(photo © 2003 Ernie Black)

Like Sunlight on a Gull's Wing:
A Celebration of Donovan Live and In Concert

Welcome to this little site, this web island in the ocean within reflected without, in celebration of the of the Celtic yogic Buddhist Taoist beat naturalist mystic magical bard, Donovan. You can see Atlantis rising from here....

This site began in last October as a tribute to Donovan and a commemoration of his stellar appearance At The Tabernacle, Mt. Tabor, NJ on October 5, 2002. A contingent of Donovan's greatest fans--your humble webmaster and his lovely wife Mary included--gathered for a dinner before the concert. Donovan surprised us all by showing up at that magical dinner and sitting and chatting with us for over an hour. (Go to At The Tabernacle for the full scoop on that event, including a huge selection of photos taken by a number of people.)

Mary and I next saw Donovan in concert at The Downtown in Farmingdale, NY on July 10, 2003. While not the ideal venue for our favorite folk poet and troubadour, it was nonetheless a wonderful time. So I decided to expand this site to include an account of that concert, along with a photo gallery, this time of my own photos. I also asked many friends who have recently seen Donovan in concert or at Beatlefest this past March to contribute photos, and I am now in the process of adding these sections to the site.

On October 25, 2003, Donovan returned to At the Tabernacle, Mt. Tabor, NJ. Of course, we joined our many friends in the CTW circle for dinner before the show and the festive evening's entertainment afterwards. Once again, Donovan brought great joy to his fans by joining us for the mid-afternoon repast, staying and chatting with us for upwards of two hours before leaving for his sound check. For more on this wonderful event, visit At the Tabernacle '03.

Mary and I have both been fans of Donovan since he appeared on Shindig in 1966, Mary first seeing him in concert in Miami, FL in 1970 and me at the Music Hall in Boston, MA in 1971 (where he played an acoustic set with Paul Horn on flute, pure magic). We've seen him a number of times since then, and oh how I wish I had photos of those concerts to share with you!

Acknowledgements: While I take credit and responsibility for the text, the layout, photography at The Downtown and much of At the Tabernacle 2003, and photo editing for this site, I am deeply indebted to several others for their contributions, photographic and otherwise. Firstly, I'd like to thank Linda, Barbara and Michael, Joe, Karen, Mike, Manolo and Marisel, and Tammy for their wonderful photos. Secondly, thanks to LadyO for her loving and tireless efforts in organizing and moderating the Catch the Wind e-mail list and related efforts, and her dear friendship. And of course a special thanks to Donovan for giving so much of himself to us, his loving and very demanding fans (more, more, more...)!

- Ernie Black

Midsummer Dream Awake
(for Donovan)

Now is the time of endless light,
the sun plays high o'erhead:
the bard sings boldly now and bright
his vision of peace instead

of war, of love instead of hate,
and we gather in his company
though the hour may seem late,
to sing his song, his epiphany:

The world can change, it is our will,
and we guide it on its way,
in joy and celebration still
the dignity of man this day,
the dignity of this longest day.

© 2004 Ernest Black

Solstice Lights (for Donovan)

Solstice lights, winter's turning
new light shall arise--
Ever more we shall be learning
the ancient ways of being wise.

There is a bard, I hear him playing
songs drift through the snowy air;
Spring and summer, he is saying,
slumber in this wintry lair.

So follow the path in moonlight
shining, down along the rising tide;
And let our joyful hearts this long night
rekindle the love which never dies.

© 2003 Ernest Black

All material on this and other Standing Stone Designs Web pages copyright © Ernest Black 2001 unless otherwise noted. This page was last updated on May 19, 2019.

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