Roseburg

[ed_zeppelin]

Roseburg, Oregon is as pretty as the name makes it sound. It's what people think of when they think "Oregon." Lush farmland nestled in the Umpqua Valley, its official motto is "Timber Capital of the Nation." And it was, since the first settlers came here on the Oregon Trail.  Ken Kesey's farm is here. A couple of blocks from where I sit on the porch swing of our 1880 Victorian home, is a bronze statue of Ken Kesey reading to children.  

  I live in Shelbyville, for you Simpsons fans. Eugene. Just up the road from Roseburg.   This is my porch. For 135 years, neighbors have stopped by to chat. Old people have rocked and complained. I write swill on my porch swing.  

  Something horrible happened here today. I don't know how to deal with this obscenity. When I hear of a mass shooting, I make it a point to ignore the name or any information about the shooter. The only answer to the inevitable question "why?" that follows a slaughter is; so we would know their name. I refuse.

[sonicus]

With all my heart and mind I feel empathy for  all of you in this time of pain . My soul can feel the depths of this tragedy as well and I send my sincere condolences and wishes of healing.

[cozmik_cowboy]

I fully agree about not naming shooters.  Let them pass unnamed into obscurity.
 
But I will say, Forest - I want to come sit on your porch!
 
Peter

[gtrguy]

I am also disturbed by how many people (politicians) who are already using this horrible thing to further their own political agendas.

[ed_zeppelin]

I was saving this for a special occasion and I decided to do this at 6:30 this morning, while making coffee. It just popped into my head and stood out like a steeple on a flate plane (to borrow a phrase from Dune). I think you'll see why.
 
Provenance: beats me. It came into the shop as a trade-in, for a standard setup and return to the store for sale. I opened the case and saw a PRISTINE 1957 Martin 0-15. We were born the same year.
 
I mean unplayed. There were no marks or smudges to indicate that anyone had even played a chord on it. Utterly no pick marks, belt rash or blemish. And it's light as a feather. Seriously, the lightest acoustic guitar I've ever held, period.  
 


 
 
I changed the strings and played one chord on it, and knew instantly that it's something really special. Doug was real proud of his new hundred-dollar wristwatch, so I called him over and had him time the sustain. I twanged the D string and it reverberated - clear as a bell and silky as petting an extra-long cat - for two minutes and twelve seconds.
 


 
 
I want to record something for you, so you can hear it. So for now I thought it would be fun to see how musically the mahogany and finish have aged over the years, and I'm sure that at least five decades of that time was spent slumbering in its case.
 


 
 
The other side is a carbon copy, with those nifty waves of finish checking radiating out from the bridge (couldn't photograph it, though.)
 


 
 


 
 
Okay, now I'm going to try to make this iPad thingie and brand new Line 6 Sonic Port VX talk to each other (I haven't even taken it out of the box. Uh-oh.) ...
 
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/line-6-sonic-port-vx
 
... and assuming the results will be amenable to YouTube, I'll  play something for you. In fact, I have just the song. Wish me luck.

[David Houck]

My heart goes out to you and your community, and to the victims and their families.

[cozmik_cowboy]

edit: I want to sit on your porch and play that Martin!
 
Peter