Monday, September 28, 2009

Elvis Has Left the Campfire

When last I wrote, the Joy-family was off to a weekend's worth of activities, to include a camping adventure with our congregation at a nearby state park. Last year we had a fine success with this annual tent-camping event, Joy's first overnight campout beyond our yard. We did another successful backyard campout on Labor Day weekend, but ended up deciding not to take the tent out this Saturday. JoyDad was feeling under the weather, and for a while I thought I might be taking the girls for the evening on my own.

Fortunately, though, he perked up enough to make the trek to the campground after Joy's afternoon therapy, so the whole family could take part in picnic potluck and campfire conviviality.

Joy sat well at the unfamiliar picnic table and ate, per usual, a wider variety of goodies than her sister did. For entertainment afterward, she found a plastic band from a firewood bundle that she held onto almost all evening, a fine distraction from the fall leaves on the ground that might otherwise have consumed her attention (and that she might have attempted to consume herself in greater numbers than she did!) I spent a nice chunk of time blowing bubbles for her as the dusk was falling, and then when it got too dark to see bubbles, we moved over to the campfire.

Our congregation is big on singing, with four-part a cappella hymns a regular feature of our worship. This translates to lots of lovely harmony on the folksongs around the campfire as well. JoyDad always brings along his guitar to these events; sometimes one or two other people will bring guitars as well, but this year there were three other guitars, two banjos, a ukelele, and a bunch of copies of the folk-song compilation Rise Up Singing.

So at one point between songs, JoyDad inserts a query as to whether there's anything by Elvis in that thar songbook. And our local Elvis impersonator (what, doesn't every congregation have a local Elvis impersonator?) asks JoyDad does he know the opening lick to "Suspicious Minds." And JoyDad, who knows that song forward & backward, swings into the opening bars without a pause. Someone shines a flashlight-spot on our Elvis dude, and we get the entire song, all the moves and facial expressions and rich Elvis voice -- the whole deal. Yours truly, with Joy on my lap, was able to chime in with some of the other gals on the back-up vocals... it was quite the highlight of the evening. Elvis sighting at the campfire, who knew?!



Thank-you. Thank-you-very-much.

10 comments:

mama edge said...

So that's what people do on a church camp-out? Am picturing entire congregation in skintight, rhinestone-encrusted polyester pantsuits. You, JoyMama, look especially fetching in my imagination!

What a lovely weekend. Thanks for sharing it!

JoyMama said...

mama edge -- if you check the video, you'll clearly see that, as a background vocalist, I was among the women in choir robes. So, no polyester pantsuit for me. Alas.

JoyDad said...

My band had a gig last Thursday. Our singer wore a white jumpsuit that had the band's name in rhinestones on the back. Seriously.

And when you're wearing a white rhinestone-encrusted jumpsuit, you have to bust out the Elvis-doing-karate moves...

jess said...

oh man, that is SO not what we did on our last retreat - i'm talking to the planning committee asap!

Doug Reed said...

Your Elvis impersonator should have known better than to to try to play "stump the band" with JoyDad, a.k.a. James Burton.

Anonymous said...

I would pay money to see that!

Anonymous said...

How's the quote go? Something like singing is praying twice?

Felt like I was there.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Barbara

JoyMama said...

Hey Doug -- I'm not sure I heard the classic Elvis "Play it, James" line on Saturday night... shouldn't that be part of the schtick?

AuntieS said...

I am sure that Grandma P (not sure if she has a blog name yet) was looking down and enjoying every minute of the Elvis number! There were only two things she ever watched on TV--Elvis and Cubs games! She couldn't sing a note in tune but would have been loving every minute of it. I imagine she would have held on to Joy so JoyMama could have gotten up to do the back-up singer dance moves!! And she would have taken full credit for JoyDad's knowledge of Elvis music on guitar since she did provide the original 3 months of guitar lessons when he was a young boy!! Thanks for sharing this story cuz it sure made me smile and wish I had been there.
-AuntieS

pixiemama said...

Does your church do vacation bible school? i might just have to send the kids for the singing o' the Elvis 'round the campfire.