What a wonderful thread this is - some superb clear images of nice people in their natural habitats, and what they get up to for enjoyment. I'm a welshman living in Doncaster in Yorkshire in the north of England. I've always been a folkie, and play banjo, guitar, a little mandoline and blues harp, but I got a bit out of touch over the last twenty-five years because I've been doing a lot of mountaineering, skiing, rock climbing and occasional kayaking with my wife all over the UK, the alps, and bits in the Andes and the Rockies. Very few climbers are the least bit musical. However in Easter '97 I skied over a small cliff in Austria and knackered my left knee, which has slowed me up somewhat. To ease the boredom I got my banjo out and dusted it, and am learning lots of American old time clawhammer tunes. I've found (via the net) a superb old time session every sunday night in a pub in York, with a lot of very good musicians. I've also joined the Friends of American Old-Time Music And Dance, a superb old-time club. Its really reminded me of the fun I used to have back in the sixties, in the folk clubs and sessions we used to have all the time. I am now looking for a really nice open back banjo, so if anyone out there wants to sell one, I could be interested. Cheers Ray