Rosy Summer Daze

I think it's safe to say that songs often mean different things to different people. 

First time I ever heard John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High," I was sitting at a table in the Middle Earth Tavern on First Avenue in Sandpoint.

At that table were Cliff Irish, Jim Jasman and one of my SHS English teaching colleague Terry Lauderbach.  

I often wonder whatever happened to Terry.  Haven't seen or heard from her since she left Sandpoint High after a year or so. 

We were all young, newly-minted grown-ups and, at that time, the Middle Earth (Jim Pucci's sandwich pub) was the place to be. 

I think we met up with Cliff and Jim after walking inside, so we all sat down and probably laughed our heads off while the juke box played songs of the day. I remember instantly liking "Rocky Mountain High." 

And, so every time I hear the song, images of sitting at that table in that popular pub with those friends pops into my mind.

For some reason on this lovely summer day while snapping a few morning photos, "Theme from a Summer Place" popped into my mind. 

Now, that really dates me, but I'm sure I'm not alone. My memories of "tuning" in to that song take me back to Kalamazoo, Mich., probably the summer of 1963.  

When we took our road trips as youngsters to Kalamazoo (where my mother graduated from college and home of my Aunt Louise), we stayed at Louise's house.

She was rather well-to-do in those times, and so we, as kids, were pretty impressed that she lived on a lake.

Twas called West Lake.

Every morning, once we'd eaten breakfast, we'd head down the hillside to the lake and spend the day. 

There were fish poles and, of course, the opportunity to almost turn into fish ourselves with the amount of time we spent in the water. 

I'll never forget how easy it was to catch fish on West Lake.  They were the pan fish variety and they weren't too selective when seeking out a meal----even an empty fish hook looked good to these West Lake fish.

Throw that line out and pretty much every time, we'd reel in a crappie or a perch or a sun fish. 

In 1963, Louise's next-door neighbors were the Sellers, and during our time there, I became friends with Donna Sellers, a young mom at the time. I was going on 16. 

We corresponded for a few years (hand-written letters, no less).

It was probably during those days and probably Donna who had a radio going down at the lake, and that's where I first heard "Theme from a Summer Place." 

It became my favorite song that summer and has always remained a favorite.  It reminds me of warm, laid-back days filled with not much other than simply enjoying the summer.

And, when we were in Michigan, we didn't have chores, getting to recreate in that lake all day with hardly a care in the world----that was the best. 

So, on this morning, when it's warm and comfortable and it's summer, why not do a little time travel through music. 

After all, it is one of the best ways to go on the road to the pure nostalgia of our life journeys. 

 Hope you enjoy my indulgence of my own little mental trip back to Michigan and West Lake and adolescent bliss.

  Such times allow us to enjoy smelling the roses and embrace the beauty of summer. 

Happy Tuesday.