Not being just a violin shop allowed Hillmusic to retail other interesting things, from jaw harps to LP’s. We had a record player beside my bow rehairing bench. I didn’t even have to stand up to change a record – I’d just rotate on my workbench stool. There were so many sounds and styles to […]

The human memory, like a raven, is attracted to singularly bright objects, those that shine in the mind. Months later I remember tasty food, every dish a gumbo of spice and sauce, and cheap but strong cocktails, even outside of Happy Hour (starts at noon in some bars), and of course, the jazz. Three or […]

The new Hillmusic space was right in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill. Franklin Street marked the northern boundary of the University of North Carolina campus, and was packed with stores and places to eat, and where it crossed Columbia Street was the functional crossroads of town and gown. And our space was a half […]

Worst campsite ever – tent pitched on gravel that laughed at our sleeping bag pads, open trash barrels stinking in the oppressive August heat, swarms of yellow jackets, and a picnic table without benches – too high for folding chairs. Who the hell wants to stand up to eat at a campground?! It was not […]

Scree . . . whoosh . . . just as I look out my window, a bald eagle swoops and dives, talons grasping a fish from our neighborhood lake. A rare enough event, but the chills came because I was on the phone with my late Dad’s income tax preparer, who is sad to hear […]

Two women harangued me on my colorful attire – did I really stand out that much in my vest with some metallic gold threads, and my bolo tie with gold bling? It was not my intention to outshine my bandmates – I just like to wear colors and sparkly stuff. Seemed perfect for the last […]

My young brain saw the resemblance – the mud-colored crawfish skirting the shallows of Chester Creek and the bright red lobster tails on our dinner table. “Forget it,” I said, though it was clear Mom and Dad enjoyed all steps of the ritual. First broil on the same cookie sheet that birthed hundreds of Christmas […]

Eye drawn to gray weathered splintering wood on the railroad trestle, as I approach I see wing feathers fluttering in the wind – a red tailed hawk struck by a train. I am compelled to apologize for our blunt mechanized intrusion on the freedom of the air. And to utter gratitude for magnificence, though cut […]

Pleasure, even joy, can be had by the wispiest shift into appreciation of what is served to me, right now. Yes, it could be an IPA, or a red light, or a pain in my wrist, or an unexpected smile, yet perhaps there is no more encouraging bequeathal to us humans than the ability to […]

It is rare when a friend asks you to join on a bucket list pilgrimage, especially one so unlikely that I never really considered going. Unlike seeing Carnival in Brazil, visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house just required a day’s drive and sharing accommodations already booked. Perfect! We visited 5 FLW designs (2 by apprentices) […]