Penny Lane
At the time of this writing, I have lived in my house for five years and it is that five-year threshold that scares me. I lived in my little vintage trailer park home in Rancho Mirage for five years. Before that I lived in my rambling ranch vineyard home in Templeton for five years. And before that we lived as a family in Aptos, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Carmel again, and Pebble Beach again over the course of 15 years. We owned so many homes, and moved so often, that one year, when Joey was asked what he wanted for Christmas, he told The Kohn Times “I want to live in the same house…for a whole year.” And as sad as that may sound, the kids went to the same school (Robert Louis Stevenson) from Kindergarten to Senior Year, regardless of their home address. Such is one of the benefits of a private education—school choice.
As a salve for my five-year itchy feet syndrome, I have been known to take long and winding road trips. Satellite radio adds to the joy of long distance travel because, unlike terrestrial radio, you never lose the signal—unless of course you are driving through a canyon—curse you, Rocky Mountains!
In 2017, The Beatles Channel debuted on Sirius XM. Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (the record album) was going to celebrate its 50th year. And yes, yikes! Sgt. Pepper was the #1 album on the Billboard 200 from July 1 to October 1, 1967. The single, Penny Lane, had been released in February 1967 with Strawberry Fields Forever on the other A side—it was known as a double A-side release. Immersed in Beatles trivia, Beatles countdowns, Beatles tribute recordings, Beatles, Beatles, Beatles, for days as I drove across country from California to Minnesota, I was immersed in Beatles. As a traveler will, from time to time I would need to take a break, stop for a fish and finger pie, sit beneath a blue suburban sky, check out the portrait of the queen, stop and say hello to the people that come and go, etc. But I noticed an odd thing happening. When I’d get back in the car and tune to Beatles radio, the song playing would be Penny Lane! It was like Penny Lane was in my ears and in my eyes! It happened so many times I lost count. I decided it was a sign. I would name my house Penny Lane and decorate it with Beatles-themed stuff. As I drove I came up with clever ideas for decor—I would have a jar by the door labeled Eleanor Rigby’s Face, a mural with tiny little sketches of characters and themes, photos of strawberry fields, blackbirds, a yellow submarine, a glass onion, a silver hammer, a weeping guitar, and an anvil dropping out of the sky onto the Fab Four, labeled Yoko Ono. I never did that, but to this day I call my home Penny Lane.
So here I am, driving up to my new old house on the afternoon of December 13, 2017 and as I approach the driveway, and slow to make my turn, what comes on the radio but Penny Lane, I kid you not.
Sadly, the house looked more like The Bates Motel than I had recalled. And even though the Addams Family theme song would have been a better fit, it was not on the Beatles’ play list. Still, it really was a scree-um.
