She liked love the most, but only knew how to look for it in the most desperate people and places. While Dad was a son of nature, Mom had more of a city vibe, a true city girl who liked parties and south street car races, but unfortunately locked in the suburbs by a traditional Italian family. I might have drifted from my father and family, but in spirit he was always there with me spotting the remarkable creatures and details of nature, and still is. When Grandmom suffered into a wheel chair, me and Rachel walked her along the creek to the waterfall It was the season of tree frogs.

To ride bikes with girlfriends, to kiss under the culvert tunnel, to prep with friends for the five mile race through the hills of Media… Near the mansion of golden koi where people get married me and Pete tested the electric voltage with young bravado and those horses must have thought we were pretty stupid. Even as a teenager reveling in reckless rebellion Ridley Creek remained a destination and a revelation. Ridley Creek showcased a rotating cast of ever changing moments, but just as the seasons changed childhood gave way to independence. From up there the world was grand potential but I had 20/20 vision for trouble. He liked to sing “You are my sunshine,” and carry me on his shoulders when I got tired. Nothing helps one to remember to steer clear of itchy plants like the urban legends of the unfortunate campers who wiped their butts with poison ivy. It was my Dad who taught me the tricks of the woods. A place I learned to choose the best rocks for skimming over water, that dandelion leaves are edible, how to cross the river without slipping, and to pry rocks up with sticks and not hands because some have snakes under them. Tonights opera has me feeling nostalgic for family and the woods of my childhood roots, branches and all that.Ī place of waterfalls and ivy-climbing trees is Ridley Creek State Park. While the oedipal complex may be disproved as an actual complex, it still works wonders as metaphor especially for artists. Thanks to histories most famous psychologist, tonights opera is always an open invitation to think about family, especially fathers and sons.

Oedipus rex la opera