What an exhilarating year 2011 was!

I spent the first couple months on the road performing music and also vacationing in Texas and Arizona with Hana.  By the end of March I'd begun a busy year of driving for Goodall Trucking.  By April, Hana and I were living like rustic homesteaders in my grandparents' old cabin on Killdeer Mountain.

In May we conceived a child.  In June, we had a public North Dakota wedding reception to celebrate our private 10/22/10 marriage.

I played several shows and festivals throughout the summer, and the Roll Out, Cowboy documentary screened internationally.

A sneak preview!

In mid-August, Hana moved to Montana to start a nest for our future toddler.  I hung behind and kept working with Goodall.  Around Thanksgiving I moved to Missoula to be with Hana.

Since then, both Hana's and my maternal grandmothers passed away as did Hana's Uncle Mark.  We miss them dearly.

On a hopeful note, our baby is healthy and growing bigger every day.  S/he is expected to hatch in four weeks!

Happy New Year, everyone!!  I have a feeling 2012 is gonna be weird and good.

Yours truly,
Chris Sand

Farewell, old boy.

For my 41st birthday breakfast Hana made banana pancakes (pictured above).  And one egg.

Our kitchen faces Mount Jumbo, and on the hillside we saw a herd of elk.  

Good omens.

Fresh Christmas . . . Yes y'all!!

A friendly game of Cut Throat Pinochle with my downstairs friend, Evie, and her son, Randy.  Randy won.

Hana's sister Tala arrived three days ago for a visit / med-school vacation.  She brought along her Chorkie puppy, Bailey, so that Gilda could have a playmate this week.

Hello from Olympia, WA, where Hana and I have been visiting a multitude of friends.  I spent three days in the studio with Bob Schwenkler finishing up Horse Graveyard.  It has been fun adding pedal steel, vocal harmonies, and a touch of cello to the songs.  It's going to be a great record!

In a couple hours we drive back to Missoula.

"Don't You Cut Off Your Dreadlocks"

I've loved this song since I first heard it in 1976.

It's been a fun few days in Sand Land.  Hana's father, Walid, and one of her favorite cousins, Hussam, visited us.  Hussam is from Saudi Arabia, and between him, Walid, and Hana, there has been much Arabic spoken this week.  I'm starting to pick up some words.  The picture below captures the moment I learned how to say "cheese" in Arabic: جبنة (jibdnay).

We drove to Hot Springs, MT, Friday night and stayed in the Symes Hot Springs Hotel for two nights. Last night, while still in Hot Springs, we were invited to a potluck / benefit show at the Rainbow Zen Organic Cafe.  The benefit was for Jillian Recchi who recently came out of a coma after being hit by a car in New York City.  The performers were Jillian's children, Sanjaya and Shyamali Malakar, both former American Idol contestants.  It's worth watching this link of their A.I. audition if you have the time--they're both sweet people with excellent voices.  

As the party wound down, some of the Hot Springs locals requested some songs from me, and I submitted.  Don't think I've ever "shared a stage" with someone as famous as Sanjaya . . . until now.  

Kelly Clarkson--you're next.

Download individual Chris Sand / Sandman the Rappin' Cowboy songs here.