| Laurence and I were up in Sonoma recently and we had a little time to unwind after a short tour.\u00a0 We were staying at a beautiful lodge, and I noticed that they were advertising a wine-tasting event which was to be happening while we were staying there.\u00a0 Laurence doesn\u2019t really drink, and therefore has no real interest in wine tasting, but he knows that I like wine, and love any kind of \u201cevent\u201d so we decided to go.<\/p>\n LJ had just gotten a new guitar and was just in the \u201cgetting to know you\u201d process and he rarely went out the door without it, so off we went to the wine tasting with him carrying his new guitar in its case.\u00a0 It was really a nice gathering.\u00a0 Lots of people mingling, tasting wines, vintners extolling the virtues of their vineyards.\u00a0 There was even a lovely cheese and cracker spread and all the \u201clittle food\u201d you could want. \u00a0I happen to be a fan of \u201clittle food\u201d, so I was very happy.<\/p>\n One of the vintners was presenting his wines for the very first time, and was extremely proud of his product.\u00a0 It was so interesting to speak with him, he had studied wine-making in France and Australia, and then came to America and worked with some of the most highly-respected wineries in Northern California.\u00a0 Finally, he found a vineyard to his liking and was offering the first result of the culmination of all of his hard work and knowledge. I was impressed with his passion and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n I like listening to diverse people talk about what they do.\u00a0 We spoke to other couples about things like construction work, architecture and various other fields of employment having nothing whatsoever remotely to do with the music industry.<\/p>\n There was one couple we were chatting with for a while who were very friendly, as we were talking I noticed that the man seemed interested in Laurence\u2019s guitar case and what might be inside.\u00a0 He kept glancing at it and then finally asked if he could have a look at the guitar.\u00a0 I wanted to make sure that it wouldn\u2019t be a problem for the vintner, so I approached him to ask if would be ok if Laurence took out his guitar and maybe played a bit.<\/p>\n He seemed a bit hesitant.\u00a0 I tried to reassure him that it would be fine, Laurence is a good player.\u00a0 Finally he agreed to let him play \u201cone song\u201d.\u00a0 Laurence took his guitar out and showed it to the couple.\u00a0 There were \u201coohs and ahhs\u201d all around, his Brazilian Ryan is a pretty spectacular looking instrument.\u00a0 When LJ starting playing, a hush fell over the room and it soon became a magical experience for all.\u00a0 He finished \u201cone\u201d song and was about to put the guitar away when the vintner asked him if he would play a little more.<\/p>\n Laurence nodded and started in on \u201cI Saw Her Standing There\u201d.\u00a0 As everyone was enjoying the music, the vintner came out from behind the counter looking quite astonished. I noticed he was clutching something in his hands.\u00a0 He came right up to Laurence, thrust out a CD copy of \u201cLJ Plays the Beatles\u201d, pointed to it and exclaimed, \u201cWait a minute!! This is you, isn\u2019t it??\u201d<\/p>\n Laurence was pretty busy playing, so I told him that it was, and the vintner kept shaking his head in amazement.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe it, we play this in here all the time!\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Taste of L J Laurence and I were up in Sonoma recently and we had a little time to unwind after a short tour.\u00a0 We were staying at a beautiful lodge, and I noticed that they were advertising a wine-tasting event which was to be happening while we were staying there.\u00a0 Laurence doesn\u2019t really … <\/p>\n |