BOB'S IN THE PAPER - AGAIN.

We are so so lucky and blessed to be recognized as much as we are and it 's really neat that someone takes notice to all the great things going on in this town in the last few years AND that we get to be a part of it!  So here Bob is again, doing his thing: music, theatre, etc.

Artists Can Polish Their Work at the Salon

HOW MUCH FUN CAN ONE PERSON HAVE? (WELL, TWO OR MORE PEOPLE I GUESS)

So what is all this fun i've been talking about that we had in July?  It's all here in pictures:

The Artists Happy Hour at the Rochester Civic Theatre's Outdoor Patio

A Be CD release party in the Barn Bar.  Bob plays mandolin with these boys and they asked him to record with them on their new CD.  So we had a release party.

Then our band Blue Monk played at the Olmsted County Fair. This is Madison's fine artwork:

"yeah, I'm with the band."

And our band played at the Rochester Civic Theatre's Friday Night Bistro:

And Bob played with Ted at Daniel's NorthWoods Lounge:

Of course, we were at Thursday's on First and Third every Thursday (except for that one day that was 110 Degrees)

Image compliments of Don Vaughan

So with all this playing out we had to practice a little.  So our friend's Susan and Roger made us all pizza in their outdoor brick oven after we practice on their farm called Squash Blossom Farm.

Maddie took her training horse Maui out to Haycreek for her first real trail ride.  I think she liked the water!

oh small pic!

And I got published on the cover of Rochester Women Magazine!

Annnnddddd…. We got some tomatoes out of the garden.
Phew!  i am exhausted just thinking about it!

IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT AND EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT!

Yes, after the torential downpour that day, we headed on out to the Rochester Civic Theatre Patio for their Friday Night Bistro; our first outside gig of the summer.  But of course it downpoured, so that meant - our first outdoor had to be turned into an indoor gig.  Darn!  But we had a great time anyway, everyone enjoyed themselves and we made a few bucks.  Here's to Blue Monk on a Friday!

JUNE 12TH - ANOTHER SMALL CONCERT IN THE BARN BAR: GOING AWAY PARTY FOR SCOTT HOAG

Our friends Dianna and Kevin asked if they could use the Barn Bar for their friend Scott Hoag's going away party and final concert, and of course we said yes! He is moving to Denmark, poor guy. It was a fun night with lots of musicians joining in and sharing their talents.  We had a LOT of food and a lot of fun.  Especially watching the kids running around playing with the goats and petting the horses.  A friend that came out said she had to drag her son out here, he's 10, and "Now look at him! I don't think i will be able to get him to leave!"  I love that!  That's what this place is about: living, loving, animals and fun.

JUNE 10TH IN THE BARN BAR - PATCHOULI!

Yes, it was another fabulous concert in the Barn Bar that night.  Patchouli is fantastic, fun and Julie's smile is so contagious, you can't help but have a good time! We had great weather as it was cooler then usual so it almost got to the point that we might've had to start a fire in there.  (I know, June 10th!) But it worked out nicely. Bob played a couple songs with them too.  It was a night to remember. They said they love the energy of the Barn Bar and want to return. : ) Who would have thought that after what? 10 years or so, that a really great band we remember from Chicago when we lived there would end up playing in our barn?  Life is good.

I think it's time to go get that conditional use permit.

Bob, Ted and Mike opened for them.  They call their band BE

Maddie using my camera and having fun with it

I love seeing Susan Waughtal's paintings in the background

see? look sat that smile!  how could you not smile along with her?

this one is just cool looking

Bob got to sit in on a couple songs

THE FIRST ANNUAL GRAHAM FEST - BLUE MONK WAS THERE! 5/21/11

Yes, it was the first Graham Fest for the Friends of Graham Park, a group that are trying to raise funds to keep the fairgrounds around.  Bob was in charge of the band line up so it looked like the Sanborn show - all the usual characters: Ted & Mike (BE), Roger Nelson, Dianna and Kevin - well Kevin wasn't there so a friend filled in - Blue Monk and then the fabulous Jesse and the Rippers.
It was a good time and i figured i got enough images of these guys so what i did was come up with one image that just speaks volumes:

LIVE IN THE BARN - SIX MILE GROVE AND SALLY BARRIS 5/15/11

Yes, last weekend we had another concert in the barn with our good friends Brandon Sampson and his band Six Mile Grove, and Sally Barris.  It was great fun again to have Sally back!  When i wrote to thank her for playing she wrote back, "Dawn and Bob, the Barn Bar has a special place in my heart. It's like a mini heaven; Music, food, great people, goats. Thank you for having a totally awewome venue for singersongwriters to play at."  This just makes my heart sing!


We decided this one was to be family friendly and as Brandon wrote on the flyers - Bring Your Family - Pet Some Goats - they all did!  It was great seeing all these little people running around enjoying themselves.  The way all gathering should be - kids just bring out the best in people.

We've also decided to feature a local artist's works behind the stage now, and our friend Susan Waughtal was our first artist!  She hung some amazing paintings and i love that i now have a great new background behind the performers!

one of the luckiest little boys around - he got to sing with Sally!

CATCHING UP IS HARD TO DO!

Ok, so what have i been up to the last few weeks?  Everything good! Images, gardening, images, framing, building stuff, images, plays, Americana concerts, images, massage, Barn Bar, horse vet, images = burnout!

So i got everything in the garden that was supposed to be in there in April, even with this crappy weather, i still got it in.  I think all those people that used aerosol hair spray in the 70's and 80's ruined the atmosphere so much that we'll never have any 'normal' seasons again.

I planted onions, broccoli, carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, leeks, kohlrabi, all blue potatoes, fingerling potatoes, just to name a few.

 We had a private concert in the barn with Pat DiNizio from the Smithereens:

I took images for  a series of work with Michelle Fimon, a poet and we collaborated to create works for the Civic Theatre lobby. This was pretty much my entire life for two weeks.  We did marathon sessions because we were at the mercy of this weather and shot 5 different shoots in one day!  Then it was back to Austin to shoot another two, then back for the last image on Easter.  All the while trying to work around Michelle and her son being ill at one point (or two). Crazy!  What i won't do for art! Plus i built a whole new framing table in one afternoon just so i could properly frame these images to hang.  Pics of that soon.

 Then it was time to start filming Barn Bar, season four.  And KSMQ came back to finish filming us filming.

Then it was Americana night, so of course we were there for that!

Then we went to see our friend's play FLARE that was at the Civic Theatre's lobby where Michelle and my series were hung.  I took the practice images for this play as well.

And somewhere in between all that- i had a couple photo shoots with a newborn and some kitties:

And then there was Easter.  Where our friends and family came over and we had a real nice evening.  Boy this farm livin' is a lot of hard work!!

Oh, and Maddie's latest column came out in the Exposed magazine:
Maddie's Rant

And the article that Jen Koski wrote about our cheese making adventures came out as well.

Jen's "My FIrst Time Making Cheese!"

Go to page 18 for the article.

No rest for the wary.  : )    And this week should be a doozy!  First Farmer's Market next Saturday!