Fairsing Vineyard

(I originally posted this in January.  At that time the link to Fairsing Vineyard was under construction.  The website is now up and running so I thought it would be a good time to re-post)

Rosie's West Coast grandparents, Mike and Mary Ann, own and manage Fairsing Vineyard in Oregon.  

This year for Christmas they sent me some very special wine, Rosemary's Reserve; made for our beautiful Rosie.  Best gift ever!

Mike and Mary Ann have often hosted a campout at the vineyard for family and friends.  I was lucky to be there in 2010.  Before adding some pictures from that weekend, I have to say that every time I think of campouts at the vineyard, I can't help but hear the 1968 song 'Sweet Blindness'.  I usually associate the song with The 5th Dimension but it was written by the wonderful Laura Nyro so it is her version I am including here.   (I apologize for the sometimes fleeting nature of this video.  It appears and disappears at whim, especially when viewing from an iPad.  So if you see no video but would like to hear the song, try going directly to YouTube Laura Nyro Sweet Blindness.) 

50 Years Later, I Still Love the Beatles

February 9, 1964 The Beatles made their first American television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  I had just turned 11 in January of that year -- by that time I was an established Beatles' fan.  My best friend Patience had a pen pal (raise your hand if you remember pen pals) who lived in England.  The pen pal sent Pat the British release 45 record (raise your hand ... never mind) of the Beatles.  We listened to that record so many times you would think the two songs on that single would be burned in my memory but that is not the case. So I searched and I am fairly sure Love Me Do was the cover song with P.S. I Love You on Side B.  Over the last 50 years I have remained a Beatles fan.  The deaths of John and George will sadden me forever.  Paul has occasionally frustrated me with his life and career choices but never for long.  I was a firm believer that he was 'The Cute Beatle' but as I aged I found George the most attractive.  And Ringo, I think I have learned to appreciate him the most.  Teen-aged girls just don't want a sense of humor in a boy -- they want the dark brooding artist and poet.  So to celebrate the Beatles on this anniversary I am posting some of my favorite memorabilia.  All I think are from 1964 and 1965.

All of the photos are so staged.  What could have been the reason for taking a picture of them with their feet on a stuffed donkey?

     

This is why Paul was the cute Beatle.  This particular photo was obviously held and gazed at lovingly many, many times.

In April 1965 The Albany Times Union published a series of 4 articles over 4 days.  

This is on the back of the first article.  I am sorry that I didn't cut out enough of the article to have the complete photo of John Kennedy Jr. with Mickey.

This photo is included with one of the articles.  I have enlarged it so that you can read the caption.  "Womanhood lies prone ..."  OMG!

Thank you John, Paul, George, and Ringo.  Thank you for 50 wonderful years.  I will always be a fan.

The Voices of Women : Linda Ronstadt

I have always loved Linda Ronstadt, though it is likely her name would not have come to mind when asked to list my favorite singers.  But for the last year or so I have been listening to my iPod almost every day. First I realized how many songs I have of hers, and then I realized how really wonderful she is.  She sings every song as if it is her own experience and she is letting you in on her deepest, most secret feelings. 

Recently she announced that she has Parkinson's disease and she can no longer sing.  For her to lose her voice is devastating for her, and for us. Already she is dealing with it bravely and gracefully.  And I will be putting more of her music on my iPod.

I could select any of her songs and be happy to listen.  But this, Long Long Time (written by Gary B. White), is most definitely my favorite.        

Love will abide, take things in stride
Sounds like good advice but there's no one at my side
And time washes clean love's wounds unseen
That's what someone told me but I don't know what it means.

Cause I've done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think I'm gonna love you for a long long time

Caught in my fears
Blinking back the tears
I can't say you hurt me when you never let me near
And I never drew one response from you
All the while you fell all over girls you never knew
Cause I've done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think it's gonna hurt me for a long long time

Wait for the day
You'll go away
Knowing that you warned me of the price I'd have to pay
And life's full of flaws
Who knows the cause?
Living in the memory of a love that never was
Cause I've done everything I know to try and change your mind
and I think I'm gonna miss you for a long long time
Cause I've done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think I'm gonna love you for a long long time.

The Voices of Women : Vashti Bunyan

I don't remember exactly when or for what but there was a TV commercial that featured this singer.  Obviously the ad did nothing to sell me on the product, but it sold me on the voice and the song.  I had no idea who was singing, so I went Googling and found Vashti Bunyan.  I had never heard her music; I knew nothing about her.  But I loved her voice, and I loved this song, "Train Song".  I still don't know too much about Vasti Bunyan but I am hooked on her music; I now have several of her songs on my iPod, but this one I especially love.  It reminds me of why I love trains --  they evoke a slower, less complicated world and yet also there is the promise of mystery and adventure.  Train travel is prominent in many of the short stories written by a favorite author, Alice Munro.  This song very much reminds me of a Munro story.  

Arlo

Yesterday morning while driving north to Chestertown the radio station that was playing gave its listeners a truly wonderful Thanksgiving Day gift -- they played the complete 18 minute version of Arlo Guthrie singing and telling his story of Alice's Restaurant Massacree.  There was no shortage of videos to access on YouTube; it is indeed a Thanksgiving tradition.  So if you haven't heard this in awhile, here is a version from the 90's that provides good, clear sound.  And if you have never heard this than you really should take the time to listen.



I especially love listening to this because I have a really nice memory of Arlo from maybe 3 years after Alice's Restaurant was released (1967). On August 29, 1970 my best friend Patience and I went to see Arlo (and Judy Collins) at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. While at the concert we met a friend who knew someone in Arlo's band, and he knew that the band would be going to Caffe Lena in Saratoga after the concert, so that's where the three of us headed.  Sure enough Arlo and his band got to Lena's an hour or so after we did.  They played a lot more music and it was amazing.  So we stayed and we stayed and sometime around 3 in the morning it was just the band and Lena and us sitting at a big table talking.  Lena made everyone a huge breakfast and we all talked some more.  I think we finally drove back to Delmar around 5 that morning.  Our parents were furious but even they understood when we told them we had breakfast with Arlo Gutherie.  I mean how cool is that.

You Just Steal My Heart Away

I have always liked Van Morrison, but mostly for his older and/or more popular songs.  Recently I've been listening to a lot more of his music (and believe me there is a lot more of his music to choose from).  I found his song "Steal My Heart Away", released in 2002 on his 'Down the Road' album.  This speaks to the romantic in me.  Who wouldn't want to be the person someone thinks of when listening to this song.  

Steal My Heart Away

Van Morrison

I can hear the sound of violins
I can hear the piper play
And every time the song begins
You just steal my heart away

The journey's longer than
I thought my love
There's lots of things
Get in the way
But every time I think of you
You just steal my heart away

Just like a morning
In May like this
See the heather on the hill
There's a place way up
The mountainside
Where the world
Keeps standing still

Just like the sunshine after rain
I'll come
To be with you will save the day
'Cos I know
When I'm with you again
You just steal my heart away

Just like a morning
In May like this
We see the heather on the hill
There's a place up on
The mountainside
Where the world is
Standing still

Just like the sunshine after rain I'll come
To be with you will save the day 'cos I know
When I'm with you again
You just steal my heart away

'Cos I know
When I m with you again
You just steal my heart away

'Cos I know
When I'm with you again
You just steal my heart away

'Cos I know
When I'm with you again
You just steal my heart away

The Voices of Women : Janis Joplin

I have always been a big Janis Joplin fan.  Her rendition of the song 'Summertime' is the best I have ever heard.  I have used many adjectives to describe her singing this song but for this blog I'll go with evocative.

Today when I started my walk with Blackie, I turned on my Ipod and 'Summertime' was playing.  Just now after finishing a batch of stuffing for turkey day cooked my way (and for the leftovers), I sat down to check my email.  I switched to a classic rock channel on cable and the first song was again Janis singing 'Summertime'.  I'm thinking this is kismet.  I am meant to share this amazing song, and the amazing Janis.  So I am going to share her with you.  The song is from the amazing in so many ways Cheap Thrills album.

Here's a You Tube recording of the song:

God bless the child who ... doesn't blame Wall Street?

The dogs and I wake up at 4 most mornings.  I love the quiet and enjoy having that time to myself.  We start our walks as soon as the sun rises.  The early start helps us avoid the heat during the summer months but now it is just a habit and Blackie starts whining to go as soon as he sees daylight.  These days we don't see daylight until 7 so we have lots of time to catch the early news and to read.  That early in the morning most news is a repeat of the night before & I like to watch Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show - she's admittedly liberal but she is logical and fun and not at all preachy ... or ranting.  She had a segment on the Republican presidential candidates debate that took place in Nevada earlier this week.  Herman Cain, current Tea Party favorite,  gave this gem of a quote in response to a question about the Occupy Wall Street protesters : “Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!”   Thank you, Herman - no doubt that the thousands of people who would love to have a job, any job, are comforted by your wisdom.  Rachel went on to point out that we can indeed blame Wall Street for our current woes.  She said "It used to be that the plan for getting old comfortably in America had three pillars -- your pension, your savings and Social Security."   She then went on to demonstrate, very simply, how these three pillars are now linked to Wall Street.  Here is a link to her blog where there is an additional link to the video of that portion of her show   http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/20/8412389-charts-just-dont-get-older-ok     I really don't know what the Tea Party stands for but I do think whatever their original goals were, they have now morphed into anything that can be construed to be anti-Obama and anti-Democrat.  And apparently that translates into being anti-Occupy Wall Street.  Understandably there are probably few Tea Party members among the protesters but it is just bizarre that they are now cheering someone saying you should blame yourself if you don't have a job.  Are all Tea Party-ers gainfully employed?  Really?  None of them are searching for a job?

It was finally time for our walk and coincidentally Ipod shuffle chose the Blood, Sweat & Tears version of 'God Bless the Child'.  Lyrics as follows :

Them that's got, shall get 
Them that's not, shall lose
So the Bible said, and it still is news
Mama may have, and papa may have
God bless' the child,
That's got his own
That's got his own

Yes the strong seem to get more
While the weak ones fade
Empty pockets don't
Ever make the grade
As mama may have
And papa may have
God bless' the child
That's got his own
That's got his own.

And when you got money,
You got a lots of friends
Crowdin' 'round your door
When the money's gone
And all you're spendin' ends
They won't be 'round any more
No, no, no more

And rich relations
May give you
A crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
Mama may have
And your papa may have
But God bless' the child
That's got his own
That's got his own
God bless' the child who can stand up and say

I've got my own
Ev'ry child's, got to have his own!

There are lots of interpretations you could take from this song.  Certainly everyone one of us wants to have our own, and all parents hope for their children to have their own.  In 1938 when this song was written, 'having your own' was at least a possibility.  Now that possibility is fading with each passing day.  Thanx, at least in part, to Wall Street (with no apologies to Herman Cain).

Abbey Road

One thing I love about the Internet is access to trivial information. This can cause your mind to go completely numb but I think we eventually learn to tune out the unwanted factoids just like pop-up ads and marching bands parading across our screens.  But certain words or photos flash at me to take notice.  So when I saw Abbey Road listed on 'Today in History' I took notice.  'Abbey Road' was released in the US on October 1, 1969 (released on September 26, 1969 in the UK).  Forty-two years ago when I was 16.


I started dating Dan (1st 'real' boyfriend & current husband - a long story I will tell eventually) in early 1969.  We often double-dated with my best friend & his cousin (all part of the long story).  So when one of us got 'Abbey Road' we arranged a date to listen. Buying albums was not a casual thing in those days - you thought long and hard before making a selection.  Buying and listening to a new Beatle's album was a real occasion.  This date would have been later that Fall, on a Friday or Saturday night.  Dan's Dad and step-mother (another long, not so wonderful story) lived across the road from his grandparents who frequently went to their camp on weekends so many dates took place at their house.  There were rules to avoid being seen that involved parking down the road and walking through some fields to get to the house (often very cold and sometimes snowy - while wearing unlined suede moccasins).  Once in the house we couldn't turn on any lights.  We usually avoided the front of the house as it faced his Dad's but that's where the stereo was so to play 'Abbey Road' we had no choice.  There was also an aquarium which gave us a little light.  This was the dining room which had long windows almost to the floor - no standing allowed - sit down and stay down.  I remember listening, I remember each and every song, and that the 1st side was so different from the second.  We listened the first time for the music.  Then we listened again for any clues that supported the great 'Paul is Dead' legend.  It had been in existence for a while & there were clues on other albums but it became more than legend with Abbey Road - the cover photo told us all we needed to know.  We listened to a few songs backwards - I do not remember if this applied to any Abbey Road song but it was worth a try, and it was just silly to do.  Could a legend like that take root now that we have CDs?  And 24/7 entertainment news?  


This morning when I walked with Blackie & then with Lucy, I listened to Abbey Road - love my Ipod which is a minefield of memories.  [Odd coincidence tho it took place a few weeks ago.  I have 454 songs on my Ipod.  Without realizing it at first, the last song shuffle played for me was 'The End' - really? out of 454 songs?]  And now, in real time, when Dan & I sit on the back porch and we listen to the radio and a song from 'Abbey Road' plays, I stop and remember that the first time I heard it - first time we both heard it - we were less than a half mile from where we are now sitting.  How many people can say that?  Forty-two years later.