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Let the Music Do Its Thing

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As I approached the border, I couldn’t help but notice the exit called Montée Glass/Montée Guay.

Immediately, I was transported back to the uncountable times we took this highway and this exit to go to my father’s boat, docked at Rouse’s Point, on Lake Champlain. I could see the map in my head clearly: take the exit, turn, almost in a circle to drive along Montée Guay until we reached a road, the name of which I don’t think I ever knew, which would take us to the smaller (and often less busy) border crossing. Those days of sailing were great. It would have been fitting that I had been listening to “Come Sail Away” by Styx – which was, to my surprise, in my box of CDs. However, as I was still in Canada, my radio station was still nice and clear, and CDs far from my mind.

How often we stopped at Sandy’s Deli to pick up sandwiches to go… Mmmm…. Hey, maybe I would snake across on my way back? The timing would be right and I would come home with supper all ready!

I was brought back to the present thanks to the fuzz of a disappearing station. I reached over into my box and what does my hand land on? Blues Traveler’s “Straight on Till Morning”. When putting my box together, I just had to take this one. It was one of Mick’s favourites for road trips. I often wonder at the Universe’s sense of humour. I mean, here I am driving towards my lover while my late husband keeps me company. And it wasn’t weird at all. It was an odd sort of right.

After that moment of nodding to the Universe, I burst out laughing when Canadian Rose came on because, well. Ironic. My American, however, isn’t ugly, and I live very far from Vancouver and we are not young and naïve and meeting in Burlington, but yanno, the spirit of it all…

And just as that high-pitched keyboard thing that is their signature sound was getting on my nerves, it also came at the end. What next?

The I-87 is not the most exciting of highways and one I have taken many a time. Pink Martini’s “Splendor in the Grass”, one of the two albums of theirs I did find (though not the ones I wanted) kept me company as I passed by all the familiar: Plattsburgh, where we occasionally went to the beach (I was never big on doing my Christmas shopping in the States, unlike many peeps I know), Lake Placid, remembering our climb up Whiteface in 2013. Our training for the following year when we did Mount Washington.

About two hours in, I need to make a pit stop and I ended up at the very lovely High Peaks Rest stop. Some of these places are worth visiting!

Necessaries done, I hit the road, passing by more familiar signs, Fort Ticonderoga, Lake Moreau, Lake George… Gosh, how old were we when we went to visit Frontier Town ans Ausable Chasm? I can still see our (my sister’s and me) jean jumpsuits with the STP logos on the front. Hah! When I hit the Twin Bridges (officially Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridge), I knew I was approaching Albany and not all that much further to go.

The miles rolled by as the tunes kept me company. I was now on A.J. (son of Jim) Croce’s debut album that I’ve been listening to since it came into being way back in 1993. He was all of 22 when he recorded it, and sounded like an old black blues singer. I remember being in Sam the Record Man and this song was playing and I boogied and bopped my way to the cash to ask who this was and where to find a copy.

Much as the tunes were great, I was looking forward to getting off the I 87S and into more scenic territory…

108 thoughts on “Let the Music Do Its Thing”

  7. Dale, this makes me yearn to travel back to your beautiful Canada and do the border crossing to the States. Last time was 2004, we flew to Seattle then made a memory-lane visit to the lady who in 1944 shared her already-crowded house near Vancouver with my homeless parents. My older sister was still a baby, born in New Brunswick. Father was in the RAF. You’ve given me a joyful swatch of new-to-me tunes to scare up from YouTube too. Such a great article, thank you so much. Your happiness is infectious!

    Liked by 1 person

    • If you do, Jilly, and you happen to pass by Montreal, I sure hope you would let me know!
      When I went out to Vancouver to visit family, we crossed over to Seattle to go to this cool bar/restaurant where they had a dinner show, it was called Maz and Me’s or something like that. The night we went, the show was M.A.S.H. 4076 1/2 with Radar O’Really and Hotlips Hooligan… so funny.
      So glad my little post opened up your memory box and introduced you to some tunes!

      Like

  9. Such a lovely post of music and memories.
    “And it wasn’t weird at all. It was an odd sort of right.” ❤️

    That makes me think of a song, “I’ll Be Here,” from the show “Ordinary Days.” I first heard it at an Audra McDonald concert.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks for joining me! Glad you enjoyed the music. AJ is great. He started singing his father’s songs only recently – boy! There is sounds even more like him.

      Like

  14. Dear Dale,

    You have a way of sharing your life that’s far from sappy with just enough sentiment. I enjoyed this leg of your journey and the music. A.J. is his father’s son.

    Shalom and lotsa loving hugs,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rochelle,

      That is such a lovely thing to say. Thank you for that! I am glad you enjoyed this leg. AJ is even more so now that he is older 🙂

      Shalom and lotsa music-filled love,

      Dale

      Like

  16. Dale, hadn’t heard Jim Croce name evoked in awhile. He’s from my area, and as a matter of fact back in March the community of Lyndell PA unveiled a historical marker honoring him. The marker was to have been installed earlier but was delayed by the pandemic. His raceway song “Rapid Roy The Stock Car Boy” was supposedly inspired by the go-cart track in Lyndell. What a career in such a short period of time. Died way, way too young. Loved taking this road trip with ya!

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    • I wasn’t a huge connoisseur of Jim but I fell in love with AJ. How cool that he was from your area. Always sad when they die so young in such circumstances.
      Glad you enjoyed the ride!

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I want to say SO MUCH about this post! What a fun post and with its own soundtrack 🙂 I love these lines: “I often wonder at the Universe’s sense of humour. I mean, here I am driving towards my lover while my late husband keeps me company.” Oh, honey, you could go so many places with those lines!

    And where were you going to wind up after Albany? That’s close to mi tierra, my hometown is about 35 miles northeast of Albany, taking Rte 7 and Rte 5 (I hate interstates).

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Hey, what on earth happened to my comment? I remember starting to write yesterday and then…. hell at work – one deadline on top of another and… I’m over my head!] It was great driving with you! I look forward to the next scene! 😉 xoxoxoxo

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  21. Pingback: Friday Fictioneers for September 9th, 2022 – Our Literary Journey

    • I could not agree more. And thank you. I am so glad you enjoyed the ride and the music. It is funny how that works. Mind you, in the next part, it’s a totally different vibe (I think… not quite there yet 😉 )

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Q

    It’s interesting how road trips bring out our musical sensibilities. I tend to roam in the same circles when I’m tripping on tunes. The stuff I dig, sure, the new drugs of choice, why not, and every now and again a lost playlist that was never a playlist at all. But my legs don’t stretch until an event: like a road trip.

    That’s when the tunes are free to roam the grounds. All of them.

    Sorry, I’m thinking this is a fucking amazing music post. Because it IS the road trip playlist that we all subscribe to when ensconced in our drive-me time.

    Fantastico! And Croce’s kid . . . the genes. WTF.

    B

    Liked by 1 person

  26. On my blog, I have a new series titled “Misty Watercolor Memories” which is all about songs and memories. In this case, Blues Traveler takes me back to when I lived in Minneapolis in the 90’s. They were the “house” band at the 400 Club in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood right before they started to hit it big.

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  29. It’s funny how music can either bring you back to a period of time, take you further to see the future or even slow things up to appreciate the present a little more. But it’s great that the music helped you. Thanks for sharing!

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