Happy New Year

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called 'Opportunity' and its first chapter is New Year's Day." Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Adult Jazz Camp

If you're an adult . . . and you play an instrument . . . and you'd like to learn to play traditional jazz . . . check out the San Diego Adult Traditional Jazz Camp. It's scheduled for January 14-17, 2010.

The 2010 faculty includes Clint Baker, cornet; Alan Adams (Director), trombone; Jim Buchmann, clarinet/sax; Katie Cavera, banjo/guitar; Marty Eggers, tuba/bass; Hal Smith (Assistant Director), drums; John Royen's piano class is sold out.

All facilities are located at the Lafayette Hotel & Suites in San Diego, CA. Instruction will include sectionals for front line and rhythm. Students play music together and with faculty members throughout the weekend. Tuition is $400, and enrollment is limited. Call 619-297-5277 or e-mail jazzinfo@dixielandjazzfestival.org for more information.

On The Home Front

I forgot that there was no quilting class today -- it was open sewing. So I worked on a commission quilt that needs to be finished soon. It only needs two more rows and the borders to finish the piecing, and then I'll quilt it. Once that's done I can list the Gammill for sale on eBay and Craig's list.

Remember yesterday morning's sun on snow-capped Mt. Baldy? Not so much today.

I'm thinking that when George Air Force Base was built here because we have sunshine almost every day of the year, it must not have been planned in an El Nino year! We've had clouds every day for the last week or so, and that's just unheard of.

Eight more rows to go on the Ishbel shawlette. There have been a couple of "oops" rows, but I'm thinking no one but me will ever know. It's dark, so the color doesn't show very well, but you can see a bit of the design now.

Speaking of knitting, today I received the kit from Dye Dreams' Four Seasons Mitten Club for the Winter 2010 mitten. I (and a few others) suggested the name in a contest that Wendy Johnson held on her WendyKnits blog. She created the design, and I was the first to suggest "Celtic Frost," which was ultimately chosen as the design name. Thank you Wendy and Dye Dreams! The yarn is blues and greys, and soooooo soft. I can't wait to finish Ishbel and socks so I can start the mittens!

Swinging in the New Year in NYC

If you're in the Big Apple looking for some New Year's Eve entertainment, here's some information nabbed from Yehoodi.com:

Swinging in the New Year: 2009 New Years Eve Dance Parties in NYC NY

*FREE Concert by Champian Fulton at Lincoln Center. 8:30 and 11:15 performances. At the David Rubenstein Atrium. See website for details.
*New Year's Eve Party at the Tribeca Grill, featuring Ron Sunshine. 375 Greenwich Street, NYC. For reservations, call (212) 941-3900.
*New Year's Eve Party at the Montauk Club - POSSIBLY SOLD OUT. Featuring Michael Arenella and the Dreamland Orchestra. $75 a person. Email here for more info.
*Subway Soul Dance Party at the Bell House, 149 Seventh Street, Brooklyn. $30 in advance, $40 at the door. See http://subwaysoul.com.
*New Year's Eve Party at the Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South, NYC. Featuring The JC Hopkins Biggish Band with Queen Esther. Tickets for non-members of the Player's Club are $225. See http://www.theplayersnyc.org for more info.
*Bootleggers Ball at 450 Union, Brooklyn. Featuring The Mad Jazz Hatters, Stumblebum Brass Band, Main Squeeze Orchestra and more. See website for more info.

On The Home Front

Sunrise on the mountains was beautiful this morning.

Elmo is one upset little bird! She had her wings clipped this morning, and the experience was pretty traumatic. She had to get in the carrier, ride in the car to Apple Valley Feed Bin, and suffer the indignity of being held by people she doesn't remember who ended her flight career. Poor baby. She really didn't fly well, anyway, which is one of the reasons she was clipped . . . she kept flying into windows and walls. Now she's hiding in the corner behind her toy, pouting.

It became evident that I won't be able to finish knitting the socks by Thursday, so I'm concentrating on the Ishbel. Almost finished with the "B" section, then "A" one more time, and finally "C." So, about 18 rows to go. More pics tomorrow.

Jazz Cruising

It may not be too late to sign up for one of the jazz cruises coming up in January. Both are listed in the Coming Events sections of The American Rag web site and the newspaper, but I'll list them here, too, because they're both too good to be missed. We have cruised with Jazzdagen and JazzSea, and both take excellent care of their travelers and give you more than your money's worth in entertainment! If you haven't been on a jazz cruise yet, there's no time like the present!


JAN 8-23, 2010: Depart From: Valparaiso. South America Cruise. Aboard: ms Crystal Symphony. Itinerary: Valparaiso to Miami through the Panama Canal. Stops in Coquimbo, Lima, Guayaquil, Cartagena and Key West. Guest Artists: Brady McKay and John Cocuzzi. Featured Bands: Cornet Chop Suey, Pieter Meijers Quartet w/Danny Coots, Randy Morris, Clive Collins. Fares: *NEW RATE Starting at $3,620 PPDO. PLUS $1,000 per person ON BOARD CREDIT. Airfare: $EXTRA$. Contact Info: Jazzdagen Tours, PO Box 1706, Studio City, CA 91614-0706. 800-433-0078 or 323-650-0255 or Fax: 323-650-0950. Email: Jazzdagen@aol.com Website: www.jazzdagen.com Seller of Travel: #2026058.

JAN 15-25, 2010: Depart From: Fort Lauderdale, FL. 2010 JazzSea Caribbean Cruise Party. Aboard: ms Celebrity Equinox. Itinerary: St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados, Dominica and St. Maarten. Guest Artists: Tex Wyndham. Featured Bands: Bob Shulz’ Frisco J.B., Climax, Dick Williams JazzSea Jam, Grand Dominion, Coast-To-Coast J.B., Tim Allan’s Banjos Aweigh. Fares: Starting at $1,183 PPDO. Airfare: $EXTRA$. Contact Info: JazzSea Cruises, 3256 Seven Seas Dr., Tavares, FL 32778-9285. 800-323-3881 or 772-597-3084. Fax: 772-597-3086. Email: Neuzone@aol.com Website: www.jazzsea.com Seller of Travel: #1991-280-414.

On The Home Front

Don is busy, as always, working on the next issue of The American Rag. I'm trying to get back into medical transcription study mode today, and would much rather be knitting or quilting.

I did make some progress on the Ishbel scarf yesterday. I'm now on the 4th row of the lace portion.




And moving up the leg of the sock, but slowly. Ishbel is much more interesting right now!

Fourth Sunday

Trad Jazz today:

Society for the Preservation of Dixieland Jazz, Covina, CA, 562-596-7635.

White Rock Trad Jazz, Surrey, B.C., 604-591-7275.

South Bay Traditional Jazz Society, Sunnyvale, CA, 408-371-9191.

Black Label Tavern, Las Vegas, NV, 702-453-8451.

Call before you go to be sure there's music this month.

On The Home Front

Football! We love football! USC beat Boston College in the Emerald Bowl last night. Today the NFL games will take precedence. I don't believe we have any favorites playing today, but tomorrow night may grant one more try at the playoffs for Bret Favre.

Another day of knitting will commence soon. I started the Ishbel shawl/scarf yesterday and am almost to the lace portion of the pattern. Malabrigo yarn is absolutely luscious! It's softer than you can believe, and the colors are amazing. Still working on the blue and white socks, too. The heels are turned on both socks and the legs are going fast. Here's the Ishbel shortly after it was started: