CHIMES, FALLON, WATER

WHAT'S THE AFFECT OF 

CHRONIC CHIME LISTENING?

     Santa's gift to Lana, Sunrise Serenade Grace Note Chimes CDFGAC f/maj 6/9, have become a distinctive element of my daily soundscape.

       They are always appreciated, never distracting and somehow magic or hypnotic. They "score" the study view and are omnipresent.  Wonder how the vibrational harmony works on mind and body? They are made in Mariposa Ca, near Yosemite, some of the planet's most beautiful grandeur. They sound with a beauty and invoke a feeling of grandeur.

       There is a compounding effect as well. Both neighbors up the hill have their own chimes. There are afternoons when the Pacific breeze tickles the chimes here on the hill and we are treated to a rich symphony.  Never a bad note and always a sense of peace and calm, even when the breeze morphs to wind gusts.  Thanks to the person who gave us wind chimes.

  MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A RAIN DROP

    Drought mindful and water appreciative Californians find infinite ways to conserve, especially precious rainwater.  As we plan a larger water catchment system, Lana has ingeniously split rain drops into a portable and convenient sized irrigation system.

   Out of the spout into former kitty litter containers.

   She dutifully attends the containers in a rain and produces

portable reclaimed water for use on the hill. Since our flora is drought tolerant, the water goes a long way.

LIKE JOHNNY DID IT

     Jimmy Fallon is juicing the TONIGHT SHOW and is following the Johnny Carson game plan. 
       Some of you will recall when a young Johnny took over and won fans with his energy, wit and youthful humor, especially the bits he patented over the years. Ditto Fallon.  

       His New York set is reminiscent of Carson's era and the entrance from curtains is very much Johnny. Carson was quick and witty and so is Fallon. The Roots crew band is killer. Johnny visibly enjoyed his NBC band, especially the regular or guest drummers. Jimmy evinces that style of  relationship with Roots and he works them into sketches, much as Johnny did with Doc  Severinsen or Tommy Newsom.  

      He's using quick video inserts and bits in the knit of his monologue and in his work from home base. He's getting into the studio audience as did Johnny. He works his A list guests into bits and great moments at the desk. His enthusiastic manner, deep talent as a singer and impersonator combine well. He's creating his own signature skits. He's a generational shift, but then so too was Carson.

      Another great vibe is New York. 

      The difference at 11:30 from when America seemed to "wait up" to watch Johnny, is that we record and watch whenever. That of course means you don't have to abandon an old friend like Dave Letterman or forgo conversation with Charlie Rose.  

      See you down the trail.

     

THE WEEKENDER-FUN & GAMES AND MAGIC

MAGIC MEMORIES

   Nostalgic warmth can come with a variety of memories.

    Both daughters tell us the sound of basketball sneakers on hardwood, the din of the cheering fans and pep bands and the tones of announcers recall their childhood weekends. Usually a chili or stew simmered a delicious appeal into the mood, completing the sensory recording of a winter's afternoon.

     The girls live elsewhere, but some things don't change.
Even with our address only a mile or so from the Pacific, the magic of a Big Ten Rivalry captivates us. Where I used to have half time or post game chats with dad, or after he passed, with my mom, a real fan to the end, now I'm frequently on with my dear friend Frank, from Falls Church Va.- by way of Indianapolis basketball courts.
     Lana and I met at Ball State and we are fans and supporters of our Alma Mater BSU Cardinals-"the fiercest bird in the robin class" as our old friend Dave Letterman says.  Still, we have jointly been IU fans, at least as long as our marriage.  And I grew up where IU basketball was a religious experience. I've been a fan since I learned to dribble, but I've always had a chunk of heart dedicated to  the Butler Bulldogs, because of the legendary Tony Hinkle and some of their incredible small school big achievements and tenacious brand of basketball.
      We used to book spring vacation travel plans around the IU, Ball State, or Butler NCAA tourney schedule.  Usually it was the IU game we had to catch at an airport, or on a car radio or not fly that day. 

     I've even spent decades watching John Mellencamp become an old man of rock as he and a succession of beautiful women and/or wives take their special seats in Assembly Hall. 

     The best places to watch basketball in Indiana are at the new arena at Ball State, the Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis and the blue print for all great basketball palaces, the Hinkle Field House at Butler University. While IU's Assembly Hall is a terrible venue to see a game, unless you have near the court seats, the spirit, energy and enthusiasm is one of the best to experience.

     It's hard for non mid-west or basketball loving people to get this, but there is a soul calming, almost meditative peace in watching Big Ten or NCAA college hoops.  A couple of California friends talk about baseball with the same reverence.  Something magic about a good game on TV. My dad extended that to golf, and I get that too. 

    The nostalgic memories of my dad, brothers, mom and later my daughters in that mix of familiar sounds and pleasing aromas are a magic at work. 

SPEAKING OF MAGIC

AND GOLF

     Thanks to my golf loving fraternity brother Brian for finding this incredible video of the week.

    See you down the trail.