Another wonderful gathering! However, we were missing a few familiar faces around the circle. Let's see, who was there?

There were Tom and Linn, myself and Judy, Jeff Warner and Barbara Benn, Bruce and Jane McIntire, Dave Hallowell, Gardi, Alex, Barry Finn, and Jeri. I may have missed a soul or two.

We all got a chance to do more songs, with a lot less stress than when more of a crowd is present. I certainly used the opportunity to sing a couple of new longer songs, "News in Daly's Bar" by C. Fox Smith and "Ballad of the Old Navy" by Burt Franklin Jenness. I also sang "Neptune's Daughter," "Bold Benjamin," "Mid-Watches," "Lee Fore Brace," "Yangtse River Shanty," and mangled "Limehouse Reach." Dave Hallowell did a nice job of salvaging "Limehouse Reach."

There was an interesting discussion of "Nelson's Hymn" led by Jeff Warner, and Tom mentioned the A. L. Lloyd commemoration that was coming uo soon.

It really was bitterly cold outside and I can certainly understand why a few of our regulars might have elected to hunker down beside a roaring fire, or a forced-hot water radiator, rather than attend. I do know that some of the Gloucester crowd was booked for a benefit concert, which Barry left early for. However, travel on the expressways wasn't bad and it only took us the usual 90 minutes to commute in and get back home. The most difficult part of the navigation was across our parking lot ice rink to our porch, but we made it!

Next Saturday Barry Finn & Neil Downey are doing their house concert in South Portland, MAINE (not New Hampshire as one might conclude from their poster); see the Finn & Haddie thread for more info.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble