The Great Plains are Alive with the Sound of Music

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

This morning we’re preparing for our dinner and a movie, which will be our way of reliving last year’s trip to Austria. Yesterday I shared our dinner menu. Today, I’ll share some background on our movie choice, The Sound of Music.

The Confidence Fountain in Salzburg:

I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again
Besides which you see I have confidence in me

While I grew up listening to Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Tom. T. Hall, my wife cut her musical teeth on a steady diet of showtunes. This is just one of the differences that make our marriage interesting.

Prior to meeting my wife, I had never viewed The Sound of Music in its entirety. In her world Julie Andrews was like a member of the family, so I was quickly indoctrinated to the sanctity of The Sound of Music. Today you’ll even find the soundtrack on my Ipod right there with Mr. Cash and Mr. Haggard. Now I’ve found that having Julie Andrews on a road trip is essential. When I annoy my wife by suggesting we stop at every roadside stand or historic site, playing a little “Do-Re-Mi” is perfect antidote to smooth out all of the rough edges.

(Picture the Von Trapp kids prancing around the edge of this fountain)

On our trip to Austria, Salzburg was one of the highlights for my wife because it served as the backdrop for much of The Sound of Music. We stayed at the Sheraton, which is right next to Mirabell Gardens, the site of the “Do-Re-Mi” musical montage of Julie Andrews prancing around with the Von Trapp children.

What does all of this have to do with food? Well, I shared this background to setup my next story . . .