Holiday Message from Chappell & Dave Holt

Peace on Earth, Joy to all Humankind

   A haze lay upon the conjoined waters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Hidden from view, the Carquinez Strait in the distance, I turned my gaze back to the peaks of the Diablo range and thought of the ancient psalmist who sang, “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help,” (Psalm 121). I too have felt as if angels swooped in over a cleft in the rocks, from out of a mottled gray, late autumn sky, rushing out to meet you in the middle of the air. The spirit helpers or angels bring joy from the heart of Creation.

   The call of a red tail hawk enters my meditations as it roosts in a nearby tree. Then the sound of flapping wings as it leaves the perch to fly further up the hill, calling out a few more times until quiet returns. He’s settled somewhere, to peruse the blue oak forest and meadow below. The woods, silent again; and the still calm of the fall season resumes. Joy comes and also peace for a time.

   We wish you all Merry Christmas and Joy and Goodwill for all women, children, and men. Let us find strength and power to accomplish projects of Peace and Joy in the coming New Year.

The Dark of December …

The Dark of December …


"I heard a bird sing in the dark of December
A magical thing and sweet to remember.
'We are nearer to Spring than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing in the dark of December." -   Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing

“A winter’s day in a deep and dark December, I am alone, gazing from my window to the streets below on a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.”
(I Am a Rock, Paul Simon)
 

We will be performing at a new venue for us, the San Gregorio General Store on Sunday,

December 8th, 11am till 1pm. Chappell & Dave will also be celebrating Dave's Birthday. Come on by to listen and celebrate with the family! It’s located on 7615 Stage Rd, San Gregorio, CA 94074. Phone: (650) 726-0565.

Also upcoming, we will share the stage with our friend Bob

Loomis’s band Awed Ducks, at a fine old institution here in the East Bay, Down Home Music Store, on Sat. Dec. 14, 2-4 PM. Travel on over to 10341 San Pablo Ave, in El Cerrito, CA 94530 to hear us. This will be a great opportunity to hear Mr. Loomis also accompany Dave on Native American flutes as they perform American Indian songs and Dave’s poems written about the culture. Phone: (510) 525-2129.

Last one for the year is a really good one. We’ll travel up into the Santa Cruz mountains to perform at our 4th Annual Holiday House Concert in the town of Bonny Doon with special

guest and dear friend, Cristina Seaborn. Many of you who have attended our previous house concerts at Bonny Doon know Cristina as a violinist extraordinaire. She is expert at fiddling and jazz improvisation, also plays cello, piano, mandolin, guitar and sings (remember “Harlee?”). She holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in jazz violin performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston; and a Masters in Conducting for Orchestra from St. Cloud State University. In our upcoming house concert Saturday, December 28, she will bring over thirty years of performance experience, a background that includes influences in classical, jazz, Celtic, bluegrass, and Texas swing fiddle. Please write back in response to this email if you plan to attend and I will send you directions to the Santa Cruz (Bonny Doon) location with phone number.
 

We hope to see you during the holidays.  Please be sure and celebrate safely and joyfully. We have a wondrous New Year ahead of us full of opportunities to share music and poetry.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Peace on Earth to all children, women and men.