It was about twenty years ago, coincidentally right around Thanksgiving... I was in the backyard of my Flagstaff, AZ area home, splitting a cord of wood for the cold months ahead. Unlike most of Arizona, Flagstaff - at 7,000 feet in the piney wooded mountains - gets serious winter weather, and the only heat at the time in my little home was a small wood stove, so this was a vital task.
I was hard at work when my daughter Mandalyn, about four years old at the time, wandered out with a special request: "Daddy, play me the Ka-Mak-A-Mak song..."
The Ka-Mak-A-Mak Song.
I had no idea what it was she wanted to hear, but always ready to talk to my darlin' daughter - and ready for a break from splitting wood - I sunk my axe into the large round of Ponderosa Pine that served as my chopping block and we took a seat on either side of the stump to figure out what tune she was asking about.
After about twenty minutes, and at least three rounds of twenty questions later, I was able to discern just what it was that she wanted to hear:
I had recently picked up Arlo's "Son of the Wind" disc and she wanted a particular track off of that. In the chorus of Buffalo Gals, in her beautiful little head she heard, "Oh, Buffalo Gals won't ya Ka-Mak-A-Mak, Ka-Mak-A-Mak..!"
We want inside and I put on the requested tune. As soon as it began, she started dancing joyfully around the living room, a reaction that occurred every time the tune came on there after.
Of course, in the days, weeks, months and years that followed I played her more and more of Dear Ol' Arlo's music and her love for him and his tunes grew exponentially. By this time I was raising her on my own. She and I made a point to catch him live as often as possible; a time or two in Flagstaff, down to Scottsdale for a sweet outdoor show at the Center for the Performing Arts there, and an epic road trip that took us to shows at Beaver Creek, CO, then on the slopes of Purgatory outside of Durango the following night. (It was interesting being in the Durango area over the Labor Day weekend without my Harley, as that is the weekend of the Iron Horse Rally which I'd ridden to a few times previously, but it was worth it for the great time she and I shared.)
I remember one night at home when she was about 14. The local news was on the television, spewing out is usual bile of chaos, carnage and corruption. Out of the blue, she made this profound observation: "You know Daddy, if more people would just think like Arlo, the world would be a much better place..."
I was close to tearing up, and full of pride at that exclamation.

"THE YEARS SPIN BY, AND NOW THE GIRL'S PASSED TWENTY..." to paraphrase Joni.

My darlin' Mandalyn has grown but her love for Arlo has remained strong.

While attending UC Berkeley (she's rebelling against me by getting an education! Although I got schooled in Berzerkley in the 70's, without ever enrolling in the University...) she called to tell me of an Arlo performance there, playing on the very stage that she ultimately stood on for her own graduation. I made sure she had tickets for that gathering.

She graduated Cal with a degree in Celtic Studies and has since received her Master's from the University of Galway in Ireland. Currently, she's taking a little time off from academia - her first break since pre-school - and, at 24 years old, is living in Boston with her boyfriend who is working on his doctorate in the same field at Harvard. They'd met at various Celtic Colloquiums across the country, the UK and Europe.

In a phone call from Boston a few weeks back, she shared a distressing conundrum. Our dear Arlo was playing a show at the Berklee School of Music there in Boston, but it was on an evening that she had a previous obligation. Both she and her boyfriend would be presenting papers at yet another Celtic Colloquium that very day...

"But Daddy," said she, "He's got a show at Carnegie Hall in November, just two days after Thanksgiving!"

She didn't even have to ask.

She has already received from me - and yes, it was enshrined in a Manilla Envelope! - two tickets for the performance, a voucher for a prepaid room in a nearby "boutique" hotel, a prepaid debit card to cover bus fare from Boston to NYC and Back, a couple of 50th Anniversary Tour T-Shirts and a tour pin.

Anything for my girl, especially to further nourish her love of our favorite FolkSlinger.

So Arlo, if you happen to read this, know that there is a young lady named Mandalyn out there, somewhere towards the back center on the floor level who has loved you and your music all of her memorable lifetime who is so very excited to see you once again...

I hope to catch his show in Mesa on April 1.

Peace, Please...

Jeff
the Daddy Dude

Hi jwbonz

What a wonderful post. You are a blessing for a father, too! Your daughter doesn't know how lucky she is to have you as her dad. You're just wonderful. How lovely to have taught her about Arlo at such an early age and that she loves him, so.

My son is 32 and has loved Arlo's music for a long time but maybe not quite as long as your daughter. His favs are The Motorcycle Song, The Garden Song and Ruben Clamzo, among others. But those are his most favorites.

Thank you for the lovely post.