Connections – Bob Dylan and Me – 4 Degrees of Separation?

Moving requires new connections – here & also on MFP I’m glad to connect with old friends and even make some new ones.

I moved a lot in my early life – THREE high schools in very different environments.
My ongoing family music project and a recent documentary illustrates that.

In 1962 we moved to Queens, NYC.  I was 15. 
My mother joined a chorale of a local group of women.
One of the women was Grace Van Ronk.  I remember when her husband died, and the women at the wake were commenting about her son. 
It seems he looked like a hippie – long hair, beard and clothes of the era.

I remember the women talking about how “Grace must be so embarrassed.”
More likely she was proud of her son and his music. I understood that he was quite well known in the evolving folk music community of Greenwich Village in Manhattan. 

I liked folk music and even bought the album of the “Newport Folk Festival 1963.”    I still have it.

Last week I was watching a documentary about Bob Dylan.  I always liked his music, although I must admit I preferred it sung by somebody else, usually Peter, Paul & Mary.
When I bought a guitar in 1968 trying to learn to play from a PBS show, I used the song book “Folk Music Today” with a lot of Dylan songs. 

Anyway, what a shock when repeatedly featured on the documentary were videos and commentary of Dave Van Ronk! 
It seems he was a mentor of Bob Dylan and many other musicians.  He was known as the “Mayor of MacDougal Street”
There was even a movie based on his life.  He released several moderately successful albums. 

Some google research - “Van Ronk was born in Brooklyn.  He moved from Brooklyn to Queens around 1945 and began attending Holy Child Jesus Catholic School”
That was OUR parish. That’s how our mothers met.   Joe & I were married in Holy Child Jesus Church.  

Connection #2 – As I edit over 100 newly digitized tapes of 25 years of my children’s music, I found a performance of my DD (Hayburner1969) at age 12 broadcast by the European Broadcast Union.  Two children from each of 5 countries were featured. 
The other USA musician was Joshua Bell.  If you follow classical music, you recognize the name.  He went on to a famous and very successful international career.
My DD stopped competing after college, got married, had 3 kids and teaches middle school music.  I did write on Spark about her successful return to the stage back in 2016. 
In 2019 we traveled to Munich and St Petersburg for her performances. 

If you’ve read this far, thank you.  While I don’t blog as much as I used to, it’s nice to have a platform to record my thoughts.

If you would like to hear my DD on that International Broadcast, this is the link. 

Jeanne (Hayburner1969) at age 12

(If not clickable, just copy and paste the URL into your browser)

http://www.brigs.us/portfolio/Music%20Archive/Tape-61b%20Music%20Joy%20of%20Youth%20USA%20Jeanne%20Backofen%20Arabesque%20I.mp3

“Stop Whining and Find Something to Do” - An Update – Where I’ve Been

 It’s been over a month since I blogged about my unplanned summer

I did write about it on a few of the Spark “lifeboat” groups I’ve joined.

This is a general update

After I stupidly decided to “hop” for a fitness survey in June, my injury was finally diagnosed by MRI on August 9^th
I have a “tear in the posterior horn of my medial meniscus”
Fortunately, I had one of these in my other knee in 2017, so I know that it will heal with treatment and TIME

I decided to continue with rehab exercises only at home.  I have a treadmill, a bike, resistance bands and a whole lot of stairs.
This is preferable to rehab with a therapist because of all the clients who refuse to follow Covid safety guidelines.
Not even the death of a well known church member and the hospitalization of others has convinced our majority to get vaccinated or at least wear a mask indoors around other people.

While I gradually increased my walking time & distance, I kept up with my upper body exercise with my set of hand weights.

Then on August 19^th, I cut my hand on a big sharp knife while emptying the dishwasher.  My DH Joe bought a set of new knives to process our garden produce. They are way beyond anything necessary to cut vegetables.  Lots of blood in the sink and stitches required.  The cut was on my very dominant right hand and limited its use.

That ended hand weight exercise and even my ability to type. 
The stitches were removed yesterday and my fingers are working fine. I was lucky actually.  It could have been much worse.
 
Meanwhile, I have buried myself in a very emotional project – organizing & indexing over 100 cassette tapes of my children’s music
Some of you may remember my DD Jeannie from Spark (Hayburner1969) and how she returned to piano competition in 2016 after 25 years
What you likely did not know is that her early career included performing with her piano partner.  They even won a trip together to NYC.
Hearing these little girls play again is emotional because Jeannie’s partner Mimi died at age 13. 

I’ve listened to about 50 hours of the recordings and I’m about half way done.
I’m using “Audacity” software to trim sections of each tape in separate files.  I’m creating a new section on my website – a family archive of an important part of our lives.
At one point we had 3 pianos so they could all practice at the same time.   Also flute, string bass, trumpet and trombone echoed through the house. 
A few tapes are of Community Theater productions.  Jeannie had child solos while I was in the chorus and sewed a lot of costumes. 

Summer is almost over – not what I planned, but I know others have had much worse to deal with.
I am grateful that I can type again and can now walk 4 miles over the course of the day in 1 mile intervals. 

I am also grateful for my online connections.  I’ve been reading even if not able to respond much.
Stay safe, stay well

Eileen