Up until now I’d only ever visited my friends Missy and Joe at the height of summer – in the blazing sunny glory of late June or early July – so to make the pretty drive to Connecticut in October was a new, and lovely, fall experience. On the way, I took a detour down to New Canaan, where I stopped by our friend Carl’s store for a quick visit and a gift for Joe. It was an auspicious beginning for a weekend of fun, a musical labor of love, and a reunion with people have become more like family than friends.
My summer trip earlier this year began with a stormy arrival at the tail-end of a hurricane, which was pretty much how the entire summer went, but autumn has granted us a reprieve in the weather department, and that summer visit provided its own enchantments, overcast days be damned. No such gray skies clouded this trip, and I arrived to find a sunny backyard in the throes of autumnal splendor. Joe greeted me as Missy was at work and the kids were at school, and we wasted no time in getting right into the making of the Halloween song.
The work, documented fully here, was fun and exciting, and it was a thrill to see someone take the most rudimentary of musical ideas and turn it into a full-fledged song. He added guitar, a bass line and a drum track, culling and coalescing all the visions I had into aural form. We worked downstairs near the guitar garden and the meditation pond, then moved upstairs to the keyboard and recording room (actually Julian’s bedroom). The hours passed quickly, as much for the enjoyment of the labor as for the enjoyment of the company, and soon it was time for dinner. Missy and the kids joined us to prepare dinner, then Missy had to take Julian to a cello lesson, so Joe continued working on the song a bit more.
The night grew pleasantly cooler – a fine fall evening in Connecticut – ideal for slumber and talking with dear friends. The next day dawned in even sunnier splendor, and Doug and Julio were going us for dinner. Missy put together a delicious feast and we enjoyed a gathering of people that go back to my childhood. By that time we had completed the framework of the song and just needed someone to sing it – and Doug was gracious enough to oblige. It came together as the evening closed, and by the next day Joe had finished it completely.
Creating art together may be one of my favorite ways of getting closer to a friend. Spending time with Missy, who has known me since we were kids attending Suzie’s birthday parties, is always a balm for my heart. And getting to feel like part of their family is something that makes me feel better about all the other things going on in my life and in the world.
It was a very good weekend in fall.
