it's love, it's love, it's love that keeps me high enough

once i write something down, it becomes true.
so i have to write about this right away; it's my way of pinching myself to check and see if it was all a figment of my own imagining.

was this really me? dancing the night away to this exhilerating music, with beauties like these, in calico and crochet and lace, curls and boots and beer and big ol' bass guitars?!! heart pumping over and over, bursting forth with the purest love that comes crashing into and over my soul at times like these.

here's how it went down.
i rushed through a busy sunday at the bookstore and giddy with excitement, headed down to sacramento to pick up amber who'd been hitting the jackpot on the thrift scene, and we together we tossed our scarves to the wind and hit the road.


two hours of bubbling-over, rambly-taled, winding wine-country roads later, and we picked up our lovely addition, sweet missa at her home turf in santa rosa.
moon sisters reunite!!!
we were sorely missing our dear milla, but we talked about her so much that her magical little spirit was all around us for the whole night.
the 3 of us headed over to Hopmonk Tavern in sebastopol to catch the last of the sunlight, sip a fine double ipa, and look at goodies i'd brought in reciprocation for their lovely offerings back in february.


at hopmonk we also met up with this lively sunburnt crew:
our biking boys who had finished their coastal bike trip, and their ladies who had picked them up earlier in the day up on highway 1 a ways.
i was really happy to see my brother in good bodily health and high spirits after riding his bike for hundreds of miles through the rainy pacific northwest!


didn't take much of that good strong brew to get us tipsy enough for bathroom outfit shots!



vintage mayhem in the hopmonk restroom!





and then!
the moment we'd been waiting for...elephant revival was up on stage, their good old-fashioned music was pouring forth with all its vigor and harmony and love, and we were ready to dance!




nothing like bluegrassy folk music to get your feet moving and your eyes shining!
fiddle, saw, banjo, bass, guitar, washboard, tambourine,
flicking and flying and squealing and jiving and laughing!


milla has written so eloquently about this music, describing each of these wondrously personable band members and his or her special contributions. watching each of them work their instrumental magic is...pure magic!


together we romped and danced to tom waits afterwards. heard some of the band's stories from brigit, fiddler extraordinaire of the most enchanting smile. i felt immediate kinship for these ladies.  

we heard the story of this wonderful antique stand up bass that thumps your heart along with its rhythm from the charming dango. he got it some years back from an old-timer in the ozarks of missouri, who invited him to stay awhile on a stormy night.
it is from 1925! timeless beauty,
which thought it was safe up there all lonely on stage until... 

miss amber just couldn't resist any longer!!! she'd fallen in love.

needless to say, we were last to leave!

it was probably 2 a.m. when we dropped missa off amidst snuggly sleeping babe and hub.
oops, but just maybe we did get pulled over by the police! and i maybe nearly had a heart attack, even though my couple of beers had been much earlier in the night. but anyway he was cool and sent us merrily on our way with a smile and nothing else.

amber and i joined the bike-boys at the sonoma house and felt our way giggling through the dark to random couches where we could crash. oh yeah, but just maybe we'd been forced to make a middle-of-the-night jack in the box run. and then maybe got a little (quite a bit) lost on all the multitude of streets called "riverside" and had to make frantic phone calls to sleeping stan for confused directions.


ahhhh, and then morning time brought coffee and pastries at a cute bakery in sonoma...

and two sleepy happy girls with full hearts heading back up into the hills.

so glad music and love bring us all together again and again.

Comments

Amanda said…
sounds like a wonderful adventure!
Milla said…
Mah girrrls! You have painted the town all the colors of the rainbow, oh my.

That first photo kills me, it makes me so happy! and beers, posing in the bathroom, drunkie spices (I report to the lightweight crew) dancing around like the moon worshiping goddesses you are in your pretty frocks...may I just say that everyone's exceptionally well dressed, I love Amber's frock and sexy red boots, Missa's Gunne and New Mocs and your dreamy whites and vest (leather or corduroy or wha?)! B and B (for being on the road these girls sure know how to dress well) look like they should be in our team, or maybe you should be in the band...either way this is the bestest, most dreamiest night ever.

I vote that Amber should play the stand up bass in our band!

Also jack in the box and being pulled over, classic. And you guys look surprisingly un-scathed in the morning after, an effect I was impressed with during our little sojourn too.

I love you I love you I love you!
ashley said…
Oooo! Eric and I have been to that little wonderful bakery! Gosh I love that little plaza and miss walking its streets and sitting in it's park!
Also, I think it's so amazing that you have found soul sisters out in the world to be able to have such amazing adventures and create such magical memories with. Love to read these tales!
this is so great! i was cracking up at the bathroom pictures. especially the one of amber tearing off her jacket. so fun! i'll be in sebastapol the week of May 19-25 or so, and i would LOOOOOVE to meet up with you if that is anyway possible.
Violet Folklore said…
Yeeeeee! Thank you thank you for taking photos. One of the best, heart-happiest nights I've been lucky enough to live out. Heart happy and hop hoppy. And fiddle-faddly.
Love love love love love love love love.
Teeny said…
Is there anything better than nighttime hijinks and getting lost with your girls? Methinks maybe not much.
Missa said…
Aw Heather! It was such a perfect night and you tell it so perfectly!!! How are you two ladies looking so gorgeous the next morning?! Milla, I asure you, this drunkie spice was not looking nearly so unscathed that day.

Oh, how I love you girls <3

P.S. I tried on all my goodies today and the panda bells ROCK, I may actually have to do a PJ post, because they are just too good not to share!
Cel said…
Haha, sounds like you all had quite an adventure. I just love seeing such happy photos and hearing such heart warming tales of friendship.
Sadie Rose said…
awwww MAN i can't believe i didn't go with you guys. and i can't believe you got pulled over!! you girls are so delicious i want to eat you & all your cute-ass clothes.
anne said…
what a fun night!
Anonymous said…
Looks like an amazing night, yay!!

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