When I was about fourteen years old, the piano preludes of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) changed my life. Before then, the piano music my teacher gave me was mostly from the Classical Period with some from the Romantic Period. Czerny and Hanon were the backbone of the technique she taught.
When I was in the eighth grade, I wrote a paper with the title, “Enthusiasm is Contagious.” I can’t remember what class it was for—but I do remember we had to stand in front of the room and read our paper to the class. I can’t say that anyone was bowled over with my writing or oratory skills. It was memorable because my teacher made a remark that it was an odd choice—I was not the outgoing, spirited type of person. At that moment, I realized people are judged by what is seen on the outside. I am not saying that is bad—it is a natural tendency. We can’t know what goes on inside a person.
In November 2022, I wrote a blog, “Too Many Books?” The essay ponders the question of whether or not one can own too many books.
The lady across the street would play “Beer Barrel Polka” on the hammond organ. The organ was in her living room and when my family walked over to visit, she always played the organ for us. I remember watching her...
Character matters. My parents taught me this—not through words, but by their actions. Our family did not talk a lot. Mealtimes were for eating and other times were reserved for work or relaxation. It seemed to never occur to my family to have discussions. However, by watching how my parents interacted with people, it was evident that character and compassion were important.
For our vacation, my husband and I traveled across country to Pismo Beach, California. I had only seen pictures and read about the various activities available there. It seemed like the perfect place for us. We realized that if we did not go now, we may never go.
One of our reasons in traveling to California was to simply sit and watch the sun set over the water in the evenings. I have read that the sunset is one of the most photographed natural events in the world. And, on the ocean, the nightfall is even more spectacular—worthy of many pictures!
This is my hundredth blog. My first blog was posted on December 17, 2020 during the pandemic. It has been quite a journey for me and I hope for you as well! And speaking of journeys . . . it...
In the 1920s, with the mass production of the automobile, families began to take road vacations. California and the West were isolated from the rest of the country because many roads were unmarked, not kept up, and often stopped at the foot of the mountains. Congress was persuaded to change this by building a national paved road from Chicago to Los Angeles. Route 66 was completed in 1926.
When I told someone that my husband and I were driving to California for a vacation, the person asked, “Why California?” I replied, “I want to sit and look out over the ocean. I want to watch the sunset in the evening. I want to feel small and to experience the immensity of the ocean, of the world—of life. He responded, “You can get the same thing at The Grand Canyon.” So why is California calling?
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