Targhee Bluegrass

Year after year, this festival brings in some of the best bluegrass talent in the country!  The drive from Big Sky to Driggs has become as much a part of the experience as the actual festival itself.  Driving south, on the "quiet side" of the Tetons is good for the soul.  Acres and acres of potato crops, enough to feed the entire country, stretch out for miles.  Crops are late this year, and the plants are just now blooming.  On the horizon, the majestic Tetons crown the horizon - and yesterday was one of those beautiful big-blue-sky days.

Friday's lineup included The Grant Farm, Rodney Crowell, Donna the Buffalo and Infamous Stringdusters.  By far my favorite of the day was Rodney Crowell.  Rodney is as much a poet as he is a songwriter, and he is a crazy-good songwriter!!  His lyrics will touch your heart way down deep.  He told a story about being in New York City on a cold day, and offering his coat to a homeless man on the street.  The man refused the coat telling Crowell that he didn't need his pity, that his situation was the result of choices that he had made.  Crowell reflected, "There went my liberal, bleeding heart", so he went back to his hotel room and wrote "Ridin' Out the Storm".

The little town of Driggs, ID is not even as big as my hometown of Sparta, TN.  This bluegrass weekend brings hundreds, if not thousands, of people in from all across the country.  We talked to several folks here who have returned the favor by heading to Manchester, TN for the Bonnaroo Festival.  Although this bluegrass festival, is not nearly the size of Bonnaroo, the quality of the bluegrass musicians is absolutely "A-List". 

Jim Lauderdale and Mike Compton

We have been coming here for 9 years, and have noticed an uptick in the quality of the food establishments here.  Friday night, we tried Teton Thai - a restaurant on Main Street which opened this year.  The owner's mom, the chef, has just moved to Driggs from Hollywood and brought authentic Thai cuisine with her.  The result is a fabulous meal in a perfect setting - good end to a great day.

Randy Kohrs and Mike Bubb

day, we headed back to the festival.  This day is a HUGE lineup - songwriting superstarts Jim Lauderdale and Tim O'Brien and Yonder Mountain String Band.  I have never heard Tim O'Brien live, so this is a big day for me!!  Both  Lauderdale and O"Brien bring a huge cast of awesome Nashville musicians with them.  Randy Kohrs and his dobro are always a treat, and when he added that high tenor voice to "Zaccheus"  with Jim Lauderdale - pure bluegrass heaven!!

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien - what can you say about him that hasn't already been said.  He looks like a music professor and sings with the heart of an authentic, down-home hillbilly.  Born in Wheeling, WV, he is true to his bluegrass roots, and surrounds himself with musicians equal to his awesome talent.  Bassist Mike Bubb also joined Tim along with an awesome guitar picker.

AND, Sarah, Jarosz, a name I'm convinced we will hear more of in years to come, is back this year.  I first heard Sarah last year at Targhee, and in the words of Tim O'Brien: "Sarah is a singer. She's just flat got it".  Sarah started playing the mandolin at age 10, and now at age 20, she plays clawhammer banjo and guitar - all with a good degree of skill.  She's a student at the New England Conservatory of Music and tours extensively during the summer.  She absolutely brings the house down at Targhee.
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A Day in Washington D.C.

This has to qualify as the BEST excuse for a road trip!!!   Tickets to the White House Easter Egg Roll!

Two of my four grandchildren were available to make the trip - Miles and Camille.  We hit the road from Chattanooga at noon on Sunday, and by 9:30 p.m. we were rolling in to Fairfax, VA, eating a quick dinner at Red Lobster, then off to bed to grab a few hours before a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call.  We were on the Metro into D.C. by 5:30 to pick up our tickets and then off to the Easter Egg Roll with 30,000 of our closest friends.

Early morning in D.C., before the rush hour starts, is really beautiful.  We got a quick look at the capitol building before we headed over to the White House.  A 65-degree brisk morning was just perfect for a walk and a few quick transfers on the Metro got us to the White House just in time for the festivities. 

The Egg Roll takes place on the South Lawn of the White House - or as the President said  "Welcome to our back yard!".  We waited in line for about 30 minutes, and worked our way up toward the balcony of the White House.  In about 30 more minutes President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walked out on to the balcony with Malia and Sasha and the Easter Bunny.  Colbie Caillat sang the national anthem, accompanied by the Marine Band.  Then the President and First Lady came down on the South Lawn and joined the festivities.

We happened to get up close and personal with the First Lady, who was watching a cooking demonstration along with Al Roker, Kelly Rippa and chef Jacques Pepin

Close by was the White House Garden - Mrs. Obama said she was working with organizations trying to find ways to make local farm markets more accessible and more affordable.

Miles participated in the actual Easter egg roll - and came in first in his group.  Camille headed for the face painting station.  And they both took a turn at planting their own seeds - basil for Camille and carrotts for Miles.

This was a very long day - in fact, Miles said it best when he said "It seems like it has been 3 days since we left this morning!"  I'm falling asleep right now trying to finish this post - it was a long day, but memories were made today that will last forever!!

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon

We left Moab and Arches National Park early Tuesday morning and headed back to I-70 westward bound.  I-70 is the interstate highway which we have traveled many times, usually picking it up in St. Louis headed west to Denver. I had been as far west on I-70 as Grand Junction, Colorado, but never further.

On this trip we picked up I-70 in Eastern Utah and took it almost all the way to I-15, which is the north/south route from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, and where I-70 ends.  This section of I-70 divides the San Rafael Swell, an amazing uplifting of the Colorado Plateau which occurred millions of years ago, and it's the only road into this region  The swell is about 75 by 40 miles in area, rising to elevations above 8800 feet.  The same process of uplifting and erosion which we saw in Arches has happened here, except that water has played a more major role in shaping its geologic features.  Canyons, gorges, wide mesas and buttes further than the eye can see made for a jaw-dropping drive.  Parts of this drive look like images from Mars or the moon - strangely enough, The Mars Society decided to set up the Mars Desert Research Station in this region in order to develop key knowledge needed to prepare for the human exploration of Mars!!

We headed south just before the I-70/I-15 junction and away from the San Rafael Swell.  I still remember that this portion of our continent was covered by that vast inland sea, and with just a little bit of imagination I'm in a submarine navigating the bottom of the ocean floor as we navigate our way across this now high desert.

The north rim of the Grand Canyon is very remote.  It's 30 miles one way into the Visitor Center and Lodge, and it is the only entrance into the park.  Once there, the canyon itself is of course the main attraction.  There are many ways to view this spectacular natural wonder, the first of which is from the Grand Canyon Lodge itself.  The dining room, the huge open seating area and the balconies all front on the north rim of the canyon.

After dropping our backpacks in the cabin we had booked for the night - also on the rim of the canyon - we headed out to explore the trails around the rim.  The Transcept Trail winds around under the Lodge and offers a couple of overlooks on narrow points jutting out into the canyon.  Butch snapped this photo of me from a safe spot on the trail.  He prefers not to be too close to the edge, and was not even real comfortable with the fact that I was - but he did manage to click the shutter!

I also hiked out to Bright Angel Point which looks down Bright Angel Canyon through which the North Kaibab Trail leads down 14 miles to Phantom Ranch and the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon.  The trail out to the point is only a quarter of a mile and well worth the trip - the overlook is just stunning.


We sat on the lodge balcony with a glass of wine and watched the sun set.  After dinner, we slowly made our way back around the rim to our cabin.  The park has done a very nice job of keeping the light pollution to a minimum, and the sky was clear so we could see the Milky Way and millions of stars.

For breakfast the next morning, we had a window table and a totally different view of the canyon in the morning sun. 

The Bridle Trail connects the Lodge to the North Kaibab Trail and is a beautiful walk through a ponderosa pine forest.  The park ranger had told us that we might see a Kaibab Squirrel, a funny-looking tassel-eared squirrel with a skunk-like stripe down his back and a white tail, found only in the North Rim.  I didn't see a live one, but here's a picture!

At the North Kaibab Trail, I couldn't resist getting one more view of the canyon.  This trail descends 6,000 feet to the floor of the canyon through many layers of stone.  The top layer, the kaibab layer, for which the Kaibab Plateau is named, represents about the first 800-foot layer of the peninsula on which we stand.  I hiked 1.5 miles down to the Coconino Overlook, named for the coconino sandstone which makes up the second layer of rock.  From this overlook, the sheer size of the canyon is overwhelming.

Mule trains haul people up and down this trail and a couple of groups passed me as I headed down the trail.  By the time I climbed up the 800 feet to return to the parking lot, I was sort of wishing for a mule!  It's amazing how quickly the temperature rises as one descends the canyon.  In fact, park rangers recommend that you hike very early in the day if you are going to the bottom during the summer months, and never, never EVER try to go to the bottom and back in one day.  On the day we were there, the predicted high at the bottom of the canyon was 100 degrees!

When I got back to the top, the temperature was still in the low 70s - about a 10-degree difference from that at the overlook.  What a place!  I hear that the South Rim is crowded and touristy.  Having now been to the North Rim, I'm not sure I will ever see the South Rim.  I would go back to the North Rim in a heartbeat!

What a wonderful way to spend our 43rd anniversary!

Arches National Park

This is our anniversary week - 43 years ago I was getting ready to walk down the aisle to marry my high school sweetheart.  We had both just finished college and Butch was getting ready to start medical school.  Wow... what can I say ...  time flies!!

To celebrate this year, we planned a trip from Montana to the Grand Canyon, with as many stops along the way as we had time to do in the one week we had scheduled.  We left Big Sky right after church and drove south through Idaho, Salt Lake City, and then headed back east to Price, Utah. 

The road to this little town is a beautiful drive.  The further east we went, the more mountain cliffs we saw!  Just outside of Price, we drove through a high mountain pass and could see a coal vein running through the rock.  Sure enough, at the end of the pass was the coal-fired energy plant, one of three in this area and a major employer in the region.  We had driven about 450 miles, and had a nice hotel room waiting for us in Price, so we had a good meal, a good night's rest, and started out the next morning for our 1st National Park destination - Arches National Park - just outside of Moab, Utah.

Years ago, I flew from Dallas to Salt Lake City late in the day, and could not take my eyes off the brilliant red rocks over which we were flying.  It was really an amazing experience - eerily spiritual.  Since that time, I had always wanted to see this part of the country from the ground. 

Arches National Park is the land of red rocks, but that's only part of the story.  This area is a virtual pancake stack of rock, miles thick, each layer representing a different environment that existed here in the past.  A layer of limestone might represent the presence of an inland sea; a section of sandstone indicates a period of wind-blown dunes from a drier time, and a layer of shale tells of a swampy river floodplain ruled by dinosaurs and huge trees.  Indeed, there were many times during this day that I could vividly imagine myself in the valley of dinosaurs roaming through this land.

I knew of the vast inland sea that once covered this third of the country.  What I didn't know was that over the billions of years that this planet has evolved, there have been some 30 seas that have risen and fallen in this area.  Each time, another layer of rock has been deposited, and every year since, the wind has eroded the sandstone layers to form these beautiful arches.  It's a living geology museum through which we wandered for the entire day.

The red rocks, as one might suspect, are deposits of iron that have oxidized or "rusted", and it is the predominant color of the arches in the park.  The Delicate Arch in this picture is the must stunning example of this process of oxidation and erosion.

But, this view of the Fiery Furnace, in another section of the park, shows many other colors.   The white to tan threads in the rock indicate  an accumulation of organic acids dissolving the iron and bleaching the rock.  The turquoise-colored rocks were created when volcanic ash settled into a large alkaline lake - an environment with very little oxygen.  This tapestry of colors is frankly stunning!

In addition to the arches, two other formation types are created by the process of wind erosion - spires and fins.  At Park Avenue, aptly named for the canyon of skyscrapers one experiences when standing on Park Avenue in Manhattan, a series of fins stand like giants, reaching 1,000 feet into the sky.  Wind and water in the form of ice have worn away once thick rocks into these formations.  With time and the continuing process of erosion, these fins will be the arches of the future/
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In another section, spires and balanced rocks present more evidence of the effect of time and natural forces on this landscape.  This balanced rock, precariously perched on a thin spire, was at the beginning of one of our favorite hikes.  From the base of this rock, we hiked up to the North Window arch, then around to the South Window arch and on around to the back side of both arches.  Most of the trails are paved, but this hike around the back side of these arches was just a foot trail marked by rock cairns and we only met a handful of other hikers on the trail.  The quiet beauty of this landscape was a wonderful treat.

Driving out of the park, we caught a nice view of the Moab Fault, a 2,500 foot displacement in the earth through which the main road from Price to Moab now runs.  Just a few miles to the east is the rather touristy town of Moab, but we managed to find an excellent new restaurant with a beautiful patio and waterfall, and wonderful menu.

On to the Grand Canyon tomorrow!

Bluegrass in Grand Targhee - Day 2

Saturday morning - crisp, cool, clear blue sky.  Headed up to Targhee for day 2.  This could have been called "The Day of the Mandolin".

First on the schedule this morning was Mike Marshall and anybody and everybody else who played the mandolin.  Mike Marshall must have every type of mandolin ever played.  He started off the morning playing duet with Caterina Lichtenberg.  He was playing the mando-cello and Caterina a 16th century lute-type mandolin.  These two mandolin masters were a delightful treat to start the morning.  Marshall has mastered classical, jazz, bluegrass and Latin genres.  Caterina, who teaches at Cologne University of Music, currently holds the sole Professorship of Mandolin in the whole of Europe.  Not bad - classical mandolin for brunch at Targhee!!

There's always a new discovery at Targhee each year.  This year it was Sarah Jarosz.  This 19-year-old has a clear, pitch-perfect voice and was complimented by fiddler Alex Hargreaves and bass player Paul Kowert, 18 and 22 years old, respectively.  These three are ridiculously talented!!  Mike Marshall has recognized their talent and cut a CD with Hargreaves and Kowert - called the Mike Marshall Big Trio.  Kowert studied under Edgar Myer at the Curtis Institute, Jarosz is currently a student at the New England Conservatory and Hargreaves was admitted to the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute.  Bluegrass is definitely in good hands, and Mike Marshall seemed to enjoy playing with them all.  Oh... Sarah plays the mandolin as well as guitar and banjo!

The girls from Alaska and East Tennessee, Bearfoot, were there again this year.  Always a crowd favorite, we feel like we know them now.   They recently set up permanent residence in Nashville, rapidly becoming a hotbed of talent for this year's Targhee festival.

And.... FINALLY.... the main attraction for which we had all been waiting the entire weekend - Sam Bush!!  The "Father of Newgrass" took the stage at 8 pm and played without a break until well after midnight.  Good Lord - what a show!!  You can count on him to deliver every time and give the audience all he's got.  His stellar band, particularly banjo player Scott Vestal, are up to Sam's pace and talent.  They absolutely rocked the house.


I've heard it said that Targhee is what Telluride used to be before it became the crowded venue it is now, more to see and be seen than it is about the music.  

At Targhee, it's about the music, and this year, more than ever, the stars of bluegrass and the up and coming inheritors of these stars shine brightly.  No one could be more proud of them than Sam Bush, who invited them all on stage for a final mandolin and fiddle love fest.  Great end to a great weekend of bluegrass!

Bluegrass in Grand Targhee

First of all, let me say that this is some of the most beautiful country in the world.  The drive from Big Sky down to Grand Targhee passes west of Yellowstone Park and heads further west into Idaho, then south into the little village of Tetonia.  Tetonia rests in Teton Valley in the shadow of the spectacular Teton mountains.  This is the view to which I awoke this morning!!

We quickly moved bags and coolers into our room, then headed up to Grand Targhee Resort to listen to bluegrass.  This venue is a ski resort in the winter, but turns into a fabulous bluegrass amphitheater in the summer.  The stage sits at the bottom of the beginner ski run and hundreds of bluegrass lovers spread out blankets and set up camp chairs all over the hillside.

We have been to this festival many times before and heard some great groups.  In its 23rd year, Targhee has this year attracted some of the top bluegrass bands and performers and the first day was spectacular.

The afternoon started with Punch Brothers.  The leader of this group is Chris Thile, who started playing mandolin with his family band Nickel Creek at the age of 8.  When Chris was 12 he won the national mandolin championship and debuted his first solo album when he was 13.  Now, at the age of 29, he leads his own band of 5 playing mandolin and singing impressive lead vocals.  Most of the band have southern California roots, but they relocated to New York City a couple of years ago where they "hang out" at the Living Room on the Lower East Side when they are in town.


Collaboration practically defines bluegrass - musicians coming together to create new sounds and harmonies.  Chris Thile has collaborated with both Edgar Meyer and Béla Fleck - the big names on the schedule for Friday.  I had never heard either of these in concert and my intense anticipation of this performance definitely exceeded my expectations!!

These two musicians have collaborated for so many years.  I was aware of their work with Mark O'Conner, YoYo Ma and others.  I was not aware of their recent collaboration with Zakir Hussain, the amazing percussionist and virtuoso of the tabla.  Take a look at this video and realize that the only instrument being played is the tabla - I had to look at the other musicians to confirm that they were not playing.  Hussain uses every part of his hands to make these amazing sounds - almost a one-man band!

This summer, this trio launched its Melody of Rhythm Tour and Grand Targhee was fortunate to schedule them.  They finish in one week in Aspen.  This collaboration began in Nashville when Fleck and Meyer, both based in Nashville, were commissioned for a trio concerto.  They immediately chose the Indian tablist Zakir Hussain as the third musician, and it debuted in Nashville in 2007 with the Nashville Symphony with Leonard Slatkin conducting.


Here's an NPR clip of these three world class musicians.  They are simply indescribable - "beyond category" as Duke Ellington would say.  Béla Fleck, virtuoso banjo player, has earned Grammy nominations in more categories than any other musician in history including pop, country, bluegrass, jazz, classical, spoken-word, composition and arranging.  Edgar Meyer is a classically trained bassist who has won both the coveted Avery Fisher Prize, given once every few years to a classical instrumentalist and a MacArthur Fellowship, otherwise known as the "genius grant".  

What a wonderful treat to hear these three geniuses together - each with over 30 years of experience in which to hone their musical talent and sensitivity.  It's a wonderful collaboration and I will definitely be adding their CD to my list.

The collaboration continues today with the Mike Marshall Big Trio and the Sam Bush Band.  My greatest hope is that some of these guys will join Sam on stage tonight for a grand collaboration!!  Send good thoughts my way!

Wedding on the Bluff

June 26, 2010 - Jimmy and Soeung were married on the bluff in Monteagle!  They exchanged their vows at 3 in the afternoon under VERY SUNNY skies and 90-degree temperature.  The joy and happiness that was shared by family and friends almost made us forget the uncomfortable weather conditions.

Soeung, in her vows, compared their marriage to the pear tree which they recently planted in their yard: the roots represent the families from which they come who love and support them, the trunk is their strong relationship, and the branches and fruit the things that they accomplish together.  For Jimmy, he simply said, "For a long time there was darkness and now there is light - you are that light".

Large family contingents from both Texas and Sparta were there.  My brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Carol and their son and daughter-in-law, Adrian & Gina and daughter Ashlyn came in from Texas, as did Jim's brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Reba.  Jimmy's cousin Valerie and her family - also from the Houston area - joined the Texas crowd.  From Sparta, Stanley, Marla and Shelby, and sister-in-law Pat made the trip.  And, of course, Marci, Ryan and Malenda were there and so excited to welcome Soeung into our family.  Being surrounded by family on a day like this is just wonderful!

Both Jimmy and Soeung graduated from Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS), the excellent magnet school where Soeung now teaches.  Jimmy was in the first graduating class in 1991, and so many of his and Soeung's classmates made the trip from all over the country to share this special day with them - from Seattle to LA and New Mexico to Kansas City and Virginia Beach - they were all there.  In fact, 5 of the 6 wedding party are connected with CSAS.  Many of them arrived early on Friday to help with wedding preparations - everything from flowers to signage to table setup.  What a testament to the bond that was formed through this school!

The children, Will, Miles and Camille, were an important part of the ceremony.  Will (7) and Miles (9) were ring bearers and Camille (7) was the flower girl. I was so proud to have all four of our grandchildren there.  Malenda, now 10 months old, was a real trooper for the whole day.  She arrived on Dad Ryan's back and seemed to fully enjoy all the festivities as she was shared among many friends and family.

After the ceremony, approximately 200 guests walked through the woods to the reception.  Soeung's family prepared the most wonderful food - including egg rolls, sushi, lo mein - delicious Cambodian cuisine!

Many Cambodian traditions were a part of this wedding week, including the beautiful Tea Ceremony which took place on Wednesday, June 23.  In this ceremony, the groom travels to the home of the bride's parents, with flowers in hand, to ask for her hand in marriage.  His task is to coax the bride out of her room where she is "protected" by her girlfriends.  The groom must pass several tests, usually in the form of questions which he must answer correctly.  The final question - posed by one of the bridesmaids who also happens to be a math teacher - was to correctly repeat the quadratic equation.  With some help from one of Soeung's high school cousins, Jimmy answered the question, and Soeung was allowed to exit her room.

The gathered family and friends applauded and cheered the couple after which the Tea Ceremony began.  In this ritual, the bride and groom serve tea to the bride's elder relatives, starting with the eldest.  Soeung's grandmother was served first.  Jimmy and Soeung kneel and each of them serve 3 cups of tea to each family member.  The first two cups are poured out as an offering to their ancestors and to the divine being, and the 3rd cup is drunk indicating the relative's acceptance of their marriage.

After the Tea Ceremony at the bride's home, the group then caravans to the groom's home where tea is served to the groom's elder relatives.  Jimmy and Soeung served tea to Jim and me and to Marci and Ryan.  This custom, so unfamiliar to us, was simple and beautiful and one that I will never forget.  The Tea Ceremony is the "official" Cambodian wedding ceremony.

Another Cambodian custom is the giving of monetary gifts to the new couple.  There is no need for a wedding registry because physical gifts are not given.  Instead, the couple is asked to perform tasks, and upon successful completion of the task, they are given an envelope with money in it.  These tasks can range from the ridiculous to the sublime.  Miles, Will and Camille asked that Jimmy take off his shirt and beat his chest like a gorilla.  Yet another guest held a piece of food on a chopstick while standing on the table and Jimmy had to lift Soeung high enough for her to reach the food.  Another guest wanted each of them to say one thing that they loved most about the other, while another guest insisted that they do the "Chicken Dance" and sing Rocky Top reggae style.

Speaking of Reggae, the fabulous band, Milele Roots, played for the reception.  Founded in the late 90s, the original band members are very good friends of Jimmy and Soeung, and they are a much sought after band, particularly on the weekends.  What a special treat for all of us to have them as part of the celebration!

Jimmy and Soeung are now on their way to Cambodia for their honeymoon.  Soeung and her family left Cambodia in 1979 when she was 2 years old.  This will be her first trip back there.  She still speaks fluent Cambodian, and they will be visiting the towns where she and her siblings and her parents were born, as well as some trips planned to some of the beautiful beaches in that country.

If you are reading this, and you made the trip to Monteagle for this wedding celebration, we are touched and honored by your presence and your commitment to be there.  If you weren't able to join us, we thank you for your thoughts and good wishes on this special day.  It was and is a wonderful memory!

I've posted more pictures below - just because there were too many good ones!!