Pub Crawls, Gospel Music and Salmon

Our little town hosts the most amazing Music Festival every April. It is three days of jazz, big band and swing music and then some southern gospel on Sunday. Jazzmania was our introduction to the delights of smalltown living the spring before we moved out of the city.

The Friday night is a pub crawl. At least for our crowd it is. There are over ten venues. Yes ten, in a town that only has one stoplight. Well, two actually, but the second one only operates when the salmon are heading up river to spawn (seriously). The light isn't for the salmon to cross the highway, it's for all the tourists or "citiots" as they are affectionately called up here, so they (the people not the fish) can watch from both sides of the road as they (the fish) climb the ladder up over the dam, into the millpond and up the river to lay their eggs. It is truely inspiring to watch. But I sure as hell wouldn't practically kill myself to procreate. Then again, we do, don't we? Guess that's why women do the pregnancy and birthing.

But I digress, but it is Random Tuesday Thoughts, after all. So everyone meets at one house for a few pre-Jazz cocktails and then we all head downtown to the first restaurant around 9pm. The crowd there has already eaten dinner and is sedately listening to the trio when we all take over the bar. We listen, a little, but mostly we catch up with one another after a long winter of hibernation. It was warm last Friday so all the ladies were in shortsleeves, a few even showed off fresh pedicures in their sandals. Me, I stuck to my cowboy boots, always comfy to walk in and it doesn't matter if I spill a martini or two on them.

After a couple of drinks, our group, by now about 20 or so moved on to a real pub that is cozy and has three different rooms plus a great patio. Those who want to listen to the music can do so while the rest continue with the main mission - a few more drinks. So you get the idea, is just like in university, a perpetual motion party. We made it to about five venues, picked up more friends along the way and celebrated the fact that it was warm enought to be outside on the patio with lots of interesting people to talk to. Made it home around 1am, not too late but morning still came way too early. My boys don't seem to get that the door closed means don't come in. They were all up before 7am. Ugh.

We didn't go to the Big Band and Swing concerts but on Sunday Number Two Son and I took my mother to the Southern Gospel concert at one of the churches. I wasn't struck by lightening when I walked through the front door, but I do wish that church was always like this, lots of singing, laughing and even a bit of swaying and clapping to the music among the WASPy crowd. We listened to a wonderful singer, Shelagh Hart, backed by piano, bass and drums but the highlight, for my son was seeing his music teacher on stage with the Torchmen Quartet. They were fantastic, lots of joking and great harmony, sort of a cross between a Barbershop quartet and a 50's group. It opened up a whole new world of music for Number Two, he was fascinated by the bass singer's low voice, thought he sounded like Darth Vader. I think he might be persuaded to take singing lessons, he's already got the voice, first one in the family in a long time who can carry a tune.

All in all a good weekend, not very often I get to party with all my friends and go to church.