I am back from the Rocky Mountain College Rendesvous. We have a string of mountain man rendesvous in the Summer. This was the big one for the area. I suppose there were around 500 participants. At these events I usually pack pretty light as the mtn. man would. So I had just a fiddle and tin whistle and slept out under the stars. This was right in the middle of the Perseid meteor shower. Drifting off to sleep while seeing the light show is pretty keen. There was plenty of musicians. Seems that every camp had at least one. The events were topped off Saturday night by a council fire where we entertained. Afterward when the folks went back to their own camps we came back, stoked up the fire and went back to the tunes. I try to keep the tunes and ballads to the time period. (1820s-1830s) But as the evening advanced and the jugs passed around the time period fell apart and folks would play anything. At one point one guy is singing John Denver's "Calypso" which I like but being in a fur trade camp in Lost Park which is as landlocked as you can get and singing maritime songs seemed odd. But I joined in playing the flying flute part on my tin whistle. It went pretty well except that I was overcome now and then by fits of laughter. Then us purists would throw in another jig and one of the guitarists played Rocky Mtn. High. Well I had to admit that was a good choice. But folks wandered off and what was left was us old tune fanatics. We ended the night singing sea shanties. Still as landlocked as you can get. Next weekend is an 1870s cowboy encampment. Whooboy!

Rex