Spencer -> Hike -> Davis

Great day! The temperature never got above about 51 or 52° F (10-11°C.) A sort of obsession of mine is checking the thermometer right outside my kitchen door. I kind of live for when the number is lowest. Not always, I mean below zero is harsh but days like this rock! Gorgeous weather for a hike. And gorgeous weather for football tomorrow... American football. I do enjoy the European round white ball kind, the real kind, but this American version is part of what makes fall fall in this country, my country, as horrible as it is in many ways, still love what helps make it great and damn straight it's the Chicago Bears! Okay, fine, they're 0-1 but 1-1 after this Sunday's game!

Listened to a whole bunch o' Spencer Davis Group today: two long CDs that comprise this release, lotta songs, so I listened to one disc before I left and one while I was on the trail...

Spencer Davis Group

Eight Gigs A Week:
The Steve Winwood Years

1996

--disc 1--



Dimples
I Can't Stand It
Jump Back
Here Right Now
Searchin'
Midnight Rain
It's Gonna Work Out Fine
My Babe
Kansas City [live]
Every Little Bit Hurts
Sittin' & Thinkin'
I'm Blue (Gong Gong Song)
She Put The Hurt On Me
I'll Drown In My Own Tears
I'm Getting Better
Goodbye Stevie
Strong Love
Georgia On My Mind
It Hurts Me So
Oh! Pretty Woman [live]
Look Away
This Hammer
Please Do Something
Keep On Running
Let Me Down Easy

Nice hike...

Total Trail Time -- 1 hour & 27 minutes

Had a great stroll down the trail and back at dusk a few hours ago. Cruised along at a good pace, felt great with every step. Nice and cool out, long sleeve shirt was so welcomed today. With the breeze it was a bit on the chilly side -- not cold but not warm, just perfect hiking weather!

Twas another very short hike this time but productive. That's what counts. I've gotta get this body back into hiking shape and I could probably go out there for 4 or 5 hours but methinks it's probably best to take it kinda slow. One reason:

Tibia Strength Back to Normal? -- about 99%

Still some discomfort remains from time to time. So very little, like a minute a day, but it does occur and it's not normal... but it's not bad. And on this hike I had nothing similar to a jolt of pain I experienced on the trail last time.

Blister pain? -- about half as much as my hike a few days ago. Sweet! The few spots that have been affected by blisters are getting used to this walking once again, used to these socks, these boots, this motion... blisters will soon be a thing o' the past. I suspect once I start hiking in more elevated areas, going more up and down more than I am now, a hot spot or two might develop but no big whoop.

Other problems? -- Nope! Well...

Ready to run soon? -- I thought I'd have my first run by the end of this week but that didn't happen. Again, no big whoop. Pretty soon. Probably the longer I wait the better but it'll be soon and again I'll say within a week.

Basically -- loved bein' out there! There's almost nothin' in the world I'd rather be doing! Best time for me to think and how great it is to be gettin' some exercise and it's exercise outdoors!!! Some people really dislike nature and hiking trails, etc.... sad. Ahh well, let 'em be a burden on the healthcare system. Not me!

Trail tunes...

Spencer Davis Group

Eight Gigs A Week:
The Steve Winwood Years

1996

--disc 2--

Somebody Help Me
Watch Your Step
Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out
Midnight Special
When I Come Home
High Time Baby
Hey Darling
I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
You Must Believe Me
Trampoline
Since I Met You Baby
Mean Woman Blues
Dust My Blues
When A Man Loves A Woman
Neighbour Neighbour
On The Green Light
Stevie's Blues
Take This Hurt Off Me
Stevie's Groove
I Can't Get Enough Of It
Waltz For Lumumba
Together Till The End Of Time
Gimme Some Lovin'
Back Into My Life Again
I'm A Man
Blues In F

This is a great collection of songs. 51 of 'em! Over two hours of music. Winwood was basically a kid when he was recruited by Spencer Davis in 1963. Along with Winwood's brother, Muff, and Pete York on drums, they got started with their first single, Dimples, in 1964. What followed was a bunch of albums and some number one songs... but it all came to a halt when Steve left the band in '67 to form Traffic. Prior to that came all of this and I've gotta say, these guys were an awesome band. So many of these songs are on the short side, 2 and half to 3 minutes long, but you can really feel how in concert they could be jammed on and extended to make a dance hall really get dancin'. Winwood once sat in with the Dead in '70 and Spencer Davis a few times through the years... and Winwood toured with either "The Dead" or the The Other Ones post-Jerry but I'm wondering -- with this lineup, were they ever on the bill with the Grateful Dead in '67? I wouldn't be surprised. Some of these songs have a similar feel to early GD. Also a great blues sound throughout, kinda made me think Ray Charles and Memphis. One tune's even got a coool jazzy feel to it but most of all it's bluesy Brit-pop rock and roll at some it's mid-1960's finest! I think I'm definitely gonna buy me a (used) copy one of these days!

80 kbps dload over at --> Freemusic07