Red Amaryllis
The drive was long and lonely. We were far beyond the possibility of any radio reception. There were no other cars on that two-lane asphalt stretch that rose and fell …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
Monticello
After living in our little house for 40 years, we are about to make a big change. We are growing! The addition I have designed will more than double the …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
All is Quiet on New Year’s Day
Sometimes there is no way of knowing that, when you are in the midst of something challenging, just how much of a relief it will be when it is all …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
Smarter Than I
I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent person. I am educated, and I possess pretty good powers of observation, along with the ability to learn and grow. I am …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
Stepping In
I remember the staff accompanist at CSU Hayward, Marcia Murray. Marcia lived down the street from me. I would see her at the school, always hammering away at the grand …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
after a long silence
Silence is golden. Silence is a necessary element in musical composition. Silence is many things, represented by many cliches, metaphors, proverbs, and quips. I have been silent. Tonight, I threw …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
Redwood
Along the back fence of our yard is a stand of ten redwood trees. They were planted way back when the Bay Area Rapid Transit system was constructed. By the …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
Patricia’s Lessons
Patricia taught me as much at the piano as she did away from it. I don’t remember what my lessons cost. I do know that, at a certain point, I …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
Patricia
I remember her, sitting with perfect posture in her Queen Anne chair across the room from the rosewood Steinway. She was statuesque with a tousle of short brown hair and …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music
The North Coast
Outside the open window, the slender leaves of a giant eucalyptus flutter in the late afternoon breeze. The salt air is pure, sweet, and comforting. I am close enough to …
Janèt Sullivan Whitaker Music