Road Trippin'!

Today, a travel day, and Andrea’s actual birthday! Morning walks on the Manzanita beach, coffee from the local coffee house (and oh, by the way, they had on the wall as decoration those posters you had in your classroom in elementary school that described the most essential science subjects – way cool!), and on the road by 11:00 when we planned to leave at 10:00. Sensing a pattern here?!

It was a spectacularly beautiful drive south along the Oregon coast. The group practiced songs all the way, with a guitar in the cabin to boot. It is truly stunning to consider the volume of lyrics they possess between them and I’m the luckiest person in the world that I get to listen to their harmonies all day long.

The lunch stop was in Newport, at Mo’s – a landmark restaurant infamous for their clam chowder. After that mid-day break, another leg of the road trip and a stop at a lighthouse landmark – a quick hike up the hill to the historic and active site.

Our stop tonight is in Florence, where Andrea Weatherhead’s family has had a cabin on Lake Woahink, which is directly across the highway from the infamous Honeyman Park, home of the amazing sand dunes. On arrival in town we provisioned for Andrea’s birthday dinner and then went to check out the venue for tomorrow night’s gig, the Bay Street Grill. It’s gonna be an awesome place to play! We learned when we were there that the band’s appearance made the local newspaper – a great article on Page 3!!

We settled in to the Weatherhead family cabin and began the preparation of Andrea’s birthday feast. She requested a roast, baked potatoes, Caesar salad and wine, preceded by cocktails. She got what she wanted!!

The band spent the evening sharpening up their repertoire for the following night’s performance. I wish I could convey to you the energy in this space, and in this moment. The ability of these people to come together, not having played together in any meaningful way for months, and then before that, for years.

Yet they sync so easily, so effortlessly. And the joy that this process brings is so evident, palpable. I feel so fortunate to be in the presence of this kind of love and collaborative effort. There are 7 of us existing in a little over 800 square feet of space, and it feels so spacious and perfectly intimate at the same time. Extraordinary.