Sunday, July 26, 2009

Did you miss me?

It was a quick trip, so you probably didn't even know I was gone. We went down to S. Oregon to go to the Britt Music Festival. We missed it last year, but we have been going for more than 20 years, missing very few years. The last time we went I wrote about it here. We lived in Ashland, near Jacksonville where the festival is held, for thirteen years. Going back to the area is a chance to see old friends, see what is happening in our old hometown and have a nice break in the routine.

We headed out on Thursday morning, taking our new route through the countryside and the town of Tualatin before hitting the freeway well south of the Portland traffic. Stopped at a stop light in Tualatin, I saw something interesting two cars ahead of us.


It was a llama, riding in a little trailer attached to the back of a car. He seemed very pleased with his vantage point and rode along, calmly checking out the scenery and other cars. Handsome fellow! We followed him onto the freeway, but the llama and his driver exited at the next exit.

We arrived in the Ashland area late in the afternoon and headed to Jacksonville, with our friend Muriel, where we had a great Mexican dinner, then made our way up the hill to the beautiful concert venue on the grounds of the Peter Britt estate. It was the second time we had seen the Indigo Girls at Britt. Their beautiful voices seemed to float across the hillside and up into the starry sky. The beauty of the place, the smell of the pines, the music fills me with such joy.

It truly is one of my favorite things in life. Here is one of their lovely songs. Even more beautiful with the audience singing the chorus along with them. "So we're OK, we're fine . . ."

It occurred to me, sitting on that hillside with people I love, surrounded by beauty and music, that whatever the world takes out of you, these are moments that fill you up again. And we really are OK. We're fine.

4 comments:

  1. Congrats on actually having your camera ready to capture the llama picture. It's priceless!

    Sounds like a great time away. It's things like that that make life just a little richer.

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  2. A very uplifting post! Thanks for that! And love it that you saw a llama while driving down the road!Too cute!

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  3. Of course we knew you were missing in Blogland! You are on so many "must read" lists.
    You make The music festival sound so wonderful, I might have to time a visit up there so I might also enjoy it.

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  4. Llamas, I've heard, will fit easily in a standard-sized station wagon or minivan because of the way their knees bend.

    LOVE the Indigo Girls! I was tempted to get tickets for their Zoo concert last week, but having just ponied up for Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Los Lobos, it seemed too much of an indulgence.

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