the old-school guestbook archives
my amazon wish list... my favorite astrologer... my favorite artist... yerba mate revolution! erowid: a travel guide for interior journeys... no more war: MoveOn.org United for Peace and Justice True Majority seek the truth: Common Dreams Unamerican Activities The Nation people I adore, diaries I read: rev.raikes ariana cubiclegirl epiphany glitter333 laurakay wammo the music: the asylum street spankers backyard tire fire blue highway bill camplin wendy colonna freedom tribe joules graves guy forsyth band hamsa lila hanuman libby kirkpatrick leftover salmon pamela means medeski martin & wood the motet the nice outfit nickel creek open road rose polenzani railroad earth south austin jug band string cheese incident taarka tha musemeant the devil makes three tim o'brien band trolley wild sage keller williams yonder mountain string band |
carpe diem ~ January 1, 2003 - 3:44 a.m. happy 2003, y'all... I went up to cafe carpe with my folks for new year's eve, and it was a damn good way to celebrate the night. cafe carpe is in fort atkinson, a tiny little town about an hour away from milwaukee. it's owned by bill and kitty, dear old family friends and a couple of my favorite people in the world. bill is a folksinger, bill camplin, who had something of a following when I was growing up, but never really made it big time outside of wisconsin. it's surprising, really, considering how rich and warm his voice is, with its own signature warble, and how sweetly crafted his songs are. I've always loved bill's music. when I was little he still gigged a lot, and he crashed at our house whenever he was in milwaukee, since he and kitty lived up north. back then I think it was a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere with a lake out back. I remember having the flu out there once in the middle of winter and throwing up for days. I was upset because everyone else was going skating on the lake and I had to stay in bed. I told them I was feeling better, which I really thought I was, so they tried to take me out. I threw up on the ice and had to be taken back to bed. but it was always such a treat when bill stayed at our house. I loved to climb on his guitar case, with all its seductive curves. I must have been tiny, because I remember how big it seemed. there always seemed to be a crowd of young and funny people who would come over when bill was in town. my parents would stay up late with them, talking and laughing and drinking beer. the next day I'd find packets of rolling papers, but no one would tell me what they were for. I used to lick the glue strip and stick them to things, like post-it notes. my dad has a good story about the time bill brought townes van zandt over, but I'll tell that another time. I was telling you about bill and kitty. they really are just fantastic people. sweet, funny, and smart. they've had cafe carpe for ages now, and it's an absolutely gorgeous little cafe/bar/restaurant. old fashioned storefront windows filled with green plants and a pressed tin ceiling. warm woodwork, great funky art. bill and kitty in the tiny kitchen, making amazing stuffed pizza with the best whole-wheat crust I've ever had. a back room for folk music shows. I love going up there, but somehow I haven't made it there for years. tonight they had a fixed price multi-course dinner thang, with bluegrass by the mike and amy finders band. bill and kitty took turns sitting down for a few minutes of chat time with us, between bringing out courses of incredible food. decent music, great people, delicious food. hard to think of a better way to bring in a new year. may it be filled with blessings for us all. may we find peace. may all be healed.
(((rings))) |