GNOME Base

Monahans Sandhills State Park – Monahans, Texas

We made it to Dallas by dinner and had some Texas BBQ.

Our camping spot for the night, turned into a multi-day adventure.

We were at Monahan’s Sand Dunes. These dunes are made of a sand that is unlike any I have encountered elsewhere. That’s because this sand is actually the smallest river stones that you have ever seen. As the Rocky Mountains erode, the stones are tumbled downstream until they are so tiny, that they are carried away by the wind, and deposited here at Monahan’s. Instead of the typical granular nature of sand, this sand is made up of little, tiny balls. If you have ever played in a ball pit, you may have some idea of what it’s like to have a seemingly solid surface seem to dissolve as you put pressure on it. I have seen people sand surfing before, but this takes it to the next level. There is absolutely NO abrasion should you fall!

On the map, it looked like we were in the middle of a vast forest, but I could see to the horizon in all directions. Lizards and snakes were plentiful, but not a single tree in sight. I did a little research and discovered that I was standing right in the middle of a forest of Shin Oaks. Yep, the name says it all. These oaks were only about three foot tall. What was even more astounding than their diminutive size, was that these tiny oaks have the LARGEST acorns! These acorns are the primary food source for many of the creatures that call this place home, but they are also the cause of the decline of rattlesnakes in the region. It turns out that the snakes and ground animals often share the same underground spaces. Mammals bury the nuts, and the hogs disturb and destroy the nests of the rattlesnakes as they dig up the acorns.

I noticed that I had a flat before we left, and when I went to put the spare on, discovered that it had gone flat as well. We were quite a ways away from town, and didn’t have roadside assistance. The park ranger was willing to drive me to town, if I would help him empty the trash throughout the park. He said that he couldn’t justify the expense outright, but if I were to do some work with him, he would consider it compensation. I was happy to help, and grateful for the ride to town.

Hot Springs, Arkansas

I left Jacksonville, FL and headed north to pick up Travis Hardin, a skilled wire-wrap artist. I spent my first night sleeping on a picnic table in High Falls park outside of Macon, GA. I picked Travis up in N. Carolina the next morning and we headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas for our* first night on the road. We walked the Promenade and saw several of the cities Springs in various parks, but it was the spectacular Arlington Hotel and Spa that captivated us. I had been there once before and was able to get a room that had the hot spring water piped right into your own cast iron tub! It was a late arrival, and was only $75 for the night. My intention was to show him the incredible details of this vintage hotel, which included an outdoor swimming pool… on the sixth floor. The hotel backs up to a very steep slope. From our vantage point, you can look out across the city, or straight down to our car below. It was pretty hot that day, and we ended up going back to that pool a couple of times. By evening we’d met a few guests and were having a pretty good time hopping in and out of the hot tub. There were showers and bathrooms, so after all the guests left, we moved some lounge chairs out of sight of the security cameras and got a rather comfortable rest under the stars. We were woken just a couple hours before dawn and made an early start on day two.

I grew up believing that I could do whatever I set my mind to do.
That gave me the freedom to do what I enjoyed, rather than what was expected of me. I took jobs that I found interesting, or would accommodate my interests outside of the job. I ended up without a career or pension, but have had a life filled with love, laughter, music, and friendship. I am a part of a great GNOMEadic family of Festivarians.

The GNOME Project is BACK!

I’m David Tucker, it’s a pleasure to greet you.

I’m currently in Oregon, and happy to have found a new home to call Gnome Base.

I look forward to seeing everyone again soon. Please be patient as I update this site.

All previous website info has been lost, and the phone that had so much of the recorded history of the project has also been lost. There is nothing keeping us from moving forward.

Before we do, let’s take a look back.

It can be tough finding something you love doing enough to devote your life to its pursuit. Especially when you love as many things as I do.

Music has been a big part of my life. From neighbors getting together with kit drums, banjo, piano, and whatever else was available, playing swing and ragtime music, to muzzle-loader festivals listening to Sweet Adelines and Barber Shoppers. I sort of grew up in Detroit with the sounds of Motown in my head. I was an army brat, so our house was in Detroit, but I traveled quite alot. I got to listen to Hawaiian music, in Hawaii, before I was 10.

As a twenty something in the 80’s, I began volunteering at local music events in Pennsylvania. Sandy Hollow Arts and Recreation for the Environment (SHARE) and weekend parties at Rib-Eye’s. I volunteered as an usher at the Forum, a venue in downtown Harrisburg for even more opportunities to see live performances. I spent ten years working at a renaissance festival with some of the most entertaining musicians I’ve ever met.

Thanks to Jim Roe, and our friends of Jango Monkey, Floydfest 10 in Virginia was the first major music festival I attended. Not only that, I had an all access pass as a roadie for the band. (It was also the weekend of my 50th birthday!) This fantastic group of people, collectively known as the Terrapin Travelers, later invited me to a bluegrass festival in Florida at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SoSMP). My home away from home for the next 7 years. Suwannee deserves a page of its own. It was during my time in Jacksonville, FL and SoSMP that the GNOME Project was conceived and officially launched as a registered not for profit corporation in the state of Florida.