A spontaneous trip to jazz nirvana...

I made a rather spontaneous decision last night to head down to Sunset Boulevard and catch the second set at Catalina Jazz Club. John Pizzarelli has been on my radar for quite a long time. I can't latch onto the specific reason, but I really love the sound of jazz on guitar. Django Reinhardt. John's father Bucky Pizzarelli. And John is taking the mantle and running with it into the modern age. Jessica Molaskey is an amazing Broadway actress, most recently taking part in the acclaimed revival of Sunday In the Park With George. She brings those theatre chops to a classic jazz songstress vibe and it's a beautiful thing. I've felt that I've gotten to know them a bit lately by listening to their radio show, Radio Deluxe. In fact most recently I've listened to them on my morning hikes. I was so excited to catch them live – so close to my hood.

I was NOT disappointed. Wow! John and Jessica were accompanied by John's gang of regulars – Larry Fuller on keys, Martin Pizzarelli on bass, Tony Tedesco on drums. These guys really ripped it up. The song selection was amazing. I was particularly happy to hear a couple of medleys from Jessica's recent albums that John put together – John Hendricks' Cloudburst with Sondheim's Not Getting Married Today and The Circle Game with Waters of March. There were a lot of tunes from John's recent Richard Rodgers album that were amazing. I'm particularly fond of (actually fanatical about) the amazing Mountain Greenery. All in all, it was tune after tune of happiness and I loved it. Pretty spiffy experience for a spontaneous adventure.

Now, I'm wrapping up a little sketching. And then I'm hitting the road down San Diegy way – catching Patty Griffin and Langhorne Slim at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach (which I'm looking forward to) and then Les Miserables at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista tomorrow eve. I'm particularly excited to see this show. So many dear friends have poured themselves into this epic, the southern California regional premiere of this show that is so special to many my age. And this will be the last production on the Moonlight stage as it is. So many wonderful memories live on from that no-nonsense but limited platform. It's so exciting to say that Vista passed a bond initiative that, in addition to building other city facilities, will build a brand new stage house with a fly loft and other fantastic resources. Next season will be a new animal on the hill.

So... onward! Take care, all!! Be curious. Be spontaneous. Peace and love!

A few healthy thoughts...

As I mentioned a couple posts back, I'm trying to make some healthier choices. I've been mostly consistent in walking a trail in Fryman Canyon which is a roughly two-mile trek up into the hills and back down. And being a rather curious person and observing as much as I can as I huff and puff and listen to podcasts, I began putting together some clues about the origins of the trail. The trailhead is at a park (well, parking lot) called Wilacre Park that actually has a street address. The steep winding path uphill is paved for the first quarter mile and is lined with terra cotta bricks (mostly grown over) and features what I think was once a large fountain and now has a big tree growing in the middle. At the end of the paving, the path opens up to a large field that boasts remnants of old fences and some old, bare foundations. What the heck was here? Well, after a little digging, I found one brief reference to the park's namesake. Evidently, Lila Wilacre was a silent movie actress who had an expansive estate here in the 1920s. I wish I could find out more, but that one reference was all I could find on Google. Really interesting though.

Some more intriguing facts about the trail is that at one end is the Alex Trebek estate and at the other end is the George Clooney compound. And near Clooney's is the entrance to another trail that is more obscure but often talked about on hiking sites and LA city recommendations... the Rainforest Trail. I hear tell of a seasonal stream and a rope swing and a half-buried VW Bug. An exploration might be in order soon.

One final granola-ish health observation is a memory from junior high. Mr. Wilkinson, p.e. teacher and coach, told us of something he called mushroom tea, a tea cultivated over a month using a fungus (not actually a mushroom, but a cake of cultures). There were supposedly many health benefits, but that didn't matter to junior highers who wretched and convulsed at the thought of the stuff. Well, mushroom tea – or Kombucha – while still falling under "alternative supplements", is becoming more and more accepted. Folks have cultivated their own for ages, but bottles of the stuff are now available mixed with various juices at Whole Foods and other stores. I'm still a little creeped out a bit by the idea, but I've tried it and it isn't nearly as disgusting as I thought it would be. Anyway...

That's enough musing for the day. Back to drawing... lots of projects on the desk. Peace and love, y'all.

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.

Little voices.

Yesterday as I was toiling away at my desk, I got a call from my brother. My niece Maddie and nephew Jack had been wanting to say "hello" so I had the pleasure of chatting with them for a bit and learning about what they had been up to lately. Maddie was chatty and wonderful. Jack was too – talking much more than when I had seen him last. It really did the soul good to have a little phone visit.

A big "hello" goes out to them and Jordan and Aimee. Now I'm off to work more on some sketches. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Cut me open and count my rings.

Hey all... I said I'd drop a line when I had a minute. Well, here I am taking a procrastination break from a couple projects that don't really have a deadline but could be done and out of the way soon. Yes. Procrastination. I said it. Ugh. Anyway...

My birthday was Thursday and it was such a lovely day. The online messages started a couple days previously and it made me feel so wonderful to receive over 100 little messages when all was said and done. I also enjoyed getting voicemail messages and chatting with some of the families. Mom and Dad spoiled me with a GPS navigation system which I need to learn how to use. My Vista family, Aaron and Nancy Brener, took me to breakfast, and I got to hang out with Sammy and the Beav after they wrapped Moonlight's Les Miz rehearsal for the day. The rest of the day I spent hitting my favorite spots on the north San Diego coastline – Pannikin Coffee, Lou's Records, Pizza Port, Stone Brewing. I loved the lazy day and really enjoyed returning e-mails and getting some work done on my own current projects. Such a beautiful day.

So now, I have to get back to work on a couple drawings. I'll try to post later this week with some other fun recent stuff. Take care, all! Peace and love.