Musical Influences

What draws you back to the same restaurant over and over?  Food might be the obvious answer. But ambiance and service weigh in heavily.

A couple of years ago, we happened upon The King's Highway within the Ace Hotel, Palm Springs.

Better than a sports bar with umpteen sets hanging from the ceiling, King's Highway has Linda.  She is the entertainment.  She rings her bell and like a female Dean Martin croons her way tableside with such confident panache that all are mesmerized.  Our first time we could only observe.

The next time for Allie and Reid's 16th birthday, she sang directly to them. Allie wished she could've crawled under a carpet at the time, but I think she enjoys the memory of it.

What song, you ask?  Her go-to birthday serenade began, "It had to be you........Allie and Reid...It had to be you......"  Linda is a versatile vocalist and personable too.

The whole place just works for us.  There's a pool, mixed ages, gourmet food, hip design, something for everyone --just like the movies Singin' in the Rain or Swiss Family Robinson offer romance, action, and song.

So last January break, Allie suggested we take a couple nights and go there.  It was wonderful.  Nothing like a roadtrip to rekindle sibling bonding.  We hiked Joshua Tree one day then enjoyed all the amenities of the Ace. Jim takes pictures profusely. Who knew how much "thrifting" Palm Springs offered--the new activity of choice for Reid whereby we rid the universe of old VHS technology by buying them up at a quarter a piece, viewing and dismantling the tape inside, rendering them finally and totally defunct.

But Saturday night ohhh Sturday night, we arrived early for dinner hoping Linda was on.  And she was. Whether she remembered us was unclear.  But give us a show she did nonetheless.  In rapt conversation with Reid, she asked if she could try a new one on us, "Rockabye my Dixie Baby...would that be okay?"

"Sure, that's the one!" said Reid rubbing his hands together in frenetic glee.

We ordered.  Took a sip of our drinks. Then a bell rang vigorously cueing the soundtrack to pause.  Linda slinked over to our table.  The woman is bold....and my smooth, supremely stealth husband got it discretely on film.



So to the musical influences on Reid's Cdbaby site--Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and Scotty McCreery--we add Fabulous Linda!  She may not be on 94.1's radio rotation. She won't be in next season's Idol competition. Yet, she's an unmistakable household word at our table.

Linda Gerard is an influential lady. She sings it like she means it. She has confidence. She is relational.  She has pipes! Reid's even taken to wearing shades like hers.

The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without  a following.  Proverbs 14:27-29 

Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Galatians 3:14-16 

I scrub my hands with purest soap, then join hands with the others in the great circle, dancing around your altar, God, Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs, telling God-stories. Psalm 26:5-7