Acoustic Mastery

Toni Braxton.  

I was listening to her on my drive home tonight.  A lovely evening...and listening to her silken acoustic vocals of Shadowless...

There are few musicians who can sing this RAW
and this BEAUTIFULLY.  

Such control.
Mastery.


I could have driven all night listening to her.

She's a genre all her own.

Restoration through music

It's been a long week, and my brain is fried, my body is tired, and I find myself wanting to do nothing but sit and rest, listen to music. 

Think. 
Dream. 
Restore.

The perfect accompaniment...

Sax by the Sea. 
Composer:  Michael Licari

This CD was given to me as sort of a "going away" gift by a very dear friend about ten years ago when I was moving away.  She knew my love for jazz.  She knew my love for the ocean.  She knew JUST the perfect gift of remembrance.  I think of her EVERY time I listen to this CD.  (Funny how a piece of music connects us instantly to a time, a place, a person, an emotion, an event.  Instant recall.)

(If only I could meet Mr. Licari to thank him for the infinite impression it has left on my life.)

Since then I have listended to this CD so many times that I can't believe it still plays.  I've handled it with kid gloves over the years, having fallen in love from the first moment I listened, wanting to preserve it forever.  I've given this CD as a gift to other people who have treasured it as much as I have.  It's just one of those pieces of music that one never grows tired of listening to.

In a word?  Relaxing.

In fact, I've ripped it to my laptop so that I can listen to it wherever I go -- office, car, travel.  It's perfect for napping when I've been traveling on the road, and since I rarely travel without my laptop, it's my go-to for restfulness, whenever and wherever life finds me.

I recently discovered this video on YouTube. 
(Thank you, Flower4815, for this lovely and powerful illustration to this beloved music!)

This CD is available on Amazon.  I highly recommend it for one's library.

Worthy Reminders

I haven't had time to blog lately.  I snag moments here and there trying to catch up my reading of emails, other blogs, etc., during pauses and breaks of my otherwise very busy last few days in court.

This wonderful blog post made my day.  What a lovely reminder to us all.  So relevant.  Climactic.

It urges me to ask myself:  What are my regrets?  Do they instigate within me an urgency to make things right?  Undo wrongs?  Set records straight?  Connect what lies broken?

Thought provoking.  Yes.

My Hugh-ge Breakfast

Slept in a little this morning.  Feel wonderfully rested.  Now having coffee and contemplating what to eat for breakfast before I head to the gym. 

Hmmm...let's start with a Hugh-ge serving of 'licious.

    THE EYES.  THE CLOSE-SHAVEN BEARD.  THE HAIR. 

Fresh Start

It's dark out, night giving way reluctantly to dawn.  As I sit here over my morning coffee, listening to distant thunder, the rain tapping against the window, I can hear birds chirping in the stillness of this morning.  The symphony of these sounds is a sweet serenade.  A rhapsody of promise.

God's opus.  The melody is beautiful.  The message is sweet and clear.  A new day awaits.  A do-over.  No mistakes.  Another opportunity to make this day count, to make the right choices, to live, laugh, and love ...

to soulfully  dance   to the music and promise of a new day.

It is my absolute favorite time of the day, made even more meaningful and precious by this morning's serenade of nature.

"...in notes by distance made more sweet..."



~ Collins

Laugh of the Day

My good friend and neighbor (who happens to also love red wine, jazz and has my dry sense of humor, by the way--GAWD I love that woman) loaned me a few DVD's a couple of years ago when I mentioned to her that I was in the mood to watch a great movie, either a really good romance or a really funny comedy.   

Two of those I have since watched countless times.  BINGO! Absolutely hysterical, and the perfect cure for pissy moods, those distinctive lift-me-up-out-of-this-suffocating-funk-and-make-me-laugh-my-ass-off kinds of days.  (Surely I'm not the only one who suffers such curses.) Total rescue and renewal.

Death at a Funeral, 2007 version.  

I will never grow tired of this movie.  I'm just sorry I didn't see it at the box office.  I've fallen in love with ALL of the characters, but Uncle Alfie and Simon are very close to the top of my favorites on that list.

Definitely one of my all-time favorite movies.  Ever!

Wine Flies When You're Having Fun

A couple weekends ago I decided to go visit a dear friend of mine in Yadkinville, North Carolina.

Taking a Friday off, I slept in a little longer that morning, got in my morning workout at the gym, showered, packed, then headed south around noon.

Friday midday drive through the mountains

I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to travel.

Unfortunately, having run into construction on the highway, I didn't arrive

at my long-time friend's home until around 4:30 pm that afternoon. 

It had been nearly a year since we'd last been together.

First up:  leisure time, a glass of wine (or two), 

a quick tour of her lovely new home,

then treated to dinner out at a local favorite restaurant.  

(Her home oh-so-lovely!  What a flare for decorating.  And she GETS my taste!)

(We met many years ago while vacationing at Marco Island)

We sat up that night, drinking wine and talking...

and talking...and laughing,...

and  more talking. 

Surrendering to sleep at nearly midnight, we promised to resume catching up on girl time the following morning over breakfast, just before setting out to visit a few vineyards in the area.

My virgin tour of a winery!

Our agenda for Saturday was to visit three local vineyards, partake in some wine tastings, of course, then a short drive to Blowing Rock to begin our shopping spree, a late lunch at one of their quaint and delicious cafes, and an attempt to tackle as much shopping as we could squeeze in. 

First stop of the day:  Laurel Gray Vineyards 

Adorable garden flag! 

Yummy outdoor patio ambiance, breathtaking views of the vineyards,

jazzy-relaxing-spot-on music, and lush spring florals.

One of my gift shop purchases...SO ME!

And this.  OMG.  Yummy on EVERYTHING!

Our second stop:  Buck Shoals Vineyards

It's where I purchased my coveted Wine Flies garden flag!

Check out the awesome touch over the stone fireplace!

 
And then...saving our favorite for last...
indeed the images speak for themselves.

I like my RED wine, and the tasting selection was rather extensive (wink)

and all so delicious.

Only one that I truly did not care for -- yes, it was a sweet, white wine.

Tough decision, but I chose Montepulciano as my favorite of our tastings.

Lovely Old World Charm.

The grounds, terrace and views ... simply breaktaking!

Beautiful statues, rose gardens, fountains, ponds and trees...

Overwhelmingly enchanting.

I had not had this much "girl time fun" in years.

Sweet friend of mine!

Succulent fine wine

to share while we dine

yet so little time!

Our friendship sublime.

In the last couple of years I have found myself pondering my list of criteria on potential places to relocate in that next chapter of my life (the "r" word isn't in my vocabulary).   Time is fleeting indeed, and that time will be upon me before I know it. 

I wonder:  Just where can I picture myself,

where might I want to relocate?