D-Bone Fantasy Camp Days 5-7: Yaddo Park, Musics, Rain

Monday morning, we all woke up pretty dead and ugly- much like it was outside. It had rained pretty hard all night, and weather reports said it wouldn't be stopping until Thursday (it didn't). We decided to go out to breakfast at some classy joint with bullet holes in the window.

The ones from the inside are on the window behind him

The food was delicious though, and the place had that small town diner charm we wanted. Just with some added bullet holes.

We then went to Yaddo Gardens, a very old place where a gigantic and creepy mansion sits atop a long hilled lawn looking over some beautiful gardens and angel statues galore. The mansion is lived in by artists for specific amounts of time, who are there solely to create and be left alone. It's kind of a neat idea, and Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, and Langston Hughes are just a few of the many on the list of people who have stayed there. It was a real pretty spot, and the ugly overcast skies gave it a haunted, surreal feel. I took pictures (duh):

the entrance

some of these fish were huge, and one bit my finger

pretty flowers

angels (look at the haze around the trees and how some branches stand out and others are barely there- spirits?)

Shaun was trying to have a decapitated head thing going here, but look at where his shoulders are, then look at his head- HOW LONG IS HIS NECK!??!

Dustin and Amanda next to a big fountain

The castle mansion, where creepy artists were probably full of angst and hating us

Dustin and Amanda pose in the tunnel

We then went around town a little, tried to buy some red bull cola (which I have now learned doesn't exist anymore), bought some weird chips and sunglasses, and headed home. Shaun and Natalie headed out, and I got stuck in a murky day funk. Dustin went for a run, then jumped in his white trash pool in the pouring rain. Even though I was warm and comfortable, I said fuck it and just jumped in too. It was, needless to say, freezing and not very comfortable. We then got pizza and watched Hell's Kitchen (which was horrible). In the middle of Dustin fighting with his mom over the phone about how to get her new Mac to work, a lightbulb cracked and fell from the light on the ceiling, hit the table, and exploded on the floor. We both looked at each other and immediately thought it was angry spirits again. He said this wasn't the first time this had happened in his house. Here we go again. 

The next 2 days were spent fiddling around with drums and music, and then seeing my hosts at night for dinner and some tv. It was nice, but I realized how stupid it was to have really nothing worth recording that I could make anything happen with. Next time, I need to come with stuff already recorded that needs drums, or at least ideas and a desire to actually make them happen. But it was fun to play again. Very fun. 

the set up once I moved my computer

drum tracks! I need more mic stands to utilize all 8 mic inputs. 

I then spent like 3 hours packing everything up and putting it back in my car (in pouring rain, awesome) for the nearly 5 hour drive home. I said goodbye to Amanda, left a sweet drawing on their fridge for them to find later, stopped at D'Andreas (duh) for the 3rd time, and started the drive home. 

chicken bacon ranch mmmmmm

The drive took me on a ridiculous route through Vermont, and several times I would look over at a river next to me and realize that it was at exactly the same level as me- if there was one more big rainstorm, every river in VT would have exploded I think. I rocked a great and very varied soundtrack on the incredibly long 5 hour drive, unloaded everything, and settled back into normal life. Thanks Dustin and Amanda for letting me live the D-Bone lifestyle for a week. It was exhausting and fantastic. I love you and I love Saratoga Springs- I just wish it/you was/were closer. I'll be back in mid fall to actually record a lot of music if you'll have me- back to Saratoga Springs, the mysterious and wonderful land of horses. 

currently listening to: Death Cab For Cutie- Codes And Keys