She was a sleepy girl, an ocean town

In her blue sea, I thought I'd drown

She held me there above the waves until that day I rode away.

My old blue bike, the banana seat, over good dirt and across the street. Up the hill in the warm sunshine, ride back down when it was suppertime. Now, I’m riding home to Beverly, on my own and feeling free, nowhere else I’d rather be, I’m riding home-to Beverly.

Beverly, MA (where I was born!!)

I’ve been gone too many years, been some trials, shed some tears. I hear her voice calling out to me. She’s still waiting by the sea. Now, I’m riding home to Beverly, on my own and feeling free. In her arms is where I’ll be, I’m riding home to Beverly.

Hey, y’all! It’s been a little bit since I’ve slowed down long enough to capture some TerriSunflower Musings. May got to see a lot get done. A lot of songwriting and a show, a blues fest and camping and then ending with some travel back in time.

I got the absolute pleasure of accompanying my dad to his class reunion at MIT in Boston. His class of ‘59 was celebrating their 65th year since graduation and it was a delight to get to witness him there. That’s him in the middle in the photo below.

I guess you can’t ever really go back in time but we tried our best, nonetheless.

After the reunion my dad and I drove to the towns we lived in from my birth until we moved to SC when I was almost 8 and were able to find all three houses including the one I don’t remember because I was just a baby but was built in 1690. That’s not a typo! The Boston area is old and it has a gentle, aged feel to it. I did get a little nostalgic when we pulled into a McDonald’s (mostly to pee) in Beverly and found that it’s (still) on the water with boats docked behind it just like I remembered as a kid. Originally, that particular one was a walk-up that was so small it was mostly arches. The Filet-O-Fish was invented about the same time I was!

Interesting where that took me. Back in time. Home. The place from whence I came. I’m talking about family and beginnings, riding bikes and snow up to the roof line, trips to the beach and smells of seaweed. My first school is now apartments. The house at Rockport, our address was Land’s End, South St and was the last house on the street before rocks cascaded down to the ocean. It’s now the 3rd to last and has a boring number, 118, instead of Land’s End for its address but it was fun to find. The house in Beverly was being remodeled and I have a feeling there is no longer pink tile and tub in the bathroom but who knows, maybe that has been the selling point all these years. My dad had built a playroom with fully decked out pretend kitchen where I made cakes in my easy bake oven. It was heteronormativity, baked right in.

Me dressed up for the 126th annual Tech Night At The Pops (jewelry by Colleen Gino, bag by Joanna Fahey Fenton)

Before May, there was April where I did 2 shows with my co-conspirator, Colleen Gino. We called the shows Two Of Us Riding Nowhere after the song we covered by the Beatles. They were great shows! We each did some of our respective originals and covers we both picked so it was an eclectic blend of acoustic/ukulele rock and folk. We did a 3rd one in May and will repeat it at the August Sunday Sessions at the Capitol Bar in Socorro so there’s still a chance to catch it if you haven’t yet.

It is June now and that means Pride Month. Happy Pride, y’all! In honor of that I will share a cover Colleen and I did at my birthday show the end of April that is a bit of an anthem for lesbians called What’s UP by 4 Non Blondes. She really rocked it near the end so stay for the whole thing!! What's Up cover (we're getting good at this one!)

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No matter your level of support, thanks for being here. This might be longer than a song but it’s my song to sing. Thanks for listening, TerriSunflower