SATURDAY MORNING

By Debbie Bulloch


Today is January 31, the very last day of the first month of the year. Seems like only yesterday we were unwrapping Christmas gifts and welcoming the new year. Tempus fugit, indeed!

In 1972 (coincidentally the year that I was born) a group called Looking Glasswrote a song called Brandy You're A Fine Girl. unfortunately for the band, this turned out to be a one-hit wonder. After Brandy the band was not able to recreate their initial hit.

The song, however, lives on due to to the bittersweet tale it tells of unrequited love. It is a very pretty song and one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it too.

BRANDY YOU’RE A FINE GIRL

There's a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes

And there's a girl in this harbor town
And she works layin' whiskey down
They say "Brandy, fetch another round"
She serves them whiskey and wine

The sailors say "Brandy, you're a fine girl"
"What a good wife you would be"
"Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea"

Brandy wears a braided chain
Made of finest silver from the North of Spain
A locket that bears the name
Of the man that Brandy loves

He came on a summer's day
Bringin' gifts from far away
But he made it clear he couldn't stay
No harbor was his home

The sailor said " Brandy, you're a fine girl"
"What a good wife you would be"
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"

Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes
When he told his sailor stories
She could feel the ocean foam rise
She saw its ragin' glory
But he had always told the truth, lord, he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand

At night when the bars close down
Brandy walks through a silent town
And loves a man who's not around
She still can hear him say

She hears him say " Brandy, you're a fine girl”
"What a good wife you would be"
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"

Through the magic of YouTube, you can still hear this song. This then, is one person's interpretation of Brandy You're a Fine Girl. (Note: the graphics and the video quality are not the best.)



I could not end this post without sharing with you some of the photographs that I took earlier this morning on a short hike by the ocean.

I used the same subject, but tried different exposures and different effects. Which one do you like best?



I personally like this one best.








It was a lovely morning hike. Thank you for coming along with me!

OF TALKING SEAGULLS, DOLPHINS, CLOUDS AND POINT MUGU

By Debbie Bulloch


Recently I have been feeling a little blue. This morning, at the suggestion of a certain Canadian moose I got out of the house and took a drive. (I bet you didn't know that moose could talk, eh? Well, this is a very smart and wise moose and he talks to me all the time. Not only does he talk to me, he actually makes sense - most of the time anyway.)

So I decided to listen to the moose - I jumped into my car, lowered all the windows, opened the sunroof, turned the stereo full blast and headed out for my favorite spot on the Pacific Coast Highway. As the miles rolled past the car's odometer and I got closer to to the beautiful Pacific Ocean I began to feel my spirits lift and my blue funk began to slowly fade away.

I parked by a rocky outpost called Point Mugu and I stared out the car window, taking in the feel of the fresh, crisp air. There is something magical about the feel of waves rolling in and crashing against the shoreline. It is like the soothing sound of a mother's lullaby calming a restless baby.

I got out of the car and I was immediately greeted by the cries of seagulls flying overhead. I looked up and one of the seagulls looked down at me and I swear the winged rascal winked at me, almost as if saying: "Welcome to our playground."

I did the only logical thing, I winked back at the seagull and told him, "Thanks for the welcome!" Then I quickly looked around to make sure that no one else had actually seen me talking to the seagull. As much as California is often referred to as the land of nuts and fruits, even here talking to seagulls can get you a one-way ticket to the local mental hospital.

After that little bird-talking incident, I grabbed my trusty Canon and snapped a few pictures to share with you. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

When I first parked my car, the clouds hung low over the mountains that border the coast line.



Then the clouds turned really dark and ominous.



Slowly, however, the skies turned lighter.



This spot has been featured in many television commercials and movies. In fact, Jay Leno was filming "something." I saw him driving a small, blue Cobra sports car.



The something really nice happened - a school of dolphins showed up. To ancient sailors dolphins meant good luck (because land was near). Dolphins always manage to bring a smile to my face.



Finally, my friend the talking seagull.



I am sure glad that I listened to the talking moose and got out for a drive to the coast.