Mount Nebo Loop

Kathy and I took a trip to see fall leaves on the Nebo loop today. It was a perfect day for it. The colors aren't quite as brilliant this year as in other years, but they still look pretty good. Some haven't turned yet, so it could get better. Sorry no pictures of us. Kathy hates photos and I didn't think to turn the camera on myself. We stopped to eat lunch at Devil's Kitchen. I got out my new el cheapo propane stove and cooked some bacon to make a BLT sandwich. Yumm! The red formation in the picture is Devil's Kitchen. Kathy couldn't figure out why it's called that. No fridge, counter, stove, sink or whatever! Right after we arrived there a bunch of folks riding Honda Goldwings pulled in. We'd been leap frogging them all along the drive. Must be some kind of club thing. Right after they showed up some folks driving classic cars also showed up. Another club outing. Must have been something in the air. The pot bellied guy in the photo was with one or the other group. You can see a '57 Chevy and an old Merc like the one in American Graffiti in the photo along with some of the Hondas. There were a lot more of both. The shot was taken from where we picnicked and only shows some of what spilled out onto the road. The parking lot was overflowing. Luckily we got to the John before they all arrived. You should have seen the line! As we made our way out of the North end of the loop we passed hundred of motorcycles going in the opposite direction with Highway Patrol escort on both ends. This group was riding a mix of makes with a predominance of Harleys. Glad we left the picnic site before they arrived! We saw more cycles today than when we went to Mount Rushmore just prior to the Sturgis Ralley. Amazing! I promise I'll get to Kathy Mattea soon. I know you're all just dying for that! Also, I've been making minor corrections and additions to my song list. My goal is to have one song per artist in the 100. I'm really blown away by Katie Melua's rendition of Blues In The Night. Check it out. Lucy Kaplanski's song is about 9/11 in case you couldn't figure it out!

Dad

John Pennell and Eva Cassidy

I found this on the internet yesterday. John Pennell is the founder of Union Station which as you probably know is now Alison Krauss' band.

This message is partially a thank you, an inquiry and
an acknowledgment. Sometimes regretfully, a person that I should have known about slips through the cracks and I am unaware of something I should have known about all along. Such is the case with Eva Cassidy. This is especially so since she recorded one of my songs and it has been included on her recently released album SOMEWHERE. My song,"If I Give MY Heart", was originally recorded by Alison Krauss on her first recording for Rounder Records, TOO LATE TO CRY.(c.1987) First of all, what an amazing voice!
Eva's recording of my song is so soulful and beautiful I have no adequate words to really describe her performance.
I became aware of all this yesterday, after returning from a playing gig with The Charlie Sizemore Band(bluegrass) out east. Sorting through my mail, I came across a letter from someone who wanted to buy one of my cds and mentioned that "If I Give My Heart" was on Eva's new recording, SOMEWHERE. After checking it out and verifying that it was indeed my song, I left a message with Alison. When she called me back, she told me what a great singer Eva was and she considered her one her favorite singers ever and that she was respected all over the world as one of the best singers of her generation. I bought the album on itunes and have been playing it non stop since. I can't adequately thank the people enough who are responsible for selecting my song to be part of this project. But more importantly, I can't thank Eva and her brother enough for learning, performing and recording my song. I wish she were here today so I could thank her in person. But a voice this beautiful and a soul this pure, surely already knows how I feel.
It's amazing that, in less than 24 hours, I went from absolute ignorance to absolute bliss(no, ignorance is(was) not bliss in this case). I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people in the world to have been honored by Eva's singing.

John Pennell
Nashville,TN

Reply written by Laura Bligh, Webmaster at August 31, 2008, 3:15 PM, EDT

Mr. Pennell, thank you for your wonderful message! Eva loved "If I Give My Heart," and performed it often. She also used to sing "As Lovely As You," which I believe you also wrote. It would have thrilled her to know that you enjoyed her music. Thanks also for letting us all know that Alison Krauss is an Eva Cassidy fan. Eva certainly was an Alison Krauss fan!

Peter B. @ Thanksgiving Point

Saturday evening I got to see Peter Breinholt's season ending concert at Thanksgiving Point with Karen and Darren. It was a really fun concert with lots of variety. Ryan Shupe and 2 of his band members were there and performed one of their new cd tracks. I was greatly impressed with the gardens having never seen them before. I must go back some time and take more time to explore. I can't begin to imagine how much money must go into such extensive landscaping. It's mind boggling. I think I'll try to make an annual event to catch Peter's last show. The only thing lacking this time was Nancy Hanson. She had another engagement.

Suzanne asked about Eva Cassidy's new cd "Somewhere". It lived up to its billing. In other words great! It's hard to believe her family, friends and record company keep coming up with new quality, material. It was a very good purchase. Next review: Kathy Mattea.

The Tree

We finally got rid of that nasty cottonwood tree that's been cluttering our yard for years. As you can see there was a price to be paid (beyond the fee paid to the tree trimming service). The big limb we worried might some day hit our house in a storm ended up hitting our house after all. The tree guy didn't have enough tension on his rope pulling the limb away from the house. You can see the result. He was embarrassed and apologetic and had someone there to repair the damage within 1 1/2 hours. We're glad to finally have it gone. This is the last mess we'll have from that tree and someone else gets to deal with it!