9/12/4 - Longview to Sandpoint, Idaho

It’s early: 4:30am on a still Sunday morning, and I’m about to leave the motel here in Longview to make a run up north. My wife Lorraine is sound asleep with the left side of her mouth slightly curled up into a makeshift smile. You see, I got home yesterday around 3 in the afternoon and after checkin’ in with the front-office boys, I figured I’d grab a 5pm dinner and hit the sack early. But Lorraine had other ideas. Opera. She had stumbled across a couple of free tickets to a concert in Longview, (of all places) and I quickly learned first-hand that Lorraine won’t say no to a spur-of-the-moment opportunity to hear a “Requiem” by Mozart. Me, I can take or leave that kind of music, though I do like some of those slow, sad opera songs that just seem to hang in the air forever. Since I’d finished up a long day of drivin', Lorraine was as happy as a kid in a candy story to suit me up and take the wheel for our 75 mile drive into Longview. I took a nap on the way and awoke in front of The Longview Community Church. Lorraine straightened my tie and in we went to see the Columbia Chorale of Oregon and the Southwest Washington Chamber Orchestra perform the "Requiem". I usually get a little nervous and quiet around these kinds of crowds but I was charged-up as we took our seats. I noticed in the program notes that the proceeds benefited the Women's Resource Center of Columbia County in St Helens and the Ethnic Support Council in Longview. Another reason I was happy to be sittin' in my seat. Even though we had free tickets, I made a point to kickin' the organizations a couple twenties during the intermission. The music was great. I tell you, those voices soared. Higher and farther than I usually drive in a year. I have no idea what that choir was singin' about. They had the words translated in the program, but the truth is - I didn't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I like to think they were singin' about something so beautiful and sad that it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache just because of it. I'll see y'all next week.
Tom