Monday, June 7, 2021

White Bird


The other day blogger Robin mentioned the song "White Bird," an old '60s anthem, in one of her posts. When I responded enthusiastically, she wondered where I'd heard it. It's not a radio staple and was admittedly a bit before my time.

Well, I'll tell you. When I was a teenager, growing up in Florida, I twice went on a week-long summer canoeing trip coordinated through a nearby church camp. (It was a Presbyterian camp, with theology dominated by relatively liberal, love-your-neighbor thinking. No fire-and-brimstone or politics, at least not that I remember.) This was in the early 1980s, probably 1981 and 1982.

Two counselors and about 12 of us kids piled into vans and traveled up to the Suwannee River in North Florida, and spent a week paddling downstream roughly between Suwannee River State Park and the town of Branford. We camped along the way, carrying all our tents, supplies and clothes in plastic bags in the canoes, and we swam in the cold blue springs and cooked over open fires. It was fun but also challenging, and on the last night -- once we were back in the lodge at camp and had showers -- we all got together after dinner, listened to some music, then sat in a circle and shared something about our experience and each other.

One year, a couple with acoustic guitars came and played for us, and one of the songs they played was "White Bird." It was only years later that I realized it came from an album by the group It's a Beautiful Day -- a record my stepmother owned and that I've listened to many times since. It's still in my iTunes, and as I've written before, it has the distinction of having one of my favorite album covers.

So that's where I first heard "White Bird," and I will always associate it with those canoe trips. They provided me with a lot of amazing memories. I will never forget being at one of the springs when a cave diver got into trouble and was pulled unconscious from the water. (North Florida is full of underwater limestone caves, and diving there is a popular but dangerous pastime, as divers can easily get lost and drown.) He was eventually revived, and as he came around, the radio played "Good Day Sunshine" by the Beatles, and someone remarked how appropriate it was.

I stayed in touch with a couple of kids from those trips for a few years, but now I have no idea where any of them are. There was one guy in particular that I bonded with, and I'm pretty sure he was gay too, though of course we never talked about anything that personal or, at the time, taboo. I've looked for him since on Facebook with no luck. I'd love to know what became of him.


Olga and I went to the cemetery yesterday, as you can see from the photos, where she's practically hidden by the long grass (top). While we were there, she found an old football that she happily carried with her and gnawed whenever we paused.


We found this wildflower, which I think is a white form of campion.


And now I'm realizing that it's 7:17 a.m. and I have to get out of the house in 10 minutes, so I gotta run!

43 comments:

e said...

Olga looks like she is smiling. I hope your day gives you something to smile about. The short answer yo your question is I do not know. This individual is a four times great grandmother who married into my great grandmother's paternal line, which is Hendry. The 4x great grandmoth3er is Martha Ann Carlton maiden name Carlton, married name Hendry, and I am abit in the weeds at the moment.

Moving with Mitchell said...

And now White Bird is playing in my head. I love how songs trigger times in our lives. Thanks for pointing out Olga in the tall grass; I would have missed her.

gz said...

Happy dog!!
Yes, it is a white Campion

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I had heard "White Bird" before but never really listened to it until this morning. It's quite surreal, so San Francisco and so 1968 - the year it was released.

Edna B said...

Such a happy photo of Olga. She looks so pleased with herself. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.

Anonymous said...

Nice memories but I don't know White Bird. I will listen later. Never mind a football. I saw today how Olga deals with a tennis ball. There is no hope!

The Padre said...

Classic Olga Girl Moment

Cheers

Ms. Moon said...

Strangely enough, the song "White Bird" is associated in my mind with a camping experience. My best friend and I were counselors in training at Camp Juliette Low in North Carolina one summer. We lived in cabins and our third cabin mate had a battery-operated record player and she played that damn song over and over and over. I say "damn" song because by the end of our stay at Camp Juliette Low I never wanted to hear it again.

Anonymous said...

I love that the song triggered such a nice memory. I hadn't thought about it in years, but when we saw the white dove, it immediately came to mind. Love seeing Olga in the cemetery. I would have missed that if you hadn't told us.

ellen abbott said...

I had the album, bought it when it came out. this was when I was dating the guy I would marry 2 years later. when we divorced he made off with it and wouldn't give it back. Not because he liked it that much but because he was just an asshole. I was so pissed.

Red said...

Great memory that goes along with two songs.

Sharon said...

I didn't even see Olga in that top photo until you mentioned her. She is pretty much hidden in the grass.
Great memories from those adventurous trips.

Kelly said...

An angel wearing Mardi Gras beads. 😊 I missed seeing Olga in the first photo. Do y'all have ticks and/or fleas there?

Bob said...

You got me thinking about camp and campfires and sing-alongs and then I lost it all at the sight of Olga's joyous face!

Allison said...

I used to have that album, I really liked the group. When we left West Seattle, we put a "free come get it" add on Craig's list, and just like that, all the vinyl was gone.

Catalyst said...

Even though you apparently ran out of time to write about that last photo, I love it for it's whimsy.

Dave R said...

I remember the group, though I never owned one of their albums. The beads are great.

The Bug said...

Love the photo of Olga in the grass! I have such a terrible memory (as in I can never remember anything). I know that I went on youth group outings, but I hardly ever remember the details.

Ellen D. said...

Sounds like you have had a happy life, Steve.

Michael said...

I never would have noticed Olga in the top picture had you not pointed her out. I enjoyed reading about your camping memories.

Linda Sue said...

White
Bird- most memorable song! First time i heard it ( and thank you for the memory) - Marrowstone island with a crate of oranges and magic mushrooms, on a sunny warm day by the sea. Could it get much better! I 'll see your camp trip and raise you one stoned adventure.

Steve Reed said...

Interesting. I'm pretty sure it's the same family, especially if they're married into the Hendrys.

Steve Reed said...

I love that picture because she's almost completely hidden.

Steve Reed said...

I thought so! The petals are the same shape as the pink ones, but I don't remember ever seeing a white one before.

Steve Reed said...

It is very groovy.

Steve Reed said...

She gets great satisfaction from tearing up a ball!

Steve Reed said...

Maybe "White Bird" never hit it big in Australia. (It wasn't a gigantic hit in the states, either.)

Steve Reed said...

Definitely!

Steve Reed said...

Funny! Camping was a miserable experience in a lot of ways. LOL

Steve Reed said...

I also like "Hot Summer Day" from that album!

Steve Reed said...

Music feels very personal when we're young. Someone stealing it feels like such an affront! (Especially when an ex is the perpetrator.)

Steve Reed said...

Music is a really good memory trigger.

Steve Reed said...

She loves getting in the middle of that grass and vanishing!

Steve Reed said...

I've never seen a flea or a tick here, but I think they do exist. We give Olga a preventative medicine to keep them away.

Steve Reed said...

Olga would LOVE a campfire. We used to have a fireplace and she thought it was wonderful.

Steve Reed said...

That's a good way to get rid of it! I gave all mine to Goodwill.

Steve Reed said...

It doesn't really need explanation, anyway. :)

Steve Reed said...

They apparently never hit it very big. Their Wikipedia page makes it sound like this was all their manager's fault, but who knows!

Steve Reed said...

Funny! I wish I'd taken pictures on my trips. I don't know why I never took a camera.

Steve Reed said...

You know, all things considered, I believe that I have. It's been relatively untroubled. I'm lucky.

Steve Reed said...

Camping isn't my favorite thing and I remember being SO HAPPY to get back to civilization and take a shower. (Even though we'd been swimming the whole week.) But I did enjoy those trips.

Steve Reed said...

Mushrooms would have made camping MUCH more interesting! LOL

Debby said...

Olga always looks as if she has the biggest smile on her face! She reminds ME of the old camp song "If you're happy and you know it..." Nice memories.