Gravensteins.

As I mentioned in the previous entry, I drove out to Oak Glen today to see if their Gravenstein apples were anything like the Gravensteins I grew up eating from the neighbors tree. Well, after hitting the farm on an absolutely gorgeous day, I headed home with a bag of freshly picked apples. My first bite into one took me back to many a late summer on Williams Street. Isn't it amazing how your senses can bring back such memories? Paper route. Sidewalk business ventures. Basketball on the low hoop to make me feel taller. Before I made it home, I had eaten five apples. Now my new goal is to find some grapes like the ones in Grandma and Grandpa's back yard...

Take care, all! Peace and love.

Odds & ends...

There's just a mish mash of stuff bouncing around in my head, so I thought I'd toss a bunch of it out here. First, this Monday and Tuesday I had the pleasure of taking part in a reading of a new musical. Vrooom! – by Berton Averre, Rob Meurer, and Mark Saltzman – is a high-energy, irreverent, fun take on the world of auto racing. It seemed to go over rather well, and I wish them all the best in taking it to the next level.

I've also been trying to get my brain to focus on one of many illustration projects I have on the back burner. It's wild to have so many half-hatched ideas on the brain and yet to have so much trouble getting my hand to make that first stroke. I think this is a universal problem though and I look forward to getting over the hump. Soon. I'm thinking today.

It still feels like summer, but autumn is on its way. One clue is an announcement I received from Riley's Farms (east of LA) that their apples are ready for picking. Among the early pickins are their Gravensteins. Growing up in Lebanon, we had a big Gravenstein tree that hung into our yard from the neighbors'. I have good memories of eating apples off that tree as late summer arrived. I think I'll go out to Riley's tomorrow and see if their apples are anything like what I remember.

I've been trying to live a bit healthier lately and among the ways I'm doing so is to walk Fryman Canyon, a hiking path in the hills nearby. I really like these hikes – getting to feel like I'm getting out in the middle of nature even though I'm still smack in the middle of big ol' LA. Today, I saw two deer grazing in the grass. That was a bit of a shock. Normally, I just see squirrels and lizards and snakes. The photo above is of a tree on the trail I've nicknamed "Pan's Tree" since it reminds me a bit of the look of recent film Pan's Labyrinth. This great little tree is growing out of the top of a cool looking stone upheaval in the cliff. As we move into autumn, the leaves will go away and it will look nice and spooky by Hallowe'en. I also like it since it is near the top of the incline and signals the downhill section of the hike.

Well, that's about it for now. Back to the drawing board. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Giving back (and getting more in return).

First off, happy birthday to my sister, Deanna!

I just got back from a little trip down south to see the Big City Broadway kids' production of Seussical. I worked with the kids last week for a lovely day of talking about character, emphasizing storytelling, and basically attempting to convey my passion for the show. That day in itself was rewarding. It was really wonderful seeing those light bulbs come on. And last night it was again a happy thing to see the show and see some of the things we had worked on make their way to the stage. I really think may think seriously about doing more consulting/teaching in the future.

So after this lovely experience – and some time with friends and a sunny caricature gig – I'm back home and catching up on e-mails. Tomorrow, I've got to do a little homework for a reading I'm taking part in on Monday and Tuesday and also an audition I have on Monday morning. The week to come should start off with a bang and then allow me some time to cultivate some ideas that I have banging around in my head. Here we go! Take care, all! Peace and love.