All in all, Buddy doesn't really make many mistakes. One song he did, he only did one take with no punch-ins! His voice all day was really good and each song sounds wonderful! He actually finished at 5:30, so it wasn't even too late.




For dinner, we drove right over the border into South Carolina and went to a Cracker Barrel which was right across from the entrance to CaroWinds amusement park. It was really fun. We each had a salad and shared pancakes and biscuits. We also bought a couple things in the store. A little plate with a fish on it for Dad, and a repro bendable Gumbie, like Mom and Dad have always had! Back at the hotewl, Sarah and I packed everything except what we would need. Kay wanted to leave at 6:30am, so that really means 6:00.

Saturday, 16 June 2012
Sarah andI woke up at 5:25am! (Yikes!) So we got dressed and finished packing. We did have a bit of trouble closing one suitcase. I had Sarah push down on the lid and I pressed the two latches in and she let go and . . . Bingo! The lid popped open and the clothes fell right out onto the floor! However, with a bot of clever rearranging we managed to pack everything in a way that it would arrive home. Sarah and I loaded the car. Kay was busy on facebook, so we figured we would get the loading done. It was funny, the hotel lobby was still dark ad only a couple staff members were there. They didn't start breakfast until 7am, and Kay wanted to leave, so Sarah and I figured we'd eat peanut butter sandwiches in the car. We left a bit before 6:30 and stopped at a Starbucks across the street so Buddy and Kay could get the first coffee of the day. Buddy also bought a Johnny Cash cd, so we listened to that on the way.

The ride back was pretty uneventful. I took a few naps throughout the day. We stopped at a travel plaza in West Virginia, and while Buddy and Kay hunted up coffee and milkshakes, Sarah and I bought some postcards and two really nice quartz pieces. A purple one, and one that is green and looks like a raw emerald. We also got a big iced tea at Burger King. Yum!

Made it back to Buddy and Kay's house earlier than we thought. Only seven and a half hours home. Must have had a tailwind! Mom and Dad came to pick us up about twenty minutes later and then we headed home for dinner and some rest!

So, to close, it was a wonderful experience and a pretty fun trip. The hotel was lovely, the recording was fabulous and the drive was beautiful. Could you ask for anything more?

Catching up on the Summer

Well, well . . . it has been a long time! My computer broke, so we had to take it to the repair guy. It stayed there for several weeks. He found out that it had overheated and burnt out the fan on the video card, which overheated itself and just burnt up. Poor thing! So, I now have a new video card and my computer is not making that awful noise anymore! Yay! Now, to catch up on our very busy Summer . . .

First - the State Fair. We ended up going the Wednesday they opened. Dad got second and third place for his woodcarvings and Sarah got first, second, and Best of Show for her wool people. She entered Her pair of Commedia Dell 'Arte figures and her new gnome with the squirrel, Pat and Mike.BOS went to P&M. The fair on a whole, though, was very low on entries. They only had as many as an old Tomato Show used to get. Cool, but I don't think I would go again for a while.

The Sunday after, we did go to see The Adventures of Robin Hood. It was swell. Even Dad liked it! The reels were probably the best quality ones we have seen yet. You can see and experience so much more of the film seeing it on the big screen. Fantastic! The Sunday after that we saw the last movie of the season (for us, anyway). Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. How cool! Huge! The reels were in poor shape, but it really made you feel like you were in a submarine. The squid fight was impressive! Such a fun movie.

Monday, Mom and Sarah went to Columbus to pick up the State Fair entries. I decided to stay home since the upcoming two weeks is a lot of out and people. It was nice to have some alone time. All the cats went to bed, except Oliver. ;o)

The APS Stamp Show was Thursday through Sunday. We went all four days. Dad went the weekend. How exciting. So fun. I don't think I have had so much fun in ages. Really worth waiting for. We met some really nice dealers. Got some fantastic stamps and things! It was at the Columbus Convention Center, which is absolutely huge! You walk and walk and walk . . . In the food court (which was on the opposite end as the Stamp Show) was a Subway which we ended up eating lunch at every day. That was fun too. We would get our subs and before eating we would mark off the lists all the stamps that we had gotten that morning. Show each other the really swell finds, etc. It was just so fun! Then back to the show for more looking. God really, really blessed us with some fantastic deals and finds. Sarah got some stamps that she never thought she'd get, really. I got so many Monaco stamps that I can really see the finish line. I never thought I would get this far. I even got the cool Jules Verne set. On Sunday, I went to a dealer and bought a Deanna Durbin fan mail cover. He got so excited. He had never heard of her until he got those covers and he had looked her up online and fell in love with her singing. He loves to sing along with her and, so far, his favorite is Nessun Dorma. In the end, he gave me another Deanna cover and money so that I could mail him some Deanna stuff! He is from Austin, TX. So fun to find someone else who likes Deanna! I'll post more about the stuff we got and photos in another post.

We were home for a few days and then on Friday we flew down to Florida. The trip that has been in the planning for months - and almost canceled more than once! - finally took off. Flew into Orlando, rented a car, and drove to Gramma Gail's. She took us to dinner at this really cool restaurant. Non-chain. Pizza Gallery and Grill. Second only to The Vegetable Garden. WOW! Dad and I got up at 4:30am the next day (Actually, Sarah and I were so hot that we woke up at 2:30 and didn't really go back to bed!). Dad had charted a fishing guide for half a day on the Banana River, so I thought I would tag along for wildlife sighting. The drive was cool because it was black night still and the road was so flat and straight, with all the lights it was neat looking. We had a little trouble finding the dock. Florida has no signs. Turns out there was an algae bloom, so you couldn't see anything unless it was out of the water. At one point I though we were really deep, and when he finally moved the boat to a different position, he said it was only a foot and a half deep! We saw some dolphin dorsel fins, and a manatee stuck his nose out for a second right next to me. Dad didn't catch anything. For the first four hours, it was overcast and not bad, but then the sun came out and I was pretty miserable for the last two hours. It wasn't great. I didn't really like the guide. Saw lots of cormorants and some pelicans, though.

We went back to Gramma's house and showered and then the others came home. Gramma took the three of us (Dad did a project at home) to see the base and we stopped at a little cigar store. I got several different cigars for my cabinet. I am so excited! Went back home, packed and headed down to Ft. Lauderdale. Met Aunt Lori, Uncle Jack, Brien, and Kelly at Villa Rose for dinner. Ended up staying until the restaurant closed and then until 11:30 in the parking lot! Probably the most fun time ever with them. Really a blast! Kelly is so grown up! I still think of her around two years old. We went to the Garcia's house. We went to bed really soon. I ended up staying up over 22 hours! I always wanted to know how it felt to stay up for 24 hours. Getting so close, I realize it isn't all it's cracked up to be . . .

Sunday wasn't very good. We had a blast with Benny and Tia Ela and Clemente! They are so sweet and cute! Benny is really nice. I really like him. So friendly and happy. Got to see Leilani too. She is so big. So cute! Monday morning we did laundry and Mom and the two of us then went shopping to get something for Jennie and go to lunch. Found this nice new Subway. We ate and drank a lot of tea. Stayed there for 2 1/2 hours. Irained and rained and rained. We left during a lull. Rain down there is so funny. The drops are huge and warm! So much rain that it was flooded when we got to Gramma and Grampa's house. There parking lot is so low. Mom dropped us off at the ramp, but we had to walk through four inches of standing water in canvas shoes! Then I decided to see if Mom could get back from the car, and remembered that there is a very dry way from the parked car to the building if you don't mind walking on the grass along the base of the building. Anyway, by the time we got under the roof, I was so soaked that it was running down my face. We all just changed clothes. Rain was done by the time we did the last laundry. Dad and the two of us went to visit Leonore. She looks swell! She is so cute and sweet. She loved the doily I crocheted for her. She told us all about the ones she had in Cuba. Actually, she and Dad taalked about Cuba and the religion/politics that was the downfall, and the similarity of America and Obama. She is so wonderful. Aunt Elena, Uncle Manolito, and Patty (with Leilani) came over for pizza and the evening. Mom and the three of us talked to Patty in the bedroom for a long time. Leilani is so cute.

We left for the airport really early. Sat around the terminal for almost three hours. The flights home were really rough! On the first one to Orlando, the turbulance was so bad that one of the air stewardesses was thrown into an empty seat next to a guy. Boy, were they both surprised! We ate at a Pizza Hut on the way home and then we got to see the kitties! Cute little babies! I always miss them during trips.

Well, let's see . . . since FLA we have been canning and freezing. We froze peppers, onions, green beans, wax beans, and zucchini. We canned potatoes, salsa, tomato sauce, beets - pickled and plain, pickled onions, pepper jelly, three bean salad, edamames, etc. I want to try pickled eggs! Yesterday we made and froze Pesto! Mrs. Keultjes sent us her recipe and, after all these years of loving it when we go to her house, we made it! Boy, is it fabulous! And it is really healthy for you!

The new chairs for the back room that we had ordered, ended up not working. Long story. They weren't what they said they would be. So, we got a refund. However, we had already sold the loveseat in prep for the new chairs. So, we decided to look for a nice used chair that might work. That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, we went to the auction house and there was a really nice black, leather recliner. Solid metal frame and thick leather. We decided to try for it. Also, at the auction was a nice sewing end table that matches Sarah's and another end table that Mom liked and - best of all, really - there was a box of Nancy Drew books. a set of titles 1 -55! They were beautiful. Like ones we would buy. I would love to have a set for me, so we decided to go for that too! Dad dropped Mom and Sarah and then we met them over there at 8:30. They got the Nancy Drew books for $40! Yippee! Actually, they got all four things. The whole night cost less than half of one of those chairs and a lot better quality! I cleaned the chair and the next night we carried it up and rearranged the furniture. In the end, it looks really nice and Mom and I are happy with the recliner and the sleeper sofa for watching and hobbying. We also found the perfect curtains for the back room at a rummage sale. Old heavy drapes that have old British village scenes on them. The room finally is looking almost done and wonderful!

Sarah and I went to Buddy and Kay's week before last to help them set up their new 18-track recorder. Sarah and Buddy talked while Kay and I read through the instruction book and by 5:30 we had recorded Buddy doing a 40 second section on four different tracks and had a finished cd! It was fun. Buddy and the two of us played some songs, we made dinner and solved the problems of the world. They took us home after 9.

So, I see this is a very long entry. That is what happens when your computer breaks . . . you get behind!

- To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1

Remembering TY Princess Bears

We were in Washington D.C. when Princess Diana died. The four of us went with our Grandparents for a ten day vacation. We found out about the car crash when we arrived at the RV park and Grampa bought a newspaper.

While in DC we passed Embassy row, and there were so many flowers piled along the road that the entire street was actually closed. On September 6th, we sat in the RV and watched the funeral on TV.

When TY brought their "Princess" bear out, it was all the rage. The world went mad over these little beanies, with people paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars for one. Our Grampa even bought one a few months later, paying a lot more than the original $5. They kept it on a shelf under a plastic dome, and we would always look at it when we went visiting. Well, Sarah and I have always been interested in them as it is one of the few world famous events that we remember. But, we never really expected to be able to get a princess bear ourselves.

A few months ago, I found one at a thrift store, perfect condition with the tag still in a plastic tag protector, for $1! We were thrilled! So now she sits on my bunk bed where I can enjoy her. Then, yesterday, Sarah found one at a rummage sale for 50 cents! Now we both have a "souvenir", even if it is 13 years later!