Tardy
July 29, 2006

Tardy cuz I've been up looking for my battery charger for my guitar....and I can not find it anywhere. My guitar sucks juice from batteries faster than you can say "Obidiah!" So I have to re-charge them every chance I get.

When I went outside to feed the cats exactly 22 minutes ago, I noticed that Pepper, our youngest, has been foraging around in something that has sticker burrs, so I was pulling them out of his fur. Fortunately, he's a short hair....Whenever Toonces gets in something...ay yi yi...she has long, silky black hair and it becomes a matted mess.

Hey! By the way! If anyone reading this is a local Austin business and you have bumperstix to promote yourself, please mail them in to me for an art project I am doing called AUSTIN GUITAR TOWN. I was one of 50 artists selected to decorate a 10' tall guitar for display later this fall.

Toodles!

posted by Sara Hickman at 04:26 am
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Gooooood Morning, Blogathon!

Ah, the sun isn't even blogging yet, although I sense it will be curling it's rays upon it's own keyboard within thirty two minutes...

What will the day bring?
How many blogs will I actually enter?
What will I see...? Who will I meet...?

Yes! Time to let Lucky out to pee and then I will come back online in about half an hour and write up something profound.

Hmm. What will that be. Perhaps a wee bit of Tao Pooh, like this:

"What will you blog?," asked Piglet to Pooh-Bear.

"Things of the day," answered Pooh.

"What sorts of things, Pooh?" Piglet scrunched up his little pink nose and looked quite concerned.

"Rumbly-tumbly sorts of things," smiled Pooh.

"Oh, yes!" clapped Piglet. "The best sorts of things are ALWAYS rumbly-tumbly!"

"And followed by a tasty smackering of honey, dear Piglet," said Pooh.

And the blogging began with toast and honey and a black and white pup named Lucky and a lovely, sleepy morning lady ready to take the world on with her smile.

posted by Sara Hickman at 03:52 am
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I Will Remember You, Everyday
July 25, 2006

We performed live on KGSR yesterday, and can I just say that Bryan Beck is a true gentleman? Not only that, I can tell he genuinely loves what he is doing...sharing music. We performed "Comfort's Sigh" and later Bryan played "This Too Will Pass" and plugged our upcoming show at Rutumaya.

We also went on KUT a few weeks back with the stunning John Aielli, one of the remaining gurus in the radio world. John is the kind of master programmer who can string songs together by the most abstract facts, and his knowledge of music/musicians/sounds, from classical to jazz to contemporary pop is really striking. We had a great hour on the radio, and the band did an awesome job.

So, I'd like to thank these two music lovers for giving me the airtime to share my songs live.

AND...I'd like to thank all the folks who called in to KGSR and supported my appearance. I could not do this without you. I remember you, everyday, as I am working my toukis off here at the office...I am remembering why I make the music and why I record it and where it has the potential to lead us....

Since I last wrote, this is what has transpired:

I will have NEWBORN and BIG KID in the Femail Creations Holiday Catalog....very excited about this new partnership!

Stingray attended the NARAS P & E (Producers & Engineers) event with Geoff Emerick and Chuck Rainey at the Austin City Limits Soundstage. Geoff was the engineer for the Beatles early work...He was incredibly interesting, and his stories of behind the scenes while recording the songs was mesmerizing. Everyone in attendance was leaning forward in their chairs, soaking up his recollections...and, then, when he would finish talking about the "boys" in his English accent, Malcolm Harper would pop in a sound clip...and everyone would sway in the reverie of hearing about what had happened during the making of that song.



Today I went to an all day NARAS "retreat" at the new Hyatt of the Lost Pines. We discussed the Academy, The Grammys, membership, direction, plans for the future, and got to really spend time with all the governors on the board. I really enjoy being on this board. Everyone is very involved, and with Music Cares and Grammys in the Schools as just two of the programs we extend out into the communities, we are an organization that is more than the little gold statue. We are an organization that wants to educate, advocate and support musicians in their journeys.

I have more to talk about, but I hear giggling in the next room, so I'm going to go join my girls.

posted by Sara Hickman at 05:05 pm
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Chuck Rainey
July 20, 2006



this is chuck rainey...he has played bass with aretha franklin to elton john...he's awesome...when i went up to meet him after he spoke on saturday, when i introduced myself, he said, "oh, i've played with you!" and, indeed, he had at a show in fort worth at bass auditorium... a small orchestra had been put together several years ago to back me for the texas film commission's aware program...and he was the bassist! Thanks to Craig Hopkins for the pic!

posted by Sara Hickman at 02:53 pm
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Seattle/Ellen/Seattle/Ellen
July 10, 2006

You know, when you are walking down the sidewalk of a blustery city by the sea, try this little sea chanty with each step you take:

Seattle (left foot)
Ellen (right foot)
Seattle (left foot)
Ellen (right foot)

See? Isn't that cool? Or you can try this one, from my Girl Scout days (you have to have your foot land in rhythm with the words)

"Left..(leading with left foot)....
Huh...(right foot)....
Left...
Huh...
Left my wife and her forty eight kids on the verge of starvation without any gingerbread left...
Huh...
Left...
Huh...
Did i do RIGHT?
Huh....
...Right...?
Huh.....
Right for my country go WHOOP-DEE-DOO!"

...and at the "whoop dee doo", you jump into the air in a sort of on-air skip and then land on your left foot leading, to start the entire process again.

Very fun. Both my kids are doing it now. When we aren't doing the "Monkees" theme and crossing over one another's feet.

Seattle.

What a great end to our journey into the depths of Ketchikan! Alaska was so majestic, so clean and simple and pure. Everything about it was magic. I wouldn't have been surprised to bump into Hermione in a book store there.

And, then, to ride the ferry from Ketchikan to the airport on the parallel island, and wave goodbye to that story book place and catch the flight to the next storybook place...ah, Seattle! The fresh fish market, where the flowers are braided and colors bursting "hello! good morning!" and the International District with the Japanese/Chinese restaurants...how do they all stay open? LIterally, it seemed like hundreds of restaurants and bakeries...and interesting little storefronts with $1 cha-chkis and plastic bowls and squishy rubber fish and lunch boxes and screwdrivers and
placemats with pictures of hippos saying "Boo!" for no apparent reason. And the Needle (which we did not ride to the top...$46 bucks for the four of us, as Lily said, "...to ride an ELEVATOR? Mom, that's crazy!" ) But we did go in the Fun Forest and ride the rollercoaster and win some prizes and
eat some junk and then to the theatre where io and I saw " Prarie Home Companion" in an early 1900's tiny theatre called the Seven Gables...one theatre, only holds, maybe, fifty people....and a handpainted screen with THE LAST CASTLE emblazoned across it, a chandelier that rotates up into the ceiing (that elicited some major "oohs" and "aahs" from me and io) while Lance and LIly went to see "Superman Returns" at the also ancient NEPTUNE.

More soon. I have to go get ready for swim lessons.

NEXT MORNING...6:11 am

Then, on Saturday, my dear friend, Jim Dunlap, came bursting on the scene, driving down from Vancouver with his pal, and now mine, Doreen, a lovely woman with a heart of gold. (Which is funny because they are both accountants in film!)

So, we all had dinner at Hervey's, including Mint Chocolate Shakes, and then the girls went back to the hotel with Lance and I went off to perform a house concert at the enchanting home of Linda and John. What an entranceway! Their home is nestled on the tail end of a cul de sac, with foxgloves and ringing bells, fir trees and figurines peeking out from lovely gardens along the path. Hearts of swirling colored stone laid out among bowl's of peanut butter pretzels and napkins, snacks ready for munching while songs are sung.

The concert was SUCH FUN! I sang, the audience sang, there was laughter and tears...new friends mixing with old, and a blessing on a love filled home to begin a new tradition of house concerts: I was the first to kick things off...such an honor!

Jim and Doreen drove me back to the hotel, and I was sad to see them go. I first met Jim about 12 years ago when he was working on "Northern Exposure", and I was in Seattle to do a show at the Backstage. He had contacted my manager about picking me up and taking me out to meet the cast members (which I did!) and gave me a tour of Seattle. We've been fast friends ever since. Jim is the kind of friend who makes the whole world seem friendly, and everyone loves him. (He's very ticklish so you have to be careful when you give the guy a hug. Just FYI.)

posted by Sara Hickman at 04:42 pm
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Pure Frank

morning comes and the phone rings, and an adventure into delight unfolds with a newfound soul named frank.

my little dog curled at my feet, and the mockingbird trilling outside the window, dancing with my cat, shadow (yes, they really are friends...they do this every morning) and i get to share thoughts and memories and musical moments with a genuine person who is laughing on the end of the phone...

thank you, frank.
your comrade in arms,
sara

posted by Sara Hickman at 10:41 am
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Ketchikan? You betchikan!
July 03, 2006

Hey, Ellen!

Lance, my husband, has come up with this catchy Ketchikan phrase...Doncha love it! I'm gonna get a t-shirt made up just for you...ok, and one for Lance...and me...and Gene...and anyone else reading this who wants one and sends in $19.95 plus S & H.

"Ketchikan! You betchikan!"

Lemme tell you why that phrase rocks my Crocs. Mainly because we just saw a wild black bear mama and her two cubs, and as we are standing on a freezing bridge, watching the swirling, spawning, five foot salmon below us, ANOTHER mama bear comes hunkering along with a single cub...All the while, there are about 15 bald eagles flying overhead, along with a seal poking it's head up from the sea, far side of the bridge, right next to a very wet and happy sea otter, playing hide and seek with the waves. Sounds like it is too good to be true? That's just the tip of the iceberg (there aren't any here, by the way) here in Ketchikan. There's also starfish and crabs bigger than your head.
BLUE crabs...and red crabs! And a wonderful NPR community radio station (KRBD) and yummy food (Halibut Hut, which even had a cool jukebox...I played "MmmBop" just for you) and yesterday we hiked Ward Lake in the Tsongass National Preserve where we saw TWO RIDICULOUSLY HUGE SLUGS...banana slugs...one was lime green and looked like a tank, and the other one was stretched all the way out, just like a squishy banana. iolana discovered them both cuz, as I pointed out, she's small enough to be down by the good stuff! We also saw a beaver
swimming lazily towards some tall reeds, and two kingfishers and many, many ravens. The ravens seemed ominous, but didn't bother our good fun in the woods, dappled light on our faces, fresh cherries in our mouths, laughing and spitting the pits here and there. Waterfalls, chipmunks, occassional dog poop. (Or deer poop, but it sure smelled like dogs...)

We all saw the Lumberjack (and Lumberjill) Show. That is another entry bound to happen....

Ok, more later, I'm gonna go snuggle with my honey...tomorrow is the Ketchikan Fourth of July Parade through downtown, and we are going to cheer and eat pie homemade by the local church ladies.

posted by Sara Hickman at 11:43 pm
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