Fishing Trip

"Nobody knows who's real and who's fakin..."

Deep Purple - Fireball 1971

My mind wanders again...

Staring out the window into the coolness of a breezy mid-August morning, I can see, and feel it. There is a brisk undertone now, to the beginnings of the days. The angle of the sun, changing so surreptitiously with each passing, now suddenly casts itself across the hills to my right in an almost wintry fashion. The impact of that realization sends a shiver through me almost as quickly as I smile, knowing that, even though I am witness to this every year, it's a harsh way to be reminded that as aware of the passage of time as I like to think I have become, I am still really not.

"No one came from miles around and said, who's he...?"

In 1971, Deep Purple released the Fireball album. One of my most beloved musical talismans, they now stride maniacally through "No One Came" at low volume as I slip another blue-winged olive out of the vise. I understand about allegiances and loyalties. And I respect passion. Passion for what it is that is important to an individual, or, in this case, to a group of musicians. And that's partially why I still know every word of every song from not only this masterpiece, but from nearly all of their recorded history, save for a brief period in the mid-80s where Ian had left the band and Jon had discovered synthesizers. Maybe that's why he left, but that's neither here nor then. All I know is that the music and lyrics they created are now to me as they were then. Acutely, intensely, everlastingly right on. For god's sake, given my sets of experiences, no other music could have possibly struck so deeply into the heart of a child of the late 60s who cared less about peace and love and more about staying up all night blasted out his gourd wondering about the machinations of the cosmos! Deep Purple were my inspiration, my way. And forever will they remain deeply embedded in the flesh and blood of my being.

I clamp a #16 into the vise. Another olive. Experience tells me that no matter how many I tie, it will not be enough, unless... yeah, there's always the caveat.

6 more days.