Guitar Hero

Have you ever dreamed about sitting around a campfire on the beach with all your close friends and being the cool person who whips out her guitar and then suddenly everyone spontaneously joins in a sing-a-long of "No Woman, No Cry?"  Or maybe its your backyard fire pit with your fam and the sing-a-long is a little more "The Wheels on the Bus" oriented.

At any rate, I have this dream.

You could definitely say that I come by it honestly.  Yes, I can read music and took piano lessons for approximately 47 years, but the real tie-in lies with my parents.  Of course.

When my sister and I were very little, my dad was the mandolin and occasional bass player for the Rising Creek Bluegrass Band.  Then, when we got a bit older, both he and my mom (who plays guitar) formed a bluegrass / folk band with their friends called The Heartland String Band.  (They would practice at our house on regular basis, which was pure heaven, because it was the only time Doritos were ever allowed in the house.  I freakin' loved "band night.")  Now they are in a new folk band that is all the rage in Western Kansas nursing homes, Rotary Club meetings and UCC churches.  (I think their name is "What's for Dinner," but it could also be "Just for Fun."  Or maybe it's "Rusty Nail"...  I can't keep up.)

So not only have my parents always been in some type of band, but my mom has played classical guitar for approximately 2/3 of her life.  I have really fond memories of playing with the latches on her guitar case as she plucked away at note after note, sending scales, arpeggios and classical melodies throughout our house.

And now, after telling my parents about my interest in playing the guitar, I am the proud "owner" of my mother's vintage Yamaha 3/4 classical guitar.  (It's on permanent loan until I decide to take up the marimba.)

See you at the campfire!