Amanda and I are flying high above the clouds, literally and figuratively. We spent Memorial Day weekend in Yosemite National Park, in the company of towering trees and friendly Strawberry folks. I can see why it is so hard for people to leave California.

The weather was a little on the chilly side at the park when we arrived on Friday, so we felt right at home. There had been rain and sleet earlier in the day, but thankfully we had come prepared. Our first performance was on Friday night at Amy’s Orchid Cafe. The local pirate station “Hog Ranch Radio “ presented an evening of music that featured ourselves, Mia Dyson and Sarah Jarosz. It was an intimate show, and we felt really lucky to be sharing the stage with such talented women. We got back to our cabin and quickly realized that we didn’t know how to work our space heater. Amanda proved resilient.

The weather cleared up for our performance on Saturday morning at the Amphitheatre stage. We talked about our writing process and took questions from our host Bill Frater, as well as the cheerful audience members.  We also sang some of the songs that we don’t often get the chance to perform, such as “Ginny’s Eyes”.

On Sunday morning we got up bright and early for the big Revival concert on the shores of Birch Lake. I was especially excited to hear our friends Crooked Still perform. We met them back in 2005, the very first year we played Mariposa. They have been one of our favourite acts ever since.  

At noon Amanda and I headed over to the main stage to do a quick sound check before our hour-long set. The sun was blazing down on a sea of lawn chairs and wide-brimmed hats. The show went by like a dream, and we were both sad that it had to end. The crowd opened their hearts to us, and sang along as we closed our set with “All I Have To Do  Is Dream”. We couldn’t have finished our Strawberry Festival experience on a higher note. 

California, you have two new fans in Dala. See you in September:)