Rain on the Window is an imprint of istillhave.life. It is a home for mood music, relaxing instrumentals, study music, and the like.

Releases

An hour of nothing but steady, soothing rainfall. Put it on repeat and get that hammock-in-a-tiki-hut kind of sleep.

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The first full-length album by From Embers includes 13 original tracks recorded twice each, once on grand piano and once on felt piano.

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This is a romantic, wedding-appropriate tune that brings to mind my visit to Venice, when I encountered this couple taking wedding photos at night in St. Mark’s Square. I know Venice is a cliche place to visit, but it’s one of the massive tourist draws that actually lives up to the hype. I enjoyed it immensely, and I highly recommend exploring at night, when the crowds are more local and less obnoxious tourist.

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In the spirit of this track’s title, I must confess that this cover image was taken out my bedroom window in Nashville. There is no interesting travel anecdote behind it.

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During a lull in the pandemic I had a chance to visit Costa Rica, where I spent a few days on the Pacific coast at Sámara. I encountered this mural of Frida Kahlo while wandering the town, and its juxtaposition next to a urinal seemed oddly Kahlo-esque, at least to my non-expert mind.

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I was fortunate to briefly visit the city of Chefchaouen, Morocco, which is famous for much of its architecture being painted a vivid blue. The town is built on a hillside, and the steep, narrow streets are a lot of fun to explore. And the blue is a joyous feature of what could have been just another brown desert city. I highly recommend a stop there if you’re in Morocco, though of course be respectful and mindful of the fact that you’re wandering around staring at people’s homes.

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We generally know the American author Washington Irving from his stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, but another of his works is the book Tales of the Alhambra, which he wrote partially while staying in the namesake palace and fortress in Granada, Spain. I had a chance to spend a day at the Alhambra, and this single’s cover image is of the door to the room where he stayed, which I found to be aesthetically pleasing.

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The cover image was taken at Sanatorio Durán in Costa Rica, on my first adventure following (or more accurately, during a lull in) the pandemic. They say this abandoned hospital is haunted, and even during the day it’s easy to let your imagination run wild as you wander the corridors and grounds.

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Had a chance to visit Gibraltar briefly, and of course I went up to the top of the rock. There’s a viewing platform there, and the area is populated by some 300 Barbary macaques, the only wild monkey population in Europe. There are signs everywhere warning visitors to keep all plastic bags hidden, as these goofballs will spot the plastic instantly and try to steal it from you. Noted.

Unfortunately, I had a hole in my duffel bag, and a bit of plastic bag was visible through the hole. I was wandering around snapping photos when I felt a weight tugging on my shoulder, and before I could stop it, this monkey had ripped wide the hole and removed the plastic bag inside. It scampered off to the edge of the roof–the side of the rock plummeting straight down inches away–and began exploring the bag for anything edible.

You know what I’d packed in that bag? Nothing important, just ALL of my medications. I watched helplessly as this damn monkey attempted to tear open all of the little cardboard and plastic containers, distributing much of their contents all over the rooftop in the process. I’m sure I lost some over the side, too.

An annoyed-looking employee showed up, his face spelling out “Damn tourists. Every single day…”. He climbed over the railing and onto the roof, chased off the monkey, and retrieved what meds he could. Then he stalked off without a word.

I’ve never laughed so hard while simultaneously being embarrassed and worried. Traveling can be fun… 😉

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Armenia is a gorgeous country with a long and often tragic history, and it should be on every conscious world traveler’s bucket list. It’s home to a number of very old churches and monasteries, and the cover image was taken on a visit to the monastery in Noravank. If you’re bold enough to ascend the narrow, crumbling steps outside, you can enter the main chapel featured in this image.

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Moldova is a small country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, and it holds a beloved place in my heart (long story). This cover image was taken at the fortress in Soroca, which sits beside the Dniester River on the border with Ukraine. The trip out to Soroca was a special day for me, as it was an opportunity to take my honorary son out to explore a piece of his own country’s history for the first time.

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My mom had always wanted to go to Disney and Epcot during Christmas, but never had, despite living in Florida for the majority of her life. I had the chance at last to take her in 2021, and while there I took this cover image of the giant golf ball. It’s not really my vibe, as everything is too crowded and the national displays at Epcot are unimpressive once you’ve visited those countries yourself. But she loved every minute of it, and that made me happy. I hope to help her fulfill her dream of visiting England IRL someday.

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I took this cover pic in 2019 when I had a chance to visit the abbey in Germany that had been founded by composer Hildegard of Bingen in the 12th century. It’s one of the things I love so much about Europe–there’s so much history everywhere just sitting comfortably alongside everyday modern life.

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In May 2019, I had the opportunity to visit Odessa, Ukraine. I took this cover photo as the sun was rising over the Black Sea. It breaks my heart that this same horizon has lately been marred by warfare and the greed of a tyrant. Much love, peace, and hope to the people of Ukraine, and to the people of Russia dragged into this too.