My Seabee Friend, John Waltner

Attention on deck !

Here is a photo of John Waltner and former wife Charlie (Charlotte) at their daughter's wedding in Jersey, 2012. They still look good together, don't they?

We met at Naval Air Station South Weymouth in 1967. He was a Seabee Equipment operator -- bulldozers, graders, tractor trailers, ETC.  He was in our wedding party that same year.

John was and still is known as JoJo to his friends in Joisey. Once upon a time, a long long time ago, JoJo and his fadder was walking down the street and Jo Jo said, "Hey Dad, listen to the boid." His fadder says, "It ain't no boid, it's a bird."

Jo Jo said, "It sure choips like a boid."

John & Charlie took good care of us when we ran the NYC Marathon twice -- 1978 and 1981. They announced their first pregnancy to Sandy and I in a Soho restaurant in NYC. It was an Italian restaurant where the maitre-de hugged everyone. Do you remember?

John & Charlie in the 1970s.

John & Frank Sinatra are both from Hoboken originally. John did two tours in Vietnam. And then he was married a long long time.

If you need support with ANYTHING, John is always there. Actually that seems to be a trait of all Navy Seabees. My first true friends were Seabees.

Sandy took both photos. The first one is at the Green's Harbor jetty in Marshfield. My guess is that it was taken in the seventies. Time flies.

Speaking of ..... I do not want a long church Mass or a wooden box or even an urn, but I would like to have my family presented with the Colors and a salute or two. No guns. It will scare the squirrels. I want it as an open house here at 110 where all the parties were. But I am not ready quite yet. Dress blues would seem appropriate. I would ALSO like it if Leonard Cohen makes an appearance. "Hallelujah" would be my first choice for him to sing. If Julie Christianson could back him up, all the better. I know it would be asking way too much for his Greek mandolin player to show. HEY! I don't ask for much, and this will be my very last party.

Maybe you could hire a professional mourner like Johnny Pescucci from the North End and he could cry his eyes out at my service.

In the sixties, he used to do it for five dollars. He probably gets more now. But I know that John Waltner will be there.

Thanks again for tuning in.

Ningret 2014

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We filled the Stardust Motel in Connecticut. Hey! Crystal Gayle once stayed there. No rooms available this weekend. It is an easy half hour from Ninigret, Rhode Island.

 

Again this year there were about 40 bands.

Steve Riley (Mamou Playboys), Wayne Toups, Wilson Savoy (Pine Leaf Boys), and Josh Baca from Los Texmaniacs in the accordion workshop tent were alone worth the price of admission. See if you can find Josh Baca on Google. He is the very best accordionist we have ever seen. He is 22 years old and from Albuquerque. Try making this stuff up. Someone always stands out in the festival and AGAIN this year it was Josh Baca. Toups hasn't been to New England in 20 years. He was sooo good. He as been at it for a while.

Steve mentioned that it was the 50th anniversary of school bus driver and fiddle player Dewey Balfa's performance at the Newport RI Jazz Festival. He brought Cajun music to the Yankees of New England.

Los Texmaniacs in the new Heritage, bring your chair, Tent -- also alone worth the price of admission. New CD coming out in October. The guy who produces Los Lobos’ musica is doing it. They are just ending their tour of China and Canada. YCMTSup. They do one hell of a Polish/Mexican polka. “It's a small world after all, It's a small world . . . “

Sandy's favorite, the Pine Leaf Boys from Eunice, Louisiana, were awesome as usual. Michael and I hollered to Wilson to please do "Jerry Lee's ‘Great Balls of Fire’ ," and he did, on the keyboard. WOW! Fiddle player Cory knocked everyone out with his George Jones tunes. How does that voice come from that skinny body?

We never even got down to the main stage or the main stage dance floor. Enid especially wanted to hear banjo musica and she did. Enid & Flaco want to bring their whole family next year.

The former Red Hook Dance Tent was brand new and larger, with much more seating inside. We were lucky on Sunday and had six seats inside and out of the weather.

David Greely was there and did a fiddle workshop with Tara Nevins of Donna The Buffalo. Wilson & Kevin Wimmer sat in. Greely also played with Los Texmaniacs for a while. You remember that Donna The Buffalo was originally Dawn of the Buffalo, but folks kept mispronouncing it. It is like Lola from Mango’s on Isla Mujeres, who just finally gave up when the local island Mexicans couldn't pronounce her real name, Laura.

Sarah Potenza

 Local favorite Sarah Potenza from Sarah & the Tall Boys again overfilled the Heritage Tent. The tent is to the right as soon as you enter. It was new last year and is GREAT if you just want to sit and listen. People just park their lawn chairs there, making it an auditorium. The rule is if no one is in the chair, it is yours. Last year at the main stage we sat all through Taj Mahal and Steve Earle without getting bumped. Every time someone played at the Heritage Tent it was overflowing by ten or more people deep, and around all three sides, and people dancing beyond that!

10 o'clock Sunday evening, with rain buckets pouring down, and lightning all around, we were all told to GO HOME before the Fai Do Do with the Mamou Playboys! Sandy ruined her red cowgirl boots.

Saturday was the busiest I have EVER seen it. We met people from everywhere. The dance lessons for Zydeco had 70 new people trying to learn the steps.

We had an OK time.

Yah should ah been there!