#115. Carol Ryder on Humboldt Light Opera Company, Voice Teaching, and Finding Her Path in Music

Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, and all those out to see, it's Scott Hammond and the 100% Humboldt podcast with my very special new best friend, Carol Ryder.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Carol.

Carol Ryder: Hi, Scott.

Scott Hammond: How are you?

Carol Ryder: I'm good.

Scott Hammond: We-

Carol Ryder: I'm glad we're best friends now.

Scott Hammond: We barely know each other, but we're besties already, and-

Carol Ryder: Of course

Scott Hammond: … just wanna get to know you. Tell, tell us the Carol Ryder story. First of all, what do you do? What's your day job and…

Carol Ryder: Well, uh, I run the Humboldt Light Opera Company. I'm the administrator and artistic director for-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Carol Ryder: … and that's a pretty big job now, but I'm retired, quote, unquote.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Right, I, I know about that.

Carol Ryder: And then, yeah, yeah. And also, I, I teach a lot of voice still, and voice classes and-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Carol Ryder: … direct and things, so.

Scott Hammond: So voice, dancing, acting?

Carol Ryder: Not dancing.

Scott Hammond: Mostly voice?

Carol Ryder: Voice. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, that was my primary, uh, since we came back to the county, that was mainly what I've done is teach voice.

Scott Hammond: Nice. And you're located in Sunnybrae, right?

Scott Hammond: In Arcata?

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Tell, so tell me about the background. Where did, where'd you grow up? Where'd you go to school?

Carol Ryder: Well, I would say I'm 100% Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: Ooh, yeah.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Ooh.

Carol Ryder: My parents both grew up in the Eel River Valley, so I live-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … I grew up in Fortuna.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: Born in Scotia.

Scott Hammond: Ooh.

Carol Ryder: I don't know how many people can say that.

Scott Hammond: Not a lot.

Carol Ryder: $50. I cost $50.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Scott Hammond: Bargain.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. But yeah, I grew up in Fortuna and, um, lived there, of course, until I went to college.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And then I moved up to Arcata, and, um, went in and out of Arcata most-

Scott Hammond: What'd you study at Humboldt?

Carol Ryder: I studied… Well, it was a long story. I started in, I s- start-

Scott Hammond: All the g- good ones are.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. I started in nursing 'cause I love science.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: And, um, but sick people just didn't quite do it for me, so two years into that I went into political science.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Carol Ryder: And, um, really enjoyed, you know, the polling and statistics and understanding where trends were. But then I,

Carol Ryder: um, worked on the McGovern campaign.

Scott Hammond: Wow, George.

Carol Ryder: And that was a very dissilussioning time.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, oh, yeah.

Carol Ryder: So I learned that, mm, maybe not all politi- politicians are honest.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: And that, so that was really tough.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: So then I, um, in my winter quarter of that last year, I-

Scott Hammond: Oh, quarter system, not semesters.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, that's right.

Scott Hammond: I loved it.

Carol Ryder: So you got to have, yeah, you got to have a lot more classes.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Carol Ryder: But at that winter quarter I went to an opera.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Carol Ryder: And I heard Jim Stannard sing the Flower Song from

Carol Ryder: Carmen.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And I was gobsmacked.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: It's just like I had never heard anything so beautiful in my life.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: So that-

Scott Hammond: Does that here… Was that at Humboldt State?

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Van Duzer or whatever?

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Uh, it was actually on the Fulkerson Recital Hall.

Scott Hammond: Oh, hi, Julie Fulkerson.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Shout out. Shout out.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, shout out. Her dad was amazing. I loved J- I loved Charlie.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Carol Ryder: Um-

Scott Hammond: He was an instructor?

Carol Ryder: Yeah. He t-

Scott Hammond: Was he a voice guy or everything?

Carol Ryder: No, no, he was piano and orchestra.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: He was the most amazing teacher.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Uh, he really saved me as far as ever touching a

Carol Ryder: piano again-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Carol Ryder: … 'cause he, he learned, he taught me that it was fun, so he was a great guy.

Scott Hammond: That's really cool.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: He, um, she was telling me that, uh, with all the talent in that family, they never pushed

Scott Hammond: her.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And sh- and, and yet she's amazing.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Which is probably the right way.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, it is-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … I think. You know?

Scott Hammond: All those poor kids have been pushed into soccer and sports and all the things and

Scott Hammond: just-

Carol Ryder: Mm-mm

Scott Hammond: … walked away.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I don't do it 'cause my dad wanted me to.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Carol Ryder: Exactly right.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Yeah, we've, uh, we, our daughter is a, a, I think, an amazing

Carol Ryder: vocalist-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … and I think it's 'cause we didn't push her into it.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Carol Ryder: She fell into it and loved it, and so it wasn't that-

Scott Hammond: Does she work with y'all or is she elsewhere?

Carol Ryder: Uh, she's actually up here. T- she, she went to school back east and then

Carol Ryder: she-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … when she graduated she came back home and works with the company and teaches voice.

Scott Hammond: Oh, nice. Very nice.

Carol Ryder: So it's lovely.

Scott Hammond: I have a daughter that was a voice major at Humboldt as well.

Carol Ryder: Oh, really?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. She's quite the singer and piano player.

Carol Ryder: Oh, that's wonderful. And her, what's her name?

Scott Hammond: Her name is Kalea.

Carol Ryder: I know Kalea. She studied with me.

Scott Hammond: Get outta here.

Carol Ryder: Get outta here.

Scott Hammond: Dark hair?

Carol Ryder: She did. Dark hair.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: And I liked her a lot.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Kalea.

Carol Ryder: She was really, really awesome.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, she's a sweetheart. She, uh-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … she married Chris, and now they are professional painters. They indoor e-

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: I said indoor, extor.

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh.

Scott Hammond: Outdoor.

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh. I've seen, seen-

Scott Hammond: In Medford

Carol Ryder: … her on Facebook, and she looks really happy, so.

Scott Hammond: She is. Yeah.

Carol Ryder: That's always nice to see old students happy.

Scott Hammond: I like her.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Good.

Scott Hammond: She's okay.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Keep her around for-

Carol Ryder: Keep her around.

Scott Hammond: She's keeping me around. I don't know who's keeping who. So you went to Humboldt State and graduated in…

Carol Ryder: In poli sci first.

Scott Hammond: Poli sci.

Carol Ryder: And then, course it was cheap back then, so-

Scott Hammond: Right

Carol Ryder: … you could go ahead and get a th- a second major, so I graduated in

Carol Ryder: voice.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Carol Ryder: And, um, then I went to Europe for a while.

Scott Hammond: Tell us about that. I wanna hear about the Europe trip.

Carol Ryder: Oh, well, it was mainly to study-

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh

Carol Ryder: … and, um, to, uh-

Scott Hammond: This wasn't the Grateful Dead Europe trip?

Carol Ryder: It was more-

Scott Hammond: Shucks

Carol Ryder: … more like the Soprano Dies At The End Of The Opera Tour.

Scott Hammond: Okay. That's cool.

Carol Ryder: So it was mainly to study classical music and, and the German language 'cause that's the language-

Scott Hammond: Ah

Carol Ryder: … of, um, so much art, song, and opera-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … is done in O- in German.

Scott Hammond: Wow. So did-

Carol Ryder: So-

Scott Hammond: … you, primarily in Germany?

Carol Ryder: I just, I mainly was in Germany, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And it was f- it was fun because I really learned a lot about, uh, professional opera.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: 'Cause at that point, you know, you have these defining moments-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Carol Ryder: … in your life, and that was one. It was like, "I don't wanna do that."

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Carol Ryder: "There's no heart to that."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: You know? They're just kinda getting up there and singing and then, eh.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Didn't do much. So when I came back, I asked my voice teacher, Jim, if he had my blonde baritone.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And he did.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Carol Ryder: And so I ended up, um, Bill and I, uh, met, and so I ended up coming back here-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Carol Ryder: … and getting a master's in, uh-Directing and acting in musical theater

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: J- was it Jenny Crandall and George Crandall? She was a theater teacher.

Carol Ryder: Cranston?

Scott Hammond: Cranston, I'm sorry.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Crandall's another guy. He was a runner. He's a journalist. I think he's journalism.

Carol Ryder: I don't know.

Scott Hammond: Um, yeah. So I have a-

Carol Ryder: Well, uh, it was mainly, uh, Gene Bazemore and Jerry Beck-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Carol Ryder: … uh, were my primary teachers. So I learned a lot there.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: Then I went to San Francisco Opera to the Merola program for a while.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: And, um, there I learned about professional opera from that standpoint, and it was, uh, like one guy said, the, this group, there was only four of us that were in the directing program, and one guy said, "Well," we asked what his concept was, 'cause of course, you know, we grew up on you've got to have a concept for your piece. And he goes, "What concept? I was told I had a bunch of fast singers who couldn't act." And it was like- … it was like, "Okay, I don't want to do this either." And the guy said, "You know, you're good at what you do, but you have to lose your

Carol Ryder: idealism."

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Carol Ryder: And I thought, "Well, okay."

Scott Hammond: I like that.

Carol Ryder: It's, it just more and more went to community theater, which is what I'm doing.

Scott Hammond: That's beautiful.

Carol Ryder: And this is what I've prepared for, I think.

Scott Hammond: How long were you in the city then with the company?

Carol Ryder: It was j- uh, it was just a f- four-month thing.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Carol Ryder: And down there, and then we moved from there to Santa Barbara to study.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And, um-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Carol Ryder: … and were there for about five or six years, and there I t- um, worked on my voice.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: Did some directing, and but mostly I learned to, learned arts administration.

Scott Hammond: Wow, okay.

Carol Ryder: So-

Scott Hammond: Santa Barbara's cool.

Carol Ryder: Oh, I love Santa Barbara, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, my wife's from Ojai.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Oh, Ojai.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Carol Ryder: Oh, there.

Scott Hammond: We, uh, we, we've been back two Nove- Novembers in a row.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So we go down to a little, uh, friendsiversary thing in Glendora, and then roll over to Ojai, which is pretty cool.

Carol Ryder: It's a pretty little town.

Scott Hammond: It's a really cool– It's got such a c- cool vibe and-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … fun. Santa Barbara's pretty.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, and we w- we were very fortunate in where we lived, and it was before it really grew up.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: And so we lived down, right downtown for a while.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: And then we, uh, lived out by, um, w- in, um, whatchamacallit, Montecito.

Scott Hammond: Very nice.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. We worked at a church, so we had a little apartment, uh-

Scott Hammond: Very cool

Carol Ryder: … cottage in c- Montecito, so.

Scott Hammond: What'd you do with the church? Th- that's where the-

Carol Ryder: Well, Bill was a-

Scott Hammond: … the gig was?

Carol Ryder: Bill, uh, Bill worked for the church as kind of a catch-all guy, you know, and, um, security and that kind of thing.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: And then I, um, did the children's choir, and then we both sang in their choir.

Scott Hammond: Very nice.

Carol Ryder: And so it was a really awesome, uh, situation.

Scott Hammond: What was the name of the church?

Carol Ryder: Mm. It was All Saints by the Sea Episcopal Church.

Scott Hammond: All Saints by the Sea.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I like that.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Cool.

Carol Ryder: Just down the street from Julia Childs.

Scott Hammond: Oh, right. Yeah, she's right up there. So Ojai's famous for, uh, for Nick's main man, um, Johnny Cash. He lived up there for a long time.

Carol Ryder: Oh, really?

Scott Hammond: Lee Major, Six Million Dollar Man.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And then Johnny's dad lived in this, uh, kind of communal cottage thing. It was called The, um, The Ojai Valley. Was it The Colony? Anyway, they would have a, a central campfire.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And at night, this guy, uh, Kenny, would come and play guitar.

Carol Ryder: Oh, Kenny Loggins?

Scott Hammond: Kenny Loggins. And Donna, his girlfriend, and they would hang out at the, it was called The Lodge back in the day.

Carol Ryder: Mm. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: It's kind of in some disrepair now, but it was, um, visited b- kind of a neat– Hey, Kenny's cool.

Carol Ryder: Ha.

Scott Hammond: Look at his Ovation. He plays a pretty good guitar, huh?

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Here, watch him do Footloose.

Scott Hammond: Wait, wait a minute, he hadn't written it yet. But then Loggins and Messina, and they had the ranch up at wherever that was.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And, uh, yeah, I like the Central Coast.

Scott Hammond: Cool.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I, we really enjoyed living there, and,

Carol Ryder: um, but we knew it was t- not gonna be our permanent place, so.

Scott Hammond: So what brought you guys back to Humboldt?

Carol Ryder: Well, first we went to Manhattan.

Scott Hammond: Oh, of course.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Tell us about that.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Well, that was really– I really enjoyed it a lot. We d- we were fortunate in where we lived.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Carol Ryder: And, um, Bill was doing a lot of auditioning, a lot of work.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: Um, he was getting a lot of things that would take him out of town.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Carol Ryder: And that wasn't his most preferred idea-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Carol Ryder: … is to go on tours. So, um, but, uh, I, I was very fortunate and got a job like, pshh, you know, in two weeks-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Carol Ryder: … uh, for the Roundabout Theater, which was a repertory theater. It was off Broadway at that point.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Carol Ryder: Now it's on Broadway. And it was a fantastic job. I learned so much.

Scott Hammond: I bet.

Carol Ryder: You know? And, um, o- one of my jobs was to keep

Carol Ryder: the founding artistic director out of the office, so that was fun.

Scott Hammond: Please make sure he's gone, okay?

Carol Ryder: Exactly.

Scott Hammond: It's funny.

Carol Ryder: 'Cause, you know, he was different.

Scott Hammond: Been to Amsterdam three times, and I've never been to New York City yet.

Carol Ryder: Really?

Scott Hammond: I wanna, I wanna go. Everybody says center of the universe.

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh. Oh, it's wonderful. I mean, it, it– this was the late '80s-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Carol Ryder: … and so it was kinda sketchy.

Scott Hammond: Right. It was sketchy back then, yeah.

Carol Ryder: Very sketchy.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: 'Cause it didn't really turn around, like, at, in the Broadway district until '92 when Disney came in.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: You know? But it was pretty sketchy.

Scott Hammond: What's it cost to do a show today if we were to go see a matinee or as, like a-

Carol Ryder: In New York?

Scott Hammond: … like a big show, like a k- several hundred dollars?

Carol Ryder: Oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Well, it, it kinda depends upon the show.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: You know, but, and where you're sitting.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Right.

Carol Ryder: But anywhere between 175 to-

Scott Hammond: Right

Carol Ryder: … it can go higher than that by far.

Scott Hammond: So we see a lot of shows up at the Britt Festival in, in-

Carol Ryder: Oh, cool

Scott Hammond: … Jacksonville, Oregon.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Jackson Browne, and we've seen, you know, Decembers, whoever. And a top of the, top of the show is, like, 92 bucks. You think you're really getting ripped off, and it's, like, a prime seat. And then I priced some seats at The Sphere in Las Vegas, 'cause we're going in a couple weeks.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And it's just The Wizard of Oz. It's not the Eagles. It's the movie. $642 a seat. I'm going-

Carol Ryder: What?

Scott Hammond: "Wait, hey Jo- hey Joni, you wanna– Oh, look, we just saved $1,200- … by making a, a good decision." It's like, wait.

Carol Ryder: That logic, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I– It's like I, I thought, you know, a movie would be may- I don't know. It could be like the Brit, 100 bucks. I'd probably… might even do that.

Carol Ryder: A movie.

Scott Hammond: The movie, but it's in the Sphere. It's in the big o-oval, uh, heights-

Carol Ryder: But it's a movie.

Scott Hammond: It's a movie, yeah. So anyway, I don't know if that, how life-changing that would be.

Scott Hammond: Anyway.

Carol Ryder: Mm.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, then you went to Manhattan, then you came back to Humboldt, or did you go somewhere else?

Carol Ryder: No, no. Um, uh, we were m- you know, the– things change, and then, um, we were expecting our, our baby.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And, uh, we had to make a decision whether we wanted to bring up a little girl in

Carol Ryder: Manhattan.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: And if we did, then she would never have any innocence.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Carol Ryder: And I think innocence is really important.

Scott Hammond: Mm. I like it.

Carol Ryder: So-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … so we came back. Uh, we had our house in Sunnybrae-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Carol Ryder: … so we just came back to Sunnybrae and, um, figured out things from there.

Carol Ryder: And-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Carol Ryder: … I went and, um,

Carol Ryder: uh, I, I got to teach up at Humboldt and down at CR, and Bill's a piano

Carol Ryder: technician.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: And so we've made a really fine life.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: Very fine, so.

Scott Hammond: That's really cool.

Scott Hammond: I love it.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And your dau- how old's your daughter now?

Carol Ryder: 30, almost 36.

Scott Hammond: Wow. We have one of those.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Kalea, I think.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Kalea, how old are you?

Carol Ryder: You have one of those.

Scott Hammond: I have no idea. Jo-Joni knows it. She could answer, like, in a second.

Carol Ryder: Mm.

Scott Hammond: I'm going-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … I don't know. She's in her 30s.

Carol Ryder: 30 someplace, yeah.

Scott Hammond: 30, 30 someplace.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Or 40 someplace. I don't know.

Carol Ryder: I don't… Yeah, 'cause, let's see, I've been retired since 2015, so 10 years.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Carol Ryder: So it would've been before.

Scott Hammond: From Humboldt.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So were you full-time at Humboldt?

Carol Ryder: No, I wouldn't call it that. No, though it was a lot of units.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: You know, 13, 14 units.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: But they don't call it full-time.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: But, uh, it… what was good about it is I just got to teach. I didn't have to go to any meetings-

Scott Hammond: Oh, nice

Carol Ryder: … or be in any committees.

Scott Hammond: Do you remember Hubert Kennamer?

Carol Ryder: Oh, of course.

Scott Hammond: Hubert, man, he taught music appreciation.

Carol Ryder: Of course.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Carol Ryder: Oh, yes. I took, I took a music appreciation from

Carol Ryder: Kennamer.

Scott Hammond: Oh, he taught… He, he got all the freshmen.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: In the quarter system, so let's compare, uh, notes on how much a quarter of education cost. I, I remember, I think, $67 a quarter just, just to be there, and then it was books, which was another maybe 100 bucks.

Carol Ryder: Maybe.

Scott Hammond: Maybe.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Depending on the class.

Carol Ryder: I think when I started, I don't know when you started, but I'm pretty old.

Carol Ryder: Um-

Scott Hammond: I was '78 to '82.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. I was '69 to '70

Carol Ryder: something.

Scott Hammond: Something.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Thereabouts.

Carol Ryder: Uh, depending upon my degrees. But it was like 37-

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow

Carol Ryder: … when I started.

Scott Hammond: But the quarter system's superior 'cause you're right, more variety.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So we were at a c- program called Cluster. Do you remember that? It was the non-ed, uh… It was a ge- general ed program, uh, no u- no test, no grades, pass, fail.

Carol Ryder: No.

Scott Hammond: 16 units for-

Carol Ryder: I missed that one

Scott Hammond: … for hippie children.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Such as

Scott Hammond: moi. And it was cool 'cause you got a really good education, and, uh, it was interdisciplinary and-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … uh, doggone it, you had to show up, and you had to participate.

Carol Ryder: Mm.

Scott Hammond: Show up and be present and get the stuff done or you don't pass.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: But it was a hippie dippy way of getting three-quarters, uh, most of your GE in three, in one year.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Which is kind of

Scott Hammond: wild, so-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … came out of that with-

Carol Ryder: I, I don't remember that. I must, I missed that.

Carol Ryder: I would-

Scott Hammond: It was, it was really cool. It w- they did away with it 'cause it's too-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … too hippie dippy crunchy.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: But-

Carol Ryder: I was in my master's in '79.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: So.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: And I was gone '78.

Scott Hammond: So you taught at Humboldt, then you started Humboldt Light Company.

Carol Ryder: Humboldt Light Opera Company-

Scott Hammond: Opera

Carol Ryder: … started in, started in '73.

Scott Hammond: '73.

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh. And it, uh, that was my first time ever on

Carol Ryder: stage.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: It was life-changing.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: You know? Obviously.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: You know? Um, never thought I would do something like that. Actually, what happened was somebody dared me and said I was too shy to go into a voice class.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Carol Ryder: And I was like, "Nobody tells me what to do."

Scott Hammond: That's right. You're not my mom or dad or boss.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Carol Ryder: Exactly. So, um, anyway, so it was, uh, uh… And then from there, Jim Stannard was an amazing tenor, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … it just happened. It was just the time, that time period in Humboldt County where there was so much happening vocally-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Carol Ryder: … especially in classical voice.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And so it was an amazing experience 'cause I got to sing a lot with Jim and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Carol Ryder: … do, and practice, you know, five, six, seven hours a day.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Coach.

Carol Ryder: 'Cause I loved it.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: So-

Scott Hammond: One might say, and I can't resist this, you found your voice.

Carol Ryder: Oh. Okay, Scott.

Scott Hammond: Okay. I had to get that one in there. It's kind of that… I think it's that dad DNA joke thing.

Carol Ryder: Mm-mm.

Scott Hammond: You know, the dad, the corny joke.

Carol Ryder: Mm.

Scott Hammond: Um, some of which are just never understood.

Carol Ryder: Mm-mm.

Scott Hammond: And I'll be the only one laughing at my joke again. I know. I hate those. So s- so we'll, we'll get to the, um, Light Opera Company in a minute, but I wanna talk about you. So, uh, who are you, and what do you want?

Carol Ryder: What kind of question is that?

Scott Hammond: Super, super general. It's my, it's my deeper thinking question. It s- it sources from Joni's father, who was a, uh, athlete and a pharmacist and, uh, a really amazing guy that died a few ba- years back. Um, but he, he figures if you know who you are and what you want, the rest is just getting answers to those.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So-

Carol Ryder: I've known who I, what I wanted to do for a long time.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: And I'm doing exactly what I wanted to do.

Scott Hammond: Cool.

Carol Ryder: I wanna, you know… By the time that I got through the Merrill program, I wentI am going to run the Light Opera Company someday

Scott Hammond: Nice

Carol Ryder: You know?

Scott Hammond: And who had it before?

Carol Ryder: Uh, it was Jim Stannard. Um-

Scott Hammond: Okay. It was his company

Carol Ryder: … and the founding artistic directors, um, he retired in, in '98, I think.

Scott Hammond: Who was that?

Carol Ryder: Uh, Jim-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Carol Ryder: … was a vocal voice teacher up at Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And, uh, amazing tenor.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha.

Carol Ryder: And he really, you know, the thing is, is that at that time, when you think of

Carol Ryder: '73,

Carol Ryder: that w- there wasn't much going on in the county.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: There wasn't how many, all these theaters. There really wasn't.

Scott Hammond: There wasn't a big art scene other than people-

Carol Ryder: Well, you know, that's, it's-

Scott Hammond: … rock and roll

Carol Ryder: … uh, but there was quite a bit happening-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … and starting to happen 'cause-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Carol Ryder: … so Blue Lake, you know, um-

Scott Hammond: Del Arte

Carol Ryder: … Del Arte-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … started close to there.

Scott Hammond: Old Town Bar-

Carol Ryder: Ferndale

Scott Hammond: … Bar & Grill in Old Town.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: There's singing.

Carol Ryder: Okay.

Scott Hammond: There's art there.

Carol Ryder: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Some rock and roll stuff.

Carol Ryder: Rock and roll.

Scott Hammond: Yes.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. And-

Scott Hammond: Robert Cray and everybody

Carol Ryder: … Well, I don't know anything. I seriously don't know anything about rock and roll.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: I grew up in Fortuna, so what are you gonna say? We had one radio station.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wait.

Carol Ryder: Oh, well-

Scott Hammond: That's a great point. Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. One radio station.

Scott Hammond: And the reason I know that you're 100% Humboldt- … for, is everybody in the world that sees it, it's Fortuna. Fortuna. Fort- Fortuna.

Carol Ryder: Fortuna.

Scott Hammond: I'm gonna point out on my prop over here.

Scott Hammond: You ready?

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Ready, Nick? So this is, uh, where we're at in Eureka right here.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Fortuna is down in here.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: This is the 101.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: This is the Bay.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: 299.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: This is the way up to the Britt Festival-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … in Oregon. So a little geography for those.

Carol Ryder: Thank you.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Little, little geometry for my friends.

Carol Ryder: Well, Fortuna.

Scott Hammond: Fortuna. All the Fortuna people. So you were ki- That's kind of a country cowboy-ish-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … culture.

Carol Ryder: Actually, my, my dad was very involved in, uh, he was on the ro- rodeo board for 50 years.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. And, uh, there were-

Scott Hammond: What was his name?

Carol Ryder: Tom McWhorter.

Scott Hammond: Oh, totally. So you're a McWhorter.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, I'm a McWhorter.

Scott Hammond: How are you related to Shane?

Carol Ryder: Uh, he's my consi- my cousin.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow. And Shannon.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I know both those guys.

Carol Ryder: They're the, they're the McWhorters on the hill. We're the other-

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Carol Ryder: We're Tom.

Scott Hammond: They're the other-

Carol Ryder: No, Tom, uh, and

Scott Hammond: So their dad is your dad's brother.

Carol Ryder: Uh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Got it.

Carol Ryder: Ben. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. So, so the McWhorters, his- actually, Dad's dad was part of the team that started the rodeo in Fortuna.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: So w-

Scott Hammond: That's a rich history

Carol Ryder: … we got to do that-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … for 50 years.

Scott Hammond: Knew Don Brown, State Farm.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wait. I have my State Farm button on. Weird. Who brought that?

Scott Hammond: Um, he was a legend. I, I often tell his story.

Carol Ryder: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: I was a new guy at, at 53.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Just wet behind the ears, you know, and new to the industry. My dad was an insurance-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … salesman legend in Oceanside, California.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And I thought, "Oh, I'm 17 and stoned," and, you know- … whatever, "and I'll never do that. That's stupid," you know? Go on Camp Pendleton and sell life insurance to Marines.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: That's- how dumb. What a chump.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And at 53, guess what? The DNA took over and, uh, like a good neighbor, here I am. And, uh, part of that training was with Don Brown. I showed up in my, my suit and my little satchel, and he goes, "Get in the, get in the… Go, go change your clothes. We're going kayaking." And he already had his two Cherrywood kayaks on-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … his rack, his Subaru. Went to, down to Hookten Slough-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … near Fortuna.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And had a Zen kayaking experience that transcended insurance, and he gave me some really good insight on how to do life, and-

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh

Scott Hammond: …

Scott Hammond: it was, uh-

Carol Ryder: It's one of those moments

Scott Hammond: … it was one of those moments.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I like that. Let's highlight that.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Well, so let's talk about-

Carol Ryder: Those are the words

Scott Hammond: … some of those moments.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I've never thought of that. I like… That's, that's gonna be one of my questions.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: It is what… Well, it is. You have these-

Scott Hammond: Transformational, yeah

Carol Ryder: … times where you go-

Scott Hammond: Aha

Carol Ryder: … ah, that's interesting. I'm not gonna… That's, that's a direction I, I'm not gonna take, or that's a direction I wanna take.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And you, you have them all through your life, I think.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I like that.

Carol Ryder: And it makes, it makes a lot of sense. It's like when I retired from Humboldt, um, it was like, uh, I was gonna go into, um, tutoring 'cause I just, I love to teach. I love to teach. But so I was going into tutoring, and I was walking by what became our space, and there was a for rent sign.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Carol Ryder: And the company had never, in 41 years, had a place.

Scott Hammond: Had a storefront. Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Never had any. Anything we were changing or w- our costumes were in somebody's attic or somebody's garage-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Carol Ryder: … or in some horrible, you know, rental unit- … where you're going like this, and you go, "If I don't come home, you know I'm lost in there."

Scott Hammond: I'm at the storage unit.

Carol Ryder: You know. And we'd had no place to rehearse, nothing.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Carol Ryder: And so I was walking by this, and it was like, "Oh, okay."

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Carol Ryder: And that changed, that was like, mm, changed a lot of lives just right there.

Scott Hammond: The aha moments, yeah.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I wonder if we called them out and thought about them, and we quantified them, and they made them a thing, we'd see more of them.

Carol Ryder: Could be.

Scott Hammond: The reticular activator of the brain starts to… When you start thinking about buying a white Mustang, like a She- … a Shelby, you start seeing everybody and their brother has one.

Carol Ryder: Ah.

Scott Hammond: It's weird. Hey, I want a Prius. Hey, look at all the Priuses.

Carol Ryder: Oh, the Priuses-

Scott Hammond: I like this

Carol Ryder: … during Christmas.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: There are so many of them.

Scott Hammond: Prius and Subarus, folks.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Used to be Volvos in Arcata.

Carol Ryder: Oh, yeah?

Scott Hammond: When I was in school, everybody had a Volvo. Oh, that's a co- Oh, look at that wagon. Ooh, wow, I bet that's a cool car.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Nah, may- maybe not.

Scott Hammond: Anyway.

Carol Ryder: I had a Mark IV.

Scott Hammond: Sweet. Mustang?

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, really?

Carol Ryder: No, no, no, no, no.

Scott Hammond: Mark IV.

Carol Ryder: It was a little Mark IV.

Scott Hammond: Mark-

Carol Ryder: A little one of those little, tiny little cars.

Scott Hammond: Oh, right.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: The little ones.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: How'd you like it?

Carol Ryder: It was loud.

Scott Hammond: And, and now it's a Prius that's way quieter.

Carol Ryder: Way quieter. A little too quiet sometimes.

Scott Hammond: I'm surprised. I rode in Patrick Cleary's Prius, and I was really impressed.

Scott Hammond: Quiet.

Carol Ryder: It's very quiet.

Scott Hammond: Perfor- And, and but it was spacious. I'm, I'm like, "Man, I'm on an airline here, first class."

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Pat. Do you know Patrick? You probably do. He's, um… Anyway, um, you know Julie Fulkerson, so there's some. Uh, getting back to what you, uh, what other aha moments in your life? Do you recall any?

Carol Ryder: Well, like I said, that, when I went to hear that aria, that aria was an aha moment.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And I think-

Scott Hammond: Is this the one in, in, in Germany or in

Scott Hammond: New York?

Carol Ryder: The one in, um, when I heard Jim sing.

Scott Hammond: Oh, here. Okay, got it.

Carol Ryder: When I was in poli sci.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: I would be dead if I was still there. I couldn't handle that stress.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah, right.

Carol Ryder: That was a big one, and I think, um,

Carol Ryder: when I… Oh, well, the one in San Francisco when-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … he goes, "You're gonna have to lose your ideals." And I was like, "Mm, no, I'm

Carol Ryder: not."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: You know, those are, those are huge ones, I think.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: You know? And then the, the fact that I found this space when I did-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … and that was a big change.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: You know?

Scott Hammond: I like that. I'm, I'm gonna think on those for a while-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … 'cause I, I know we all have them, and they're important-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … directive sort of moments.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, and I remember the, I remember distinctly the last time I went into the hospital as a nursing student.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Carol Ryder: You know, I remember those, I remember even what those people looked like.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: And I went, "Not doing this tomorrow morning."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: "Not going back."

Scott Hammond: This is it.

Carol Ryder: This is it. Love the sciences, but that's not the

Carol Ryder: science.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's not for me.

Carol Ryder: And I just totally appreciate nurses 'cause I can't even imagine.

Scott Hammond: Oh, my gosh. Shout out to all-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … medical people.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: They're amazing.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, not my favorite place to be anymore.

Carol Ryder: No. Yeah, I found out I was just too empathetic, you know, and it's just like-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … everything hurt.

Scott Hammond: And how they do it, I don't, I don't know. It's amazing how they endure and come back for more and-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … yeah. But those aha pivotal moments-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … where I'm going, "Oh-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I think I'll marry Joni. This is great."

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "This feels good."

Carol Ryder: Mm, mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: You know? "I think I'll have another child."

Carol Ryder: Aha.

Scott Hammond: A- aha. Not necessarily an instant decision.

Scott Hammond: Mind you. I guess if you're adopting, it could be.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, so.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, I had a, uh, I have one. So when I was training at State Farm, um, it's arduous at best. It's harder, way harder than a degree, and they're very, um, vetting and very, um, crazy about your background-

Carol Ryder: Hmm

Scott Hammond: … and all your training, and there's four licenses. And let's just say it's a real pain in the ass.

Carol Ryder: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: And it's, it's hard, and you, you, it's, it's not med school

Scott Hammond: or-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … the bar. But, um, I had a vision, uh, once, uh, early on that it's, it, uh, just a, a, a vision, a, a picture, a mind picture that it's a long hallway, and there's no going back. There's no windows to jump out of. There's only one door, and it's f- you know, it's 100 feet away. When you go through that door, you get there.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And so one day, my last interview in Sacramento, guess what hallway I wound up in? I, a literal hallway.

Carol Ryder: Oh, really?

Scott Hammond: Oh, my God, and I go-

Carol Ryder: There's just one door

Scott Hammond: … pivot, pivot.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Pivotal moment. I go, "Oh, sh- holy schnikes, this is, this is what I saw in my mind, in my brain." And I go through those doors, and I go, "Thank you, Lord. Okay, cool. I can do this."

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: "I can do tough things, and this is gonna be one more final interview," and it went smooth, and I was just myself and, and, um, but it was, it was pivotal to go, "Okay, this feels right."

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Something is confirmational and transformational in this

Scott Hammond: moment-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … to go, "Okay." And of course, it's really terribly, wonderfully, beautifully hard since then and as, as all good things can be.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … uh, hey, I'm done talking about me. You talk about me for a while.

Scott Hammond: Sorry.

Carol Ryder: I'll talk about you now.

Scott Hammond: Sorry.

Carol Ryder: So.

Scott Hammond: No. We don't even know each– We're best friends, but we don't know each other well. So let's talk about Humboldt for a minute.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: What do you like about living in Humboldt County?

Carol Ryder: I like, I like the, of course, the environment is beautiful, the s- the sweetness of the people.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Carol Ryder: You know-

Scott Hammond: I like that

Carol Ryder: … the innocence. Like, I just say the innocence.

Scott Hammond: I like innocence.

Carol Ryder: You know? And, you know, even though today's innocence is much different than it was in the '50s, it's still, there's a sense of innocence. And the people that I work with, I te- l- have taught a lot of young

Carol Ryder: people.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Carol Ryder: And, you know, they, they have that innocence when they leave

Carol Ryder: here.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And you can choose to lose it.

Scott Hammond: Yes. Give it away.

Carol Ryder: And that's the thing. You have to get a choice.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And that's what I like about Humboldt. It gives you that choice.

Scott Hammond: I like that. You can retain it.

Carol Ryder: And I like the commu- I like the sense of community.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: You know? Um, I think, uh, uh, particularly in Arcata, there's just this beautiful community.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And I know other places too, but-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Carol Ryder: … there's, just everything is just, uh, there's a sense of looking after

Carol Ryder: each other.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: And you don't, you know… New York is a surprisingly nice-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … people are surprisingly nice in New York, but it's a different-

Scott Hammond: East Coast nice.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm. It's a different thing, and that's what I like.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I love all those East Coast guys that are pretty f- brash and forward.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: There's a little, little edge to them.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, and we're all mellow.

Carol Ryder: You know?

Scott Hammond: "Hey, give me a mocha."

Carol Ryder: Yeah, I know. Oh, my gosh, when we were in New York, they said, "Whatever you do, don't say you're from California."

Scott Hammond: Really?

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Don't say that stuff.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You'll get in trouble.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, it's just-

Scott Hammond: We don't-

Carol Ryder: And I go, "Why?" You know?

Scott Hammond: We don't like your kind around here.

Carol Ryder: They go, "They think all you do is do lunch."

Scott Hammond: Right. Do lunch.

Carol Ryder: You know? And then, then it'll be on the phone, and, um, this one

Carol Ryder: person said-

Scott Hammond: Do lunch

Carol Ryder: "You're not from New York, are you?" I go, "No." And they go, "You're just too nice to be from New York."

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Carol Ryder: But I think N- New York people are nice. They just don't have time to-

Scott Hammond: Yeah, it's weird

Carol Ryder: … take a mellow-

Scott Hammond: Lunch

Carol Ryder: Lunch.

Scott Hammond: Let's do a two-hour lunch, bro. Yeah, they, um… I have a friend, Phil, that lives right up the street.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: He's from, uh, the East Coast, and I tease him all the time. And he, you know, you know, and he, he goes, "Yeah, no, there's that element of that hurry, that kind of edgy cur- " We find it curt and kind of rude in California-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … but it's who they are. Get it done.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I'm not, I'm not… I just want a coffee, man. I'm here to get in and get out.

Scott Hammond: Goodbye.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Uh, I guess that's not mean. That's just you're in a hurry, you know? And-

Carol Ryder: Yeah, it's just different, different paces of life, you know?

Scott Hammond: And when I try to pull that move as a Californian, as from San Diego, that doesn't go well for me. I just always-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … goof up the hurry guy. And, and it always play… The hurry guy always plays as a mean or rude guy, and I, I don't wanna ever be that guy.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So it's like, "Oh, well, why are you such a jerk?" "I, I'm in a hurry." Um, just did one of those recently, so I… It's fresh in my mind.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Right before this podcast, by the way.

Carol Ryder: Oh, oh. Okay.

Scott Hammond: I'm kind of in a hurry, and I don't want… And, and it came out of my mouth, "I don't wanna be here." And the lady looked at me, and she goes … She… I never say stuff like that. She goes, "I don't wanna be here either,

Scott Hammond: mister." And I go, "Well."

Carol Ryder: "Huh?"

Scott Hammond: And I, of course, I got to backtrack it-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … and return to innocence and joy and forgiveness.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And we were good, and love you, mean it, bye. And, uh, we got all… We got squared away. So anyway.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Hey, uh, more about you. What's going on?

Carol Ryder: But you wanna… Uh, uh, back on Humboldt-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … what I love is to be able to look out my window and see all the trees.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: And see it green. We… In, in New York, we had one, one… Well, we had two windows, but on- and one of them had a branch in

Carol Ryder: it.

Scott Hammond: Oh, whoa.

Carol Ryder: Wow.

Scott Hammond: Greenery.

Carol Ryder: That was pretty cool.

Scott Hammond: But here you could go to almost any window in the county-

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: … and look out and go, "Oh, my gosh."

Carol Ryder: It's so beautiful. All the green, all the colors.

Scott Hammond: Oh, my gosh. Humboldt County, the courthouse upstairs, they got killer views.

Carol Ryder: Really?

Scott Hammond: 360 f- I mean, some of the, like, the fifth floor up, the records.

Carol Ryder: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: Killer views. I mean, like, whoa, this is Manhattan for Humboldt. So what do you not like about Humboldt? Anything you don't care for?

Carol Ryder: Hmm. Well, um, perhaps what I don't appreciate as much is everybody knowing your business.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Carol Ryder: You know?

Scott Hammond: Kinda comes with it, though, right?

Carol Ryder: It does.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: It does. And I, I don't mean that to be a negative. It's just that all of a sudden you go, "What? Uh, how do you know that?"

Scott Hammond: Yeah, how would you know anything about-

Carol Ryder: How did you know that?

Scott Hammond: You, you don't even know me, man.

Carol Ryder: I didn't fall up here in the first place.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. So-

Carol Ryder: No

Scott Hammond: … you're not entitled.

Carol Ryder: No, that's, that's probably the main thing. I don't… And you know what? I would love there to be, it, it to be closer to a major airport or-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … you know, be closer to the city or something.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: But, uh, doesn't-

Scott Hammond: We are. We're a quarter mile due east of the w- airport. Right over here. I'm pointing at it right now.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, we're literally-

Carol Ryder: Shh

Scott Hammond: … I hear the jet fire up. It's really interesting 'cause you get the rhythms of

Scott Hammond: life, right?

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So I could be sleeping in my bed, and we k- big window open, and I hear the… It's, a jet starts like a car. They start it with a key, I think.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And it fires up, and I hear the, the early sounds of it.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: And then the all f- and then the engines all fire up.

Carol Ryder: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: So there's a six, like, a 610 plane or 608, and they fire that bad boy up right around 6:00, and they're, and they're off and running.

Carol Ryder: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: So I can kinda set my watch to it almost.

Carol Ryder: Huh, that's interesting.

Scott Hammond: Provided it made it in the night before-

Scott Hammond: … for you fog fans.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Who've been turned around at 10:10 at night and just had some cuss words come outta your mouth that you didn't know you had.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Doggone it.

Carol Ryder: Doggone it.

Scott Hammond: I hate this stuff when it happens. So, hey, time for the quiz. Are you ready?

Carol Ryder: Uh…

Scott Hammond: Oh, we do have some, uh… Mm-hmm. We'll see. Okay, you ready?

Carol Ryder: Uh…

Scott Hammond: You haven't seen the show, so you don't, you don't-

Carol Ryder: Yeah, yeah. I don't know

Scott Hammond: … you can't see any-

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: But who knows what he's gonna ask?

Scott Hammond: I could-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I could make up some new questions here. Uh, what's your best day? What, what's the best day of your life? When, when are your best days?

Carol Ryder: When I married Bill.

Scott Hammond: Oh, hey. Shout out to Bill. Hi, Bill.

Carol Ryder: Hi, Bill.

Scott Hammond: Is Bill still… What does he do now?

Carol Ryder: He's a piano technician.

Scott Hammond: Very nice.

Carol Ryder: He's a singer. He's an amazing man.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Sounds like it.

Carol Ryder: Been married since '81.

Scott Hammond: Oof. Me too.

Carol Ryder: That's pretty good.

Scott Hammond: What's your, what's your anniversary date?

Carol Ryder: Uh, May 16th.

Scott Hammond: Got us by a month.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: June 27th, '81.

Carol Ryder: Ah.

Scott Hammond: Close to Santa… Actually, honeymoon in Santa Barbara. We got married down at Port Sequel Wedding Chapel.

Carol Ryder: Oh, really?

Scott Hammond: San Pedro Harbor, weddings on the hour. My mom was a half hour late, so they had to kinda speed up the service and-

Scott Hammond: … had a great… You know, we had this great potluck-

Scott Hammond: … reception. It was a potluck in a park, bro. We were happy as clams. Got up to Santa Barbara, just newlyweds, just having a

Scott Hammond: great time.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I remember it dearly. Okay.

Carol Ryder: But we went, we went from, uh, we didn't get a honeymoon 'cause we went to M- Jackson, Mississippi.

Scott Hammond: Sweet.

Carol Ryder: To… Well, no. Depends upon your definition, I guess.

Scott Hammond: Johnny Cash.

Carol Ryder: Uh, Bill was in a program there, and so we went there, and they thought we were brother and sister. I was like-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Carol Ryder: … "Thanks." Okay.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: And over there they said, "Oh, Bill, you're a tenor." I went, "I want a

Carol Ryder: divorce."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: "I'm not gonna be married to a tenor."

Scott Hammond: A tenor.

Scott Hammond: A tenor?

Carol Ryder: A tenor.

Scott Hammond: Oh, no.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Jackson's. I-

Carol Ryder: No, it was fun

Scott Hammond: … that's the, uh, Johnny Cash song, right? Uh, neck, I can't, I can't… Used to be able to see necks sometimes.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Anyway, he's still there.I'm confident that the film's rolling.

Carol Ryder: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Um, also, hey, if you're just joining us, it's, uh, my special new best friend, Carol Ryder- … here on the 100% Humboldt podcast with Scott Hammond, and we're in the f- uh, studios, world's headquarters of, uh, Growing Pains, uh, podcasts, uh, a- by yours truly, Nick, Nick Flores, who's amazing.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: This is number 115. He's got, like, 230, 28… I don't know, a million. His are a little longer than mine. Mine go about 59 minutes. His-

Carol Ryder: Ah.

Scott Hammond: Anyway, question number two.

Carol Ryder: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Are you ready?

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Worst day.

Carol Ryder: Worst day?

Scott Hammond: What's a bad day? What was a no-good, very bad day for you?

Carol Ryder: Oh, boy. I have no idea.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Carol Ryder: I have no idea.

Scott Hammond: No recall on the bad day?

Carol Ryder: No.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Carol Ryder: No.

Scott Hammond: You'll think of one on the way home probably, but it, yeah-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … no, great.

Carol Ryder: No, I mean, you know, worst day. Uh, dude, moments, you know-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … that weren't fun, but worst day, can't think of one.

Scott Hammond: Good, I love it.

Carol Ryder: You know, I'm kind of a Pollyanna, self-professed.

Scott Hammond: It's okay.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: My, uh, my Texas business coach calls me kind of a rainbow

Scott Hammond: unicorn-

Scott Hammond: … California dude.

Carol Ryder: Somehow, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Come on. Lighten up, Pete. Dude. Come on, bro. Smoke another-

Carol Ryder: Oceanside

Scott Hammond: … bong load, man. Do something. No, I love Pete. Pete's a, a beautiful, brilliant guy that-

Carol Ryder: So you-

Scott Hammond: We all need a Pete to kick us in the teeth.

Carol Ryder: Yes. Yes.

Scott Hammond: And keep us optimists.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Do you, do you, do you grow up in Oceanside?

Scott Hammond: I grew up in National City, which is a suburb-

Carol Ryder: Oh

Scott Hammond: … of San Diego.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Kind of the underbelly.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Lower middle class, um, shipbuilding and everything

Scott Hammond: Navy.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Um-

Carol Ryder: Were your, were your parents part of the Na- uh, military?

Scott Hammond: No. My mom raised me on her own.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Only child.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Single parent.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Um, I roamed the streets as a hippie feral child, smoking weed at a very tender age, and, um, uh, she worked and we played at the apartment all day and had a great time. I actually worked a couple summers before I came to Humboldt. Other than that, we're at the beach, bro.

Carol Ryder: Bro.

Scott Hammond: As, as, as you New York friends would say, "Long lunch, huh?" Well, you're… They're doing lunch again. Yes, we are.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: We live for lunch.

Carol Ryder: Live for lunch.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, by the… And counterintuitively, got to Humboldt and got sober, met Joanie, met Jesus, met sobriety, got the liberal arts degree at Humboldt with not one, but about five

Scott Hammond: minors.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And, you know, followed the path and, you know, yeah, let's go to Humboldt and get sober 'cause they have the best weed in the world. That makes perfect sense. So counterintuitive, you know, pivoting, pivotal moments.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, number three. What's, uh, what's life-giving and what's soul-crushing for you?

Carol Ryder: So-

Scott Hammond: In life that gives you…

Carol Ryder: What gave me-

Scott Hammond: What gives you life e- every day or what boosts your, floats your boat?

Carol Ryder: What floats my boat? I mean, uh, besides I really love my husband and daughter and son-in-law, I, it's, it's the company-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Carol Ryder: … and the community that's there-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … and teaching.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Carol Ryder: I love to teach.

Scott Hammond: Nice. I like that.

Carol Ryder: And I love all that, all the part of teaching. I love watching people change.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And I'm, right now I teach, um, uh, privates, but I also teach some classes through our Live Life program through the company-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … and they're all seniors. And these people, lots of them come in at 70, 75, 80, "I don't sing."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: "Why don't you sing?" "Well, my sixth grade teacher told me I couldn't."

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Carol Ryder: "My mom said I couldn't sing."

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Carol Ryder: It's like, "You can sing." And that's, that's, that floats my

Carol Ryder: boat-

Scott Hammond: I love that

Carol Ryder: … a lot.

Scott Hammond: Could we sing a quick song? I would too. You know who we had? Brett McFarlane played, uh… That's how we do it in Humboldt here. He's the outlaw country guy.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: He led the s- the show with playing his guitar.

Carol Ryder: Oh, wow.

Scott Hammond: My daughter, Kalea, loves that opening. She, they watch, they re-watch it all the time.

Carol Ryder: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: Um, I love that, life-giving, so you can bring somebody to life-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … in a passion.

Carol Ryder: And it's so exciting.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, it is.

Carol Ryder: It's exciting to-

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Ah

Carol Ryder: … watch them all of a sudden, "Oh. Oh. It's just, it's just a muscle I have to work."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: "It's just a muscle I have to learn to listen-"

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh

Carol Ryder: … "and stop listening to my, 'I can't,' 'You can't.'"

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: And it's sad sometimes to just go-

Scott Hammond: That voice

Carol Ryder: … "You can."

Scott Hammond: We should kill that voice.

Carol Ryder: Just, it's okay to do it.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. And especially when you think about, you know, people in their 70s, and I go, "Oh, what a sad thing to be telling yourself you can't do something."

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: Why not?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: If you don't try it now, when are you gonna try it?

Scott Hammond: Let's get curious and find out.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: So that, I t- I think that that really floats my boat.

Scott Hammond: That's our motto at 66.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: 65. Let's get curi- Let's go… Let's s- What are they thinking about? Let's find out who are they, and let's talk to them.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: 'Cause you could do that everywhere with-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … relationships or singing or golf or-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … heaven forbid, pickleball.

Carol Ryder: Pickleball.

Scott Hammond: Go-

Carol Ryder: Do you do pickleball?

Scott Hammond: I do.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: I haven't done it for a minute, but it's fun.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Kinda dig it.

Carol Ryder: Mm.

Scott Hammond: You know what I'm good at? I collect vinyl now.

Carol Ryder: Ah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: That one you just gave Nick.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, well, that was part of my big collection that Nick got my very valuable JFK vinyl, but, uh, you know-

Carol Ryder: That's amazing

Scott Hammond: … Pink, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … stuff. I don't like what I used to like. The, the really, like, hardcore stuff and makes Joanie mad when I turn it up, so-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I'm gonna go with Judy, Judy Collins.

Carol Ryder: Okay. And I can, I can relate to your wife who goes like-

Scott Hammond: Now, there's a woman-

Carol Ryder: … "What is that?"

Scott Hammond: Can I tell you a quick Judy Collins? Yeah. Joanie's going, "Turn it down." "You're in the dog-"

Carol Ryder: It's making me dance.

Scott Hammond: You're in the doghouse. So we saw Judy Collins-

Carol Ryder: Mm

Scott Hammond: … at the Brit Festival about five years ago-

Carol Ryder: Wow

Scott Hammond: … with Steve Stills, who wrote "Suite Judy Blue Eyes"-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … for her. And then we saw her solo, and, uh, she was 80 already.And she did her own, um, her own set. It was, it still does, uh, she tours. And she hit a note, and she's, again, 80, 81 maybe, and it's a 3,000-person, uh, it's outdoor venue. I don't know if you've been.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: It's quite the place. It's, it's a small Hollywood Bowl-

Carol Ryder: Hmm

Scott Hammond: … surrounded in oak trees. It's, it's stunning. Peter Britt donated this to-

Carol Ryder: I-

Scott Hammond: … the city of-

Carol Ryder: We went to a concert there once.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, you've been there, so.

Carol Ryder: It's really amazing. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: But it was a showstopper. She hit a note, and I, she was singing Clouds or-

Carol Ryder: Ugh. Yeah

Scott Hammond: … which, you know, I don't know what song it was, and e- everybody froze. Everybody that was drinking wine, t- talking, and, you know, just carrying on, and silence hit the bowl, and it was beautiful.

Carol Ryder: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: And we're going, "That was a pivotal moment. Boom."

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Oh, I mem-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I'm gonna remember that. I'll remember that forever.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, um, yeah, lovely. She's, she's-

Carol Ryder: And you can remember all the sensual things about, you know, the clouds, and how would it felt like, and-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Carol Ryder: … and it, it brings back everything.

Scott Hammond: Isn't that weird? Yeah. As time s-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … time slows down and holds still.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Well, cool. Uh, one more question. You get the day off.

Carol Ryder: Do I get the day off?

Scott Hammond: You do. Well, you, you, I'm giving you the day off with any number of things you could do from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Has to be in that county over there, and, uh, money's not an object. What would you do with that nine hours? What does that look like for you?

Carol Ryder: To take a day off?

Scott Hammond: Yeah. What would you do in Humboldt?

Carol Ryder: Hmm. Wow, that's interesting. I'd probably go someplace where trees were really green. Not necessarily redwood

Carol Ryder: trees-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … but leafy trees.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Where that was n- nice and windy, a little windy.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: You know?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: Not too steep.

Scott Hammond: I think of Redwood Valley maybe or I don't know.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: There's places like that.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Yeah, I really… My, my dad grew up in Yager Valley. Do you know where that is?

Scott Hammond: Is that S- SoHum?

Carol Ryder: Yeah, it's, uh… No, it's out by Bridgeville. It's a little north.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: You go in the back way back to, um,

Carol Ryder: Neyland, um-

Scott Hammond: Yes

Carol Ryder: … go on that road.

Scott Hammond: Out there.

Carol Ryder: It's really pretty.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: It's really pretty, all the oak trees and the leafy trees.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's pretty country.

Carol Ryder: That's what I would do.

Scott Hammond: Remote.

Carol Ryder: But if I were to go, if I had a day off and I could go anywhere-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … I would go to Verona, Italy.

Scott Hammond: Oh, okay. That's not in Humboldt. We have a little Verona somewhere.

Carol Ryder: Well, we can pretend.

Scott Hammond: Verona would be cool. What's in Verona?

Carol Ryder: I just loved Verona.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Carol Ryder: My, uh, Bill studies Italian.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And so, um, we've been over a lot for him to go to school.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: Which is great 'cause then I get to do… I taught my how to, myself how to draw and to paint.

Scott Hammond: Hmm. Oh, cool.

Carol Ryder: So each time I went over, I just focused on something different 'cause I don't have that time here.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: And, um, uh… But anyway, I just, Verona is just a tiny little place.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Carol Ryder: And it's a, a pedestrian, very pedestrian. You know, there's no cars basically-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … except for a little bit further out.

Carol Ryder: But you just encounter so many different time periods, from Renaissance to medieval to-

Scott Hammond: Love it

Carol Ryder: … on and on. So I j- it's just a beautiful place.

Carol Ryder: I love it.

Scott Hammond: I love it. S- We get to go to Florence, Italy in June.

Carol Ryder: Good. When?

Scott Hammond: I know.

Carol Ryder: June?

Scott Hammond: June, we go to Barcelona, and then across to Florence.

Carol Ryder: Oh, Barcelona.

Scott Hammond: Barcelona.

Carol Ryder: Barcelona is a beautiful city too.

Scott Hammond: And Valencia.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Oh, that, that's a beautiful place too.

Scott Hammond: And I, I don't think we're going there, but I wanted to say it.

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh.

Scott Hammond: Valencia.

Carol Ryder: Barcelona.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: When, when I was in Germany studying, there was two guys in my class, they were from

Carol Ryder: Barcelona.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Carol Ryder: And, and they were so funny because the way they pronounced their German was kind

Carol Ryder: different.

Scott Hammond: Oh, really? They had their accents?

Carol Ryder: The, yes.

Scott Hammond: Oh, they had a little lilt in there.

Carol Ryder: "If, if, if, if."

Scott Hammond: If.

Carol Ryder: "If have a honor." It was really funny. It was great, but I always remember that. Barcelona. Lopez Cubetto.

Scott Hammond: See. Those things we remember, right? This, it's, it is funny. It's like-

Carol Ryder: Sure.

Scott Hammond: … those things that, that stand out. It's so funny.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I don't know if I'm weird, but I just have those, those one-off things. We'll laugh, Joanie and I will be talking, "Remember that one thing?" "Oh, yeah. Oh, why was that so weird?" "Remember we went through?" "Oh, yeah, that guy. What was that about?"

Scott Hammond: Um-

Carol Ryder: But what are you gonna do in Florence? Are you staying there for a little bit?

Scott Hammond: Yeah, a day. It's kind of a-

Carol Ryder: Just a day?

Scott Hammond: It's a cruise.

Carol Ryder: Oh, it's a cruise.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. And then Marseille, and, um, what's the island? Ma-ma… It starts with M.

Scott Hammond: Mallorca.

Carol Ryder: Mallorca. Oh.

Scott Hammond: Somebody said that.

Carol Ryder: No, that's a really beautiful place.

Scott Hammond: Super, super cool.

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh. Um, yeah, I had a student whose parents redid houses there.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: It just really looked cool.

Scott Hammond: Rad.

Carol Ryder: I haven't been there.

Scott Hammond: Spain looks good, though. I like tapas. I know that much.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: The food's killer.

Carol Ryder: Now, do you have to stay with your cruise buddies?

Scott Hammond: A little bit. While you're on the boat, you do.

Carol Ryder: Well, yeah. Yeah, but- Oh, my gosh, I just read about this couple that found it cheaper to go on cruises all the time than have a place.

Scott Hammond: Wow, that's rough.

Carol Ryder: For retirement. Is that-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … crazy?

Scott Hammond: They live somewhere expensive, and they found cheap cruises?

Scott Hammond: Something.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And so they can just cruise all year?

Carol Ryder: Yeah, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Okay.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Well, I hope, hope you have fun. It's, uh… Hopefully, you can get away from your tour group.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I think that's usually the-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … the MO 'cause the tours sometimes kinda rip off.

Carol Ryder: Well, it's just you're herded around.

Scott Hammond: We're pretty-

Carol Ryder: And it's, it can be a beautiful city.

Scott Hammond: We're pretty rebellious, curious, and independent.

Carol Ryder: Oh. Oh, independent.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. We wanna go make an adventure and-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … meet people, and that's the fun, the organic thing when you're sitting with somebody, you're going, "Wow, who are you? What's the, what is even going… This is cool."

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh.

Scott Hammond: You're, "This is… Wow, this is why we came, for somebody to tell that story or to whatever."

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So to-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … that discovery and-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … sometimes it happens in interesting places.

Carol Ryder: It does. Yeah. It'll be great. I hope you can get away from the tours.

Scott Hammond: Thanks. Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, 'cause it's, uh, you know, just to sit and-To sit in a coffee shop in Italy is so fun

Scott Hammond: I bet it'd be rad

Carol Ryder: Because it's so… You're, you know, you're sitting doing an American thing-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … you know?

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: Taking forever.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: Right, especially California. And you're taking-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … forever, and these guys come in-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Carol Ryder: …

Carol Ryder: they go,

Scott Hammond: They're gone. Ciao.

Carol Ryder: Ciao. Uh, they're out of there. And then it's just like, "Wow." But I guess that's why espresso was made.

Scott Hammond: Yep. The demitasse is gone.

Carol Ryder: Gone. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That was true in Amsterdam. They only had the little coffees.

Carol Ryder: Yeah, they just have tiny little things.

Scott Hammond: I'd just like a 12 ounce cup of- Sorry, there's no small anywhere. There's, there's a really small and then there's demitasse.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Yeah, they're tiny.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, you gotta whittle it down.

Carol Ryder: It's just a couple shots and they're out of there, you know?

Scott Hammond: So before I ask you all the concluding questions-

Carol Ryder: Mm

Scott Hammond: … around legacy and what you wanna be remembered for, I'll ask you this. Tell- You wanna shout out a little bit about the, the company and, and tell us how to find you all and what-

Carol Ryder: Sure

Scott Hammond: … if I had a mind to come and get singing lessons or-

Carol Ryder: Oh, yes

Scott Hammond: … hang out with-

Carol Ryder: Happy. Happy to

Scott Hammond: … What are your services? Where could we- you be found?

Carol Ryder: Well, we're a multi-service company.

Carol Ryder: No, no.

Scott Hammond: I like that.

Carol Ryder: Because of our space, we're able to have a lot of classes.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: So we have a huge KidCo program, which is… was started in '98, and so it's a really big program.

Scott Hammond: Tell me more.

Carol Ryder: Uh, well, it's as- We, we have classes in, um, uh, singing and movement and acting.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: We're very focused on education and process rather than product.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And so we, uh, only do a show every two years-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Carol Ryder: … but we have a, a big review coming up. We've got about 125 kids.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: And they're from age three to 18.

Carol Ryder: And so-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Carol Ryder: … they're all different levels of classes.

Scott Hammond: What's the show that you're gonna do? What's the project? The one coming up.

Carol Ryder: Uh, the… That's the… just a review where all the classes do

Carol Ryder: something.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Carol Ryder: Then the-

Scott Hammond: At the facility?

Carol Ryder: Then the, uh, show will be in February of next year-

Scott Hammond: Ah

Carol Ryder: … and we're not sure exactly what one that will be.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: But it's a, it's a good training place for kids. You know, Fiona came, my daughter came up through that, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … there's a couple other of the teachers in the program-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … that came through that. A lot of people that work for us on stage, the bit for the adult company, came through KidCo.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool.

Carol Ryder: And so it's fun. And then in the sum- And then we have classes

Carol Ryder: for, uh, the, um, long life learner-

Scott Hammond: Ah

Carol Ryder: … people. The boomers.

Scott Hammond: Is that advanced maturity people?

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Um, and those, those are really awesome. Like I say, I was-

Scott Hammond: People like us, like us in their 50s.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. Yeah. No, it's the people that are pretty retired 'cause they're during the day.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And so there's all kinds of classes. I've got the two voice classes that… And there's movement classes and Tai Chi and breath classes, you

Carol Ryder: know.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: Yoga classes. There's, um, there's… has been writing classes, some psychology classes kind of, you know, trying to help people with stress.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: Uh, and, I don't know, there's just all kinds of… It's really a cool program.

Scott Hammond: That's pretty diverse.

Carol Ryder: I really like it.

Scott Hammond: You have a lot of diverse stuff.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. And then there's the Boomer Troupe, and that's, um, people that are of Boomer age.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And so they're… The last show was, I think the youngest was 70 and the oldest was 84.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Carol Ryder: And, um-

Scott Hammond: The kid, the kid was 70. Good job, junior.

Carol Ryder: And and that's a, that's a, a troupe where, uh, it's living history.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: So we choose a topic, we give them prompts, and then we create a script.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Carol Ryder: And so it's good for them because they're telling their own stories-

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh

Carol Ryder: … but, and they have to memorize.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Carol Ryder: And there's been music. And then we have the guys' chorus that's just men, so if you like to sing.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: It's Wednesday nights. And then we have the women's chorus.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: And then we have our production company, so.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. My father Bob was in the Seattle SeaChords, been quite a singer.

Carol Ryder: That's awesome.

Scott Hammond: Barbershop guy.

Carol Ryder: Barbershop guy, cool.

Scott Hammond: Loves to sing.

Carol Ryder: Do you sing?

Scott Hammond: I sing like a bird.

Carol Ryder: I bet you do.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. The joke is c- could you sing "Over the Hill and Far Away"- …

Scott Hammond: please? You ever heard that one?

Carol Ryder: No.

Scott Hammond: Another dad joke, and it's all yours.

Carol Ryder: Okay.

Scott Hammond: The other is, um, "Hey Carol, what'd you do with that money?" And you would say…

Carol Ryder: I don't know

Scott Hammond: … "What money?"

Carol Ryder: What money?

Scott Hammond: The money I gave you for singing lessons.

Carol Ryder: Ah.

Scott Hammond: These are all digs, digs at poor singing skills-

Carol Ryder: Poor s-

Scott Hammond: … that could be better.

Carol Ryder: And they all can be better.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Trust me.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: Trust me.

Scott Hammond: I wanna sing. I wanna s- I wanna sing something real quick.

Carol Ryder: Okay, go ahead.

Scott Hammond: I wanna… I usually sing "Feelings" or, um- I was singing it today, that's funny, 'cause I gave a friend a Barry Manilow album-

Carol Ryder: Okay

Scott Hammond: … in my vinyl collection. Nick gets JFK or Johnny

Scott Hammond: Cash.

Carol Ryder: Somebody else gets Barry Manilow.

Scott Hammond: My friend Jamie got Barry Manilow 'cause she loves Barry.

Carol Ryder: I'm so sorry I'm not one of your best friends you gave a Barry Manilow album.

Scott Hammond: Sorry. We're working on it. No, she loves Barry, and so I find Barry stuff, and I get her Barry.

Carol Ryder: Mm.

Scott Hammond: Good, good quality Barry. Not, not schloppy vinyl. Like, the primo.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: So nothing s-

Carol Ryder: That's excellent.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. So, um, where was I going? Oh. The other song I like to sing is, um, "Trailers for Room Roulette," uh, "King of the Road" by Roger Miller.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Very classic.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So I'll probably spare you that, so anyway.

Carol Ryder: Okay.

Scott Hammond: So how do you wanna be remembered,

Scott Hammond: Carol?

Carol Ryder: Mm.

Scott Hammond: What are they gonna say at your, uh, your gathering?

Carol Ryder: Uh, what kind of question is that?

Scott Hammond: What… A real question.

Carol Ryder: There's no gathering. I'm not having a gathering.

Scott Hammond: There's no gathering?

Carol Ryder: Uh, I wanna be remembered as someone who cared about people.

Scott Hammond: That's beautiful.

Carol Ryder: Uh-huh.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: But it's true.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: I'm a Pollyanna.

Scott Hammond: That's good. We need more of you.

Carol Ryder: I do care.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Carol Ryder: You know?

Scott Hammond: So in sales, which I have a profound background in-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care

Carol Ryder: What?

Scott Hammond: They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. So it's, it's, it's Pollyanna-ic and beautiful because it's not just sales, it's relationship.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And you, you're not gonna buy from somebody who doesn't care about you. Why buy that Prius from some jerk?

Carol Ryder: That's very true.

Scott Hammond: But he might care about you and actually find out what you need and be part of your Prius family.

Carol Ryder: That's very true.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. And I've met lots of people-

Carol Ryder: Hadn't thought about that

Scott Hammond: … yeah, my hot tub guy.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Hey, Matt. What's up, Matt Walker?

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, whoever. I know that Matt cares about me and my fam- So whatever that provider might be, do they care? And I don't care what you know. I, I'd like you to be competent, but I'd like you to like me-

Scott Hammond: … first.

Carol Ryder: Oh.

Scott Hammond: You can be incompetent, but if you love me…

Carol Ryder: I am fine.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. But if you like me, I'll buy anything. Um, so maybe not.

Carol Ryder: Well, yeah, but that, that, that goes over to teaching, too, 'cause they're not gonna do anything unless they know you care.

Scott Hammond: Like, know you, like you, trust you.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: That they can trust.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I like that 'cause you're in, you're in their hands, and they're in your hands

Scott Hammond: rather and-

Carol Ryder: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … well, maybe both.

Carol Ryder: And you have to, you have to be able to trust who you're working with-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Carol Ryder: … you know, to, in order to do your best work.

Scott Hammond: Right. Is your motivation me and am I important? And I, I think, um, I like that a lot. I think that's a good thing to live by.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. You know, like when you refer to, to singing, it's such a

Carol Ryder: vulnerable

Carol Ryder: art form.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: Because it's just you.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Carol Ryder: You're not pressing anything down. It's just you.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Carol Ryder: And when you don't-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Carol Ryder: … you don't feel good about it 'cause you don't, you know, the, you have to trust who you're working with.

Scott Hammond: And it's also practicing. You can't sing King of the Road by, out of scratch. You gotta practice. You can't run a marathon tomorrow.

Carol Ryder: Nope. That's-

Scott Hammond: I'd be on the side of the road crying somewhere.

Carol Ryder: Yeah. It's, it's-

Scott Hammond: But if I train, I could probably do something.

Carol Ryder: That's right. Exactly.

Scott Hammond: You know? C- couch to 10K is classic.

Carol Ryder: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Carol Ryder: As I keep saying to t- people, it's about, it's about health.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Carol Ryder: It's about breathing. It's about, um, stance.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Carol Ryder: It's about athleticism. It's about hearing. It's about really concentrating.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Posture.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And I like the fact that you're right, singing is, is pretty raw. It's pretty you. It's pretty out there.

Carol Ryder: It's out there.

Scott Hammond: You're putting yourself out there.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: What a delight. Thanks for being here.

Carol Ryder: Well, thank you very much for having me, Scott.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Thanks. Thanks for-

Carol Ryder: Nice to meet you, best friend.

Scott Hammond: And you, yeah. My new best friend. So, uh, yeah, I, I, I wanna learn more. So real quick, how do we get ahold of you? Is there a website, um-

Carol Ryder: Yeah, HLOC.org.

Scott Hammond: Say it again.

Carol Ryder: Sorry. H-L-O-C.org.

Scott Hammond: HLOC.org

Carol Ryder: .org.

Scott Hammond: .org.

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And you can find, we can find you in Sunnybrae, Arcata-

Carol Ryder: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … which is in California.

Carol Ryder: Very easy, right? By c- by Coffee Break.

Scott Hammond: Plenty of free parking.

Carol Ryder: Uh, lots of wonderful parking 'cause it's flat.

Scott Hammond: Coffee Break, formerly owned by Carlos Caceres.

Carol Ryder: Yes.

Scott Hammond: Hey, Carl. What's up? Well, thanks for joining us. Hey, if you, uh, enjoyed the show, we'd like you to make comments, like us, love us. Uh, you could send money. It's, it's actually welcome. Uh, reviews are, positive reviews are appreciated, right?

Carol Ryder: Yeah, positive.

Scott Hammond: Pollyanna-ic reviews, we like. Those are the best. And thanks for joining us. We'll see you next time. Scott Hammond with 100% Humboldt signing off.

Carol Ryder: Bye. Thank you.

Scott Hammond: Thank you.