The desert air in the morning is cool and clean. Birds are everywhere. Occasionally the coyotes sing, and they can be very close to us without being visible. It is early in the year, but some snakes are out, we are told, so to be careful.
We went to the Musical Instrument Museum late last week, just on a whim. A friend of a friend suggested it. What a delight! I thought of Ed Kemmick, who is a musician in addition to his other life’s pursuits. We spent over five hours there, and even as museums for me are automatic sensory overload, I could not get enough. They have managed to provide a small venue for every political boundary on every continent on the second floor. We were equipped with a hands-free headset, and just walking near an exhibit triggered its music as it was shown on a video. They have on hand over 10,000 musical instruments, and just the guitar exhibit on the main floor is enough to keep one occupied for an hour.
Because we did not know what lay in store, we did not spend enough time in the North American and European rooms upstairs, but I love drums and spent a few minutes with Keith Moon and Buddy Rich and a couple of others. Man what a rush!
On the main floor are various tributes. Currently on display is Taylor Swift, not my flavor. But there are dozens of others – famous jazz men and singers, a corner for Leonard Bernstein, Duane Eddy, and one for the Ventures. My musical tastes are pedestrian*, as I just have not traveled and lived enough, so I nearly cried standing next to the John Lennon Steinway (encased in plexiglass) on which Imagine was recorded and listening to an international musical montage performing it.
This was an unexpected day, an unexpected pleasure. We originally came here on a brief trip to take in spring baseball several years ago. Shortly thereafter two sets of friends from Bozeman purchased homes down here, and another couple comes here to stay with us in our rental. Each year now is more adventure, less baseball, more desert, from Sedona to Nogales. It’s a big beautiful state that happens to host Spring Training.
The view from the back patio is shown here. On seeing it our son-in-law (Portlandia) asked why we vacationed in Afghanistan. But the desert holds many charms, and in March is a delightful respite from the recent two feet of new snow in our driveway in Colorado.
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*I just learned that my ring tone is a piano introduction to George Thorogood and the Destroyers’ Bad to the Bone. Who knew?
Piece of Mindful 
So close to Redrocks, you owe it to yourself to experience a concert there. I went as often as I could while attending DU in the late ’60s. Amazing!
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We’ve been there, but have not had the excitement (John Adams – my wife is big on JD). Mumford played last year, but sold out instantly and we didn’t know who they were anyway. You’re right. We’ve got to take in a rock concert there.
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