My First Hitchhiker In The Van
He was wearing overalls
and he brought a whole new meaning to the term thick southern drawl!
He interrupted me constantly, and he had very large teeth. He had a playful spirit and a way of making me smile very easily. He said he would like a ride to the Goodwill Store. I gladly gave him a lift, but as he left the van, a tremendous sense of gratitude flooded over me.
I was glad that he was the very first one to ride along with me in my new van.
Meet Wagner!
My first hitchhiker wasn’t actually a human.
It was my sidekick, Wagner, a ventriloquist doll who helped me entertain thousands of children about opera. He was lovingly brought to life by my mother, hence the thick southern accent inspired by his creator! My mom has created so many gowns, costumes, and props for all my shenanigans throughout my lifetime. My mother’s love language is definitely stitched with love by a needle and thread.
As I meet people, they often say, "I would love to explore van life, but I have too much stuff!"
Everything I own is in my van, with the exception of one final small closet of stuff at my mom’s house. I am in the final stages of difficult things to sort through. It hasn’t been a quick process!
I certainly have my sentimental moments of letting things go, like telling my trusty steed goodbye, but the trade-off for me personally is worth it for sure. On to the next adventure!
Lake Anna Jazz Festival - Sept 19 and 20
Saturday, Sept 19th - 12:00 - 6:00 enjoy a wonderful variety of jazz artists at Cooling Pond Brewery and Winery.
At 6:00 come over to Callie Opie’s Orchard and enjoy “Live From the Van”
We will perform lots of fun tunes right from my house!
At 8:00 head into the barn and hear some legendary artists, Janis Siegel (The Manhattan Transfer) and Lauren Kinhan (New York Voices) and more!
I am happy to provide you with an excuse for a road trip or a flight!
Music from 12:00 - 6:00 on Sunday as well.
See the lineup and get your tickets for Vocal Gumbo, Saturday night’s event.
The daytime events are free.
Lake Anna Jazz - https://lakeannajazz.org
Remembrance Concert
Here’s a short clip from the Remembrance Concert last week at Bella Vista.
We were honored to share two songs from our album.
Thanks for watching.
As always, thanks for “riding along” with me by reading the blog.
I would love to see YOU in Mineral, VA, for the Jazz Festival.
Love and hugs,🤗
Toni
