Lip-synching Beethoven

 

Everyone is asleep. Except me. I want to play computer games, but need to make Ralph's breakfast sausage and get some of my steps out of the way. Thus, earphones and silent song.

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, fourth movement. Ode to Joy. Perfect for a crisp fall morning. Nestled among the Scottish/Irish music and ancient rock on my Threecollie Walking List it is something of an anomaly but I like it so it stays. 

It sweetly takes me back to other mornings back in the day. My next younger brother introduced me to this particular work, my very favorite piece of classical music, I think during camping trips to Tirrell Pond in the Adirondacks.

We were nutz in those days. Always hiked in packing butternut squash, whole potatoes, butter, and foil in which to prepare these delicacies in the coals of the campfire. While the boys climbed the mountains measuring DBH on many assorted trees for a college class, couch potato girl stayed in camp, tending the fire, and watching the food so it didn't burn. I didn't even like squash until we cooked it on those long ago hikes, but it's a favorite now.

There is a painting in the dining room taken from photos I took then of lakeshore plants....even then I packed a camera, a little Instamatic given to my by my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Earl. The pics weren't great and neither is the painting, but, ah, the memories!

There was this one time we found the lean-to occupied already, when we got there late in the evening. We traded most of our food for the chance to sleep undercover rather than out in the drizzly rain. With little else left, we ate sardines right out of the can....better than nothing...although not much better. I am of the anti-anchovy persuasion...hate the taste so much I can't even eat the half of the pizza that doesn't have them....tastes like dead fish to me. However, that night I ate those sardines and liked them too. You get that hungry hiking out in the woods. 

Anyhow, everyone else is up now so I can play my music and "sing" along if I want to, but I guess I won't. Time to try to find a motel for that trip to Maine we want to take in a couple of weeks. Ugh...I am not good at that sort of thing either. 

Long Lake, not Tirrell, but you get the idea

"The trail ascends 170 feet in the first 1.75 miles before dropping 450 feet over the last 1.5 miles to the pond."