My colorful Bay excursion to El Cerrito by Amtrak

A musical journey in tableaux is a good title for this writing because my weekly Amtrak ride along the Bay is embellished with breathtaking seascapes. And lately, I've been experimenting with mixed media – color coordinating my piano performances with embedded digital images.

How it's done:

I snugly press my Sony Cybershot against the train window as we approach Antioch where a foggy residue engulfts the water. It's about 9:45 a.m

For the next 45 minutes, I'm in motion, clicking furiously to capture mood paintings before they dissolve into oblivion.

The train is chugging at about 80 miles an hour, blowing off steam, tooting it's whistle. Sometimes a long freighter kills my best chance to get a dream image. It happens so fast, a hairbreadth delay can dash a hope.

The Bay view is so spectacular that it seduces me with a new paradise over the horizon.

Reflections in the water evoke Debussy.

A somber Chopin Prelude is my preference with a wash of gray at its opening.

I drop my best pics onto the Sony Vegas timeline and let my imagination run free.

http://youtu.be/Ndblxj6CKSA