I went to a couple of shows this weekend. The first was the Cowboy Junkies at the Mountain Winery. I'm not sure whose idea it was to put a winery at the top of a narrow, winding road. On the plus side, all of the larger tree trunks are painted white to help the drunks navigate on the way down. There were plenty of people wandering around at the show with little, plastic wine cups, comfortable in the knowledge that the white trees would see them safely home. But I digress - the show itself, which started minutes after we (Jen, Lexy, and I) plopped our butts down on the wooden bleachers, was quite good. They've added an accordian player, who lends a little extra something to the songs, making them perhaps even more melancholy than before. The sky darkened above us as they played, which is an added bonus. Outdoor shows in the hills are great, even if the damn corporate venue charged us ten dollars to park our van. Oh well.
Having only Lexy with us, I was reminded that he's still quite a little kid. He always looks so big when compared to the other three, who were home with granny. Willow, who had never been left behind before, did well. She's starting to realize that those grandmother people are part of the family, and so must be trusted. She even cried a bit when my mom left the other day.

The other show was last night, and featured three bands, two of which I saw. I went with a couple of old friends, Allan and Steve. We got to the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco in the middle of the first band's set, but stayed outside talking until after they were done. The second band, Earthless, did a two-song set comprised of one monstrous seventies inspired instrumental jam and a shorter song with vocals. The drummer was pretty incredible. The guitarist wheedled on a bit though. Minor quibbles aside, they were enjoyable.
Om headlined. This time, unlike their show last month, I could hear the vocals, which had a mantra-like quality to them. The absence of a guitarist is not an issue here. The wall of sludge created by the bass and drums is more than enough to satisfy. I'm looking forward to hearing the cd when it's released in February on Holy Mountain records.

Today, it was hot and I worked at the museum. No more summer camp. Too bad.




These are the final two pictures in a series of 125. At least for the present.