Birthdays!!!!

Joe turned thirty....




and I turned twenty-five (ha!)....

Back from the Beyond.

All I can say is wow.
Mom & I just came back from two days in the Mohave/Colorado Deserts. We stayed at the absolutely WONDERFUL 29 Palms Inn, toured its grounds and gardens, swam in the pool, and enjoyed the creative, relaxed atmosphere.

We saw a great deal of the park, from the Oasis of Mara, to the Cholla Gardens, to Keys View, Jumbo Rocks, Barker Dam, and the Wonderland of Rocks.

Joshua Tree is just breathtaking at every turn, and always reminds me that - even at our driest points - at the very core of the earth (and our beings), there is always life springing upwards.

I'll link to both photo albums (Day 1 and Day 2 of our Joshua Tree Travels) below:

DAY ONE:

Sara & Mom in Joshua Tree - Day One

DAY TWO:

Sara & Mom in Joshua Tree - Day Two

Incredible. Just incredible.

I just returned from Largo at the Coronet.
It's the first time in about 5 years for me, and I feel like I've died and gone to music heaven. All over again.

I am full to the gills with inspiration, and an overall sense of hope for the future of music.
Sara and Sean Watkins are just so super special, and the group of musicians (lap steel! mandolin! violin! tack piano!) were just perfect. Fiona singing roots, bluegrass and even a touch of Patsy Cline? Pinch me. A big finale with "When I'm Low I Get High" (originally by the Four Clefs). Somewhere out there is a recording of the song from the mid 1930s by Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb's Orchestra...but this version with Fiona accompanied by the Waktins siblings, Jon Brion, and the rest of the crew...it just had me riveted.

And then I get home to find a photo of tonight's Maui sunset in my email inbox. So I leave you with that.

I am going to bed completely satisfied.

Landed!

So, I'm here now. Last night I was so exhausted. I didn't sleep much on the plane, but almost finished reading The China Study, a great book that discusses the most comprehensive research done linking diet/nutrition to disease. It's incredible the things that we were taught that are just complete LIES. I highly recommended this book if you've got disease in your life, or if you're like me, and want to avoid it at all costs.

This morning, my mom and I ate at the Secret Spot, which is an incredible local food joint in Huntington Harbor that serves incredible vegan (and non vegan) dishes, with a great relaxed atmosphere.

Tonight, I'm taking my mom to see The Watkins Family Hour at the new Largo location. Largo used to be on Fairfax Ave in West Hollywood, across the street from Canter's. But now, its on La Cienega in the old Coronet Theatre. Tonight, the Watkins folks (members of Nickel Creek) are welcoming Fiona Apple as their guest. Should be an incredible time.

And I leave you with my short gallery of photos from the last 24 hours:

Boarding....

I'm at Maui Airport just about to board. Just learned that Alton Kelley passed away. He was an incredible artist and seeing his images as a child made me realize that out there in the world there were people with open minds and colorful imaginations. RIP, Alton.

Looking forward to some sleep on the plane. Didn't get much last night.
Aloha!

Packing....

Well, I'm just about done getting all of my things together.
I'm going to Southern California to meet up with my mom (she's from Long Island, NY). Mom's visiting with family. I'm going to also visit with family, and try to steal my mom away for a brief road trip to Joshua Tree. Right now it's about 10:30pm and in 12 hours I'll be in the sky.

Today was a bit of a hassle, getting so much taken care of before leaving work for a whole week. I guess it's par for the course, but I was determined and managed to finish my "to do" list. In the middle of that frenzy, I managed to absorb the following from today's headlines and happenings:

• Obama is the Democratic Candidate for the President of USA. An event The Nation calls "America's Moment". Here's a link to his Victory Speech.
• The Summer Youth Camps I'm putting together are finally launched, as of this morning. If anyone knows any teens or tweens that want to roll up their sleeves and make some motion pictures on Maui this summer, send them here.
• This woman is an angel. Why? She loaned me her NEW bag to use as a carry on during my trip (I am determined not to check bags during Mercury Retrograde).
• Another two friends from high school found me on Facebook today. It's crazy...after all of these years, getting to know each other again. Via computer?

Okay, well. I've still got more to go before bed...so, good night! I'll likely send another message when I get to the other side. Of the Pacific.

Aloha.