Sidetracked band in Jackson

Jackson Hole with the band was a riot. 

Wayne, Melinda, Rob, Garth, Nick, Angie, Heidi, Kimi, Bob

We left early Monday morning and drove with Rob Nisbet in our car.  Rob is an awesome person and he shared his life and talked with Wayne and I all the way there.  ( He’s almost 80) Handsome Rob is one of our guitar players and music historian extraordinaire.  7 out of 8 of our band members came- no Maren Thomasma–it was her 50th birthday celebration so she was doing that.  We recruited Heidi Bingham to sing back ups with Kimi and Angie. Heidi was such a good sport and her and Lance hauled all the way up to Jackson from St. George.  What a trooper.   

We loaded into the Jackson Hole Playhouse stage and practiced there for a couple of hours, before heading to the town square and playing for the people.  We all wore cowboy hats and boots and looked like a country western band, which we are not, but we did add a few country-type songs–Country Road and God Bless the USA.

All ages stopped to listen to our hour-long program on the corner on the town square.  We had littles dancing in the street and a Chinese tour group taking pics like we were famous..we had many people singing along with us. Singing on the square in front of the big antler arch was great!  It was hot, but we were in the shade. 

We all went for dinner at the Silver Dollar Grill and Garth and Anne Marie treated us.  Everyone was still in their cowboy hot and boots and just fit right in.    We stayed in the rustic Stage Coach motel–  rustic is short of no amenities and a bad mattress.  

AnnMarie and Garth Oborn

Heidi, Melinda, Kimi, Angie

I had an unfortunate hair clip placement on my dress.... yikes...I'm so embarrassed.  We laughed about this til we cried. 

The next morning we went to a Senior Center in Jackson to a small audience..then they treated us to a trout and cheese risotto lunch there.  Then off to an Assisted Living center to a very appreciative audience. ( Except for one lady who plugged her ears the whole time, had a scowl and when I went up after to greet her, she folded her arms and said, “I don't have a name.” )  

Garth shared this from Amber of the Sage Assisted Living Center.  She was thrilled to have us.  She met Garth in the Hallway and…” with perhaps three feet between us, slowly nodded her head up and down and said nothing, just stared at me, with tears running down her face.  In a world mixed with emotions, she knew it and I knew it that we had touched hearts, ‘lifted hands that hang down and strengthened the feeble knees.’”

We loaded up and drove home- with Rob Nisbet- and stopped in Afton at Shumway Farms for delicious ice cream and the creamiest yogurt I have ever had.  It was a good trip.