Mountain to Bleu

Prompt: mountains

~*~

Sometime in the 1970s, the rock and roll band Mountain released a song named Mississippi Queen. I don't know the lyrics except for "Mississippi Queen (guitar riff) Do you know what I mean (guitar riff) Mississippi Queen (guitar riff) She taught me everything." I don't know if the band is singing about a woman or a boat. Regardless, I really like the song. I think it's one of the best air-guitar songs ever recorded. Mississippi Queen sometimes plays on my Pandora stream in the Bachmann-Turner Overdrive genre.

Pandora is an online music venue. I select a song or artist from Pandora's options. Then Pandora works its magic and plays music from the genre of that artist or song. Through Pandora, I discover artists I've never heard before, and I discover songs that I've never heard from artists whom I already know.

I can tap a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on my device screen for each song Pandora plays. If I thumbs-up a song, it goes on my playlist and Pandora searches for more songs of that type. If I thumbs-down a song, it won't play again, and Pandora will avoid that type of song. So before I tap thumbs-down, I make sure I really don't like that song. If I'm not sure whether I dislike or like a song, I don't give it an up or down, and the song will play again later.

I often play Pandora in the Shuffle mode where it picks songs from my various chosen genres. Children's songs, like from Red Grammar and Jack Johnson. 1970's light rock, like The Doobie Brothers and BTO. Southern rock, like the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker Band and Lynard Skynard. Songs from musicals, like from Oliver and The Sound of Music and The Lion King. Bluegrass, like John Hartford and Doc Watson. Celtic, like Natalie MacMaster and The High Kings. Contemporary Christian like Todd Agnew and Third Day. Disco like Donna Summer and Rick James. Folk, like John Prine and Arlo Guthrie. Other favorites are Carole King, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, The Band, The Beatles, Three Dog Night. The list goes on. Lots of '70s sounds. I also like more contemporary artists such as Fun and Bruno Mars and Andy Grammer.

I drive a 1999 Ford Explorer. His name is Edward. I knighted him a few years ago when he turned 200,000 miles. Sir Edward isn't equipped with a USB port where I can plug in my smart phone to allow what is played on my phone to play through Edward's speakers. So I use a Bluetooth adapter.

I set my car radio at 87.9 FM and plug the adapter into the lighter socket. I tap Bluetooth, turning it on, in my cell phone settings. After a minute or three, my phone connects with the adapter. I tap the Pandora app on my phone, select a genre or "shuffle," and a concert begins playing through Edward's speakers. I sing along and sometimes drum my steering wheel. Amazing that we can play songs from a phone through car speakers.

When I ride my bike, I put a Bluetooth earpiece in my left ear. The Bluetooth connects with my phone. I tap Pandora, and I have music for my bicycle rides. I place my phone in a zipper pocket-pouch which is attached to my bike.

I often lose cell service on my mountain day adventures. Pandora has an offline mode, but sometimes it doesn't work. In that case I often listen to a CD while driving Edward. Or, if riding my bike, I listen to the wind and birds and tree frogs and crickets and river rapids and the crunch of gravel beneath my tires. Sometimes I sing as I pedal along, making up songs that I can't remember later.

I bought a new bike this week. The bike shop ordered it for me a couple weeks ago. I really like Ken's Bike Shop. It's small, locally owned, and they take good care of me and my bike, Olivia. I'm sure they'll do the same for Bleu, my new bike. I haven't taken Bleu for a ride yet, except around the bike shop parking lot.

Bleu is a Trek 820. I wanted another bike just like Olivia, a Trek 3700. But 3700's are no longer made. The 820 is the closest model to a 3700. The 820 only comes in a black and blue color. So, I've named her Black Beauty, or Bleu for short. I hope Olivia doesn't get too jealous.

Bleu. 9/11/18, the day I bought her.