It's A Beautiful Morning...

 

... think I'll go outside for a while and just smile.

If you said, "The Young Rascals (aka The Rascals), 1968," you get 15 bonus points.  If you asked, "A beautiful day in the desert today?" you are right on.  70º to start the day.  Sunny.  Not humid.  A gorgeous morning.

Joan had put the patio back together after that last rainstorm, with a promised forecast of a week plus of sunshine and no triple digit high temps.  We sat outside on the patio, with the TV on.  Murphy was out there with us, Stella was watching us through the patio door.  Joan rolled the catio out of the shed and brought Stella out.

The little furry girl didn't put up and fuss and being carried out.  The catio was her "safe haven" when we first brought her home; she seemed to be enjoying time out there with us...

 After a while, I decided to get out on my ebike.  North through our neighborhood and then a bike trail to the city park...

 Once out of the park and onto the streets, I picked up the pace - get that old heart rate up.  It was a good ride.  Joan had just come inside when I got home.  She really enjoys spending time on the patio when it isn't so hot... and we are getting into that time of the year when it isn't so hot.  First thing in the morning.

It got to 93º for a high here today.  We must be acclimated: that seems almost pleasant.  BBQ for lunch out today.  Not a bad day in the desert.

 

Out Of Touch...

 

Technology passing you by, Jim?

Probably.  But, that's not what I'm talking about here.  If you said, "A song by Daryl Hall and John Oates, 1984," you get 20 bonus points.  If you asked, "Didn't they have an ugly, public break-up?" you are correct, but no bonus points.

Last night, we saw John Oates in concert at MIM (Musical Instrument Museum), accompanied by a piano player and a percussionist...

 I wasn't sure what to expect - turns out it was one of the best concerts we've seen this year.  Oates came out with a friendly, conversational manner; introducing the other band members.  It was stripped down, but still very full sounding.  The MIM auditorium is a great venue - Oates commented, "This place is great - I feel like we're playing in someone's house."  The performance definitely had that intimate feel to it.

They started out with an acoustic version of the song Out of Touch, then played some of Oates new (sans Hall) originals, a couple covers, several "these are the songs that influenced me", then played a couple Hall and Oates songs, and came back for an encore of another cover.  The info on the concert said it would be between 75 and 90 minutes; he played for an hour and 45 minutes.

Video clips...

 

If The Rain Comes...

 

"... they run and hide their heads."

If you said, "The song Rain, by the Beatles, 1966," you get 5 bonus points.  If you asked, "Is it raining in Phoenix?  I thought it was sunny there all the time," you may not be aware of monsoon season.  Hot and humid.  Moist unstable air.  And this morning, the rain was pounding when I got up.  Rain totals so far of .75" to 1.25" in most of the Valley (of the Sun).  Flash flood warnings for Maricopa County and other surrounding counties.

 Two cars were washed off a road in New River, just north of Phoenix.  The weather is moving northeast, so the areas with the heaviest precipitation (red and orange on that radar image above) will be moving across Scottsdale and the New River area.

67º when I got up.  A predicted high today of 77º... quite a change from the heat we've been experiencing.  Joan and I actually wore long pants yesterday.  No triple digit highs predicted for the next 10 days, but sunny and dry after tomorrow.

 

Been A Long Time Since I Rock 'n Rolled...

 

If you said, "Led Zeppelin, 1971, from their album Led Zeppelin IV," you get 15 bonus points.  If you asked, "Are the Hip Replacements all back and ready to play again?" you are correct... and 10 bonus points for asking.

Yesterday, the Hips played at Pizzicata, an Italian restaurant in Glendale.  Again; we played there last spring.  And have dates scheduled there again in the next two months.  First we've played out since everybody came back to town after the summer.  No, we didn't have to turn in an essay on "What I did on my summer vacation."

A good crowd - plenty of reaction: clapping, singing along.  Just the way we like it.  Joan, Steph and Dan were there, along with Vinnie the Guide Dog Puppy in Training.  Nice to have friendly faces and applause.

Stephanie and Dan shot some photos...

  In that last photo, a friend of Mark and Ron's "sat in" on the bongos on one song.

It was a good time.  Oh, and here's a shot from Joan...

 Nice thing about a "happy hour" gig: we were home and gear unloaded by 7:00.  Joan ordered me a lasagna to take home from the restaurant.  By 8:00, I had supper and soaked in the hot tub.  Life in the fast lane.  ;-)

The Full Harvest Moon...

 

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac: "The September 2026 Full Harvest Moon peaks on Saturday, September 26, at 12:49 P.M. Eastern Time. Rising low on the horizon, it will appear bigger, brighter, and more golden than any other Moon this year, casting long light across autumn fields and evening skies."

That's 9:49 Mountain Standard Time here in Phoenix, and I caught it at the absolute peak.  As predicted, as the moon came up over the eastern horizon, it had a golden color to it, and semi-shrouded by a cloud layer...

 

The Harvest Moon is the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox (September 22 or 23). Unlike other Full Moons, it rises about the same time for several nights, providing extended evening light. Historically, this extra illumination helped farmers complete their harvests before fall frosts.

Other Moon names for this month highlight how September is the transitional period between summer and fall:

• Autumn Moon (Cree)
• Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe)
• Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe)
• Moon of Brown Leaves (Lakota)
• Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine)

The behavior of animals is also a common theme, with Child Moon (Tlingit) referring to the time when young animals are weaned, and Mating Moon and Rutting Moon (both Cree) describing the time of year when certain animals, like moose, elk, and deer, are looking to mate.

The cloud cover opened up as it got close to 9:00 pm, and I was able to get a clear shot of this month's full moon...

 Very bright out there!  No, I didn't hear anything howling at it.

 

Reminiscing...

 

Yeah, Little River Band, 1978... didn't you use that title not so long ago, Jim?

Glad to see some of you are paying attention.  Which reminds me of a joke: back in my 20s, we were so poor, we couldn't afford to pay attention.  Old joke.  Old guy.

Last night, we saw Little River Band in concert at Talking Stick Casino in Scottsdale.  We've seen them before.  Yes, we know that none of the members are "the originals" from Australia.  Wayne Nelson, the bass player and singer was with them back in the 70s, so as close to one of the originals as they have.

Some critics (and the 3 original band members in Australia) have called this version of the band "a cover band."  I'm in the "they are keeping the music alive" camp.  That said, the last time we saw them (at this same venue) was probably 7 or 8 years ago, and Wayne Nelson did most of the lead singing.  They were good and sounded like the records, mostly.  Wayne was the original lead singer on Night Owls.

Unfortunately, Wayne's voice isn't what it used to be.  All 5 members of this current line-up sing.  One guitar player's voice was so gravely that it made my throat sore.  The other 3 singers did fine, each taking a turn at lead vocals.  But, none of them had the same timber and tone of the originals.  The musicianship, though, was excellent.

Overall, it was a good concert.  No regrets in spending the money and making the drive, and we thoroughly enjoyed "reminiscing" with the songs.  LRB had a good number of hits.

Some photos...

 One of the highlights of the evening was the 5 of them singing acapella around a pair of condenser mics...

 

As long as they were all singing, you didn't notice the raspiness or lack of power in two of the singers.

We had a good time.  One the way home, ADOT had closed the southbound lanes of the Loop 101, so we had to take a series of back roads, adding nearly a half hour to trip home.  8:00 concert; it was after 11:00 when we got home.  Yeah, we stayed out just like grownups.  On a Friday night.  With a full moon.  (Maybe I'll get a photo of that tonight.)

Some video clips...

 

Look to the sky...

 

Yesterday, we had rehearsal for the Hip Replacements (AZ) - or, as Podge calls it: THRAZ.  We have a gig coming up on Sunday, and we haven't been together for quite a while (I'm thinking it has been almost 2 months).  More gigs coming up in the following months.

Rehearsal went well.  I enjoy making music with Mark, Ron, and Podge.  We all have decades of playing experience, and we flow together nicely.  Everybody has input and it is a good, cooperative effort.

It was raining when I left our house, heading the 32 miles to Mark's place.  Dry by the time I got there, so I didn't have to schlep my music gear in the rain.  I was able to load up the Equinox in the garage to stay dry.

Coming home, I could see some rain shafts over the Estrella Mountains, but it was west of my routing.  Joan helped me unload gear from the car, then while she made supper, I took Murphy outside.  The weather to the east of us is clearing; clouds being lit by the setting sun to the west.  I grabbed a camera...

 To the east, the moon was rising with the diminishing clouds...

 Pretty close to a full moon, which will happen here Saturday morning.

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While I was making music, Joan had plenty of tasks to keep her busy at home.  One of those tasks was assembling a cabinet that will hold cat supplies in the garage.  Fortunately, she had plenty of feline help on that project...

 Pretty sure she was appreciative of all that hands-on (paws-on?) help.  ;-)