So Spring happened and driving in the sunshine with my pink earbuds brought me to Collective Soul’s 2007 album, Afterwords: the epitome of what living in California sounds like. Call me crazy but every song just sings of palm-tree, care-free, California-days and I’m not just referring to Hollywood‘s reference to that “sunshine, bright-eyed, California, cotton-candy taste”…
Track 1 New Vibration: beach volleyball. Confession: I’ve yet to participate in a Cali v-ball game, but when I do, New Vibration will be playing, along with Kenny Loggins’ Playing with the Boys (we can’t forget Top Gun)
Track 2 What Can I Give You: Ice cream, always ice cream; and it doesn’t have to be Gunther’s. It could be frozen yogurt too…or sorbet. Oh, and rolling down a grassy hill.
Track 3 Never Here Alone: being in traffic on I-80. You’re driving to the Arden Mall with a group of friends, (just because you can) during rush-hour.
Track 4 Bearing Witness: Stargazing in Placerville. Have you ever seen Saturn? I mean really seen Saturn? Rings and all? Get a telescope, it’ll blow your mind.
Track 5 All that I Know: falling in love (in California of course). Like walking down J street on a Second Saturday, taking in an evening of live music and free art –while holding hands (this is a must)
Track 6 I Don’t Need Anymore Friends: Clearly this is an emotional low point of Afterwords, but I’d say this track is still relatable to California because the summers are HOT. Sure it gets hot in other places, but one afternoon Rayla and I walked all over downtown Sac and seriously got soaked in our own sweat. Gross, but truth.
Track 7 Good Morning After All: Riding my bike on a Saturday morning. The early cool air is just warming up, my fingers are chilled and the daily joggers give a nod as I pass by.
Track 8 Hollywood: Bubble-gum. Bright pink, sticky, bubble-tape, bubble-gum. Put that with wayfarer sunglasses and driving with the top down and you’re set. Of course, you better be driving down a major California highway…
Track 9 Persuasion of You: Browsing that record store in downtown Sacramento, the Beat right? Yeah, it’s totally the Beat. Talk about legit.
Track 10 Georgia Girl: Not-from-around-here. I’m quietly settling in to living the California way, the culture shock is silently fading, and although Seattle is no Jersey Shore, I think I can relate to Georgia Girl, at least a little bit.
Track 11 Adored: dancing in the moonlight. You can do that here, almost any time of the year, because winter almost doesn’t exist. *sigh*
Track 12 An Evening With: Going dancing with friends. I never really got into hip-hop and rap until I moved to California. While Collective Soul is far from either genre, I’d have to say this track totally brings me to dancing the night away every other weekend last summer. My friend, Diane, once said, “I go dancing for me”.
Track 13 Ain’t That Enough: Life’s never perfect and sometimes you just gotta go for a drive. I’d pick the back river road up through Freeport. The vineyards are amazing and the setting sun on the water, even more so.
Track 14 Give: Just looking ahead to all of the good things that await a California soul. Whether you’re visiting, born and raised, or just moved in:
“all these days of sunshine, will never end; now my eyes have opened, to all the love that you give”
Use Facebook to Comment on this Post
This Christmas we tried something different, we took a family trip to Monterey! I went kayaking for the first time, explored the Monterey Bay Aquarium, strolled down Cannery Row and even saw the Hobbit. The jellyfish were my favorite, both at the aquarium and in the water just below our kayaks! I didn’t bring my camera so you’ll have to take my word for it on the jellies in the ocean, but they were super cool! They were sea nettle jellies and they were orange.
