Some of our favorite, beautiful places are still open. Sandy Stott recently wrote in the Times Record about his.
I’m not sure what the current equivalent is, but a while ago, one of the ways to signal interest in someone was to make that person a “mixtape.” Said tape comprised a neighborhood of songs that you deemed special; it was the kind of ‘hood you wanted to hang out in, and the tape invited that someone to join you there. Mixtapes could range — depending on your tech-chops — from clunky to slick, but whatever their quality, they also offered exposure, sometimes breathtaking exposure. Yes, they were someone else’s words and chords, but, at a time of life when mute was much, they said a lot…about you…to some other. And sometimes that was scary.
So, having drawn that comparison, it is with some trepidation that I offer this short mixtape of moments from visits to nearby public lands, some common grounds I’d like to share. That seems a good way into and through the rising light of spring in a difficult year. When much is closed to us, many of these grounds are open.
