MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday with loved ones..

I did a concert for a local rest home yesterday... had a great time.. did a bunch of oldies that I thought they would recognize..and realized that that many of the tunes ( that I don't ordinarily do) are something I might consider performing more of in the future.

Sharon was going to take a bunch of photos but got so wrapped-up in the show that she didn't even think of it..til I was through and we were just talking with everyone..

I've been doing quite a bit of "back & forth" on CLASSMATES with Ed Watson & some other friends from high school.... great memories / great fun ... wish more would participate..

The seven tracks I laid down for my album are getting great response from friends & relatives, even though they are not mixed or mastered as yet.. Still want to do 8-10 more & then decide which I like best... Also need to do some more harmony & add'l instrumental work..

Got to run...

Love to all who visit,

Ric

Started Album..

Mid-November-09

Hope everyone is healthy and happy...Sharon & I wish you all our best for this Holiday season....

I'm going into the studio to do some recording next Saturday.. with Brian Walker.. Not sure what I want to address first.. some of my newer stuff or some "standards". Sharon wants me to lay down : Make The World Go Away, Ghost Riders In The Sky, 16 Tons, Hey-Colorado, Lost My Drivin Wheel, South of The Border, & stuff like that... I'm also leaning towards: They Call The Wind Mariah, Red Fox, Tomorrow Is A Long Time; The Man In Me, The Canadian Railroad Trilogy, Scotch & Soda, Summertime, San Francisco Bay Blues & some of the other stuff.. not sure as yet..." Lots of changes, Max... Lot's of changes...." ( From Dirty Dancing after the "final dance")..

Headin' out for town this A.M. to stock up on "goodies".

We're going to be spending Thanksgiving with our friends Jack & Audry Slater and about twenty others at the "General Store" right near us. Thats Jacks restaurant.. ( I sing there a lot too ..) Going to be "pot luck" & We're looking forward to it

God Bless you all.

Keep safe & warm....and keep the faith. ( unless Obama takes that away from us too !!)

Ric

Yep.. We got it already.... & I've been doing some duet stuff with Steve Mendon ( local artist with some pretty good success in Europe right now ).. also, got a chance to do some recording at Misty Dawn's studio.. locally. Also, last week I ran into another Studio owner... Brian Walker... He's got a 32 track Digitec system.. and access to several local musicians ( lead guitar, drums, fiddle, peddle steel, audoharp, base, etc. ) and he's played on stuff with (MR. LES PAUL) among others... looking forward to doing some recording with him.. He also makes ( and I mean it ) planes, as in mono-planes that two (2) can fly in.. and he writes music, has several patents, and is a prolific writer.. I'm humbled... Hope everyone is happy & successful... contented and loved... "BLESSED"
as I am.. God Bless you all !!
Ric

The colors are about gone here at the ranch..We've already had three snow storms and the nights are down to the teens...

Sharon and I are going to town today for some supplies... ( stock-up stuff, etc. )

Cut my little finger on my left hand last week... had to wait for the healing.. to get back to playing.. ( Pain in the A.. ).. I like to get in at least an hour a day playing...

Working on some Kevin Welch stuff right now and I've completely revised "Ribbin of Darkness" ( Gordon Lightfoot ) Going back & forth from finger-picking to strumming... I like it

Sharon's mom was out for this past week.. we had a good time..

Well got to go..

Bless you all,

Ric

Sunday Morning 09-13-09

Good Morning... Another foggy one here in the mountains.."Digger" taking a break & colored pencil interpretation of me..

I played at the Canon Rose last night... Fun time..Everyone, as usual, was very responsive.. so I did some audience "participation" stuff and it was great fun... "Palmer Divide" was the main act and they were terrific !! They always are..I've always loved Bluegrass... The lead singer kinda sounds like Ricky Scaggs..

My buddy Stephen Mendon stopped by.. Steve's a recording artist having some success in Europe.. We've been jamming lately... and it looks like we're going to get some studio time in the near future... that will be exciting.. I just can't tell you how much I enjoy being back on stage after all these years.

Thanks to all who came by the "Rose" last night....We really appreciate you all and you're help in keeping acoustic music "live and well" here in Southern Colorado.

God Bless...

Ric

Sunday 08-09

Had a great time jamming yesterday.. Steve was great & we had a lot in common.. He sure can "pick".. His style offers some contrast to mine.. "fills in a lot of voids in my chord structures" We might do some stuff together- who knows. He's a great writer too.. I'm kinda lacking in that vein.. Got some good ideas though..

Boy ! It's a wicked "foggy" morning... Really thick like London... ( Taylor sees it all the time ), I went out to walk in it... Swearls around as you go through it... weird .... Looks like the was a bear at our dumpster last night.. tried to push it over... I could see the paw marks on the back..we had to replace it a few years back for that reason... & get a "bear-proof" lid..

Sounds like Sharon is getting up.... I can hear the patter of size 8's upstairs.

Hope you all have a wonderfull day...

Love to all & God Bless,

Ric

End of August..

Almost Sharon's B-Day.. (31st)... I can't tell you how much I love this women....

I'd never known "womanhood" and it's sweetness until I met Sharon... Best thing that ever happened to me...

Hope all is well with all of you..

Going to be jamming with a fellow from Canon City, today... He's got some recordings that are doing pretty well in Eastern Europe right now.... Used to be part of the early folk scene in L.A. back in the late 60's..

We've got a lot in common...

Gotta hit the showers,,

Love to all ,

Ric

IT'S AUGUST & LIFE IS GOOD HERE IN THE MOUNTAINS

Yep, the weather has been cooperating this summer... mellow days, cool evenings ( 40 degrees here this A.M. )... lots of rainy evenings too... very few forest fires, ( knock on wood )..

I got a call from The Canon Rose Acoustic Society last night.. they want me to open for the first show of the fall season this year...Always a great audience.. they listen to every word... and they love the oldies ! I've been working on a slow version of Buddy Hollies "Every Day".. I like it.. kinda makes it more "folky".. and a faster verson of "Detroit City".. which suits my voice better.

Sharon & I are going to town today... supplies, etc... might catch a movie, might take a drive up towards Cripple Creek first... check out the views... I also need to get another mike & stand at Guitar Center, ( want to mike my amp, for the Washburn G-3 and put the sound through the P.A. system).. gives me more options for a mellow sound....

Gonna hit the shower... bye for now... oh, yes.. the photos first is another sunset from our deck the second is a shot from up near Cripple Creek earlier this year.

Love to all,

Ric

Just Something For July

Boy ! It's almost the end of July...Can you believe it ?

I'm playing at the "General Store", again, this Saturday in Canon City, CO. Had a great time there previously. Going to try out some new material..

Also going to do some add'l chinking & sealing on the logs this weekend... got a few "checks" that need addressing. We're used to it though... Sharon & I had a log home in Rhode Island as well.. it's quite a bit different, with regards to maintenance than conventional construction..Dah !!

Included a couple more shots from the ranch..

Hope all is well with everyone

God Bless

Ric

Didn't get the Hagstrom H.J.

Came across a better jazz guitar... ( A Washburn J-3 Jazz model with upgraded pickups from a 1957 Gibson E.S. 175 and a Tune-o-matic bridge that was installed and set-up by "Sweetwater" )...

It's a BIG SWEETIE.. and the sounds are, well "heavenly" comes to mind !!!

It's just the right guitar for Chris Issac's "I Wonder" & Blue Bayou ( Roy Orbison) and my version of "Summertime"... also been messin with " I wish I could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" ( a 1923 tune by Fats Waller ) & Gerry & The Pacemakers " Ferry Across the Mersey"(s.p.?)and maybe " Down Mexico Way" ( Chris Issac's verson).... I'm Excited...

Thought I'd throw in a couple more photos from around the ranch too..

Love All Who Venture Here...

Ric

I've been checking out a new guitar recently.. a Hagstrom HJ-600 ( Jazz model ).

Thinking of adding some mellow electric sounds to the show. I had a Hagstrom acoustic-electric 12-string "33" back in the early 70's and loved it. We'll see what develops.

Sharon & I are heading out to Canon City & Pueblo today to do some "catch-up" shopping. We don't go off mountain too often on the weekends.. but, need to get some supplies.

I've been working on a version of "If I Had a Hammer".... sounds pretty good so far; need to work on dinamics though... Also, Chris Issacs's " I Wonder" ( love that song )...

The photos are from PHANTOM CANYON... I was in Victor, CO last week and came down the back way through the canyon.. Pretty day & "The Phantom" was out !!!

God Bless All !

Ric

Hope all is well with everyone.

General Store Performance -6-20-09

I performed at the "General Store" in Westcliffe, Co. last night.. Had a great time, audience was very responsive and seemed to enjoy the show. Got standing ovation & encore... I can't tell you how great that feels..They were listening to every word... as a singer, this means everything to me. By the way.. "to anyone who took photos..."..please send me a copy @ rhslemery@gmail.com

Thank you to all how attended.. I appreciate it so very much..As usual, Jack & Audry's cooking was superb...Sharon & our dear friend Holly came to the show as well...I believe a good time was had by all... My next performance at the "Store" will be Aug. 1st ( Sat.).. Looking forward to it ... Other photo is recent sunset from thew ranch..

God Bless,

Ric

Spring time at the ranch..Still awaiting the flowers & vegitation though... we're about a month to a month and a half behind the low-lands.. But, started the clean-up around the place.. Sharon's Russian Sage is starting & the Pampas Grass is showing signs of life.. The Rose Bushes have actually survived this year.. What with a rather mild winter & the herds of deer traversing the property ( the Elk leave mostly alone ).. We researched a little this winter & are going to try and plant some annuals that the critters don'tr like to "munch" on.. Also going to plant some additional Juniper.. The ones we've got are really doing great.. Looking forward to the long week-end.. Hope you all have great times with your families.... ( Sounds like I get a lot of traffic on this site.... don't it.... "WRONG"

My buddy Tom is out there though... I did mention the blog on "Classmates" but, so far no one has visited I guess.. NO big deal... I enjoy the few minutes I put into this every once and awhile..

God Bless All..

Ric

Visitor to the ranch ( good sized bobcat - looks like a female ) wouldn't let me get too close, but I got close enough to get this shot of her..very pretty, love to have one for a pet !!!, but I don't think our Maine Coons would enjoy the company ... the other pic is a recent sunset. Sharon & I are heading out to Canon City today for the spring blossom festival. ( lots of entertainment & arts / crafts, etc.)

" RANT "

Joined Classmates.com recently... kinda fun... but, I notice that 90+ percent do not post recent photos of themselves... "whats with that ? " ..

The folks around "us" are like it was back in the fifties... God fearing, loyal, dedicated, have work, personal and professional ethics, believe in God, trust & have faith in their friends, watch out for them and their families & what their being exposed to, do not believe in abortions, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. and can be counted on when the going gets rough... and, Oh, yes, we "can" carry guns out here...I'm actually enjoying being 62 yr's old.... but I do fear for our children & grandchildren.... America's founders had a vision for us that is being trampled by the "left" ... God help us all.........I "do" thank God, every day for my life and the love of a wonderful women, as well as, for the talent I have been blessed with and hope it can make the lives of others more enjoyable, in some small way.. RANT OVER !!!!!

Meanwhile... back at the ranch... Life is good, love & charity abound and I love you all....

God Bless and keep you...

Ric

Yippie, THE WEEK-END !!!!

Today is Taylor's (our youngest ) 3oth birthday..He's still in England, & having a " barbie with some mates" as he said this morning.. Good Lord he's sounding like Benny Hill more & more, the longer he stays there...

Here's some recent photos ... Hannah ( Main Coon - female ) & a couple of recent sun sets..

We're going to Pueblo to pick-up the greenhouse today ... It'll probably take us a month to put it together... but, the rewards are GREAT ! Really looking forward to having all that fresh stuff.

There is talk of a storm later this week-end... Rain or snow is the bigger question...I'll take either... it's been so dry here.

Was going to do some recording too, but... I picked up some bug that has my throat in an up-roar. Guess it'll be some "pickin" only.

Spring is here !!!! my best to you all... God Bless

R.Harrison Emery

This is our youngest.. "Nashoba" ( Maine Coon )..he's spoiled rotten and, as a kid, he's a constant pest to Digger & Hannah.. Always wanting to play at the wrong times..

Going to head out to Canon City this A.M. and take a hike along the Arkansas River..need to start the "exercise" thing.. We're going to construct a greenhouse this spring so we can get our own "home grown" veg's & fruit and need to be in a little better shape. ( Also want to have a back-up for food if the economy goes to sh.., not to mention our society itself. The path that the current administration is going is in the wrong direction & we want to be prepared for the worst...... Just in case...) Plus, fresh garden items are the best.... We had a good size garden back in Rhode Island & miss those items that we can grow ourselves...

I had a birthday this past week.. Sharon made a roast with all the trimmings and I made a German chocolate cake.. ( like I need that )... always great to hear from the kids & friends/family.

I've been working on a different version of Dylan's " Tomorrow Is A Long Time" ... Approaching it in a 3/4 time and with more emotion... Sharon loves this interpretation. It's quite different. I did a similar modification with his "Love Minus Zero No Limit"..not quite to a waltz tempo though and played in "open D tuning"for a fuller sound.

I'm also working on a different version of Joni Mitchells "Woodstock", played in minor & major seventh chords... and slowed way down... very haunting.... Lordy, it sounds like I'm becoming a "sentimental crooner" as Sharon would say. But hey, they sound great and it offers a wonderful variety to my repertoire.

Looks like a great day brewing.. no clouds and the Sangre's look incredible !!

Hope you all have a great day.... God bless and keep you all,

R.Harrison Emery

"Shakopee Onondega" (or digger as we call him) our Norwegian Forest Cat doing his cleaning routine...........and last nights sunset, before the colors. We never got rain yesterday and only a dusting of snow. ( We really need to moisture right now... it's getting real dry... and with all the Pinon Pines around the property.. it's an issue).

This morning is another clear, typical Southern Colorado day. I'll probably do some "deadwood" clean-up down on our shooting range. (Sharon's anxious to do some "plinking ). Had huge winds this winter that took down some good size limbs.

Every spring she gets the perverbial "itchy trigger finger" .... she's such a great shooter, much better than I... and I'm really good ! It's a "female" thing.... I have a close friend in S.A.S.S. that says " women listen to instructions better than guys and thats why they tend to be better at shooting" and I believe him; she can do amazing things with a .45 Colt.

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead today... Boy I hate to lose that hour !!

Well, I'd better get to it.... Have a wonderful day... God Bless

R.Harrison Emery

"Tools of the trade"

Looks like a snow storm & then some rain today... Probably spend a few hours "pickin & singin", and maybe some recording.... Sharon's doing up a pork roast with all the fixins today...Yep, I'm spoiled..but I deal with it the best I can.

Changing strings on all the "git-fiddles" today as well.... The HD-28 & J-200 are quick but the 12-strings take a while. Good day to to get all that done... though.

I'd like to record a version of "Very Last Day" by Peter, Paul & Mary today, and add some additional guitar parts / harmonies to it... just to see how it turns out. Used to do it with the Marsh Island Trio + 1 at The Univ. of Maine back in "66" . Jim, Leanne & Matt had a great version of it even before I joined the group & added another harmony & the 12-string to it.
Boy, those were some fun days.. ("innocent" days )..as I look back now... I kinda feel sorry for the young kids of today.. growing-up so fast... their innocence lost so early in their lives...o.k - o.k. "old man ranting".. sorry..

Anyway.. you all have a wonderful weekend & God bless u-all
R.Harrison Emery

Some recent photos to enjoy !!!

March is in as a lamb here...!!!

Well, it's been a while since I sent out anything new...Life is good here in the high country. March came in as the "proverbial" lion. Temps in the 60's & 70's, got some gigs lined-up for summer.. been recording like crazy, working on some new material... "Summertime", Ghost Riders In The Sky, Devoted To You ( Everly Bros. ), Lea's Song ( Jim & Leanne Mckenny - Miss Jim a lot.. God bless you man), That Little ol' Shack Out Back So Dear To Me, Rose and A Baby Ruth ( G. Hamilton IV), yadda, yadda, yadda. & some "Bert & I" stuff. I need to drop some pounds this spring... "don't like the way my jeans fit". But. I gotta tell ya.. Sharon sure does spoil me. Her cooking is beyond anything you can imagine. It's a gift........ and I pay the price. ( I'll deal with it on an other level ).. Hope all is well with all of you.
R. Harrison Emery

hey, everybody... been very busy... bought an 8 track recording studio.. ( somewhat intimidating)..but attacking it with gusto,....
Going to be recording this P.M. .. Great song.. Erik Holborrk ( Reynolds ) "RED FOX... A wonderful tune we used to do, although rather sad...

God, I miss the man.. no one could pick like him... I lost most of our recordings and publicity information over the years from moves, divorces and the like.... wish I could recoup...
tried to rekindle the act... this was in Clearwater, Florida
God bless you Eric...
Ric.