Perhaps the core of my mad farmers’ market trips up to CT is the opportunity to spend some down time with my very good friends from my 10 years in this state. It certainly ain’t the money.
I headed up to Ron and Suz’s through a pretty thick deluge after my farmers’ market gig in Madison. They are most gracious in allowing me to stay in their comfy home in Northford on my spins up here. They both have become really close friends, and I really have come to respect Ron Anthony as a songwriter and guitarist. He helped me as much as anyone to ingratiate myself into the CT folk community. No small thing, friends.
I usually poke Ron to scare up some friends for a picking party, but I forgot to do it this time. Ron did the poking and my friends Denny and Lou were on hand. …and Suze. It was a downsized gathering, and that turned out to be good.
Lou on base, Denny and Ron on guitar and I had my mando and guitar (with new strings!). We had the opportunity play some not-so-jammable tunes, and there were more subtle songs, some new songs, some quiet songs, and songs where no one played along and just listened. That’s some rarified air, there. And we caught up with our lives.
Good friends sitting around the kitchen on a Friday night, swapping tunes and jive and pizza and beer. Damn!