Lost Campers

67 degrees & Sunny in January = Beach Day!!

2012-01-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

Last time I was here (Dillon Beach, CA), little man was 9 months large in my stomach and I remember just wishing and wishing and wishing he would decide to make his arrival before my mom had to leave. Based on the joy on his face in these photos, I think if he'd known what was waiting for him on the other side, he wouldn't have waited another 2 weeks to be born.

Little Dude!

2011-12-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

The Denver twins...

2011-12-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

Are going to have a rockin' holiday!

photos from Hopmonk in Sepastopol...

2011-12-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

Raw footage from our NYC Michigan trip

2011-11-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

old footage from Troop 243 Eagle Scout ceremony

2011-11-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

Where I got my Eagle Scout award...

same carseat, same baby, same day, different year.

2011-11-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

Knox's first birthday party...

2011-11-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

The west coast Emst take NYC

2011-11-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

Knox meets Michigan

2011-11-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

Knox visited his 8th state in early November: Michigan!

Texture from our trip to Michigan earlier this month...

2011-11-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Our day at the California Academy of Sciences

2011-10-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

pure wonder under the sea

We took Knox to his first museum out of utero today - the Academy of Sciences. Ever since this museum opened a few years back, I've been crazy excited to go. It's a great story about how they built the museum 'green', including a living roof and a 40 foot rain forest. We bought a membership today and will be back soon with the little guy. So much more to see!

father and son ponder fish

watching penguin swim

secrets of the sea

at the top of the rainforest is a butterfly sanctuary - they loved knox and he loved them!

me channeling my inner ariel

the fish were like a kaleidoscope of colors. so beautiful.

the tallest one there

fish! fish! fish!

pierre the penguin. best exhibit!

tired, tired boy.

Knox has been doing some biking lately...

2011-09-18T21:50:00.001-07:00

Knox at 8 months...

2011-08-01T06:48:00.001-07:00

Photos from our recent trip to Kauai...

2011-06-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Knox and I cruise downtown Solvang, CA...

2011-06-25T20:15:00.001-07:00

Boxed Knox.

2011-05-30T14:01:00.001-07:00

Random phone and email pictures...

2011-05-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Gritty Petaluma

2011-05-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

SF OysterFest last weekend - Knox's first concert

2011-05-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

The colors of the farmers market

2011-05-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Knox's first stay in a tent! Lake Sonoma camping.

2011-05-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

A visit from the Phillips grandparents...

2011-05-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Some more random photos...

2011-05-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

Asleep on the changing table.

Making friends with his enemies...

Knox is now in his own room in his crib...

More pictures from Grandma and Grandpa's visit...

2011-05-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Knox man eat-ith!

2011-05-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

This week marked Knox's first food - avocado - and rice cereal at some other times. He took to it without issue, eating, it seems, as fast as we can get it in front of him...

Blog Flashback - 4 years ago today, a California Top 5 moment...

2011-05-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

It happened 4 years ago this weekend. After the Bonville Beer Fest. EP and I had gone back to our campsite early and we could still hear the band and the crowd but we had the place all to ourselves. It was great. Awesome. Sure to be a repeat performance next year, until then, cheers...

A visit from his uncle and grandparents...

2011-04-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Some random photos...

2011-04-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Petaluma Antique Faire - pictures from last weekend.

2011-04-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Petaluma's Butter & Eggs Days Parade

2011-04-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-04-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Little Man insisted on wearing his best tie for his dad's bday tonight. Which will consist of grilled steaks, baked potatoes, a great bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon we've been hanging on to, vanilla on vanilla birthday cake & presents.

Happy Birthday love - you're numero uno in our books.

xo,

EP & K

A few photos from our Portland trip...

2011-04-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

Shae's Napa birthday party

2011-03-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

The Portland Trip

2011-03-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

The only evidence - since our camera was left at the Harveys' house in Seattle - of our trip to Portland are these photobooth pictures from the Ace Hotel:

Saturday Night's Pig & Pinot Party...

2011-03-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

Knox and Little Blue Photo Shoot

2011-03-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend's wine tasting adventure...

2011-02-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

Happy 3 month Birthday!

2011-02-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Dear little man,
Happy 3 month birthday little guy! You are getting so big, so fast, although I guess I keep saying that each month. Your delicious rolls have pretty much doubled and they make us laugh so much. You laugh back most of the time.

It's been a big month for the two of us and you've been a champ through it all. I've gone back to work (boo!), you've mastered drinking from a bottle (hooray!), you learned to be soothed by other people (hooray!) and you even have a new substitute mom who takes care of you when I'm away at work. You love her and she makes you laugh, laugh, laugh (hooray!). We also took you on your first camping trip this month and you had so much fun! There will be many more of those to come. We think you've started teething, but so far so good, and you've started to grab all kinds of toys that come into your view. Good job!

I love you little man. Keep growing big and strong. And keep those chuckles coming. They make our day.

xo,
Mommy

Just 2 months ago...

2011-02-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

he looked this small...

Does this look like Knox?

2011-02-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

EP and Knox at Hopmonk Tavern

2011-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

A Working Mom's Mind

2011-02-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day I am leaving Knox for more than an hour. The first time I am ever leaving him with someone other than family. We've been working on bottles and less mom holding time and more nanny time. We've been working on dad time and others soothing him time. Now it is go time. I'm only leaving for a couple hours, but it feels like forever. I'm a working mom now.

My baby has been transitioned.
The nanny is ready.
The work bag is packed.
My makeup is on.
My hair is done up.
The bottles are prepped.

But now that it's time to leave, I don't want to. I fought to get him down for this nap, but now I want him to wake one more time before I leave. Perhaps I could nurse him again or maybe he'd smile at me. I miss him already and have tears in my eyes. Will he be ok? Will he miss me? Will he be safe and happy and loved while I am away?

A tear falls.

Now two.

Have fun little man. I'll be back soon...

xo, Mom

Lagunitas in black and white (photos from last weekend)

2011-02-17T07:00:00.001-08:00

Squirrel hunting...

2011-02-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

My mom sent this photo last week. Me, squirrel hunting circa 1981. I never caught one.

Cool cars in our 'hood

2011-02-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Taken while on walks with Knox...

"Green Chair" by BVE

2011-02-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Fate has recently conspired to bring one of my earliest paintings back into my possession. Over the Christmas break, an old friend, and owner of the painting, returned home to Michigan. There, while going through old things from college, she found "Green Chair" - the one and only piece of art created during my "green chair period" in college. Since this work was priceless, she contacted me about putting it back under my care. It was a shock! For years, this painting whereabouts were unknown (my "green chair peroid" being fairly hazy). A few days later a package showed up! "Green Chair" has since found its way onto the wall in our gallery (AKA, Knox's room).

Without further introduction, fellow art-punks, I present, "Green Chair":

It's good to see you again.

Now, if anyone knows the whereabouts of "Mexican bar", I would love to have that one back...

Today's trip to the coast!

2011-02-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

To our family and friends surrounded by white right now: we apologize for this post. In fact, you might want to skip reading this post altogether...

It was 66 and sunny today in Northern California. And it's February. Can we say L-O-V-E? This is exactly why we pay those higher taxes. God knows it's not for road repairs in this state. It's for the pure joy that is a February weekend afternoon on the coast of California when you're able to wear flip flops and get a little vitamin d on your arms...

So Brett and I packed up Big Blue for a short little afternoon jaunt with the little guy. First stop: Hog Island Oyster Co. for 2 dozen fresh ones! The place was absolutely packed. We've never actually stayed to shuck there - you have to make reservations far in advance for one of the few tables. We always get our oysters to go and take them to a less crowded, more scenic locale. Today was exciting because they were harvesting the oysters as I stood in line to buy them fresh from the nets.

They were sold out of our favorites - Kumamotos - but they had our 2nd favorite: Sweetwaters. I took 2 dozen of the extra small which were not so extra small. We couldn't even finish all 2 dozen...

Add in some limes+ tapatio sauce to top the oysters, plus some tasty Negro Modelo beer to wash it down. (my apologies to my craft brewing father. It was a light beer kind of day. In fact, when there is sand involved, I insist on keeping my beer color light and preferably of Mexican origin. It's only right.)

We took our oysters about 10 minutes down the road to Millerton Point Park. It was just us and one other couple. We had the place to ourselves, plus a few washed up jellyfish. The little guy loved the blue skies above. We ate, we sunned, we walked, we breathed deeply...(shout out to auntie in the above pic for the fantastic blanket!)

A happy family. (guess who has found their thumb?!)

-photos by BV/commentary by EP

Knox's first Big Blue adventure

2011-02-09T08:10:00.001-08:00

2 minutes of zen on a Sunday afternoon so I can remember it when I am 70 years old

2011-02-08T06:38:00.001-08:00

What you do when stuck in a hotel with your 2-month old sleeping son...

2011-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

Watch over him...

The Original Knox

2011-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Contrary to popular belief, we did not name our son after Brangelina. In fact, when they had their twins, I was miffed they had picked out Knox as a name because I already had it in my repertoire of baby names! Eh, what are you gonna do.

Our little guy is actually named after his great-great grandfather on my side and his grandfather on his dad's side. My great grandfather, Herman Knox Kitching, was a Texas man. And a good, honest, strong man if you talk to anyone who knew him. Herman was his family name, but he went by Knox. I have fond memories of visiting his house in Texas where he had a children's delight of a home with his wife Clara who would wear her hair in a beehive and make fried chicken every Sunday. Knox was a great gardener, growing cabbages that were bigger than basketballs (at least it seemed so when you were 6 years old), he had a fishing tank us kids loved to swim and fish in and he had an angrier than thou bull that scared the beejeesus out of my sister and I. I still shudder thinking about that bull.

This weekend I learned the original Knox was a truck driver part of his life - criss crossing across the roads of Texas. And that's how he met his second wife Clara. I'm thinking there is some juicy story there...

We hope to pull together more photos and stories of Knox's namesake as we go. For now, here is original Knox's headstone where he is buried. My dad sent this to me this weekend. I found it interesting they are both born on the 23rd of the month.

And more importantly - why did we choose the name Knox? Besides wanting something unique for our son, we actually went into the hospital with another name selected if we had a boy. A pretty boy name. Knox had been in the running, but not at the top. Then when our little guy finally presented himself after 40 hours of labor, he was nothing but a Knox. A strong name for a strong little boy. And those who know the new Knox would agree - it fits him perfectly.

Happy 2 Month Birthday

2011-01-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

Dear sweet boy:

You are now 2 months old. Where in the world did the time go?

You lost your newborn cry. One day you were really hungry and really mad and poof! There it went. Replaced by some strong opinionated cries that made me move even faster to feed you. Your dad and I looked at each other across your crying self and said wow. That's new. I miss that newborn cry sometimes.

You've found your hands. And sometimes your thumb. Smack, Smack, Smack. Nom, Nom, Nom.

You love your hands.

You laugh now. And giggle. And talk, talk, talk. You love nothing more than someone's undivided attention and some good baby talk. But singing doesn't do much for you except the song 'you are my sunshine'. You like that one a lot.

I love to make you laugh. It warms my heart and soul.

You love lavender scented massages after a bath. And you hate taking a bottle, insisting instead on the real deal.

What can I say. You have good taste.

Your hair is getting thicker and I'm pretty sure it's going to be your dad's copper color. I like this a lot.

You've almost outgrown your 3 month sized clothes.

You're big. And strong.

And oh so wonderful.

xo,
Mom

Lloyd's!

2011-01-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

I recently went back to Lousiana with the wee one to visit my parents. We had a great time. Saturday was my dad's birthday and on his birthday bucket list was for the two of us to finally visit Lloyd's. Lloyd's (pic above) is a house we pass on the way to my parents home. As an antique & kitsch lover, it always has fascinated me. A person's house of junk that happens to flip burgers and sell antiques? I was intrigued. But the one time my dad and I stopped by on my last visit down south, Lloyd's was closed. My mom on the other hand refuses to set foot in Lloyd's. So she baby sat the little guy and off to Lloyd's I went with my pa. Here is what we saw. I couldn't help thinking Brett's dad would have loved this place.

this guy just got out of jail this year.

love the feature article headline.

my partner in crime.

coca cola art.

chickens and phone booths

wish i could have brought this cruiser home...

if i had a loft, i'd put this 7ft sign in there. note the chicken in the background.

aren't those colors captivating?

this would also go in my loft and it'd be functioning.

he'd go in my garden.

Yummy goodness

2011-01-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

So when I was pregnant with this guy, I was sick. A Lot. A lot a lot a lot. In fact, I was so sick, people swore I was having a girl since that is the old wives tale - more sick = girl. Except when you talk to people who have had a boy (like my mom). More sick = boy. Either way, this kid and I spent plenty of time hovering over the porcelain god. I think it had something to do with all 23 inches of him. My stomach got voted out of room. So when I was sick, sick, sick, I would think of baby feet. I'd visualize cute pink baby feet in order to get through the pain and misery. And these are what came out. Cute pink baby feet. I kiss and munch on them all the time. Love them. And munching on your kids feet might sound weird - unless you're a parent. Then you know exactly what I mean. nom, nom, nom, nom...

More Photos Of...

2011-01-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

you guessed it: the star of the party, Knox!!! These are some photos from his puj tub photo session. He LOVES his puj tub. It's this foldable foam thing that sits in the sink and holds a little water at the bottom for the baby to sit in. Keeps it warm too! Sometimes during the witching hour of the evening, we can pop him into some warm water in the puj tub and seriously, it's like a cork got put in. He shuts up immediately and he'll sit there contentedly for a good 45 minutes. All screaming forgotten - he's all smiles and laughter once that warm water hits his underparts. He really enjoyed this session with me standing on the toilet and countertops to get photos of him. I think it really contributed to his crazy expressions. Puj Tub. New parents: get one. Stat.

Knox Photo Sessions

2011-01-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

We realize this blog is turning into one big Knox love fest. What can we say? We have no life right now beyond this little creature who has turned our life upside down and inside out. He's really started to turn fun - smiles, giggles and interaction. Makes all that hard work worth it. His Auntie Erica sent us some of his cousin Jude's cute outfits recently and with a happy baby, we did a photo session. Here are a few of my favorites. I told Brett I'm a total mom - I can't decide between 5 photos that are all exactly the same. But I see nuances and love each one for different reasons. Total Mom. Which PS - I write this after a very long and exhausting day with the little guy. I earned my wine tonight to say the least. But even after a day like today...spending time editing photos of this little guy still made my heart melt. I just love him. All his delicious good ness. Even when he's screaming. -e

More drinking with kids...

2011-01-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

More pictures of Knox...

2011-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Knox in Formal Wear!

2011-01-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Knox wore a "tie" on New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

A few leftover pieces of paper from 2010...

2011-01-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from our Christmas evening spent with friends in Napa...

2010-12-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's adventure to the new Hopmonk Tavern in Sonoma

2010-12-28T14:50:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from Knox's first Christmas

2010-12-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

Some photos from the other grandparents' (and aunt) visit

2010-12-24T11:16:00.000-08:00

Happy 1 month Birthday

2010-12-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

dear sweet baby v:

today is your one month birthday.

we now alternate between good days and fritzy days. i call that progress. and success. we've started to learn one another.

you now have new noises. at least 2. and both sound like a baby, not a newborn. especially when those noises escape during a crying jag. and as exciting as that is, it also saddens me. already, time moves too fast. you change day by day and i celebrate these changes while at the same time screaming for time to slow down! let me savor it one more day before changing...

your cheeks are losing some of their newborn softness. this also gives me bittersweet sadness.

this fast movement of time. i never felt it before so dearly.

i can close my eyes and already see you with your own son. and i know it will be a blink of an eye.

you smile more often at me. sometimes you have a hint of a laugh. this makes up for that fast time thing in spades.

you love to be held by your momma. this makes your momma smile.

your favorite place to sleep is on my chest. especially at 4 am. surprisingly, this is my favorite time of day. and my favorite way to doze.

i can still eat your chubby cheeks and the loose skin on your scalp with raspberry kisses. when that is gone, i might cry a little.

and then start planning your sibling.

happy 1 month birthday my little son. momma loves you so much.

More grandpa and grandma pictures!

2010-12-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

Taking Knox to Lagunitas!

2010-12-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

120 seconds of Knox (AKA walking the cat)

2010-12-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

Family Photo

2010-12-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

random pictures of knox

2010-12-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

tracking poop and pee!

2010-12-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma meet Knox

2010-12-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

KDVE meets KDVE.

EP at 42 weeks!

2010-12-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

Let's make one thing clear - EP is no longer pregnant. But I snapped this picture on the 22nd - the day before Knox arrived. It's the last known profile of EP before giving birth. This is her 2 day shy of 42 weeks:

12-4-10 - Knox meet ocean. Ocean meet Knox.

2010-12-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Some pictures to Pt Reyes Station this weekend. Short trip from home, but needed on so many levels...

We take the modern car, for now.

The country west of Petaluma.

Tomales Bay

Hands-free mom.

Red Hawk cheese!

Awesome cheese selection.

Taking parenting advice from 6-year-olds

2010-12-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

Our niece, Lucy, apparently let slip that her aunt was expecting a child. Her teacher and classmates then did a very considerate thing - they all sent us letters answering a few basic questions about raising a child. Awesome stuff! I didn't scan all of it, but below are some examples. Oh, and thanks for all the advice, kiddos!

screenshots of the hospital's professional shots

2010-12-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

Items from the hospital

2010-12-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

1 minute 23 seconds of Zen

2010-12-03T12:13:00.001-08:00

Random Lost Camper

2010-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween in Petaluma

2010-12-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

We are a little late getting these pictures up. These were taken in the "daily walking" days before going into labor. This was the morning of Halloween - when D Street in Petaluma comes alive with the dead. Here are some things we saw as people were setting up:

Apparently, we carved our pumpkins too early this year. This is what they looked like by October 31st...

Happy one week birthday to our little dude

2010-11-30T22:59:00.000-08:00

What's in a name?

2010-11-29T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a scan of the name worksheet that was on our fridge all year long. As we thought of names, we would add them to the list. As we didn't know if it was a boy or girl going into the birth, we came in with a few variations of the names we likes. Since both the first and middle names are family names, we really like where we ended up. It did take us 2 days in the hospital before we committed for certain. We will revisit this list for our 2nd child. If it's a girl, I think you can see which name we like...

Just a few more pictures of the little guy.

2010-11-28T10:42:00.000-08:00

Fuzz meets the newest member of the family.

2010-11-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving.

2010-11-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

Today, we are thankful for:

Our new little camper...

Sunlight on new baby clothes.

The great staff here at the hospital.

Poop and other liquids.

A quiet day together as a family.

10 fingers, 10 toes and...

...at least a little hair.

Clean hands.

Swaddling.

Happy one-day birthday to our new little guy! Some photos from the hospital...

2010-11-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Finally......... Baby V is here!

2010-11-23T17:31:00.000-08:00

Tiny Pliny...

2010-11-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

A new tiny shirt for our soon-to-be-coming tiny child...

At the hospital... Monitoring. Baby still not working its way out...

2010-11-19T15:22:00.001-08:00

Veterans Day in Petaluma

2010-11-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from the Petaluma Veterans Day parade that EP took last week. They take it seriously in Petaluma...

Baby won't come. We'll drink beer while we wait.

2010-11-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

EP The baby is still holding out. In the meantime, her dad arrived so a run to Russian River Brewing Company was in order. Behold, the sampler!

5 years ago this month, a stripper pole gets us in trouble.

2010-11-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

I'll be honest with you. This video has an intended audience of 4. You can watch it if you want, but it might not interest you. It is 15 minutes from 2005 - 5 years ago this month - featuring our landlord yelling at us. Among other things, he said he made the rules in Chicago, that he was the police and that he would throw our stuff on the street. Obviously, Sam The Landlord didn't know we had a camera on him. Obviously (you can tell by Larry's restraint), we did.

The stripper pole reference in the title of this blog is from that day. Sam The Landlord had asked us for a "wish list" of improvements. Among fixing the leaks in the ceiling and turning the heat on (note, November in Chicago) we had, as a joke, asked that he install a stripper pole. The joke didn't translate too well, and Sam The Landlord was none too happy with us. Days before this videotaped meeting, Sam had raised our rent from $2000 a month to $3000 a month. Ah, good times.

So this is for the old roommates. They haven't seen this video since that night.

La Esperanza!

2010-11-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

Best taco truck in Napa so far. Find it across from the Toyota dealership!

We have a winner, or not, depending on what rules you think apply.

2010-11-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how you can debate Price Is Right rules, but I've known some people to do just that. If they apply here, David is the clear winner of the "baby pool." He is closest without going over. That said, he did create his own space, so there is further room for debate. Either way, the real winner is the Trader Joes wine section, who continues to supply EP's mother and me with enough cheap yet tasty fortification to withstand the waiting.

The loser is EP, who I am pretty sure is re-thinking the whole damn thing right about now (sans wine). The bright side is we know the end (or beginning?) is near.

Someone at the hospital may, or may not, have slipped on the pronoun yesterday. EP may, or may not, know the sex of the baby. She is keeping the suspected gender to herself, though now I suspect slip ups when she lets a pronoun slip.

Egad! Can you ground a baby before it's even born?

That's it. I'm turning this car around unless everyone starts behaving.

A little bit of news on Baby Q...

2010-11-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

We went to the doctor yesterday. The only news is that we now have an end date for a natural birth - next Sunday, the 21st. If Baby Q doesn't get this going on his/her own, we are to report to the hospital at 7:00pm. Good thing the season of Mad Men is over.

So, that's the latest. Until then, we nap, we work, we eat, and we beg the little devil child to come out...

I'm pretty sure we have every Beatles tune ever recorded in iTunes

2010-11-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

But for those of you who don't, this is huge:

EP at 41 weeks!

2010-11-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

Since EP isn't too keen on photos actually showing her right now, here's the best we could do. It was taken yesterday at the beach. Near Hog Island Oyster Co, which is all the more reason to get this baby out...

Halfway through the 30 Days of Dead...

2010-11-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

Since November 1st, followers of Dead.net have been treated to a free download daily. The first person to guess the show the track is from gets something - a CD I think - and pretty good bragging rights. It's part of a "30 Days of Dead" promotion. While I could never possibly come close to guessing the show, I have enjoyed the banter on their Facebook page that surrounds each release.

I bring this up here because I think The Grateful Dead don't always get a fair shake with some folks. Like, say, my brother. It probably doesn't help that people like me ~~support~~ love them. By people like me, I mean... neeeeeverminnnd, dude.

Capitalist beware. Free MP3s are akin to giving away the lemonade. But I think everyone should dig this music. And I think you should give it a chance (without a single dime invested.)

1. Go to http://www.dead.net/
2. Give the hippies your name
3. Download - but don't let the boss know