Topic: We're Back

[waxwing]

Hmm? Maybe with a trailer. I know where I could get an old one for free. Would probably half my gas mileage, tho'. Yeah, I bet we'd do better in the PT area.-G-
I bet if we get peter, Joan and Gracie workin' on it we could make it happen relatively painlessly. We could move it in ourselves during Presoak.
All for now.
John C.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It has been fun to read everyone's special memories of Port Townsend 2005, and with the recovery of Lightnin's guitars it seems like the dust has finally settled, and it's possible to think of the week and its aftermath with no bitter aftertaste.? Like everyone else I had my high points, though possibly from a different perspective as a teacher.? In no particular order, they include:
? ?* How game people were about working on things in class, trying tunes by musicians they may never have heard before, new techniques and venturing into areas where they may not have already had mastery.? Knowing my own tendency over the years to gravitate toward the things I am already best at, I particularly admire the grit and tenacity involved in stretching toward something you really want to do.? The trying involved in learning music is really an exciting thing to be around, and is always one of the high points at Port Townsend and other camps for me.
   * In addition to the trying, it is exciting to witness the attainment, and see how people have grown in the music and in what they are able to do from one year to the next.  It is a measure of how deep people are getting into the music that their tastes and what they are choosing to play are really beginning to diverge.  On the last night in the Weenie House it was great to hear John C and Davebro playing songs--different approaches, different tastes but each moving strongly in a personal direction.  ?
? ?* Getting to hear other staff members, some of whose work I was not previously familiar with, and reuniting with others.? It was great to have Orville back at Port Townsend, he belongs there.? It was a particular treat working up the material for the sets with Mike Dowling--what an ace musician!? Hearing Lightnin' do tune after tune from the 20s and teens on his ukulele, all with multiple verses and choruses and nary a missed lyric made me feel like I could use a brain transplant.? It's always a treat to hear Paul Geremia, too, and the time spent playing with Suzy Thompson was a gas, as usual.  I've come to realize that time passes so quickly at Port Townsend, though it is densely inhabited with events, that I almost always miss out on some people altogether.
   * Apart from the great music and great meals, I felt more than ever this year that the essence of the event for me is just enjoying people, who they are, and what they bring to the party.  I take a long time to get to know people, and it is really great to feel like I am getting to know people better over the years.  The recovery of Lighnin's guitars after Camp was sort of an affirmation of this point, and really seems like Weenie's finest hour.  A wonderful expression of a group effort to help out a friend in a tough situation.  I held off commiserating with Lightnin' after the theft, because I was pointlessly optimistic about the prospect for the instruments' recovery.  All the extra effort that people put into the recovery effort made it happen.  How great!  It should always be that way.
Port Townsend has been such a great time in my life in recent years and I hope it will continue to be so for many years to come.  I hope those of you who would like to attend will get a chance to in the near future and I look forward to getting back together with old friends next summer.   
All best,
Johnm

[Lwoodblues]

Reply to JohnM.  What an eloquent way to say you had a great time. For my money, I hope that you are a permanent faculty member. We do have a "core" faculty group and you belong in it. jmho
lwood

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Thanks for the good words, Steve, I appreciate it.  I realized after my post that I left out special thanks to Phil and Peter for putting the program together, and to Joan, Farren, Gracie, Beth and other volunteers for helping make it happen.  I have run camps in the past and I know it doesn't just happen.  Just the work involved in handling travel for the teaching staff is enormous, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.  Those of us who enjoy the Camp owe a special debt of gratitude to the presenters.  Thanks so much!
All best,
Johnm

[bareback rider]

Here's the lyrics, sorry I'm so lame with the computer.

Barbeque Blues Class Notes
probably an 8 or 16 bar blues, shuffle.

chorus (add where needed):
Goin' do the marinade / and soak it on the meat
Rub it in real good, and / cook with indirect heat
Get yourself all messy / and really take your time
if you don't rush it / it will come out so fine

day one, verses:
You got the ginger, the garlic, some lemonjuice and zest
Soy sauce & worchester, Old Bay tastes the best.
Take a swig of dark rum and pass it down the line
But just remember the pineapple juice, it's sweet--this ain't no brine.

Precisely how much is "a mess of" this? The amounts can be ad lib,
the point is to cover the meat with it, in proportion to the size of the rib.
To make the ingredients liquified, the stuff goes in the blender.
Throw it on with the pineapple juice and that will make it tender.

Vegetarians among you, ought to know the mood became quite solemn
when a dozen of us handled the flesh of beef pulling membrane from the column.
A silent sense  of thanks went out to the land and to the cow,
it's better to be a cattle ranch than a subdivision outside of town.

So the meat was prepped and covered with sauces and had to stay cool 'til a day later.
The funny part was that the meat was so huge we couldn't shut the refridgerator.
By this time the cooks were high and passing around the red label.
They gutted the fridge, shoved the meat in, and braced the door closed with a table.

break:
The party was rolling and people were laughing and showing their sillier side.
Outside the kitchen the dancers were twitchin' to some purty singin' and slide.
Cooking good's an art,
good food warms your heart,
sweet, salty, spicy or sour
if it tastes good we can eat for an hour.

day two, verses
Next day we came back to learn about the Art of doin' the Rub.
It's a blending of spices massaged into meat that's been in the marinade tub.
During this time there was some kind of smoking woodchip debate.
Is Green Alder best, is Hickory out west? They soaked Hickory at last, not a moment too late.

Allspice, nutmeg, cinnamin and cumin, powdered garlic in a healthy dose.
Dry mustard, whole anise seed, hot paprika, and chili powder so strong it goes up your nose.
A dash o cayenne, and some kind of herb? I think dried oregano.
Then lots of brown sugar--the dark kind is best--kosher salt and you're ready to go!

The colorful spices in layers in the bowl looked beautiful, a bit like Bryce Canyons,
The flavors of sweet, hot and salty made delicious companions.
The wet meat was then laid out on the table. We massaged the rub in front and back
It took a long time to finish this part, because of the size of the rack.

There was so much going on that night, a piano lesson or a jam session?
We had to run off to follow our blues obsession.
The meat was kept cold, via the method described before.
It was tantalizing, but we had to wait one day more.

day three, verses:
The next day they had a line up of webbers down by Wheeler Hall.
It took lots of work to get set up, from the looks of it all.
The participants' concert was the event of the night, and it was well underway
Rib racks were cooking by indirect method around 200 degrees, well past light of day.

They cooked it and smoked it and prodded and poked it and kept it from getting burnt.
It sure was a great treat to eat up the meat after we left the concert.
150 lbs is a whole lot of meat, just serving it up could be a chore.
Cutting alone all that meat off a bone could make even a big guy's arm get sore.

Later that night I went down to see what there was left to eat
I was in for a treat of a midnight snack on some powerful good hot meat.
Tasty licks from fingerpicks, I confess that it was pure bliss
to have studied the meat and felt the beat of a cooking class like this.

We all filled up the kitchen to pitch in for Phil Wiggins, and cooked up a big mess of ribs.
Blues swirled around the place like spicy aromas while we picked up some BBQ tips.
There are secrets and techniques about how to do it, which you'll learn.
Keep it moist, keep it hot, smoke it good, and control that burn.

Ribs for 500 is quite a big job--this recipe can be adapted for your home use.
I may have left something out, or put in too much, but it seems better loose.
When class is a party it's fun to help with the barbeque
We really enjoyed it, and learned a whole lot. Just want to say THANK YOU!

sjp 08/05

[waxwing]

Hey, Welcome to Weenie Campbell, br (or sjp)!

And thanks for that great tastin' song.

And seconds on that Thanks! to Phil for a rewally great camp. I'm still havin' trouble gettin' back to real(?) life.

All for now.
John C.

[morongo]

Ahh, I think I can finally post!

This is a test of the Morongo Weenie Campbell Emergency Posting System.  Had this been a real emergency, you would have been instructed to contact your closest Traditional Blues Discussion Group for further information.  I repeat, this is only a test!

In keeping with the theme of this thread.  My first PT Blues will NOT be my last.

Rick

[jed]

Welcome, Rick.  The MWeenCEPS is working fine!  A model for every community!

Keep posting, early and often.

Cheers,
Jed