Today Noah was a hero! First was brunch at the grandparents pad, an incredibly designed cottage, a meal to match. We ended up playing as long set, telling stories, we didn’t want to leave. That’s one of the things about these trips, as long as we are in a great place, we don’t want to quit, because when we do it’s back to the unexpected. While making music we are in our element, in control and unconcerned with the quotidian requirements that consume us the rest of the time.

Then after an unusual amount of ‘no-play’ zones, we found ourselves in Santa Barbara at a bountiful table, complete with family and friends, courtesy of…you guessed it: Noah! It turns out, Noah’s mom’s best friend was there to save us and next thing you know we’re sharing one of those famously beautiful California summer eves on the porch, playing for the kids, telling stories and embraced by the warmth of family and new friends. It was miraculous, I hardly even remember the frustration and pressure of the day’s strike-outs.

We were offered a lovely pad to hang at afterwards, a view with a house, we are looking over all of Santa Barbara, I can’t wait to see the view by day, the lights and tonight’s meteor shower is ridiculously beautiful. The house is empty, the folks who loaned it to us have yet to move in, not a prob for the Cow Bop road rats. This is one of the powerful parts of these trips, the overwhelming generosity of new friends—and  all of you who pledge—makes the gargantuan effort worth it. Tomorrow, I plan to regain the Route 66 glory, I’m aiming for a minimum three hits…count ‘em.

Got enough bread to make Big Sur…almost…yikes!

(sorry, no pics today, had to use a different uploading system due to conectivity challenges...plus, the hamsters are tired)