1. After a good trip with Ed to Nosworthy's Hall of Fame for breakfast and after Ed ran some errands, I returned to Kellogg and Charly and I took a short nap. Refreshed, I buzzed up the river to the Country Lane River Resort where the Ole Mountain Opry Show was performing in support of the grand opening of the river bar. The Ole Mountain Opry Show comprises about, oh, 15-20 musicians and singers. Instruments included guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and stand up bass. A majority of the players and singers were local and around my age and over the three hours that I listened to them, they shifted seamlessly from one configuration to another, featuring several vocalists and instrumental soloists. They performed on a big timber stage on the resort's property to a very appreciative crowd of campers, friends, and people like me who made the trip just to hear the Ole Mountain Opry.
I had a Goose moment and memory upon arriving at the river bar. I ordered a can of KettleHouse Brewing's Cold Smoke Scotch Ale and suddenly remembered an afternoon three years ago out at Rose Lake when Jake and Carol Lee hosted a get together and Goose brought me several cans of Montana brewed beer from his liquor store in St. Regis. The first one of those beers I tried was the Cold Smoke Scotch Ale. It blew me away. I loved it. Now, with Goose having passed away, when I drink a Cold Smoke, it's especially poignant and a flood of memories of Goose come rushing forward in my mind.
2. During a break in the music, Steve Allen, a banjo player, struck up a conversation with me. He told me that these musicians get together once a month at the Senior Center uptown in Kellogg, once a month at the Prichard Tavern, every Friday at the Silver Lake Mall in CdA/Hayden, and had recently played at a bluegrass festival in Orofino. I also learned today, from the back of one of the musician's T-shirt, that Medical Lake hosts an annual bluegrass festival the second weekend of August.
3. At around 6, the musicians announced they were taking a 45 minute dinner break, but would return to play some more around 7. Rather than hang out and wait for them to return, I drove up the Old River Road, crossed the river, and jetted on up to Camp Runamuck, figuring Byrdman would be around. He was! And so were Stephanie, Nick, and Sheila. They were relaxing around a campfire, tunes from XM/Sirius radio's Classic Vinyl playing, and I hung out for about an hour and had fun yakkin' before I headed back to Kellogg.
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