Honeymoon Tour - San Luis Obispo, CA
There's a whole lot of open space between Vegas and California. We set out from Vegas midday and saw desert for 4 hours straight. We also saw our first oil field - drills lines up like cavalry - an army of machines. We passed orchards, crop farms and fields of flowers. Then we hit the Sierra Nevadas. Beautiful rolling mountains dotted with livestock from the surrounding ranches. Just as the sun set as we crossed into wine country. Like something out of a painting, the rolling hills are lined with row after row of grape vines. We felt like we were back in France on our honeymoon. Just gorgeous. It wasn't always like this.. Ideal for vineyards, the dry crumbly soil of the central coast was just recently "discovered." What once was miles and miles of open farm land has now been developed into wineries. And sitting amongst them, are small farm houses, standing firm against the change of times.
One such farm house was our destination. My dear friend Crystal just moved back to California from Memphis with her husband Bryan and twin girls, Kady and Zoe. Much to their surprise, when they arrived in California, Bryan's parents offered to give them their inheritance early - the family farm. Over 100 years old, the farm has been handed down from generation to generation - and the tradition lives on. The place is truly magical… and comes complete with 4 dogs, 3 goats, 8 wild turkeys, a flock of pigeons, a donkey and a horse. Quite the change from urban Memphis….
We arrived at the house after dark, welcomed by the two dogs, two toddlers and 2 grandparents that share the estate with Bryan and Crystal. We stayed up late into the night catching up with our old friends and touring the beautiful old farmhouse. The next day we explored the farm as Crystal explained her vision for the property. Their home in Paso Robles, CA sits midway between LA and San Francisco and would serve as a perfect stopping point for touring artists. She hopes to renovate the barn and make it into a venue and rehearsal space for road weary musicians. The field adjacent to the barn could also serve as a natural amphitheater for an autumn music festival. In the meantime Crystal is looking to developing the music scene in the area - starting with hosting house concerts. I am honored to say that we were officially the first artists on the Artist Farhm.
The Fahrm is absolutely amazingl and will serve as a wonderful place of rest for many musicians to come. As the halfway point of our very long tour - I can say we were glad to be there. Rather than itching to get out and explore the area (as we did in the cities we visited), we were happy to simply take in the beauty that surrounded us. We spent one afternoon sitting on the crest of the hill - wine country unfolding before us - napping in the breeze and lazily working out harmonies for a new song. If only you could pause time.
Of course we had to explore the coast a little while we were there, so we drove down to Montana De Oro State Park. The park spans down the shore line. The view is breathtaking with cliffs that jut out into the ocean, waves crashing below. We intended to watch the sunset but the fog came in thick and hid it from us. We enjoyed the scenery anyway and made a few friends on the beach - including Brett, a 4th year med student who was traveling the country to interview for different residency programs. Came to find Brett followed much of the same route that we did visiting Zion National Park, Vegas and the Hoover Dam etc. Small World. We also spent a day visiting a few local wineries and an olive oil maker - if you ever get a chance to do an olive oil tasting - i highly recommend it! Nothing quite like it - and its free!.
On Tuesday we played a house concert at Bryan's sister's home - located up the hill from the farm. House concerts are a new concept for a lot of people, but they are our favorite venue hands down. There's not much to it really - invite your friends and family over for a party and we'll provide the tunes. House concerts provide an intimate laid back atmosphere that allow the artist to be more engaged with the audience (and allow the audience to engage more the with the artist). We had a diverse crowd that night, ranging from 2 years old to 80 years old and everywhere in between. Family concerts - or all ages shows - are a fun dynamic. Between the kids dancing and playing around and the elderly sitting back and appreciating the show - there's a lot of good energy. We've discovered that some of our biggest fans are senior citizens - perhaps because our music is a bit of a throwback to their generation's music. Johnny Cash can bring the house down with the 70+ crowd. It was a great night and the whole experience got everyone excited for the future of Artist Fahrm.
On Thursday we provided Lunchtime Music for Treasure's Antique Mall in Morro Bay, CA. The store is owned and operated by Crystal's mom and is an eclectic gem. With 78 vendors each possessing their own flare - it is a beautiful array of vintage, antique and boutique. In hopes to generate the music scene, Treasures has started hosting Lunchtime Music, inviting musicians to set up show amidst the merchandise and put on a show. It was a new kind of venue for us - shoppers applauding from all corners of the store, hidden from view. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere - being the thrift store queen that I am. And of course i did a little browsing myself… After the show we went down to San Luis Obispo for their open air Farmer's Market. Unlike most markets which take place in the morning, San Luis' market is an evening ordeal. Every Thursday night the city comes to life with vendors lining the streets and live music on every corner. Epic and amazing and the best California style pizza. ever.
Of all the places we visited, I think I had the hardest time leaving the central coast. Inspired and excited for the future of Artist Farhm, we were tempted to start renovating the barn ourselves. It was a place of rejuvenation, a home away from home. It was also a place of huge financial blessing. Looking back, I see it as further evidence of the Lord's faithfulness. In Vegas, we felt led to tithe to Advance church. With what little money we make - especially on the road - tithing can be a challenge. On Sunday though, the message was about money. The pastor, Ryan's main point was this: The way you view your money will determine the way you use your money. If you view your money as yours - you will use it to buy things for yourself. A new car, a bigger house, better clothes. You will use your money to expand your kingdom. However, if you view your money for what it really is - a gift from God - given to you out of His providence - you will use it to expand His kingdom. Having raised support to go on this tour - we are very aware that our money is a gift - quite literally. Our funds were given to us by God through His people - straight out of their pocket books. It makes us incredibly thankful for every dollar that comes across our path. It also makes us think very carefully about how we spend it. We were moved to expand the Lord's kingdom through Advance church and tithed what we could.... Then the Lord totally blessed it. . From the 55 cents given to us by a special needs customer at Treasures (talk about a sacred gift) to the $100 bill slipped to us by a stranger after a short 5 minute conversation, every time we turned around the good people of California were coming out of the woodwork to bless us. It was amazing and humbling to see the Lord honor our small gift and provide for us on the road... Truly the more you walk in obedience, the more the Lord reveals himself to you. This time He revealed His provision to us. And for that we are incredibly thankful... it allows us to walk in peace on this crazy road, knowing the Lord will guide and provide.
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