Lori makes a boat

Click to Play

So Hilary and Rebecca can pose for a picture, Lori looks for what will float their boat!

Wedding Well - Please Donate to Togo Village

My great friends Mike and Lori are being married this summer. As a wedding gift, they are raising money to drill a well in Game, a Togo village where Lori served in the Peace Corps.

Mike and Lori have already helped drill one well, and feel that the villagers could use a second well for better access to clean water. They will also be visiting Togo for their honeymoon.

They need your help!

Visit the Wedding Well webpage to donate, see Lori's photos, and learn more about Togo and the wedding well project.

New Flowers - New Camera

Click to Play

It's spring - and our bulbs are shooting out flowers right and left. We too will be shooting with our new Canon camera.

Who needs a pack of cigarettes, when this is smaller and has more video capabilities. I shot this video, right out of the box and into the garden. Check it out!

Mike Gunther on the Current

Mike Gunther and His Restless Souls were guests on Chris Robert's local show on Minnesota Public Radio last week. We chatted with Chris, and he spun local music, then we played songs throughout the show.

MPR has a beautiful studio. We had fun setting up and playing...I could hear the bass really well through a condenser mic/direct setup. You could hear the wood vibrate. My bass was happy, the place was humid--very good for the wooden instruments during this dry time of year. I'm sure they keep it that way all the time, although I'd like to think it's cuz our music was so steamin'!

Listen here: Real Audio Stream

Here is some live video from our March CD release at the Turf Club, from Schedule Two.

Also, there's a nice article about our Feb. 7 show at the Triple Rock, on a new myspace music magazine site Shoot Life.

Boundary Waters Sunset Silhouette

Boundary Waters Sunset Silhouette
Originally uploaded by TVDave.

How thrilled am I?

Catching the day's last rays, freshly showered after a great 5 day trip in the Boundary Waters with Michelle, Mike and Lori.

An empty glass of wine in hand means a warm glow on the inside too.

Watch a slideshow from this trip.

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle
Originally uploaded by TVDave.

I haven't posted for a while, I take my vacations very easy. Plus there are too many photos to deal with! But here's a simple flower in my own backyard. Back home again...

More on the Music Industry

Downloading music doesn't hurt artists as much as major labels. If music is going to represent our human experiences, it can be heard all around you, from people in your community, if you'll look a little closer. And if your community is on the internet, you should be able to get and share music that way.

The folks at DownhillBattle.org have a complete set of resources on intellectual property in music.

Also check out my friend Chuck's video on music bullies: Welcome to the Future shot in Minneapolis at the Fine Line Music Cafe.


More resources:
- Steve Albini
- Civil Disobedience
- Stay Free

Layers

How many layers are you?
Where did you get them, and how many came free with your experiences?
What makes us unique?
And what makes some charge for the rights to view their uniqueness?

Downloading music is not a crime
Because music is something that's free
As soon as it's made
As you experience it
You can't put it in a bottle
Just as no one can harness how years pass.
How many songs have you heard, even today?
How many jingles, how many birds, how many musicians?
And within that, how many notes?
Now...who can own a note?
They all funnel right in, and hopefully right back out.

Mike Gunther ,Have Mercy!

Now available on the internet, you can watch Mike Gunther's video, Have Mercy (Quicktime).

I played air bass in the video (and bass on the song), but the real stars are the beautiful dancers from Le Cirque Rouge de Gus Burleque Cabaret.

Mike Gunther and His Restless Souls play at Mala's this Friday, around about midnight. Contact me through comments or dave@homeskillet.com for directions.

Faces

Faces
Originally uploaded by TVDave.

It must be Halloween in the spring. More stuff from Neuss - stay tuned for a Strainer video starring these three.

CrescentBlanket

CrescentBlanket
Originally uploaded by TVDave.

My friend Neuss wants to use the web to display his art. So I take a few pictures, an hour later and here it is.

He does a lot of woodblock prints. I don't know what he calls this, but I called it crescent blanket. He liked it because it was "contrasty."

Fight MetroTransit Cuts

Light Rail Kid
Originally uploaded by TVDave.

Funding shortfalls are causing MetroTransit to raise bus and train fares, merge lines and reduce frequency of trains and buses. Twin Cities residents need to let MetroTransit and government officials know that people rely on these systems. The impact of cuts affect riders and discourage use of public transit, and it's not worth saving a couple bucks in taxes every year. We need to invest in our people and our future. Take ACTION!

From Skyway News, comments can be made in the following ways until May 1:

1. Comment cards, which will be made available on buses and trains;

2. E-mail to data.center@metc.state.mn.us

3. Fax to 651-602-1464

4. Mail to: Regional Data Center, Metropolitan Council, 230 E. 5th St., St. Paul, MN 55101

Dave on Light Rail
Originally uploaded by TVDave.

5. The Met Council will also be having public hearings on the proposed cuts in April.

6. Finally, contact your state senator and representative and ask them to support a dedicated source of funding for Metro Transit (if you live in the suburbs, this is particularly important).

Snow Drifts

Snow Drifts
Originally uploaded by TVDave.

Ironwood is a beautiful spot just across the Wisconsin border into the Michigan U.P. Relaxation in the outdoors, with meat and pot...atoes for dinner.

There was plenty of snow for cross-country skiing, even though there's no snow left in the Cities. The lake-effect off Superior made for feet and feet.

The bar scene was fun, for sure. We could just barely see around the chainsaws hanging from the ceiling at Brewsters to catch the Illini winning the Big 10 basketball tournament. And 5 beers cost as much as 1 would in the big city.

I said I was looking for answers to Moonball, and to see where Tom Hyry came from. But the light in this photo shows the presence of greater forces at work.

Cribbage Board

Cribbage Board,
originally uploaded by TVDave.

"Cribbage Board, Cribbage Board on the floor, what do I play Moonball for?"

I went to Ironwood seeking wisdom, and some weird things started to happen. I don't remember asking this Cribbage Board anything about Moonball. But it gave me an answer anyway.

Will it provide clues to next year's winner? Or next year's chump?

Click here to find the answer and see other Ironwood shots on my Flickr page. Bonus points for anyone who can identify the shape on the cribbage board.

Alien vs. Predator

NBA pictures from last year. The ultimate battle! Dedicated to Abe.

Breaking through the Skillet

Today I finally welcomed a little content into Homeskillet.com, and got rid of that "Coming Soon" status. By using frames, I just brought this blog in under the banner, and Viola, instant homeskillet! I could probably have links all over the place on here, and then navigation across the top, if I got off my butt for a minute.

Now I just have to get rid of these friggin' Dots! They remind me of the little candy that used to come stuck to paper. They tasted good for a while, but then you started tasting the paper. I think they're probably as influential as candy cigarettes, teaching kids to eat LSD.

Feel like a Viking

If people can post about their feelings on their blogs, then I can post about things that seem important to me too. Like beer.



This is a beer that's from Wisconsin. Much more tasteful than a Minnesota beer named after the Green Bay Packers.

Santa Protest

Santa Protest,
originally uploaded by TVDave.

Here is a picture from out by the courthouse. I'm not sure what they're protesting, but it's got my attention. I've always been a Santa guy.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

How easy is this?

How easy is it to blog? It's easy to read other blogs. And is it easy to add it to my website?

I'd also like to show a little picture of my little dog.

He's a patriotic pooch!