The Blessing of Old Friends

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Graduation (Boy with Teacher), Norman Rockwell
Oil on canvas, The Saturday Evening Post, June 26, 1926

Tomorrow I embark upon a great adventure--the reunion with the Class of 1971 of my high school alma mater, Ruskin High.It's not just any reunion. This year marks the 40th anniversary of our trip across the dais of the cavernous R.L.D.S Auditorium to accept our diplomas. All seven hundred (and then some) of us!

Ruskin High School Class of 1971
R.L.D.S Auditorium, Independence, Missouri

I remember the day as being hot as hell very warm and the ceremony itself as interminably long very inspiring. After the ceremony, my extended family gathered at the local ice cream shop for the traditional graduation party, where we were all treated to the decadent dessert of our choice. I remember very clearly ordering a
"Brown Cow," a huge concoction of far too much chocolate ice cream, carmel and hot fudge sauce, and whipped cream in an enormous glass goblet. It was a thing of beauty.

[Unlike today--with graduates treated to all-nighters at amusement parks or recreation centers, fancy swag bags from vendors around the area, raffle prizes that make Lotto look wimpy, and huge gift checks from friends and family--graduation was taken more in stride in my day. We were appropriately fêted with cards and gifts and cash, to be sure, and there was a modest graduation party at King Louie Bowling Lanes (if I recall correctly), but there were many grads who left the ceremony to return to jobs, and many others who simply looked upon this day more appropriately as the first step into a new phase of life, no Rave  orgy bacchanalia spectacle big bash required.]

I've never been to a high school reunion before. I've been assured that there will be visual aids with the nametags (class photos attached), and even reference books yearbooks for those of us who have lost ours somewhere along the way. Thank goodness for small favors. My current visage is almost nonexistant in my photo as a senior in high school...

...and I think we all were really only embryos of our true selves back then, even though we thought we were so very grown up.

I suspect that even though I won't have instant recognition in many cases, it won't take long for the recollections to start bubbling up. Recollections of adventures in and out of the classroom, friendships forged from years together, and the delightful blessing of sometimes...every once in a while, doing fairly stupid things with those friends.

In a few minutes, I will get in my car and drive to Kansas City for four days of music, feasting, dancing, sightseeing, and picnicking with my fellow Ruskin Eagles. The days and nights will undoubtedy include more adventures, newly forged friendships, the making of memories to be recollected in the future, and almost certainly (if we are very, very lucky) a few stupid things. 

I can't wait to get started.

Today, I hope you'll call an old friend and share a memory.

You probably guessed what the music today would be, didn't you? It's the iconic music heard at virtually every graduation in America, Eward Elgar's  "Pomp and Circumstance Military March, March No. 1 in D"

Elgar wrote 39 marches for this opus, with "pomp" referring to the military pageantry of war, and "circumstance" as the condition of the actual horror of war.

None is more recognizable than the very first, but in fact, what most of us have heard is only one section of the entire march called "the trio" which is usually repeated again and again during the graduation processional.

The entire work is much more satisfying, and I  hope you'll take a listen. I chose this performance by the German Military Music Service conducted by Colonel Dr. Michael Schramm. This version is played the way it was meant to be played...as a military march. It has all the precision, power, and strength that accompanies the military, and even though you may have heard it a hundred times, the ending of this one is enough to make you want to listen again. Enjoy!

This Sacred Morning

"I'll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time."
- Emily Dickinson

Sunrise Over the Fields, Ergany - Camille Pissarro, 1891
Drawing-Pastel, Private Collection

Well, as far as I can tell, no one was "raptured" yesterday evening. The seismographs were silent, and the 'end of days' was a bust for a few members of "Family Radio." 


I feel a little sorry for Harold Camping today. It's a glorious morning here in Weldon Spring, but I don't think that Mr. Camping, wherever he is (decidedly on Earth, though), is enjoying the glory of it. 


Predictions regarding the End of Days/End Times/Judgement Day/Rapture have been bandied about since the dawn of time. Mr. Camping was certainly not the first to elevate himself to the position of God's Messenger only to be embarrassed and demoted to Discredited Kook, and he certainly won't be the last. Tsk.


When will people learn?  


As for myself, I'm very glad to be here today. The morning is breaking as I write this, and the lavender ribbons in the sky predict a beautiful day. Be happy, Mr. Camping. We all make mistakes. This is a new day for you, too. The sun is up, it's a sacred day, and you are loved.  


Let us rejoice and be glad in it! 


Sir Edward Elgar must have been a very earnest man. His music is some of the most somber and heavy music ever written. Interestingly, he was capable of great lyricism, too.


I think one of the finest pieces ever written in tribute to morning is  his work, "Chanson de Matin" or Opus 15, No. 2,written in 1899.


This is performed by the Orchestra Da Camera, U.K., and is set to photos and paintings from the Victorian Era. Hmmm...that was right around the time that a certain William Miller was predicting the 'End Times"... enjoy! 


  

Saturday Sojourn - Red Rock Canyon, Boulder City, NV

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia."

- Charles Lindbergh






Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Boulder City, Nevada



Las Vegas is well known for its "Strip," a main thoroughfare through the city known for its grand hotels, noisy casinos, and opulent entertainment. Sparkle, glitz, and glamour is the name of the game on this street, and there seems to be a never-ending contest of one-upmanship to see which developer can build the most impressive monument to conspicuous consumption. It is an eye-popping experience to travel the four mile length from end to end.

If you continue west of the strip for just another fifteen miles, you will see for yourself how insignificant the human contest to impress really is.

Red Rock Canyon, a protected site of 195,819 acres in Clark County, NV, has been home to no less than six separate cultures of Native Americans through the history of North America. It is a vast expanse of red rock formations, sandstone peaks, and other-worldly plant species.

The scenic delights here make the Las Vegas Strip look like nothing but tiny tacky children's toys. Indeed, you know as you hike through any of the dozens of trails that all that glitz and glamour is close by...somewhere, but there is absolutely no evidence of it, no matter where you turn in any direction. You are surrounded only by the greatest grandeur imaginable...the stunning beauty of the Earth herself. 

This was our second visit to Red Rock Canyon in about six months, and I suspect that we will continue to explore it each time we come to visit the Happy Couple. I can't imagine ever "finishing" this tour.

Here are just a few of the images I captured on this visit...  

Delicate beautiful flowers are evident, though

almost all are shielded by a phalanx of thorns, 

 Huge rock monoliths scatter the landscape

Look closely and you can still see the
ancient petroglyphs on the cave walls...

The flowers and berries were bright spots of color in the scenery

...and even felt as lush as an English garden at times.

The rock formations were a kaleidoscope of colors...

 ...and some of the paths were a deep soft red.

 The scrub oaks found their places between the immense rocks

...and the Joshua Tree cacti were always close by

Some of the formations appeared to be frowning...

But this one was definitely smiling...

Today I hope you can take a few minutes to drink in the powerful beauty of the earth around you.

What a strange choice of music...you may think that as you listen.  I did listen to hours of Native American music as I prepared to choose something to honor and reflect the Southwest for this post, but my mind kept drawing me back to Edward Elgar and his majestic music of Nimrod from "Enigma Variations." This version is conducted by Daniel Barenboim with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, opening the 1997 season at Carnegie Hall.

Elgar never held back. This evocative piece is indicative of the sweeping panoramas, the magnificence of nature, and the deeply felt emotions of the day. Enjoy.