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    Dave's Picks Vol. 52: The Downs at Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM (9/11/83)

     

    I remember the venue almost like and old fort with roses everywhere. We came to the site and Wavy Gravy showed us where to camp. Ken Kesey was here as well as a couple other big figures of the counterculture. I think because of Mickey's 40th. During drums a double rainbow appeared. Every time it looked like rain the band would stop and then come back even stronger from their breaks. I saw more outdoor shows in 83 than all the years combined. I have goose bumps even typing this from the memories. - xxuncle johnxx, Dead.net

    One of the best memories I have were these 2 shows. During the break there was a lightning storm behind the stage, followed by a rainbow and then an awesome 2nd set. Morning Dew with a Cold Rain, Phil singing encore. Most of my tour buddies went home after Red Rocks and I tortured them with the Santa Fe tapes. Nothing beats the magic of a great GD outdoor show. "It all bleeds into one." - grateful hawaiian, Dead.net

    In between sets, I remember it rained... and early on in the second set, there was an amazing rainbow directly over the stage behind the band. I don't believe they saw it, but I'm sure they heard about it. "Let It Grow" was awesome! - Johnny_A, Dead.net

    The pot at the end of this rainbow is mighty fine, indeed. Our final Dave's Picks release for 2024 features the complete unreleased show from The Downs at Santa Fe, Sante Fe, NM, 9/11/83 (fun fact, it was Mickey's 40th birthday) with just a squidge of 9/10/83 to round things out. A true trader's treat, this one is solid all around from the lively first set featuring soon-to-be minted 80s classics like "Hell In A Bucket" and "West L.A. Fadeaway" to the return of "Help>Slip>Franklin's," the incredible 2nd set surprise of "Let It Grow," and adventurous takes on "He's Gone,""Wang Dang Doodle," and "Morning Dew." It's all well played, my friend, well played.

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 52: SANTA FE, NM 9/11/83 was recorded by Dan Healy and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.

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  • Strider 808808
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    My favorite show of the 80s.

    Remind me not to read all the comments. Hater posts about this Dead show. No buzz kill please.
    Thank you Dave. Great pick.

  • canoncito@gmail.com
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    Best and Worst Times in Santa Fe

    Home town shows for me (lived a couple miles away in La Cienega). It was the Best and the Worst of times....

    Best was 3 Red Rocks shows, then coming home for this, and even better, the night off in between was Zozobra night, the kickoff of Santa Fe's Fiesta weekend...ten thousand plus gathered to burn Old Man Gloom, a 50' puppet, groaning and waving his arms in full ritual glory, letting go all our glooms from the year. So fun to share that with a friend from back east and a couple new show-friends who tagged along as we came south!

    Also Best was the aforementioned weather magic, lightning in the foothills behind the stage as the first set ended, and the rainbow as they cranked it up for set 2 with Help on the Way. Classic!

    The Worst, I'm afraid, reared its head in both concrete and creative realms....The Downs was set up for these shows (as in the previous fall) with the stage facing the grandstand from across the track's oval. This created some awful echoes for those in the middle; of course, you could solve that by moving up close enough to the speakers to overwhelm the echo....or by being way back in the stands....but not ideal for those who like to wander! (a later Lyle Lovett show I saw there rectified this by setting up parallel to the stands).

    Sadly, this show featured what I felt at the time to be my clearest experience of Jerry's issues in these years. The way I heard the Help/Slip/Franklins sequence, Bobby was doing something really fun and creative at one point (I'm a "Bobby Fans are People, Too" guy), and ol' Jer just totally fell off the side of the train at just the point we were primed for him to ante up and raise the stakes. Just lost it. Happens to the best of us, I know....but it was pretty striking at the time.

    The next summer, my compilation of the few(ish) highlights of that year's set of Red Rocks shows was called "Are We Having Fun Yet?" It was a rough stretch for sure.

    Ah, well, not griping about the release or the band or the challenges Jerry was grappling with. Just my memories of these shows.... Which of course were still way fun in the moment despite the transient reminders of the deeper troubles lurking within.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Bulls Eye

    Butch - I agree with most of your post - I'm not sure I'd go along with remixing a show and dropping a musician that was there out of the mix ( Brent) however irksome his contributions became.

    I enjoyed a lot of live music in the 1980's that doesn't stand up to close scrutiny now. I saw Hawkwind loads of time in the 80's and always enjoyed it - but I wouldn't recommend any of their live albums from that era. You really had to have been there - and I suspect it's the same with Dead shows. Maybe they will concentrate on souvenir shows from now on - ones that the greatest number of people attended, which would necessarily mean concentrating on 1980s-1990s.
    Not good. This could be the first year when I haven't wanted any of the Daves Picks shows that have come out.

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Dennis

    Yes, September 11, Dennis.

    Yes, it has been a different couple of years for Dave's Picks, but put me in the camp of wanting more variety, not less. There are tons of great shows out there from all eras. But, not everybody will be happy.

    For me, the Frost shows were my favorite so far and that was a surprise to me, but I really like them and keep listening to them.

    Based on sales, #49 is the only one that is actually sold out. You still have three from last year that are still available. Maybe they should cut it back a few thousand. Not sure that will happen.

    My least favorite of the year was #51, sound quality is not very good.

    I haven't heard the Santa Fe show yet, looking forward to it.

  • tnjed98
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    When will Lemieux stop hoarding and grifting?

    Could not agree more with Butch's comment about how poor these releases have gotten, and this is coming from a huge fan of the Brent years. David, why do you continue to keep so many of the great, classic shows bottled up and give us this bull instead? Holding it all for the inevitable $5-600 GD60 Box?

    Even worse than the choice of show for Vol 52 - how could anyone confidently expect a quality product from these clowns when the FOTD set was such a flaming pile of trash?

    At my last count nearly 40 tracks in the set are totally unplayable, with no solution from Lemiuex and the crew but a refund - if you take the time to reach out and ask. No one from Dead.net coming out and saying, "hey - don't buy this it doesn't work properly." Very shady if you asked me but oh well, on to the next release of "top notch Grateful Dead music," so who cares! I wonder if/when enough of us heads will realize that these "archivists" are really just grifters ripping us all off.

    My recommendation to anyone reading; buy a cheap external hard drive and fill it with free, high quality FLAC for less $ than you're spending on one or two of these bogus releases. Stop giving David Lemieux your money for nothing of value in return.

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Numbers on Birds?

    I see 11 & 40 on the birds,,, I assume the 40 is mick's birthday. Is 11 the date?

  • Butch
    Joined:
    Worst Dave's Picks Year

    I'm done subscribing. There is so much good 60s and 70s material in the vault, and half the releases these days are the band on the decline. Doesn't matter how many people were buying tickets for the shows (thus is always the argument for the 80s), the recordings suck. I don't how people can stand listening to that keyboard player's bar band vocals. Sure the concerts were great live and in person, but so were the Stones this year but I am not listening to a recording of them in 2024. It's no secret why sales are down. There used to be so many subscriptions that these things would sell out in less than 24 hours. It goes to show hiw few people want a subscription where they're getting two Brent shows a year, usually with bad audio. I would remix Spring 90 without his vocals or most of his keyboards. Dude, learn when to stop playing. Oh, but he made Jerry smile onstage. Never mind. Keep them coming.

    We had 1 show from before the hiatus in 2024, including the box set. Dave, Rhino, and Pinkus don't deserve my money when they're holding back great material from 68-74. There won't be 25K Dave's Picks per release next year. They got cocky and tried to mix in too much after hiatus music. The Dave's Picks titanic is sinking. Shame.

  • Deadheadbrewer
    Joined:
    Fall '83!

    For my money, the best tour between the end of 1978 and the Summer of 1987.

    LOVE the cover art!

  • bluecrow
    Joined:
    Santa Fe

    A fun release! Wish I could of seen these two shows cause its NM (an adopted state - work there, all over the state, on a regular basis) and Santa Fe (beautiful fascinating town with deep history - famous for good reasons), and yeah, they're smoking outdoor shows with awesome high desert weather. Really love the racing roadrunners!! NM state bird - always happy with a roadrunner sighting!

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    #52

    Always love the anticipation of a new release. Hope we have it by the end of next week.

    Dave teased #53, which we will know soon, as an era they don't hit much and it was between two shows. Okay, that is interesting. What era could it be?

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Dave's Picks Vol. 52: The Downs at Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM (9/11/83)

 

I remember the venue almost like and old fort with roses everywhere. We came to the site and Wavy Gravy showed us where to camp. Ken Kesey was here as well as a couple other big figures of the counterculture. I think because of Mickey's 40th. During drums a double rainbow appeared. Every time it looked like rain the band would stop and then come back even stronger from their breaks. I saw more outdoor shows in 83 than all the years combined. I have goose bumps even typing this from the memories. - xxuncle johnxx, Dead.net

One of the best memories I have were these 2 shows. During the break there was a lightning storm behind the stage, followed by a rainbow and then an awesome 2nd set. Morning Dew with a Cold Rain, Phil singing encore. Most of my tour buddies went home after Red Rocks and I tortured them with the Santa Fe tapes. Nothing beats the magic of a great GD outdoor show. "It all bleeds into one." - grateful hawaiian, Dead.net

In between sets, I remember it rained... and early on in the second set, there was an amazing rainbow directly over the stage behind the band. I don't believe they saw it, but I'm sure they heard about it. "Let It Grow" was awesome! - Johnny_A, Dead.net

The pot at the end of this rainbow is mighty fine, indeed. Our final Dave's Picks release for 2024 features the complete unreleased show from The Downs at Santa Fe, Sante Fe, NM, 9/11/83 (fun fact, it was Mickey's 40th birthday) with just a squidge of 9/10/83 to round things out. A true trader's treat, this one is solid all around from the lively first set featuring soon-to-be minted 80s classics like "Hell In A Bucket" and "West L.A. Fadeaway" to the return of "Help>Slip>Franklin's," the incredible 2nd set surprise of "Let It Grow," and adventurous takes on "He's Gone,""Wang Dang Doodle," and "Morning Dew." It's all well played, my friend, well played.

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 52: SANTA FE, NM 9/11/83 was recorded by Dan Healy and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.

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If you didn't already know, all vinyl on here is on sale, 25% off

Last few:
Caravan For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night
Raging Slab True Death EP
Guty Cardenas Lirio Azul CD
Moody Blues Seventh Sojourn
GD 6-10-76
GD 1977 King Biscuit broadcast

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Thank you Obeah for that deep inquisitive analysis! Very sound theories indeed.
When I recall the last few SeaChats, Dave mentioned a new 'era' for #54, which could as well be an era within an era. He also mentioned it was a show they had pretty much already decided on as the first release of said era. So with that in mind, there are only so many possibilities. Now for 2025 I had felt 1976 was due up as it would only be the fourth Dave's Pick release from that year, now confirmed by starting off with that pick. Thank You Dave! Dancin' in the Street.
I got a feeling that the 1983 release for #52 was bumped up in the rotation for one reason or another. I say that because I recall Dave saying that each of the four releases from 2024 would all cover different band member line~ups, which wasn't the case. DaP#49 & DaP#52 are the same musicians so to speak. That said, Dave has also made it clear in the past seachats that sometimes they improvise with the release plan, as things can change on a whim.
Driveled answer quick conclusion is,.... I think we've got a 1969 Banana Box Pick for #54 or perhaps instead a September 1970 pick with the bonus disc. As for #55 I feel an autumn 1973 show is on the wind, I say that because all but one Dave's from 1973 are spring tour. So for the last release of the year #56, I predict the first Vince era pick, maybe a show with Bruce? Anyways, If the final 2025 pick ain't that, then perhaps it's a late era Brent pick. Maybe 1988, with some early "Built To Last" tunes scattered about?

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In reply to by RyXs

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....that Without A Net vinyl looks good.
Btw. Target is having a buy two get one free vinyl sale. And they have Without A Net. Warning. Their search engine is trash.

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In reply to by Vguy72

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The best Deal going there is the Lyceum Box.
I scored that last year for that price.
A most excellent purchase.

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In reply to by Vguy72

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I checked and did not have this vinyl!?!

Got it from amazon 40 bucks with overnight shipping! Now that's a deal!

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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Good price, I paid full freight when it came out. I would have thought this would sell out quick, but a guess a 500 price tag made people say NO.

It's a nice box on the shelf, I want to end up with all E72 in vinyl, I think I have them all so far :-)

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E-Sharp.

Ha Ha,,,, just a note to remind/point out Friday is record store day. 5/577 coming out and Jerry on the Eel.

I'll be standing in line like an idiot :-)

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In reply to by Dennis

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Error!
There is no E sharp, it’s an F lol

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...actually more than once. Most recently he got me good with the seaside chat language that presaged #51. TBF I'm not alone in that: a number of us thought his comments inferred the imminent release of a Vince-era show, rather than the "Bar Band" of Spring '71 that rocked audiences in the wake of Mickey's departure.

And I make that observation as I thank you for the kind words @RYXS while also simultaneously noting that I should be honest and humble in acknowledging that I'm *usually wrong* in trying to guess where Dave's going next. Vol 51 is just the latest example; def didn't think he'd revisit '71 again so quickly after Vol 48. Maybe the box set is going to be one release from every 10 years - '65 through '95 inclusive. (I think there's still one '75 show yet to be released! Although it probably has guests...)

I think I sometimes make those long posts in an attempt to bring structure to 30 years of Grateful Dead music. I know it's a fool's errand... and heck, on that note, order is decidedly NOT what this band is about for chrissakes (silly Obeah!). But one thing I never tire of is seeing how passionate this community is about their favorite shows and the candidates we cite for next release. I often imagine Dave Lemieux quietly browsing through, probably not making notes - one can't lead by committee - but hopefully being amused.

Cheers, folks. Next up: 12/9/81.

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I believe there are no shows from 1965.. but maybe we will get "30 Trips" vol. 2..

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In reply to by Vguy72

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How’s bout a multi-era mega box, that can be purchased in custom modular segments, the draw being the more era segments you buy, the deeper the discounts!!!. So for our friendly contingent that would prefer less and/or only primal etc, they could do just that, but at a premium. Only want Brucey and Vince, cool, we got ya covered, at a premium.
And yes I think you’d have to do the premium cost to ensure the more pricey “complete” box would be fair/competitive.
That would give any DH, from any era, a chance to participate and enjoy chever way their pleasure tends, but not be unhappy being forced to go bigger than they’d like, AND!…would most likely get some fence sitting types to purchase at least something, versus all of nothing, if it’s one mega choice only?
Just a thought…

I’d do the era segments something like below based on what’s released, what potentially is available, and what’s underrepresented (imho) of course ; )
Counts could vary slightly to accommodate show lengths. (Hate to miss a really good one because disc count for era was 1 or 2 off…)

66-69: 25 discs (chopped up, incomplete..as long as it rocks! Nice time for a garage sale ; )
70-75: 20 discs. Still plenty gold in them hills
76-79: 15 discs. this era has been heavily mined…have to leave something for future too!
80-89: 25 discs. I’d say more but…
90-95: 15 discs

That’s 100 total, (hey it’s Sixty, will their even be another official one?)
so not that much bigger than Boxilla, and as I say, each module or segment could be purchased separately, so, everybody eats!
😀

If we only had access to your wife's credit card.

Still haven't gone down the vinyl train. Have way too many CDs and money invested at this point to even think about it.

I think you have it right on the money with how you laid it out there. It's both comprehensive - mightily appropriate for the 60th - and still flexible regarding how people who have collected a lot already could fill in the particular gaps or eras they seek ... without having to chance missing out on the whole thing due to an 'all or nothing - lump sum' barrier.

Anyways: Travel well, All (if you are doing so) and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Peace

As I posted the other day about the big Floyd Box, I got all the mini Boxes for half the price and only missed out on 1or 2 bonus CD’s, all the schwag that I don’t need, and 2 movies that are available individually.

Whether Dave/Rhino go big, small, or modular I’ll buy them.

Dennis, I also have all the E72 vinyl released so far.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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Cool song by Van Morrison:

'No More Lockdown'

No more lockdown
No more government overreach
No more fascist police
Disturbing our peace
No more taking of our freedom
And our God-given rights
Pretending it's for our safety
When it's really to enslave
Who's running our country?
Who's running our world?
Examine it closely
And watch it unfurl

....chugs along. It takes much resistance to NOT go crazy with purchases.
Tis a test of wills.
TBH, never heard Van's No More Lockdown. Just did and that song sucks in general, regardless of the message behind/in front of it. Lmao. Whatever. Musical tastes and appreciation comes in many shapes and sizes.
Now, The Bitter Boogie by KGLW? Now, there's a cool song. At least to me 🍻

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In reply to by Vguy72

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.....the Internet told me that the remaining members were planning to play again together next year. They even had practice time scheduled. Then Phil passed.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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Which means

Time to scream my release wishes into the electronic void

11 19 72
2 9 73
9 10 83
2 17 79
11 26 72
Anything 67 68 69
9 19 70
9 20 70
10 24 71
GREEKS

Hopefully I still have 19 years in me

365 x 19 + 4 = 6,939 days for GD listening

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Haven't checked out the tune by Van the Man yet, probably will soon now, always dug 1983, a Merman I Should Turn To Be, and really the entirety of Electric Ladyland (not to be confused with the also excellent Electriclarryland by BHS). Here's some more random lyrics.

Talk Talk Talk
Cheap language, standing up your pride
On a blanket of lies
Walk walk walk
Like a motherfucker, steady stride
So step aside
Say say say
Ain't a thing in the world you mind
Easy to unwind
Play play play
Tough looking, shaded pair of eyes
Must be such a grind
Grown so tired of my own facade
Taking off my sunglasses inside
Try to keep a safe distance from the vacant lot
Empty styles from and empty mind

Yeah, Ghost Funk Orchestra hitting it for me like KGLW is hitting it for Vguy. Started watching Ozarks recently and that is hitting the spot as well, really relate to Marty and the themes of betrayal.

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In reply to by Charlie3

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A cobra seer with punctured ear
Slaughtered a Malayan sun bear
Night stood erect with bronzen haunches
Zapped the seer gave the bear back to us
Salamanda Palaganda
June's buffalo too
In the Parisian zoo

Marc Bolan

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In reply to by daverock

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If you follow the Steve Hoffman forum, Dennis' wife's credit card floats around all the time. Then she figures it out, changes the card number and it takes a couple months for it to resurface but it's always out there when box sets are announced and just before record store day.

It's a little sad to read and see the videos of the guys talking about planned practices with Phil and the plans to play together for the 60th. Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there. Chokes me up a little, he brought so much joy.

I had definite plans to see Phil's 85th birthday romp at the Capitol. What could have been... at least we have what was.

Well, it's up to us to push on and keep it all moving, keep it fun and keep it alive.

Edit: All in good fun, of course what I said about the Hoffman forum is not true and I thank Dennis in advance for being a good sport and putting up with us. You will not find Dennis wife's credit card info on the Steve Hoffman forum. Send me a PM if you need it.

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One of the more amusing things that I've seen was a documentary with a scene featuring Ice-T breaking down the lyrics to 6 In the Morning and translating them to a more mainstream vernacular. That song is pretty cool, pretty catchy stuff. Also, I realize that Dennis was quoting Lethal Weapon, not 6 In the Morning.

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In reply to by Charlie3

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‘Til your night job pays.

Was just listening to 9-20-82 in the car.

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I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

My friends, I shall be leaving you for a while, going silent yet not absent, greater issues are calling me, sadness acrues but shall not destroy, in the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing......

Doc
Because I could not stop for death,
He kindly stopped for me,
The carriage held but just ourselves
And immortality.

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In reply to by Charlie3

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Then somethin' woke me up from my dark sleep
The sound of fuckin' police when they're tryin' to creep
Broke through my door with no goddamn warning
Looked at my watch it was six in the mornin'

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Everyone out there (if UB 'Merican), have a good bird day. Hope all enjoy time with friends and family. (yeah, right, family :-) )

Doc, sad what I reading and what I read between the lines. Keep the strength and know there are many here who will hold a good thought.

Now time to make my legendary cornbread stuffing and pack the livin' shit out of that bird. Why I bought a 24 lbs bird I don't know, only 7 showing up this year :-)

I tell you truly, in my old age, a 24 pounder is getting harder to lift into the oven!

Enjoy all!

....good to know that you know who's Thanksgiving message was spiteful as usual. No new news there. Yay.
Btw. There is a kickstarter going on to release Greyfolded on vinyl. 54 hrs left. Chip in if you can, because I would like to own one. Cannot send link.✌️
Stay well Doc. We love you.

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I know that I've not been here nearly as long as some, nor contributed to this community and its dialogues as meaningfully as many: nevertheless, do please allow me to wish you (and your nearest and dearest) peace and hope, Doc.

Water draws together to become ice,
And ice disperses again to become water...

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