Kiwanis Concerts in the Park

DITR has a show tomorrow night at 7:30pm in Charleston, IL!!! It is part of the Kiwanis Park Concert Series.  As the season for outdoor events is winding down, grab the family, and a lawn chair, for a last yehaw!  We look forward to seeing you all out there!!

DITR

Howdy!

Well we just returned from a busy and eventful weekend in Nashville, TN.  :)  It was Vicka's first time to Nashville.  We got to play lots and hear some really good bands perform! :)  Now we are gearing up for lots of practice and an upcoming show in IL on Oct. 20.  Check out our schedule for details! :)

DITR

Back Home Again in Indiana

Well, we are slowly getting back on our feet.  The first week we have been home has definitely been interesting. Natalie is currently looking for a job, and Vicka is working at the same place she was when she left.  We will all be heading to Nashville, TN next week for the IBMA's Fan Fest.  Please pray that Nat will find a job asap and that we will all have safe travels.  Thanks for your support!  We miss everyone in Alaska! :(

DITR
Nat, Vicka, and Wes

Home Again

Well Vicka and I safely landed Thursday night.  We hit the ground running though.  I had two weddings this weekend so needless to say I have not gotten much sleep at all.  Please pray for us as these next couple of weeks are very busy.  Also, pray that we will get over the jet lag very soon.  Thanks for all your support and prayers!

Nat

Going Home

Well, we are gearing up to start saying goodbyes and pack.  Don't forget to keep an eye on our schedule as we are starting to book shows for when we return to the lower 48's!  Start spreading the word that we are coming home, and that we are now booking for the fall/winter of 2011.  :)  We can't wait to see everyone again.

DITR

Ninilchik State Fair

Vicka and I will be headed to Ninilchik, AK this weekend for the Kenai Peninsula State Fair.  Tomorrow we will be competing in Alaska's Got Talent and on Sunday we will be performing.  We hope to see many of you there.  Come out with the family and enjoy a weekend of fun, food, and fair time. :)

Please pray for safety as we travel to the fair and back and for good weather.  Our last month in Alaska is winding down very fast, and although we are excited about a busy month, please pray physically that we hold up. :)  Thanks and have a great week!

Nat

Hello Again!

Well sorry for the lack of updates lately.  Between family coming to visit us, performing, and working we have been a bit overwhelmed! :)

We would also like to continue to ask for prayers for the victims from the Indiana State Fair grandstand stage collapse   Both of us were personally affected by this disaster and it has not been easy being so far away from home and watching our fellow Hoosiers struggle.  We know God's grace is sufficient to comfort us as well as the families of the victims.

The month of August is/has been very busy!  Stay tune to see what we have coming up!

DITR

Clamming in Alaska

Yesterday Diamonds in the Rough went clamming!  It was cold and wet, but hey, what's not to like about playing in the mud?  Apparently there's an art to chasing clams down. 
Step 1.) Dig fast.
Step 2.) Throw yourself in the wet sand and start digging madly until you feel a clam shell. 
Step 3.) Pull it up and throw it on the sand beside you in one smooth, suave motion so that everyone knows you caught one.  OK, the last part not so much. :)

All in all, we had an awesome time.  Afterwards, I learned how to clean clams.  And after cleaning about a hundred and fifty clams, I will never forget how it's done.  Never. :)

~Vicka

Playing in the Rain

We were playing a show at the Diamond M potluck and I looked over at Nat during one of our songs and we had to laugh.  My fingers were so numb that I could barely feel which chords I was playing.  My fingers are still so cold I can barely type.  But all in all, it was a good show.

HELLO WORLD!!

So I am posting this at 1:30am ( my time)  just to let ya'll know we HAVE NOT forgotten about you!  We are very very busy here on the ranch and between practice, work, and performing, it is sometimes hard to find time to sit down to the computer! :)  Hopefully you have been able to access our facebook page.  www.facebook.com/diamondsitr  and keep up with us there.  It is easier and faster to upload photos and such to that page than to here so when I am in a hurry I am most likely to upload to that page first. 

We have about two months left here, and we are both sad when we think about leaving.  Everyone here has truly become family.  I will miss snuggling with Toad and Sonora who have christened  us their "summer sisters",  making cinnamon rolls with Josiah every Friday night, and joking with Blair about everything under the sun.   Grammy and Grandpa will be very missed........you don't realize how close you are to someone until you think about not having them anymore.  Grammy's breakfasts will be missed and Grandpa's salmon and hugs will be missed too.

Ok well enough sappy sad stuff for now.  I need to hit the hay! :)  Tomorrow we will be riding horses at the head of Debbie Brown's parade entry.  Debbie is running for borough mayor here on the Kenai Peninsula and we are proud to be able to support her.  We are also making another float for Diamond M Ranch to enter tomorrow so we have to get up early to finish those details.  Well,  I will check back in soon!! 

Nat

Summer Sun

     I'm TAAAAAN!!!  Both Nat and I got so sunburned on July 4th.  I shoulda thought of sunscreen, but I guess I was just in too much of a rush that morning to put it on.  Even without it, if we'd been in the Indiana sun all day long, we'd both be lobsters.  The Alaska sun is definitely different.  So if you're a red head or a blondie, come here. :)
    We played on the float in the Kenai July 4th parade.  It was a new experience for me.  It was really hot, the parade route was long, and my arms were tired before we reached the end.  But I had a ton of fun!  The crowd was really upbeat and energized. The bows kept falling off the sides of the float so one of the kids riding it had to jump off, run alongside, and tape them back on.  I was laughing at him so much that I kept messing up.
    Come to find out, the floats were being judged and we won first prize!! :) Happy Birthday America!! :D

~ VICKA

Cover of the HC Magazine

Diamonds in the Rough graced the cover of the HC Magazine back in Indiana.  Here is a link to the article.  If you have a way of getting a hard copy of the magazine, though , you should because they did an awesome job with the pictures and the cover.

http://flyergroup.com/local/x300517351/Musicians-find-new-gig-in-the-Land-of-the-Midnight-Sun

Interview

Here is the link to a recent interview DITR underwent.  Hope you enjoy!

http://www.jobmonkey.com/alaskasummerjobs/staff_profile.html
DITR

PICTURES!!!!

We uploaded LOTS of new pictures to facebook!  You can find the link on the left hand side of your page.  Thanks so much for your support! We hope you enjoy them. 

DITR

Pictures Coming Soon

Please be patient with us! We are working on getting more pictures put up, but we are still really busy!  I am going to try to get some up on our facebook page today, but it takes a long time to upload them to the blog so be patient and they will be coming! :)  Thanks!

Nat

Quick Turn Around

Well, like I said.  Last week we had a show in Homer, the next day we got on a boat for Seldovia,  we got back from Seldovia late on Sunday night.  Had a VERY busy day on the ranch Monday.  Had the Summer Soltice Festival on the ranch on Tuesday........(we both worked over a 14 hr day along with performing twice on that day).  Wednesday was a day full of heavy clean up, today (Thursday)  there was lots to still be done on the ranch, along with unpacking, laundry and repacking.......yes I said repacking....because we head out for another festival tomorrow morning!!!!!!  So needless to say, that is why you have not seen many posts or pictures here lately.  We barely have had time to sleep and eat! :)  lol 

Once we get back from Granite Creek Bluegrass Celebration, we will be able to sit down and upload some pictures from the last two weeks.  Also, stay tuned for some interesting posts about some pretty funny events that have happened these last two weeks. 

I did something for the first time last week in Homer! Something in all my 14 yrs. of playing violin/fiddle that I have NEVER done!!!!!! :)  So be sure to check back and find out what I did. 

Until then, pray for safe travels and great weather!! THANKS!

~ Nat~

Seldovia Summer Soltice Music Festival

Well this last week we not only had a show in Homer, but also a weekend in Seldovia.  The festival in Seldovia was and absolute BLAST!!  We met a lot of great people and our show went very well.  We had a few glitches along the way, but nothing that the Lord didn't just smooth right over. 

I can't wait to tell about some really cool things that happened last weekend, but for now you are just going to have to hold your horses, because I am super busy and don't have time to type a lot.  If your wondering why I/we are so busy just read the post above!

Nat

Gig in Homer

Today we are heading to Homer, AK!  We are very excited, because this is our first trip to Homer.  Several people have told us we will love it, and we are certainly looking forward to it. 

Tonight we will be supporting Debbie Brown, candidate for borough mayor here in Kenai, at the Voices of Freedom Ice Cream Social.  We were very excited to get the offer to go on the road and make some appearances with her.  Debbie is a conservative politician and a born again Christian.  We are happy to support her along her campaign trial. 

Stay tune for updates on this VERY busy festival weekend.  Because the tomorrow morning we hop on a ferry from Homer to go to a festival in Seldovia! Thanks for your prayers! :)

DITR

This Weekend

Ok, well this weekend we have two special shows. One for Sonora Martin, who lives here on the ranch and is turning 8, and one for Silvia, who also lives here with the Martins as an exchange student.  Sonora is a fiery red head just like me. :)  We get along quite well.  Silvia and us became good friends quickly.  We are sad she has to go so soon after we have gotten here.  I am excited to get to have these two low key shows before we jump head long into the next two weeks. 

We will be traveling a lot the next two weeks to a couple different festivals.  I am excited to get to see more of Alaska, and I know Vicka is too. 

We are both doing well and still enjoying ourselves.  We miss everyone back home but we are not overly homesick.  Thanks for you support and prayers! Keep them coming! :)

Nat

Update!

We are having lots of fun here.   It has been raining lots lately so we feel slightly like we are living in London but it is making everything REALLY green. :)  Our cabin is coming along really well.  We will post more pictures as soon as we finish up some details and clean it up a bit.  It certainly looks like two teenage girls cabin right now. lol :)  We have made several friends here and that has been nice. 

We are working lots on the ranch, and have had to deal with some interesting experiences.  We had to skin a llama yesterday.  It was killed by three dogs, which are now dead as well.  It is very different up here.  If an animal, domesticated or not, attacks anything on your property it is 100% acceptable to hunt them down and kill them.  The state troopers here even help you.  So some of the ranch hands took care of the dogs while we got to skin the llama.  Nat has skinned things before so it was not much different for her, but Vicka got a first time experience out of the deal.  :)  Now we will be spending time soon cooking up all the llama meet we got from him.

Well that is about it for now.  We have 4 shows this weekend.  We are a bit worn out, but we are pushing through and just trying to enjoy every minute.  We miss everyone back home!  Thanks to all our new fans as well.  You guys are really great.  People were not joking when they said everyone in Alaska is very nice.  Thanks for taking us in and supporting us!

DITR

Anchorage

We made a day trip to Anchorage today to look around and have some fun :)  We are very excited to get to see more of Alaska.  Anchorage is about 3 hrs away from the ranch.  Vicka put her long drive to use and started writing a song......which is turning out quite well if I may say so myself.lol  We had to drop Josiah (JoAnne and Carrol's grandson)  off at basketball camp.  So we got to know him a little better on the drive. :)  Well my computer is about to die so I better hop off. :)  Keep tuned in for more updates and pictures! 

Don't forget to check our facebook for even more details on stuff!

Nat

Summer Kick Off Gig

Well, we had a blast tonight at Kenai Christian Church for the Summer Kick Off party.  :)  Thanks to everyone who showed up and supported us.  We are so excited that we made some new fans. 

Don't forget to come by the ranch tomorrow night at 6pm for a potluck dinner and the Contra Dancing at 7pm!  It should be a blast so bring all your friends! :)  And yes, Diamonds in the Rough will be playing!

Thanks again for being such a great audience :)

DITR

New Video

We have posted a new video on youtube.  Go check it out! :) Thanks!

DITR

Update!

Well, I am tired. I get confused about the time.  I can't get used to all this daylight.  There are moose, bald eagles, golden eagles, and bears everywhere.  The mountains are beautiful.  I am making friends.  I am learning more about God.  Oh and the ocean is just AMAZING!  We are about 10 mins away from the beach, and I just love going and watching the water. :) 

Alaska is just amazing.  I still can't believe I am here.  It has been hard because the place we are staying in right now does not have running water, but it is just another way to learn how to cope with different circumstances than I am used to. 

I miss everyone back home a lot.  I do tend to get homesick sometimes, but so far it has not been unbearable. :)  I would not trade where I am at right now for the world.  Being here is just great and I love it.  If it didn't get SO cold in the winter I would move here in a heart beat.  But I am a pansy and don't like cold weather that much.lol :) 

Please keep up with our facebook page and our youtube. (links are to your left)  We are trying to be good about getting everything on all our sites but there are some pics that are on facebook that won't be here so go check it out. :)

Thanks again for all your support!

Nat

Bar-B-Que

We had a show today and it went quite well :)  People seemed to enjoy themselves and the food was great! :)  We are tired and hungry now, but glad the show went well.  We have had some pretty neat experiences so far in Alaska.  We have seen wild Moose, Caribou, and Bald Eagles.  Nature here is up close and personal.  Natalie practically touched a Moose outside her car window a couple days ago, and a Bald Eagle nearly flew into us on one of the ranch roads.  We are still getting settled, but are really loving it here.  Thanks for your prayers!

DITR

Facebook

Diamonds in the Rough now has a facebook fan page.  Just go to facebook and search Diamonds in the Rough and it should pop right up. :)  Please push the "like" button.  You can also just press the link below or the link under "Official Sites" to your left.  Thanks for your support! 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diamonds-in-the-Rough/171106736281067

DITR

Hitting the Iceberg

Well, something that we forgot to tell you happened to us on the cruise.

We were leaving the body of water that Hubbard Glacier was located in, and everyone was back inside the boat, when all the sudden it started shaking.   We heard a really really loud noise like metal grinding against metal, and could feel the ship jerk and stop and jerk and stop.  It was hard to even walk.  This went on for about 10 mins.  The noise was really bad and the motion of the boat was weird.  No one really knew what was going on.  Well, not to soon after the noise stopped and the boat got smooth again word started floating around the ship that we had hit a good sized iceberg.  Sure enough when we docked the next day, our ship the Westerdam had made the front page of the Ketchikan newspaper.  The iceberg had scraped the whole underside of our ship and dented the left side of it.  Some of our friends who saw it come out the backside said there was red paint from the bottom of our ship all over it. 

At the time it was not scary because we did not know what was happening, but looking back we are thankful we did not have a Titanic The Sequel. :)  It is certain to say that when you are in a boat out on the ocean anything and everything is going to happen.  So, if your going on a cruise anytime soon be prepared to have many wonderful adventures, and some maybe slightly scary ones. :)

Happy sailing!

DITR

Cattle Driving

Well, today after sleeping in and touching base with people back home, I decided to explore the ranch some.  I went up to the main office which is where I ran into Dan.  He is a hired hand that lives on the ranch.  Dan then showed me around the grounds and introduced me to some other people.  As we were walking around we ran into Blair who is the owners son.  Blair said the cowboys were only 40 mins out so we needed to move.  I look at Dan and he asked me if i was up for going on a cattle drive. :)  I promptly said yes.  So we jumped on the four wheeler and followed Blair to meet the cowboys.  We took about four or so hours driving the cattle from the ranch to the Rodeo grounds where they will be ridden tomorrow in a rodeo.  :)  It was a fun experience to say the least.  Because I was so late in jumping in I did not get to ride a horse, but I did get to drive a four wheeler so I was still happy.  The weather here is not to bad.  It was rainy and cloudy today so it was chilly but it was not much different from home.  :)  I am not sure what tomorrow will entail, but I am sure it will be exciting. 

Nat

Settling In

Well, we have now reached Diamond M Ranch.  Unfortunately Vicka got really sick once we landed in Anchorage so your prayers would be appreciated.  She was in the hospital with severe dehydration.  After they gave her some medicine and a bag of fluids she was feeling better.  We didn't get to the ranch till around 4am though because of that. Needless to say we were both exhausted and slept in.  Vicka is now feeling better, but is still not up and around so please pray for her quick recovery.  Look for more pictures and updates here in the next few days.  :) 

Nat

Sitka, Alaska

Well we are now in Sitka, AK.  It is beautiful here.  There were about six bald eagles that just flew over our heads to the mountains in front of us.  It is really neat.  We will post more when we get off the boat Sunday, but for now hop over to our "picture" tab to see a few pics of our boat and the Alaska scenery.  Thanks for your prayers! :) We miss you all!

DITR

On our Way!

Well we are now in Chicago.  We are killing some time sight seeing and such and then hopefully getting a good nights rest.  Tomorrow will be a busy day.  We will fly out at 8am and get to Seattle tomorrow afternoon where we will board the Westerdam on our cruise. Thanks for the continued prayers for safe travel.  We are hoping to have internet access on the boat so we can keep you posted , but if we don't we will be back online May 15th when we reach Alaska.  Keep an eye out for new pics soon and for new videos on youtube.com/diamondsitr from our travels! :)

DITR

Song Writing

Well we discovered something recently that really excited us! We can actually writes songs! :)  We performed our first original tune at Verity Institute and it went over very well.  We are looking to get it copyrighted and put on youtube so that you all can enjoy it.  Vicka can write lyrics like none other.......can't write tunes though.  Nat can NOT write lyrics.......but can drop tunes once given lyrics.  Together we found it works quite well.  Currently we are working on ironing out a tune that Natalie wrote......and yes she actually did write these lyrics.....hence the "ironing out" part. :)  Once we get it finished we will put it on youtube as well!!  Keep an eye on our blog and youtube as the time for departure grows near! :)

DITR

Video

Check out youtube.com for the new video we posted from practice.  Feel free to post, subscribe, or friend us.  Thanks for your support!

DITR

Debrief

Well if I may say so myself the first gig for Diamonds in the Rough went awesome!! Vicka did an outstanding job on stage musically as well as picking fun at me! We both had a blast, and learned a lot.  We are so very excited to get to perform more in the upcoming months.  We have exactly 3 weeks left in the lower 48's. 

Keep an eye on our youtube channel to see some videos from our first show.  We are also getting ready to debut our first original tune.  Please feel free to give us feed back on that song once it hits the internet.  Thanks for your support and thank you to everyone who showed up Wednesday!

Nat

Debut Show

Our debut show will be tomrrow night at 7:30pm at Verity.  The address is below.

11850 Brookville Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46239

We hope to see many familiar faces!! Thanks for your support!

DITR

New Ways to Reach Us

Diamonds in the Rough now has two new ways for you to reach them! Check out the links on the left hand side of your page, or click on the following links.  Keep spreading the word about this new group!
http://grassspace.com/diamondsintherough
http://ibluegrass.com/bg_bands2.cfm?b__i=3147

New Video Posted!

Check out www.youtube.com/diamondsitr for a new video I took at the Southport Bluegrass Jamboree.  It is not the best quality but you can hear it.  Your jaw will drop like mine did, that an 81 year old woman can still sing like that!!!

Southport Bluegrass Jamboree Surprise!

Guess who's going to play with Blue Lonesome tonight at 5p.m.?  Yup, you guessed it, our very own Nat Grimes.  (We were both as surprised as you are!)  Blue Lonesome's fiddler had to cancel at the last minute so they called Nat and asked her to fill in.

Come see her tonight in Southport, IN.  I'll be there too, jamming my little heart out and showing off my new guitar. :)

~Vicka

Southport Bluegrass Jamboree

Vicka and I will be heading to Southport, IN this weekend to go hear some friends perform.  Their band, Blue Lonesome, will be performing, and after that we will all jam our little hearts out! :)  I am excited to take Vicka to yet another jam, and we are both excited to hear Blue Lonesome! :)  The event starts at 5pm.  Hope to see some of you come out to hear some good toe tappin' bluegrass music!!  Have an awesome weekend!


*Nat*

A Very Late Introduction

Hi, my name is Victoria Ingersoll. My friends call me Vicka. I’m the other half of the Diamonds in the Rough and I’m finally posting. Before Nat and I formed the Diamonds, I took six years of classical guitar lessons. I got my first guitar for my eleventh birthday because I wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up. I was convinced that if I got a guitar, the boots, hat, and horse would follow. (The difference between cowboys and cowgirls wasn’t too important at that age. I just thought cowboy sounded cooler.) :) I quit guitar lessons at nineteen to go to college for writing. I still loved music, but I couldn’t really see classical guitar in my future.

Then, along came Nat from The Grimes Girls. Nat and Kat and I go to church together. Kat had just gotten married and didn’t want to travel far away from hubby so The Grimes Girls decided to take a sabbatical for the summer of 2011. (Don’t worry all you Grimes Girls fans, the Grimes Girls aren’t splitting up. They’re just taking a break.) But Nat still wanted to play fiddle and mentioned to me that she needed a guitarist. I volunteered and we created, Diamonds in the Rough.

I've learned so much in the two months I've been playing bluegrass guitar.  I can’t wait to jump into this new adventure, meet all the wonderful people I’d never meet otherwise, and play my heart out! I’ll be posting more in the future.

~Vicka

Count Down to Alaska

We have exactly 58 days until we leave for Alaska!!!!! :)  I just got news that our plane tickets have been bought and confirmed! :)  I am getting very excited, but also nervous! I ask for your prayers, because I know I am a bit freaked out about being away from everything I know for such a long time.  I can't wait to go and I know I will have a blast, but it suddenly seems to be coming up so fast.  The Lord is good, however, so I know my nerves will be calmed and I will be ready to fly (no pun intended) ;)  when the day arrives.  :) 


Don't forget to check out our Youtube accont at www.youtube.com/diamondsitr to see videos of where we will be going and such!


Nat

Ithchin' to Pick

Vicka and I were able to spend two days this last weekend in Kentucky at a jam session.  We had so much fun and met several really awesome people! :)  Neither of us wanted to leave. 


Vicka met some guitarists who helped teach her several songs and I met a fiddle player who made me jealous because he is SO stinking good.  He played a crazy cool song call El Cumbanchero.  I couldn't even try to take a break on it, but I told myself I was going to come home and learn it.  I found a recording on Youtube yesterday and spent all of yesterday and today learning it! :) I now know El Cumbanchero and I can't wait to play it in public!! :) 


Nat

How Diamonds in the Rough was born

Hi! I am Natalie Grimes. You may say "Hey, that sounds familiar." That's because I am one of The Grimes Girls. (see links)

Recently, The Grimes Girls got an awesome offer to go to Alaska for a little over 4 months. We would go to work on a ranch there, and to perform around the state. As you who are followers of The Grimes Girls know, Kat just got married in December. Naturally, she doesn't want to pick up for 4 months to go that far away from her hubby. However, I decided to accept and find someone who would be willing to take Kitty's place for that time. Hence, I formed Diamonds in the Rough. The Grimes Girls will still be performing together, so no worries! :) Victoria Ingersoll is a good friend of mine. I found out she played classical guitar, and asked if she would be willing to learn bluegrass and Celtic guitar. She said yes. :) We then asked her parents if she could go to Alaska for 4 1/2 months with me. They said yes! :) I have been working with Vicka for about a month, and she is making great leaps and bounds in the world of bluegrass playing.

So, that is how Diamonds in the Rough came into being.

Now Vicka and I are preparing to go on an adventure of a lifetime in the great state of Alaska!! We hope that you all will join us on this awesome experience with your support and prayers. Also, don't forget to log back in to hear Vicka's side of the story. :)

And don't be afraid to spread the word about our group. Diamonds in the Rough is a new group that is ready to shine!!
Nat Grimes