Last week was a hectic week, and it all sped by so fast, faster than usual that is. Don't get me wrong as I am thankful that so much work has fallen into my lap, its just that the local photo community is typically dormant the entire month of August so I was looking forward to some quiet time for reminiscing and savoring some events of late.
It's just that I was looking forward to a day to unwind after my last weekend down the coast in Big Sur. It was a last minute trip, I packed my bags and camping gear immediately upon hearing that Folk legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott was going to be playing at the Henry Miller Library that Sunday. We stayed with our friend who runs the Library and when I called him to confirm that we'd be on our way in a few hours, he informed me that we'd have to pitch our tents on the grassy patch on the mountain side of their land (they live in a redwood forest on a ridge of mountains overlooking the rocky Pacific Ocean coast) because Ramblin Jack was going to be staying with them and needed his privacy before the Sunday show. They gave him use of the guest house where he stayed with his daughter and son-in-law.
Our friends place was packed full of interesting characters that weekend. Our friend put up Lou Reed and his wife Laurie Anderson at a neighbors house because she did a benefit concert earlier that week for the Henry Miller Library. So when we arrived that Friday evening Lou's entourage was also camped out on our friend's property. We brought our tents but the starts were so god damn brilliant and beautiful, that we decided to pull out our sleeping bags and just sleep under the stars instead. I found it very hard to close my eyes for good those 2 nights...so many shooting starts.
Saturday night we were drinking and dining with the entourage and the air silenced momentarily when Ramblin' walked in the door to our cozy wooden cottage to sit down to the hot meal and glass of wine that awaited him. What a character. Beautiful soul, you certainly felt like you were in the presence of someone who had seen and experienced more than one could dream. The life of a rambler, oh the stories one will collect I suppose. I remember at breakfast the next morning he just shouted out "What a day! What a beach! What a dog!" after reminiscing about his dog. My head was a little cloudy due to the wine the night before and nothing could be mustered up in response. Besides, what do you say to that anyway. He was quoting some famous friend of his whose name already escapes me.
I am thankful for that brief brush with him, as it has since led me to research him, and because of that I was made aware of the musical genius of Odetta. I had never heard of her before, and for the past few days she is all I desire listening to. If you like folk+ blues + soul music you should check her out if you havent already.
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