Weelllll......ever get into one of those ruts, and just have to get out and do something? That was how my trip started out. "Summer's almost gone" Jim Morrison used to sing, and indeed there has been a definate breath of wintery chill in the end of our Summer here in the PNW.

I know school will start soon. My nose will be to grindstone, grinding away. My money is still up in the air. But the car is paid off, and I had about $20 spare, so I decided I need to get out. As my quilting buddy puts it "get out and get the stink off!" heheh. Yeah it's easy to sit in doors on a day off and quilt.....so I didn't.

This time I parked in a new part of town that no one knows about until you live here about three years, called Manette. It's what passes for a hippy community in Bremerton, they **try** to be artsy; for example: I passed one house with a garden, in it they had a ceramic garden cherub, with a kabuki mask painted on like a KISS member. hehe. It's across from the ferry dock and has a boat dock. Anyway, I concluded that one of my big traumas in life is finding "free parking" so avoid this, I parked Strider next to someone's big hedge, and had a nice brisk walk over the Manette Bridge to the dock.

The Manette Bridge is very weird, has holes in it where you can see right down into the water and watch the cormorants fly by. One more good quake is going to finish it off, without a doubt.

True to form, I saw the ferry pull out as I walked over, so I had to wait about an hour for the next one. No problem: I sat around the docks, and enjoyed the day (we won't have this in a few more months). Saw some fellow guitarists and thought "how nice" until the pigs got up and left behind a huge pile of litter. Pigs. I hate litter bugs, especially as there were plenty of trashcans near by. I hate cigarette butts too, and think of Ayn Rand's comments in her first book, about hating sunflower seeds everywhere. People spitting these things out all over. Yuck.

Collected up a bunch of free flyers and newspapers (at the terminal) to pass the time, caught up on my community. Most of it involved spending money, and I'm on an austerity program for right now. So far: my costs? Lunch: $1.57. Ferry Brem to Seattle? Free!

The ferry ride is always wonderful; it was too cold to sit out, so I watched from inside. The ferries seem to be a real singles hang out actually: the same people catch the same ferry day after day, going to work, so I think a lot of folks meet their dates that way. Interesting eh? I got a lot of looks from single men. Didn't encourage any of them, as I like to check 'em out from a distance a bit, before taking action. We have purple jelly fish in this area, and I was put in mind of some people I have been hanging out with lately.... They are just kinda flopping in the current, not getting up much steam exepct when the waters are calm. I guess we all have days like that though. For the most part, others ignored the weird chick in the buffalo moccasins, with the red hair blowing in the sea air, scribbling in the cornor on a bit of paper from a trashcan. (me)

Seattle is a neat city. I decided this trip that I really love it here, and want to live here the rest of my life. The Emerald City is more or less clean, doesn't stink too bad, and you feel safe walking around. I did pass some homeless folks, but they seemed harmless. One real grungy one was sleeping peacefully, his head pillowed on his dog. It seemed sad, yet pastoral in a way. All the rioting people seen on the news? it's a transitory condition....very rarely is it that active in town. People on the street smile at one another, and mind their own business mostly.

It was a long walk to the EMP and Seattle Center, but do-able for a healthy person. Found Benaroya Hall, it has a nice tribute and fountain (water sculptures) outside to people who have died in wars. On the way, I was delighted to see street art, "Pigs on Parade" on many streetcornors. My fave was the pig made up like a mass transit vehicle, complete with real tail lights. Midnight raiders have altered some of the pigs, making one to look like an Orca, and just defacing others. It was wonderful, for the most part. Found a candy store, FAO Schwartz, with some great Barbie Doll goodies. I got up as far as Convention Place, a Trade Center, apparently where the riots took place, it's got a very old world "Victorian Greenhouse" over the street. Very interesting.

I've been skeptical of the architecture of the EMP, but once I got there, I thought it was wonderful....it sorta looks like Jimi Hendrix doing the "Star Spangled Banner", as it would be realized in 3 dimensions. Loops, waves, space and time warps all around it....breaking boundaries...and it had a metal plating riveted to it, like a ship. It's literally a stone's throw from the Space Needle (hehe another 60's relic). Cost to get into the main portion of the EMP (with miltiary discount) $15.95, and that's an all day pass. (If you are really cheap, you can go into the Liquid Lounge ((one beer: $3.50, tip $.50)) or the Gift area for free, and that is rather nice too)

One thing I didn't know: you can't take a bag over 16" in with you. My normal handbag is a huge leather backpack, so I was not real happy about this. I have only just started needed reading glasses, so I pulled those out, and checked the rest of the bag. (Trusting it to some kids with pierced nose rings!).

You enter through a place designated "The Sky Church", actually a large sound stage area, where an eternal light show and good jazz mostly is playing (example: I was delighted to hear "The Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock when I walked through once. It's a delightful song! We choreographed that in college in 1977; neat rhythms). There is no logic to the place, you just sort of wander around, listening to music playing in odd cornors. Yes, there are headphones you can wear which apparently explain some things in more detail, but I literally was copping *such* a buzz from just walking in......it was too much stimuli. I skipped the headphones. They looked like a pain anyway. From what I could tell, it was just another option. Anyone with an ear for music is not going to need those headphones, it was too wonderful hearing all the cool music.

Now I'm not sure everyone would like this place. I've been into the roots of rock lately a LOT, and this time I was delighted to find, as it should be, a very heavy emphasis put on the Black musicians, and their contributions to Rock and Roll. One distinct thing I remember seeing in the many many videos and audio displays, screens (you name it) was Chuck Berry as he is now, saying "I was doing what Elvis did, five years before he did it!". It's all very true. Buddy Holly and Elvis both picked up their music from the Chitlin' Circuit (as Jimi Hendrix called it, he got his start there, backing Little Richard). Of course those of us who have seen The Buddy Holly Story know that is exactly where he got his start, too. The Chitlin Circuit. It was very cool, and very rocking to hear and see all those old films, with some very good soul music being put out.....great stuff!

The second thing that really is in focus, is the history of the Guitar. It is entirely possible there are other museums in other parts of the country that do this better, but this was nicely done, enjoyable. It was interactive with some really good videos and music....the people around me were attentively listening to the earphones, so I guess there was narration on those, but who needed it? The music was GREAT.

There was one film on Jamaica "wailing" (?) which seemed rather interesting, but I never got around to going back to it. The Rastifarians were also well represented in the area, Bob Marley had a section I think.

I remember the gallery where all the guitars, from mid-1700's to now, were on display. (I finally figured it out, the guitar came over as popular music, probably from Scotland during the Colonial Days: they also said that the Celtic folk tunes were more clearly preserved in the Appalacian Music, generally accepted theory as I understood it too). In 1953 the Fender Telecaster was mass produced (Steel Guitar "slide bar" was used by prominant bands like Bob Wills from WWII onward, if not before), and it was 1955 of course, when "Johnney B. Goode" was done. [ok I had to ask Tilly about this, but she says Big Ears McCauliff, who sat in with the Playboys, was "plugging in" electric guitars by 1946, right after the War. So I hope that helps with your history of popular music]

I learned what a Bigsby whammy bar is: Duh it's what Justin has on his Gibson 335, and it's a very classical piece! (invented in 1953) Justin's guitar is very unique and very valuable, due to those modifications! I learned a lot about Martins, and sure enough, the old small Martin made like 100 years ago or more, has that same "mirror" reflection in the wood grain on the front. They had some of the first Ovations too. It was a very nice display, though I'm sure some guitar museum in Nashville is bound to have more....this was well presented, and made more sense with rock and roll coming in your ears.

They had another section called "Northwest Passage" a hall dedicated to Rockers from our area. Paul Revere and the Raiders had stuff up there, as well as Jimi Hendrix, of course. Did you know Jimi's "pet guitar" was a Fender Strat? Yes! And somewhere there was a wonderful leather dress worn by Nancy Wilson of Heart. Things like that. So many really outstanding musicians are here too, who will never be recognized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because they are the "wrong color". But they have their place here. They even mentioned Bob Wills once.

Very cute note: back before electric bass, the guy with the bass fiddle had to ride in a separate car, his instrument was so big! So everyone think of that when you see your favorite bassman up there, doing his thing, and how far we have come in the interests of miniturization.

HAH!!!!! Justin and 10cc have had their copyright violated! The "6:9" sculture (which was a waste of good guitars if you ask me) actually had a Gizmo on it! One guitar was strung with one string, and all these rotating wheels pressed into it at various times.

The last thing I really did in there, after enjoying myself hugely, all over the museum, was to take a "ride on the Funk" that is, the interactive spacey movie that took you to a James Brown concert. Boy was that a shaman experience! ehhehe I really enjoyed that! I never saw so many hep cats in my life! Very very enjoyable. I think Chaka Kahn was also in that series, very nicely done, they were real Montreaux.

There is a lot of electronic interactive stuff too, I wandered into one room with a lot of computers and MP3s of whatever band you were interested (and it was still growing) that was nice.....and of course, the room where you can "jam" with others on keyboards, drums, guitars etc. Of course, I couldn't get near a guitar (and this was a slow day!) so I diddled on the keyboards a little and left. I'm not into the electronic stuff, and it seemed geared toward school children. They actually allowed you to make your own CD if you could stick around long enough! I left it to the kids, as I have my own guitars at home.

They also had a wonderful skateboard exhibit. I must really write that story about how it was invented, one of these days. :)

Overall......a wonderful visit, and I'll go back in a few months, as they promise to have things rotated someday. It's "constantly growing" as is Disneyland (which is how Uncle Walt wanted that too...). If you get a chance, you should go and enjoy a nice quiet day off. It was cool inside, dark and calm, soothing lighting, great music, and not taking along the earphones was a very wise decision on my part.

I had an even nicer trip back, saved some walk time, and caught the monorail to the Westlake Center on Pine ($1.25), the monorail went through the EMP structure itself. Then dropped down through our world famous Pike's Place Market (Pike Street is a real trip anyway, the entire length of it!) I found Mum some elephant garlic, which she had been wanting ($4.44), and also bought some wonderful incense in a candle store ($1.59). The Ferry trip back ($4.50) was spectacular (this time I made it on with just minutes to spare, WOW what luck!). The sunset was wonderful, the cold wind just what I needed to cool off from the long walk. The EMP exhausted me. Sitting on the rear of the ferry, I had a magnificent view of Mt. Rainier, with a grey skirt of clouds.

Coolest thing seen: a little girl was running screaming from her Mum, and Mum was chasing her, both had a fiendish look on their faces...great game! Biggest disappointment: the Moody Blues were not mentioned as being part of the Funk scene, which is a shame as they were around for some of it and participated. Total cost of the adventure: #33.30. Not too bad, and I scored incense and garlic! May all your rock adventures be just as wonderful and fun.