Hold on to Your Potato Chips
Loud gusts of wind on the Blue Ridge Parkway sound like breakers on the shore. They make blades of grass quiver and hikers hold on to their hats. Spread out on a picnic blanket with my head propped on my bent arm, I watch a hawk surf the cloudless blue sky while my friend eats his bologna sandwich. He sits in a beach chair, passing me a plastic bag and then a napkin so they won’t blow away.
Tucking them into my jeans pocket, the nature of our conversation turns to food. What do you like better French fries or potato chips? Apple butter or peanut butter? Ham or bologna? He can’t decide. He likes them all.
After his lunch pail is empty and the hawk is long out of view, we walk back to my parked car at The Saddle overlook. He teaches me a happy song about walking in the sunshine that he and another friend like to sing when they walk.
Remembering another song about walking, I sing the chorus to Aerosmith’s “Walk this Way” in my best heavy metal scream. A look of surprise turns into a frown. He lets me know he likes country better than rock.
Post note: I do respite care some weekends for foster care families, providing support to adults with developmental disabilities. You can read about my close encounter with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith HERE.
April 4th, 2009 5:38 pm
I’m so glad I visited you again..what a peaceful post. netchick sent me and I’m glad.
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
April 4th, 2009 5:48 pm
I can see you and your pal sitting there and watching the Hawk and discussing food….Very picturesque, my dear….There is a line from the middle of an old “ballad”….that starts, ‘..Walk this way….And a thousand violins begin to play….’ It ends…”I’m so misty, and so much in love…..”. Are you familiar with that song?
April 4th, 2009 5:58 pm
I don’t know it. I wonder if Steven Tyler was inspired by it. I’m going to ask my friend to sing the song again and get some of the words. I forget them now.
April 4th, 2009 6:01 pm
Tell Naomi it is from “Misty”.
April 4th, 2009 6:14 pm
Misty…. Walk my way and 1000 violins begin to play…
April 4th, 2009 6:49 pm
You have such a way with imagery. I felt as thought I was there, sitting between the two. For the record, I would have said French Fries. Always, french fries.
April 4th, 2009 7:57 pm
Collen….I knew the name of the song and that it was used in the Clint Eastwood film, “MISTY”, though it was not written for the film…I just wondered if you were familiar with it? LOL!
I use to sing it, as a matter of fact, back in ‘the old days’….!
April 4th, 2009 8:11 pm
I forgot to say…Some people sing…”Walk My Way” and some sing..”Walk This Way”…..It is a wonderful song, isn’t it? There were two famous recordings–The first was an Instrumental by Errol Garner, who wrote the music—One of the GREAT GREAT Jazz pianists, ever—And the other famous recording was Johnny Mathis and it became a standard part of his ‘act’ and in fact, I think he STILL sings it…! It was written in 1954 and the Lyrics were by Johnny Burke. These were the days when “songs” were really “SONGS”! At least, in my opinion. It is a very sophisticated Melody….I have always loved it….!
Johnny Burke also wrote the lyrics to my very favorite song of all time, which I still sing….”HERE’S THAT RAINY DAY”….(Music by Jimmy Van Heusen—They wrote a lot of songs together….) Another very sophisticated melody and with BEAUTIFUL Lyrics. I’m sure there is a YouTube version of this song, too….I haven’t looked, but I would bet there is. Take a gander, my dear….
April 4th, 2009 8:21 pm
HERE is a GREAT rendation by Nancy Wilson…! These are the lyrics as I learned them…..Sinatra sings it and so does Judy Garland…Both changed a word here and there…But Nancy Wilson’s version is Lyrically the “original”. Great Song!
Okay. I’m done…..LOL!
April 4th, 2009 8:23 pm
Thanks Naomi! Your a song encyclopedia.
April 4th, 2009 8:43 pm
Regular “Walk This Way” or Run-DMC “Walk This Way”?
April 4th, 2009 9:15 pm
Just as long as it’s Steven Tyler singing it.
Thanks Naomi. I enjoyed looking at Nancy’s Wilson’s clothes and style as well as listening to her voice.
April 4th, 2009 10:31 pm
What a way to make a sample of a day ample.
April 5th, 2009 2:46 am
A Correction: The film’s full name is actually “Play Misty For Me”….I believe it was the first film Clint Eastwood ever directed and he played a Disc Jockey who has
‘call-ins’ and this one woman who is obssessed with him keeps calling in and asking him to ‘Play “MISTY” for me….” It is kind of a great mystery/thriller….!
April 5th, 2009 2:49 am
the comments here were great…a walk down memory lane. and the photo in the post is gorgeous.
April 5th, 2009 8:15 am
You always keep us thinking. xo
April 5th, 2009 4:40 pm
always surprises when I come here.
Happy Sunday.
Hello Netchick sent me
April 6th, 2009 4:28 pm
Did you get any of this wind and rain and lightening and hail today?
Now, I have to go find my sweater…. 59 and falling!
April 6th, 2009 4:37 pm
A blast from the past (winter) is stirring up as we speak, but it hasn’t done much more than blow at this point.
April 7th, 2009 9:19 am
This wind is tearing us up down here too. I left some small plants out yesterday in the rain and they blew away. I found them all over the yard.