* * * * * An interesting story can propel you to faraway shores * * * * *
I began writing love songs, family songs and classical music for the piano and organ while working on a Music Degree in Composing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth Campus.
I have been a church organist for many years and also provide music lessons for piano, voice, organ and accordion in my home. I have presented several music concerts, which featured some of my compositions, including my favorite "Sal's Boogie-Blues."
I have written a First Book Of Poetry and a book of ten Travel Memoirs. I am on the Board of Directors at the Bear Roots Art Colony in Orr, Minnesota and in the past four years I have had thirty poems and two memoir essays published. In July of 2005 I was awarded a Scholarship for a Travel Workshop, plus housing, at the Split Rock Arts Program, held at the University of Minnesota.
I have three children who
are all off on their own engineering careers. Tom and Ruth live in Hood River, Oregon. Sharon and Bob live in Grand Marais, Minn and are in the process of moving from Willow, Alaska. Laura and Jeff live in Missoula, Montana. My granddaughter, Tara, and her sixteen month old Alina, live four blocks from me and I truly love having them close by.
I enjoy many varied styles of music and my hobbies include music festivals, dancing, travel and especially scuba diving. My stories include travels to Europe and Asia, and scuba diving in the South Pacific and the Caribbean. I have been diving for fourteen years and it is the most thrilling thing I have ever done.
Gliding beneath the ocean's surface as though floating in space - drifting over a colorful coral reef - seeing all the varied sizes and shapes of fish - feels like an ethereal experience that cannot be duplicated. It's a spine tingling experience.
So, let me take you away in spirit with my music and my writing to dreamed about adventurous vacations.
MUSIC ~~
like acrobats across the miles
turning – twisting - twirling
among tree tops,
over mountains peaks
reclining in meadows of wildflowers.
BALLADS ~~
capturing one’s soul
surrounding our hearts
sensed – sensual – beloved
romantic message of love
resonant spirits of desire.
MUSIC ~~
across the oceans
to South Pacific shores
in hidden and quiet places
beneath – palm trees - shade
where rest and tranquility prevail.
SALSA ~~
Cuban delight
in exotic Caribbean lands
metal drums of musical magic
dancing across white tipped ocean waves.
mysterious - marvelous - inspiring.
MUSIC ~~
Depicts wild and brave adventures
lifting one’s spirits high
to far away picturesque lands
sailing to far away exotic places
and exquisite scenes beneath the sea,
To dance in star filled ruby skies.
Adventure’s Kiss
Walking on clouds as soft as a lover’s breath - feathery as the morning breeze - resplendent as the noonday sun waltzing on each slow flowing river - winding into the waiting arms of the sea.
Soft as the mornings kiss on my waking eyelids - lifting me high like a Ferris wheel - spinning me off to celestial shores, where fantasy and reality merge into one.
Adventure’s kiss is as beautiful as a sweet-scented gardenia. Its petals opening and reaching to inhale the atmosphere rushing into its core. Deep and true it is always there, just as adventure and I will always be there.
When absent it is still a part of me. Then my heart races with anticipation - its magnetism creating an everlasting bond, and my soul yearns for its intoxication - unsettling my psyche until we are together.
It’s like a lone candle lighting the ebony night - or fireflies glowing in a roomful of dreams. Its kiss touches me as the sun rises each dawn, and the moon overflows the sky each night. It is woven into the fabric of my being.
Oh Love
Oh love, inebriate of thee am I
With the taste of thy sweet wine
I gaze upon flowers ne’er before seen
And hear birds singing songs of love
While the moon shines softly down.
Dare I drink this sweet, sweet wine
And dare I smell the sweet fragrance
Of wild flowers bursting in bloom
Dare I hear birds singing angel songs
And walk in the shadows of the moon.
Dare I risk this irresistible walk
Down this flower strewn path
To sip this red effervescent wine
Dare I gaze upon angel birds in flight
And walk in the glow of evenings’ light.
Do I hear the voice of my beloved
Longing to reach where I reside
As pleasant as a summers day
As brilliant as a winters snow
Oh love, inebriate of thee am I.
Calling To Me
My need to inhale this place
Is as pungent as an aged wine
Rolling around on my tongue
Waiting to be taken in and absorbed.
Its aura is compelling, overwhelming
Calling out to me
Flowing all around
Surrounding and captivating me.
I breathe it all in
Drink it all in
Bring it home with me to savor
Like a delicate cuisine.
These majestic buildings
Call to the masses
Come to me
Learn from me
Open your minds
Absorb from the beginning of time.
Tall columns hold up their façade
While massive, tall trees stand
Guard at their entrances.
Calling out “Enter in:
I will teach you everything.”
I’m a late bloomer, filled with excitement
And anticipation as I walk the wide path
I see opening ahead of me
Full of possibilities,
Making dreams come true.
I am hungry for more
I am bursting forth from my cocoon.
The immensity of this place of learning
Calls out to me, over and over again.
Pleading with me to return
Return to her.
Learn from her.
Down By the Sea
If I’d been born a mermaid
I’d dance on sun-kissed waves
and frolic in the oceans deep
from now throughout eternity.
So, the day that I turned fifty-five
I reached for the rainbows in the sky
Leaving the stygian clouds behind
I knew I was in for a big surprise.
I long for a place down by the sea
where seagulls can play endlessly
and sparkling alabaster sand
will reach as far as Never Land.
I’ll greet the sunrise each new day
walk along a small quaint bay
watch an eagle gliding in flight
and survey the tide roll in each night.
I’ll sit by the sea and dream
watch the waves roll in and scheme
of how to make my dreams come true
as I gaze across the ocean’s blue.
I’ll hire a dive boat to explore
the ocean’s deep by rocky shores
I’ll see creatures big and small
and dive the reefs, one and all.
So, I’ll find me a cottage by the sea
cause living there’s my destiny
please, come and visit me one day
I know you too will want to stay.