dodgedougak - Posted - 09/02/2010:  10:49:13

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I just got back from my first BG workshop and it was a great experience. I went to the first week of the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop in Sorrento BC. Stacey Phillips taught my class (Beginning and Intermediate dobro), Mike Witcher taught the advanced dobro class. The guy in charge of the program is a great dobro and banjo player, Ivan Rosenberg. I did not get a total count, but I think it was around 250 student campers. The whole staff were great and the location wonderful. I stayed in my camper, but many stayed in RV's, tents, cabins and dorms. Structured classes, workshops, concerts and activities went from 9:30 AM till about 11 PM. Then unstructured jams went on into the night. I came away with more confidence, some better musical and dobro-specific skills and a much better idea of what and how to practice. Thanks to the staff and instructors. I am hoping to get a couple of picutures sent to me and will post them, when I get them.

stonebroke - Posted - 09/16/2010:  18:14:53

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I've been to Sorrento five times...... I couldn't get away this year, but I'll be back!!! It's simply fantastic in all respects....great people, great music, great location, etc. It's a 13 hour drive for me one way, but it's also one of the most beautiful trips in North America so the trip itself is a treat..

Preston Thompson - Posted - 09/17/2010:  04:41:04

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Tell me something on going to Canada. If I travel with my 44 mag and 45 Colt Commander, if I were to travel to that area and wanted to attend a workshop, how would I get into Canada with my pistola's? That's the reason I stay in the states now.

I would love a class with Stacey. His video's are the first I learned with.

pt

Grizz - Posted - 09/17/2010:  08:13:13

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Preston, I have spent a lot of time in Canada (just across the creek from me). We used to hunt jack rabbits there back in the late 60's early 70's and had more problems with getting the dog's in than the guns, but these were shotguns. I couldn't count the times I have been there, most with no problems others with problems. The thing is it depends a lot on the individual border guard. If he and his wife had a fight the night before, well............ I will say this. I wouldn't want to even attempt to bring a firearm into Canada or any other country today. With all that has happened and is happening you may open a can of worms that you were not ready for. What they say they will do and what they do when you actually get to the border are two different animals. My .02 FWIW I always enjoyed Canada but I don't need the BS to go there. Everything I want and need is right here in the good old USA. When I used to travel to New England I would go through Canada on 402 from Detroit to Buffalo to save time and miles and would do so again if I ever went, but that is highly unlikely.

Mike

stonebroke - Posted - 09/17/2010:  11:05:03

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quote:

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Originally posted by Preston Thompson

Tell me something on going to Canada. If I travel with my 44 mag and 45 Colt Commander, if I were to travel to that area and wanted to attend a workshop, how would I get into Canada with my pistola's? That's the reason I stay in the states now.

I would love a class with Stacey. His video's are the first I learned with.

pt

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I go to Canada quite often. We're only 30 miles from the border and have many friends up there. You're probably not going to get across the border with a handgun. Getting across with a rifle or a shotgun is very simple...... I've hunted up there and all you need to do is stop and fill out one form and give them $25.00, but be sure to stop on the U.S. side before you cross into Canada and claim any items of value (your guns, musical instruments, cameras, etc.). I've found that having a passport makes crossing much quicker...... It rarely takes me more than a couple of minutes to cross into Canada or back into the U.S. (unless the border patrol is bored and feels like visiting).

Many years ago I didn't realize that I couldn't get into Canada with a handgun (1974)... Shoot, I didn't even know some states required permits to own a handgun back then. So, I tried to cross into Canada from New York state with a .22 revolver. The border patrol gave me the option of giving them the handgun or not going into Canada and also informed me that a permit was needed to own a handgun in NY. I went back to the police station in Ogdensburg, NY and explained the situation... They were great. The police officer told me I could leave the handgun with them and pick it up when I came back through and that they would not press any charges. I found out later that they could have thrown me in jail if they had wanted to!

The Bluegrass Camp at Sorrento is fantastic......no other way to put it. I've taken the advanced banjo class there twice, advanced flatpicking, Bluegrass Harmonies (My daughter and I took that together), and advanced rythym guitar. Next year I want to take their dobro class, but I want some time to get going on it as I have just taken it up. There is just no subsitute for sitting down with a great instructor twice a day for a week and practicing and jamming inbetween. I learn more in one week at Sorrento than I would in two years on my own.......No TV, no computers, no phones, and it's more fun than I can describe. Setting is on a beautiful lake at a Church Camp surrounded by Mountains and the cost is a bargain...about $500 for the week depending on what meals you purchase, you sleeping arrangements, etc.

Here are a few pictures I have taken (don't mean to steal this thread, but I couldn't resist!!!).

The road to Sorrento: This is the Tans-Canada highway in British Columbia.

img.photobucket.com/albums/v28...rento.jpg" border="0">

Student Concert night......My daughter and I with Trisha Gagnon on the Bass (She plays with Jay Reischman and the Jaybirds)



Some friends at the Student Concert Night...




This is the "Band Scramble".....yours truly on guitar here....





What's great about Sorrento is that they usually have a class for each level for each instrument (begginers, intermediate, and advanced), plus the have singing classes so people can find a class to match their level. If you end up in a class that is over your head, they move you. They limit each class to 10 students..

stonebroke - Posted - 09/17/2010:  11:07:19

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Whoops, here's the road to Sorrento....

Grizz - Posted - 09/17/2010:  12:48:33

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Looks and sounds like a lot of fun. Great photos, thanks for posting. Your right about the passport, much easier to cross from what I understand. It must have been around the early 70's and I crossed the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. I get to Canadian customs and none of them must have gotten lucky the night before. So here we go. Pull over there, out of the car, into like a holding room in the building. They are outside searching the car, now they want to do a strip search. I had my wife with me and being the calm guy that I am I told them in no uncertain terms that this was not going to happen, period. Then I asked them "now what"? (an emphatic suggestion, don't try this they do not take kindly to it) So they said if we didn't, they would refuse me entry in Canada. So I told them where they could stick Canada, bad move. They escorted us back to the American side where I had to go through the same crap because by driving over the bridge I had actually left the country. Go figure. I can tell you this, these guys have absolutely no sense of humor, and enormous ego's. I can only guess that it has gotten worse. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

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Edited by - Grizz on 09/17/2010 12:53:26

stonebroke - Posted - 09/17/2010:  13:27:11

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I had one interesting experience with border patrol. I was returning to Vermont from my hunting trip to Montana and crossed into Canada at Sault St. Marie, MI. I'm sure I looked suspicious....I'd been hunting/fishing/camping for a month and probably looked like a danged old hippie. They went through my vehicle with a fine-tooth comb. They even took an old transistor radio apart that I had, looking for drugs I suppose (good luck on that one, never have tried the stuff). After inspected my guns, looking through the frozen meat I had packed, etc. they realized that I really was returning from a hunting trip and let me go.. But ya, some of them have a real macho attitude, but most are pretty good.

Along the border between Montana and Saskatchewan north of town here is a strip of land folks call "No Man's Land".....It's about 150 wide or so and lies between the fence marking the U.S. and another fence marking the Canadian border. From what I understand it was a piece of ground set aside years ago for ranchers to meet to exchange cattle. It's quite common for cows to wander into Canada and vice versa, so this strip was established where ranchers from both sides could meet and get cows to their rightful owners. It has become somewhat of a controversial issue.....since 911 no one seems to really know what to do with that area. We used to go there and meet friends from Canada and play music for the weekend. The last time we tried it, the border patrol showed up.....they didn't really know what to do with the situation, so they just told everyone to go home. I've tried to get some answers on this, but still haven't got a definite response one way or the other.