Double Daring Dining!

El Dorado Hills, CA
Hello Friends,

Last week we were able to take in not one but two wonderful dining institutions of Sacramento. One a local dive and one a culinary destination.

For breakfast one morning Shawna and I took in the Waffle Barn. If the name alone doesn't make you want to stop in then the decore won't hook you either. From the outside it is not much to look at: the paint is chipping, the sign is dated, and it is located in the parking lot of an abandon strip mall. However the parking spots were far from abandoned and the place was hopping.

It is no secret that breakfast is my favorite meal and this place is happy to abide my morning munchies in spades. The first page of the menu is littered with many waffle options, more then your typical ma and pa joint. However waffles have never really been my thing. I am more of an egg man. So the plethora of omelets was joy to my eyes and tummy. I opted for the Barns Omelet. It was a meat lovers dream. In my three egg pocket of love was - bacon, sausage, ham, linguica, mushrooms, green chilis, and two types of cheese. It was divine and a mid morning food coma ensued not long after. My omelet is pictured in the foreground with Shawna's mighty veggie and chicken in the back.

That same day our wonderful home stay mom Lisa Phenix took us to the world famous Tower Cafe. Opened (though I am not sure if it is still owned) by the folks of the Tower Record fame, this funky little cafe offered a very unique atmosphere and menu. Based more on global cuisine with a dash of Sacramento flair then typical diner food, their menu offers a wide international variety of items ranging from Japanese salads, to Jerk Chicken, to even Irish Stew. There is something for everyone from anywhere. The whole restaurant is designed with arts and fine crafts from around the world and was a visual treat for the eyes.

I opted for the nightly special of Katsu Chicken (think Japanese chicken fingers, only healthier) and it was a mighty tasty meal. With lots of steamed rice and veggies, it was very well made and tasty.

Both places live on the very opposite spectrum of Sacramento Dining and it was a great pleasure to enjoy both fine establishments!

The Adventure Continues - ML

Good Times in Carmichael

El Dorado Hills, CA
Hello Friends!

Our first of four weeks in the Sacramento area has come to an end (but you said you had only three in Sac? Well our last week in May is also in Sacramento). The shows went wonderfully and the rain even let off for us to pack up the truck dryly. We had a wonderful time with our home stay Mom and her kids - Lisa Phenix. Being a local musician she knows all the great singers and band members through out Sacramento.

One night she wanted to take us to Winko Acoustic Sanctuary. Our interest perked and we asked what it was and simply put it is a piano bar in the back of a guys van.

Yes, yes we would go.

After a quick bite at the famous Tower Cafe (run by the same people of the Tower Record Fame) we sought out Winko's van which moves from night to night. We found it parked in a oil change station off of a main drag in downtown Sacramento. The outside of the van is amazing. It looks like a UPS truck but with neon lights and a great purple exterior.

I must admit if I wasn't with Lisa who knew the guy I may have been a little heistant to go in, but Lisa led the charge and in we went. The space is not big. You walk in and are met by a grand piano facade that seperate you from Winko. He sits behind the piano much like an old fortune teller machine. He is surronded by about 30 instruments that he can play.

His gig is a lot of fun. He chats you up for a bit and then asks you for a random topic and he will then play a song about that topic. Some songs are main stream and some he makes up on the spot. He does not take requests for songs as he feels that would interfere with the natural order of storytelling and song creating.

He sang to us about fishing and then did a rendition of Jumping Jack Flash. It was great! This video does it justice a bit, except we were not loud and drunk, but you can see him play none the less.

While at Lisa's I got to stay in here backyard cabin and LOVED IT! It was a little sanctuary that I was cozy and warm in while many storms blew through. It Christmas lights lining the walls and I burned incense every night. It was blissfull!

Now we are in a very nice neighborhood in El Dorado Hills. The stairway when you walk in the house reminds me of Tara from "Gone with the Wind" and they even have a water slide in the backyard, though it may be a touch chilly to use it. Or is it...

The Adventure Continues - ML

Leggett in Pictures

Carmichael, CA
Hello Friends!

The rains and wind have subsided for now which gives me a chance to pause and share my pictures from the week we had in Leggett, CA. Leggett is a tiny town in NE California on Highway 101. Nestled at the beginning of the Redwood Forest, Leggett isn't really known for much other then nice folk and gorgeous scenery. Shawna and I each stayed in a fifth wheel trailer and we had a cast of 37 kids that week. We even took in the amazing drive thru-tree that makes Leggett a must see stop on your Highway 101 tour. Our shows were scheduled for Friday and Saturday however the county lost power on Saturday we had to cancel our second show. It was a rewarding week and gorgeous area... So - on to the pictures!

Bustling Downtown Leggett

My Trailer!

MY Guard Dogs Rosie and Chocolate

Tourist Trap!

Don't think we are going to fit...

Matt in a tree!

Almost...

My Precious Tree

The Adventure Continues - ML

The Nipomo Yeti

Carmichael, CA
Hello Friends -

The wind and rain continue to blow sideways here in the capital of the Golden State. Two weeks ago we were in the lovely town Nipomo, CA. Never heard of it, well neither had I. Well have you heard of San Luis Obispo? Well I really hadn't until we started touring in California, but San Luis Obispo (or SanLo) is an amazing college town home of Cal Poly and Nipomo is just about 20 miles south of it.

Our week in Nipomo was grand. It was a K-5 week and Shawna did this residency last year and was super excited to be back. Rightfully so. We stayed with a wonderful family in the country who had four daughters! They were a lot of fun and took us out to SanLo one night.

On the night I was me, Shawna, our home stay mom and one of her close friends. We went to a couple of local hot spots (it is a college town after all) and at one place we met Yeti. Not a Yeti, but a girl named Yeti. I am not making this up. We found out she was with the Army Reserve and there with some of her buddies for a little R&R. Yeti was very much in her cups and after barking up my tree unsuccesfully for awhile she tried grind dancing with Shawna. Clearly Yeti worked both sides of the buffet. It was a very memorable experince.

Shawna got to stay in the house while I stayed in a bunk house across the driveway. To get to my room I had to walk through a gym and then through a closet and then into my bedroom. While it sounds iffy it really wasn't and my room was rad. It could have slept like 6 but it was just me and nature. I have a video of this but I can't seem to get the to work on blogspot, if you know how please let me know.

Another great thing about Nipomo was that one of my dear friends Molly Stoddard lives in SanLo. I met Molly in Portland while I was working at NWCT. She is a super rad person and we were able to have a grand night on the town Saturday night as I joined her girl entourage.

I have been so lucky to see so many old friends and meet new ones on this tour!

The Adventure Continues - ML

The Places I Sleep

Carmichael, CA
Hello Friends,

Had great auditions today! This week we are at a private Catholic school and while these kids have lots of opportunities in their lives, they still do not have a school play and that's were we come in!

At the beginning of this month we were in Modesto, CA. The town of Modesto itself was not very memorable. It was just one strip mall after another, urban sprawl in every direction. The school and kids and parents however were quite memorable. It was the first time MCT was back at this school in four years and everyone was so appreciative, they were wonderful and I hope they don't wait another four years before MCT comes back again!

I would like to now tell you about one of the more adventurous parts of our job. Every week we are in a different home, hotel, roof over our head and the beds we sleep on every week vary drastically from town to town. In Modesto we were setup with a very nice apartment to call our own. My room had an awesome single bed in it with sheets that a five year old boy would desire.

MCT states that our rooms have to be safe, clean, comfortable and private and my room meet this expectations with out a doubt. I always get a kick when my 6'1" body gets to live on a bed made for a child for a week. I actually sleep better in small beds then I do larger so I had a great time this week (this may have to deal with the collation of couch sleepers in my family...).

From king beds in fancy hotels to a single bed with horse posters on the walls I never tire of experiencing a new home every week.

The Adventure Continues - ML

Lighting up Spring Break

Carmichael, CA
Hello Friends,

So lets begin the great catch up from the Internet black out of '11. A month ago I spent my spring break in quaint Newman, CA. I first came to Newman in the fall of '04 with Kepler and Jungle Book to the West Side Theatre in Newman. There I met Dave and Ferris Larsen who have tirelessly and admirably resorted the beautiful old movie house into a gem of a local theatre. Used mainly for local bands and community theatre productions, the West Side Theatre is now a highlight for MCT tours and that goes strongly in part to the generosity and hospitality of Dave and Ferris.

So with myself stranded in Central California for my break I decided to take them up on their standing offer to stay with them if the need ever arose. Little did I know the adventure I was in for.

I arrived on Sunday and knew that I would be helping them with tech work to mount a production for the coming weekend. The play was the one man show Looking Over the President's Shoulder. It follows the life story of real life White House Butler Alonzo Fields and his 21 years serving four Presidents and their families (Hoover, FDR, Truman, and Eisenhower). The show had been produced before at another theatre and since the actor (Dwight Mahabir) had already memorized 70 pages of lines, he was anxious to perform the script again and hopefully sell his production to other theatres.

I was warmly greeted by Dave and Ferris and later that evening met Dwight. Over the next five days we would decorate the set, focus lights, run the show, design cues, you know all the good stuff it takes to put on a show in a week (where have I heard that before?)

My main job was to design the light cues and run the light board during the show (I even got to do a little whistling for one of the sound cues). Have been trained to perform these tasks from my college days (thanks Linfield!) I took to it with gusto and earnest. It was nice to stay active and creative over the break and be one of the guys behind the scenes for a change.

The show had a very limited three day run and was woefully attended by around 100 people total. Small the audience was, they were very receptive and in awe. Dwight did a great job with the material and having watched the show about 8 times that week I never grow bored of it, it was like watching the History Channel only live.

The following Sunday morning I drove to San Fransisco International for the third time in as many weeks to pick up Shawna from her holiday, ran lights one more time, bid a fond farewell to my dear friends at the West Side. Thankfully Shawna and I will return in three weeks for a residency week! From there we headed to Modesto to begin our final 11 weeks straight of tour.


While some tour actors went home or partied with friends for their Spring Break, I couldn't have asked for a better one myself.

The Adventure Continues - ML

A Coffee Concert

Carmichael, CA
Hello Friends!!!!

I write to you from the kitchen counter of the Lisa Phenix house were Shawna and I are staying in this quaint burb of Sacromento. I am drinking coffee and listening to the mandilin and guitar play as Lisa prepares for a gig this afternoon. Oh yeah, Lisa is a professioanl musician, check her out at herwebsite.

Also as you guess I have glorious internet access at her house and my poor backed-up blog will be getting some serious attention this for I have many tales and pictures to share with you faithful readers. For now I enjoy my coffee and watch the storm blow through (serious one going through California right now) and enjoy the sounds of an impromptu live blue grass concert. It's good to be back.

The Adventure Continues - ML

No News from Nipomo

Nipomo, CA
Hello Friends,

Things are well. The kids are great, the home stay is awesome (though a bit rustic) and as I suspected, the internet does not flow. Again I sit in a Starbucks enjoying some ice tea (It is 75 and sunny out here) and am quickly dropping a note to let you know that I am alive and well and away from the internet.

The digital forecast does not look well as next week I will be in the middle of the redwoods and it doesn't seem likely that I will be able to blog during the week. *Sigh*. I do have high hopes for the April though! Fear not, pictures are being taken and stories being stored!

The Adventures Continues - ML

What's an internet Connection?

Modesto, CA
Hello Friends-

I must sadly report that I have spent a week in Modesto with no internet service at home (I write to you from a friendly neighborhood Starbucks as usual) and it looks like our next week in Nipomo is internet-less as well. It is frustrating as I have a lot of pictures and stories to share.

Just know that things are going well and we are on the last (now) 10 weeks of tour straight! Please keep checking the blog! It has not been abandoned!!!

The Adventure Continues - ML