In my last post, I thanked my wife for letting me continue on adventures, even though I “shouldn’t be chasing waterfalls” – that is, doing dangerous things. I wanted to sneak in the reference of older songs…”Waterfalls”. Some might remember the group TLC releasing their song “Waterfalls” in 1995. It was #1 for seven week on Billboard 100.
“Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast“
But there is another “Waterfalls” song that was remarkably similar, written by Paul McCartney. He wrote “Waterfalls” in 1980. It was his first solo single song that did not make the Billboard 100 (reaching only 106).
“Don’t go jumping waterfalls
Please, keep to the lake
People who jump waterfalls
Sometimes can make mistakes”
I thought I was clever with the line. But really clever was in the book “Mexican Plants for American gardens” by Cecile Hulse Matschat, published in 1935. It was her first book. By 1943, she had written 16 books. As well as being an accomplished author, she was a painter, an explorer, a garden expert, and geologist. With all of her accolades, I am surprised that she is not more famous. I have begun collecting all of her works.
“Mexican Plants” is a wonderful book about identifying and propagating plants and cacti, planning out gardens; and the history of Mexico, with the influences of various tribes and countries that conquered. I really enjoy reading it. The only drawback is not enough illustrations or photographs of the plants. I have had to use my phone and google.
There is an interesting sentence in her introduction:
“Ever since I read Blakes’s ‘Naturalist on the River Amazon’ and Spruce’s ‘Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes,’ my ‘Castle in Spain’ has been the tropics.”
I wondered about what that meant, ‘Castle in Spain’? Google AI states that it refers to daydreams or unrealistic plans. With what little I already know about Cecile Hulse Matschat, is that she went for what she wanted. If she desired to go somewhere, she developed a plan to get there. But perhaps a younger Cecil Hulse did daydream, when reading the books by those two explorers. She may have seen those books when she was growing up (the first book written in 1864 and the latter in 1905). Cecile was born in 1895 (and died in 1976.)
Continuing my search, I found the sheet music for the song “My Castle In Spain” by Isham Jones. Jones was an early famous bandleader. This song was copyrighted in 1926.
The first verse is about daydreaming:
“Twilight follows the setting sun.
Always after the day is done.
My thoughts wander way off to a sunny.
Land where worry and care is forgotten.
Evening breeze seems to pass me saying.
Come with me and I’ll show the way.
To that wonderful land of enchantment.
There where dreams of the dreamer come true.“
The chorus goes:
“In all my dreams I dream of my castle in Spain
Murmuring waterfalls, there mystic eyes aglow
Always seem to be calling me
Moonbeams bring my wonderful castle in Spain
Ever in fancy I stroll ′neath the starry skies there“
So…
On one hand I have two songs (and a wife) telling me not to chase (jump) waterfalls. On the other hand, I have a song (first made famous by a bandleader Isham Jones, and his singer Jane Green in 1926) which is mentioned by an author and explorer (whose books I really enjoy!) dreaming of a Castle in Spain, with murmuring waterfalls calling her.
What do I do? I just ordered the book “Waterfall Atlas of the United States” by Gregory Plumb, 2023. It is printed by The Mountaineers, an exploring and conservation group in Seattle. There are 320 pages of the history, importance of waterfalls, and directions to 13,000 waterfalls, throughout all 50 states. In several days, I will be discovering where my next trip should be.
-Waterfalls are mist-ifying.
They’re simply un-fall-gettable. (I fell for them.)
I’m an aqua-holic
Thanks for reading.
Librarytomes 