NYC Journal

Am on a workation trip which is good to detox digitally. Working from my laptop as usual, but just anither European city. Already feel a bit better focus and calmness. Might be the heat which I do appreciate.
Apps are designed like drugs "I have control over it" until it takes over.

About the digital footprint, yeah, I have rather exposed namesakes so it covers up a ton of results.

Funnily Scandinavian transparency means that the directory is open, google up names and address, age and other personal details are there. Of course, quite a bit more than yellow pages.

Got a fun anectdote an acquaintance told me. I was googled by a Spanish podcast and it provided much entretainment. Know that the maps still show the old factory before my cirrent housing development.

Europe has GDPR where you can enforce personal data rights. Fun fact, when I worked with it, the general rule is that "3 identifiable data points can give you a whole idea of someone".

Sometimes I have done such "background checks" of some people. And was surprised as how much one can fetch.
 
Today is a gym day and a weigh in. Yesterday was a trail hike with heavy hands to walk the old lady. I feel a bit stiff today.

Cool fall weather. I saw a report about the record heat of the summer, and New York overall had a smaller gain than many parts of the country. More surprise is that surrounding states had bigger gains. I’m not saying New York is insulated from global warming, but as I predicted from my research it is doing better than other states.

Had some time to work on the steel IBIS. I changed the gearing and rear tire. It is set up as a full rigid and weighs 23 pounds. Some of the walking trails at Blue Mountain are not so rocky and technical. Nice to have riding so close.

We have to babysit the grand kids later today. Also my DADGBD strings will get delivered today.

A surprise is that retirement is a spiritual experience where there is a lot of reflection and a search for inner and external peace. In a way I feel I am growing up. I ended up doing many small tasks and cleaning up a bit. Set up the Concept 2 rower in my front enclosed porch.

Last night I lit a fire using the antique fire pit I snagged from a private nursery that has the retro flavor that goes with the house made of heavy cast iron displaying a patina of rust. The smoke kept the bugs at bay, and I read my music theory book until it got dark after another nice dinner.

The learning of how to read music is a real challenge. I have both strengths and weakness. This new book that is less academic has a better format for my degree of learning and knowledge. It is an easier read, and pretty much I’m cementing and reviewing stuff I already understand and know.

In my practice and playing I’m digging into only the keys of C, F, G, and A to understand the relationships. “A” is the relative minor of “C” and I will add the two other relative minors for “F” and “G” later. A lot of growth is happening, but I’ll be stuck for a while.

The bonus and upside is that this study translates into the other keys. Pretty much I need to concentrate on building out my foundation before taking off and flying. I’m kinda building out a hanger of sorts for my plane.

On our trail walk we were warned about a fox that was caught and tested positive for rabies. Rabies is treatable, but once symptoms show up when untreated the disease is fatal. Earlier in the year I saw in my back-backyard what I thought could of been a fox, but I’m not sure…

More baby rabbits. Very cute and they are very tame.

Cal
 
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Futures suggest another red screen today after yesterday’s big sell off.

My weekly weigh in came at 158 3/4. I actually gained weight, I look bulkier and more muscular in the arms and chest, and I dare say my butt is more bubble like. The mid section seems more toned, yet baby fat or a couple of hamburgers remain.

If I were in skinny-bitch mode I would loose perhaps 5 pounds of fat, but I’d be totally ripped. I could be a swimsuit model for Sports Illustrated. LOL.

I only did a half hour on the elliptical, the heavy hand trail walk happened the day before and residual fatigue and stiffness was leftover. I upped the weight on the kettlebell behind the head presses to 45 pounds and did 12-10-10 which is the target for strength and power. I gave a goal where a 50 pound kettlebell or almost 1/3rd of my body weight would be mighty powerful.

I have the body type that next week I can do a 50 pound kettlebell perhaps in sets of 10-8-8. Brutal for a skinny light weight guy. Owning a 50 pound kettlebell would also be great for squats and chest pulls. Lean, but mean.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is a rip-off for free weights. I will shop elsewhere. “Maggie’s” professional trainer advised not to shop there for these items.

Did sets of different curls. Lots of tone in my arms shoulders and chest.

So skinny bitch mode seems elusive, as I gain obvious muscle mass, and remember muscle is more dense than fat.

Eventually there will be a speed up of metabolism because muscle and lean mass burns calories even at rest. I am eating mighty good and eating clean.

After baby sitting the grand children I came home and installed the GADGBD set of strings on the HOG Santa CRuz Model “F.”
Muy brutal and now the guitar booms and chimes. Has the growl and fullness of a pipe organ in a Church or Cathedral.

Evidently the guitar woke up and now is an emerging monster. Mucho volume, thud and big sound. Overnight the strings stretched and today they will be settled in. As time goes on it will even get better.

I’m so glad I bought this guitar at a near giveaway price. It went unloved and sat in its case for about a decade, and I received it as a new guitar for “no-money.” Of course this led me to ording the custom Model “F” I also own which was another smart move because within a year the price went up many thousands and now I would be priced out.

They say you can’t time the market, but furture inflation is kinda the trend and is somewhat predictable. Spend your money wisely on things that hold and have real value.

I gut out a 1980 Stingray bass I own. I refreshed my memory and now remember the remarkable condition. In real estate it is location-location-location that are the three most important considerations. In vintage instruments it is condition-condition-condition.

Pretty much my 1980 is a rarity now because of its condition, but it also in history is an unusual Stingray because it has an alder body (most Stingrays use ash for the body) and because it has a fretted Rosewood fingerboard. On a registry of early Stingrays it is noted that I likely own one of the earliest examples of a fretted rosewood Stingray.

I set up the bass for playing. This guitar seems ideal with flat wound strings that have a certain thump like an old upright bass with a sudden decay. The result is an extra woody sound that reminds me of an unfretted bass. A remarkable instrument with drool and “you-suck” factor. I named this bass “ROSEY.”

There is mucho value added here, and vintage Stingrays already sell for big money. With the right buyer I could secure a 25%-30% premium. Condition-condition-condition; and rarity-rarity-rarity compound each other; but I would be at a loss.

Anyways I have the glow and feeling like a proud father because of these treasures. They are growing up, maturing, and becoming individuals with history and character.

The Buffalo leather strap I ordered was only $39.99, and I was surprised on how soft the leather is. I was surprised by the quality, and I think I will buy some more as either gifts or for my own use. Pretty much the quality is of an $80.00- $100.00 strap and it is nice and wide. Somehow a bargain…

It seems like Peekskill is a great “base-camp” that has legs in our retirement, and about an hour’s car ride north into the Hudson Valley is a place to exploit that has location-location-location as a strong point. I further speculate that global warming will increase and accelerate appreciation and value. I want in and so does “Maggie.”

Where we differ though is I would want a bit more land because as an investment it is the resource that is limited. I would want and favor a small dwelling, but a lot of land.

Cal
 
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The day got hijacked. The kid’s dad’s truck wouldn’t start after dropping the grand daughter off at school.

Pretty much an electronic computer glitch. At the dealer they found nothing wrong. Somehow the AAA guy came opened the hood and it started.

Too much electronic complexity, more than you need. Vehicle was a 2022 Nisson Frontier.

A waste of part of the morning and part of the afternoon.

Now that Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island is closed there is this mighty cool boutique guitar dealer in Littleton New Hampshire that is a 5 hour drive away. This is the Santa Cruz dealer where I ordered my Custom Model “F” from.

Today I called and spoke to Dan the owner and got invited to come for a visit. Pretty much a nice place to vacation if you like the White Mountains.

Planning on taking “Maggie” there for a scout out, and also a separate trip with my friend Dave a really great guitar player. We will bring out the Santa Cruzes and basically hang out for a day at a guitar shop.

Pretty much Dave says I have the top dog as far as Santa Cruzes go with the Custom Model “F” I ordered. He got to play this guitar when it was still fresh and new, before it started to really open up. Now it is a monster.

He also has not played my Santa Cruz OM in a couple of years. This guitar is made with old growth Brazilian, and was made about 35 years ago, before Santa Cruz offered the old growth wood and the 1934 spec model. This guitar is as good as it gets for an OM style guitar.

So crazy great that it is pure-evil. The devil’s tool.

I also got the lowdown for the Berkshires on the Mass. side from AJ.

So pretty much I got the smut. The Berkshires are only 1 hour 45 minutes away, and that pretty much can be day trips.

Littleton, NH, is about 5 hours drive.

I love the idea of a guitar day-trip. Dave can overnight at my house. He lives on Lawn-Guy-Land.

Cal
 
There was a semi emergency that involves Con Ed and the fire department on my house: a gas leak at my curb. The valve buried under my front lawn was leaking.

Con Ed had to be called and the contractor could not do the work. Right now my natural gas is shut off. I was told that next week I’ll get my external new smart meter installed and hooked up to the new trunk/line they installed.

Another Con Ed crew came and performed a pressure test, and they found a tiny leak on a coupler just before my house shut-off valve. They did a repair even though the meter and line will be replaced shortly.

I’m spending a lot of time today playing my three Santa Cruz’s in a piano like manner. Instead of plucking a string in a sweeping manner I kinda strike the string like a hammer in a piano for a louder more percussive attack. It gets loud very fast.

I’m kinda interested in Littleton, New Hampshire a tiny town of only 6K inhabitants that is on the northern flank of the White Mountain National Park. About 5 hours away driving and east of Burlington Vt., so it is not so far from the Canadian border.

Could be a great place for a summer home…

Only 99K new jobs, which is saying the economy is slowing. Tomorrow, Friday is the Unemployment number, and if this number shows an increase it will effect the amount of the expected rate cut.

Meanwhile the sell off continues in the markets. There seems to be some support for gold. As prices dip it gets bided back up to $2550.00 or near there. People and banks are buying the dips.

So tomorrow will be a big day for the markets and the unemployment number will be somewhat the tell all: will it be a continued soft landing; or will it be a hard landing?

BTW it is normal that 2 months before a Presidential Election that the markets are volatile and somewhat depressed. The markets don’t like uncertainty.

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Our sewer line is new. The over 100 year old clay pipe was lined and is warranted for 50 years. A brand new natural gas line and new external smart meter upgraded in size will be shortly completed. This new upgrade will allow the capacity of adding an 18KW generator in the future, and avoids the expense out of my pocket for the upgrade

I have a 200 amp service in the house, and a 100 amp service in my garage.

A 1912 Baby-Victorian with all updated infrastructure. Snarky Joe mentioned that the garage has the power for an electric vehicle charging station.

This is a big deal, and lots of value added to the right person.

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The leak is repaired, but now I need someone to come by to open the valve to restore gas service and remove a lock-box.

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The Santa Cruz Brazilian OM is brutal, and so is the custom Model “F.” The Model “F” has more clarity and note separation, and the Brazilian OM has a deeper thud and mucho overtones.

One guitar is better for Blues, the other Jazz.

The HOG is interesting because it is so different. Lots of warmth, a clear tone of mostly fundamental, along with a singing sustain and voice. Perhaps not so in your face as the other two Santa Cruz’s, but a thicker sound that seems smoother.

Very inspiring to have 3 very different voices at a very high level.

I can see me locking in some profits and doing some selling and trading of bass guitars or amps to secure perhaps another Santa Cruz. Kinda greedy… Hard to say, but the OM and Custom Model “F” are tied as far as being the favorite, but the HOG is close behind. I imagine as the HOG breaks in more it will evolve in even more volume and richness.

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Update: Con Ed upgraded my in basement meter to a 250 to replace an obsolete 50. They have a 500, but I don’t know if I need that upgraded to handle a 18KW or 22 KW generator.

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My tubulars got delivered. I’ll stretch them onto the spare rims AJ gifted me, and pump them up. This will make it easier to mount when I need them as spares.

An observation is the many crews of workers come from as far away as New Jersey, Connecticut, and pretty far away in New York.

My old house is getting a lot of updating. Very cool.

Cal
 
Oil prices are below $70.00 a barrel. Pretty much demand and a slowdown is indicated by lowered oil prices.

Tomorrow the moment of truth with unemployment numbers, and then the speculations about the size of the rate cut, or series of rate cuts.

Then there is the real danger of inflation getting reignited…

Cal
 
It was a very-very busy day at the Baby-Victorian. Many different crews doing all kinds of tasks. All the jobs specialized.

It really takes a lot to update an old house. The Baby-Victorian came with a fresh roof and a new Crown boiler, the widows were updated to thermopane, but they are not new. Then we remodeled…

So now fresh infrastructure…

When they do the new external meter it will be a good time to get rid of some excess gas line plumbing, and remove a gas hot water heater that isn’t needed or used.

I didn’t really do anything and somehow things are moving forward all on their own. How cool is that?

The HOG has a fat thick sound with a stout bottom, The custom 1934 Model “F” is the other end of the spectrum with a shimmer to the high end, a thinner bottom, but has this clarity. The HOG and the 1934 “F” are the same body size, but built with different woods, so this difference is rather dramatic and fun.

The OM is a slightly smaller guitar, but because the bracing is scalloped the bass gets accentuated and the mids fall off a bit to promote somewhat a scooped response, but the smaller body also accentuates the treble.

Three really different guitars…

I am a lucky man. My friend Dave says my Custom Model “F” is the top dog as far as Santa Cruz’s go, but he has not played my OM in a decade. Today it is a rather distinguished open sounding guitar that is mighty sensitive to the touch. At times too many overtones, perhaps overly rich when compared to the 1934 “F”.

The OM has some density in the old growth Brazilian, and this wood is very reflective with a metallic taste to it. There is a strong ringing of overtones.

Interesting to a player…

Cal
 
A headline suggests the FED is too late. A string of three days of sell offs. They are saying the “R” word.

So when the FED cuts rates this could reactivate the unwinding of the Yen carry-trade. To compound this it is also expected that the Bank of Japan will again boost rates which also will promote further unwinding of the carry-trade.

Things are looking ugly…

Cal
 
Drove about 2 hours to the Berkshires in Mass. We visited a few of the places and towns that AJ recommended.

The Berkshires on the New York side are rural farms, but the Mass. side is kinda affluent burbs and colonial, kinda upscale.

The thing is that Our Baby-Victorian is situated where there is a pretty big envelope that kinda is our backyard.

My friend Dan gave us 5 links where we could get lodging within 20 minutes of Littleton NH. The thing is the fall foliage season, so we might have to book soon.

Not too far from the Canadian border and due east of Burlington Vermont, Littleton is nested on the northern end of the White Mountains National Forest. The drive is only a little more than 5 hours.

Ends up Peekskill is in a great location for our explorations.

Had a very relaxing one-day vacation. Glad I got the smut from AJ.

Pretty much these excursions are doing research, getting the lay of the land, and are fun one day trips that cost very little money.

Speaking of AJ he has been parking in the back lot on Bear Mountain and doing repeats using a road bike to climb the summit. He lost his baby-fat and I would also say some lean muscle mass. In the winter I yelled at him not to get fat on me, and pretty much from all his weight training I called him a “muscle head.”

Now he is about 10 pounds lighter, 5’10” and 170. He looks like a biker again. BTW AJ is in his 50’s, but he looks mucho young.

In 2022 Con Ed came to our house to add a gas monitor. Back then they leak checked our meter and gas feed and everything was good. The gas leak in the street/curb led to them coming into the house for another inspection this time they discovered a tiny-tiny leak.

I’m so glad that my house is getting updated.

“Snoopy” our intrusive neighbor inquired with “Maggie” to find out the extent of our emergency.

Cal
 
Another sell-off today, and that was with a mixed report on the job markets.

Pretty ugly post Labor Day week.

What will the FED do?

How big a rate cut?

Will the Carry Trades unwind and create a crisis?

Will it be a hard or soft landing, or become a recession?

Add onto this a Presidential Election year.

Cal
 
Last week the markets slide badly and today’s Saturday futures looks like another steep drop Monday. They also say that home buyers are sidelined till after the election, which is likely a very smart move because things are rather unstable and unsettled now.

Employment is a bigger problem than inflation, and inflation did not go away. The lowering of rates in fact is stimulas and that adds fuel to inflation which runs the risk of getting reignited.

Then with the dollar value declining with lower interest rates can have unintended consequences like another further unwinding of carry trades that can destabilize economies around the world.

Things have the potential to blow up and get mucho crazy very fast. Don’t forget all the leverage, borrowing, and debt that is somehow discounted. The world it seems has been living on debt, and pretty much the people or country with little or no debt is where you want to be.

Also you might want to be downsized because that certainly will be the future.

I have a bad feeling…

They say when the U.S. sneezes the world catches a cold. Pretty much a downturn in the U.S. has a great impact on the rest of the world because we consume so much. But If you look at the European Union as a whole their economy is almost as large as the U.S. economy, then this is also true for China which is a very messy place.

So what if all three big weights sink with the ebbing tide? They say a rising tide raises all ships, and that is what happened for a few decades with the world globalizing, but now all that is unwinding. The converse is true, a lower tides lowers all ships, and because of de-globalization I believe the lower tide is happening. Some people will drown in debt, as well as some countries.

Paying down debt means austerity…

Realize that much of the U.S. economy and GNP is government spending. This can’t continue and is propping up our economy. Then wars are inflationary. “Money has to come from somewhere,” I say.

Inside the bubble I live in we have expenses well contained, and we live well below our means. I would say that 2/3rds of Americans live beyond their means and are saddled with big debt loads. I say this because the number of Americans they say that can retire is only about a third of the population, and this group obviously lives below their means and are financially planning for a future and retirement.

The counter is that maybe 2/3rds of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Of all the new cars on the road; how many are leases? My spin is that people are driving cars that they really can’t afford. Not so dissimilar to the 2008 housing crisis.

Car buying has slowed. Car dealers and Harley Davidson dealers say they have too much inventory… Hmmm…

I suspect a big fire sale will happen like 2007-2008. People will be selling treasures and heirlooms in a crowded market for little or no money again. Keep your ammo dry. Like a vulture circle overhead and wait…

Anyways something eventually has to give. Payback will be a bitch.

Cal
 
On the guitar front somehow my mind made the connection to the 2-5-1 modulation of changing keys. This is the most common way that keys change in Jazz. Pretty much enough internalization happened to actually see and visualize the crossover and all the possibilities.

My universe just exploded and I entered through a portal of sorts. This 2-5-1 progression is no longer a concept of abstraction anymore: it a revelation. Eyes wide open now, and I see further.

Somehow I trained and reprogrammed “Maggie” into a carefree mode where she does not like plans, and is more open to going with the flow. Yesterday’s half a tank of gas and 4 hours round trip of driving just exploring prevented all the overthinking and second guessing that depletes really being in the moment that often leads to anxiety.

Pretty much I have reshaped her into a lazy-slacker. Also cheap thrills.

The Mass. side of the Berkshires is an affluent community and lux. It is a place where I would not want to live, even If I could afford it. Class issues are kinda outspoken, we fit in, but then again we didn’t. The homes were historic and stately. Something about old New England Colonial homes somehow capture a quaint time in history that remains timeless.

I can’t say this about mid century home, or modern homes, perhaps because they were mass produced.

An overcast a spotty rain today. Likely will hit the gym… I’m kinda getting bulky and becoming a bit of a muscle head with no neck. My waist is slimmer and is getting toned, but I’m gaining serious amounts of muscle mass. Even my butt is a bubble that casts a shadow.

My guess is when I get a strong base and develope more endurance that I’ll lean out, but as far as weight goes I might not get to skinny-bitch mode.

Cal
 
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Planning another road trip, but this time to the White Mountaians in New Hampshire. Pretty much a 5 hour drive or a tank of gas on the Audi A4.

Towns in New England are large in area, but small in population. Bethlehem is around 2500 people in 91 square miles. Pretty much “Smallville.”

Littleton is about 6K inhabitants and 4500 of them live in “town”. Littleton is 50 square miles. Still very rural life.

The big draw for me is the small simple life, the old houses, history, and the preservation of a lifestyle and our environment. National and state parks translates into preserved wilderness.

New York has the Adirondack State Park which is the largest state park in the lower 48. Catskill State Park is mighty big and straddles four counties. Bear Mountain combined with Harrimon State Park is almost 50K acres, and it is just across the Bear Mountain Bridge from Peekskill.

Lake Minnewaska is 22,275 acres that is a preserve. Then there is the 750 miles of built out rail trails that is the Empire State Trailway.

So pretty much I would loose out a lot leaving my strategic location.

As global warming accelerates I predict that the water supply will get so strained that there will be a revolutionary change in agriculture that I think like in Chess will be a forced move. Mechanized large scale farming is and won’t be sustainable. First off the water supply will be vastly diminished, and secondly agricultural land is effectively turning into desert.

50% of produce in the U.S. comes from California. How is delivering produce 3000 miles away to New York cost effective? There is not enough water to sustain this business model.

Canada is the Saudi Arabia for fresh water. I hope we don’t invade Canada to get access to their resources. Pretty much the only region of the U.S. that still has a sustainable water supply is the North East, specifically New York and New England.

In Chicago sewage now runs upstream, and is a serious problem. On my drives down to the Carolinas, I see the salt water intrusions that are killing off trees in swamplands.

Anyways I see in the future a return of small New England farms. Here in New York there is already a farm to table movement. Even our local homeless shelter is farm to table.

I don’t think Austin is wrong: “Growing food is printing money.”

So my bubble that I live in has grown. Pretty much an envelope exists for us that is part of a pie slice that radiates north almost to Canada. The cold or cool air settles it seems into the Hudson Valley from surrounding mountains to funnel and feed into our water supply.

The costs of travel by car and lodging make it very cost feasible. Much lower cost and less responsibility than owning a second home. Lots of freedom here: Peekskill is a great home base. I see its location as being stratigic. We live in and near watershed areas so further development is heavily restricted.

Somehow being only the 4th owners of the Baby-Victorian our taxes are remarkably low due to the lack of repeated assessments that jack the taxes every time the home is sold. Remember, “No one ever got rich by paying taxes.”

No stately home for me.

Cal
 
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As I read what I have written, you might not know that I am expressing and thinking of 5 years from now and decades ahead. Most people don’t use the patterns of economic and cultural history to frame their thinking.

While I claim to reside in a retirement bubble within the framework of a baby boomer who lived through remarkable history, I still embrace a very complicated world. On one hand my views are limited, but then again they are based on history, statistics, science, and research of a very curious artistic creative mind.

I just want to admit I could be very wrong, everyone is different, and from a non rigid mindset I kinda need to do a disclaimer because my thinking is rather fluid and unpredictable.

Pretty much I admit my guesses could be wrong, also know my survival skills involve a lot of gut feeling not based on logic or reason. I trust myself, but pretty much I encourage you to think for yourself.

Also I don’t want to come off as entitled. I realize my privilege, good fortune and luck here. Not everyone enjoys the same, and I am acutely aware of all this.

Anyways I guess I am trying to promote here peace and thoughtfulness. Maybe a better planet will result.

Cal
 
A pretty big bounce in the markets after last week’s sell-off. They say the FED likely will only cut rates a quarter point because of the Presidential election.

I compared the White Mountain State Park against Catskill State Park; the former is about 50 miles at it widest point, and Catskill is about 40 miles across it’s widest point.

Today was Gym day and my weekly weigh in. I weigh 157 1/2 pounds today, within striking distance of my skinny bitch threshold of 155 pounds. I managed an hour on the elliptical today at yet a higher resistance for half the hour, and then at the same level as last week.

I burned over 700 calories, and when biking in a cruise mode I figure 450 calories an hour is my burn. 700 calories is much more intense. To burn a pound of fat it takes about 4000 calories.

Yesterday I did a river power walk with 3 pound heavy hands to walk the “Maggie”. Last week the same two workouts on consecutive days left me feeling rather beat-up. Not this week. I’m certainly stronger and have better cardio this week.

I don’t feel as beat up as last week, in fact I feel kinda energized. Had to sleep extra and eat more protein.

On the guitar front it seems my three Santa Cruz acoustic guitars are getting well into being “pounded in” and the tops of the OM and 1934 Model “F” particularly seem to be woke. The HOG lags a bit, but it went through a major tipping point and got seriously louder and fuller today. Not sure if the mahogany top will ever have the bright top end as the Adirondack spruce top guitars, and this brightness gives off a perceived higher volume.

The HOG though has this “growl” and thump in the bottom. Kinda brutal in it’s own way. For a while I thought the Hog would be a looser guitar, but I’m now awfully glad I have it. It’s a kinda heavy weapon. Mucho evil.

It is kinda crazy owning three unbelievable Santa Cruzes. All three are custom guitars and are not stock builds that are a general spec. Kinda like owning a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and a crazy Porsche. The big pay offs was I bought the HOG for no money, and the 1934 Model “F” I ordered before I got priced out.

This guitar was built over 3 decades ago, and back then they did not have the 1934 spec, which is old growth woods, old growth Adirondack spruce top, and assembled with hot hide glue as they did in the 1930’s at Martin. The mahogany neck in this guitar has flame in its figure.

The OM is a rather distinguished version where the old growth Brazilian rosewood was owner supplied and was a really-really dense set of back and matching sides that displays a crazy amount of spydering (black streaks of grain pattern interwoven with the rosewood). This spydering is a dead giveaway of old growth wood.

The extreme density of this rosewood makes it highly reflective and provides a metallic edge to the sound. Kinda sounds a bit like an electric guitar through an amp a bit in the upper registers. For clarity, this is an acoustic guitar, no amp needed. Sounds like it’s amped and miked.

The kids seem to be more of a family now, and everyone seems much more happier and less stressed. Every weekend the mix with the grand daughter’s friends parents, so they are less socially isolated. The grandson is kinda like a mascot and now it is like he has three older sisters who are all around 10.

Happy-happy, and of course this makes me really happy.

A buck is marking territory in my back-backyard for the seasonal rut.

Cal
 
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My amp guy inquired about the tube compliment I want on my amp.

I can run a 6SN7 as a driver to get more headroom, and I have mucho USSR 6SL7’s stockpiled on hand if I want more gain or grind from the driver.

I can run various rectofiers for different outputs, and different output tubes: 6V6, 6L6, or 5881’s for different outputs and tonal flavor. My trannies are a bit oversized for 6V6’s but that translates into a bit more headroom and tighter bass.

The amp is cathode biased so pretty much just plug in the tube and play.

This amp with all octal tubes is basically a modern copy of the old Valco amps from decades ago.

My amp will get a burn in and then be shipped shortly.

I’m really excited. I have some really great vintage tube amps, and pretty much this is a new/old amp by design.

Cal
 
Austin,

I just came back from the White Mountains. Had to harvest mucho tomato’s.

Went to Franconia Notch State Park and hiked. One trail involved a lot of scrambling over boulders that was tough on “Maggie” who is 71. Pretty much I renamed the trail to hell as the “Hell-Trail.”

New Hampshire does not have many people of color. Over the 4 days we spent there perhaps we saw 6-8 people of color.

From the lawn signs we saw I saw a lot of support for one candidate, a surprising amount, but in the poorer areas of New Hampshire I saw dominant support for the other candidate. In the balance I wondered if New Hampshire could flip, but perhaps I was seeing the wealth factor where I visited in an unbalanced way. Pretty much divided by privilege and class.

We kinda took the back roads home and got a real sense of the rural life in New England.

Cal
 
Around dusk saw 3 cubs crossing the Interstate after diner. Had to hit the brakes to avoid pan caking them.

Did you know the White Mountains have about 4,000 Moose. On our hikes I saw remnants of beaver dams.

The place is pretty pristine. Not a lot of real estate listings. A 5 hour drive from Peekskill, but only 150 miles from Boston.

Again not so far away, and about a tank of gas on the Audi A4. Funny thing is that hitting the back roads and doing the long way home actually used a lot less gas. Took more time, but was less fatiguing, We stopped at Hanover (Dartmouth College) and Brattleboro for breaks.

In Littleton I met my friend Dan face to face. He has a divine guitar shop, and I was escorted into the locked glass room where all the crazy expensive guitars are.

I looked at two Santa Cruz guitars made with mahogany back and sides from “The Tree” which is from a massive tree that was downed about a century a go, but was only recently recovered. The wood ended up being this fine quilted mahogany that is sublime guitar tone wood.

Kinda crazy.

In November my friend Dave and I will likely go for a drive to Littleton to audition some guitars and go hang out.

On my vacation I read a book made of Guitar Player magazine interviews of the top/best 50 unknown guitar players. I missed playing my guitars. I kinda learned how others found their style. Somewhat helpful in my own personal struggle.

Anyways it was interesting seeing the alternative rural life and the good, the bad, and the ugly. The White Mountains certainly are majestic, but perhaps overly rugged, and the winters perhaps too severe. Gave me a new found respect for my Baby-Victorian and Peekskill.

My Custom Vintage 47 VA-20 in a RIC cabinet amp was shipped Thursday. Will get the UPS delivery sometime next week I figure. Pretty excited.

Cal
 
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