Raggin' Piano Boogie

HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON! ... BONER, THE PIANO DOG ... November 27, 1994 ... February 20, 2010

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May 04, 2007

On the Road Again, USA

It felt right to end my stay at Virginia Tech today so I did. It was difficult for me. I feel very sad in writing this. I had an incredible amount of fun and so did everyone else. I was appreciated more than any other time in my life so far and this was with everyone I encountered... without exception. There was still much more to share and give but my gut said enough. I had been given more leeway than ever before to develop the capabilities and share what I have to offer. I felt useful and empowered to be responsible as never before. I am very thankful for the opportunities I was given. I said goodbye to Kevin the school event man who initiated my visit and Zach my original contact from the Katrina tour last year brought me dinner and then I drove straight through to Philly. I am sitting in my living room feeling totally bewildered. How did I get here... how did this happen... being back in my house is part of the journey? I want to cry. It is almost impossible in my mind to go back to the beginning of when I first left Philly... to the Mexico part and then to Arizona and up to now. Well, I must think forward because the best is yet to come. "Keep the Faith Danny." The truck bed inside did get wet from all the rain yesterday... how that will all play out we shall see. The people who hosted us last night informed me that tomorrow night was not a good night to stay... I wish they had not ok'd it to begin with and I did not want to go looking for another place. It was drizzly and cold so it seemed best to hit the road. Now I have this daunting task of cleaning my house out and selling stuff to continue onward with the journey to have the world meet Boner... not to mention my overgrown corner lot yard that needs to get cleaned up. Ugh! I ate the entire way home. I experienced so much joy and love at Virginia Tech and am so grateful to have been asked to participate in their healing and ongoing life process. I made a difference there with everyone who experienced the Traveling Piano and I want that to continue. I concur with the general attitude of one student who said... "It is a good time to be with friends". That is how I felt the entire time... I was with friends.

May 03, 2007

Virginia Tech, Virginia USA

It is pouring rain outside so... for everyone who wants to know what I do with the piano and truck when it rains... well... first I look for shelter, no luck today. So, the Traveling Piano is sitting in the pouring rain with a canvas tarp covering it. I don't want to look under the tarp... what good would that do? I will now find out what happens from sitting in the rain for a couple of days. We will find out together eh? What is the worse that can happen? Yea... and then what? So? And...? he...he...he...

So I have been working on emails today... a new friend gave me a music CD of Jimmy Hendrix stuff and I listened to it as I worked with my computer. I never related to Jimmy Hendrix before it all sounded like noise and could never understand why he was such a major influence in music. Well, I get it now. Improvising my own "noise" has opened me up and I understand completely what the guy is doing musically. It is awesome stuff especially his rendition of America the Beautiful.

I went to the student center for the activities senior luncheon... I finally met up with Dave, the Hokie's United advisor who dropped a hundred dollar personal check for this journey out of his pocket the day I arrived. I was able to have an in depth discussion over a cup of coffee with him for hours. This is my favorite thing... getting to know individuals and our being able to trust each other enough to get into the nitty gritty details of our makeup.

I picked up a few more care packages at the student center for myself. They all have messages inside of them like... "Hey Hokie, A family in Maryland is thinking of you and wishing you the best! Good luck on exams!" I know that caring with action... from the world... such as this... significantly adds to the joy of life. On my way home I snuck into the school chapel to play on the grand piano there. I wailed away with music for about an hour and kept the damper pedal on for about ninety five percent of the time. It was truly "my time". I kept looking to see if anyone had walked in to listen while I was playing. I had to consciously tell myself I was improvising just for me. I need to practice at this. I need balance my playing of the piano with a musical focus of... for myself verses other people. .

May 02, 2007

Virginia Tech, Virginia USA

What is running through my mind presently is thoughts of people who want to be helpful. I was notified that I would need to leave the residence I was staying in pronto because of a turn of events so.... I needed to find a place to stay for the night. I thought I was settled with accommodation until was until I leave Virginia Tech. So here I am at 7PM with a list of names of people willing to provide emergency housing, "Hi, I am with Hokies Untied and play the piano on the back of a truck with my dog who sits on top, can you host us like... right now?" Ha. "No", Let me Get Back to You", "No" and then... "Of Course." I am staying with Lou and Shakeep and they gave me an apartment below their house and... it just better not rain outside on my piano that is all I have to say! I love people like Lou and Shakeep who just want to be helpful. I cold feel it from them. They are like me. Shakeep is a retired financial advisor for much of the Virginia Tech staff and Lou is an eleven time published author. Their next door neighbor is a Virginia Tech English professor. The community here is as connected to the school as the students.

Before Lou and Shakeep I had a little "funny" happen. I was heading to another hosts house and as I pulled into the neighborhood I went up to the wrong house. The women could have cared less that I was at the wrong house she was more interested in the piano so of course I had to play some music for her. Soon after as usual, all the neighbors began to arrive and as usual, began to meet each other and everyone started to jump up to play on the piano. I stepped away from the truck to call my hosts to tell them I was at the wrong house but next door and outside right now. They embarrassing told me that they changed their minds... It was about to pour rain. in fact it started to spritz but I continued with the music and the pictures and fun. I invited the people who rejected me outside to join us anyway and they completely shraginningly and apologetically came out with their kids to the truck. I knew it was hard for them to do... "no expectations i told them... no hard feelings... I was not worried... something would turn up." We all had some fun. Three of the neighbors had received an email about the need for housing for us and the one guy said he had not responded because the email said we needed a garage and their were none in the neighborhood.

There was to be a huge ice cream social event on the drill field today for the students and community and all these neighbors said they had to leave for it. I said, "nope it was cancelled because of the rain but you all got the entertainment that was planned to have been there... me." So cool and fun that was. The day started because of a student named Chelsea who asked me last night to stop by before the start of her class today and so of course I was thrilled that she asked. I woke up with three hours sleep so it was like playing in the middle of the night. I needed to be there at 9:50am. It was such a beautiful morning for my agenda I was a happy pup. I played outside of the Williams building on the street... for the Abnormal Psyche Class Final.. yea, yea... I know what your thinking. While I was there another girl asked if I would stop by the chemistry building for their event. I drove around and around but could not find any sign of activity. That lasted for about an hour before the phone rang for me to give a newspaper interview in my sleep. God knows what I am going to be quoted as saying. I have practically no memory of the conversation.

May 01, 2007

Virginia Tech, Virginia USA

There were a lot of campus ministries showing up around the truck today... one guy who was around my age stood out for me. I could feel his openness as a person when he jumped onto the truck to explore something new... the playing of the piano. He was a Billy Graham guy and I could tell that he lives his faith well... and with action. I had fun jammin' with several people today. People had fun jammin' with each other today. We celebrated a birthday from the truck today.

A woman from the state of Texas her name is Debra, organized a ton of care packages to "gift" everyone with. There was something like 4,200 bags filled with granola bars, candy, writing pads, pens, popcorn, ramone noodles and more. Three terrific guys named Chad, Andy and Gerard decided to help overload the truck with two loads and we drove around the campus tossing the packages out to everyone while I played. Man Oh Man... was that fun! The bags flew through the air like footballs, we entered one of the campus dorm quadrants and hundreds of students who were in the fields ran up to catch bags flying out of the truck six at a time. It was so much fun! I was able to do a long stretch of improvising while the guys took care of all the action. I became lost in the music for my longest time. I closed my eyes while playing. All I could here was my music and the sounds of crackling paper bags as everyone opened and explored them. Debra and the state of Texas made a major contribution of joy to this college today. I was lucky to be the one to experience it.

An Iranian family appeared and played on the truck. Who knew Iranians could play the piano... just kidding, give me a break... It has been specifically pleasing for me to experience so many different cultures during my time here. I never would have thought this school community had so much ethnic diversity and it is truly a gift to me that so many have participated with the Traveling Piano. It is just one small example of how unified this student body is.

When everything was over for the night I met up with Adam for some piano coaching. We went to the chapel under the war memorial, which is presently open twenty-four hours a day with no restrictions or security. Talk about a breath of fresh air. There was a beautiful grand piano inside and I improvised on it for about twenty minutes. What a treasure that was to find. I have played on a real piano less than five times this year and my dynamic abilities with the improvising are bouncing and leaping upward every time I play. I am becoming more confident in just letting the music fly, ebb, flow, be still, pop, sway... the possibilities are endless. I then listened to Adam improvise for the second time on the piano for about twenty minutes. We had a great talk about what we get from music and what we want to achieve from our music and also opened up to each other about our lives. I have learned much about the present college generation and I am seeking to learn and understand their approach to life. Today is a different world from my time as a twenty year old.

TO: Virginia Tech and Blacksburg, Virginia ...

Check this out:

After a career of twenty years performing Ragtime and Boogie Woogie piano music from the back of a pickup truck with my best bud named Boner (my canine, he joined ten years ago and is now twelve), I decided to move on with my career and pursue my wildest of dreams. Last year we traveled with the Raggin' Piano Boogie piano truck for the first time and went to the Katrina affected areas where I met a terrific group of students from Virginia Tech. They were there volunteering to clean and fix up the place.

Along with that great experience behind me, this year I decided that before my career "bites the dust"... I want to share with the world everything I have to offer while enjoying life to the fullest and also I want the world to meet Boner before he retires. I decided to create a journey and left my home and the life that I knew. The journey began on February 09, 2007 (now calling my entertainment property the Traveling Piano,) with no specific route and as a free spirit. See; http://www.ragginpianoboogie.com

My goal is to nurture and empower musical creativity and to create friendship while giving respect to people everywhere, most specifically for people and communities that do not usually get to hear a piano man or who have never even seen a piano before. I want to give people the experience of playing on a piano outdoors from the back of a pickup truck with a dog sitting on top of the piano. After twenty years of doing it I can tell you that it is a lot of fun! I want to lift spirits with what Boner and I have to offer. In order to help keep my intent strong, the entire journey (named the Flight of Peregrinating Musical Exploration!) is a gift to the world free of charge. (I plan to sell my house and belongings when I return home if necessary)

During my first few days of travel, late one evening I fell into Blacksburg Virginia. I did not know where I was and as I drove through the streets I was thinking, "this is a hip little town for such a rural place". I then realized it was a college town and then I saw a sign saying Virginia Tech. I kept thinking, "ahh... a college town, where do I know this name from"? Then I realized my connection. I enthusiastically called a few friends and reconnected while visiting the student center plaza where I presented the Traveling Piano the next day for about thirty minutes. I experienced the joy of many first timers trying out the piano with their own brand of creative music. As Bo and I continued on our journey all I thought about was how wonderfully synchronistic the experience was for me.

On April 16th, I was in Phoenix Arizona after having recently arrived back in the United States from Mexico. I was in a UPS store shipping my piano to Mexico. I was donating it to a tribal village I had recently spent time in and had brought a new one for the next stage of my journey. The clerk said to me, "did you hear what just happened at Virginia Tech? As I processed the situation, I ran to my truck to call a friend while wishing that everyone was safe.

The next day I was performing in Sedona, Arizona on my way to Los Angeles and I decided to wear my Virginia Tech tea shirt. (it was given to me during my visit). I wanted to associate a positive energy with and for the school. I wanted for everyone who experienced the love that Boner and I have to give, all the friendship and respect we had to offer, our sensibility of fun and intellect... to associate that also with Virginia Tech.

The following day, from out of the blue, Kevin from the Virginia Tech student center phoned me asking if there was a possibility for my return to the school. They were exploring ways to cope... using positive energy through music. He said that I had such a positive affect with the students during my short visit that I would be helpful in this time of need. I was blown away to be considered... what an honor... a request such as this is what I am all about. I said that I was 2000 miles away and heading in the opposite direction that I would need some time to think... I would call later in the day. I spent the day reeling in my mind. I worked to clear myself of all emotional ego and drama. It was clear from the start... my gut told me that I had a calling... I was totally grateful for it. I could trust my intent and motives. I called Kevin back and he validated that the school still wanted my return. I said, "so be it... what's a little detour?"

I am sending this from Oklahoma and plan to arrive in Blacksburg in about two days. I will stay the week with Virginia Tech and its community. Here are a few ideas... maybe you have some of your own... Spread the word for me because there are a lot of students at Virginia Tech and I am sending this email to only about ten... The Traveling Piano truck is to be at everyone's disposal twenty-four hours a day. Give a call and I will tell you how to turn on the sound if I am doing something other than being with the truck. Lets take this piano and truck thing... to the edge without getting into too much trouble... not that I have a problem with getting into trouble. Life is to be about joy, lets create some. I feel incredibly good about this opportunity and am looking forward to connecting with everyone.

danny

Call 215 499 6326 or email... dannykean@raggibpianoboogie.com or get in touch with the student center to find us.

Hey Danny...

...can I have the piano for the day or night? (you can have it for a few hours and I do not need to be there with it, I will trust you to take care)

...I have a friend, family or group that I would like to gift with some music (I will drive anywhere even an hour or two away from the school)

... can I use the truck, I'd like some private time with no one around to create some music so how about three in the morning? (no problem)

... I play the Tuba... want to do some jammin'? (how cool that would be)

... Is the piano open so I can play some music for my girlfriend or create a jam with my buddies? (yep, anytime)

...let's go for a ride, you drive while I play Dan. (do it all the time)

... can we have a party with music while driving to different spots with about ten of us hanging out in the back of the truck? (yep, anytime of the day or night)

... I want to irritate a friend, they need a jolt to help them off their butt, can you do it for me? (I'll drive to their dorm or apartment and blast some Ragtime through the window)

... can you come to play some chill out music while I calm a bit and relax on the lawn or something? (my favorite)

... I would like to hug Boner for a while do you think he�d be willing? (are you kidding!!!)

... I have six minutes between classes can you get here for five of them? (love it)

... more ideas please....

April 30, 2007

Virginia Tech, Virginia USA

Phil and Carol my present hosts had previous guests coming to their house today so Boner and I had to vamoose... to where I had no idea so all the packing and luggage stayed in the truck today. That did not stop the fun. I first started at the student center and played until the sun became too hot. Soon after, I moved to the shade of a nearby budding tree. We had good strong sun today. A sound guy stopped by so we played with trying to get the dog hair and other gunk out of my speaker tweeter without breaking it. Last time I tried this I broke the speaker. Adam the guy from a day or two ago came buy to practice some piano. He is a newbie at the piano as of his first experience the other day and said he tried practicing on a studio piano inside the music building with the concrete walls but could not get inspired... he needed the outside air to create his music. He did not get much opportunity because everyone was always jumping up onto the keys. My explaining Boner and myself and our presence at Virginia Tech moved from a 38rpm to a 78rpm today... I am dragging big time. I have not been this active for such a prolonged period of time ever. I want to make the most of any opportunity to share what I have to offer while I am here. Bo and I have been consistently wanted, appreciated and embraced with gratitude and I can never get enough of a good thing. That is aside from how deserving of friendship, love, music, respect and the ability to express in anyway possible... everyone I have come across at Virginia Tech is. I have had nothing but appreciation for these students, the diversity on every level and how they cohabitate so well with each other. I watched hundreds of students enter a building for a banquet function and was in awe at the beauty I kept commenting to guys... not only are the girls incredibly beautiful and individual, they all know how to dress to make themselves absolutely gorgeous. I don't write these things lightly, I really mean every word I say.

Later on in the afternoon about five students jumped into the truck to play some music while I drove them to their dorms. One girl wanted me to take the piano to her roommate so she could hear him play. While there, she called all the other roommates to join us. I was in the student square surrounded by large residential dorms. There were all kinds of games going on in the field and a few students came over to spend some time after their volleyball game. Everyone who plays the piano gets a Raggin' Piano Boogie poster. This is becoming a good incentive for anyone too shy to just jump on. I am ending up the night at Peer and Jen's place, the people who first hosted me when I found Blacksburg several months back. We had some pizza and watched a movie Peer had wanted for me to see called "The Legend of 1900" about a piano man on a ship at sea". It felt really good to spend some time with them and to just hang out without the Traveling Piano... period. The movie had a piano piece so haunting it pushed buttons to make me cry. That does not often happen. I will be crashing on the couch or their daughter's playroom floor for the night as they too already have another guest. On the floor? Oh, I feel a good nights sleep coming on... not!

April 29, 2007

Virginia Tech, Virginia USA

I rolled out of bed and onto a Virginia Tech campus park lawn. I went to an annual picnic for the schools of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. It was a great day. Boner and I were a new experience for many of the students which was really cool. I would like to meet everyone at this school before we leave... that will not happen but the more the better. I have been enjoying a world diversity at this college and I am learning a lot because of that. Did you know that Singapore is a country? I did not. I am not afraid to admit the ignorance and glad I raised enough questions to find out about it. People from South Korea, Briton, China and Singapore played on the piano today as well as me... an American mutt. Boner... the piano mutt hung out on top of the piano as usual in his Virginia Tech tea shirt. As soon as I let him down he went and scoffed up hamburgers from the table and also made sure to mark the local hiking bags. I told him that was not nice.

I got some good improvising in and wished I had brought my computer so I could have recorded it. I am in a process of change with this Traveling Piano truck. It used to be called the Raggin' Piano Boogie truck with all Ragtime and Boogie Woogie piano music. Then my improvisation entered onto the picture and now other peoples music has entered. When I invite people onto the piano they almost always want to try it out. When I am in a convincing mode it rarely works. Now I am beginning to give music lessons from the truck. I have done it several times now. It makes sense since I am in a learning environment with people eager to learn. This is full circle for me as I started out as a piano teacher when I was fifteen years old. By twenty one years of age I had fifty four private students a week. I was a maniac. My success as a piano teacher was not so much that I was good at playing the piano. I was very good at motivating others to play. Once I turned twenty one and was free of the bonds of childhood... (my parents) I began to party hearty. Ha... enough of that. The rest of the day today was spent eating and writing this web stuff and doing emails. I almost forgot... one "dorko" who played today got so excited while on the piano... he dropped his drawers, silly boy... all in fun.

April 29, 2007

Blacksburg, Virginia

I have so many good pictures I just want to share them all. This turned out to be a Blacksburg community Traveling Piano day. I want this "gifting" to be for the Virginia Tech community at large not only for the campus itself. I started out at the downtown farm market and I enjoyed meeting the residents. This was another twelve hour day starting at 10AM. I spent the day popping chocolate covered coffee beans. I was hoped they would help but had no luck with that idea. It was lots of the usual fun with a diverse ethnic and age crowd which I always love. A young fiddler of about eight years old came up to join me for a while as well as many first time piano players solo and for duets. I don'd a farmer's hat for a bit to fit in and just be silly. A special treat for me came with the opportunity to hear some rhythm piano, fiddle playing, banjo pickin' home town local music from a few musicians who happened buy. They played with each other as well as for me... for the first time.

My food consumtion... well, I am in trouble... I ate much healthier in Mexico and the Southwest. Still, with as little guilt as possible I had a delicious cookout dinner with my hosts Carol and Phil and their neighbors who happened to be graduates from Neshaminy high school a town a few miles from my home, I pulled out into the street to play. My absolutely favoritest scenario duplicated itself once again. Neighbors began to appear out of their houses to gather around to talk and meet. Some met each other some for the first time and we all had some silly fun with piano music. Lawn chairs were pulled out, neighbors kept coming as they arrived home and I met another person original from Penndel another town right next to me home. Cheezzz.... This was the largest group neighborhood gathering yet for the Traveling Piano with twenty-five to thirty people.

On the way to a birthday party in Christiansburg tonight a deer ran into the side of my truck. As I looked back I saw it roll on the road. Thank God it got up and ran back into the woods. I am not going to want to look at the side of my truck in the morning. When I arrived, the party had been going on for a while so everyone was fairly looped... not really... they were totally messed up! Ha. I decided to have fun with it so I settled Boner up on the piano from down the block, found a fairly sane driver and we did a drive by swerving down the street right by the party and then did a turn around a block away to come back where we parked the truck under the car port and then continued to become as rowdy as possible. God, I am having so much fun and everyone I meet deserves as much of that fun as I can give to them. Boner I can tell has been picking up on my joy, he just becomes more and more accommodating by the day.

April 27, 2007

I got a call this morning at 9AM. They told me to get out! Yikes, I only got to bed a few hours before. The people who had rented the place for the weekend had verified they were coming. Good thing... because the place was becoming very cozy, too cozy. I could feel myself trenching in. A local neighbor resident took me in. More clarity came today as I realize more how the students of Virginia Tech have taken control of there own needs. I am not here because of the administration I am here because of the students, Hookies United. They immediately got to work to find another place for me to stay. I am being taken care of with food by the students, when I go out to get something to eat everyone immediately says, "I got it". Someone will pass by the truck and say, "Hey Dan you want me to get you something to eat?" Kevin, a great bud... "Hey Dan I'll be working at the grill tonight from 6pm on... come over and get something to eat." The girls in the office... "I'm going to the food counter would you like some fruit?"

I gave a piano lesson to a guy named Adam from the truck today; we will do it again tomorrow. I went to join up with a bike ride in the afternoon. Unfortunately, once the group took off I got stuck in traffic while they all vamoosed out of sight so... Zach who was driving while I played... just meandered through the streets until rush hour traffic became too rushy. Back on the square, a sign was made for the hood of the truck to encourage people to use the piano when I'm not around. I don't know what I was thinking. No encouragement is needed, everyone "gets it" and is game to play. A need is starting to... remind people to share the piano chair. Students are beginning to use the piano to practice. Some guy was multi tasking by talking on his cell phone with one hand while he mindlessly created music with his other hand. Is that to be considered rude? I'm not sure. I am getting very little opportunity to play myself because people are always wanting to take the opportunity to play. That is a good thing tho. I had my first call tonight at 11PM for some late piano spontaneity but I have to get up at 7AM for the schools farm market. Damm. I hope I get another call in the next few days.

April 26, 2007

I slept almost twelve hours today and I still need more but I will take what I can get. I went to the student center to play and it began to rain so that has not happened today. Good, I need the break. The day was spent doing errands, backing up data, and sending emails. I had dinner with my friend Zach. We seem to get into these incredibly deep religious conversations when we are together. The goal... to understand and accept. Boner and I played hide and seek for a time under the dinning room table. He's so funny.

All I ever wanted has been to contribute, be part of, accepted and wanted in diverse environments with a diversity of people. I have already found this and will be eternally grateful specifically concerning Virginia Tech... thankful to have found myself in and be part of such a great and amazing healing process. I have always wanted to be whole within a world family and I have been having that experience.

April 25, 2007

I am completely whacked out. Forgetting from one moment to the next... forgetting what I am doing or where I put something... is the norm. I was out having fun for a full twelve hours today. I could not help myself. Everyone... pray for me to help keep a balance. I could not take time to eat, drink water, rest, clean the truck like I had planned to it was a day of constant interaction and creating music. This experience is so right. I am sleeping in tomorrow; I must do this for my body and mind... my heart wants to keep going. For everyone who has been supporting me in this journey I want to tell this... I say it confidently and with no ego involved. Someone came up to me today to say, "country singer Tug Mc Graw called and asked with we wanted him to come, Bon Jovi called and I think I heard that Dave Mathews called" they said, (I think there will be a major fundraising concert here) "but called the school called you, Danny".

I went over to the Norris building where the tragedy happened and where the memorial is. I was a bit nervous about being appropriate. I had nothing to be concerned about the music was perfect. It is unexplainable to me but as I played and was searching for the right sound, feeling, emotion... as I was trying to judge what I was creating I realized at exactly the same time there was no need, "just let it flow, it is happening perfectly", went through my mind. I could tell that but... I did not quite know why or how I was doing it. I think my spirit knew perfectly well what to do and it was overriding my over analyzing mind. I kept looking at the cordoned off building, I purposely positioned the truck in that direction but I felt nothing... I could only pick up energy from the people around me. When I got off the truck I started to talk to a guy who's best friend was killed he was showing me newspaper clippings he was collecting in an attempt to process his loss and I almost completely broke down in tears. I started to question if I should have come to this area of the campus. I started to walk around the memorials reading off the many names and started to choke up again. I was bringing my own past losses into it. So, I got ready to leave. People thanked me for playing. Robbie, a new friend I was hanging with played some while I walked around to get a grip. I will probably go back there again to give some music tomorrow leaving my own history out of the visit.

This guy Robbie's mom saw my website and phoned him to check me out. I drove him around the campus while he jammed on the piano. He is a good player and really had some great Boogie Woogie going. At dusk he drove me, he almost demanded making sure I had my turn through campus. I chilled out with my own improv. That was a treat for me. We went out for a bit to eat and had a great discussion about how life works and basic astronomy which he as studied. He brought me dinner. This guy made an impression on me as he first got on the piano. He did not want to play for himself as much as he wanted for us to improvise together which we did. I think that was the first time I was actually... mutually, musically engaged as a duo with someone in creating music together on the keys. He broke down any inhibitions I had and that felt really good.

Three times today the truck was on the move with music on the streets. Another guy, I think his name was Chris had his turn in Bringing the Beat to the Street while I drove. This truck music shtick works well in a campus environment. When everyone first hears about the piano man and dog on the truck it does not register but when they see and hear it... wow, on every level from everyone. I stopped at a group's fundraiser and played while they packed up. The timing was great as a came home with a Hokie (school mascot) bucket filled with homemade cookies of love. You can be sure I will eat all that love up and then express it back out through music, music, music. There was a point today when everyone kept getting on the truck they would do it one after another almost mindlessly but very naturally and I actually wanted to say at one point, "hey my turn... give me a chance to play"! Someone said, "wow, this is really liberating to play music out here like this".

I ran into an old friend to day, it was amazing. Jamie Turner and his wife Mary are here with their brand of music doing the same thing that I am doing. I have not seen Jamie in twenty years. Jamie is a world-renowned glass harp player. There are only a few dozen glass harp artists in the world and Jamie is the top. He has played for many top dignitaries, on many television shows and with the countries leading orchestras. He fills different size glass goblets with water to create different pitches and then the sound comes from his fingertips on the rims. There are over four hundred written pieces of music written over several centuries for this instrument. We jammed, he got "down" he is a hot glass harp player!

Man, I am going to sleep tonight, I am thankful I am being taken care of with the guesthouse I am in as it is quiet and spacious. Last night Bo got his exercise real good in this house we are staying in. There is a large dinning room table and Boner lovers for me to chase him around our table at home. This was a special table because it is very large and he can trick me buy running in and out of it at different angles. My dog is very creative and creates a dance out of our chases in and out of the table legs and chairs, rarely the same way twice in a row. We have fun together. Boner was great all day long while in the sun, he is a champ.

April 24 2007

Let the fun begin... again. I am in Virginia Tech. God I am so happy to be here. Who knows why a connection happens... why I am having my third connection with this school in such a short time, I could try and analyze it to death but I don't want to waste anytime. I want to live in action more than think at this time in my life. When I woke up to leave this morning I had a ting of fear but that immediately dissipated into joy. I am so happy to be here. A guy came up to me remembering me from my last thirty minute stay two months ago. I am so thankful Kevin from the event department thought to call me immediately after the shootings. When I saw him once again an instant connect of like souls. This place is going to get... nope, let me rephrase that... has already begun to get the... "full danny and bo" and that's allot. It took six hours on this last day of my 2000 mile detour. Bo and I were doing out thing within fifteen minutes. I told Kevin I would have come for just him alone of he had asked me to. I am completely attracted to people who take action. Virginia Tech is not thinking about coping, they are not repressing, they are not milling details around in their heads... they are continuing to go on with life and work through adversity. They began immediately to take action steps reaching out for and using tools to help work through feelings of loss, confusion, fear and chaos. They get one hundred percent of my mind, body and soul for doing that, it only feeds me good stuff back in every way. Can't help myself from repeating, God I am so thankful to be here. What an amazing life journey I am on. I am so thankful to be able to enjoy it.

Bo happily wore his Virginia Tech shirt as did I... in fact, getting one to wear was the first priority for us. I started playing in front of the student center and then moved up a bit to get some pictures in front of a really cool building... went and got a sandwich... came back and played into the night as students sat on the steps to hang out and others jumped up onto the piano to play. It was just like last time, there is a lot of good spirit floating around on this campus. At least fifteen people played on the truck today in just a few hours, singing piano players too. I am still getting used to improvising while people just sit and listen. I asked everyone not to applaud when I was done because I am not comfortable enough yet. They respected that and then I felt bad because I could tell they really wanted to respond. I am being housed in a campus guest house for the night the only problem is that it takes forever to walk from the bedroom to the living room couch. Ha, such a problem. (just to give you an idea of the size) As I drove to it, groups of students were everywhere socializing, the sports fields were full of games happening... life is good. On the way here I kept telling myself, "remember to constantly engage, be up, smile". That all happened naturally! I had a great time and I love interacting with interested people. Everyone I met today was interesting and interested. I took time today to experience spring, the new green grass, budding trees... the butter cups, the warm sun and breeze... I am in a beautiful campus learning environment.