For some Saturday jazz, I enjoyed the fusion sounds of two old favorites: Chick Corea and his band, Return to Forever (Light as a Feather) and Al DiMeola's album, Casino.
1. Listening to Chick Corea and Al DiMeola took me back to first living in Eugene 35-40 years ago and some of my early days listening to KLCC-FM. I experienced Eugene as the Promised Land -- eating ice cream at Prince Puckler's, thumbing through record albums at Everybody's Records or Play it Again Sam's, hearing live music at the WOW Hall, going to movies at the Cinema 7, scanning the book shelves at J. Michael Books, drinking a few cold ones at Max's Tavern, listening to live music and quaffing Budweiser at the EMU Friday Afternoon Beer Garden, walking across campus hearing international students talk in languages from around the world, or spending time relishing the psychedelic colors of and live music at Saturday Market. Back then, Prince Puckler's was where McMenamin's on E. 19th is now; today the former Everybody's Records is the location of the Eugene Piano Academy; J. Michael's was at or near where the Hult Center was built; near campus, if you go to Rainbow Optics, that used to be Play It Again Sam's. (I hope I remember these locations correctly.) I probably spent too much time studying back in those days -- I missed out on a lot by being too diligent (and scared of failing), but even as I devoted so much time to degree work, I loved living where everything felt vibrant, eye-opening, and alive.
2. I drove up the river in the middle of the afternoon and paid Byrdman and Stephanie a visit at their river property, Camp Run-a-muck. Thanks to the way I've been staying home most days since the middle of March, I hadn't see Byrdman in person since Feb. 28th when we went on a drive south of CdA after enjoying lunch at The Dipper. I've become disoriented over the last five months regarding time. On the one hand, it feels like the last five months have all occurred in a single week -- everything seems recent and unchanged -- and, on the other hand, it sometimes feels like years ago since I last played trivia with Mary, Cathy, and Linda or drank martinis at the Sapphire Lounge after hearing live music at the Bing.
Upon my arrival at Camp Run-a-muck, Byrdman and I each grabbed a cold bottle of Kokanee out of a cooler and headed down to the Run-a-muck's seating area on the bank of the North Fork and yakked about all kinds of stuff for a couple of hours. Stephanie came down. So did Dan and Jennifer. Many more friends and family sat together on the riverbank, watching the little kids float on different devices in the shallow river, and having a bunch of conversations.
It was idyllic. The temperature was comfortable, the river calming, and the vibe among all the people was convivial and merry. I look forward to a return visit as soon as possible and, in the meantime, to a drive with Byrdman into the woods again for some sightseeing, hiking, and picture taking.
3. My internet television provider made changes effective today. One change makes me happy. I now have the MLB Network and so this evening I watched the last several innings of the Giants and Rangers. It was fun to hear Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow on the broadcast. Even more, I enjoyed gaining some familiarity with who plays for each team. After the game, I watched the highlights show, Quick Pitch, and enjoyed seeing video clips of some of the moments from today's action that were good for my fantasy baseball teams.
Here's a limerick by Stu:
There comes times when you have to admit.
Your world has sunk into a pit.
But I was told by a friend,
That in time it will end.
And everyone has......well.....uh.....”stuff”!
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