First Fish

Today at our neighbor's pond, Truman caught his first ever fish. It was too big to reel in by himself, so his big brother Alex helped him land it. A two pound largemouth bass! The boys also teamed up to land a nice bluegill. As you might imagine, Dad is mighty proud.

Full Circle

My dad bought me my first trombone the summer before I started junior high. It was a Conn 16H Director model student horn, and it was brand new. Don't let the term "student horn" fool you. Conn was known to produce the best American-made musical instruments for years, and even their beginner's instruments were well built. And not cheap. Well after proving that I was serious about playing, Dad bought me another trombone when I started high school. The horn he found for me was a Conn 88H large bore tenor trombone with an F attachment trigger. It had a thin rose brass bell (ultra rare and highly prized by professionals for the warm tone it produces), and nickel and gold plating throughout. If the student horn was the Chevy, this new horn was a fully loaded Cadillac. And the sounds I was able to get out of that old horn were pretty damn sweet if I do say so myself. But of course I didn't fully appreciate the rarity or the value (both monetary and sentimental) of the 88H, and I sold it to my fellow trombone player friend Brian Montgomery so that I could give the money to my mom for the 1979 Monte Carlo she was buying for me. Yes, I sold a horn that my dad paid for and gave the money to my mom. Did I mention I was a teenager? Since when were teenagers expected to make good decisions? Anyway, a few years later after selling my student model horn to a friend I found myself trombone-less. Until this week, I hadn't played a trombone since 1996.

Until this week. Thanks to facebook, I reconnected with Brian and asked him if he still had the old horn. He said that he had donated it to the high school 15 years ago after he lost interest in playing. I contacted another friend Shelly Taylor Bode who is the vice president of the Hannibal Band Boosters and asked her if she could try to find out if the horn was still there. Her sax-playing daughter Angela asked her trombone player friend Danika (the daughter of another former band mate of mine named Steve) if she'd ever seen a horn matching the description of mine. Immediately, Danika said yes and in fact she had played my old trombone before. After all these years, it was sitting in a locker in the band room just waiting for me to find it.

Several cool things developed after this quest began. I was inspired by Brian to start a used instrument donation drive. I dedicated that to the memory of another friend and former band mate Jason Dugger, who had recently passed away. Desiring a more lasting tribute, I came up with the idea to start The Jason Dugger Memorial Instrument Fund. Also, Shelly told me the boosters could use some help with raising money for band camp scholarships for kids who can't afford the fees which gave me the perfect opportunity to honor my former band director by creating the Craig Buck Scholarship Fund. Finally, when Shelly said the boosters wanted me to try to get former band members involved with the band program, I created the Pirate Pride Band Alumni Association. Membership dues go to support the two funds and the band boosters. But there was one more cool thing that had to happen. I had to get that old horn back.

And now I do have that old horn back, twenty years after selling it to Brian. I can't go into details, but suffice it to say that the band now has a brand new trombone to use, and I have my old 88H again. And I'll tell you something, after practicing a little every day since I got it back this week, that old horn is starting to sound pretty good again. I feel like I have recovered more than an instrument. I have replaced a part of my soul that has been missing for a long time. Despite having a beautiful wife who enables me and two awesome kids who fill my heart with boundless joy, there was always something that I couldn't quite put my finger on that made me feel unfulfilled. I guess it was not having (and playing) that old trombone. A painter without her brushes or a sculptor without his chisel can have a happy marriage and great kids, but will they ever be truly happy without the tools they use to express themselves? I doubt it.

So beware the band geek! Or band stud. After coming around full circle, I'm back baby. I'm back.

Pirate Pride Band Alumni Association

A little something I've been working on...

HANNIBAL HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERS PRESENT:

The Pirate Pride Band Alumni Association

Our Mission:
To offer a means for former HHS band members to remain involved with the instrumental music program after graduation by supporting HHS band and Band Booster events, programs, and activities while also creating a social network for Pirate Pride Band alumni to enjoy.

Pirate Pride Band Alumni Association (PPAA) Programs:

A. The Jason Dugger Memorial Instrument Fund
* In memory of HHS band alumnus Jason Dugger, this PPAA dues-funded program will help the band department purchase new instruments as future needs arise.

B. The Craig Buck Band Camp Scholarship Fund
* In honor of former HHS director of bands Craig Buck, this PPAA dues-funded program will help offset the cost of attending band camp for deserving students.

C. Alumni Performances
* Former band members are invited to “sit in” with the band at home basketball games during which the Pep Band performs and at other select events.

PPAA members are also encouraged to attend other Band Boosters supported events such as “Spaghetti, Jazz, and More,” “Band Day,” and various fundraisers. Annual membership dues are $25* ($10 for each of the aforementioned funds and $5 for Boosters membership.) Membership is open to all former band members, so please join today! Not a former band member, but still want to contribute to these funds? No problem. Simply send your donation to the address below. Be sure to specify which fund you wish to support (if you have a preference.) Thank you for your contribution.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Member’s name:_______________________________________________
Year Graduated:__________ Instrument(s) played______________________
Mailing Address:________________________________ Apt:____________
City__________________________ State_______________ Zip_________
Phone:______________________ Email:___________________________
Signature:___________________________ Date:_____________________

* Please make checks payable to: “Pirate Pride Alumni Association” or “PPAA” and return form to:

Travis Naughton
16881 Bud Wyman Lane
Hartsburg, MO 65039

Happy Birthday, Buddha

Today is the day many Buddhists celebrate the birth of the historical Buddha, Prince Siddartha Guatama. No one knows exactly what year he was born, but most agree that it was over 2000 years ago. Of course, upon achieving enlightenment, the Buddha realized that he had lived many previous lives as a result of reincarnation, so his actual birthdate is irrelevant. Mine is not however. I expect the world to celebrate my birthday for the next 2000 years and beyond. Buddhists reject attachment to material possessions, but since most of my friends and family are Christians (a religion that encourages the giving of material gifts to honor the birth of its spiritual leader Jesus), then I expect nice birthday presents and Christmas presents from all of you. When I move on to my next life, I also expect you to celebrate my birthday by recognizing it as an official national holiday. I expect people to take off from work, patronize a local watering hole, and then come to work the next day completely hung over and cursing my name. Okay, I've digressed.

The point is that today we honor the life and teachings of one of the world's most influential spiritual guides. A lover of peace, a seeker of happiness, a discoverer of enlightenment, the Buddha still ushers the citizens of the universe away from the path of suffering toward the path of pure bliss, or Nirvana. (Not the band.) Thanks for that, Buddha. Happy Birthday.

(The photo was taken at the Buddhist temple in Guangzhou, China where a monk blessed our little Truman. Very cool.)

Fight Day

The following is a round-by-round recap of the exhibition boxing match between former champion of the world, the "Master of Disaster" Apollo Creed and the challenger Travis "Blog Daddy" Naughton that took place today in the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Missouri.

Pre-Fight: This bout is scheduled for 15 three minute rounds. There will be no standing 8 count and fighters cannot be saved by the bell. Said Apollo Creed prior to the opening bell, "I'm 60 years old. My doctor advised against me taking this fight. I said, 'Have you seen whom I'm fighting?'" Naughton's reply, "My training was derailed by a bad bout with strep throat, but I still don't think that old man can take me."

Round 1: Lot of dancing around the ring as both fighters try to feel out their opponent. Blog Daddy landed a few quality jabs. We'll give round one to Naughton.

Round 2: Naughton continued to use the jab effectively, setting up shots to the body with a strong left. Creed show-boated for the crowd, taunting Blog Daddy for most of the round. Round two goes to Naughton.

Round 3: Blog Daddy flew out of his corner and immediately went to work on the body of Creed, setting up a devastating overhand right to Creed's temple. Naughton landed several scoring shots and by round's end began mugging for the cameras and taunting Creed. Round three scored for Blog Daddy.

Round 4: Naughton's punches lacked some of the zing of the early rounds. First signs of fatigue setting in. Creed winks at Naughton and begins to use his awesome jab. Round four goes to Creed.

Round 5: Creed landed several body blows of his own, causing Naughton to drop his guard. Creed landed two solid rights to the head leaving Naughton with swelling over his left eye. Score round five for Creed.

Round 6: Naughton mounts a furious attack to begin the round leading to a surprise knockdown of Creed at the 1:35 second mark. The former champ regained his feet and narrowly avoided a second knockdown as the bell rang. Round six to Naughton.

Round 7: Gassed from his round six explosion, Naughton fails to do more damage. Creed resumed his attack on the body and caused Blog Daddy's eye to swell even more. Round seven, Creed.

Round 8: The spring returned to Blog Daddy's step once more as he danced around the ring. Creed wears himself out pursuing the younger fighter. Creed lost mouthpiece after a wicked succession of eight unanswered rights by Naughton. Creed staggered to his corner as the bell sounded. Round eight, Naughton.

Round 9: Naughton foolishly stands toe-to-toe with the larger Creed and takes a lot of punishment. The left eye is now swollen completely shut. Round nine goes to Creed.

Round 10: In an apparent attempt to confuse his opponent and perhaps protect his left eye, Naughton fights the entire round southpaw style. Creed managed to land several scoring blows to the head. Back in his corner, Naughton yells to his trainer, "Cut me Mick." Round ten to Creed.

Round 11: In a rage caused by seeing his own blood, Naughton unleashed an overwhelming number of combinations to the head and body of Creed. Apollo hits the mat for the second time of the fight, but climbs to his feet before the bell rings. Round eleven clearly goes to Naughton.

Round 12: Apollo bounced back again as the blood trailing into Naughton's left eye hinders his vision. Once again, Creed pandered to the audience only this time was met with "boos." Round twelve to Creed.

Round 13: Unable to see out of his left eye, Naughton was caught by an earth shaking overhand right by Creed. Blog Daddy was knocked to the canvass and remained there until the referee counted to seven. Miraculously, he managed to stay on his feet until the end of the round. Round thirteen is Apollo's.

Round 14: Naughton stormed out of his corner and let loose a barrage of punches not seen since the early part of the fight. Both fighters exchanged vicious blows until the bell rang, saving nothing for a rematch. Naughton landed more punches, leaving the fight all square at seven rounds a piece.

Round 15: Both men looked dead on their feet. The torrent of punches slowed to a near stop as both fighters drained their energy in the fourteenth. In the closing seconds, Creed caught Naughton with a crippling body blow, causing the challenger to take a knee. He quickly regained his footing, but the damage was done in the eyes of the judges. The fight is over.

The decision: The fight is scored 8 rounds to 7 in a split decision as Apollo Creed is named the winner. Both fighters embraced in the middle of the ring. Creed was overheard telling Naughton, "No rematch." Naughton replied, "Don't want one." In this reporter's humble opinion, this fight was one for the ages. It promised theatrics, action, and entertainment- and it delivered. Thanks for tuning in and good night.