Buc McMaster Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 (edited) I think this was my fifth hurricane on the coast. Lost power early Monday morning as the storm raged over the island...........power restored yesterday evening. Spent a few days sweltering, a few nights by candlelight.........pretty miserable conditions........lost a fence in the backyard. But here we are on the other side of nature's mayhem, safe & sound. I sold the J-185.........an advancing hand issue prevents playing without major pain, so guitar playing is behind me it seems. A ukulele does cause a minor issue........but I gotta play something, so ukulele it is. Landed this soprano Ditson Style 0 from 1924-25........found it online slashed to half price and couldn't resist. Ditson was a large retailer of musical instruments and Martin built ukuleles for them with the Ditson name stamp..............it's a Martin by another name. This one has some bumps and bruises but it's structurally sound and for such a tiny thing is very loud......incredibly so. Has a beautiful cut of Brazilian rosewood for the fingerboard and strung with natural gut as it would have been in the 20s. So I reckon I might chime in here once in awhile.......being guitar-less on a guitar forum is kinda silly..........y'all play nice & have fun! Edited July 11 by Buc McMaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 Shot this early Monday from the front porch.........street & yard flooded, sheets of rain, 60-70mph winds thrashing the maple tree......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 58 minutes ago, Buc McMaster said: Shot this early Monday from the front porch.........street & yard flooded, sheets of rain, 60-70mph winds thrashing the maple tree......... Looks like weather not fit for man nor beast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Glad to hear you're safe. Sorry to hear about your hand issues. Just get yourself a Gibson Uke and you will be legal 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Glad that you and yours are safe, Buc! Very sorry to hear about your hand problems. Getting older ain’t for sissies. I hope/pray the pain subsides and you can play guitar again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorristownSal Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 I’ll miss ya Buc. once Gibby always Gibby. Always pop in, especially if you share a tune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 (edited) Buc-hope your hand heals. In the meanwhile, enjoy exploring music on the uke. Ukes are great instruments! QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff Edited July 11 by QuestionMark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J185cat Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Very glad to hear you are okay. Been through a few hurricanes myself over here in North Carolina and they are no fun (understatement). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Glad you were on the 'Good Side" of Beryl. Hope insurance covers your fence. Very sorry to hear your hand problem is such that it caused you to sell your J185. Know you were very happy with it. I'm sure you've dug deep - but sometimes an Occupational Therapist who specializes in hands - one of the most complicated pieces of our equipment - can come up with a solution to a problem others haven't dealt with. As Winston Churchill famously said - "Never Give Up. Ever." In the meantime - you have mastered "Over the Rainbow" on guitar - maybe you can tackle it on the Uke ! A song that lends itself to island dwellers ! G'Luck !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 I've found my hands are far worse when I play the mandolin.. The guitar hurts, but the mandolin is nearly impossible! My "next" instrument of choice is piano.... my arthritis is mostly in my thumbs, so I can't "pinch" my little finger to my thumb.... so I can still play the piano, (such that it is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Now that I live on the East Coast hurricanes are a real threat. Went through a Cat 2 or 3 in 2003 or so in Virginia. Lost power for a few days. Glad you made it with just a fence as damage, of course it could be worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Glad to hear all is well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Blake Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 As I said in a song, it's hell gettin' old...and I also have made musical compromises in regards to my aging hands. Yet I still wonder: can a sad or melancholy song be effectively conveyed by ukulele? Its sound seems to evoke light-heartedness and levity in my ears. Hmmm- uke blues... Best wishes in the days ahead jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Sorry to hear about the hand issues, Buc. That’s a tough one. Is there any type of surgery or exercises? Working in newsrooms all my life, I worked with a lot of folks (including two ex-wives) who endured RSI and carpal tunnel issues, and even had surgery. They didn’t play guitar, though. And I’m glad you’re safe. Lived through Hurricane Alicia on Galveston back in ‘83. That was a wild one. Was working at The Dallas Morning News at the time, and we prided ourselves on our hurricane coverage. I lost count of how many I covered in my time there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted July 12 Author Share Posted July 12 Thanks, fellas. Yes, David, Alicia was my first hurricane down here..........been a few more since then.......Ike, Harvey, Allison. It certainly appears that environmental conditions are slowly changing to make them more frequent and more intense. In addition to the right hand issue I've kinda lost my enthusiasm for six strings. The ukulele is much smaller, much easier to handle and four strings don't require digital gymnastics. And yes, Mr Blake, the ukulele is among the happiest of musical instruments which certainly suits my demeanor. Not interested in any surgery at this stage of my life and, honestly, not too concerned with the march of time taking a bodily toll.............it's nature's way. I refuse to be sustained by pills or a regimen of any kind. I've always tried to live my life on my terms...........reckon that's a good way to die someday as well. Thanks for the support though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, Buc McMaster said: . . . the march of time taking a bodily toll.............it's nature's way. I refuse to be sustained by pills or a regimen of any kind. I've always tried to live my life on my terms...........reckon that's a good way to die someday as well. Wow. Can relate to all of the above. Best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted July 13 Share Posted July 13 23 hours ago, Buc McMaster said: Thanks, fellas. Yes, David, Alicia was my first hurricane down here..........been a few more since then.......Ike, Harvey, Allison. It certainly appears that environmental conditions are slowly changing to make them more frequent and more intense. In addition to the right hand issue I've kinda lost my enthusiasm for six strings. The ukulele is much smaller, much easier to handle and four strings don't require digital gymnastics. And yes, Mr Blake, the ukulele is among the happiest of musical instruments which certainly suits my demeanor. Not interested in any surgery at this stage of my life and, honestly, not too concerned with the march of time taking a bodily toll.............it's nature's way. I refuse to be sustained by pills or a regimen of any kind. I've always tried to live my life on my terms...........reckon that's a good way to die someday as well. Thanks for the support though! That damn warm ocean water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 (edited) I have never lived any place where I had to take the full brunt of a hurricane. But I have lived through my share of nor'easters and a twister or two. Hand issues though have become a fact of life for me. They have forced me to change the way I approach a guitar several times. One of those you tell the doctor "it hurts when I do this" and he responds, "then don't do that." So, I have come up with all kinds of truncated chords to make it easier for my left hand when possible combined with abbreviated open tunings while my right hand is down to mainly my thumb and middle finger. My wife even kicked in by buying me a "Strum Slide" which is pretty much a dulcimer built to be played on the lap with a bar slide. When it comes to the guitar though, I figure the day is coming when I will be down to my right thumb and a bottleneck on my left hand. Anyway, this one goes out to you. Edited July 15 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Blake Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 I wasn't just joking when I wrote this back in January https://youtu.be/LzIb5Ja_Z4g?si=kJfhoHy-8fdHwOlc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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