I've learned a couple more fiddle tunes this morning and the two are related though they're played in different keys with slightly different chord progressions. The first tune is one I heard my great friend, Donnie Perkins play for me while I was up in the north country a few weeks back. It's called "The Old Grey Mare Came Tearing Out of the Wilderness". It was popularized by none other than the very famous Kenny Baker. The second tune I found while You-tubing the first. It's called "The Old Yellow Dog". The first tune is in the key of A and a lot of fiddlers tune their fiddle to AEAE to help 'drone' the lower A & E notes while playing on the lower notes. It's just as easy to simply bar the A and E notes and remain in standard tuning, which then allows an easy modulation to the key of D for the next tune, "The Old Yellow Dog".

These tunes are very similar and may have started as the same tune and later on taken different melodies and chord progressions. In any event, they go together nicely and provide variations in melodies and rhythms that fiddle aficionados will certainly appreciate.

Today, Sunday, Mary and I will attend a special pool party with picnic and Bluegrass picking down in Erwin.

Then, Monday night, we'll head over to the Sunshine Market in Elizabethton for the weekly Bluegrass jamming party there. Many pickers have been showing up each Monday and we're hoping for yet another big turnout; a turnout big enough so that there will be more than one large group picking. It's always better when the group splits up into manageable-sized smaller ones, providing for some variation in song and instrumental selections.

Tuesday night, I have band practice at Wade Ledford's house for our upcoming performance ("Wade Ledford & Friends") scheduled for Thursday night at the Red Barn. Mary and I always enjoy the friendship and hospitality of Wade and Shirley. It will be good to see them again. It's been a while.

Wednesday night, the band "Tru Grass" will have a practice at Chuck Poore's home in Unicoi. It will be good to play again with these fellows, too. We've got some gigs scheduled for the end of the month and need a practice or two to shine up our material.

Thursday night is taken up with playing at the Red Barn with "Wade Ledford & Friends".

Friday may be taken up with a Bluegrass party up in Earnestville at the Community Center. (I'm not sure, yet).

Saturday, "Tru Grass" plays two different times; one in Fish Springs from 3:00 - 5:00, and again up at Roan Mountain State Park at 7:00 - 8:00.

Then, it's Sunday again................(rumor has it Mary will be roasting a turkey with all the fixin's).....yum, yum.....

I've added a new page under the "Blog" tab called "Our Trip To The ADKs" and under this page, three more drop-down pages named: "Bluegrass at Coventryville", "Upcoming Productions", and "Sheer Beauty of the ADKs". Also, under the "Famous People & Places" tab, there are a couple of new subpages under the "Unicoi, Erwin and Limestone Cove" page. One is named "Unicoi Strawberry Festival" and the other is named "Unicoi Farmers Market". Mary and I have also added a number of photographs to the "Bluegrass & Country Pictures Page 4" page, too.

The www.frederickwarner.com site has been experiencing a near record-setting high each day with well over 700 to 1,000 visitors a day. We extend a great big "THANK YOU" to all who are making this website so popular. And I extend a great big "THANK YOU" to Mary who takes all the wonderful pictures and faithfully travels by my side each day as we partake in all the wonderful activities the "South" presents.

Mary and I arrived home today, June 14th at 2:00 p.m. We have many photos to share and many stories to tell. Look for them all in the next few days. It's great to be back.