Banjo Rehab Center, Banjo Restoration

Precious Listeners

July 26, 2025

Last month, the mid week jam in a village near the Lake of the Ozarks convened again in a community retirement facility. As usual, our afternoon gig was held in the dining hall to accommodate the crowd of listeners who received us graciously. Following our performance of hoedown tunes, sing-alongs, and instrumentals, an elderly resident walked-up to us to say hello. With appreciation, she commented that at age 91 years old, she enjoyed our gospel tunes the most. The band thanked her for the lovely feedback, and we then regrouped for a gig photo at the festively decorated doorway to the sunny back patio.

Later that week, the Gainor & Friends jam band performed on Sunday afternoon at our hometown Broadway Brewery. During the gig, an elderly gentleman ambulating with a walker slowly proceeded to a front row table under the watchful eye of his granddaughter. After they had ordered their mid day meal, the granddaughter approached the bandstand and reported that her grandfather, who had celebrated his 100th birthday 3 months previously, wanted to hear the traditional song “Oh Shenandoah.” This tune is a sentimental favorite in the Show-Me State because of its lyrics, ” Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you/ Away, we`re bound away, across the wide Missouri.” It was a delight for us to render this treasured Heartland anthem for our century-old listener and his granddaughter.

At the brewpub on Sunday afternoons, our favorite and most faithful listener (seen foreground above) misses our performances so infrequently, that we made him an ex officio member of the band. We routinely invite him to join us at our mid afternoon snack break for fun conversation.

.From the BRC: We are blessed with precious audiences.

BRC Activities

Wagnerian Turtles

July 12, 2025

The BRC craftsman and spouse have resided at our lakeside domicile for 4 decades. Since our early years here, we have enjoyed observing a colony of terrapins along our shoreline including two huge tortoises of the snapping turtle variety. We named the oversized twosome Bruno and Brunhilde to invoke a romantic pairing from a Wagnerian opera. These impressive creatures can grow sometimes up to 14 inches long and dwarf the much smaller box turtle species as seen below. Note the baby terrapin perched on the expansive shell of a gigantic half-submerged snapping turtle.

Over the years, Bruno and Brunhilde frequented a favorite recessed area along the shoreline behind the BRC workshop to sunbathe together as seen below. They would promptly flee into the lake, however, if anyone ventured too close for a photograph. These impressive amphibious creatures can live up to 30-40 years or longer. Also noteworthy in the below photo is the shadowy figure of a hefty grass carp in the nearby shallows.

This summer, only Brunhilde has returned to our shoreline, but a new young snapping turtle has surfaced to investigate the aforementioned favorite terrapin sunbathing spot. We will probably name the newcomer Siegfried.

From the BRC: Wishing you a sunny summer observing Nature.

BRC Activities

Rusty Hinges

June 28, 2025

Having recently read the biography of Merle Travis, the BRC craftsman was reminded of his own finger-picking guitar stylings from years ago while living on the East Coast. In his younger days, he played Travis style for decades before relocating ultimately to Missouri and becoming immersed in the Bluegrass genre of the Heartland. Although finger-picking the six-stringer is popular in East Coast coffee houses, the standard back-up to the five-string banjo in the Midwest is a flat-picked rhythm guitar.

Since reading the Travis biography, the BRC banjoist has slowly but surely rekindled his very rusty and long dormant finger-picking guitar skills. After warming-up his aging digital joints on the banjo at a recent jam session, the BRC craftsman borrowed a mandolinist`s guitar to play the Merle Travis classic tune “Nine Pound Hammer.” At the end of the song, the mandolinist (above center left) exclaimed that this surprise performance made her guitar “sparkle.”

From the BRC: Hope you have a sparkly Fourth of July.

Bio

Backyard Biosphere Ramps-Up

June 14, 2025

In the summertime, the lake behind the BRC residence is a dynamic biosphere of activity. To accommodate the many species that visit or inhabit these waters, the BRC craftsman moors a “turtle ramp” off shore each Spring, so many of these creatures can find a comfortable perch to enjoy the fair weather.

Earlier this summer, a large BRC turtle ramp was dry docked for repairs and replaced with a smaller version of the floating structure. Terrapins climb aboard this newly launched mini ramp daily to warm themselves in the solar rays. Note the baby turtle riding on its mother`s back (far left).

Sometimes, a friendly water snake will join the throng to peacefully share the sunny warmth.

In the evening when the turtles dive deep, ducks will frequently occupy the ramp overnight while shedding feathers as seen below. Geese never perch on the mini float because their hefty size is too top-heavy and risks capsizing the narrow planked structure. They prefer the terra firma of the nearby dam.

Late last month, a new goose family paddled by the floating wooden ramp enroute to the open waters of the lake to rejoin their flock. Note the partially submerged turtle preparing to climb aboard the sunny platform.

From the BRC: We delight in having this seasonal vision of a busy biosphere in our own backyard.

BRC Activities

Spring into Summer

May 31, 2025

The past month of May brought a particularly rainy season to the Heartland, and Spring flowers bloomed in abundance. A few days ago when we musicians exited our weekly Thursday evening neighborhood jam session, a torrential downpour fell upon us without warning. A photo of the BRC domicile taken on the following morning reflects the lush greenery surrounding our brimming lake.

A Great Blue Heron soon appeared on the shoreline behind the BRC ground floor workshop. The noteworthy return of this splendid bird to our lake from its winter retreat in the Southland is a conclusive indicator of the impending arrival of summer to our environs.

Encountered later on a hike around a neighboring lake as seen below, a wary heron (family of Ardeidae in the order Pelecaniformes) studies the BRC photographer slowly drawing nearer for a cell phone photo.