For over twelve years I played piano at Mr. Toots Coffeehouse in Santa Cruz, California, USA, and for most of that time I played every Saturday, from ten o'clock to twelve noon, without fail, not missing many Saturdays.  I met so many interesting people and had so many meaningful interactions, not only with the baristas, who were a lively and colorful bunch, but with the tourists, the locals and all manner of characters who passed through.

Now I live in Nulvi, Sardegna, Italy.  Whereas I used to sit on Mr. Toots balcony for hours scanning the sea and ruminating on my life, I now spend my time in contemplation on my third story music studio balcony that looks out for miles over the countryside, the mystic Sardegnian clouds and the blue mountains.  Still, as I think back to my time at Mr. Toots, I can't help but manage a wry smile.

During most of this winter my wife and I have been busy with all the issues surrounding our move to Italy: the sale of our house in Santa Cruz, USA, ridding ourselves of most of our possessions, the purchase and renovation of a house in Italy, visas, Italian lessons on DuoLingo, all while researching what we needed to know about another culture.  For the last seven months we've lived temporatily in Menlo Park and Discovery Bay in California, and, now, in a B & B in Nulvi, Sardegna, Italy.

Because we've been living out of suitcases for that time and been occupied with the big change in our lives, I haven't been very productive creatively.  It's been a dry spell as far as new music, photography and writing are concerned,  

But now, in May, with the countryside in Sardegna showing all the signs of spring, like the world around me, I feel on the verge of new things.  I've realized again that the dormant times are just as meaningful as the times of vibrant growth.  In fact one is not achieved without the other.

Ever since I recorded my solo piano album, "Doors & Windows" and began thinking about the notion that musical compositions can be like doors or windows into different spiritual or emotional states I've been interested in the various real life examples I find in the world around me.  I gravitate to ornate, ancient looking doors and windows, weathered looking ones, with a sense of mystery to them.

Since moving to Nulvi, Sardegna I've discovered that I now live in what seems to be "The Land of Doors & Windows".  At every turn, each day, I seem to come upon tens, even hundreds of the most mysterious, ancient looking doors and windows.