Purple Rain in Reno

It's been a wonderful first week of this US tour. So nice to be be met at Reno airport by Tim with a gorgeous bunch of lillies. I love all flowers, but lillies to me are so divine. Full of mystery and the scent of night. After a full day of travel, the flight from San Francisco to Reno was worth the effort. Gorgeous snow capped mountains and a clear view of Lake Tahoe. We stayed a couple of nights in a lavish spa room at the Peppermill Casino, and, after a sweet house concert on the Tuesday night, arrived back at the hotel, wonderfully overdressed and looking for fun. We found it in the form of the house band, called Patent Leatha. They were great, and Tim and I felt very special when they dedicated an incredible version of Purple Rain to us. I'm a Prince fan from way back. I also liked the name of the band, which honours the Australian unwillingness to pronounce the letter R at the end of words.

From Reno we made our way south, following the Eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Yes I know it's winter, but I wasn't really expecting to see snow on the west coast, so this was a great surprise. Truly beautiful and epic snow covered mountians and a  blue sky of bright contrast. We moved through open snow covered plains, and then pine forests. Always these crumpled mountians in view. The air was so crisp and cold and uplifting. I could feel  a wave of true joy and hope return to me after the exhaustion of a way too heavy schedule.

On Thursday we crossed the magnificent Death Valley to reach Las Vegas. Endless folds of mountain and valley. Bare canyons or tumbled rock. The Wild West! Broad expanses fo nothingness, filled with hidden secrets. An alien landscape of extremes. Thankfully it was mild, and a beautiful drive. I'm not sure I'd want to brave it in summer, when it becomes one of the hottest places on Earth. Whatever the case, though, I'll definitely be back to explore more of this incredible land.

From Vegas we did a crazy day of driving to San Deigo, then straight to a gig. We were pretty exhausted when we arrived, so were thrilled to discover a wonderful audience waiting for us. The concert was in a witchcraft shop called Tree of Life, and was filled with the most wondeful, giving people. A sweet little baby almost stole the show. The happiest little thing. She sat down at my feet when I was opening the circle at the end, laughing and smiling. Very cute.

Now we're in LA after a couple of lovely shows for the Goddess Temples in the area. On saturday night we performed in Passadena, and had a great support band called Silverphial. They did an awesome version of Xanadu! Then on Sunday we played at the Goddess Temple of Orange County. This is a most precious space. Deeply sacred and beautiful. I felt honoured to share my energy in the temple, and even more honoured that Tim and I were invited to stay the night there. It was magical.

Now we're about to head north to Santa Barbara for a concert on Wednesday night. Things slow down a little now, and I'm looking forward to a gentle few days before Pantheacoon in San Jose on the weekend. Iv'e never driven up the coast between LA and San Francisco, so am very much looking forward to experiencing that legendary drive along Big Sur. I'm imagining it will be a little like our Great Ocean Road. Of course I'll share with you what I find.

Until then,

Love and Magic

Wendy

Welcome!

Welcome to my first ever blog! I'm glad that you found me. I plan to write  once a week or so. Who knows what it will be about, but my posts will certainly include my impressions of all the amazing places and people that I get to interact with on my travels. Right now I'm in Melbourne, with only a few days to go before I leave for another USA tour. Rain has been falling all night, and the garden is heavy and shimmering in its wake. Honeysuckle is twining with the tomatoes and pumpkin in my front garden, and somehow the world feels sleepy. 


I'll be a little sad to leave before I can harvest all the amazing things that have sprung up. Not only my vegies, but also the many ideas and sketches that I have for new songs. Traveling is wonderful, but being on the road can take it's toll. I yearn for long stretches of time in the one place, so that I can deepen and grow further. Sometimes, when I'm doing my yoga of a morning, I like to imagine that my feet are growing roots deep into Mother Earth. She gives me so much strength, and encourages me again and again to keep creating. 


Part of my intention in keeping this blog is simply to remind myself to be still, and to write. I love sending my mailing list messages, but often feel that there's not really enough space in amongst my concert info to share my deep thoughts. 


So yes, I look forward to weaving my way with words through this next tour adventure of the American West Coast and Florida. 

Until then

 Love and Magic


Wendy