They’re back! And good for us … Saturday evening at the Opera House with a joyful return visit from Lara Tupper and Bobby Sweet. It’s been a few years since my last visit with this charming and wonderful music duo. I hope they still have chickens!

I go back a long way with the Tupper family. Stan and Jill, Lara’s parents, were always helpful and supportive. Stan helped us when we took the giant leap to purchase the Old Boothbay fire station which is still a landmark building for the region. We were swimming in uncharted waters back then in 1995 and Stan lawyered through the mist with support and guidance. At that time, Jill, Stan’s wife, assisted at the office, insuring proper backup and clear transitions for us and many others. Eventually Jill went on to get her law degree and open a practice of her own. Now retired, Jill helps out as a volunteer at the Opera House and practices making plants prosper in her home gardens. She is also always pleased for return visits with Lara and Bobby. I don’t think she has any chickens.

The accomplishments of Mr. Sweet and Ms. Tupper are legion. Together they have formed a magical partnership, sharing their music and songs throughout New England and beyond. They sing separately and together songs of the past and new work written by Bobby, who is no stranger to performance. His guitar playing and accompaniments are varied and extensive. We actually have a common friend in Richard Bennet, a great guitarist who lives in Nashville touring over the years with Mark Knopfler, producing many albums. Bobby and Richard, though cut from different cloth, have spent much time, off and on, producing music of the highest caliber, collaborating through a mystical link. Bobby’s music skills began to evolve early with a historic music family. He spent early childhood years traveling and performing from his home in the beautiful Berkshires of western Massachusetts. I recall that area through my 1960s hitchhiking routes passing through Stockbridge en route to Boston during early James Taylor days!

Ocean Point was, and still is, a favorite place for Lara and her mom. On her breaks from world travels, books, teaching and touring, Lara seldom misses a chance to sit on the rocks and listen to the ocean speak. For all of us here on the peninsula, Ocean Point finds its way into our hearts and spirits. I suspect Lara would tell you how much it means to her and quite possibly to the life she has built away from her home place. If you listen closely, you can hear in the waves of her singing voice the rhythmic pulse of the sea. I believe the melody of ocean surf inspires the deep richness in her voice. Ask her Saturday night when you listen to the music being brought.

It will be nice to hear Lara and Bobby’s music and their stories. For me and many in the area, Lara’s return is a breath of fresh air. She and Bobby have developed a wonderful sound with genuine gestures and reverence for past compositions and new sentiment. Thank you both for coming down to the coast, with or without your chickens. There will be fresh eggs when you get home.