Arboretum
In my youth, there was a place on the outskirts of town called The Arboretum. It was several miles of a preserved forest along the Black River. It was donated to the town of Neillsville, Wisconsin by a fellow named Kurt Listeman. Kurt had lots of money as he and his wife had invested well over the years. He had the reputation of being an old recluse that was grumpy and very unfriendly. This is a fact that I would later learn was not true...... He was just hard of hearing.....
When I was about 12 years old, I began to golf at the nine hole course in town. I would play every day during the summer, rain or shine, many times alone. I just loved it!
One day, I was on the 2nd hole, and I caught up to an old guy, probably in his 80's! He was carrying a really old bag with just a few clubs in it (yes, he was carrying it). I remember that they were called "Kenneth Smith" clubs. As I had been taught to do by my dad, I asked the old guy if he wanted to join me. He said yes, and away we went to the 2nd green. He introduced himself, and I was a bit surprised to learn that his name was Kurt Listeman.
He started to ask me questions about myself, who I was, etc. He couldn't hit the ball more than about 100 yards, but for an old guy, he plodded up and down the hills quite well. But I knew that he was the man who had created the Arboretum, a place that I loved. So, in our conversation, I mentioned to him that I visited the Arboretum often and told him how much I liked it. This lit up Kurt's smile, and we became friends that day. Several more times that summer, I saw him on the course, and I would go over and join him, as he was always alone...... After that summer, I never saw him again, and he passed a few years later.
But the Arboretum is still there today, as Kurt had created a foundation to keep it going for all time. The Arboretum has several trails that wander throughout the forest and down to the river. Along the way, there are hills, and big old trees, and rocky river shores, and bubbling streams. It is a paradise......
So, I wanted to do a song about the Arboretum. Originally, I was going to add white noise sounds to the song, with river sounds and water sounds for effect. But instead, the song has what I like to call "Chanting" with the guitar. Sort of melodic stuff piled on top of each other to create a mood. Not really sure if it works, but to me, I can feel the freedom and serenity of the Arboretum within the Chant, and it puts me back on the shore of the beautiful Black River.....
And I hope that somewhere out there, Kurt is smiling.....