THE BEAR, THE FIRE, AND THE SNOW

25 Sep

Last night, I was reading to my four and a half year old daughter from a collection of Shel Silverstein poems when I turned to a familiar story.

THE BEAR, THE FIRE, AND THE SNOW

After we read the poem and discussed its meaning, I told my daughter that during our hike on the John Muir Trail, PB & Bernie (Mr. PB and Mr. Bernie to her) sang the poem to an original arrangement they’d written. Their performance didn’t make the cut of the film for a variety of reasons (including running time, rights clearances and the fact that only the camera microphone was recording at that point), but I remember it being a particular favorite of mine on that wet day at Lower Vidette Meadow.

I was able to pull up my raw footage of the performance and play it for my daughter before bedtime. She asked if it was raining that day. I answered, “yes.” She asked if Mr. Bernie was “playing percussion.” Jen answered, “Yes. He was playing the glockenspiel.”

We’re very fortunate to be surrounded by so many creative people. It allows us the opportunity to expose our daughter not only to the importance and fun of creative expression, but also the dedication required to pursue it on a professional level. I’m also grateful that so many of our friends enjoy our daughter joining us on hiking & camping trips. She’s a lucky girl. We’re lucky parents.