Fiddling Across America
So far, we've played our fiddles in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. We've met tons of new friends throughout our travels from fiddle contests and also from the fiddle camp we went to last year. We have gone to contests in lots of states such as Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Ohio, New Jersey, and Indiana.
There's an interesting story behind the contest we went to in Indiana. First of all, we drove. Can you believe it? Our parents made us DRIVE!! Well anyway, we drove out there for the weekend, expecting a great contest. There was a division called Gambler's Draw, where you picked a song out of a hat and if you could play it, you moved on to the next round. If not, you were out of the contest. Then there was the Ragtime Annie division, where you had to tell a joke, then play your version of Ragtime Annie. There was also the twin fiddle competition. Unfortunately, there were tornadoes in the area, and so much of the contest was cancelled. However, Sharon and I both were still able to play in our divisions. So, as thunder and lightening crashed around us, we jammed in a hotel conference room.
The year before last, we went to Oklahoma for a vacation. On
the way back, we stopped at a small violin shop in
Tennessee. We both found perfect violins, and bought
them. Click HERE for the violin shop that we went to.
Last year, we did end up raising enough money for us to go back to fiddle camp. Again, we had a great time, and
caught up with all our friends. We learned lots more new tunes in really fun classes. Sharon had learned
a tune in Indiana called Uncle Dan, but was having some trouble
on the bowing. She asked around at fiddle camp, and Wes Westmoreland and Randy Elmore
were the ones who ended up helping her. Sharon found out that Randy was
the one who wrote Uncle Dan! What better way to learn than
from the guy who wrote it?
We jammed for all hours of the night (almost),
and were dead tired at the end of the week. The jamming was worth it though.
On the way back from Texas, we stopped at a Kentucky state park, and stayed in a cabin for several days just to relax and
catch up on sleep. There was a lake there, and we rented a ski boat for a part of the day. Sharon went water skiing, and ALMOST got up on the water
but just when she was getting the hang of it, we had to bring the boat back to the marina. Susie was very dissapointed because the skis that
came with the boat were way too big for her, so she didn't get to water ski. It was still an unforgettable experiance for the whole family.
