Here we are in Yuma Arizona. We are just a mile from the famous Yuma Arizona Territorial Prison, but that is a different story. Once again we are camped with a bunch of Bluegrass enthusiasts. Tonight after supper I heard the faint strum of guitar and banjo near the coach and I grabbed my guitar and headed out. What I found was two guys, a guitar and a banjo picker, standing over a Coleman lantern singing bluegrass right next to the porta-potty. Their complaint was that no one had a picking tent with a fire pot set up and nothing was going on. They picked the porta-potty site because they figured folks would stop by from time to time. The Coleman lantern was their fire. Soon a car drove up and we added another guitar and a bass player. Now we have a real jam going.

The two original players were part of a bluegrass gospel band. The drive by Bassist and Guitarist are part of another band and soon a couple from Alberta who produce bluegrass shows in Alberta bring in their guitars. They play and sing very well together. I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed by now. About then they all look at me and ask if I have something. A great herd of butterflies charge off in all directions in the pit of my stomach and I offer to try “Old Home Place.” Now this is one of the bluegrass standards and the banjo player charges off on the lead-in verse. I managed to get my butterflies all going in the same direction in time to lead the vocal. Now I did munch a few words in the middle, but I managed to finish at the same time the other players did, so I felt rather successful when I got done.

We continued to play for three hours around the glow of the Coleman lantern, and indeed a few onlookers stopped and listened for a while. So while the porta-potty venue may seem like an unlikely place, when you are starting out you just have to take your gigs where you can get them.

Now we are off to the Yuma Bluegrass in the Park. See you later

Gary and Judy