Change of Attitude

Haiku My Heart
April 1, 2011

Haiku My Heart is presented by Rebecca who pens the recuerda mi corazon blog. Every Friday there is Haiku. Take a look for yourself and be amazed, or go and find out how to participate and be amazed.

          

Young souls, water flows

Little honey together

Even love still flows 

This past week, no, this past month, has been turmoil in my brain. What happens in there affects my heart. I won't even try to explain as I want to leave it all behind. I searched my soul and decided I needed a complete attitude adjustment. I started to work on some creative things that I have made commitments for. Getting my head wrapped around an activity is a pleasant way for me to change the scenery in my puzzled head.

One project involved some photography and that meant searching through old archives of digital and printed photographs. (Wait til you see what I found for Shadow Shot Sunday!). I came across this gem from 1973.

Our camera looked just like this stock photo I found on the internet

It was taken by our then high tech Yashica Electro 35 camera. One of the only items I brought back from my visits to Hong Kong. I used the timer setting and hurried to get back to the "set" to get myself in the picture as we were alone, climbing on the rocks along the Pigeon River at a place called The High Falls.

Where the Pigeon River flows into the Great Lake Superior creates the political boundary between Canada and the United States. Back in the 1970's, access to view the High Falls wasn't available from the US side, as it was private land. But access to a minimum maintenance trail from the Canadian side was. Entry back and forth from the US to Canada and return was a simple matter of a nod of your head when asked if we were citizens of the US or Canada and a quick eye scan check of the back seat for tobacco or booze.

When I saw the photo, I remembered those days. No kids yet in our life. We ventured up along the North Shore of the Great Lake and found this muddy pot-holed gravel mess of a road and drove in to the dead end where we took off on foot to follow the remnants of an old logging sluice to a place right besides the falls.

The High Falls themselves had a drop of 120 feet, (36.5 meters), and would run quite spectacular in Spring. Fall saw them recede a bit depending on the rainfall through the Summer.

We would travel to this place often, and still get there once per year to this day, in August, when we attend the Grand Portage Pow Wow and Rendezvous. I can look at ourselves and how we have aged, yet I see us as the same people. I dove into the beautiful Fall day in 1973. I remembered how much Mrs. Spadoman trusted me and has stayed with me through a lifetime of living together through thick and thin. I recall just earlier this month when we spent three weeks together driving through the Southwest stopping at mountain overlooks and Historic Markers to stand together.

The photo brought me some inner peace.

I will have to use that timer function on our current day camera and recall some of those stops along the highway.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with our theme song. I feel better now. Thanks.


Side By Side
Harry Woods, 1925

Oh, we ain't got a barrel of money,

Maybe we're ragged and funny;

But we'll travel along, singin' a song,

Side by side.

Don't know what's comin' tomorrow,

Maybe it's trouble and sorrow;

But we'll travel the road, sharin' our load,

Side by Side.

Through all kinds of weather,

What if the sky should fall; 

Just as long as we're together,

It doesn't matter,

Doesn't matter at all.

When they've all had their quarrels and parted,

We'll be the same as we started;

Just travelin' along, singin' a song,

Side by Side.

Here's an old recording of Side By Side done sometime in the 1950's

There, now I feel better. I'm praying for the people of Japan and some sick friends and relatives. That seems a better placement of my thoughts today, One Day at a Time.

Peace