Happy Birthday Greetings, Christmas Cheer, and all that Good Stuff!

Jeff, Glen and Tom at Shaylee's wedding in October 2008

You've heard the saying 'a day late and a dollar short' - well, I want to wish BIL Glen and Cheryl a Happy Birthday. It seems that in the chasm of holiday spirit, their birthdays sometimes get tucked away in the corner as an, "OH Yeah! BTW, hope you had a nice birthday"!

I met DiAnne & Glen after they had dinner and we attended a community chorale program the night of his birthday. It was directed by a gal that grew up in the same neighborhood in Layton as us. And last night, DiAnne invited me to take Glen's place for the Christmas program at the Conference Center in SLC. Can I just say I felt like Charlie Bucket winning the lucky golden ticket for this! Believe it or not, it's the first time I've actually seen/heard the Tabernacle Choir sing, other than TV; and the first time I had been in this wonderfully architected building -- what a massive ediface, with such amazing sound capabilities, and beautiful decor. The spirit and sounds of Christmas lifted my somewhat heavy heart, and the guest artists, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Edward Herrmann were inspiring. Thanks so much DiAnne, for inviting me to go.

Boz Scaggs

Thank you Boz, and thank you Tom for being out of town so that Teri had to find someone she knew that likes Boz as well as she does! Thanks Teri for thinking of your old auntie - it was fun spending time with you.

The Surf City All-Star Band aka Jan & Dean

Whitey and I were able to take advantage of tickets from Teri to see Jan & Dean (sans Jan) last night, and spent it under a starry sky listening to:

Such hits as “Surf City," “Little Old Lady From Pasadena," “Dead Man's Curve," “Drag City," “Ride the Wild Surf," “Batman" and “Popsicle," "Barbara Ann" , etc.

The duo flourished well into the mid-Sixties, weathering even the British Invasion. But on April 12, 1966, Berry's Stingray slammed into a parked gardener's truck (not at the site mentioned in "Dead Man's Curve," despite legend), and he was barely alive when paramedics came on the scene. It took him years to recover, and entered a decade-long nightmare of physical recovery, drug abuse, and depression. Jan brought the same fierce determination to his recovery as he'd previously poured into his music. By the mid-70's, amazingly, Berry could perform almost at normal, and the duo began an amazing comeback that lasted well into the mid-80's. Berry passed away in 2004. He recorded some solo albums and singles and performed with Dean to the best of his capabilities. On March 26, 2004, Jan died from a seizure.

Contributions to music:

• Along with the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Jan Berry helped develop the sound of vocal "surf" and "hot rod" music
• Berry was a major influence on Wilson's production
• Bridged the vocal era of doo-wop and the Southern California sound
• Employed the famous "Wrecking Crew" of L.A. session musicians
• One of the first rock groups to incorporate classical arrangements
• Torrance became one of rock's great graphic artists
• Jan Berry's comeback after a near-fatal crash is one of pop music's most inspiring achievements

I forgot Whitey grew up in a house thinking Eddie Arnold, George Jones, and Patsy Cline were singers - and she would much rather have been attending an Alan Jackson, or Tim McGraw concert. We did have alot of fun 'people watching' tho.

Thanks Teri, for inviting us to use your tickets. It was great entertainment!