I'm leaving in a couple of hours for Missoula. My friend, jazz singer Donna Smith (if you go to my myspace page and listen to the song, "I can't believe", that's her)is flying me out to play a wedding gig. The other members of the band are two of my best friends also. She gets the high paying gigs, so all my expenses are covered, plus a little bit more. I'm really looking forward to playing with them, and just being in Missoula. Not to mention being out of this heat and humidity here.

I guess its too late to suggest you swing over to Greg Boyd's House of Fine  Instruments? He's in Missoula.

I have friend from here (Vegas) that moved up in that area last year. For them, its God's country. They really love living there, more so then in this hell hole called Lost Wages.

I've lived here for 37 years and leaving las vegas is something I wish I could do. My wife's family lives here so unless we divorce, I'll be staying put for awhile.

Oh yes, I went to Greg's. I lived in Missoula for many years and Greg, Chad, and Fred are old friends. Most of the mandolins that Greg had were High end F5 style, which I'm not very interested in. I really liked the Givens A3, and the used Weber Absaroka oval hole. I was hoping that he might have an old Gibson oval hole, or a mandola, but no such luck.
I got in alot of playing-we had two five hour practices for the gig, the gig itself, which was about four hours of playing, then Sunday night, we had a party with some of the members of my old country band and a few other local musicians. That was another six hours of playing. I had a great time, and my fingers aren't even all that sore. Since I moved to NC, I haven't found people to play mando with (I'm really not a bluegrass player), and I mostly play electric guitar and lap steel. I think I got about ten hours of sleep while I was there....
So now I'm back in hot, humid NC, I've gotten alittle sleep, and the airline just called and said that they finally found my bag.
The singer really wants to persue the wedding thing, and the pay is really good. The singer/guitarist from my old band wants to start another vintage country/western swing band, and my old jazz trio wants me back. So I'm definately moving back to Missoula. I don't know if I'll be able to afford a house there anymore, but what the hell. I'd rather be a happy renter than a musically frustrated guy that pays alot of interest to a bank.
Plus, what with global warming, it's really not all that cold there in the winter anymore, and did I mention that it's not nearly as hot and humid there as it is here?

You think NC is hot?.......Texas & Hell have the same zip code.......

Well in New England we get wicked cold in the winter and almost wicked hot in the summer.  

Although I like winter, this summer I got to the beach a few times with my kid and now I'm wishing summer wernt so short here.  The water isn't warm enough to swim until almost mid-July and by the end of August, it's all over.

Quote :

TX Dale wrote : You think NC is hot?.......Texas & Hell have the same zip code.......

It was 101 here yesterday AND humid. Plus, you guys in Texas are getting all our rain.