Laughter in the Rain

After two of the driest years in recent memory, I'm happy to report that the Piedmont section of South Carolina is finally getting some rain. Thankfully, the lake are filling back up and the grass is greening up nicely. And speaking of rain...

Some years ago (33 to be exact), fellow MTH author Larry Reid and myself made the short drive up to Charlotte NC to see the old piano pounder Neil Sedaka. At that time, The Captain and Tenile had a mega hit with one of Neil's tunes, Love will Keep Us Together...and Neil himself had reemerged from his early rock and roll days to once again hit the charts. Teaming up with Elton John he released the bouncy hit Bad Blood...which he performed that day in Charlotte with two gorgeous blonds instead of EJ. Definitely better on the eyes. But the song that brought the house down was Laughter in the Rain.

A movement is afoot to get Neil into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I can think of several inductees right off the top of my head that haven't had the impact on popular music that Neil Sedaka has had. Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Calendar Girl, and Breaking up Is Hard To Do are just a few of Neil's hits. But none as sweet and melodic as LITR. If paragons of music such as The Sex Pistols are in the HOF, then Neil Sedaka should be in there no questions asked.

Monday Musical Interlude

When visiting my Aunt Velma, cousin Ricky would let me listen to his records while my parents and various aunts and uncles played Set Back in the dining room. "You bored buddy? After I leave you can go to my room and listen to my stereo. Be careful with my records, don't scratch em' up". So, after cousin Ricky split for places unknown, I'd wander back to his room and peruse his collection. Iron Butterfly, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (Deja Vu), The Who (Live at Leeds), Smokey Robinson, and James Taylor to name a few. I always like the long haired, freaky, married to Carly Simon, James Taylor. Sweet Baby James had just been released and the AM radio stations played the hauntingly beautiful Fire and Rain frequently. I heard the song this morning as I took my daughter to school. It took me back to 1970 and the uncertain days of becoming a teenager. Sadly, Fire and Rain also reminds me that about a year later, in the summer of 1971, cousin Ricky died in a shoot out at an apartment complex. RIP Ricky. This one is for you.

Bustin Loose in South Carolina

About five weeks ago I ventured down to the bottom land, that hallowed ground coveted by Alvin York and dirt farmers everywhere, to snap a few photos of impending Spring. That day I went in search of the deciduous Magnolia, a rare find in this neck of the woods. Most of the Magnolias here are evergreen with big thick, shiny leaves that in Spring produces a big, fragrant flower. A right of being a Carolinian is the aroma of the Magnolia flower drifting through a raised window in late April, catching you unawares and taking you back to mama's biscuits and gravy. Honeysuckle will do that too. When I catch a scent of Honeysuckle it's like time travel. Instantly, I'm shagging fly balls near the outfield fence, shielding my eyes from the western sun and trying to avoid the "sticker bushes". Honeysuckle has enormous transitive capabilities. No matter where I am, if I catch a whiff of Honeysuckle, I can roam the streets of the villages...and never leave my chair.

Now back to the deciduous Magnolia. They bloomed in early Spring and they were pretty. But now, the Bauer Garden is alive and I promised I'd be there to witness the event. We're a month in and the Rhododendrons are opening up big time.

As you wander the paths of the garden, occasionally the fragrances blend together in one powerful bouquet blast.

Here is a view of the garden from the eastern end. Those trees in the foreground are 150 foot poplars.

Here is a shot coming out of the Western edge into the future home of the croquet court. Notice the logs. That's what is left of 4 big trees that I had dropped to make way for the greensward. When completed, I think it will be a nice compliment to the Botanical garden; and a great place to punish my adversaries (may Allah keep them three ball dead).


More to come...

It's Rock and Roll Monday!

Chuck at CTR put up a bunch of old geezers (a couple of them dead now) scrubbing one off circa the 90's and it got me to thinking about old Roy. Here is one of my favorites. Enjoy!