As you can see, this is a "work in progress" page so I hope you'll forgive the
mess and stick around a while poking into my personal things (but don't touch
me there...). I have provided some further "favorite" links in the lists
below for your travels to give some insight into my interests and activities
outside of a race car. Oh, some of those links might appear as well but, in
general, most are non-automotive related.
Musical Interests
My musical interests vary from classical to blues, folk to rock, and alternative
to oldies. Lately, I've become interested in modern bluegrass! (It's not your parent's bluegrass!) I have even
written a tune or two that some might call Country (though I would put them more in the "talking blues" category...)!
Please note the conspicuous absence of Rap! My nephews do enough of
that style to fill the family quota...
There are far too many websites of interest to list them all here so I'll only list a few of my current favorites. This list will change as my interests shift and the mood strikes me to actually update this page.
To date, I have only two CDs available, Half-Baked and Lightly-Toastedby the Blue Ridge Bakery Boys. This is a Brevard, NC group that plays a combination of folk, traditional and original tunes. The first CD was released in November of 2012 and is the first by the group; the second was released in December of 2014. I have four "solo" CD projects in the works (with no estimated dates of completion) that have the working titles of It Was Easier Back Then, Closet Musician, How I Got To Here - Volumes 1 & 2 and Daybreak. The associated liner notes for these efforts are works in process but will give you an idea of what the intended content for each will be. Stay tuned for more updates...
I have recently started to go through all my old reel-to-reel tapes to see what survived 28 years of storage in South Florida and I am happy to report that I must have done a great job of packing them up and sealing the tapes in their cases because they all seem to have survived the ordeal! I have so far extracted the first (actually second) two years of my annual "Rites Of Spring" music party to mp3 files by artist set and now have a dilemna. Since much of the material performed at these parties was original material I feel the need to obtain their permission to make any/all of the original material available. Keep watching this space for updates on that front...
In the mean time, for those who are interested, a brief discussion of my musical history is available for perusing and might have some items of interest/amusement. Those not recognizing the prior hot link can click here ...
I am still very involved in collecting vintage musical instruments, though many of the more recent acquisitions have been more current than many in my collection, and have also acquired several (or so) autoharps in various states of playability. My plan for retirement includes the modification and repair of autoharps, "as time permits". My guitar collection currently contains both electric and acoustic models ranging from the 30's to current models. Various makes and models are represented... However, the current "centerpiece" is my 1969 Bell Western six-string acoustic made by Bozo Podunavac; it's an unbelievably loud and resonant guitar and has aged well. It features maple binding, "rope" purfling, scalloped ivory nut and saddle and general craftsmanship you don't see much these days. This is the guitar that Leo Kottke, Peter Lang, John Fahey and Rev. Gary Davis helped make famous. Since this model wasn't produced until 1968, it is believed that this is one of the earliest models - I hope to reunite it with Bozo (only temporarily) sometime soon since he has retired (again) to Florida. These pictures don't do it justice...
I have been lucky to meet many of the artists who perform at the annual Springfest event in Live Oak, Florida every March and this last year (2007) I got to meet a guitar-hero of one of my best friends, Mike Jackson. Being that Mike is a serious fan of Hot Tuna, I just had to have a photo taken with Jorma - just to torment him. So, here you go, Mikey - eat your heart out!!!
Photography
Initially, most of my photography was concentrated on wildlife (mostly reptiles and
amphibians as I was heavily into herpetology at the time) and then broadened into
more general nature studies. More recently, motorsports photography has occupied
most of my endeavors in still photography. The "handycam" is still used primarily
for in-car video (watch for the over-lapping eyeballs in the mirror) but may someday
be used for something of more general interest. I am still collecting those pictures
that I feel hold interest to people other than myself and will provide either pages
for each category of photography or individual links at a later date. Some of them
can be viewed on my Facebook page for the time being...
Publications and Articles
*8o)
