February 15, 2015
Rio
I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. Therefore I was rewarded as we sailed past sugar loaf just before sunrise watching the pilot boat drop off the harbor pilot on Prinsendam. We watched the sun behind us reflect on the water and mountains. The statue of Christ the Redeemer’s lights went out when the light reached a certain level. Then we could hear church bells from around the harbor. It’s the Morning of Carnival. I played Luis Bonfa Manha de Carnaval (Morning of Carnival) on my iPhone as a little sail in music.
The light rises up from the sea
And spreads ‘till it fills the whole sky
Lavender, Rose and Gold. The colors of dawn unfold
Sweet moment you long to hold as it passes by
And now with the mountains aglow
The sun bursts from under the sea
Yesterday’s past, a new day at last
A new day unfolds for me
And my heart leaps as high
As the sun in the sky,
I’m so happy that I want to cry.
(From Suzannah McCorkle’s lyrics)
Tonight is the first big parade. We went up for breakfast and found the floats lining up right outside our ship for tonight’s parade. I have wanted to come here ever since I heard Herb Shoenbaum on KQRS in the Twin Cities, back when it was a classical and jazz station advertising the KQ carnival tour back 50 years ago. We are here.
I remember the day Schoenbaum got fired on the air. He had just returned from one of the Rio trips and had cartons of samba LPs he wanted to share. While he was gone, the station format was changed. He found a playlist in his mailbox for the new format, but went on the air saying he was ignoring it because he had all this great new music, which he did. About 45 minutes later the mic opened and you could hear the new program director fire Herb and take over the show.
So many of your photos are post card worthy, Rich. Do you still have time to drink in the sights?
Yes, Andy, I do see things directly and not just through a lens. Thanks for the memory of Herb. He’s the reason I’m here.