This week in 1967, Otis Redding is killed when his tour plane crashes into Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin… the “Love Man” is 26… killed with Redding are the pilot and four members of his backup group, the Bar-Kays… the scheduled warm up band for Redding’s show that evening is a group called The Grim Reaper…
so… 2 of my favorite musicians died in the state in which I now live.
The other? Stevie Ray Vaughn
…to having my garage. this weekend was a combo of good and bad - got a cold so I’m sick and can’t do much with the tremendous weather. I managed to go get myself a power sprayer to clean off the walls in my garage - the higher temperature making my cold feel just a little better. Enough better to push my motorcycles to the garage (they have “character” meaning “I don’t work unless it’s 65 degrees or better”)
so I’m pushing the parts bike, half put together, down main street - and some jerk comes out of the pharmacy (my guess, refilling his viagra) and says, “I suppose you get better gas mileage that way huh?”) I couldn’t manage anything witty so I just thought “shut up.” and kept pushing. This town is so small I bet 30% of it’s population knows someone just moved in to that old garage. I better get some shades on the window or I might end up with a crowd if I weld something.
on the banjo front - since it was mentioned in comments - I’ve got the forward rolls down, but am having a time with the reverse rolls. what this means to the general population is: If you can tap the theme from the lone ranger on a desk with your finger tips, try doing it backward. Once you get that down, stop halfway through and change directions. That’s banjo.  I feel a little like the banjo version of Zoolander. It’s always been so, but won’t always be. If it’s going to be a long winter, well then I have time don’t I?
One other thing, since I don’t post often anymore. Someone at the Vintage Airstream Club has taken an idea a bunch of us had in the late 90’s and run with it. in 1959 and 1960 Wally Byam (the inventor of the Airstream) took 41 trailers (and 41 couples) to Africa to go from Capetown to Cairo. Only 29 trailers made the trip in the end due to breakdowns etc. Sounds like they’re going to do it again, and I’m all in on this one. I talked to my friend from Africa and asked him what language to learn (he said “bring a translator”) and if I would be robbed (he said “yes” without even thinking about it.) But then he started teaching me North Sutu, said South Sutu was close, told me not to learn Afrikaans (which is his native language) and then said maybe I should learn Swahili. I’ll just use the translator I think. One trip to Africa may just be enough. And hopefully we’ll have some Land Rovers running along side us with armed personel.
and that’s the news.