Just wishing everyone a day to find something to be thankful for. It's a holiday all over the world, altho not on any particular day. It's especially celebrated in places which coincides with the harvest season. Happy Thanksgiving wherever you are, and whenever it comes around.

My friend and lead guitarist for many years, David Grover passed away November 3, 2021. He had been ill for a while. That’s the short story. For more read on:

Hank Grover (David’s father) was the head of the Berkshire Folk-Music Society, and put together one of the first, if not THE first ticketed events I ever did. I was still a kid in high school. And my friends and I performed at the Berkshire Atheneum probably around 1962 or 1963. If David and I met, he would have been very young at the time. David’s older brother, Michael played my roommate while I was attending college in Montana, for the film “Alice’s Restaurant. The Grovers have been a part of my life for a long time.

Somewhere along about 1975 I did a show in Worthington, MA in order to help build and fund a local health clinic. It’s still there and doing very well. Just before the show in Worthington, I’d run into the local band Shenandoah. David Grover was the lead guitar player and arranger. I was so impressed by them that I asked if they would do the gig with me. They agreed, and we began working together for the next 20+ years. The band members were David Grover, David Carron, Dan Velika and Terry Hall - all local guys and terrific people.

Sadly within a couple of years or less, David Carron passed away …. Far too young, He’d had a fatal brain annurism. Steve & Carol Ide joined the crew afterward and remained throughout as members of the band. Rob Putnum and Bob Williams were also were with us for awhile as different bandmates came and went, but we kept the music going doing thousands of shows around the USA and the world. David Grover and I arranged the songs for vocals and instruments with the very able help of everyone who was there, including my dear friend, John Pilla. Eventually my son, Abe joined the crew, and began to take over the arrangements as musical director, keyboards and vocals.

After roughly 25 years of working on the road together, David moved on to pursue other things. He had his own TV show ”Grover’s Corner” on PBS, and did many recordings, and live concerts for children. He worked with Aaron Schroeder co-writing songs. We continued to work on projects together. He began producing and arranging for me. Especially notable was a record of old cowboy songs “Son of the Wind”, which we recorded in Dalton, MA. It remains one of my personal favorite albums.

When David passed away November 3rd it felt like another important mile marker passed on the long road we shared. The last time we played together was in August of 2018 at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington. We scheduled a mini reunion of Shenandoah with me as a part of a series we were doing. It was a great time as anyone who was there can testify. We laughed, and played some old songs together.

I can tell you this: When people are stuck together for months at a time in a 45 foot tin can (bus), for 9 months a year, for decades, you get to know each other pretty well. Unlike almost every band you ever heard of, we had a good time for all of it, not just the good times or the early days. I mean all of it. I had the unique pleasure of working with some of the nicest people, as well as really wonderful players. David Grover was one of ‘em.

Even before I got around to letting family and friends close to me know, the news is apparently spreading. So, as this is the place for news and announcements, let me confirm that Marti & I will be married before the year (2021) is out. We first met when Jackie & I stayed at The Wild Rose Inn back in 2001. I was filming a video with Ramblin' Jack for Happy Traum, and Happy put us up at The Wild Rose Inn. Marti Ladd was at that time, the owner/operator of the inn.

Marti and I had been friends when Jackie passed away in 2012, but as time went by our relationship became more serious. And in 2016 Marti sold The Wild Rose Inn, and moved in with me at my home in Sebastian, FL.

We've been living at The Farm here in Massachusetts since June of 2020, trying to avoid the pandemic at home in Florida. Enough time has gone by and we're anxious to return home again. It's still risky getting out and about, but it's also getting colder here in the Northeast. Our plan is to return and be married between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

That's the news from here... adg

It probably isn't actual Fall yet, but it sure feels like it up here. Some say the Fall season begins September 1st, and some say something else. Personally it doesn't matter much who says what as there's a distinctive feeling, a crispier air, and the leaves in the trees have begun to change colors. That says Fall to me.

Even my friends down in Florida has noted the humidity becoming more tolerable. So we're beginning the preparations for Winter... Cleaning up and getting things out of the way so the snow plows don't crunch the unseen summer stuff beneath the snow covered roads.

Marti & I are making plans to return home to Florida. Once the cold becomes an every day event it's nice to be warmer. Of course, that's all a ways off. But we're getting ready. We stacked a cord of wood in the garage the other day. It used to take a couple of hours, nowadays it takes a lot longer. Everything requiring physical work seems to take longer these days. Maybe it's simply that I need more union breaks.

I've taken FaceBook and it's related applications off of my computer. I still have it on a back-up phone, but I don't use it as often, and I don't miss it. Life is settling in to something more like what it used to be a long time ago, and I'm loving it. Less snarky commentary is good. I figure anyone who reads stuff here is closer to having something decent to say.

Anyway, it's getting to be that time of year. Sorta like Spring cleaning, but more on the clean-up and put things away side. I hope everyone reading this has a fabulous Fall season, or for those down under, a fabulous Spring. It's a big world out there and wherever we are in it, there's stuff to do. I need more coffee. Time to wake up and smell the worms.

Who'd a thunk I'd be around to see this, but Summer has finally arrived. The flowers and things growing in the garden are looking fairly stable. No more worries as far as they are concerned. That doesn't meant it won't snow. I've seen the white stuff in July. But for the most part it appears to be out of sight until next October/November. Meanwhile, there are a couple of months to enjoy being outside. I'm gonna make the most of it....