Spaceship Models and New Performances

For Christmas I got a model of the Enterprise-E from Star Trek First Contact and Star Trek Nemesis and a model of the NSEA Protector from Galaxy Quest. The Protector was easy on building, in fact, I finished the building process before Christmas day was over. Enterprise-E, however, was a bit trickier for building because it had a lot of pieces in it. So far, Enterprise-E is the biggest model I have built, but that will change soon because I also have a visible V8 engine model that has over 300 pieces in it. Dad will have to help me on that one because it's a skill level 5, which means it's for experienced model builders.

Performance Alerts:

On March 1, I will be playing on Jensen Beach Blvd. for the Treasure Coast Marathon at 12:00. I will be playing near the end of the marathon, so a lot of people might be there. The race starts at 6:00 and ends at 1:00, starting and ending at the Indian Riverside park.

A few weeks ago, I played with Emi Sunshine at the Terra Fermata Tiki Bar. Emi is going to come back on Mothers Day and the owner of Terra Fermata, Ron Hart, wants me to open for her. More details on the performance will be presented as soon as I get it.

I'd like to express my appreciation to Jonathan Cummings for taking me under his wing and inviting me to perform regularly at the Crafted Keg on Tuesdays.  Thank you so much.

That's all for this week folks. I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I'll see y'all in the next post. B'bye.

By Fletcher Morton.

Pianos, Guitars, and Trumpets.

Last week was my public piano debut at the Crafted Keg. I played That's Just the Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby. It's a very complicated song and it took me about a year to complete it. I give thanks to Dad, who printed out the lyrics for me, and to Miss Debbie Boykin, for teaching me the basics of the fingering and chords for piano. Last year, my guitar teacher, David, got me a piano for my birthday. When we brought the keyboard in, Dad wanted me to learn That's Just the Way It Is. Now, a year later, I have learned and performed it in public. Thanks Dad for keeping me going with that song.

I am learning a bunch of new songs on guitar such as Cry Love - John Hiatt, Boat on the River - Styx, and my most recent song, Let My Love Open the Door - Pete Townshend. Each week at the Crafted Keg, I learn at least one new song and play it there. I am Currently working on Child of the Wild Blue Yonder - John Hiatt. Thank you Jonathan Cummings for letting me come up and play every Tuesday at the Crafted Keg.

Up until three days ago, my musical inventory was four guitars, a guitarlele, a keyboard, a set of harmonicas, and a saxophone. After I got the sax I wanted a trumpet, but the problem was that musical instruments are expensive. Then a few days ago, Dad was cruising through Craigslist and he found someone selling a trumpet for only $20. The trumpet is an Etude ETR 100 in like new condition, and it has the case and everything. Dad called the guy up and said "I'll come over and get it."

Now I have Sarah the Trumpet in my musical inventory. So far I am learning how to go from C to G with the other notes in between. G is a bit hard to get, because C is open, so you don't press any of the valves down, and G is the same way.  So you have to adjust your lips to get the G sound, and when you do middle C, keep your lips in the same position for D, E, and F. Dad played the Tuba so he teaches me a little bit.

Frank Aird (Trumpet Man): "Take 5", 'Alfred's Ocean Palace', Negril, Jamaica, 2011

That's all for this week's blog post. I'll see you guys next week! B'bye.

By Fletcher Morton.

The Kingdom Keepers

A few years ago, my mom told me about a book series called the Kingdom Keepers. I said "I'll check the first book and see what happens next." Now, I still read them, all seven books, over and over again.

The Kingdom Keepers Book Series is an amazing story about five teenagers, (Finn, Maybeck, Philby, Willa, and Charlene), that auditioned for Disney's DHIs, which stands for two things. 1: Disney Host Interactive, 2: Daylight Hologram Imaging. To put it simply, the guides at the Disney Theme Parks have been replaced by holograms.There are seven books in the series, Disney After Dark, Disney At Dawn, Disney In Shadow, Power Play, Shell Game, Dark Passage, and The Insider. The Disney characters are real and alive, even the villains. All of the villains are in a group called the Overtakers, and the Keepers have to stop them from taking everything Disney and making it dark and scary. The leader of the Overtakers, (Chernabog from Fantasia), is rising, and can only be stopped by the mouse that started it all. The problem is that Mickey has gone missing for a while. How will they defeat the Overtakers and bring the magic back without him?

The book series was written by Ridley Pearson, and caught my attention from the first page of Disney After Dark to the last page of The Insider. This would be an excellent series for kids and adults alike. I think it's  great as far as the story and how Mr. Pearson kept me on edge to see who would win. Would the Overtakers win and destroy Disney, or would the Keepers win and save Disney? Would there be another strike from the Overtakers in the future? The last question remains unanswered. It just might be on your mind when you read the last page of The Insider.

By Fletcher Morton.