It all started when Ben discovered the music of the Wailin' Jennys a year or so ago. He has become a devoted fan of theirs ever since. A few months ago, he learned that they would be on tour, but the closest they would come to visiting Utah would be Napa, California, which is a stone's throw from my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Dexter in Fairfield. So, he reserved a couple of tickets, and after pestering me to join him like an alarm clock commands you to wake up, I agreed to go along.
Other than a brief layover in Los Angeles on my way to the mission field in Peru - for some reason, we first flew west to L.A. before flying southeast to Lima - it had been 20 years (the summer of '89) since I had last been out to California to visit my aunt and uncle. So, I was probably overdue for the trip anyway.
There is a whole lot of nothing, including 410 miles of Nevada, along I-80 on the way out to the Golden State, but Ben and I managed to keep ourselves entertained during the journey by listening to good music and the seventh Harry Potter book on CD. An old, boarded-up house in the middle of nowhere with the words "Bobby Baby Boy Boo-Boo #1" spray painted on it kept us laughing for some time. I had also forgotten how much I liked the view of the Salt Flats and of the Sierra Nevadas.
Once we arrived in Fairfield, Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Dexter took good care of us, as they have always done over the years. This morning before we left, they fed us one of the heartiest breakfasts I've eaten in years. They also sent us home with boxes full of oranges and lemons from the trees in their own backyard.
In addition, our cousin Sherrie, who lives just a few blocks away and whom I hadn't seen in several years, and her 13-year-old son Tony (who is almost as tall as I am now) came over to visit with us. Sherrie and I didn't always get along when we were growing up - I remember one particular traumatic event from my childhood when she whitewashed me in the snow outside of our grandpa's house in Smithfield - but fortunately that unfortunate experience never came up, and it was good to see them both.
The concert itself was great. It was held in the very nice Napa Valley Opera House, and in spite of my preconceived notions about the people of Napa being uptight, wine-tasting snobs, they were in actuality very friendly and cordial to us. Before the show, I was not very familiar with the Wailin' Jennys nor their music, which may be best described as a blend of folk, gospel, and bluegrass, but I was nevertheless entertained and now look forward to listening to some more.After the show, the Jennys met with people in the foyer and signed autographs. Ben was excited to meet all three but was a little more excited to meet Ruth Moody, in particular:
I can't say that I blame him; in addition to being pretty, she is a talented musician and has a beautiful voice. When the Jennys learned that we had come all the way from Utah to see them perform, they were impressed and (off the record) said that we had won the award for traveling the farthest to see them.
Before returning home to Utah, Ben and I stayed in Fairfield long enough to attend sacrament meeting with our aunt and uncle at the Fairfield 3rd Ward. The people there were, likewise, very friendly to us, and we enjoyed hearing their testimonies before hitting the road once more.
We returned from our adventure earlier this evening. I am utterly exhausted from the experience, but I am also glad that I went.
1 comment:
Sounds like you guys had fun!
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