Three Outstanding Birds

“I made the show!”

“What show?”

“What’s that?” Let me explain.

This crazy idea started to culminate in late January of this year (2020). I signed up for a one-week blues guitar challenge on Facebook hosted by Tony Polecastro of the Acoustic Tuesday Show from Bozeman, MT.

About a year and a half ago, I discovered that every Tuesday morning, Tony Polecastro brings you his list of acoustic guitar gear finds, music discoveries, and inspiration to keep you on the right path to maximum fun on your acoustic guitar journey.

Since every episode is posted on YouTube, you can watch it on demand. And I watched each episode every Wednesday morning, before work, while practicing guitar.

As a regular viewer of the program, I noticed Tony repeatedly promoting the idea of, “Show us your Guitarsenal.”

Purchase any Acoustic Tuesday merchandise, take a photo of you wearing said merchandise with your guitar collection (your guitarsenal), tell us your story, and post it to the Acoustic Life TV website. We will feature you on the show.

So I did . . . with a little twist.

My guitarsenal featured a real arsenal. A McDonnell Douglas Skyhawk A-4MII.

In hindsight, my photo couldn’t have appeared on a more appropriate episode: How the Gibson Hummingbird Changed the World ★ Acoustic Tuesday #134. Tony featured three very outstanding birds. The Gibson Hummingbird, the Bluebird Cafe, and the McDonnell Douglas Skyhawk A-4.

You’ve gotta check it out. Go to my blog, search for PBall001 and click this link to view the episode and Tony’s reaction; it’s priceless.

My comment to him was, “I’m humbled that you posted the photo of my "tiny" guitar collection (for now). Yes, I'm dreaming big - looking to add a Martin to my collection, or should it be the Gibson Hummingbird. So many beautiful possibilities.”

“Maybe both, yea, right (don't tell my wife). Thanks again.”

As James Allen wrote, "Dream lofty dreams, and so shall you become.”

Guitar Geeks Unite!

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

A Mother’s Day Reflection

With Mother’s Day here and the world bustling with cards, brunches, and busy schedules, I find myself reflecting on something a bit simpler: taking a moment to remember the person who helped shape my earliest sense of home. Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom. We arrived in Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition whose enormity I only fully appreciate now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped into Midwestern life with remarkable courage. Her smile could warm the coldest Illinois morning, and her hugs lingered long after she let go—quiet reminders that you were deeply loved. Born February 16, 1934, the third of four children, she grew up in Nazi-occupied La Rochelle. As kids, we listened wide-eyed to stories of soldiers patrolling her streets and fear shadowing everyday life. Yet she carried none of that darkness forward. What endured was resilience and an unwavering devotion to family—qualities she carried across the Atlantic and planted firmly in C...

Freedom 7 - 65th Anniversary

Podcast - Freedom 7; 65th Anniversary . "Man must rise above the Earth - to the top of the atmosphere and beyond - for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives." - Socrates, 500 B.C. May 5, 2026, marks the 65th anniversary of Freedom 7's launch. Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr. became the first American in space. A 15-minute sub-orbital flight, a day for the history books; the entire world was watching. NASA and the world had witnessed many trial runs explode violently on the launch pad. The space program was in its infancy. Unlike today, there were far too many unknowns. This prompted me to pull out one of my favorite books from my office library, Light This Candle , by Neal Thompson, copyright 2004. Light This Candle is a biography of Alan Shepard, Jr., you won't be able to put down. It's - "Story-telling at its best . . . every page is alive," says David Hartman, U.S Naval Institute. In the opening pages, you read endorsements fr...

That Fateful Four-Letter Word

In this episode, A Masterclass in Efficiency. For nearly four months, the western border of our property has stood as a living monument to determination, dubious planning, and forensic-level lumber acquisition. Since February, our neighbor Steve has been conducting what can only be described as a masterclass in deliberate calculation. This was never going to be one of those slick home-improvement shows where a cheerful pair of men installs a fence between commercial breaks, sipping lemonade. No. This was real life in retirement. We scaled the vertical wilderness of our hillside. We mixed concrete with the precision of medieval alchemists. We bled, we sweated, and we fought hand-to-hand with a buried tree stump that had the structural integrity of a Cold War bunker. By this week—May 16th, for those keeping score—the glorious end was finally within reach. The fence stood proudly, the line was straight, and victory practically hummed in the air. Only one major task remained: installing t...

Truth for Sale

This episode is inspired by Elton John & Bernie Taupin On Memorial Day, I took my first bike ride since the accident , seeking proof that my legs, lungs, and nerves still remembered the road. The morning air carried that familiar Southern California mix of ocean haze, exhaust, eucalyptus, and sun-baked asphalt. My tires hummed across pavement I’ve ridden for years. Somewhere between the steady click of the chain and the rhythm of my breathing, Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s The Captain and the Kid found its way into my ears. There’s a strange kind of magic when the cadence of a ride syncs perfectly with a song you know by heart. Suddenly, the music and lyrics stop being background noise and become a lens. And through that lens, the road started talking. I've been cycling on this road some, Can't help feeling I've been showing my friends around. I've seen it grow from next to nothing, To a giant eatin’ up our town. Called up the tealeaves and the tarots, Asked the...

On The Fly

Search This Blog