Semilive (Bill) stopped in to see me at the casino last night. He only had time for a beer, but then found time for another. Then he made a friend or two, and before you know it, three hours had passed.
That tells me that the music was at least bearable!
He even was kind enough to take a couple of photos for me. I'll put one on my website when I can find time.
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 03-02-2005).]

Stopped what to see you? Nothing nefarious, I hope!

Thank you sir! I corrected the misspelling.
Don

Photos that show you on stage, Don? I'm really curiousing to see them.


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

Hey Don, I'll make this promise in print so I will do it for sure. I'll fix up your site. Email me a photo if it looks good. Otherwise, I will nab one from your present site. I'll work on it this week and post it where you can see it and then if you like it, you can post the code to your server.

Yeah, if I stayed three hours, something good was happening, wasn't it. Except for that girl who smelled like five french whores, everything was lovely. I'm not kidding, I had to leave after she arrived. She HAD to be a professional girl who just finished a job. Wow, she knocked me over. That's as bad as five smokers!

Anyway, yeah, I enjoyed your music. That fellow I was talking to was very complimentary to you. And he kept saying "How does he get all of those sounds? That machine he has is amazing!" (Your Ketron sd1.) Heck, that old geezer (uh, sorry, he's your age) tipped you $40? Man, I can't get 40 people to tip $40.

I'll bet that guy got lucky with Miss Smellstrong.

I was wondering how in the world one little one-man band dude was going to look on that giant stage. So, it was a pleasant surprise you were right up front with a great backdrop. I hope your photo turns out good, that's going to be really good. That's a good setting you have there.

Again, I liked your piano sound. I kept wanting to hear more piano sounds. Of course, I like piano.

You have a great stage presence, Don.

Here is the most impressive thing I saw. We never stumped you! Wow! I only wish I were as old as you for this. You have 11 years more of living on me to learn all of these songs! I kept telling that guy, "Man, we need to let up and let him play what he wants to play!" That really was impressive. How many songs do you have stored there? Every song ever written?

I sure liked the idea of that six-button pedal thingy. That's cool!

One other thing... I have never in my life seen someone push as many buttons as you do. haha. I think it's an act, you're just showiing off. Man, how the heck can you think enough to play the song? I guess it's automatic.

Bill,
It WAS nearly automatic with the Yamahas. I'm slowly getting to that point with the SD!.
The guy left with the girl soon after you left. I'm not sure that's getting lucky though!
I could actually smell her from the bandstand. Talk about strong perfume!
As far as the web page, I'm going to start completely over from scratch. I acquired a copy of Front Page. I guess I'll use that.
Right now I'm using Microsoft Publisher, and there are some drawbacks to that. I keep getting the wrong descriptions with the wrong photos. I correct them, and they seem all right, and then somehow they get corrupted again.
Oh well, I need to post all new songs and photos anyway.
I'll email you.
The weather is too nasty for golf today. It's down around 52 degrees and cloudy. And I think I saw the wind moving one of the flags.
Don

Sheriff, there are some older ones on my website. www.donmasonmusic.com
Don

Down to 52--man it's up to 28 here today, and the wind is screaming at 25 to 35 MPH, which makes for a nasty wind-chill index.

Bottom's up!

Gary

Hey, that's cool, Don!!! You have really much more experience on stage than I've thought. This means that you come across as a young and restless man.
The last photo on this page was made in the year I was born - 1967!!! What a great year...



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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

Wow, I was begetting before you were begat!!
Now THAT'S experience.

DonM

I remember 1967 because it was the year the Beatles released Sgt Pepper's and Jimi Hendrix released "Are You Experienced". It was a magic year.

Yes, and Pink Floyd started 1967 with their first album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn".
Pink Floyd - a great idol of mine!


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 03-03-2005).]

You're not going to believe this, but in 1967 I was traveling with Oral Roberts, writing speeches and press releases for him, and "documenting miracles" with a tape recorder and camera!
DonM

Do you mean the evangelist ORAL ROBERTS, founder of the Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, founded in 1963???

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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 03-03-2005).]

That's it. I am from the Tulsa area, and graduated from Okla. State U. in 1965.
I was originally in the old headquarters downtown. Then they built offices at the University and we all moved out there.
I only worked there three months when I got a better offer.
When I have more time, I'll tell you about my first airplane ride!
Gotta run,
Don

I'm really curioused by awaiting the story of your first riding on an airplane. Please, tell me more about it when your time allows it!


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

O.K. I'm back.
It was 1967. I had been working for O.R. about a month, and although I had met Mr. Roberts, I had never spent a lot of time with him.
We were to go to my first crusade, in West Palm Beach, Fl.
We had one of those planes that you entered through the tail. It had two engines and held about 20 people, best I recall.
Anyway, we left Tulsa right at sunset and it was really beautiful. I had never flown before and was very apprehensive, but I relaxed somewhat once we were in the air and I got caught up in seeing the city and state from the air.
Well about an hour later we ran into a really bad thunderstorm. Lightening was flashing and thunder crashing. I noticed we kept climbing in altitude.
NOW I was really scared. I was sitting in a 2-seat row next to a window. I must have been pale white and clutching the seat with all my might.
Mr. Roberts came strolling down the aisle and looked at me. Then he sat down beside me and said, "What's the matter, son, are you scared?" I told him yes I was and that it was my first flight. The plane kept bouncing around as we talked.
He said, "Exactly what are you afraid of?"
I thought about it for a few seconds and told him I was afraid the plane would crash and I would die. He said, "Well, do you plan to go to Heaven when you die?" What could I say but yes.
He replied with a smile, "Then crashing would be about the best thing that could happen to us wouldn't it?"
Then he said "Come with me". He led me up to the cockpit where the pilot and co-pilot were sitting back telling jokes and eating from a big box of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Mr. Roberts asked them if it was o.k. if I rode up there with them. I spent the rest of the trip up there, and it remains one of the best memories of my life. They quickly climbed above and around the storm and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way to Florida.
About 25,000 people showed up at the crusade. Mr. Roberts had them in the palm of his hand--what a speaker. I believe if he had told them to line up on the roof and jump off, most would have.
When it came to the "healing" stage. I saw and photographed a few before-and-after things (one thing in particular that I remember was a large growth, a goiter I suppose, that disappeared) that I couldn't explain. Were they miracles? Was it mind over matter? Was it God? I do know it wasn't fake, and it sort of scared me.
That was my only crusade as I got a really great offer from Murphy Oil Corp. to move to Arkansas a short time later.
I'll never forget my time with Oral Roberts though. He is a sincere man and truly believes what he says. The down side was that there were maybe a thousand people that came for healing who did not appear to receive any. I asked Mr. Roberts personally about that and he said something to the effect of--"We can't understand everything God does, and that He certainly has his own plan and timetable. I don't heal anybody, I just try to let Him use me as He will."
You know I haven't thought about this in a long time and I didn't mean to make this a book. All I know is that somebody up there has taken good care of me my entire life.
DonM

Wow, this was a really exciting story. And you're a really good story teller. I couldn't stop reading 'til the end. Especially the part with the joking and eating pilots painted a little smile on my face.


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)