Vetiver made a quick escape to the sunny shores of California for a few shows this past weekend.  Otto, Dan, Sarah, and I experienced a measure of shock coming from New York's 45 degree drizzle when we found ourselves in Los Angeles and, Before we knew it, were loaded into Bruno (Andy's Van) and cruising down a palm-lined highway, windows down enjoying a perfect 75 degree breeze and listening to Gene Clark's Roadmaster album. Now we're talkin'!

We played that night at a church in Santa Monica called "The Sanctuary".

Heading north,  we entertained ourselves with a travel game that Dan and Sarah learned from Richard Swift.  "Yellow Car" kept us busy as Bruno sped up highway 101.  Our destination in the Santa Cruz mountains, a place called Brookdale Lodge.  A beautiful hotel that, legend has it, is haunted.  Sporting a mood not dissimilar to the hotel in The Shining, the Brookdale lodge has some unique features that made it extra special for us.  Namely,  there is a real river that flows through the dining area, an Aquarium where people swim, and Sarah, the ghost of a young girl who drown at the lodge years ago and has been seen and felt many times since then. On that particular night the Hell's Angels were in attendance hosting their annual Halloween party. The fun went into the wee hours of the morning and was still vibrating through our veins when we woke up at 9 the next morning to drive to SF and prepare for the Treasure Island Music Festival. 

Treasure Island was a blur of fun and music.  Wandering around, I caught pieces of Grizzly Bear, the Flaming Lips, Sleepy Sun, Beirut,  Yo La Tengo, the Decemberists, and the Walkmen.