Angie's Summer vacation

My summer was full and went WAY too fast, it seems. I have two teenage boys who got out of school at the end of May (we start mid-August here in San Fran). The very beginning of summer was spent visiting with some of my family, my aunt, uncle, cousins and their little kids, who traveled from far and wide.  Jaipur, India; Seattle and Washington DC ... and we love our cousins!!! 

Our first adventure together was at the end of June, all three of us heading to Jazz Camp West in La Honda for 8 days in the Redwoods with some of the BEST musicians on the planet.  Although most of the staff are my friends and colleagues, I go as a student and do stuff I don't get to do in music in the Real World.  And it's a completely special week with my boys ... we dance, write music, sing, hang out with 300 of our best friends, listen to amazing and creative people do that thing they do that fills our souls, then come blinking out of the Redwoods at the end of the week, ready as we can be to face the year ahead. My boys have been coming with me for the past three years and it's a gift that we can do this together.  We're Lifers ...

In the second half of July, I had a whole week in the PacNW, spending 3 days of ACTUAL vacation before 4 days of Bobs gigs in Portland, Orcas and San Juan Islands, and back in Seattle.  Visiting with my BFF Llysa Holland and her most beloved hubby Andrew Litzky is always something I can't wait to do, and loved seeing some other dear friends and catching up a bit (Hi Nile and Sarah!!)

Then back to SF for one short week and back out again, first to Ohio where I participated in the New York Voices Vocal Jazz Camp**,  then with less than 24 hours back in SF, to Camp Mather (SF Family Camp) near Yosemite with my kids for the Last Hurrah before school began that next Monday.  It did take me about 3 days to not feel completely exhausted, I have to say ... but a beautiful place to just lie about and read and snooze!

**I was once again a Camper at the Ohio VJ camp ... I now have an official and irreversible Band Crush on New York Voices.  Rosana Eckert, Greg Jasperse and Jay Ashby were also teaching and CHECK THEM OUT if you haven't experienced them already!!! Keep learning!  Ok, off my soapbox ...  BESIDES the awesome hang with these friends, I went to affirm my teaching tools as I go into this Fall semester as Artist in Residence at the Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts High School, teaching a brand new Jazz Choir and Solo Jazz Lab (co-teaching with Melecio Magdaluyo who can ACTUALLY play piano ... ), and also a Vocal Jazz Ensemble class in the community school at the JazzSchool in Berkeley, California.  I'm VERY excited about all this stuff (and I will tell you right now that it's on TOP of my very loved and cool job at the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation) AND what's coming up for The Bobs this Fall/Winter into 2015 AND my kids' wacky rehearsal/performance schedules AND my grown-up life ... I am a busy Mama. And I love it all ...

School has begun, supplies are bought, the alarm goes off a little too early ... and life is good again.