Okay, I’ll admit it, I’ll fess-up. This is the first time I’ve attended a CBA Camp-Out at the Lodi Fairgrounds. It may have something to do with the “Stuck In Lodi Again” song, and the fact that I have an unreliable motor vehicle; but this time I decided to take a chance and go for it. Anyway, during this October event that marks the end of most of the outside bluegrass events in California, some thoughts entered the conscious side of my noggin. The following is what I came up with, good or bad, right or wrong.
1 – You can help people out by telling them where to locate an indoor restroom.
2 – There is always one person who has a singing voice as loud as a train going by. That is sometimes good, and sometimes not so good, depending on how close you are camped to that person, and how sensitive your hearing is when you are trying to go to sleep.
3 – There are trains that run near the Lodi campgrounds. It seem like they only run after the sun goes down, and stop when the sun comes up. On Saturday I was in a jam that included a couple of guys from Folsom. I know they could hear that train a coming, coming round the bend….
4 – It is still true what they say about dogs and yellow fire hydrants.
5 – After my 1989 Ford van warms up, when I turn it off it takes an hour before it will start again (yes, I’ve had many mechanics deal with it; without success). Some things in this world are still consistent.
6 – I can’t play/jam any better than I could five years ago, but the important thing is to keep jamming anyway.
7 – Even though you think you will meet up with old friends and jam, it doesn’t always happen. But it often does.
8 – I was in a jam where three of us played fiddle, and we are all named, “John.” Three wrongs don’t make a right, but three Johns just might.
9 – Lots of people at the campout don’t know on Saturday by noon when the Saturday night CBA inside dinner starts; they guess. But by six o’clock most people going to the dinner have found out. The dinner sold out. Mexican food tastes better with a live bluegrass band. Slim can still tell a good joke. We have a new CBA Board of Directors.
10 – Some people leave their homes that have a solid, protective roof, go to the campout, and camp under a solid, protective roof. A roof under which you can’t see the blue sky during the day, or the magnificent sunset at dusk. This event is like other CBA outdoor events; it’s a small city, with folks living in anything from small tents to giant motor homes bigger than my house, and everything in between.
11 – Three T-shirts at the campout: 1) “Wine improves with age. I improve with wine;” 2) “Eat Pie;” 3) “BLUEGRASS – Ask your doctor if it’s right for you.”
12 – Rick Cornish is a generous man = “Would you like Chardonnay or a beer?”
13 – Jamming with Rich and Debra Ferguson, part of “Gospel Creek The Bluegrass Band,” reminds me that they are a bona fide gospel bluegrass duo when they want to be. Rich and Debra are definitely contributing to the CBA’s dedication to the furtherance of Gospel music in California.
14 – Cliff Compton and David Reitz love bluegrass music. But they will jam on swing and jazz tunes when the Bluegrass Police are not around.
15 – These CBA Campouts are events where it seems like 99% of the campers know how to play a bluegrass musical instrument, and there is ALWAYS a bluegrass jam happening. If you’ve never been to one of these events, it should be on your “Bucket List.”
16 – I’ve decided to call the CBA Campouts, “JAMPOUTS.”
