News from the 10th Planet

Monday, April 28, 2008

Winter's holding on like a dog with a tennis ball. Frankly, we're done with it. Since we can't ski anymore we're on to the next thing. (Uh, that would be Spring.) Lay it on us, please! Today was so gray and snotty even the birds stayed home from the feeder and when the birds ain't singin', we ain't swingin'! Even some honest to goodness rain would be better than this snowy slushy stuff. So let's all use a little group think here and try to force the leaves and grass to make the Big Show!

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Winter's holding on like a dog with a tennis ball. Frankly, we're done with it. Since we can't ski anymore we're on to the next thing. (Uh, that would be Spring.) Lay it on us, please! Today was so gray and snotty even the birds stayed home from the feeder and when the birds ain't singin', we ain't swingin'! Even some honest to goodness rain would be better than this snowy stuff so let's all use a little group think here and try to force the leaves and grass to make the Big Show!

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Saturday, April 19, 2008

The Fairbanks music community, players, listeners, dancers alike, has been shaken by the untimely death this past week of one of the best that ever graced our stages, Dan Ison. Like a big ol' dancehall where the music of the spheres plays, we all hopefully settle into the seats where we're most comfortable. And If need be we change seats to get a better spot. We're hoping Dan now has the best seat in the house. Play on, brother... Check out the Song O' The Week for a sample of what he left for us.

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Spring was here, I swear! Now here we are back in Winter again. That was one short summer! Seriously, we've had some of the best skiing of the year this past week. This morning was a surprise though: About 5 inches of snow had fallen overnight. It looked like a picture of Vermont or Maine or somewhere else. OUR snow doesn't look like that. Thick and cottony-looking but wet! No fretting though. It won't last long and we got just another extra hit of the good part of winter before the geese return and the leaves start sprouting and all the bands come out to play!

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Saturday, March 29, 2008

We're well into spring skiing here at the Planet. Last weekend we did our annual sojourn to the Colorado Creek cabin off Chena Hot Springs Road. Six miles in and the prettiest little cabin on the prettiest lil' knoll you ever saw. The cabin is a real log cabin compared to the knewly built ones the Park folks have built. We've been afraid that they would tear this one down and built a new one but to our surprise they put a new roof on it, and new insulated floor and a porch. Now it's in the best shape ever. Plenty of wood up the Compeau trail that comes in behind it and great water from a little creek we chop through the ice to get to. Yesterday we skiied at Smith Lake near the University and it was as perfect as we've ever seen it. Besides that, the air was cool but not cold so each breath was like a drink of cool. clear water ( water, water...). Today we'll do the annual ski-in picnic from Will Putman & Trudy Heffernan house to a lovely little spot between 2 frozen lakes where we have a fire, roast some bratwursts and drink some beer. All in the name of springtime in Alaska!

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Thursday, March 20, 2008

We had a flurry of activity the last couple weeks after coming back from the Seattle Expat's meeting (see March 7 below). We played a wonderful house concert March 8th at Geoffrey & Carolyn Wildridge's place on historic Chena Ridge. (Historic, as Pat will point out, because of it's early bohemian connections back in the 50's). It was a warm group of people, a potluck of fantastic food and tunes galore! The next Saturday saw Pat and pal, Will Putman share a stage as they've been threatening to do for a while now. At the College Coffeehouse they played an hour each of original tunes with a little help from Robin (Pat's set) and Will son, Liam (who played twin snare drums with Pat on Will's song, "Didn't Leave No Tip"). Packed house, old and new faces, a great success. Thanks to all who showed up. It's these kind of thing that make us not want to stop!

Check out music on "Song O' The Week","The Studio", & "Pat's Page"~

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Three cheers for Mackey! Ten cheers for his dogs! Lance Mackey's team won the Iditarod (the second-to-the-last great race) and the tougher Yukon Quest back to back for the second year. What a race! Anyone even mildly interested should read the play-by-play for the strategy it took to beat the formidable Jeff King. What's really great for us is that he's a Two Rivers musher and trains on the trails we ski on. We're proud to share 'em with him and the team. Now buy those dogs some steaks!

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

It's Winter Festival time. Check out Pat's Blog for a story on the origins of the modern ice carving competition. Now the story can be told!

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Friday, March 07, 2008

We've just returned from a convening of the Seattle Expatriate Society (well, don't let the capital letters fool ya--we just created it) and are happy to report all members are doing fine. Some may remember (and have heard the music of) Forrest Gibson (of the Improbabillies & check out "Junkyard Dog" on Pat's Jukebox), Michael "Sparky" Gray (of Seattle's Pearl Django, and in his Fairbanks Days, Buckdancer, Coyote and as the first drummer for the infamous Flyers), Grant Dermody (of the Grant Dermody Band with Pat, Robin & Forrest) and Gary Wescott (of the Glass Bead Game, Coyote & check out the "current" Gary on the Song O' The Week page.) And there was the pleasure of the company of their partners, Sarah (ex-Ketchikan), Susan and Eileen. Had ourselves a natch'l ball down there but decided there was a reason we live here. We can walk out our door, head north and not hit a road or town until the Yukon River. Self-explanatory...huh?

.: posted by Pat & Robin

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

It's with great pride and all the appropriate fanfare (use your imagination) that we congratulate Paper Scissors on the release of their long awaited eponymous CD. Truly a great addition to the canon of great Fairbanks music! Check out a tune from their CD as well as other 10th Planet alumni on the new jukebox on the Studio page.

.: posted by Pat & Robin