Backstage Madness

So, you've always kind of wondered, "What is it really like to be backstage at some big concert just before they take the stage?"

Well, here is an actual (unretouched) photo of Jon Troast about to take the stage May14 during his famous "Hundred Dollar Living Room Tour" in Phoenix Arizona.

Now, of course, the living room was in my brothers house...and the backstage was the kitchen; but it really was part of the tour and it really was a concert. Jon even had an opening act. Molly played for about half an hour first.

All in all, what a great night of live music.

So are the "Days of our Lives"

Six of us went camping last weekend up in Sedona.

As is frequently the case when one finds oneself in the backcountry, you are forced to improvise for common necessities. It was no different for us.

Saturday evening we discovered that we had neglected to include a vital item in our gear.

In order to play the game of our choice around the campfire, we needed a one minute timer.

Not to be deterred, we quickly set upon a method to construct an operational timer from common household items (available at our campsite).

By simply poking two small holes in the soda bottle, one in the cap and one in the bottom for the air to escape, filling it with a predetermined amount of water, then inverting it onto the wide mouth bottle, we could watch the water drain like sands through the proverbial hourglass.

After a few minutes of moderate success with this contraption (It was challenging to manage a bottle of water with holes in both ends), we came to our senses and opted to use the stopwatch on Kelly's cell phone.

The Will - The Way

The other day, I watched these guys struggling to load this big iron thing into that mini-pickup. They couldn't lift it...I could tell it must have been very heavy. Finally, they got one end up on the tailgate, then tried to back the truck up. It just dug in and spun in the gravel.

Watching them, I have to admit that I thought there was no way they would get that thing into that truck.

They were determined (and relatively unconcerned about incidental damage to the truck)

After they succeeded in getting it into the back of the truck, it was too long to balance there, so these two sizable fellows stood on the front of it to keep it from falling out.

I have no idea where they were headed or what they wanted it for...

but I'm pretty sure they stole it.