Merry Christmas from Teddy

 This Winter I had the chance to record a podcast with Alan Bruess for Tailgate Entertainer and it ended up being my Christmas Wish for all of you.  You can click on the link to take a listen, I really hope you will, and we'd love to hear what you thought about it.  Alan has recorded a lot of great podcasts with some fellow Fair Entertainers and Business Professionals, it's well worth your time to check them out and subscribe to Tailgate Entertainer.  I'm looking so forward to all the music 2017 will bring. 


http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/9/f/f/9ffdb8a4882dad99/Teddy_Anne_Cunningham3_Editing_mixdown.mp3?c_id=13642498&expiration=1483391871&hwt=00aa8e282fc8aa0754ab8ee5974509fc

John Dunnigan's Quarter Horse

One of our very dear friends, John Dunnigan is in the hospital with an acute case of Pancreatitus.  It's been a tough go for him and his family.  This is our get well card to him.  We love John, not just for his musical talent and the way he has influenced us, but for the person he is.  Take away the music, and you have a man who cares about other people and who truly sees the good.  In a potentially jealousy poisoned career, John shows time and time again how to nurture and encourage others.  That is a rare gift.  I'll be posting a link for you to go and donate to John for his medical bills.  You won't be sorry you did.  https://helpjohndunnigan.wordpress.com/

RMAF Casper Wyoming

 This year, for the first time since I was 16 years old, I went to the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs Convention as a guest instead of an entertainer.  It was enlightening to be on the other side of the great divide between performers and fair buyers.  I loved being able to visit friends and enjoy being "hosted" by them and see all their talents.  I hated that I couldn't hire all of them myself and bring them to our beautiful valley this year for my personal entertainment :-)  If wishes were fishes.  Anyway, we had a gorgeous drive, both ways despite the wind and weather that literally blew us home.  I have to say I felt so loved and welcomed and supported this year and it was so appreciated.  We love our RMAF family. 

 These photos are from Star Valley to Casper, mostly up Togwotee and on to Dubois. 

 We found a herd of Big Horn Sheep in Dubois and I was wishing for a long lens camera. 

 This ornery looking fellow didn't move when we stopped on the side of the road to get a good shot, again, lesson to me, bring the good camera next time. 

 This year there were some awesome new unusual entertainers.  Intricate balloon art anyone? 

 We love these dear friends.  Once a year is not enough. 

On the way home we ran across a Christmas tree in the wilderness, which is a perfect reminder of what Cal and Me are working on right now.  A new Christmas album and the Christmas with the Linfords concert November 30th. 

We Missed The RMAF . . .

. . . . good thing we had some footage from the Lincoln County Fair of Montana Musician John Dunnigan to tide us over.  We were so sad to miss out on seeing all our Fair Association friends and can't wait to see them on the road again.  Let's hope their travels will bring them our way :-) 

Music, Meat and Mayhem

One of the best things about the Fair for us is the musicians that come into our little town.  Lucky for us this year we had The Bad Larrys and John Dunnigan.

 Seriously, does it get better.  Steaks bigger than your head, and a week of listening to true talent.

So, I may or may not have bawled like a baby during part of the show, but if I WERE in tears, I would not be the only one ;-)

RMAF Quarter Horse with John and Friends

Oh the power in knowing how to post videos!  Here is one from this fall.  John Dunnigan was kind enough to let us put his Quarter Horse song on our album "We Could Ride".  We get requests for it from those in the know :-)  John will be coming to The Lincoln County Fair this year too.  YES!  So excited.  It's going to be Music Monday at the fair, there is such a great lineup with The Bad Larrys and John Dunnigan. 

Proof of RMAF ~ Billings

We had a glorious time at RMAF, and aside from booking jobs, we go there to share music with some seriously incredible musicians. John Dunnigan being one of them. I seriously tear up at the thoughts of leaving without getting a sufficient dose of Dunnigan :-) We have so many great friends and my favorite thing is getting to see them all again. Amanda and I went vintage clothes shopping at the BEST little shop in Billings and ran into RMAF's Patsy Cline and Trick Roper. (we all share great taste in clothes and music) We played and sang with some amazing people and watched some great showcases. It was hard to leave in the end. The travels to and from are always an adventure. I always get some pics of the road and Cal and I actually travel well together. I know, who would have thunk it. We came up on this van and I said, "Cal, that looks like a dead animal strapped to the top of the mini-van." Cal thought, no, just a piece of furniture, but alas when we drew close, we saw it was indeed someones fall kill. Ironic for the butcher and jerky girl to encounter this on our way to sing. We did NOT offer to process it for them.

Our Great Uncle Avard Linford on my fathers side designed and built a bridge somewhere in the Big Sky area of Montana and after checking out every bridge from here to there, we came upon the most likely one and took a picture. I need to do some digging around in the family history and see if this really is "his" bridge.

From Idaho to Montana, the landscape gets more rugged and the rocks and boulders litter the landscape. I love the feel of Montana, just as I do Idaho and Wyoming.

The area of Idaho we drove through was windswept and full of blue skys on the way there, and dirt blown brownouts on the way back.

Highlights from Missoula RMAF 2010

Well, we've almost recovered from our trip to Missoula Montana for the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs Convention where we sing and talk and dance and get very little sleep or food as luck would have it. Good thing we stopped at the Calf-A on our way through Dell Montana where they serve up THE BEST food in Montana. Not even kidding. You can check out my posts from the past two years, it's so good that a three day old donut from that place was better than any meal we ate at convention. (Taco Salad without the meat. Or beans. Or anything else? Any takers? Didn't think so. ;-) Let's just say we don't go for the food, but we do go for . . . . . . Pickers like the Bad Larry's and cool little jam sessions between negotiations with potential fair buyers. Ed from the Larry's stopped by and we got in a much needed hour or two. I think our favorite thing about convention is playing with other great musicians. We just needed more moments like these. There were literally not enough hours in the day.

Del came along with us this year and it worked great to have him there to talk to people when Cal and I were singing. I think he'll be our un-official lady charmer and booker :-)

It would not have been a complete trip for us without a little John Dunnigan. We recorded one of his songs on our latest CD and got to watch him listen to it for the first time. What an awesome moment for us.

There will be more updates to come, so many great people and fun moments together. Singing with John's son Andy again (we met him in Coeur D 'Alene) and some of his band The Lil' Smokies was so cool. Their talent makes me want to either slit my wrists and give it up or turn back time and practice 8 hours a day from birth. I think that's what it would take for me. There's always room for inspiration and improvement. I'm feeling plenty inspired.