A Slower Pace of Life

We have just returned from a camping trip and it was very enjoyable. One of the things I like most about camping is how things slow down. I love a slower pace of life.

I should explain how we camp.

We have a 2015 Little Guy Silver Shadow Teardrop trailer. The inside is plenty roomy for sleeping. There is a kitchen in the back and we have that orange topped tent that connects to the trailer to keep out the bugs. The tent makes getting dressed less of a public affair and it is also a screen room for when the bugs just get to be too much.

Anyway, we went to Cranberry Lake State Park in upstate NY. It is a beautiful place. My only complaint is that there are no electric hook-ups, but then, as is the case where there is no electricity, the sites are beautiful! So is the lake!

We just got back last night and I am ready to go again. I love seeing new places and meeting people. We visited with several folks and really had a good time! One of the trips I would love to take is to travel the old Route 66, as well as can be.

When I was a kid, my parents took a trip from California, where I grew up, to Indiana and back. We took Route 66 out and I have no idea what the northern route was back. It was a magical time! I think I saw every reptile village in the US!

I hate that we are so rushed in our culture that we miss the reptile farms, and the TeePee Motels. What are we in such a hurry for? We rush to get someplace, we rush around trying to see it all when we get there, and then we rush back. We are often more tired when we come back from vacation than when we left! Why not slow down a bit a see what there is to see along the way.

My one regret this trip is that, because we took one of our grandkids, I didn't think we had room to take our instruments. I won't make that mistake again. I love sitting in my campsite and playing music! No, I don't do it at night and disturb others, but I do love to play in the afternoon when things start to settle down. Nothing beats having a glass of wine around 4:00 in the afternoon and playing a bit. So far, I haven't had anyone come over and tell us to shut-up either. That's always a good sign.

Well, we are off again soon. We are heading out to Michigan to see our daughter and her family. I'd love to take some back roads and slow down a bit, but we will probably be in too big a rush. We only have one week you know!

Playing the Music

I mentioned that my wife and I are musicians. My wife loves music, but it is my passion. I have been playing some kind of music for as long as I can remember.

When I was about five, I used to go to our neighbors. They were an older couple without children. They sort of adopted me. The had a beautiful baby grand piano. I started plinking on that thing and pretty soon they were paying for me to have eight years of lessons. There was a small problem with that.

I loved music and would listen to my mother's classical records for hours. When I went to lessons, my teacher said, "What would you like to play?"

I of course picked something I knew. Since it was a classical piece, my teacher was delighted. Only thing is, I play by ear. I didn't need music to play the piece. Whether my teacher ever knew that I wasn't actually reading the music sitting in front of me, I don't know. I can hardly read music at all.

Yesterday, I started a Soundcloud account. Soundcloud is a way for folks to get their work out there for others to listen to. I posted one song so far. It is a song I wrote a long time ago. We had a neighbor woman with a little baby. The baby had the most enormous swollen big toe. I said it was an ingrown toenail and she should have a Doctor look at it. She didn't want to go to the Doctor, so I wrote this song to encourage her.

Jeremy Nine Toes

I/we make a little money playing out, but not near enough to live on. I would love that, but life got in the way of my musical career early on. Besides, people kept telling me that it was impossible to make a living that way. Damn! I wish I had never listened to them!! Well, now we do make a bit of money and we are getting better at it all the time. The money, however, isn't the point. The point is that we are doing our music!

I guess my point here is; don't let your dreams fade away. Chase after them. You may not become world famous doing whatever that is, but you'll be a damn sight happier!