Gravenstein Apple Fair, Sebastopol, CA, 2013

Yesterday was a glorious, gorgeous, good musical, gustatory delight for all concerned. It was a low tech, down-home, old-fashioned shindig, dedicated to the days when Apples were The King crop in these parts, not grapes (or pot). We started eating immediately after paying and entering, and the rest is a blur of giant Willie Bird turkey legs, apple fritters with powdered sugar and cinnamon, stir fried noodles with chicken, nutty caramel dipped apples, garlic fries, ice cream, topped off with $1.00 hot dogs from the hot dog vendor who was closing down. In between there was soul-stirring music by the up and coming California Honeydrops.

Rhiannon was not the only one dismantling this turkey leg.

Opal sips lemonade from a yard ale glass

Ice Cream of course. Opal and Jacob.

More about The California Honeydrops. From Wikipedia: The California Honeydrops is a blues and R&B American band formed in November 2007 playing in the subway stations of Oakland, California.
Crossing genres from roots and blues to R&B and soul, The California Honeydrops’ sound is tied together by their instrumentation, vocal harmonies and New Orleans style. The Honeydrops’ more unusual instruments include a home-made gutbucket bass, jug, and washboard. Their rhythms are punctuated by trumpet, piano riffs, and bluesy vocals.
Born in Warsaw, Poland, band leader and front man Lech Wierzynski started playing blues and jazz as a teenager at after-hours jam sessions in Washington D.C. After studying trumpet with Marcus Belgrave (Ray Charles), Lech launched his own career in Oakland. Having accompanied artists such as Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks, and Jackie Payne, Lech has been schooled by some of the biggest names in American music and grown equally adept as a trumpeter, singer, and guitarist.

Lech Wierzynski emotes notes.

The man can play anything and clap at the same time.

Colorful fauna.

And then the long walk home.

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