Guitar Progression

I took about 4 months of guitar lessons when I was 9 or 10 years old.  It wasn't for me.  I don't know if that was because it was too difficult to press the strings with my baby fingers or the fact that learning an instrument is akin to learning a new language...a complex language where the words are felt and heard rather than seen.  It was too much.  For the balance of my musical education as a child, I took piano lessons, and then, in the late 80s, took keyboard lessons because the thing made cool sounds (read: obnoxious).

It wasn't until I was at my grandmother's house in Elmsford, NY when I regained an interest in guitar. I was out of college, living with a good friend in Kingston, NJ, and trying to balance my free time with my job and new car payments.  As I walked into Grandma's house, her friend was over and had brought a shabby looking electric guitar over so that Grandma's kids could "knock it around."  I saw that it was a real instrument and bargained with Gram so that I could keep it.  You know, I changed light bulbs and brought things up from the basement that were heavy...good grandma bartering.  I've described this instrument in detail here, but I brought this thing, after having it freshly restrung at Sam Ash, home with me, and figured out a way to plug it into my boombox/stereo where I mastered the E minor chord arpeggio opening to Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine."  That was it.  I was hooked.  I started using NetScape (right, it was a long effing time ago) to look up tabs and chords, and soon I was able to teach myself some basic songs.

A co-worker and friend who rocked a bass convinced me to purchase a legitimate amplifier.  Back to Sam Ash, and I was able to score an $80 Vox 10-watt practice amp with built in overdrive and, something I'm still not entirely comfortable using today, a Morley wah-wah pedal.  And, I begged him (bassist) to jam which he obliged me a couple of times.  He'd also throw me some other dude's used equipment, like a beat-up case for the guitar, and a patch cable.  A good friend.

I was set, but, it wasn't exactly the sound for me.  I leaned (and continue to lean) towards folk-rock, and longed for an acoustic sound.  So, in 2001, I bought an Ovation Balladeer acoustic/electric guitar with an on-board preamplifier, and a hard case.  At $450, this, by far, was my most expensive musical purchase to date. The sound was perfect, AND I could plug it into the Vox amp and wah and try to get my money's worth out of those investments.  I taught myself more songs, figured out barre chords, and, all the way in 2009, decided to take more lessons, this time with the creative and talented Carla Ulbrich, satirist and comedienne, and a helluva good guitar teacher.  With her, I performed at my first recital in forever...me and the rest of her students...mostly kids.  Still, I rocked with acoustic versions of the Allman Brother's "Melissa" and Kermit's "Rainbow Connection."

My first show.

Since then, I've been on again/off-again with music.  I bought a used bass guitar for $100...complete with bass amp.  And, when my son started playing Grandma's electric guitar, I started playing more...mostly bass, but still music.  I was playing music again.  In fact, at his recitals, he invited me to play with him as part of his back-up band.  So, I was able to get back on the stage again, and I decided I loved it.  I wrote my friend Mark and asked if he wanted to get together and jam a bit.  Mark is masterful at electric guitar, loves the Grateful Dead, and said "yeah, man, let's have some fun."  So, after a number of rehearsals, jams, get-togethers, I'll be sitting in on Mark's set at Pino's in Highland Park, NJ for a couple of hours, hopefully adding some depth to his set, and maybe a backup vocal or two.  It'll be my debut, so to speak...and, I'll have my newest acquisition with me, complete and set up, and loud as hell.  I don't have a name for it yet, but I think that calling it the LP Feather wouldn't be far off.  So, if you have a free Saturday night, either on the 6th or on the 27th of April, make your way over to Pino's around 8pm and listen to the music play.

Cheers.

Les Solo

Sometime last year, I started watching countless Instagram videos of a British Colombia craftsman

This is my spalted maple top. 

There are many like it, but this one is mine.

who makes guitar bodies (and tables and cutting boards, and necklaces, knife handles, etc.) from driftwood collected in the Kootenays of southeastern BC.  Logic told me that I could do something like that, and, on my Holiday wishlist of 2018, I firmly placed my wish for an unworked guitar kit where I could live out my luthier fantasies and design my own electric guitar for a fraction of what it would cost for a similar instrument.

I picked out a Les Paul style guitar.  For those who don't know, Les Paul's are manufactured by Gibson, and a standard guitar in this style starts at $1,000.  Way out of my price range.  Even Gibson's lower end Epiphone Les Paul guitars start around $500.  Formerly competitors, Gibson bought Epiphone in 1957 and today many of the solid body models with high end components can be found cheaper as Epiphone models with extremely capable parts.  Think of it as NEEDING a Land Rover, or being happy and satisfied with a really nice Subaru.  Anyway, at $500, still a bit much to ask someone to get one for me.  I guess I could save up, but where's the fun in that.  I wanted a challenge.

After discussing this with a high school friend who had better pick-ups (read: guitar mics) than what typically comes with a kit such as this, I committed to build one of my own, and, last December, was blessed with a kit from my family, purchased from Solo Guitars: a Les Paul style guitar with two humbucker pick-ups, mahogany body and spalted maple veneer, and a bolt-on neck.

Nicked to imperfection. 

Raw wood is already gorgeous, but I had in mind a color scheme for it.  I was think about a blue burst top with a red-brown body and neck.  While the kit comes with all the hardware you would need (i.e. tuning pegs, bridge, electronics which would need soldering (more on that later) and strings), naturally, you'd have to own or buy the wood-working tools necessary to really put your stamp on this, now, one of a kind instrument.  I flooded my Amazon wishlist with an orbital sander, buffing pads, wood stain, wood glue, wood sealer, lacquer, clamps, and all kinds of wires and soldering equipment.  Come January, with all of that collected, it was time to start.

Except, that, upon further review, there was a chip in the veneer on the headstock.  I called the company, who indicated that they'd look for a scrap to send me so that I could repair it.  No luck.  Instead they gave me a 10% discount on an additional purchase at their store.  Um...hm...ok.  Thanks for nothing.  I went back to Amazon and bought a veneer sampler to see if I could custom cut a piece just to fill that spot.  Problem solved.

With that completed, I stained it...and stained it...and sanded it down, and stained it some more.  I wanted to have the pattern created by the spalted maple featured, but have the look of a "burst" where the color gets less intense in the middle, but more concentrated around the edges.  This was a slow process.  However, by the end, things were looking good.  I accented with (Amazon purchased and gifted) feather decals designed to echo the mother-of-pearly inlay present in the provided guitar neck.

I used a TruOil gunstock finish to seal the guitar and make it a bit more shiny while protecting the color.  I also wanted to keep that spalted maple top obvious and preserve those lines, otherwise, what's the point of having such a fancy veneer.  The TruOil was, again, easily found on Amazon.  However, it needed some serious time to dry, and this process took the longest.  Also, I couldn't do it in the house.  TruOil produced enough vapors that using it in a highly ventilated space was recommended.  For me, that meant the garage with the door open.  I needed to wait for the weather to give me several days over-45 degrees (F) so that it would properly dry between applications.  I know Trump doesn't believe it, but the last month gave me several of these late-February Global Warming days where I could apply the oil, buff out any bumps, and let it set.  The last day was this past Friday when I was able to put on the last two coats in 65 degree weather and begin on installing the hardware.

Soldering wasn't an issue with me.  I had some really thin lead-free flux-core solder (from Amazon) and plenty of colored wiring (also Amazon).  However, installing the pick-ups proved difficult as the mounts weren't the right ones (they weren't curved to the body, again, Solo, thanks for lack of attention to detail).  Also, the pots were pre-soldered, and confusing.  All wiring diagrams used uniform wire colors, and between the new pick-ups and the pre-connected potentiometers (pots, a.k.a. guitar dials)  things got confusing quickly.  The pick-ups given to me by a friend were infinitely more complicated than the cheap-os that came with the guitar.  Finding a proper wiring diagram and color code for the wires proved impossible, even with the power of the internet.  All in all, I was able to get the basics put together, but the wiring had me beat.  It was time to call in the professional.

It sounds like I was throwing in the towel, but really, everything else was done.  Think about it as if  you try to do some plumbing or electrician work at home, you mess things up so that you're forced to call the repair guy.  If that's not you, it's definitely me.  Yes, it'll cost me a little extra, but at the end of the day, it's going to an expert who will make this thing sing.

I brought it to HelpMyGuitar in Scotch Plains.  It's a small shop, but I've used their services before.  The gentleman behind the counter was responsive to my interest and flattered my by answering so many questions I had about this kind of work.  He's an expert and a perfectionist and, in addition to figuring out my wiring problem, he's going to replace the pots with ones that will be more reliable and "set-up" the guitar which involves manipulating the neck, pick-ups, bridge and so-on to ensure that it's absolutely playable when he's done.

So, that's where I am now.  I should get it back at the end of the work-week and will let you know how it turns out.  Until then, I guess I'll play my acousic electric, or my bass, or my acoustic, or my son's Fender Fat Strat knock-off.  In other words, I've got plenty to practice on to ensure that this new guitar was well earned!

Cultural Issues

Where's the blogs?  It's been weeks and you haven't written anything!!

The problem is, I've run out of interesting things to say about current events.  It's hard to be a blogger who strives to educate on environmental inefficiencies or political whimsy when the news media has done it already ad nauseam. 

Should I write about Brother Michael Cohen's testimony?  Trump's failed summit with a known track record of human rights abuses? More Grateful Dead?  Beyond their song "loser" it's hard to associate any Dead song with this President.  I'm not sure he likes music anyway.

And, maybe that's it.  Maybe what's bothering us most about Trump is his seeming lack of humanity because he had no depth.  He has no cultural stake in this world.  He's here to make money and push an extreme vision of the Republican agenda, with or without the party's help.  His one known cultural luxury has been golf, which, I believe, is seen as a rich man's game.  Hell, you get your own slave to carry your clubs!  How great is that?  What a throwback!  It's winter, and so, his affinity for the sport has taken a back seat to, well, the rest of his job (unless you count this story in the WashPo), but, I expect to hear the jets scramble once the weather improves and his majesty takes the chopper over to Bedminster, NJ for a quick 9. 

But, it seems that this disconnect with culture is unique with our Commander in Cheeto.  Every other President in modern history has been able to relate to the people through culture, both winning and losing the respect of the populace.  Just looking back at Ronald Reagan, the Hollywood superstar (just ask his co-star, Bonzo) rose to fame in and around WWII.  Yes, he served in the War, but the short film he narrated for the military won an Oscar! While he was never nominated himself, his volume of works earned him a star on the walk of fame in 1960.

George Herbert Walker Bush loved baseball.  He played at Yale, got to meet Babe Ruth, and, as VP in 1984, got to play in an old-timer game with former MLB players.  But, he was an avid fan of all sports from Tennis to when he performed the coin toss in Superbowl 51.  He and his son shared their love for the Astros and Texas Rangers, a team that the younger Mr. Bush was able to purchase in 1989 (with other investors).  Speaking of "W," avid painter?  Look, it was 9/11, it was Chaney, it was many things, but afterwards, the man settled down and has been a prolific painter and fisherman since. 

It's easy to gloss over Clinton's sax performance on Arsenio, or Obama's brackets during March Madness, yet, it wasn't like that was Bill's first time with the instrument, and Obama was known to love to play and watch all manner of sports and the arts.  These looks into their lives allow us as the public to get to know our politicians better and it makes them more human.  Among other things, that does separate them from our current president.  He's disinvited more champion teams and players than those that chose to meet him...and then cancelled.  He's skipped both of his opportunities to congratulate honorees at the Kennedy Center.  And, when he does pay attention to culture, he's frequently whining about how unfair it is to him.

This is a problem.  I realize that I'm cherry-picking here but revenues from sports and movies/TV greatly exceed US energy revenues in the US (2017).  The doesn't even include concerts and live theater, or other things we do for entertainment: vacations, eating out, travel, etc.  Culture is what brings us together as a society.  This president has no culture.  And, even when he makes the attempt to connect, he gets it wrong...like when he served college athletes, potentially the most physically fit demographic in the States, some of the worst food the America has to offer, and then brags about paying for it himself.  That's very big of you accepting responsibility for poisoning the youth of tomorrow with toxic amounts of sugar and saturated fats.  "They sure don't make them like this back home...oh, wait, yes they do."

Look, we've had Presidents with unpopular policy decisions in the past, but even they had redeeming qualities of character.  This President has none of that and I think he knows it, which is why he doesn't connect or resonate with but a small part of the American populace.  While he makes the occasional attempt at a cultural connection, when he fails (and he's failed miserably) he becomes spiteful and belligerent, berating whomever refused to avail themselves to the King, to take the knee and kiss the ring, as long as it doesn't happen during an NFL broadcast.  You may not think it matters, but if you really want to reunite the Country, culture, not politics, may be the healthiest way to do that.

Some PNW Successes

When we left our intrepid hero, he was on his way to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.  His concerns (well documented here) were justified to a degree, yet, success was had.

This isn't to say that the Federal Shutdown (if you listen to NPR, they would preface this with "the longest in US history;" enough already) didn't impact every facet of my trip.  Lines were outrageously long at both Newark and SeaTac didn't have long TSA lines due to staffing shortages.  Nor is it inaccurate that, due to the shutdown, I was unable to access much of the park.  However, some of that was self-imposed.

The original plan was to use the service road/Olympic National Park road up to Hurricane Ridge so that we (my cousin and I) could see the sights and get some snow-shoeing in.  However, no park services means no plowing, and at the very top of the mountain, during our trip, they received over 10 feet of snow.  Right. 

The other component that was thwarted was the Hoh Rainforest trail.  No, there wasn't any snow in that part of the park, however, a wind storm knocked trees across the single access road 3 miles from the trailhead, and, no park services means no downed-tree removal.  As it was/is the rainy season, the main road can also wash out during severe events, not to mention the possibility of more down trees.  In an area with extremely spotty cell phone reception, we opted against trying.

Still, what we did have access to, we accessed the hell out of it.  Folks, I've said this before, and I'll say it again: go see our national treasures before they're gone due to environmental changes, natural disasters, and global warming.  The species I saw this trip may drastically change with fluctuations in precipitation, ocean temperatures, and climate events.

In order (and in brief) we took a ferry from Edmunds to Kingston, stayed in Port Townsend, visited Dungeness Spit NWR, Lake Crescent in Olympic NP, the beaches at La Push and Ruby Beach (also Olympic NP), Kalaloch Lodge, Lake Quinault and the Quinault Rainforest, and Merriman Falls in Olympic NP, and then back to Seattle. 

And here are the results:

Edmunds, WA Surf Scoters

View from Dungeness Spit NWR

Around Lake Crescent

From La Push

Ruby Beach

Quinault Rainforest

Merriman Falls

Nature watching us watching them

Be like me: go see this stuff while we still have it.

Northern Concerns

It's been a while since I've posted (something other than Ducks) so I thought I'd share my thoughts about my forthcoming trip.

I'm headed north for a photography adventure.  This time I'm on my way back to Seattle to see if I can tackle some of Olympic National Park's more popular features during the off months; Hurricane Ridge, Hoh Rainforest, Crescent Lake, etc.  It's the off season for many of the Country's northernly located National Parks.  The temperatures tend to keep visitors at bay, and only the real psychos visit places like the Grand Canyon in potentially blizzard conditions (been there, done that).  Also, this time of year, the weather contributes the "Rain" to the Hoh and Quinault Rain Forests and people are adverse to getting wet.  I'm all set to go: I've got good rain gear, good footwear.  I'll be bringing things like Yaktrax and my Gortex gaiters to keep me dry and upright on icy trails.  Also, the plan right now is to snowshoe if there's an opportunity.  I'm ready. 

There's just one little problem, and it's located at the opposite end of the country, firmly seated in Washington D.C. (at the time of writing, also in Texas).  This Federal shutdown, with 800,000 impacted employees, may wreak havoc with my plans.

First, it's fairly obvious that the National Parks are having a really hard time right now.  Some are flat-out closing due to the damage already caused by uncaring visitors, bringing in garbage and overtaxing the un-serviced facilities. (#thisiswhywecanthavenicethings).  Most recently, Joshua Tree National Park closed and blocked it's roads from vehicular access.  Why?  The desert ecosystem is extremely sensitive.  The soils that are there haven't been trod on for centuries or longer.  Idiots decided that they would off-road there destroying critical habitat and maybe permanently damaging the ecosystem, and whoops, they also accidentally obliterated some of the 200+ year old Joshua Trees for shits and giggles.  Ugh.

To be safe, I decided to call the Kalaloch Lodge where I have a reservation and is affiliated with Olympic to see what conditions on the ground are currently.  I called their 800 number.  The pre-recorded message, before I was transferred to the operator, was that the lodge is open for business as usual...and that the National Park was open for business as usual.  This is counter to everything I read.  When I finally hit the right combination of numbers, the live operator at the lodge got on the phone and I asked to confirm that access was possible. 

"Nope, it's closed," he said, "there's a concern that some of the access roads get temporarily washed out.  As there are no services in the park right now, and cell service is spotty at best, it was safer for the park to close.  There's no vehicular access to the Hoh trail-head at this time."  OK, so, how close can you get?  "Well, I've been told it's about a 3 mile hike from where you can park, up the road to the start of the rain forest.  It's do-able, but not optimal."  He indicated that he hoped that the shut-down was lifted soon.  "Yeah, it's hurting business.  We've had a number of cancellations in the last week.  Still, there's lots to see near here and our restaurant and shop is open.  We're open as usual.  Glad you're coming and see you soon."

Yeah, I'm still going.  I've got a place to stay, and while a 3-mile hike to a hike isn't what I wanted, it's possible, even for this 43 year old, and I think it'll be worth it.  Fingers crossed.  Many other factors will guide me like the weather and the slim possibility that this political nightmare will be over by then.  That said, getting into the park is actually not as daunting as the other Federal issue I have; namely, the flight to get there.

I'm sure you've heard about the rolling sick-out as TSA employees call out sick so that they can work second jobs so as to pay their rent or for food and such.  Well, did you also know that, included with those TSA employees, that every air traffic controller is on the Federal dole...and have been similarly furloughed but required to work?  That doesn't give me warm fuzzies at all.  While the news frequently reports where things are worst, it is eye opening to see how long the lines are getting at the x-ray machines.  I haven't yet heard reports of dramatically delayed flights, but I do hear recommendations of needing to arrive at airports for domestic flights up to 3 hours before scheduled departure.  I guess I'm glad I bought a new book?

All in all, in addition to holding our Federal employees hostage, it's clear that there are peripheral economic impacts from lost wages, a decrease in spending in some areas like Maryland and northern Virginia, and lost revenues for all of those small businesses that live off of National Park tourism dollars.  Now in it's 19th day,  I think it's time to end this ridiculousness.  $5 billion can't possibly pay for a 1,000 mile wall.  Give it to him.  Let him use the funds to implement a virtual wall, with border agent hires and technology upgrades, like cameras and drones, and let's get this country back to work protecting both our natural and economic assets.  And, if my trip consists of photographs of Olympic National Park abuses, you better be sure that I'll share them liberally to show what this shut-down really looks like.  Until then, I'm gearing up to go as if none of this ever happened, and I'm guaranteed to see and photograph something that I've never seen before, for good or for ill.

Again with the duck?

So, last weekend, as I'm oft to do, I spent Sunday in the parking lot at Met Life stadium where both the Giants and the Jets pretend to play American Football.  As the Giants lose in spectacular fashion, even the cry of "but I've lived through 4 Superbowl wins" gets stale and boring.  Instead, I'll focus on the fantasy play-offs where I'll be praying for a different outcome.

But, back to the lot.  This weekend I decided that I was going to (again) make duck-breast on the grill.  This is no easy feat.  Due to the skin and layer of fat (read: extra flavor), and the inability to regulate a charcoal grill's constant temperature, I had to plan things out so that a) I don't overcook the duck but get a nice sear, and b) I don't dry it out because of the amount of time needed to cook the bird.

Duck isn't like other foul though, and in the U.S., while it's uncharacteristic to eat undercooked chicken and turkey, the prevailing theory on duck is that you cook it like you would a fine steak, with varying levels of "done."  I prefer mine from medium to medium rare.  And, any and all instructions for cooking an expensive piece of meat typically call for an internal temperature reading.  Bah.  I don't need that.  I'm a man with meat.  Roar. 

Truth be told, cooking the duck on a grill or a flat top is actually fairly easy.  Follow the instructions below and you too can enjoy delicious marinated duck breast at home. 

Ingredients:

1 thawed Duck Breast (I like D'Artagnan ducks, which in the NY area are fairly readily available at both butchers and supermarkets)
1/4 cup of hoisin sauce
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 heaping tbsp of ground ginger
3 tbsp of sesame oil
Trader Joe's Everything Seasonings (all the stuff you would find on an everything bagel, in a jar)
fresh ground pepper to taste

First order of business is to marinate that duck.  Take all of the ingredients, except for the Everything seasonings, and mix them together and then pour over the duck in a bowl.  Place in the fridge over night.  Place the uncooked duck, skin side down into a "cold" cast iron skillet, saving the residual sauce for use later.  Place the skillet on the stove or grill at a medium to medium high heat.  This is important, because that layer of fat is difficult to chew if it's undercooked and unrendered.  One must render the fat of a duck.  You'll let that come up to temperature and get a good sizzle going.  Also, you'll notice a little smoke when your sauce starts burning a bit around the duck.  I let that thing get good and cooked, about 10 minutes without moving it.  Really let it sizzle.  Once the skin has browned nicely, turn it over and give it about 5 minutes on the other side.  At this point, pour the rest of the sauce over the top.  I also like to cook it on its ends to brown those up as well, about 3-5 minutes on each.  This gets you to medium rare.  Let the duck rest for about 5 minutes, and then slice.  If it's still a bit rare, you can throw those pieces back onto the skillet for seconds, just to toast them up on each side.  And you're done.

Now, serving it in the parking lot is as simple as cutting it up.  But, if you're trying this at home, I like to place the whole breast on slightly wilted mustard greens (lightly wilt first either on the grill or skillet, but cook really fast; you don't want to "cook" it past crisp), and then slice and serve.  As the flavors are more Asian in nature, serve with bok choy and some sticky rice to complete the meal.

That's it.  I don't know why our society has gotten away from duck where it's a bit more extravagant, however, it's really not that hard to cook.  Roasting a whole turkey is definitely more complicated.  And, it's frigging delicious.  This wraps up 3 consecutive posts about Asian ducks.  I promise to write about something else in the next post.  Until then, I hope you're having a great holiday season.  Me, I'm off to Wegman's to get another duck breast for New Year's!  So good!

The Duck, part deux...

The natural companion for my previous post would be pictures of the ducks I did wind up seeing.  So, if a picture is worth 1,000 words, here's a quick 4,000 words or so on both that day, and the day when my son and I returned to NYC and found the Central Park mandarin, now nicknamed the Mandarin Patinkin (hello, my name is Indigo Montoya...).  All photos are by me.  If you're interested in purchasing one, let me know.

Hooded Merganser at the Reservoir

Bufflehead at the Reservoir

Wood Duck at The Pond of Central Park

The Mandarin, also at The Pond

It's incredible what you can see if you just look.

Cheers.