late nights and lift-offs: 60 hours on the east coast

so last thursday, after a long and distracted afternoon in the studio, i threw a carry-on of clothes into my car and drove down into the low desert, across the miles of electric windfarms, and towards the sprawling lights of LA.  any sadness at the loss of starry skies to a sea of shopping outlets and smoggy air was immediately outshadowed by the feeling in my stomach as i waited in the jetblue terminal for the red eye to deliver me to boston’s logan international airport.

i planned the two and a half day trip to surprise adam on his birthday (friday), and to be at his big show in boston that night, where they released their newest album, ragtop angel.

it felt like a brilliant plan, and one of few things that would happily pull me away from this magical nook.  plus, i’ve always had a secret infatuation with traveling long distances for short amounts of time… the crazier the idea, the bigger the thrill of putting it into action.  (for this, i thank you, mom and dad, for being parents who never wanted to hold me back, or encourage me to play it safe.)  this trip, of course, wasn’t such a crazy idea, but certainly the culture shock of it all feels like a bigger deal than it is.

that, and getting to see someone you love after a 2 month hiatus. 

which is really not long, compared to what many people go through, not to mention when lives are on the line.  but it was enough for me. 

steve and ruth were so excited that ruth insisted on giving me a haircut in her kitchen the morning i left.  she spread newspapers everwhere and had a stool set up in the middle, flanked by her kit of scissors and fancy hair clips.  i must say, that woman’s got technique!  it felt exactly like that stuff they do at the hairdressers.  might have been the best haircut i’ve had in a while (king lear, don’t worry, yours are still the best.)

of the 60 hours i was on east coast soil, about 4 were spent sleeping.  i got in at 7:34am, surprised ad at home (a knock on the bathroom door to an annoyed “what??!??” is pretty much the best way to surprise someone), and spent the morning at the greater boston food bank, where two of his closest friends had organized a surprise volunteer day, as a birthday present.  i must give credit for both surprises to our friend sammy, who i never imagined could help orchestrate something so brilliant and secretive (since he doesn’t read this, i can use this opportunity to officially tell you all how many times i kick his ass at board games).  but on friday, sammy shined… pulling a scheme that involved emails from paris and cooperation from the entire food bank staff, in order to keep the cover as we showed up to a room full of family and friends and donuts with birthday candles.  we all spent 3 hours hanging out, rollin up our sleeves… loading turkeys onto trucks, putting labels on sacks of ravioli, and sorting thousands of pounds of food to feed the staggering amount of hungry families in the boston area.

it was a beautiful thing.

and an incredible way to spend a morning with people you love, reflecting back on how lucky we are, and how easy it is to make a big difference in the lives of those who need it most.

*thank you, bemis, for all the photos, since i didn't take any..*

from there, the weekend included, of course, the show itself – a sold out concert at brighton music hall, which also raised a ton of money to support the family of kevin houston, a local navy SEAL killed in afghanistan.  in addition to celebrating the release of their newest CD, a collaboration with royal avenue music (see here to check out the album on itunes or amazon), they were also releasing a new music video they made for one of the songs, miss hallelujah.  this was… for sure… the highlight of the show.  it is brilliantly done, and on a giant screen in front of a packed room, it brought hundreds of people together in laughs, raucous cheers, and eye-welling sentiment.

have yourself a good look.

the rest of the weekend flew by.  there was a private show at a friend’s family party, where they were celebrating their 15-year old son’s remission from leukemia.  the room (a tented and decorated garage) was busting with spirit, and there were middle schoolers dancing alongside grandmothers, as well as wood-fired pizzas, s’mores, and the best salted almonds ever.  the weekend also entailed 6 hours of driving, during which we got to frequent multiple dunkin donuts’, catch a glimpse of the fading fall foliage, and most excitedly attempt a new york times crossword (there is only one place to get the NYT in the hi-dez… and it’s open 11am-2pm).  there was a hearty diner breakfast, there was catching up with best friends and old friends (so much talking that my throat hurt!), there was birthday delivering of handmade bronze belt buckles, there was... never... enough time, and the rest of it... well, twas happiness that can't be put into words.  but perhaps most memorable of it all… was sunday morning, when i was awoken with a giant plate of bacon in my hotel bed.

and at the end of it all… sure enough, jetblue delivered me back to the west coast just as quickly (albeit with a lot more turbulence) as i’d come, and at 2am monday morning as i pulled into the cabin, where steve and ruth had left my little porch light glowing, it was really hard to believe that this all had just happened.

the quickness of the trip made the contrast in landscape and culture so noticeable, and so clear how different life is, how much harder to stay your course, when experienced with all of the distractions and chaos that exist out there.  i wasn’t necessarily ready, or prepared, for the switch.  but it was amazing on both ends. 

this week has brought some insanely beautiful weather, cozy nights, and low hanging moons.  the woodstove in my cabin is full and smoky, and steve and i are getting very excited as we near the finish on a new piece we’ve been working on!  i've got a few pics and a couple good stories on their way for ya!!