10/3-4/08 As the hours passed by the Campland quiet time limit, the large group gathered around the campfire refused to leave as Steve Wilson continued to sing in muted tones to keep the dreaded rangers at bay. It helped that some of the neighboring campers were still up enjoying the show as well as the rest of us! We were in San Diego for Aqua Adventures' 20th anniversary party on Saturday and we wanted to get the festivities started a bit earlier. It didn't hurt that Steve and I had both celebrated our B'day on Wednesday. We figured this was a great night for the guitar shindig we've trying to have for quite a while. Steve and Alice hosted with their dog Sandy making new friends. Barb and Ken were on hand and brought the spicy spaghetti to feed all comers. Howard and Sharon were there and Mike and Ines showed up after dinner. So we started off small as we brought out the guitars. Barb and I started things off with a kayak converted sea shanty called "Kayakers Holiday". After that the three of us took turn playing. Barb and Ken sang a nice duet and Steve concentrated on a lot of songs he hasn't sung for a while. Things lightened up a bit and I brought out a bag of percussion instruments for people to join in. We had maracas, tambourine, guiro, cow bell and I even got into some washboard action. Ines took a shine to the maracas and Sharon played tambo and Ken stroked the guiro while I added a bit with the bell. Steve's songs really lent themselves to the new percussion section. We stopped for a while for a cake break, but we were still ready to play on when Jen and her dad, Jake and others from AA arrived to join the fun. Rouge Otter Jerry Sparks and his wife, Sara, even made it down. Steve had to dig deep into his endless repertoire and we all added a few more songs. I did about 10 songs on guitar in all, although I honored a request NOT to play Foul Owl on the Prowl. I even pulled out the ukulele for four songs. As the camp quieted down, we were better able to enjoy Barb's singing and playing and as the night went on, Steve's songs took on a quieter, more intimate nature. I could have stayed all night, but finally we all had to call it quits. The next day we headed over to AA for a kayak treasure hunt. While the others were doing the hunting, I spent the morn sitting in various kayak and took a Tempest 170 out for a long trial. I really liked its maneuverability and rolling capabilities. Back at the shop, Steve was set up for more music, as tasty free burgers just seemed to appear at my table. In between songs, they had a "raffle" that really just seems a way to give out free stuff and no one left empty handed. With family coming to town, I had to leave before the party ended, but after three burger-one hand cooked by Jen herself!!-I had to head home. I enjoyed my time on the water trying out a new boat, but the weekend was really meant to celebrate Aqua Adventures' milestone and appreciate Jen's contribution to our kayak community. Getting to play with Steve and Barb was a great experience and I can only hope my efforts were half way decent. Listening to Steve play is always inspiring and the chance to get together to play with him and Barb made for a great B'day week. Mark Sanders www.sandmarks.net # *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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