Brad asked and Katie said.......

The big moment arrived...and Brad asked Katie if she would marry him!
If you want to know just what she said you're just goin to have to listen to the video!

Squirrel Heads and Gravy---plus a twist!

Our church had a "talent show" yesterday and I was actually asked to play the banjo! I played "Squirrel Heads and Gravy" and just for fun added another tune with it...the Doxology! It was weird how they fit together on the banjo. I'm not sure if anyone really heard the tune but if you click on the video below you will get the chance!

Nick and Sarah

On Saturday, May 24th, Nick Hiatt and Sarah Pierce were married at the historic Clayton House in downtown Fort Smith. The wedding was gorgeous and everyone had a wonderful time at the outdoor event. Nick, an Eagle Scout, and family have been members of Troop 110 and Venture Crew 1111 longer than the Spains even! Sarah has been a member of Venture Crew 1111 for years as well and is also a Gold award winner in Girl Scouts. Zack Hiatt furnished home brew for the occasion which was just fabulous!!

To honor this wonderful couple and family friends I created the scroll saw portrait as a gift for the couple as well as one for each family. Hope they like it!!!

Wood Badge SR-890 - THE PUZZLE!

Wood Badge SR-890 is now in the history books! It was a wonderful course filled with such wonderful and dedicated Scouters. More about the course later...I wanted to show you the puzzle which we presented to the Scoutmaster as a gift. What made this gift unusual was it was a scroll saw portrait of him but the pieces were trickled out to him in all sorts of creative ways over both weekends of the course.
Here is a picture of the portrait as it started out.









And here is the finished puzzle:









The pieces were hidden, hung from ceilings, put in film canisters and scavenger hunted with clues. Participants and staff all had pieces to present or hide. The final face piece was presented at the final summary session along with a another framed copy with the SR-890 council patch underneath. It was truly a fun time and a unique gift. A final pic here of the Scoutmaster, Boyd Darling, trying to assemble the pieses:

Quilt Shop Hop 2008

OK...well, no I didn't want to go but Suzanne did and "suggested" that I go with her. I'm talking about the Spring Fling Shop Hop put on by 9 Northwest Arkansas quilt shops. The shops had two custom fabrics printed, a rooster and a diamond for Arkansas of course, and each made a block 9 times. These were sent to the other shops who each made a quilt with the 9 blocks. I'll admit it was pretty cool.....and enjoyed the drive thru parts of Arkansas I had seen like Sulphur Springs, Gravette and even downtown Bentonville. I put together this little slide show (with music!) of the special quilts. Enjoy!.....(and don't tell Suzanne I thought it was fun...might have to go again next year!....oh yeah...my presence did help keep expenses down!)

Merry Christmas!!!

The Spain family wishes all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The video attached has a few photos from 2007 along with a familiar Christmas tune on the clawhammer banjo....played by yours truly of course!

Socks Comes to Visit!

Thanksgiving 2007 will be a memorable one. It was wonderful to have both boys home for the holiday and to travel to Bartlesville to celebrate with family. A new addition was welcomed...the center of attention actually. Brad has adopted a new puppy...mix of Australian shepherd and chocolate lab...Gorgeous dog and seemingly smart at 10 weeks old. A picture says more than a thousand words so here he is! Cute, huh! The name he came with is Socks but Brad is still trying to come up with another name. I like Socks but Todd thinks Thaddeus Cornelius Wellington the Seventh would be good...go figure. Poor dog doesn't know his name yet. For other Thanksgiving Day pics follow this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/John.S.Spain/Thanksgiving2007

A New Minstrel Banjo is Born!!!

The newest banjo has finally been completed! It is a minstrel type, typical of banjo construction before and after the Civil War. It has a 13" diameter pot and cherry neck with walnut fingerboard and peghead overlay. I started the project on the 4th of July weekend by steaming a 4 foot piece of 1/4" oak for the rim and bending it around a form. You have to be a little nuts to sit around a steam box on the 4th of July in Arkansas!

The banjo sounds similar to the gourd ones as it is tuned 2 1/2 steps lower than modern banjos and uses gut strings. These strings are actually Nylgut (made in Italy for banjos) which simulates real gut without all the stretching and weather related problems. Pegs are ebony violin pegs and tapered to fit the holes. A real violin reamer is essential for tapering that hole. The head is goatskin wetted and stretched with the hoops. Brackets were cut out of brass and the hooks are brass rod which I threaded on one end. The tension ring is steel (wanted brass but just couldn't find any!) but looks very authentic.

Here's a little video with pictures and the tune "Buffalo Gals" played on it. Hope you enjoy it!

Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier....

On September 8 the National Park Service sponsored a reenactment of the Union occupation of Fort Smith which occurred on September 1, 1863. I was asked by the park if I would bring and play my gourd banjo and they would provide a Union uniform. Of course I would! The event lasted until about 3:00 when it was cut short by a very heavy downpour. It sure was fun though. There were demonstrations of the camp laundry with soap making, cooking demonstrations with dutch ovens and a very nicely displayed look at what the soldiers might carry and eat. Also there were infantry and canoneers. Some other musicians played in the afternoon. They were The Crumbs Hawk and Buzzard Band and they were truly great....played a lot of old time music. It was nice to meet a fellow banjo player and this guy looked just like John McCuen of teh Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

People were really interested in the gourd banjo, asked a lot of good questions and liked the mellow sound. Two little girls just loved it and every time I played they danced!!!
Here are a few pics....

Ask Me About Wood Badge!

The illustrious Scoutmaster of Wood Badge course SR-890 (Boyd Darling) asked if I could come up with some pocket things for the staff to wear to help recruit participants for the course. Hmmmm.....not so sure...hard to scroll saw all those words on so many items. Then it hit me...you can transfer from a laser printer using a very hot iron....soldering iron hot... and there is just such an attachment for that purpose. Print them backwards and put them face down on the leather and iron quickly. After ruining several I finally got the hang of it and here is the result. These are on leather but the same technique can be used to transfer to cloth or wood too! ...opens up more possibilities!

Brad and Katy Come to Visit!

Brad and Katy came to Ft Smith to visit last night to visit and retrieve the truck that we borrowed from him to work on the rent house After playing dominoes last night and watching movies They packed up some of Brad's stuff in the truck and headed back this afternoon. They were going to visit friends in Altus including one guy whose family owns the Post winery. What a great day to drive in an un-airconditioned truck!!!....heat index to hit about 110!

Gale French Earns Wood Badge Beads!!!

Saturday, July 21st, wasn't just a big day for Harry Potter. It was also a big day for Gale French of the Buffalo Patrol, SR-789, when she was presented her Wood Badge beads by Scoutmaster Jamie Bowerman. The ceremony was held in the home of Jennifer and William Boyd (Bear, SR-374) and was also a birthday party for Gale. We had a great evening of food, fellowship and swimming!

Congratulations, Gale!!! We are very proud of your worthy accomplishment and your service to Scouting.