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Sheesh....where does the time go?!?!? This will bring you up to date............
February 2010
So much to say so little space….so here we go:
Is there any justice in this world? Just say YES! The date was February 10th, in the early afternoon, we actually witnessed a guy MOWING HIS LAWN! This is no ordinary guy either. This guy lives next door to our daughter and it seems they have a game, make that a WAR, they play to see who can mow their lawn first and best and this goes on all year long….apparently. He doesn’t let the fact that it was probably 30 degrees and the wind was blowing stop him. He wins for the first one of the year but I believe the war has begun for 2010 and there will be retaliation!
The date was February 11th…that beautifully mowed lawn was covered in 3 inches of snow. All that work for nothing! But knowing this guy, he probably went out with a hairdryer to melt the snow so his lawn would show.
Because we are on the road as much as we are, we feel it is our duty to keep our friends up to date on tips to help make life easier. Here’s your tip for this month: the T/A (Travel America) Center at exit 54 in Boise has the best squeegees we have ever found AND they had the lowest prices on gasoline throughout the entire city. It wouldn’t be fair to tell you what that price was because we all know it goes up every night while we’re sleeping. Check out the bonus track on Terri’s CD, The Gasoline Blues.
Another of our special services that we provide every now and then is to do scientific experiments while on the road and report the results back to you. The experiment from the trip to Ellensburg, WA is this (11 hours in the van tends to get to you!): While traveling down the road at 78 miles per hour in a 75 miles per hour zone (that really doesn’t have anything to do with anything) turn your fan motor on to speed 3 and hold a wand of bubbles up to the vent closest to you and you will be treated with a very steady stream of bubbles that will reduce you to a gut wrenching belly laugh that will make your face and sides hurt for quite some time.
Not content with doing this just once, it was done several times just to make sure it really did work. Imagine the stream of bubbles if you were riding in the back seat and faced the vent towards the front of the vehicle. I’m thinking Lawrence Welk could have used this one! Here’s another tip: the bubbles leave a white residue on anything and everything they pop on so make sure you have a bottle of water and McDonalds napkins to wipe up the mess before they dry. Go ahead and try this at home. I’m going to teach it to my grandkids!
Well…………I just found out what a bad person I have been. Is it really possible that there hasn’t been a newsletter come from these fingertips since last F-A-L-L???? I am so, so sorry. That means there’s a lot that you don’t know…..like:
Terri didn’t win the Song of the Year Award for her song, The Wyoming Waltz. But the good news is that it is eligible again this year so for those of you that are WMA members, please remember this song when the nomination form comes out. (I’m not supposed to solicit votes but I feel it is my duty to advise you of the eligibility and make you aware of how to become a member of the WMA… www.westernmusic.org )
Speaking of the Awards Show…..we have received numerous calls and emails from folks indicating that have been tuned in to RFD TV and watched the WMA Awards Show. Maybe someday the WMA will be big enough to make it on NBC or with Leno. YEEHAW!!!!
Our 7th Annual STAMPEDE! And Friends Cowboy Christmas Benefit Show was a success even though Mother Nature tried her best to keep people away. She did a good job of that but we were fortunate to have some good sponsors to cover the bills and we didn’t have to dip in to the money we collected for the Red Cross. Now it’s on to planning for the 8th Annual Show and we are truly blessed to have some wonderful friends that are going to help us with our sponsors. Thanks Scott and Joyce!!! GO CENTURY 21 (shameless plug)
Terri and Steve both have there very own Facebook pages. There’s actually one for STAMPEDE!, too but I didn’t do it right and I will take care of that…just don’t hold your breath.
Our total number of performances for 2009 (177) was down a little from the previous years. Blame it on the economy or whatever but it looks like we’re going to make up for it this year. We already have a couple dozen under our belts so far and right now another 89 on the books and some of those go from 1-10 during a weekend!
Our total mileage for 2009 was just over 26,000 miles for the year. The ol’ Grand Caravan in holding in there really well. It is now 2 years old and has just over 57,000 miles on it. At least we haven’t gone through any transmissions yet….knock on wood.
It was tough year for losing friends and family. Among them was our good friend Curly Musgrave. What a trooper he was. He battled through so many brain surgeries only to have them tell him he was terminal and they gave him little time to live. He died with the same dignity and grace that he lived with. He was an amazing singer, performer, songwriter, therapist, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, partner and friend and he will be missed by so many. But we do know that there is one heck of a Cowboy singer in Heaven now keeping us all safe as we travel to spread the music. Thanks Curly for being a Cowboy True.
The biggest news has been saved for the end. We had hoped to be the ones to break the news but it seems to have broken already and we want to set the record straight. STAMPEDE! is no longer a herd of 3. We are a smaller herd (if you can call 2 a herd!) As with all good things and after 8 great years of memories and performances, the group is now a duo and consists of Steve and Terri Taylor. We have been extremely blessed to have made it for 8 years. A lot of groups don’t. We wish David all the best. We are so very grateful for the many friends that we have made the last 8 years. Many of you have become family. We would ask that you please continue to support both STAMPEDE! and David who will probably be seen a lot with his beautiful daughter, Jenny Lynn.
We hope to see you soon!
May the horse be with you!
STAMPEDE!
Steve Taylor- Vocals, Bass, Chauffer, Tarzan Imitator, Sound Tech, Motel reservation getter, water boy, chicken dancer, weakest link, FORMER PRESIDENT of the WMA…finally, a title but it only lasted for 5 ½ years and now he’s Secretary…OK now he’s on the Board of Advisors. Does he love the WMA or what?!?!? Also known for giving birth to an alien through his knee via C-section (dang catheter cap anyway!), pack horse, sweat hog, beer not wine kind of guy, a REAL cowboy, Coyote howler, singer of German Christmas Carols, doer of amazing hat tricks, My Hero, consumer of fine foods slimy and otherwise, sporting bright red toenails until the stupid stuff wears off…AND SOON TO BE RETIRED….he says he has 70,000 miles on him and he needs to be “re-tired”.
Terri Taylor, The Epiglottis Goddess-Vocals, Guitar, Spoons, Yodeler, Face player, Banker, Bookkeeper, Agent, Manager, Computer Tech (sorta), Answering Service, Scheduler, Bathroom Finder, Chief Cook and Bottle washer, Song Finder, Wardrobe Specialist, Gopher, mail clerk, speech writer( I’d like to thank the Academy…”) Tic magnet, boot hog, owner of many guitars, award winner (a plethora of ‘em now!), Willie Nelson imitator on bad days, new owner of a really cool guitar and perhaps another one on the way, tin-grinner and changing colors monthly…not so fast kimosabe…..the braces are GONE and thanks to Scott Nilson and his crew of understanding girls, I have straight teeth!, “Pack your bags and on a trip we’ll go….”, editor, reporter, bubble blower |
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