Aye, Taliesn, you have the meat of it then.

Allright, then, my friends, turn on your receptors and imagine this. One parks in Ricks driveway, walks along the side of the older red brick bungalow to a fence gate. Upon opening it, stop for a moment and look out over the houses towards the big lake. It is a vista to let your imagination run with. If you start at the furthest point you can imagine, you will see one of the storied Great Lakes, and feel her breath coming up the hill. Bring your minds eye to a slightly nearer point and you find yourself looking out over the neighborhoods of this wonderfully diverse city. You find yourself wondering at what she looked like growing up, and how many stories she has to tell you. Stories of those who lived and died while in her care. And if you focus no further than the narrow city backyard you are in, you will see all the signs of Heathers little plot of love and contentment. You will see a box or a barrow, filled with weeds fresh from her busy, Scottish hands. You will see the table, with a couple of coffee cups, testament to the time spent there by these two wonderful people. Once you have become their friend, you know that this is where you will find them. You will see a shed, well built, but upon closer inspection it will bear the unmistakable marks left by the Dremel tool. And then there is the rather large depression, left as a shrine to the big, lummox of a brute who fell into the garden. The best thing you can do here is to sit down. With any luck you will get some quiet time with our Heather. You come to realize that she is a quiet, strong woman. In the conversation you realize that she is deep, yet there is a twinkle in her eyes, a gaiety, and a love of life, that one cannot help but be strongly attracted to. Children see these things quickly, and that is why my 10 year old daughter, the wee Ciara, loves this woman so. As do I, and all that know her. In a few minutes, Rick will invariably head up the garden stairs to the magic room. His fabled music room. And a minute later he is back with a couple of instruments, his actions signalling that the conductor is ready to begin the sharing of his beloved craft. It is in the sharing of the music that one begins to know the love that this man has for his music, and the people that want to play it. He is, quite simply, a master teacher. Our Rick will pull every person into the music, and make them comfortable for the being there. But be warned, he will dissect your technique and give you tips on how to improve it. And you will walk away feeling good about your music. And you will have shared the music, learned new tunes and techniques, and met some of the most fascinating people you can imagine.

There in lies the crux of this backyard. It is the ultimate expression of the team of Rick and Heather. In Heathers loving hands, it has become a place that one just loves being. It looks great and feels comfortable just walking down the stairs. And when the conversation, and then the music, starts..............well, you just know that you are welcome here, indeed you belong here, in the company of loving friends and caring people.

Rick and Heather do, indeed, have a great backyard.............When one walks back up the stairs to pass through the gate, they cannot but help but to stop and turn and look down the hill again. First at the yard, then at the city, then feel the breath of the lake......and feel sad at leaving. And looking forward to returning........

Mick