Nature Gave Me My Voice
With a little help from John Denver, Shenandoah and Yellowstone, an Old Volkswagon Van, and an older Martin Guitar, I found my voice, found my home, and found a way to make sense of it all.
The Dream
………….By the time I turn seventy I’d like to put together a very nature based album of all the best songs I’ve ever written, something John Denver could enjoy sitting in the Rockies, watching the campfire turn to embers, as a beautiful sunset turns into a star filled night. That’s the Dream. Notice the Cd cover in the picture says, “ the first fifty years” I want this last one to cover everything, all the beauty, wonders, joys, and emotions. I want it to celebrate the nature that has touched me, is all around us, and that flows through us all. I want it to truly be, “My Life’s Songs’.
Since this is a work in progress, and this web site contains much else that will express and showcase my passions for nature these first videos are simple, raw, and real. Just a small taste of what is yet to come. I hope you enjoy them. I’ll add new songs and improvements along the journey.
My Life in Two Songs
If I had to pick two songs to describe me it would be these. Both born out of some difficult times that got me thinking about my life and why I’ve lived the way I have. “Hey Martin” was written while contemplating my own mortality after a cancer diagnosis that lead to a kidney being removed. I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn’t. Instead I let my two oldest friends sing the words and tell the story. “ My Old Van” answered a self posed question, that hit me while hitchhiking for help. After driving the same old VW Bus for 28 years, “ Why the hell am I still driving this old van when I could easily buy a new one”? (And now it’s been 48 years)
Going to the Mountains, Going to Nature, is Going Home
Sharing the Passion
Being able to share my love of nature with my students, as their science teacher, their camp trip coordinator, or their hiking buddy has always been a joy. On October 12, every year, we took a “life lesson” day and immersed ourselves in some John Denver in the classroom. Our campfire camaraderie moments were often very moving and memorable. While I have none of those times to share I do have a little “howling” from a school talent show to show you.