A Passing Glimpse

Fine Tuning A Creative Life by admin

New day shines

New day shines

Exploring and learning are the center of my constant personal creative path. I live there. As a lifelong music fan and collector, I've wanted to play guitar for more than four decades. Seems it's time.

With plenty of encouragement from a great friend over the past couple of years, I got the bug that I've been waiting for and finally committed to playing just over a year ago. His friendship has been so influential, with hours and hours of teaching me a wide range of guitar technical skills, sharing musical influences, and showing me how to maintain my instruments. There is still a mess load that I need to learn, but I'm now making sounds and much further along than I've ever been. I'm thrilled to have finally added this 6-string creative outlet to my artistic journey.

Takamine

Takamine

Over the past day, I fully detailed several of my guitars. I even went as far as to challenge myself to break out the tools to make a few truss rod adjustments. My uncharted challenge worked like a charm. Measuring now at 3/32 on the 12th fret, the action is perfect on both guitars. I was so jazzed about my learning escapade. For you longtime players, this task probably seems like a minor feat. For me, though, it was a proud win and reminded me of the feeling that I had when I changed the motor oil in my very first car all by myself. Yeeeeessss!

Oh, and that car… it was a chocolate brown 1965 American Motors Rambler Classic with mini chrome tail fins and a 3-speed manual transmission on the column. It showed its 12-year share of dings and mileage, but yes, I detailed the heck out of that $300 ride every weekend. Every weekend.

I am such a goober for self-maintenance projects. Ask anyone who’s known me through the years, and they’ll tell you that I have been a detail-focused geek all my life, perhaps even a bit anal retentive about it. Okay, I proudly own that... but for now, it’s time for a bit of practice. Missed chord or not, get that tour bus ready. I dig this stuff.

Guild Champagne Sparkle

Guild Champagne Sparkle

A Wish for the World by admin

waterOchoRios3.png

Christmas Eve is here. Here is Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Instead of preparing my traditional fare of holiday aromas and deliciousness for the family, I'm sitting in a relaxing leather chair with dark wood armrests, atop the crow's nest of the M.S. Zuiderdam.

The room is filled with plenty of suntanned faces I've never seen before. With a joyful announcement from the bar at the other end of the room that two-for-one happy hour specials are now in effect, several faces look even happier than they had minutes ago. I, too, am happy.... and sober. My tall glass of iced water is sweating on the wet and wrinkled cocktail napkin beneath it. In six days, I'll be toasting my 7th anniversary of sobriety. I may even get fancy on that day by adding a lemon slice to my water glass.

From the looks of the room, as we leave the port and head in the direction of the sunset, tall sweating glasses of iced water are the only thing that don't quite qualify for the two-for-one festivity. Seems they're even void of the complementary bowl of mixed nuts. Still, with the singing laughter coming from the bar, I raise my glass with a festive cheer and a smile that is all mine.

Bon Voyage, Merry Christmas, and Peace for a world that could use more than its share of two-for-one servings of love as we close out this year and begin 2017. Do whatever you can to make a difference in someone's day, even if only to share an eye-to-eye smile with a stranger. Open your arms... the world could use a hug. Love to all.

zen of an american road trip by admin

©2011 gary garbett.com

Taking a road trip is one of my favorite things in the world. I'm sure it harkens back to the days of my childhood when my family would pack up the station wagon and journey through America. With my father's career as a Navel Officer, we did our share of long distance road travels every couple of years, in addition to our countless summer vacations of camping. I have vivid memories of viewing the country from the backseat of Dad's authentic Detroit made automobiles, especially his 1968 turquoise Gran Torino. With the windows rolled down and the wind whipping in a little faster than the posted highway speed, it was spectacular.

We made the 4000 mile plus drive across the entire United States from coast to coast at least four times, including a 1300 mile jaunt along the Alaska Highway, back when it was just a two-lane gravel and dirt road and long before there was ever a thought of paving it. We reached our destination late that summer in Anchorage searching for the ferry departure to Kodiak and for a carwash to remove the heavy coating of red clay covering Dad's Ford.

Seeing America from the road has always been a Zen like experience for me. I find a centering peace in the miles of memory, beauty, and the numerous hand painted signs for Mom and Pop type stores that read "just ahead".