MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DADDY V!

Once again Daddy V finds himself in the Garden State for the holidays. A little R & R and of course, being only 2 1/2 hours from the state of Connecticut, Daddy V and the family will being attending the Boyes-Garringer nuptials on December 29th. (Daddy V likes to think he had a little something to do with getting the lovebirds together - specifically some lies told to Emilie regarding Mark's past. You never did get jail time for that public indecency charge, did ya Mark?)

Daddy V took the family and Grandma V to Cape May, NJ, today where we enjoyed a Christmas play entitled "Every Christmas Story Ever Told". Very funny and very entertaining! The program included the following which you may consider my Daddy V Christmas gift to you! Enjoy!

Phoardendron flavescens, or Mistletoe, is actually a parasitic plant that grow on the bark of other trees. It derives it's name from the Anglo-saxon "mistel" meaning dung and "tan" for twig, from the belief that Mistletoe sprang from branches where birds sat and done what birds do do on branches. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is in reality a pagan custom that originated with the Vikings, who would dip sprigs of the plant in the blood of sacrificed bulls, and give them to people as protection against evil spirits and storms. So....the next time your're in a doorway beneath a sprig of dung-branch, think about Viking blood sacrifices and PUCKER UP!

LAURA'S A GLASSMEN! (SORT OF)

Well, as they say, no news is good news so we are assuming that as long as Laura still wants to do it there is a spot for her in the Glassmen horn line.  Camp #2, shortened because of weather, really gave Laura very few answers concerning her staus with the corps. Camp dismissed at noon on Sunday and the only indication that Laura has that she is still "in" is a statement from the instructors that if they had not talked to you yet, you should come back to the January camp.  As I said, no news is good news.  Most of the people I talked to said that it was a good sign and Laura should be happy.  Unfortunately, Laura is a very sore person today! 3 hour music rehearsal on Friday night, 4 1/2 hour morning music rehearsal and a 3 1/2 afternoon visual rehearsal on Saturday plus another 2 1/2 hour music block Saturday night made for a lot of tired and aching muscles for all the kids. 3 more hours of music on Sunday morning capped off the week-end.  This is a grueling schedule as evidenced by the fact that out of the 100+ kids who showed up at Thanksgiving camp only 56 came back! The wheat is being seperated from the chaff!



We all got a chance to hear the ballad (Watermark by Enya) with the hornline and pit before leaving on Sunday. And yes, Daddy V once again worked his fanny off in the kitchen, preparing food, snacks, and drinks for the participants - just don't let Mrs. Daddy V know that I can do kitchen work!

GLASSMEN CAMP - ROUND 2

That's right folks! It's time to do or die - put up or shut up - get the bear or let the bear get you - etc. This weekend is the weekend when decisions are made regarding marching spots for next summer's tour. I can personally attest to the fact that Laura is prepared and ready to go. As a matter of fact, I don't think she could be more prepared then she is now so at 4:00 P.M. tomorrow we continue with the quest for drum corps stardom. Check back here for up-dates!

Incidentally, for those of you who might not know, former members of the Patriot Band have marched in drum corps before. Back in the mid 80's Brad Milligan marched as a percussionist for the Cavaliers. He was with the Cavies when they were just starting to make their rise to the top of the heap. More recently (early 90's) Mike Twigg played baritone with the Pioneer Drum and Bugle corps from Milwaukee, WI. Again, for those of you out of the loop, our own Emilie Boyes (soon to be Garringer) spent a summer marching with the Hurricanes D & B corps from Connecticut. Unfortunately, Daddy V's only claim to fame was one season with the Golden Knights All-Male Winter Guard in NJ. Sic transit gloria mundi!

Furthermore, Portland was home to a drum and bugle corps in the 50's and 60's. The Portland Comets were quite well-know in the midwest and came close to stardom on more than one occasion in national competition. For those who would like to read more about the Comets, Daddy V actually wrote graduate school research paper about the corps in 2001. The paper is available at the Jay County Library.

COOL WEB SITE!

Hey! All you budding drill writers! Check out micromarching.com for some fun!

GLASSMEN CAMP - NOVEMBER 2007

Here's a picture from the Glassmen's web site of the baritone line at the November audition camp. Laura is the one to the right in the light blue pants! This picture was taken a a local high school where the horn line practiced during the day. At night, it was back to G-West "ice box".😉