We spent a few days in Ventura visiting a friend whom I have known on Facebook for years, but have never actually met. I knew we had similar activist back grounds, and that the few songs of mine that I had sent her, she loved.

We had both been very active protesting the Iraq war, both in very different ways. So we spent 2 days reminiscing about the activities we had participated in, the stories we both had to tell about it, and the songs. I brought in all 5 of my CDS for her and we went through the many many songs about the times between 2003-2009. Her listening to them for the first time, me listening to the for the first time in years. She truly loved every last one of them and to be honest, so did I.  I guess since moving back to Canada, I have gotten away from the activism, gotten away from the music, and this all did my heart good.  No one has made such a thing about my music in a long time.

CINDY and us

I guess looking back, that is what gave me the inspiration to write, …… someone who loved the songs, and understood the reason for them.

We  also went to a memorial for the 63 homeless who died in Ventura county in 2017. Usually they do the memorial at the end of the year, but with all the fires, they were unable to until now.  VERY sad event, one was a 3 month old baby.  I learned that being homeless takes 20 years off the average lifespan of a person. So between an event on homelessness and the interest Cindy has in my songs, perhaps I got my MOJO back and might write a few more.

Ventura was the site of very severe wild fires at the end of December, very close to where Cindy lives….. and then the mudslides came. The areas of the fires were heavily sandbagged to prevent significant erosion in the after math of the fires.

 

All that remains of this home is the glass block wall.

Then further down the beach we thought that these were ships… but on closer notice…. eek    Oil rigs….

This was an unusual sight. Everywhere in Carpinteria, there are big piles of dirt (from all the mudslides), and then we saw them driving all the dirt into the ocean with a DC cat. What we were told, was that the Santa  Monica river was so full of silt from the mudslide that its level  was coming up significantly, I gather raising the risks of future floods, so they were dredging the river beds to make them deeper, and dumping it in the ocean.  At least one lady on the beach was unhappy about this.

Well it is all fun and games until the brakes break again….. so we are now sitting in Paso Robles waiting for our chariot to be fixed… GROAN

Much love and peace

janet