Bad Wheel Jonny and the Broke Spokes

Finally, after several years of talking about performing, Matt's guitar teacher and my friend, Craig Koska, is presently in a band and is having a great time! The band consists of lead singer on guitar (Jonny), Craig on Tenor Guitar, and another fellow on harmonica. Matt and I went to see him perform at Dover's Friends of Folk events. Craig is playing acoustic guitar on far left in picture.

Delaware Friends of Folk is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the cause of folk music and folk musicians in our area. They stage coffee houses, concerts, and monthly pick-ins where people gather to play music together.

Matt had heard an earlier recording of their music, but has become a big fan and wanted to attend and give him support. The music they play in Craig's own words....."We are kind of eclectic, but I would classify us as....Old Time, Appalachian Delta Blues....which is really a joke since there ain't no "Delta" in the Appalachian Mountains.

I had never seen a tenor guitar, but it only had four (4) strings and is tuned like a cello or a tenor banjo. Whereas the standard banjo is not considered a solo instrument, the tenor guitar is. The model he played was refurbished (by Bad Wheel Jonny himself) Slingerland Solo Model. This one was made somewhere between 1928 and 1935. I loved the "tingy" sound and the beauty of the instrument. We truly enjoyed the performance, and the Craig played the best of all!

His REAL job during the day is a Trainer/Educator III in the Public Health Preparedness Section. His areas of expertise are Avian and Pandemic Influenza and the medical effects of weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Koska is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. He spent 5 ½ years at the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine as a Master Instructor in the Battlefield Medical Operations Branch, teaching the medical aspects of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological weapons.

Throughout the years, Craig has taught many generations of Smyrna/Clayton Delaware aspiring pickers. In fact, he has taught five people that I work with and they are all different ages, and others that have had their children taught as well. When I tell people who is teaching Matt how to play, usually I'm informed that they either know a friend or had a relative take lessons from him.

Mother's Day!

My Mother's Day was full of love and fun. After church, I went over to pick up Matt at his Dad's house. As soon as I walked in, they had a singing card, a bouquet of colorful asters, and two large red beautiful potted begonias. Jim, bought me a Willow Tree sculpture of Mother and Son. I really love it. Afterwards, Matt and I went to have a late lunch and then to the movies to see the new Star Trek. It was funny and entertaining. We returned to Jim's house, where Matt and I danced to some Duran Duran, Moody Blues, and Hall & Oates. We played video rock band. He worked the guitar and I sang in the microphone! After our performance workout, we sat and watched a little TV together as a family. I'm so blessed to have such a creative, passionate, loving, intelligent, handsome, humorous, and fun son. He's growing fast (almost as tall as me as you can see by the picture) and becoming an amazing young man. Having only one son is great because you can put all your love and attention into one child. However, I know that soon he will be out of high school and making his own mark on the world. I never thought I'd be a mother! I'm so glad God gave me Matt to learn from and to love! I can't imagine having any other child like him. I'm definitely proud of him in every way and couldn't imagine my life without him.

Ballet Classics & More

Another, yet talented DNREC co-worker in our HR Section is a Benefits coordinator by day, and ballet teacher by night. Her name is Melanie Caffo. She teaches at the Ballet Theatre of Dover/Dance Conservatory. It is school that offers the highest caliber instruction in dance, with it's own performance wing for near-professional quality entertainment in dance. Not only do they perform the annual "Nutcracker" but also have seasonal performances in May and August which includes classical ballet and contemporary productions.

This is my second Mother's Day weekend year that I have attended their spring performance. The presentation was in their studio theatre, and they performed classical dances from "Paquita" and used the choreography from 1881. "Allegro Molto" by Bartok was the final dance. The contemporary dances were from Duke Ellington-Alvin Alley ballet "The River " which made it's debut in 1970 at Lincoln Center, NY. Although the music seems incomplete and fragmented, it includes seven (7) dances . The music is like a river itself starting with a slow, folk-song opening through the jazzy swing time to the spiritual and blues. The dancers used chair, stools, and benches as props in one dance. The song, "The Neo Hip-Hop Kiddies" was choreographed almost as if I was watching an excerpt from "Fame's hot lunch!" The costumes, music, and choreography was entertaining and exciting. I was so proud to see Melanie dancing among the young dancers that she taught.