We have had 11 foals so far on the ranch and are trying to stay caught up with them so they don’t get too wild. There are another 9 mares due to foal in the next month.
I spent the weekend with Rosie and Cameron in Orange County. This time I flew down. It was pretty painless, since I didn’t buy the ticket and didn’t have to drive the 6 hours south.
The excuse was that I had offered to play at the schools of Rosie’s nieces and nephew and the Kindergarten teacher of niece, Tiana, was very interested in having me come sing for her kids. This was the time to do it, since school was coming to an imminent halt for the summer.
Rosie picked me up at the airport and we meandered our way to Laguna Beach.
We walked on the beach, sat on a rock looking out at the ocean and avoiding getting swept away by the waves, which I did a little better than my daughter. I reminded her of the “Never turn your back on the ocean” speech and we moved a bit back. I think she was thinking I could’ve been bit more enthusiastic in encouraging her to move out of the way of that wave.
We talked for a long time. I enjoyed sitting in this beautiful setting talking with my favorite person. It was all the more enjoyable due to the presence of a photographer and her model taking advantage of the “golden hour” lighting.
Rosie told me that she didn’t swim and I told her that I didn’t either, not that I couldn’t, but that it was hard work. I grew up with a pool in our back yard, which I spent a great deal of time in. I told her how difficult it was for those of us who have little body fat to keep us afloat. We are just denser! Hmm there isn’t a whole lot of Rosie to be dense, though. Once, a friend who did Wat-Su, water massage, offered to do a session with me in her well-heated pool and later told me that she almost drowned trying to keep me afloat. It was the hardest session she’d ever had!
I could easily see that the woman having her photos taken, did not have the same difficulty. She was well-suited for the activity they were engaged in and could probably stay afloat without too much difficulty. There were some costume changes, which, unfortunately, occurred while my attention was riveted on my conversation with Rosie.
We gave up our perch on the rock to a couple having their portraits done and walked back down the beach to look for dinner. We continued our conversation on the deck of a comfortable French restaurant near the beach.
Rosie let me know that my school performance would only be Tiana’s class and so my concern about the space for the singing was minimal.
Rosie had wanted to practice the songs we were going to be singing for the picnic on the 28th for her congregation. She was resistant to actually doing it and it took a little coaxing to find out why that was. She did tell me that she was concerned about measuring up . . . worried that I wouldn’t like the way she sang, worried that she wouldn’t be able to write with me. I tried to assure her that she only had to be herself to be good enough for me. Her mere existence was all I required, the rest was gravy! I love the way she sings. She sounds like no one I have heard . . . and to me that shows a lot. I love the idea of watching her unfold and bloom as she comes into owning her voice and her presence. She says that she is surprised that people ask her to sing. She acquiesces because it gives them joy, but she is uncomfortable about it. I like that she is conscious of it.
We did get some practicing accomplished . . . it was hardly work. I love rehearsing and creating parts, at least as much as performing them. Often, the performance can be disappointing, but the rehearsal is full of promise and the unknown. Amazing things happen in that space where you feel free to try things out. I love the times when that happens onstage. I read something that Dick Cavett wrote recently about Groucho Marx saying that those times when you are truly euphoric in performance are rare. He said maybe a half a dozen times in a career.
Rosie seemed to have become more comfortable about singing with me. It seemed to be that initial hesitation that we had to overcome. The singing went great!
We had been meaning to finish up the melody for “Empty Room”. I wanted to do it with Rosie so that it would be a melody that she was comfortable singing and so she would feel like she had some say in what it would be.
We got some good work done. I inputted the chords into one of the programs on my computer so that Rosie wouldn’t be hampered by my changing the chords on the guitar every time I played the song, as I am want to do. I had the chords pretty much set by the time I went downstairs in the morning and we played with singing along to the computer. Parts of the melody started to solidify. I plugged my computer into her digital piano, after some effort, and began playing with the shape of the melody. The song was beginning to take up residence in my conscious mind and that meant that the tune was taking form and before that happened I wanted to get Rosie’s input.
I played with it until it was time to go to Tiana’s school. We arrived to a parking lot full of parents picking up and dropping off. Rosie dropped me off and went in search of the Kindergarten Room, which to my mind was going to be in the general vicinity of the sign on the fence which said Kindergarten. I was correct.
Children congealed until we were ready to get started, though Tiana wasn’t yet there. She usually goes in the morning and was coming back to school for the singing.
We had fun, Rosie got to see what I do (at least with Kindergarteners). The teachers were appreciative and understood what I was doing. Hopefully, their enthusiasm will translate into the school scheduling performances next school year.
We went out to lunch with Cameron’s mother and sisters and their friend Huntyr. I got back to working on the melody when we got home. That evening, Rosie’s friends Sarah and Clarisa came over and we watched a film that Rosie had told me about, “August Rush”. It was a film about a young boy who had been raised in an orphange and went in search of his parents. They were all musicians and the music was what eventually brought them together. It was a powerful film for me to watch . . . the best kind!
I liked many elements of the film and resonated with much of it. I was grateful that Rosie shared it with me.
The next morning we sat down and sang along to the chords I had been working with. Rosie sang her part and that was a piece I needed. I wanted to hear how she interpreted the melody into the chords. I could change the chords, if need be, but I wanted to hear what melody she would hear.
I savored the moment as she listened to the recording of her voice against the instruments the computer had provided. It was an rough instrumental sketch, but a valid one. I wondered how she would feel about her singing, whether she might be too self-conscious to hear how great it sounded. I was happy to hear she liked it!
We decided to each sing what she had written, rather than writing more verses. I put a key change in before my verse to make it more comfortable to sing and also to give the listener something different. I wasn’t able to get my vocal recorded on the most recent update of the chords, so we agreed that I would do it at home and send Rosie some versions to sing with.
We went to the service at the Kingdom Hall and I was greeted by many of the people I had met on my last visit. The talk was given by Bill Hamilton, who had given the talk on my previous visit. I was told later that was very unusual because the speakers are on a rotating basis and usually only give one or two talks a year, but Bill was substituting for someone else. It was good to become familiar with him, as he is someone both Rosie and Cameron have deep affection and respect for. It was apparent that he feels the same about them. Bill and I made a point to get together to talk on my next visit.
We went to pizza with Cameron’s sisters and Tiana, and then Cameron and I went out to attack some little white balls with long skinny sticks. We were not completely unsuccessful. It was more fun than I had anticipated. We were joined by a very nice couple who were a bit more successful and knowledgeable about such things than we were. All in all it was a quite enjoyable time and Cameron and I got to spend some time together. I am sure we shall do more of it.
It was a short night. I had a 7:00am flight out of Long Beach, so I was up at 4:00. It was an easy trip to the airport and by 10:00 I was back out on the ranch working with the babies.
