2007 Northeast Squeeze-in

[bellowbelle]

Okay! I'm ambitious, then!

 

I'll bring the foot bass, my concertina, and even the bar stool I use -- can't use a low seat, to play.

 

I don't think I'll have any trouble with the wee hours! I'm often awake and doing stuff at 2 or 3 AM. I think I started doing that because it was nice, uninterrupted time when the dogs & cats all slept. Then, lots of coffee to drive home...

[David Barnert]

I'll bring the foot bass...

Thanks. I'm eager to try my hand--er, foot--at it, too.

[Animaterra]

Wendy, you're going to be a popular girl! I look forward to seeing it and you!

[ragtimer]

If it's the 15th (this coming weekend), then --

RATS! I COULD HAVE COME!

Rats, indeed. It is this weekend. Might still be room if you want to camp or cabin. Otherwise, see you next year?

Yeah, David, rats! Cabin probalby wouldn't work for me, and I now have a commitment Sunday AM. Which of course I wouldn't have taken if I'd gotten my weekends counted right.

 

Next year for sure -- and hopefully the SPring WOrkshop. I've worked up a couple compositions on the Hayden that I'd love to share.

 

ANd thanks RIch for your last-minute offer. --Mike K.

[Richard Morse]

Annnnnnd - there off! Well, almost. We've already started packing and will be leaving tomorrow morning for Bucksteep. The weather looks pretty typical for this time of year.... Day highs in the lower 60's, nighttime lows in the 30's... a little shower activity Friday night and reasonable the rest of the weekend.

 

Campers - bring good sleeping bags - we may even get some frost! I'll bet the fireplaces will be going this weekend... laced coffee, hot toddies - yum!

 

See you all soon!

 

-- Rich --

[Mark Evans]

Annnnnnd - there off! Well, almost. We've already started packing and will be leaving tomorrow morning for Bucksteep. The weather looks pretty typical for this time of year.... Day highs in the lower 60's, nighttime lows in the 30's... a little shower activity Friday night and reasonable the rest of the weekend.

 

Campers - bring good sleeping bags - we may even get some frost! I'll bet the fireplaces will be going this weekend... laced coffee, hot toddies - yum!

 

See you all soon!

 

-- Rich --

 

Dag nabbit, that's not fair! Not laced coffee as well.

[Ken_Coles]

Hello from the dining room at the NESI!

 

I'm sitting here with David B., and a new shy member, Kate Poole (she'll join in some day after I get done dancing with her), also nearby are the Chocolate Bunny, fiddler's green, bellowbelle and her foot bass (Ken Sweeney was watching enviously - soon three free reeds at once!!!), and lots more folks. We're thinking of all you who couldn't come, we'll play one for you, and do one for us.

 

Ken

Saturday evening

[Tom Lawrence]

Play one for me, please... the airlines did not cooperate this year.

[Alan Day]

I must save my pennies and make this one year.

Al

[bellowbelle]

I had a great 'whirlwind' trip -- arrived Saturday evening, joined the processional to the concert, then hung around the 'pub sing' for a while afterwards and joined in a bit with my foot bass and concertina. Left shortly after midnight and got home around 4AM.

 

I had the road pretty much to myself all the way home, except for having to stop at a huge roadblock of state police in Amherst (or, Hadley -- whatever), to go through the 'sobriety checkpoint' they were doing on route 9 near the university. Then I stopped at the Route 9 Diner for some breakfast and coffee (at 2AM-ish) -- I think I was the only old lady in there, with all those college kiddies, but nothing was going to stop me from getting some coffee! And that's the last-chance stop -- there's pretty much nothing else all the way home for the next almost-2 hours.

 

I'm sorry that probably not everyone that intended to see the foot bass, did. Though, several people did get an intro to it.

 

If I go next year, I don't think I'll do it all in less than 24 hours again! Or, I'll have to camp and then leave after a few hours of sleep. It was a little hard to stay awake, around 3:30 AM. But, I made it home okay!

 

The concert & sing were great. I assume that the dance was, as well.

 

Edited to say that 'Amherst' was more likely 'Hadley.'

Edited September 16, 2007 by bellowbelle

[Hit-&-Miss]

Bellowbell

 

Thanks for bringing the foot base! what a wonderful sound, it carried all through the dinning room.

 

What a great time, and what great people. Can't wate to go next year.

 

All the best to everyone who was there.

 

Jim

[Ken_Coles]

Just got home, about 8 hours and change to make the drive. The dance was good this year - some years not enough partners were left after twenty-odd folks join Craig Hollingsworth and his band. Good job ladies!

 

I was teased by several folks this morning after they spotted me on the couch between those charming ladies, Allison and Kate. I must confess I do have a weakness for New England women!

 

On a related note, there were many temptations on offer for private sale, including several very nice English trebles and some Italian anglos. I can't justify another concertina, so I left with Rich Morse's fiddle under my arm (after Ken Sweeney and several others had thoroughly tested if for me!). Ah, life's folly's can be fun.

 

Tons of work awaits at the office, so the assistant wizard will disappear back behind his curtain now.

 

Ken

[Animaterra]

Home and tired- I got to bed earlier than most last night, dozing off around 2:30 am, up with the birds and squirrels as usual around 7:30. But what a great weekend it was! For the first time I felt something like a "regular", hanging around with CNet and other friends. Warm conversations with David B, Ken C, Kate P (who didn't seem shy to me at all, Ken!), Wendy/Bellowbelle, Perry, Howie, Britt, fiddlers green, Jody K and many other fine folk who don't know what a good time we have here on line.

 

Wendy's foot bass was fantastic! Now I want one of those, too! Wendy, I hope you will stay the weekend next time- and you don't even need to bring me prezzies (Wendy had a grocery tote for me that says "Life is Complicated: Eat Dessert First!" Just the right size and shape I needed for a school tote- ok if I don't use it for shopping?)

 

Other hits were the wonderful songs last night (although I'll never think of moose in quite the same way again...), workshops with the likes of Jody Kruskal, Rachel Hall, and Bob MacQuillen, stellar entertainment at the concert, the euphoria of the processional on Saturday night, falling asleep to the sounds of accordions and concertinas right outside my door, and especially this year, really warm and substantial conversations with all sorts of folks. Weekends like NESI give us all a chance to be our best selves and open ourselves to people we may not see more than once a year- if that.

 

Now I'm going to start practicing songs for next year!

 

 

 

BTW, Hit-an-Miss, which Jim were you??

[David Barnert]

Play one for me, please... the airlines did not cooperate this year.

Sorry it didn't work out, Tom, but I was slated to be your roommate and had the room to myself.

 

BTW, Hit-an-Miss, which Jim were you??

I was going to ask exactly the same question. On Saturday, Animaterra and I were wondering ho many c.netters were there that we didn't know. Then at dinner I found FiddlersGreen and introduced him to her. But "Hit-&-Miss" is a new one on me. Are you the baroque flute player?

[Tom Lawrence]

Play one for me, please... the airlines did not cooperate this year.

Sorry it didn't work out, Tom, but I was slated to be your roommate and had the room to myself.

 

In all sincerity, it is good to know my misfortune had a silver lining!

[fiddlerjoebob]

What wonderful weekend I had at the Squeeze.

 

Being so new to the concertina it was hard for me to play it along with the jams, but I enjoyed playing my fiddle and dragging the bass around, and I am newly inspired and my head is filled with new tunes and songs and I have my chair by the cookstove and another Vermont winter to pleasantly while away. I am like “Arnold” for I too have fallen in love with a concertina.

 

Especially, it was so nice to start so many new, warm friendships.

 

 

Randy

[fiddlersgreen]

I also enjoyed the music and meeting new people ( especially the C-netters). I think the moose song would make a sailor blush! Ken Coles, thank you for making my decision for me. I was going to buy the fiddle at the end of the weekend if no one else did. The way I look at repairs on a fiddle is that the repairs prove that folks in the past have deemed the fiddle worth repairing. That is a good thing. Now you can come to all the Joanie Blanton fiddle weekends in Harpers Ferry. The trip home was interesting, I avoided the detour but while listening to my new CDs I head east on the turnpike instead of west where the next exit was 26 miles away. I don't make emergency u-turns on the turnpike since the ez-pass could go into its "does not compute" mode and charge me for the whole turnpike or make me a fugitive once I exit the turnpike heading in the wrong directiion. What would I answer to the state policeman if he asked me if there was anything dangerous in those square cases in the back seat. Mike

[Perry Werner]

Howdy:

This was the best one yet for me too after three NESI's.

I finally felt somewhat, no very, comfortable and very much welcomed by the folks in attendance.

Felt much better about my own playing, playing in groups and starting tunes.

A real accomplishment for me, so I thank each and every one out there for whatever they were doing to make that happen for me, though I know it was really only myself who was responsible for this.

It was great seeing the C.netters in attendance who I could identify. Alison, Wendy (yes, ladies first), Radioboy, fiddlersgreen, Ken, Dave, Jody. Robin and my bawdy buddy, Doug. And yes of course Rich, to whom we all owe a big thank you for making this all possible.

Very inspiring, lots to think about, lots of tunes that I want to learn to play AND sing.

Also had a great time playing in Rachel's Concertina Band and being part of concertina history when we performed at the concert with the ever knowledgable and "monster-in-a-box bass concertina" creator and virtuoso, Bob Snope.

And thanks to the other very encouraging and inspiring folks who were in attendance, especially at the pub sing or whatever it's called, on Sat. night/Sunday morn.

Amazing performances and song selections by David Cornell. I never laughed so much during his masterful performances. I want to learn all of those songs.

And a hilarious performance by Howie Leifer. I was rolling while swigging.

Beautifully sung songs by Robin and my roomate Bob Beemer, who evidently paid the big price that morning for knocking off the better part of a jug of Tallumore Dew mixed with available stomach rumbling snacks.

Thanks also to Ken Sweeney who finally help get the whole thing down and dirty late into the sing.

AND of course, Tony and Lynn Hughes. Man, there was some talented and funny music there that night. I loved it!!!!!!!!

I want to learn how to do all of it (except the Bob Beemer part).

Great weather, great venue, great food, great weather, great times and great music and talent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish they could figure out a way to turn this place into a retirement home for for squeezers when my time comes.

Bye,

Perry Werner