From Ted Nicholas.
I know that I promised to upload "I Dream of the Island", the original song, as the first of my "island songs" section on my YouTube page. However, I decided that perhaps a more fitting song would be better for the beginning of spring on Beaver Island. I will be uploading the original "I Dream of the Island" next. Promise!
This song is an instrumental featuring a cello, a stringed orchestra, a choir, and my rendition of the Beaver Island church bells. It is mixed with nature sounds, many of which were recorded right here on Beaver Island. It is presented with much respect, and dedicated to Beaver Island, and the islanders who work and play and raise their families here on the Island, many of them for generations.
I created this song almost 10 years ago, after first moving to the island. It is composed around a melody that we all know and love, and can be heard almost every morning over the entire north end of the island. The video that presents this song is about 10 minutes long. If you live on the mainland and you miss the Island, please take 10 minutes out of your busy schedule and have a listen.
The link to the song will be shared at the bottom of this post. But first, a bit of writing to help create the mood in which the song was composed...
The Island Bells.
An imaginative writing about a very real place.
I awaken early, the lingering chill of coyotes yipping and warbling in the distance still echoing eerily from my dreams. The scent of steaming coffee accompanies me to my small cedar deck, where I await the rising sun, surrounded by tall pines and birch. The spring's first rays peek through the thick forest across the lane, warming the air. Sweet grasses and the growing leaves of spring dance slowly back and forth in the dappled sunlight, as if awaiting the melody to come. The scent of fresh growth drifts through the air, accompanied by the early songbirds calling to each other in the distance. As I sip the hot goodness in my cup, my mind wanders across the lane and through the towering trees, their shadows still clinging to the morning's chill. In my mind's eye, I escape the trees and emerge into a brilliant sunrise, sparkling over the big lake, crimson and gold dancing on the waves. I wander over the bluff and down to a remote rocky shoreline, the sounds of the rolling surf surrounding me. A gathering of white seagulls dart and call overhead, as if beckoning me onward, the booming of a ship's horn on the distant horizon their only accompaniment. The first arriving pair of Loons thrum a path across the sky, their wingbeats softly drumming a rhythm as ancient as the island itself. I wonder how many people have wandered this same path, loggers, fishermen, or even the Island natives of the past? I cannot be the only one. And yet I feel as if I have discovered a newly created world, with each rising dawn. Even still, I know that I am not alone in my wonder. Many more have come before me, and have helped to shape this beautiful place, filled with the light and sounds of the Northern Lakes. The morning sun begins topping the trees, bringing me back to my small deck and steaming cup. The air begins to warm as the songbirds increase their calling. Loons echo in the distance as the soft ringing of the "Island Bells" drifts across the waves, filtering through the trees. I smile and sip slowly from my cup. I am home!
If you like what I am doing, please share!
Writings and the Island Bells song created by Ted Nicholas.
Look for "Island Bells" on my YouTube page.
The Nicholas Tube
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNichTube/videos