San Francisco!!!!!!! (a sneak preview)

Hey there...

Getting a lot done at the moment before heading out to Santa Rosa.  But I wanted to give you a map of where we're going today and a few shots from yesterday's adventure...

Rick, Vince, and I, for the first time ever, experienced the redwoods...

A quick summary: We rented a car and took off from South San Francisco and drove for about an hour and twenty minutes to Big Basin State Park, experienced The Trees, then headed down to Route 1 and then northward along the coast stopping often because...there were a few things to look at...  :)

Shared dinner in Half Moon Bay, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge at night to see the city lights, drove back towards the city the same way, and finally joined friends at Top of the Mark (a bar at the top of a famous hotel downtown) for coffee/drinks over San Francisco.

Amazing...

Here's a map of our route...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=south+san+francisco,+CA&daddr=boulder+creek,+Ca+to:Big+Basin+Redwoods+State+Park,+California+95033,+95033+(Big+Basin+Redwoods+State+Park)+to:santa+cruz,+ca+to:half+moon+bay,+ca+to:Pacifica,+Ca+to:Sausalito,+Marin,+California+to:1+Nob+Hl,+San+Francisco,+CA+94108+(Top+of+the+Mark+Restaurant+-+Mark+Hopkins+Hotel)&hl=en&geocode=%3B%3BFfrxNgIdTtG2-CFU8WJyzXQlkA%3B%3B%3B%3BFRavQQId_QWz-A%3BFTmnQAIdcyq0-CHpRP41XZ__2Q&mra=ls&sll=37.4098,-122.23746&sspn=1.313341,2.493896&ie=UTF8&z=9

And soon we leave for Santa Rosa...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY+to:oak+brook+IL+to:appleton,+Wisconsin+to:whitewater,+wisconsin+to:wausau,+wisconsin+to:oskaloosa,+Iowa+to:oklahoma+city,+Oklahoma+to:albuquerque,+NM+to:waco,+tx+to:austin,+tx+to:Fort+Stockton,+TX+to:El+Paso,+TX+to:gilbert,+AZ+to:northridge,+CA+to:modesto,+CA+to:San+Luis+Obispo,+California+to:San+Francisco,+CA+to:Santa+Rosa,+Ca&hl=en&geocode=%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3BFUBfGgIdYOHO-A%3B%3B&mra=ls&sll=37.265275,-102.199035&sspn=41.697194,79.804688&ie=UTF8&ll=37.230328,-102.304687&spn=41.697194,79.804688&z=4

Off to pack...

Many more photos of the day soon!

Hope all are well.

San Luis Obispo! (from a couple days ago...)

Hey there...

I write to you from South San Francisco, but the photos below are from San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach along the southern California coast.  

We left L.A. in the morning on Sunday and set sail for San Luis Obispo a few hours away.  We arrived right on time, checked into our hotel, took a quick shot from my window...

And headed to the theater on the campus of Cal Poly University...

Fight called and sound checked...

Did the show at 3:00pm.  The audience really enjoyed the play, especially all the local color within the story.  The story takes place all throughout this very area.  Curly's Wife (Ashley Campos), is stunned that she is treated poorly at one point and defends herself from this injustice by declaring, "I'm from Salinas."  The audience roared.  Salinas is Steinbeck's home and at least as of the writing of this story, was nothing much to speak of.  It has been fun to encounter similar moments in the play where the locals know more than we do.

After the show we went back to the hotel and then about nine of us got back on the bus.  Scott, our esteemed driver, was kind enough to drive us to Pismo Beach about 10 miles away to catch the last moments of the sunset...

We were up on a cliff looking over the beach.  A few found a way down to water.

Ben celebrates the end of a good good day...

San Luis Obispo was easily a highlight of this trip...

The next day we did an early morning matinee, got back on the bus, and headed to San Francisco!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY+to:oak+brook+IL+to:appleton,+Wisconsin+to:whitewater,+wisconsin+to:wausau,+wisconsin+to:oskaloosa,+Iowa+to:oklahoma+city,+Oklahoma+to:albuquerque,+NM+to:waco,+tx+to:austin,+tx+to:Fort+Stockton,+TX+to:El+Paso,+TX+to:gilbert,+AZ+to:northridge,+CA+to:modesto,+CA+to:San+Luis+Obispo,+California+to:San+Francisco,+CA&hl=en&geocode=%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3BFUBfGgIdYOHO-A%3B&mra=ls&sll=37.509726,-101.513672&sspn=20.936294,39.902344&ie=UTF8&z=4

When we arrived, a few of us took a walk up to a small street of coffee shops and restaurants.  We enjoyed Tai food and laughed into the evening.

For Rick, Vince, and I, the next day would the best day of the tour thus far...

Photos a'comin'!

:)

Leaving LA, Playing Modesto

Just had a great show in Modesto.  Here are some shots from the day...

Woke up and walked out to get some breakfast in LA...

Drove north through mountains towards Modesto and then out into the open of the San Juaquin Valley...

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Joaquin_Valley)

Passed orchards of fields of just about everything...

We stopped for lunch.  I bought local cheese, salami, bread, and plums.   Others did similarly and we shared our harvests back on the bus.  With time to spare, I took a quick walk in a peach orchard...

And took a few more photos...

Modesto...  The view out my window.  The building in the upper right hand corner is the Gallo Performing Arts Center.

Walked to the theater for dinner - they provided us a lovely meal.

Looking up beneath welcoming vines...

The performing arts center has two spaces.  We were in one - one of the best houses of the trip in my opinion - and the other held a Syrian symphony on this very night.  Supporters of the event waved flags outside.

I think we all need more flag waving...  For just everyday things...

Early evening sky...

Ben on the loading dock of the theater...

We drive south tomorrow to San Luis Obispo...  We'll be about 10 miles from the Pacific.  I hope we get a chance to see it....

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY+to:oak+brook+IL+to:appleton,+Wisconsin+to:whitewater,+wisconsin+to:wausau,+wisconsin+to:oskaloosa,+Iowa+to:oklahoma+city,+Oklahoma+to:albuquerque,+NM+to:waco,+tx+to:austin,+tx+to:Fort+Stockton,+TX+to:El+Paso,+TX+to:gilbert,+AZ+to:northridge,+CA+to:modesto,+CA+to:San+Luis+Obispo,+California&geocode=%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3BFUBfGgIdYOHO-Cknwmx7vubsgDFGD-_OwpACvA&hl=en&mra=pe&mrcr=20&sll=37.509726,-101.513672&sspn=20.936294,39.902344&ie=UTF8&z=5

To bed...  Hope all are sleeping well...
O.

On to Modesto!

Had a great day in LA.  Two shows, taught a workshop with Ben Mackel and a night out with Ben Hofilena, an old college friend, in Universal City.  A full but memorable day!

On to Modesto in the morning...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY+to:oak+brook+IL+to:appleton,+Wisconsin+to:whitewater,+wisconsin+to:wausau,+wisconsin+to:oskaloosa,+Iowa+to:oklahoma+city,+Oklahoma+to:albuquerque,+NM+to:waco,+tx+to:austin,+tx+to:Fort+Stockton,+TX+to:El+Paso,+TX+to:gilbert,+AZ+to:northridge,+CA+to:modesto,+CA&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.265275,-100.255005&sspn=21.00314,39.902344&ie=UTF8&ll=37.26531,-101.469727&spn=21.00314,39.902344&z=5

Sorry no photos today.  We'll see what we see tomorrow...

LA!

A long, but beautifully scenic day of driving from Arizona to California ended with a wonderful meal at Cat and Will's new home.  Seth joined us as well.  It was so great to see everyone!

Will and I squared off, camera to camera...

My old friend Rebekah and her family joined us as well...

After dinner, we showed off the bus to the Californians.  They were impressed.

Will had his hands full.  And his shoulders...and back...and...face...

A final goodbye photo...

They're all coming to the show tomorrow, so hopefully we can pay them back with as great a time as they gave us tonight.

El Paso photos from El Past-o

Here are a few photos from El Paso...

Still trying to catch up....

We had an hour before half-hour and Hardy and I took a little hike on this hillside-patch-of-desert next to the theater.  All I had was my cell phone camera.  A storm was moving in.  Lightening and amazing clouds...

In the photo below, the mountains in the distance on the left hand side are Mexico.  The buildings just below them as well...

The wind was so strong and sudden at one point that we had to crouch down so as to not get knocked down.  But I suppose that's just a life thing, huh?

In about 1.5 hours gonna head to Northridge, California.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY+to:oak+brook+IL+to:appleton,+Wisconsin+to:whitewater,+wisconsin+to:wausau,+wisconsin+to:oskaloosa,+Iowa+to:oklahoma+city,+Oklahoma+to:albuquerque,+NM+to:waco,+tx+to:austin,+tx+to:Fort+Stockton,+TX+to:El+Paso,+TX+to:gilbert,+AZ+to:northridge,+CA&geocode=&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=37.26531,-100.239258&sspn=21.00314,39.902344&ie=UTF8&z=5

Never been to California before.  Anyone have any advice?

Rest Stop Risk

So the bus stopped for a short break at a rest area this morning.

We get out of the bus and immediately see the following...

Huh.

It's dangerous out here.

Wearing my boots a little higher...

O.

Austin! (from a few days ago...)

Here's a bunch of photos from Austin from a couple of days ago...

Got off the bus and looked over the edge of a bridge into a stream right next to our hotel...  Turtles!  Who were of course very happy we were finally in Austin...

Took a walk with Robin down 6th Street.  Such a fun place.  We quickly found our theater.  The Paramount...

The front of a building along our walk...

A Segway tour of Austin...

And of course your basic submersible bus tour...

We sang to Molly for her birthday during soundcheck...

And checked out the absolutely magical house of The Paramount.  That evening was arguable one of the best performances of the tour...

The ceiling of a coffee shop.  I love a good ceiling...

The capital building of Texas.  Just a few blocks down the street from the theater.  I suppose the building, or at least the dome, rivals or is actually bigger than the federal capital building.

Inside the dome...

The star at the apex...

John incarnating Sam Houston...

A portrait of Davy Crockett...

And a recent governor of Texas...

And a few of the crew before boarding the bus bound for Fort Stockton...

Austin has been my favorite stop in Texas.  A beautiful and vigorous city.  I could live there.

Headed to Gilbert, Arizona at the moment.  (Actually blogging from the desert.  The ability to do this never ceases to amaze me.)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=abingdon+va&daddr=greeneville+tn+to:lexington+ky+to:poplar+bluff+missouri+to:rolla+missouri+to:effingham+illinois+to:somerset+KY+to:oak+brook+IL+to:appleton,+Wisconsin+to:whitewater,+wisconsin+to:wausau,+wisconsin+to:oskaloosa,+Iowa+to:oklahoma+city,+Oklahoma+to:albuquerque,+NM+to:waco,+tx+to:austin,+tx+to:Fort+Stockton,+TX+to:El+Paso,+TX+to:gilbert,+AZ&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.09024,-94.130859&sspn=21.050782,39.902344&ie=UTF8&ll=37.26531,-96.987305&spn=21.00314,39.902344&z=5

Have great days...

Mike