Aj mentioned the same to me at the jam. I watched the videos posted and although they are nice, they do not capture hearing the Ajamsonic live. Seeing and hearing is believing.

Same for the MidJPro midi it with the Tyros 5 ( AJ had that set up at the jam) and it's one killer combination. The new MidJpro has a touch screen that's the best I've seen on an arranger.

Donny glad to hear you're over the medical issues. Stay well for next spring's jam at Tony's.

Or the following winter in Marathon, Florida.

Gary

Count me in for Marathon.

Bernie, we have a lot of synthzone members who reside in south Florida, so for them the Keys is not more than a day's drive at best. For those flying in, they would have to fly to Miami, which is dirt cheap from anywhere in the US, then rent a car and drive three hours to Marathon - an easy trip.

Marathon is a great place, lots of music played at the tiki bars, restaurants and marinas every night, the variety is fantastic, and most of the tourists are 45 to 75 years of age. They love to party, love to dance, love the kind of music us old codgers provide, and love to eat food that is bad for them - My kind of people!

While Donny hates summer, keep in mind that where he lives, he doesn't have to clear a driveway or sidewalk of snow - someone does that for him. Of course, he has to battle the elements to get to the job, snow, freezing rain, below freezing temperatures, all of which he can have my share of. For me, any temperature lower than my age is the dead of winter. I'll take sugar white sand, swaying coconut palms in a tropical breeze and temperatures 75 to 85 with very low humidity all year long and love every minute of it. OH YEAH!

I think a Jam in Marathon would be one of the best attended ever - especially if the wives have anything to do with it. I'll bet Nancy Pesce will be there, even if Donny stays in New Jersey.

Cheers,

Gary

Hi AJ,

AWESOME!!! Voices very well demonstrated indeed. What you created for the Audya is stunning my fiend. Can't wait for the update to version 3.0.

All the best,

Henni

Gary
I moved out of the snow belt of the Buffalo region of New York in 1968, at the age of 27, to South Florida and never looked back. I have been to the Keys a couple of times and it is a different world, even compared to my area.

Bernie, my wife and I have traveled throughout the U.S., particularly the eastern seaboard, we lived in Texas for the first six months we were married, a decade later, moved to Spokane, Washington. We vacationed in the Florida Keys for 20 plus years, loved the scenery, the fishing is beyond belief, the culture is about as laid back as anyone could want, and over these many years I've met some wonderful people down there. The only reason I don't live in the keys right now is my wife will NOT leave our children and grandchild, so I have to spend eternity up here in the People's Republic of Maryland, at least till January, when we drive down for a few months of winter.

Spokane put an entirely new meaning to winter for us. That first winter we were there, we had 100 vertical inches of snow in our driveway that I shoveled out almost daily. Atop some of the nearby mountains, snow depths reached nearly 100 feet. Spokane, however, was the cleanest city I've ever seen. Each night the streets were scrubbed with big machines, the Spokane River ran right through the middle town and I would take my then 5-year-old son to Havermall Island to feed the almost tame rock chucks peanuts every Sunday afternoon. The city had a large, municipal park with walking distance of every home in Spokane. There were tennis courts, a huge swimming pool, picnic tables in shaded groves, and beautifully landscaped gardens filled with various topiary and brilliant flowers that always seemed to be in bloom during the warmer months. There were no charges of any kind to use the parks and their facilities.

The only problem with living in the Florida Keys has nothing to do with the weather. It's pretty rare that a hurricane hits the lower keys at all. More hurricanes hit the Texas/Louisiana/FLorida Panhandle coasts than anywhere else. Of course, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey takes some nasty hits as well, but the Keys are usually spared a direct hit. The big problem in the keys is finding a way to make a living. The entire economy of the keys is based on tourism, a season that only lasts a few months at best. From December through April is when most of the businesses there have to make their year's income. During that time, the keys have to endure gridlock traffic almost daily, hordes of tourists swarm Duval Street in Key West, and getting a reservation in a Marathon restaurant after 4 p.m. in Marathon would take an act of congress. The beaches, what few there are, will be covered with sunburnt ladies wearing skimpy bikinis, but only on weekends. On weekdays, the beaches are pretty much deserted. Boot Key Harbor, which is where I spent the winter of 2012 on my boat, will be filled to capacity with sailboats and a few big powerboats, all waiting for the best weather window to cross the gulf stream and head to the Bahamas. The wait can be a matter of a few weeks, or months, depending upon how fickle mother nature becomes that year.

There is a web cam at the Marathon City Marina, but for some reason, I wasn't able to connect to it this morning. When it's working, it's nice to just look at the activities taking place on that one small area of the keys. http://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/government/departments/marina-and-ports/marina-webcam/

Cheers,

Gary

Oh baby, ............

A tropical lifestyle although nice,..ain't for everyone....

Northeast forever for me!