A Cover and a Cover of a Cover

  Country singer John Anderson (not to be confused with Jon Anderson of Yes) died earlier this month.  I don’t know much about country music,  but I did have a vague memory of him possibly covering a song by my favorite band, Dire Straits.  Upon researching this, I found that Anderson did record a cover version of the 1991 Dire Straits song “When It Comes to You” (with Mark Knopfler on guitar).  The song, which went to #3 on the country chart, apparently came to be considered on of Anderson’s signature songs, and was later covered again by Sturgill Simpson as part of a John Anderson tribute album. 

I find the Dire Straits original to be spellbinding, especially Knopfler’s guitar soloing, and the way that the synthesizer floats in the song.  On the other hand, though, one of the guitars does this kind of clicky, glicky thing in the background that rubs me the wrong way, and I have to force myself to ignore it.

The John Anderson version . . . sounds like a country song.  

And the Sturgill Simpson version . . . sounds even more like a country song.

But you can listen and make up your own mind.  

What Should Have Been the August Bumblebee

 

August is over, meteorological autumn is here, and I missed putting up a post for August.  As always, there are things about which I want to write.  And that’s why I started this blog—to write.  But I’m just too worn down by life to write anything, so here is a picture of a bumblebee that I took Monday.  

Soccer Ball

 

In honor of the World Cup, which I guess happened recently, here is a derelict soccer ball.  

Mother Duck and Ducklings

 

A Sandpiper, but Which One?

 

I have never been good with shore birds.  Part of that is because I don’t see them often, but also they are very confusing.

I photographed this one recently, and have been trying to figure it out.  I am leaning toward the Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria), but that diagnosis depends on the legs being green, and they look more yellow-grey in this picture.  The Solitary Sandpiper is not native to this area, but it could have been passing through in spring migration.

On purely a name basis, I think that it would be nice if it were a Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), because “semipalmated” sounds cool.

As far as I know, there is no Fully Palmated Sandpiper. 

Random Floating Glove

 

A Mourning Dove Among Branches