Spring is finally springing in Shaver Lake and it’s sooooo glorious!
On my way to work yesterday morning, I was so taken with the blooming dogwoods that I ran out at lunch time and drove up and down the mountain and pulled my Jeep off the beaten track wherever possible (my first mini taste of the off-roading season) taking pictures of everything in bloom. It was fabulous! Being out in nature on a bright, sunny, Spring day, taking pictures of the blossoms, ridin’ in my Jeep (too bad the top’s not off yet), and the heady smell of the pines warmed by the Sun. Wow! I live and work here and I get to see this vista everyday going up and down the mountain. Awesome!!
The only thing that was missing was the right music. Years ago when we went to Yosemite camping, I road my bike all over the valley floor listening to a tape (shows you how long ago that was) I used to have entitled “Relax With The Classics - Largo.” The same native Pacific Dogwoods we have here were in full bloom during that camping trip, and driving up the mountain yesterday reminded me of that experience. There was a recording of a concerto for strings and two mandolins that I would play over and over again. What a great memory. So as I drove past stands of dogwoods, I kept hearing that symphony in my head. Of course I had to go online that afternoon and it took me forever to find a place that still sells copies of that series, but I did find them and purchased them on CD. I can’t wait to get the CD and upload the audio file (here it is for your listening pleasure! “Andante Molto from Concerto for Two Mandolins” by Antonio Vivaldi) so you can listen to the mandolin concerto as you peruse these pictures of Shaver in bloom!
Enjoy!! 