Merri’s Dance and Music eNews

Gene Hubert Goes Down the Hall

The New England Folk Festival Association web site www.neffa.org reports that “It is with sadness that we report the death of Gene Hubert, influential contra dance composer and caller, from pancreatic cancer.” Excerpted from the trad-dance-caller list: “Gene Hubert passed away [March 6, 2006] at Durham County Hospital. He was not in pain. Memorial service Friday morning at their home, in the garden. –Karen D.” On a personal note, Gene was my age, 51.

Many of us dance and call Gene’s dances, and we are lucky to have his voluminous compositions. Gene’s obituary is a remarkable summary of a remarkable man. May we all be so blessed, talented and missed when we go.

After pondering Gene’s obituary and his impact on the dance world, I am developing a new dance workshop called “The Dizzy and the Flow: a Tribute to Gene Hubert and his Dances.” I will present this workshop at one of the camps I’m calling at in the next few months.

THE Bird Find of a Lifetime!

Photos by Mark Justice Hinton (c) 2006

New Photos posted on full blog at www.merridancing.com/wp (see especially photo posted 3/14/06 March 2006 Folk Enews, 2nd Half)

This all started when my court administrator Lori gave me an article from the Albuquerque Tribune about a rare sighting of a yellow grosbeak. If you read the Sibley Guide to Birds, you will learn that the yellow grosbeak normally lives in Mexico and points south. Sibley states, “There are few confirmed records of Yellow Grosbeak from Arizona, despite many reports. As always when reporting such a rare bird, take extra care in the identification and be sure to eliminate all similar species….” Until a few weeks ago, there were no known reports of yellow grosbeaks in New Mexico, ever.

I had heard about this grosbeak in January 2006 when our friends Dave Mehlman, an ornithologist with the Nature Conservancy, and Kathleen Hall came over one Saturday. That morning they had been in the yard of Ray Powell, a veterinarian, environmentalist, candidate for state land commissioner, and friend of mine, who lives across the road from Dave and Kathleen. Apparently, the bird was making quite a stir and had attracted about 30 or 40 folks, including our teenage neighbor Michael Hilchey, there to observe it.

Then I read the Tribune article. It so happened that Dave Mehlman, who is also an ace contra dancer, was giving a talk at the Natural History Museum’s Dynamax Theater on Tuesday, February 21, about the ivory-billed woodpecker recovery project. [Aside: Dave is on the national recovery team for the ivory-billed woodpecker, and we’re very proud of him.] I told Dave I would bring him the article from the Tribune, which he hadn’t seen.

A young woman named Laurel with the New Mexico Audubon Society was sitting in front of us in the Dynamax, along with Turtle Bear Guillermo who also dances with us on occasion. Laurel overhead us talking about the article and said, “The grosbeak moved to 1412 Las Lomas. I saw it there this afternoon.” “Really?!” I said, “Our friends live at 1601 Las Lomas.” About that time, Melissa and Lew, who live at 1601 Los Lomas and are also dancers, walked into the theatre (we didn’t even know they were coming). We passed them the article and decided we’d go see Lew today and walk down to 1412 to look for the bird.

As small town Albuquerque goes, 1412 Las Lomas NE turned out to be the home of Kay Bratton, an attorney I’ve known for more than 20 years! Mark, Lew and I went there at noon with burritos from Golden Pride. Kay had left a sign in the front with instructions about where to sit and where to look. We went in the backyard and settled around the patio table. Her signs didn’t tell us there was a “vicious guard dog”!

Photo by Mark Justice Hinton (c) 2006

Actually, he was darling and his main objective was to beg for burrito bits and to try to drag the lunch sack off the table. Kay’s backyard also has a covered swimming pool, so be careful not to step on the cover and fall through into the water.

After 10 or 15 minutes of watching, I saw a large bird with white patches on his wings land in the pine tree above the feeders. “I think he’s here,” I told Mark and Lew. A few minutes later, the grosbeak hopped down and settled onto the seed tray with the sparrows and finches for some sunflower seeds. We saw him three times in the half hour between 12:30 and 1 p.m. Mark took several photographs and created the above collage. Identifying a yellow grosbeak is like identifying a bald eagle–even for casual birders, the yellow color and thick parrot-like beak are bulls-eye field marks. We felt a little guilty at how easy it was and how lucky we were, but we relished our brief foray into birding history. The day was truly charmed. My hubby posted his unique views about birding at www.edgewiseblog.com/mjh/index.php (”Bird Man of Albuquerque, no, not me!,” posted 2/22/06).

Photo by Mark Justice Hinton (c) 2006

We also saw juncos, several ladder-backed woodpeckers, and a spotted towhee. Kay came home to go to a dentist appointment and invited us inside where we signed the guest book. A dozen or so people had signed in today. On our way out, we met a couple from out of town who had heard about the bird. We gave them instructions, including “don’t let the dog out of the yard,” and headed home.

I love this town.

P.S. Melissa, Lew, Mark and I saw the grosbeak again last Friday. February 24. He is a very accommodating rare bird. And a few weeks later, a visiting Californian took this shot:

Photo taken on March 11, 2006 by Matthew Matthiessen, Ukiah, CA, who visited the bird in Albuquerque, (c) 2006

Farewell, Mike

photo by Merri Rudd

Death of Mike Smith, Tucson, AZ, First posted, January 18, 2006, 7:16 p.m. MST

A few hours ago Tucson musician Mike Smith, pictured above at Arizona’s Dance in the Desert in November 2005, died unexpectedly. Yesterday, January 17, 2006, Mike fell off a ladder in his studio and hit his head. Despite medical attention, the damage was so severe that life support was removed today. Some of you may remember fondly when one of Mike’s bands, Round the House, visited Albuquerque in July 2004. They performed at the Biopark, jammed in Richard and Alana Eager’s backyard, and played for the Albuquerque contra dance. We enjoyed them!

Mike was a master of many things–the rhythm anchor of Round the House, as well as other bands; a skilled woodworker; a real estate broker; a philosopher. He was also a kind and generous soul. He loved his family and friends, especially his beloved Cate; he loved playing guitar; he loved crafting wood; he loved being outdoors.

I don’t understand the ways of the universe. I do know that we think we are strong, but we are fragile. We think we are immortal, but we’re not. We hope we’ll live to see another day, but we may not. We wish the world were just, but it isn’t always. Mike understood this and much more. We should live as if each day were our last, treating each other with kindness and compassion. I wish Mike peaceful travels on his next journey and the opportunity to jam with other great departed souls. He will be deeply, deeply missed by many. I am proud to have known you, Mr. Guitar Man.

WHEN I GO (listen to this song by scrolling down the page: www.folkweb.com/davecartertracygrammer/whenigo-load.ra )

…..spring, spirit dancer, nimble and thin, i will leap like coyote when i go
tireless entrancer, lend me your skin, i will run like the gray wolf when i go
i will climb the rise at daybreak, i will kiss the sky at noon
raise my yearnin voice at midnight to my mother in the moon
i will make the lay of long defeat and draw the chorus slow
i’ll send this message down the wire and hope that someone wise is listenin’ when i go…..

sigh, mournful sister, whisper and turn, i will rattle like dry leaves when i go
stand in the midst where my fire used to burn, i will camp on the night breeze when i go
and should you glimpse my wanderin’ form out on the borderline
between death and resurrection and the council of the pines
do not worry for my comfort, do not sorrow for me so
all your diamond tears will rise up and adorn the sky beside me when i go

WHEN I GO, lyrics and music written by Dave Carter
August 13, 1952 - July 19, 2002
daveandtracy.globalhosting.com/index.php

Welcome

Well, my hubby has cajoled me to join the 21st century and blog my thoughts worldwide. I don’t like change much (witness: we’ve been together 24 years), but I’ll try and see how it goes. I’m developing a workshop in my mind, “Getting in Touch with your Inner Babe” that I hope to present at Maymadness Weekend May 19-21, 2006 in Prescott, AZ. It won’t be the George Bernard Shaw idea that dance is “the perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire,” but something gentler. I’m also working on “Finding Your Inner Queen/King” for an English workshop I’m teaching at Salt Lake City’s Wasatch Wiggle July 14-16, 2006. Stay tuned!

Trip to Bosque del Apache

Made our annual trip to Bosque del Apache. See the following link for text and photos. MR

mjh’s blog — Bosque del Apache