Carousels and The Calendar

February 17, 2026

The music team and I are deep into preparations for recording our third batch of demos. First (historically) in this group is “Rapids Redux Carousel,” a mid-Act I number that covers the 15+ years of Ford’s life between graduating from the University of Michigan to being introduced to Betty. The song revisits an earlier number, “Goodbye Grand Rapids,” adding company-driven sections that posit life as a circling ride: “Isn’t life a carousel?...”

I believe the world is exponentially "wonderfilled." It’s my hope to be receptive to even a trickle of the many wonders that enter my moments. Yesterday, the magic delivered.

As Tim and I listened to the playback, ensuring our final adjustments worked as intended, I looked up just as the final carousel/calliope sequence concluded—seeing what had been right in front of me the whole time (and many times before): Tim and Eleanor’s two vintage rocking horse friends.

The accompanying lyric--

ALL ABOARD THE CAROUSEL...

...JUST LOOK UP, AROUND AS WELL

--as if written for the moment. And it’d have been one thing if it was just one carousel horse…but two, side by side?

OTHER RIDERS PARALLEL

MAYBE ONE WILL RING YOUR BELL

RIDE BESIDE HER, THAT’D BE SWELL

We continued through the final number for review and called it another incredible day.

Another Round of Merry Go-Rounds

This morning, I woke up with an impulse to check my photo archives for this picture, which I’ve also placed on the “Team” page of this site.

Scrolling toward the picture, I took note of the dates. Almost two years ago…Wait, not almost. February 17th…exact, to the day. To the hour, in fact, of this write-up. Naturally. Two circuits, riding.

Months prior, just a couple weeks into writing, I shared what I was doing with my superfriend, Vernon Rainwater. Vernon’s enthusiastic response, along with a brief reenactment of his father’s Gerald Ford impersonation: “I know just the person you need to meet.”

From the first moment Vernon first mentioned Tim, I felt a compelling intuition that this would be the person who would help bring the music of WIN into being. I carried that feeling through an initial meeting, a couple months later, and then into plans for a follow-up.

We would meet again at the Tracey home, along with Eleanor (Tim's wife) and their dear friend and collaborator, Susan Eissele. I'd walk them through the "Gerald Ford as a Musical" project and discuss possibilities. It was maybe a week after I’d finished converting the libretto from its original creation within Apple Notes to a much more official format in Final Draft. In fact, the scripts shown in the picture were the first formatted copies ever printed.

I hope to one day hear and share Tim, Eleanor, and Susan’s accounts of that day, as it is theirs, also, to tell. I do remember walking them through how the story came into my life and sharing an overview of the arc as they flipped through the pages. I let them know I had voice recordings of all the lyrics+melodies…but that instrumentation was beyond my capabilities.

We paused on maybe 3-4 occasions for me to sing from a particular number. I especially remember sharing “Winsome Times,” possibly because of my own emotion in singing it, though certainly because of the conversation that followed. Suddenly, the content shifted beyond wordplay, deeply into the human side.

As we continued to talk, they shared a potential division of labor that met with their strengths, and I kept thinking I am experiencing something of large importance.

Before leaving, I suggested we take the photo to preserve the moment.

The two years since have been nothing but resounding confirmation. Beyond finding partners in music development, I’ve found souls of immense generosity, resonant wisdom, loving kindness, patience, professionalism, and awe-inspiring talent. Not only have Tim, Eleanor, and Susan been the ideal partners on this adventure, they've had every hand in extending our team to other incredibly talented souls.

...TALE TO LIVE TO LIVE TO TELL

ISN’T LIFE A CAR-OU-SEL?

As we round the turn into year three, I believe the music we are making together is the best proof of that magic. I cannot wait to share more!