And Winter Came...

And Winter Came…
Dec 19th 2008
wolfmoonsleddog
Midwest
Location: Finland, MN
Time - 1:25pm
Temperature: 16 degrees F
Conditions: Sunny with a few high clouds
Forecast: Few snow showers today and tomorrow. Highs in the teens, lows around zero

I think I need to start a new blog called ‘Music Reviews From The Back Of A Dogsled.’ I say this because that is a combination of two of my favorite things in the world - mushing and music. Music has always been hugely important to me. I love all kinds - I listen to rock, oldies, country, some pop, celtic, etc. One of my favorite artists is Enya. Her music really speaks to me and I think I have most, if not all of her albums. I was introduced to Enya’s music in late 2001 by my cousin who had the album A Day Without Rain (that included the hit ‘Only Time’) and the other albums have special meaning for me too. Every time I listen to Shepherd Moons I remember upstate New York in 2002, when I went on my first dogsledding adventure and Amarantine is one of the two albums that I listened to during the holiday season of 2005 when Calypso was a demanding terror of a husky pup (the other album, in case you are interested, was Comin’ To Your City by Big & Rich. Like I said, I listen to a wide variety of music).

The most recent Enya album is And Winter Came…, a Christmas-ish collection of songs. I was VERY excited when I saw it advertised in a flyer. How perfect for now, when Winter has come to MCK. We had a blizzard last weekend that left about 18 inches, snowing us (and some guests who were staying here) in for a few days. I must say, it was beautiful and now we can really sled. No more ATVs and trucks!

I am running 8-dog teams now and I ran a 12-dog team and a 14-dog team for a little ways with Jen in the sled basket. So far things are going well, although I am starting to feel rather nervous now that my big race is in just over a month. But so far so good.

But how exactly does the new Enya CD figure into this? Well, my Mom sent me a copy of it and it came yesterday afternoon. Of course I wanted to listen to it right away but we were getting ready to go on a night run. Blake sometimes listens to music or audio books on his iPod but, as I am one of the five people left on the planet who do not have an iPod (I just like the whole being able to hold an album thing) that wasn’t an option for me. So I figured out an alternative. I stuffed me CD player in two fleece hoods, and put it in the handlebar bag of my sled, leaving the headphones (that I got on the airplane on my first trip to Alaska) out. I hoped I would not destroy this CD player like I did the first one I had.

My eight-dog team, led by Inga and Fiona, was VERY revved up and ready to go. The run out of the yard was insane but I managed not to crash into anything or flip the sled. Once out on the forest road, it was straight and flat and I was able to relax a bit as we followed Jen’s team. So I put the earphones on and turned on the CD. I have to say, I am VERY impressed with my little player. It functioned well even as temps dipped in the single digits.

So that was how I ran last night, watching snow fall and sparkle in my headlamp as we glided past trees laden with snow, listening to And Winter Came…, turned up enough for me to hear it but still listen to the dogs (not that they make much noise).

It is a good album. I actually listened to it three times over during the run. I think my favorite track on the album is ‘Last Time By Moonlight’, which REALLY fit with what I was doing (the Winter sky above us/ was shining/ in moonlight / and everywhere around us / the silence of midnight/ and we gathered snowflakes). The most surprising track on the album is, in my opinion, ‘My! My! Time Flies!’ which I think is the only Enya song I know of that features an electric guitar. It could almost be a Mama Cass or Beatles song (the Beatles are actually referred to in it - four guys across Abbey Road / one forgot to wear shoes).

And so music merges with mushing…

We got back to the kennel just before midnight but it was a good run and my team was still charged up coming into the yard, still determined to catch Jen’s team. Every run is interesting.

Anyway, I’m off to do something productive now. As always, remember that you can follow this blog and view pictures on the Dog & Sled website - go to http://www.dx4solutions.com/dogandsled/default.htm and click on “Journal.”

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2 Responses to “And Winter Came…”
Khyra on 19 Dec 2008 at 9:56 pm # edit this

Thanks fur the musikh tip!

My mom thought she was one of the only ones left that likes to hold ALBUM PAKHKAGES in her paws!

Musikh is my mom’s sekhond or third biggest passion after ME!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Dave Lukosik on 19 Dec 2008 at 11:11 pm # edit this

Great to hear you are getting to run the teams on snow now. It’s hard to believe that the Beargrease 150 is next month! Its OK to be nervous but I think the experience and training you are receiving from Jen and Blake and their outstanding sled dogs will give you the confidence to meet the challenges of the race. You are an able student of the fine art of mushing! Go Girl Go! Now about that music stuff, Enya happens to be one of my favorites! Before Enya I was listening to her older brothers and sister in the 80’s. Showtime ran a TV series called Robin of Sherwood with Clannad providing the background music. I special ordered the vinyl albums in 1985 of Clannad(1973) and Legend(1984). Beautiful music by Maire, Pol, and Ciaran Brennan of Ireland. Checkout the Clannad website for more information on them and their younger sister Enya! Best Wishes for the Holidays to you, Calypso, Jen, Blake, and all the fur kids!