Tickled Tuesday Or Lovely Letters I Found In My Inbox

I'd like to share a couple of things I found in my inbox this past week. The first is an award from Judd Corizan of The Rising Blogger. I was surprised to open my email this evening and find a message from Judd informing me that my May 13, 2007 "Crazy 8's - Mother's Day Tanka" won a Post Of The Day Rising Blogger Award. You can read Judd's review of my blog and the post here. A humble thank you to Judd for the recognition and for his kind words. Be sure to have a look at the other award winning posts while you visit his blog.




The second letter I received was a thank you from Ron Artis the artist & musician featured in my June 7, 2007 "Favorite Of The Week - Ron Artis - A Little Bit Of Blues" post. I was already a fan of his music but after receiving the email from him and exploring his website I discovered he's also an accomplished artist. His murals can be found inside several US Navy Ships & Submarines. He also uses broken and dinged surfboards as canvases, using his artistic talents to bring them back to life. His work can be viewed at Ressurection City, the Artis family gallery in Haleiwa, Hawaii. Ron said he'd post more blues for me. You can bet I'll be waiting patiently & checking youtube regularly.

Favorite Of The Week - Ron Artis - A Little Bit Of Blues

Ron Artis - A Little Bit Of Blues


Something a little different this week. No art or inspirational bits to read. I decided to share my love of the Blues instead. I stumbled across this video of Ron Artis & family today and wanted to share a moment (actually several moments) of my Blues listening bliss with you. I'm not certain why, perhaps because I grew up listening to live Folk, Jazz & Blues music, but it speaks to me more than any other music genre.

When I close my eyes and listen to the Blues everything else just falls away. Time doesn't matter, the neverending laundry pile of doom ceases to taunt me, and I just blissfully lose myself in the moment.

I was just a young thing when Mom took me to coffee houses to listen to the live jam sessions of family friends like Larry Brown & the Perth County Conspiracy (does not exist). I have a vivid memory of sitting in Jackie Washington's living room many years ago in Hamilton, Ontario. Wonderful memories of summer evenings spent sitting outside listening to live music at the Festival of Friends come bubbling up from the deep dusty recesses of my mind as I write this. The gift of being exposed to such a diverse variety of Blues, Folk & Jazz music as a child has stayed with me and no matter how much I enjoy Rock, Jazz, Folk, & Classical music I am always drawn back to the Blues. It's in my bones.



Audio Sample - Triscadecaphobia - Jackie Washington