Summertime Island Music Memories

This soft June air today, a certain *something* on the breeze, and the brilliant blue sky brings my mind back to some wonderful summers I spent years ago on an Island off the coast of Maine, out of Southwest Harbor (off from Mt. Dessert Island). Idyllic times when the ocean mixed with the seagulls, lobster boat sounds, sun and sky, and LOTS of music with a revolving door including professional musical guests who stayed in the house with us. Oh the spontaneous evening singing and playing. Seems like everyone knew all the words and the harmonies to classic songs, the guitar and other instrumental music was fabulous and these were the kinds of nights you just didn't want to end. After dinner, sitting in this huge living room in an amazingly vast house built in the time before there was an income tax. An immense, comfortable house with many bathrooms which had marble sinks and claw footed tubs, but we had no electricity! It originally had gas lights, and so our stove, fridge, hot water heater(s), and freezer were all powered by gas. There could be 22 people staying at this house (it was fun cooking for all these folks), eat at the same table altogether for dinner, and not have to run into one another throughout the day unless we wanted to. Simply amazing. This kind of house could not be replicated today. Many bedrooms had fire places. One wing was what used to be "the servant's quarters" and laundry in years gone by. Yes. It was that kind of grand house.
After long days spent in such joyful pursuits as sailing or other boating on the ocean, even courageous rowing of a dory around the island, the nights were especially sweet as we were filled with salt air and recharged by all that sun…and great food with of course much after-dinner coffee. The music was acoustic and we sang and played by those terrific (but tricky) kerosene Alladin lights which were actually not only table lamps, but also elegant floor lamps!
As I'm writing I'm listening to lots of different songs to find a few which represent the luscious rich sounds which filled the air long into the night. We had famous classical musicians there as well and that music was especially elegant. But today, my thoughts are traveling back to more of the music of other genres.
Though Crosby, Stills, Nash or Young never came to stay with us (actually, that's a good thing...we didn't really need the kind of issues or substance abuse baggage they might have brought with them), lots of their music rang through the house…but I must say it thankfully didn't have the nasal quality some of their performances do.
I could not find performances of "Suite for Judy Blue Eyes" which astoundingly enough, we all seemed to know straight through from beginning to end, but here's one which, although so beautifully situated high in the Northern Hemisphere that on cold August nights we saw the miracles of the astonishingly colored curtains of the phenomenon of the "Northern Lights", still this song resounds with the feeling of this place. Plus it was one we enjoyed singing all the harmonies and solos to. "Teach Your Children", "Train to Marrakesh", "Helplessly hoping" and a few more were lots of fun to sing together, too. And who knows. Perhaps I may find acceptable videos of these pieces for another post.

But for now, here's a YouTube performance (not the best, but the best I could find) of Crosby, Stills and Nash and "The Southern Cross"