Newman, CA
Hello Friends!
Our mountain week in Alturas has come and gone and went very well considering the fact that my fill in tour partner had no experience with Beauty Lou but what he lacked in show experience he made up for in droves when it came to working with kids - thanks Jon Gregory!
As soon as we were packed from the show, we braved night time mountain pass driving and the tedium of I-5 and arrived at a San Fransisco hotel at 1:30AM absolutely drained. Jon left SFO at 9AM and Spring Break began for me!
This week I am spending my fun times in wonderful Newman, CA home of the West Side Theatre. Kepler and I were the first MCT team to come here in the fall of 2004 and it has since become a hot spot on tour. Shawna was here last year and we will both be back here for some Beauty Lou fun in April!
Dave and Ferris Larsen run and maintain this gem and are an absolute delight. This week they are mounting a one man show Looking Over the President's Shoulder. It is an amazing show about the real life times of Alonzo Fields who served as head butler for four presidents. Yours truly is designing and running lights which means this whole week I am in TECH!!! I couldn't think of a better way to spend my break.
Internet is limited this week as I am writing from the theatre's office computer and therefore don't really have access to my pictures on my netbook. I will try to update as much as possible.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
The John Muir House
Alturas, CA
Hello Friends!
Where has the time gone? What happened to Gilroy? Where are you now? Yup, these are some questions I have asked myself as I now find myself 4,200 feet up in the high desert mountain town of Alturas. Sadly Shawna is not with me as she is home for a family funeral so I am joined by fellow veteran Tour Actor Jon Gregory. We are done with day one and things are going grand. However, allow me though to go not one but two weeks back to Martinez where Shawna and I visited the home of John Muir.
Long story short, John Muir was a real cool guy. He kind of co-founded the national parks system with Teddy Roosevelt and spent his golden years in Martinez, CA on a fruit orchard. The house is three stories and gorgeous and all the furniture in side is from the era. Martinez is nuts about John Muir and we were very glad that we were able to visit. (That's me in his chair!)
Last week in Gilroy we had a very challenging and very rewarding week. It was the first time the school had us and the students had no idea what they were in for. After four days of very hard work they had three great shows on Friday that were great and chaotic. A huge thank you to the Henry family for their hospitality and Principal Otterson for all there help and hospitality that made our week great!
This week I may see some winter as I have gone from 75 and sunny to mid 30's and breezy. Snow is in the forecast...
The Adeventure Continues - ML
Hello Friends!
Where has the time gone? What happened to Gilroy? Where are you now? Yup, these are some questions I have asked myself as I now find myself 4,200 feet up in the high desert mountain town of Alturas. Sadly Shawna is not with me as she is home for a family funeral so I am joined by fellow veteran Tour Actor Jon Gregory. We are done with day one and things are going grand. However, allow me though to go not one but two weeks back to Martinez where Shawna and I visited the home of John Muir.Long story short, John Muir was a real cool guy. He kind of co-founded the national parks system with Teddy Roosevelt and spent his golden years in Martinez, CA on a fruit orchard. The house is three stories and gorgeous and all the furniture in side is from the era. Martinez is nuts about John Muir and we were very glad that we were able to visit. (That's me in his chair!)
Last week in Gilroy we had a very challenging and very rewarding week. It was the first time the school had us and the students had no idea what they were in for. After four days of very hard work they had three great shows on Friday that were great and chaotic. A huge thank you to the Henry family for their hospitality and Principal Otterson for all there help and hospitality that made our week great!
This week I may see some winter as I have gone from 75 and sunny to mid 30's and breezy. Snow is in the forecast...
The Adeventure Continues - ML
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Daring Dining ~ Split Pea Andersen's
Gilroy, CA
Hello Friends!
After a whirlwind and internet-less week in Martinez California I find you, oh blogger following friends here in Gilroy, CA, not too far from San Jose. They say Gilroy is the garlic capital of the world and I am sure I will have a tale or two about that later. For now, let us catch up on a quick bits from last week. First a little slice of Loehrke family history - Pea Soup Andersen's.
Come back with me friends. The Loehrke's were living in San Diego and it was time for us to move north to start a new chapter in Seattle thanks to the Coast Guard (though it almost Alaska - can you imagine!). It was the early 90's and we were making an unknown trek north on I-5 to the Emerald City. Our first night stop was a quick on/off ramp not too far from San Fransisco. At this exit was a tourist restaurant that my Mother assured was well worth the stop and would be one of the highlights of the trip. A place known for its famous Pea Soup.
The thing is, at the time, I can't think of anyone in our family at the time that actually enjoyed peas. From here the memory gets a little blurry. I remember hating the food and all of us being very cranky after being in the car for 10 hours and then we stayed at a scummy Motel 6 across the interstate (I saw that too).
Needless to say it is a memory that has lived with us for eons and we always get a chuckle when the mention of Pea Soup Andersen's comes up.
Well two weeks ago when we drove from Shafter to Gilroy no sooner had we got on the interstate then I saw a sign saying Pea Soup Andersen's was only 100 miles away. Oh yes, we were stopping.
Thankfully Shawna was up for some tourist fun and the food was much better then I remembered (it helps that my pallet has vastly grown since we were last there). The pea soup wasn't bad. It's really a vehicle for cheese and bacon and the like. Served in a sourdough bread bowl you really can't go wrong.
The whole establishment has a nice Bavarian slash Hispanic feel with an American Diner service that you expect from a stop off right off the interstate. Not only can you find a wide range of sandwiches and soups but there is a bevy of baked goods and cheese dips you can buy in the gift shop. Its good American (sort of) stuff, and definitely worth a stop should you cross its path on I-5!
The Adventure Continues - ML
Hello Friends!
After a whirlwind and internet-less week in Martinez California I find you, oh blogger following friends here in Gilroy, CA, not too far from San Jose. They say Gilroy is the garlic capital of the world and I am sure I will have a tale or two about that later. For now, let us catch up on a quick bits from last week. First a little slice of Loehrke family history - Pea Soup Andersen's.Come back with me friends. The Loehrke's were living in San Diego and it was time for us to move north to start a new chapter in Seattle thanks to the Coast Guard (though it almost Alaska - can you imagine!). It was the early 90's and we were making an unknown trek north on I-5 to the Emerald City. Our first night stop was a quick on/off ramp not too far from San Fransisco. At this exit was a tourist restaurant that my Mother assured was well worth the stop and would be one of the highlights of the trip. A place known for its famous Pea Soup.
The thing is, at the time, I can't think of anyone in our family at the time that actually enjoyed peas. From here the memory gets a little blurry. I remember hating the food and all of us being very cranky after being in the car for 10 hours and then we stayed at a scummy Motel 6 across the interstate (I saw that too).Needless to say it is a memory that has lived with us for eons and we always get a chuckle when the mention of Pea Soup Andersen's comes up.
Well two weeks ago when we drove from Shafter to Gilroy no sooner had we got on the interstate then I saw a sign saying Pea Soup Andersen's was only 100 miles away. Oh yes, we were stopping.
Thankfully Shawna was up for some tourist fun and the food was much better then I remembered (it helps that my pallet has vastly grown since we were last there). The pea soup wasn't bad. It's really a vehicle for cheese and bacon and the like. Served in a sourdough bread bowl you really can't go wrong. The whole establishment has a nice Bavarian slash Hispanic feel with an American Diner service that you expect from a stop off right off the interstate. Not only can you find a wide range of sandwiches and soups but there is a bevy of baked goods and cheese dips you can buy in the gift shop. Its good American (sort of) stuff, and definitely worth a stop should you cross its path on I-5!
The Adventure Continues - ML
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Safe in Martinez
Martinez, CA
Hello Friends,
Real quick I am doing grand in Martinez but have no internet at home. I won't really be able to update this week (at a Starbucks now). Just know things are going very well and I will have many a story to share. Till then.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Hello Friends,
Real quick I am doing grand in Martinez but have no internet at home. I won't really be able to update this week (at a Starbucks now). Just know things are going very well and I will have many a story to share. Till then.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Daring Dining ~ The Red Wagon Cafe
Shafter, CA
Hello Friends,
Ah the first Daring Dining of 2011! While I have had many wonderful foods in Califonia (mainly mexician) none of them have really been Daring Dining quality, until now. This morning I was terated to a little blast from the past at the Red Wagon Cafe.
Back when we visited my Uncle John and Aunt Michele in upstate New York we were always treated to a tasty breakfast at a little place called Bennie and Millies. I remember the food being wonderful and what I really remember the most was the fact that we were eating in a Caboose! The same can be said for the Red Wagon Cafe.
It is an old rail car turned cafe that serves up heaps of home style cooking with lots of country hospitality. We (the men of my home stay family and I) arrived at 9:15 and there was no one there. The chef and waitress (mother and daughter) were sitting drinking coffee while there bus person slowly wrapped silverware. Being that I entered with regulars I was the odd man out meaning they actually had to take my order while the usual hot chocolate and coffee was doled out without question. Within five minutes there was not an empty seat in the car.
The menu was bare bones and typical greasy breakfast/lunch fare. I went with a ham and cheese omelet and was not disappointed. The ham was grilled before being put into the omelet giving it a little crisp to it. It was wonderful and heavy, I didn't not finish it at all.
Below is a video I found on YouTube. It gives you good feel for the inside, however when I was there the clinetal wasn't nearly that decrepit. Maybe the regulars don't come out on the weekend.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Hello Friends,
Ah the first Daring Dining of 2011! While I have had many wonderful foods in Califonia (mainly mexician) none of them have really been Daring Dining quality, until now. This morning I was terated to a little blast from the past at the Red Wagon Cafe.
Back when we visited my Uncle John and Aunt Michele in upstate New York we were always treated to a tasty breakfast at a little place called Bennie and Millies. I remember the food being wonderful and what I really remember the most was the fact that we were eating in a Caboose! The same can be said for the Red Wagon Cafe.It is an old rail car turned cafe that serves up heaps of home style cooking with lots of country hospitality. We (the men of my home stay family and I) arrived at 9:15 and there was no one there. The chef and waitress (mother and daughter) were sitting drinking coffee while there bus person slowly wrapped silverware. Being that I entered with regulars I was the odd man out meaning they actually had to take my order while the usual hot chocolate and coffee was doled out without question. Within five minutes there was not an empty seat in the car.
The menu was bare bones and typical greasy breakfast/lunch fare. I went with a ham and cheese omelet and was not disappointed. The ham was grilled before being put into the omelet giving it a little crisp to it. It was wonderful and heavy, I didn't not finish it at all.Below is a video I found on YouTube. It gives you good feel for the inside, however when I was there the clinetal wasn't nearly that decrepit. Maybe the regulars don't come out on the weekend.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Water Water Everywhere
Shafter, CA
Hello Friends,
So part of our job includes conducting workshops in the schools in addition to presenting the show. These range from Makeup to Improv and cover grades K-12. Usually the attendance is limited to 30-60 kids. Except for one workshop, our assembly workshop which hs many kids as possible can attend.
In the past the assembly has dealt with theatre and storytelling. However in the past two years MCT has partner up with the US Forest Service to create assemblies to get kids outside and respecting nature. It's a nice win/win situation for MCT and the Forestry service. This years assembly theme is water conservation, the title of the assembly being the title of this post. But wait - there is a website for the assembly as well. You can watch a couple of clips from the assembly to get a taste of it!
We each play many characters on our quest to find who is leaving large webbed footprints around areas of water. Yours truly plays Sherlock Houses the greatest of all living detectives (let me tell you, my British is AMAZING!). Shawna and I each play dogs, she Spot and I Fluffy (hence the pictures). The kids love these guys the most as they are the goofiest characters of them all.
We have had the assembly since September and somehow have not presented it until this week. We did a lot of cramming and practicing and yesterday it went really well. We had a nice audience of about 150 K-5. We will probably do the assembly about 3 more times this year and that is not a bad thing. Just another day on the road for me.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Hello Friends,
So part of our job includes conducting workshops in the schools in addition to presenting the show. These range from Makeup to Improv and cover grades K-12. Usually the attendance is limited to 30-60 kids. Except for one workshop, our assembly workshop which hs many kids as possible can attend.
In the past the assembly has dealt with theatre and storytelling. However in the past two years MCT has partner up with the US Forest Service to create assemblies to get kids outside and respecting nature. It's a nice win/win situation for MCT and the Forestry service. This years assembly theme is water conservation, the title of the assembly being the title of this post. But wait - there is a website for the assembly as well. You can watch a couple of clips from the assembly to get a taste of it!We each play many characters on our quest to find who is leaving large webbed footprints around areas of water. Yours truly plays Sherlock Houses the greatest of all living detectives (let me tell you, my British is AMAZING!). Shawna and I each play dogs, she Spot and I Fluffy (hence the pictures). The kids love these guys the most as they are the goofiest characters of them all.
We have had the assembly since September and somehow have not presented it until this week. We did a lot of cramming and practicing and yesterday it went really well. We had a nice audience of about 150 K-5. We will probably do the assembly about 3 more times this year and that is not a bad thing. Just another day on the road for me.The Adventure Continues - ML
Monday, January 24, 2011
A Night in Hollywood
Shafter, CA
Hello Friends!
Greetings from very foggy and rural Shafter, CA. Located near Bakersfield we are experiencing some of the thickest fog I have ever seen. In fact school was delayed today for 2 hours because of it. I thought they were complete wusses, but then I drove in it and it was pretty epic.
My time of with friends in La Jolla end on a great note. Mary and I took in the beach and cliffs of La Jolla and we saw dolphins jumping through the surf about 100 feet away as well as stumbling across the only nude beach in San Diego where there was not woman to be found. Of course did I have my camera for any of this? No but then again considering all the old naked men we saw that day I guess that might have been a blessing. That night we took in the San Diego night life one last time with Daquri's in the Gaslamp district.
Saturday afternoon I bid a tearful goodbye to Mary and Nathan whose hospitality has been amazing and I headed up to LA to spend an evening with some TAD's (including Mandi Jung my summer tour partner) and then I could pick up Shawna at LAX Sunday afternoon (BTW I HATE LAX, I almost got an $88 ticket for not following signs that didn't exist...). After seeing Mandi's show we hit Hollywood. And what a night it was.
We started by taking the LA Metro (think subway) to Hollywood. For some reason it didn't click that I was going to THE Hollywood until we left the station and suddenly I was walking on a sidewalk with stars on it (my favorite was Lassie, we didn't stop for a picture cause the street was busy and kind of sketchy). Every store front was a thumping club or bar with lines and I suddenly felt very country mouse.
We made it to our restaurant and enjoyed gourmet burgers by the time we left it was midnight. Our guide and former Tour Actor guided us to a place called Piano Bar. Being a hip north-westerner I assumed it was a piano bar with two dueling grand pianos. No is was a rock bar with a very loud band and wall to wall people. Yup, I was not in the NW... Drinks were had and we were squished around yet a good time was had by all and spirits were high when it closed at 2AM. Time to go home, right? Oh no. Not even close.
Our guide began furiously making texts and Facebooking and it wasn't long before we were invited to a house party in the Hollywood Hills (I am not even sure if that is the right name). I quickly discovered that the real night life in Hollywood begins when the official night life ends. The next thing I knew someone paid for us all to get in a cab and 20 minutes later I am in a strangers amazingly large house where the party is going strong. Thankfully the host was very nice and it was really neat to be at a Hollywood party. At 3:30 it looked as if it t'were time to turn in. Little did I know that an after AFTER party was waiting for us. So we crammed into car and 20 minutes later we were at another amazing house at another random party.
We left this party at 6AM. I couldn't even keep my eyes open this time, so when we pulled away I feel asleep in the car. When I awoke we were at an restaurant to finish off the night with breakfast. Oh my lord, I have never fallen asleep waiting for food. From there we walked home and all slept the sleep of angles.
It... was... crazy. Yet that is the Hollywood life and I can see how it is alluring. To me, I was happy to get a taste of it and I have no need to ever do it again. I am so thankful to Mandi, Brandon, and Emma (all in the pictures) for having me out on the town. It was an Epic night to say the least that I will cherish and never forget.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Hello Friends!
Greetings from very foggy and rural Shafter, CA. Located near Bakersfield we are experiencing some of the thickest fog I have ever seen. In fact school was delayed today for 2 hours because of it. I thought they were complete wusses, but then I drove in it and it was pretty epic.
My time of with friends in La Jolla end on a great note. Mary and I took in the beach and cliffs of La Jolla and we saw dolphins jumping through the surf about 100 feet away as well as stumbling across the only nude beach in San Diego where there was not woman to be found. Of course did I have my camera for any of this? No but then again considering all the old naked men we saw that day I guess that might have been a blessing. That night we took in the San Diego night life one last time with Daquri's in the Gaslamp district. Saturday afternoon I bid a tearful goodbye to Mary and Nathan whose hospitality has been amazing and I headed up to LA to spend an evening with some TAD's (including Mandi Jung my summer tour partner) and then I could pick up Shawna at LAX Sunday afternoon (BTW I HATE LAX, I almost got an $88 ticket for not following signs that didn't exist...). After seeing Mandi's show we hit Hollywood. And what a night it was.
We started by taking the LA Metro (think subway) to Hollywood. For some reason it didn't click that I was going to THE Hollywood until we left the station and suddenly I was walking on a sidewalk with stars on it (my favorite was Lassie, we didn't stop for a picture cause the street was busy and kind of sketchy). Every store front was a thumping club or bar with lines and I suddenly felt very country mouse.We made it to our restaurant and enjoyed gourmet burgers by the time we left it was midnight. Our guide and former Tour Actor guided us to a place called Piano Bar. Being a hip north-westerner I assumed it was a piano bar with two dueling grand pianos. No is was a rock bar with a very loud band and wall to wall people. Yup, I was not in the NW... Drinks were had and we were squished around yet a good time was had by all and spirits were high when it closed at 2AM. Time to go home, right? Oh no. Not even close.
Our guide began furiously making texts and Facebooking and it wasn't long before we were invited to a house party in the Hollywood Hills (I am not even sure if that is the right name). I quickly discovered that the real night life in Hollywood begins when the official night life ends. The next thing I knew someone paid for us all to get in a cab and 20 minutes later I am in a strangers amazingly large house where the party is going strong. Thankfully the host was very nice and it was really neat to be at a Hollywood party. At 3:30 it looked as if it t'were time to turn in. Little did I know that an after AFTER party was waiting for us. So we crammed into car and 20 minutes later we were at another amazing house at another random party.We left this party at 6AM. I couldn't even keep my eyes open this time, so when we pulled away I feel asleep in the car. When I awoke we were at an restaurant to finish off the night with breakfast. Oh my lord, I have never fallen asleep waiting for food. From there we walked home and all slept the sleep of angles.
It... was... crazy. Yet that is the Hollywood life and I can see how it is alluring. To me, I was happy to get a taste of it and I have no need to ever do it again. I am so thankful to Mandi, Brandon, and Emma (all in the pictures) for having me out on the town. It was an Epic night to say the least that I will cherish and never forget.
The Adventure Continues - ML
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