African Drums of Fort Collins

and Dance!

We heard the drumming and found our way to the Council Tree Library

where there was dancing and drumming!

Here's a sort video

We went to the library to get some books on decking! It looks like another project is in the works! We love home improvement!

Research @ the old Power Plant

North of Fort Collins there was

this old coal burning power plant

and this is how it looks today.

It's now called the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory (EECL) and these folks from CSU were on hand to show us around!

"Let's take a look at what we have at the EECL"

They test third world cooking stoves and retrofit them for cleaner and more efficient operation! OK, but where are the engines!

Now this is an engine!

This sucker is a Cooper-Bessemer GMV-4TF natural gas engine. It has 4 cylinders with a 140 liter displacement and has a rated speed of 300 rpm!

...and here's the old 6-cylinder Waukesha VGF F18GL!

This guy has an 18 liter displacement with a rated speed of 1800 rpm. It's been upgraded with a laser ignition system and pre-combustion chamber (Nat. Gas fuel).

oh, and there are a few John Deer diesel engines out back.

They have this truck called a hydraulic hybrid. Check this animation to find out more.

You can find this fountain near the front of the building

Erected by the Works Progress Administration

It looks like the employees and students like to BBQ near the fountain!

Out back, they're growing algae

It's called a closed system photo-bioreactor and it is used for biofuel production: ethanol, methane, hydrogen, oh, and natural gas to run those engines noted above! So we have solar energy converting to chemical energy converting to mechanical energy converting to electrical energy I guess?

Fort Collins Parody?

"Yo Fort Collins

That big sculpture never pleased most folks

So it's going to move, just goes to prove

We get to repeat our best jokes"

From "Yo Fort Collins"

by Patty Bell

Sung to the tune:"Oklahoma!"

If you haven't yet, go see the Mostlies

It's local satire for the most part, so if you haven't read each issue of Coloradoan over the past year, you won't get all of the jokes! They did a bit about sign spinners that made me wonder if somebody in the cast has been reading my blog? Hey! Are you reading me now?

A Cheyenne Parade!

This was fun:

We got into the town of Cheyenne

and we parked a block away from the parade route!

They had Yellowstone Park touring cars!

...and Yellowstone Park touring wagons!

There were cowgirls on a truck!

and pink tractors?

Frontiersmen on a float (displacement of native Americans)

Dazee's 1926 float of the Silver Crown (a Ponzi scheme before Charles Ponzi was born)

and Dazee's 1936 float 'Hell's Half Acre' (early prostitution in town)

a float depicting the last man to be hanged in Cheyenne? (capitol punishment)

...and bootleg whiskey? (illegal manufacture of spirits)

Oh, yes, there were more tractors!

And there were many, many fully operational horse-drawn coaches, carriages and wagons; more than in the Museu Nacioal dos Coches in Lisbon! Best yet, the area high school marching bands were in the parade as well!

The Last RAGBRAI Post?

Maybe, maybe not...

Here's Tom from the Roadside Boys

And here I am playing behind Teresa and John of the Buck Hollow Band.

Another picture of John. He knows A LOT of songs in the key of G ! What a guy!!!

Here's Jim

This is Ed

I forgot her name. If I remember it, I'll edit this caption.

Alternate Ragbrai Entertainment

While sometimes entertained by others while on RAGBRAI

I met up with Tom H. of the Roadside Boys this evening and we played in a courtyard for beer.

Our fans had to wait to get in to hear us...

... and there were bikes strewn about along the roadside.

I had some time to check out some local stuff

This actually looked like an educational stop!

it was fun for all ages!

It's hard to get the facts straight but for what it's worth:

1) We had plenty of beer to drink

2) The bikes and people were not waiting to hear us

3) I can't find the picture of the actual jail cell!

4) I don't have a clue what was going on in the last two pictures!

the Bluffs

In the heartland:

There was no need for this!

but organic shapes persist.

and mechanized food distribution right next door...,

big heads are in charge at all times!

and there are places to drop your money easy as pie!

The locals say the corn crop is the best they've seen in years! It's all that early rain that did it! I suspect that all those wind turbines have stirred up the weather patterns and are actually doing more than just generating electricity. It's the 'butterfly effect' in a grand scale!

Bike Expo!

Lots of bike related gear at the RAGBRAI expo:

Dude! Those are thongs! Back away!

Butt'r? What the heck is that?

RAGBRAI bike shops are the best!

A word from our sponsor!

Is this a binding contract?

Iowa Ribfest!

Vegetarians beware!

Willingham's is here!

and the Cowboys from Fort Worth

and Chicago, of course!

Australian? Put another rib on the barbie?

Texas, OK, another Texas BBQ!

and yet another Texas BBQ and winner of the 2009 Naper-vile ribfest!

What, they never heard of Kansas City ribs? And why did they compete in Naper-vile ? In any event, a whole lot of ribs was et.

Bananas!

Here's the set-up:

It's about bananas

So there's this guy. He's eating a banana. He's dressed as a banana. And he's riding a bike that is a banana! And it's a Chiquita banana!

Here's another from past years. It's a Chiquita also!

It's ALL about the RAGBRAI !!!

The next week of posts are going to be only about the RAGBRAI

On the Peanut Butter Jam Website

I ride a bike in the RAGBRAI (the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) and I carry a banjo on my back the entire route. I sometimes will stop and play a few notes on occasion. Here is a collection of photos of me that people have taken and posted on the internet. The one above is from the Peanut Butter Jam in 2008.

I think this was in 2007 , maybe Manchester, Iowa?

This was something like the last town on the last day of the ride and I probably spent two hours in this town greeting the other riders as they came into town.

Next to a drier bin in Stout, Iowa, 2007

There was this corn drier at the corner of the route that provided some shade and a good place to play as the mass of bikes passed through.

On stage in Humbolt, Iowa 2006

The bank of Iowa booked us (The Roadside Boys) for early morning entertainment in Humbolt.

On the side of the road in Humbolt, 2006

We found someone's front yard and just started playing stuff. In the black box is a melodion (accordion) that came in handy when a rider asked if we could do a polka.

On stage in Clarion, Iowa, 2006

This was another Roadside Boys gig where we had a great time drinking beer and jamming with the local talent.

Someplace in Iowa, 2005

This was near a rest stop. I found this picture by searching "Ragbrai Banjo" on Google. It's in Iowa, but I don't know where exactly.

Maybe in Malcom, Iowa, 2006

The local fire department placed a water hose out to spray into the street to help cool off the riders on this 98 degree day. A rider took this picture of me playing under the stream of water and posted it with the title "Water Music".

Crystal Lake, Iowa, 2005

This photo was taken by a news reporter in a town that bordered Crystal lake. The two women sitting next to me were members of the C.U.B.S (see next picture below).

Someplace in Iowa, 2005

I remember this guy who took this photo. He asked all sorts of questions. The jersey I have on celebrates the 10th year of the club known as C.U.B.S., or the Chicago Urban Bicycling Society. It was a bike club I joined in 2005.

A cornfield in Iowa, 2005

This is me with Lee, the president of the Tall Dogs Club. Lee asked if I could play some banjo tunes while he relieved himself in the cornfield out back. He said it was the highlight of the ride.

An intersection in Iowa, 2005

I felt that the volunteers who were out in the sun all day directing traffic needed some entertainment too, so I took some time to welcome them and their hard work.

Fenton, Iowa, 2005

This is a picture of me with some veteran members of the C.U.B.S. I think I grabbed this from their website.

Crystal Lake, Iowa, 2005

This picture was taken by a Register photographer. It clearly shows the "Ragbrai" logo on the head of my banjo.

I should be in Iowa tonight. I have no idea what I'll find on the road for the coming week, but I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Rosemary's Birthday Gig

Road trip coming soon!

Bloco em FoCo invited to a party

It was a very nice evening to get out and drum and meet new people. Now it's time to pack up and go to the farm country of Iowa!

Jazz Fest, F.C.

In Old Town, Fort Collins we have:

The Groove Society

Aakash Mittal

Erik and Ben of Red Sylvester

... and Kevin and Wil of Red Sylvester

YES YOU CAN:

hear a band in Fort Collins that ain't got no banjo nowhere in sight!

Central Casting

It's an ancient process

and the end result is one of these.

So, why are there so many bronze sculptures in Loveland? Well, we went on a little trip to Loveland to find out!

This nice lady told us about wax chasing.

Buzz Lightyear about to be poured

This nice lady is metal chasing!

They gots toads!

Wolves, bears, and mountain bikes!

Jesus!

The secret: They do it in parts!

There are many steps to making a bronze statue. At this bronze casting shop (Art Castings of Colorado) they take an artist's work from a rubber mold and weeks or months later turn it into a huge bronze statue! The artist gets a call from the studio that the work is ready to be shipped... "It costs THAT much to ship to New York?"

City Parking

At the park the other day:

Across the street from our samba practice

some people have gone medieval

That reminds me... we're going to the Colorado Renaissance Festival next month! Huzzah!

Returnin' to de island mon!

We just had to go back...

Not to worry... those are Christmas lights in the eyes of that mask!

and Marcus was there to make sure we didn't sway (in the wrong direction)

Check out those Surdos and the Timbau

it was a great venue for drumming

The ashiko and djembe players are looking and sounding fine!

You could leave the island if you had to, but we all stayed!

Look! The boat is bringing more drummers!

There is this half-tailed cat living on the island it seems.

...but he didn't mind as we recorded our Island Samba!

I guess I could get back in the groove and run the shekere a bit, but I'll have to finish my piña colada first. I do have my priorities!

Old Town Jazz weekend

While riding to Old Town this morning:

They are having a sidewalk sale.

They also have free live jazz music this weekend. This morning they had the FRCC Vocal Jazz Ensemble. I didn't take their picture because I reported on them on May 8th.

"Transcend"

Carved out of white marble by Collen Nyanhongo in 2007, this work of art was apparently placed in the wrong part of Old Town. It weighs 5 tons, and it annoys almost everyone who sees it. When asked what to do with it, one local wrote in "I need some fill for my driveway at my ranch in Texas". FoCo City Council has recommended it be moved to the corner of Mason and Maple.

This reminds me of the time I worked at Gould Electronics. The company bought a large (maybe 30 foot high) sculpture by Picasso called "The Bather". People driving along Golf road in Rolling Meadows, Illinois could see the sculpture and believed the work of art to be obscene. The company moved it about 100 yards behind some tall trees to make 'em happy... at a cost of 2 million clams!

CSU Welcomes You!

at Ammons Hall:

Ammons Hall, 1922

Named after the brother of the first female professor at CSU (!) , the building was originally a social center and women's gymnasium.

Laid in the year 5921,A.L. by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Colorado Masons!

Note the Italian Renaissance Revival elements!

The building is now the CSU welcome center!

What do Surdos do?

Marcus is thinking what to do:

Bloco Em Foco Surdo section composed of Dave, Alec, and Keith

Surdos make up the bass section of a Samba band. They have plastic heads and aluminum shells for light weight travel. It is typical to have three surdo parts, the primeira, segunda, and terceira drums tuned low to high respectively.

Weather update: Yesterday's 4th of July rain ended in time for the fireworks in city park; we decided to drive up the the Horsetooh ridge and watch the city from above. So did 700+ other people!

Happy 4th You 'all

There was a parade in Wellington:

The llamas were a big hit.

Why does Larimer County need this vehicle?

Now this makes more sense!

It was a big parade, but it was missing a marching band of some kind. Where did they go? Estes Park? Maybe next year the best mobile Samba percussion ensemble in Fort Collins known as Bloco Em Foco will be available to help this parade out a little.

It's 7 PM and raining now. We probably will not see the fireworks tonight. Maybe they will postpone them?

Arrangements in Copper and Tin

More than just a bronze head of a cow poke...

or the signs near outhouse door...

The Benson Sculpture Park in Loveland has over 200 pieces of art

and many well known artists have their works on display.

Heralded as one of the finest outdoor juried exhibitions of three-dimensional artwork in the United States

the park features the work of sculptors from around the world.

It's a great place to have a picnic

and stroll around the grounds on a sunny afternoon.

It's pretty cool, but it's no Swetsville zoo!

Mantis vs Caterpillar

In October last year we visited Swetsville Zoo. Apparently the caterpillar eventually demolishes the mantis as the zoo must make way for the eventual 'progress' of the town of Timnath! They think the town will have a population increase of two orders of magnitude in the next 20 years! No more dinosaurs! No more Swetsville! If you haven't been, get there before they are all gone! (call first- they're in the phonebook)

The BVKC Dog Show!

Duncan MaDog was not welcome here:

At the Doggie Salon

Show Dogs

and more show dogs!

Doggie portrait #1

Doggie portrait #2

Doggie portrait #3

Doggie portrait #4

Doggie portrait #5

Last week-end at "The Ranch" or the Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex we just had to check out the Dog Show. Duncan MaDog could not come because "ordinary" dogs could be carrying the canine herpes virus which could quickly spread to the show dogs. No big thing, except Duncan would have had a good laugh at all the fuss the dog handlers were exhibiting at the doggie salon.

...and there's nothing like the Oster 2-speed forced air power dryer to ensure a dry dog on show day!