The Skamokawa Swamp Opera: Andrew Emlen, Kyleen Austin, Wren Hendricks, Erik Friend
In my mind, it was only twenty minutes until the musicians and thirty guests were scheduled to arrive for yesterday’s House Concert. But it may have been more like ten miutes… or forty. No matter. Plumbers don’t work on Sunday and, suddenly, there was a massive leak under the house.
Andrew Emlen
I heard a strange noise behind a bookcase in the East Room. Whooooosh. Faint but steady. Almost like fire. Or water. No outward evidence of anything amiss. I called and asked if Tucker could come listen. We were both mystified but Tucker finally decided it was water and asked f or a flashlight and the location of the closest access to the crawl space under the house.
It was only a minute or two before he confirmed: Big puddle under the East Room; insulation hanging down; leaking pipe. Quick as a wink, I pulled the plug to our pump: no pump: no water pressure: no water… period. No cool sips for thirsty singers, no hand-washing before or after our pot-luck meal, and most worrisome… no flushing.
Erik Friend
I left multiple messages for the plumber. (Fingers crossed for a response today.) Thank goodness for the stash of bottled water in the pantry; I placed several bottles in each of the crucial places. Carol brought over packets of alcohol wipes and… ready, set, go!
When everyone was seated, my “welcome-to-our-house-concert” included the news. The response was as you would expect from folks used to power outages and iffy rural water companies — smiles and sympathy. And more than a few nodded sagely and murmured “Mrs. Crouch.” I surely hope they weren’t right about that. There are way too many possibilities for ghostly mischief in this old 154-year-old house.
The Skamokawa Swamp Opera, January 15, 2023
But whatever worries any of us had disappeared with the Skamokawa Swamp Opera’s very first song — “Sheriff’s Report in the Wahkiakum Eagle.” Immediately, our adventures in country living — broken pipes and all — were put in familiar perspective. And for those of us who turn first to the “Dispatch Reports” in our own Chinook Observer.” we felt a kinship with the band right from the get-go! You were fabulous as always, Andrew, Kyleen, Wren, and Erik! Thank you!
And, tomorrow? It’s time to spread ammonium sulfate once again — that “magic” nutrient that puts nitrogen in the lawn and turns it green, green, green! Or maybe that will happen today, too. Plus, they are on a window-washing mission. And who knows what all else.
Scott was one of the first artists with Windham Hill records, widely recognized as ‘the’ New Age record label from its inception in 1976, though their artists often came from classical, jazz, folk, or bluegrass backgrounds. Scott was no exception. He was trained classically but, through a series of fortuitous circumstances, widened his horizons dramatically while he was still in college in the early 1970s.
This was the third House Concert (or the fourth?) Scott has done here but it was the first time Holly Reeves had accompanied him. What a perfect combination! Holly, also, classically trained has toured extensively, performing in Canada, Costa Rica, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Japan, and most recently, Italy. She is also a long-time member of the Tacoma based chamber orchestra, Northwest Sinfonietta and maintains a busy private studio.
