House Concerts #5, #6, #7 and #8 and the Snow-cone police

We pulled into Sin City at about eight and went to our hotel. When we went into the room, the temperature was about 95 degrees. After the manager moved us to one where you could actually breathe, we headed out to see what my dad called the “unnaturally bloated spectacle” of Las Vegas. I felt like I was being hit with a sledgehammer of light and noise. There was a dinner place we ate at, and then wandered around looking at the glitz and the slot machines and the people. I had a strong yearning for a quiet stream in the middle of nowhere.

Thursday morning Laguna Beach was the next stop, and we reached our fans Sydney and John Mack’s house in the afternoon. Sydney was so happy to see us, she almost cried. I have never met someone who loved my music so much. I did my backwards hand's crossed trick on their piano.
For the next 24 hours, we were spoiled with pool soaks and Chinese food and trips to the beach. Dad and I went bodysurfing in 7 foot waves. Here's a picture of me and Sydney and one of Sydney and John.




Friday there was a concert hosted by Phil and Donna at the Church of Religious Science in Fullerton, near L.A. There were a lot of people there and everyone loved it. Sadie gave a brilliant performance and we got everyone to sing “Spread Joy”. Saturday our family was once again ridiculously spoiled with ice cream and TV and large cushy beanbag chairs. Here are Phil and Donna and their wonderful family along with their 2 huge Burmese Mountain dogs Teek and Zoe.


The next day we did a house concert number 6 at Deborah’s house in Upland. The people there enjoyed it and we swam in her wonderful little pool.


That night we stayed at our friends Devon and Jorj’s house. Here's a picture of them: I met their son Jamison, who’s a fantastic composer.
On the way there, we got lost and ended up going 40 miles out of our way. We saw a forest fire right on the side of the road.







The next day we had to get up really early and drive alllll theeee waaaayyy to my dad’s friend Mark Stoltenberg’s house about an hour and a half outside of Yosemite, which we drove through. It was incredible especially for my mom and I who had never been there. I loved seeing the rock faces of El Capitan and Half Dome. After about nine hours of being in the car we finally got to Mark’s house in Twain Harte, California.

They took us to a beautiful little lake where we went swimming on Tuesday. I went to the snack shop and got a snow-cone, and took it to a deck where they had a little sign that said “no sno-cones allowed, but I couldn’t see any possible reason for them not being allowed except that maybe if a sno-cone dripped on the deck it would explode, but I didn’t think that was likely, so I sat down anyway. After about five minutes, this old guy came over, and without saying anything, pointed to my sno-cone like it was a weapon of mass destruction and looked at me and my sno-cone like I was something nasty on his shoe. I would have liked to engage in a philosophical discussion on where and why you can and can’t eat sno-cones, but I wanted to eat the dang sno-cone, so I moved into the sno-cone approved area and ate it. (it was very good.)

There was a concert that night at the local bed and breakfast on (thank god, FINALLY) a really really good Steinway piano. It went fine, and they had particularly good little cheese-and-cracker snacks there.



On Wednesday we drove to Rancho Cordova, California, where we had a gig our friend Bill set up at the Straw Hat Pizza Parlor from 6:30 to 9. Here's a picture of Dad and Bill and one of me and dad doing a duet.
My dad threw what I would call a mini temper tantrum when one person in the audience kept telling him he was playing too loud. He stood up and polled the audience on who thought he was too loud and noone else raised their hand, but he made a big show of turning the piano so it would be softer and saying, “ALL RIGHT NOW, I’m going to do a QUIET LITTLE BOOGIE piece called BEAT ME DADDY EIGHT TO THE BAR. And I’m going to be REALLY REALLY SOFT.” Everyone else protested though, and he went back to playing normally (this is why my dad has stopped doing restaurant gigs.) And now, it’s Thursday, and we’re in the car on our way to Ashland, Oregon, where my dad and I are planning a giant rock-shop shopping spree at a couple of places there. My mom finally discovered the source of the awful smell in our car: a two-week old banana. Everyone’s a wee bit fussy.

Family Vacation!

On the way out of Durango we went and saw Mesa Verde National Park, which was completely incredible. There was a hike to see an ancient cliff dwelling we took. I really can’t say much except that everyone should go see it, because you’ll be blown away. Here's a picture of one of the cliff dwellings:




The stop for that night was Kayenta, Arizona, a small, dusty, windy town where the gourmet eating place was the nearby Sonic Burgers, to my dismay. As we pulled into the hotel, an old Mexican man came up to us and did this story about how he was from Alberta, Canada, and he needed “a thousan’ bucks” for gas to get back. When we said we couldn’t give him any, he asked, “ Well, you have three, brutha? Cmon, three bucks brutha?” After we assured him that we could not, he finally went away. That night we ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, which I can tell you right now will be on the “disapproved” section of my blog restaurant listing. My dad ordered this taco and spent most of the meal searching around with his fork like a miner mining for gold for the beef supposedly in it. (He only found three microscopic pieces.) Noone slept well that night, and we ended up leaving at about eight thirty. There was a drive through this place north of Kayenta called Monument Valley that was supposed to be incredible, so we drove there. There were all these weird rock formations where the ground would be completely flat then sprout up into a giant sculpture. Here's a picture of some of them:



We were on an Indian reservation, and on the way out there was this stand that advertised handmade Navajo jewelry. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to stop, but my mom insisted, and we ended up stopping for about two hours and buying tons of necklaces and bracelets and pottery and sand art for the best prices I’ve ever seen in my life. The people were very friendly and were making the things right in front of us. After we finally left there was another stand about a mile later, and we stopped at THAT one and bought three more things, and then after that there were about five more we stopped at and had the best time on the whole trip. My favorite was one little place where the woman selling her jewelry loved piano music, and gave me a necklace in exchange for one of my CDs. My dad also bartered two of his CDs for two bracelets. Here’s the booty.



After all the stands, we drove into Grand Canyon National Park. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an amazing natural place. I kept feeling like if I reached out , I would rip open a big poster of the view. Here's Sadie in front of the Grand Canyon:



The next morning there was some more stuff to see, and then we started driving to Las Vegas. On the way there was ANOTHER rock shop my dad and I got a big calcite rock at (my mom stayed in the car, I think seeing stuff my dad and I might buy makes her feel ill) On route 66 there was a great little burger place we ate at where the guy running it played all sorts of tricks on us, like squirting fake mustard at my mom, who shrieked loudly. His name was John, here he is:


He got me with that one too. Shortly after there was a place called the Grand Canyon caverns, and my dad and I took a tour. It’s this giant cavern 220 feet below the ground with all sorts of crystals and formations growing. The guy doing the tour turned off the lights and you couldn’t see your hand a half inch in front of your face. And now we’re almost in Las Vegas. We just drove through this little booth near the Hoover Dam where they look at you to make sure you don’t look like a terrorist.(we passed easily).

House Concert #4 Durango CO

On Thursday morning we left my aunt Dulci’s house. Their emormous cat Zeus seemed to think he was coming, too (see picture)



We drove allllll the way to Ouray, Colorado, which took all day. One of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever been on. The first thing we saw upon entering was a big sign for “Ouray Hot Springs”, so we went straight there. The water was awesome and by the time everyone was done soaking, our fingers looked like raisins.

After we left, driving through the town to our motel, my dad and I spotted a rock shop, which made us ecstatic and Mom not so hot on forking over another $50 for shiny objects. The next morning my dad and I paid a visit there and got several rocks, two quartz crystals, a smoky quartz crystal, an amethyst crystal, some peacock copper, and a piece of malachite. (My dad and I are rock nerds)

On the road out of Ouray, we amused ourselves by looking off the steep cliffs the road snaked by and asking the question, “If we went off the road HERE would we all die?” Much too often the answer was positive. There were three high mountain passes at about ten thousand feet to drive over.


Early afternoon was when we arrived in Durango for our radio interview to promote the upcoming concert. There was a twenty minute segment my dad and I did at the radio studio. Even the dog barked her song. Here's a picture of us at the radio station.








When we were done we visited some friends, Jenny and Greg and their son Tyller, outside of Durango near New Mexico. Their dogs loved Sadie (the feeling was not returned by the other party). Here's one of their dogs - Cowboy
I went swimming practically in their backyard, which was in New Mexico.


FInally, we had to leave and go to Todd and Bonnie’s (the people who were hosting our concert in Durango). They lived on an amazing 70 acre property with no neighbors to be seen. Here is a picture of their ranch right as we drove up:
I loved meeting their pets (Australian Shepherd Amber, rather rotund cat Brandy, finger-hating birds Guava and Peaches, and assorted fish). Here's a shot of me practicing with peaches and guava on my shoulders - they both LOVE music!






The next day was filled with practicing in the Durango Arts Center on the piano we were going to play the next day, shopping, and chilling. The concert the day after (at 4:00) went wonderfully. Everyone enjoyed it and we sold lots of CD’s. I loved it when one elderly woman came up to me and said, “Well..… that….. was just… SO NEAT!!! I sold quite a few of my CD’s.

After the concert, Todd and Bonnie took us out to dinner at a place called Seasons, which I am sure is the best restaurant in Durango. We had things like calamari, baby back pork ribs, Colorado lamb, veal scallopini, and tiramisu. I’m making a list of “blog-approved” restaurants to be released when the trip is over and this will be at the top of the list. The next morning, after Dad told me rather feebly the night before that we REALLY should leave at about 7 to make an early start, we left at noon (big surprise.) Here's a picture of our wonderful hosts Todd and Bonnie:



Statistics

Miles driven: 3190.9

National parks visited: 2

Number of dogs interested in Sadie: 4

Number of dogs Sadie was interested in: 0

House Concerts #2 and #3

On Thursday we drove to Rapid City. Nothing too exciting to report
here. Montana: "Oh, look at that beautuful unspoiled mountain! Ooo,
ANOTHER one! And ANOTHER!" Wyoming: "Oh look, we're in green hills
now, thank goodness. If i see another darn beautiful unspoiled
mountain I'm going to be sick. Wow, look at them! They're green, and
hilly, and they... go... on....... forever........and ever.... " When
we got into Rapid City, Sadie started shaking like she does when she
hears thunder or fireworks, only there were none. One possible reason
is that she knew we were going to my aunt's house, where she prefers
to keep dogs in the kitchen or garage, otherwise known to Sadie as
"Doggie Jail."

The next day, we had a concert at our fan Bonnie Hilt's
house.


It went very well, considering they had a chocolate fountain
and about ten kinds of gourmet desserts. Just kidding, the concert was
great. But that chocolate fountain..... I'm just glad we don't own one
or I would probably resemble a giant beach ball.

The next day was a
big party for my Grandpa Leo, who was turning seventy, although he
says he only feels like it's fifty, and he acts more like he's seven.
We went to a lake and rented a big pontoon and brought my aunt's jet
skis, and had a good time.

Here's a couple pictures of Grandpa Leo. One on his motorcycle and one wearing his cowboy boots with his red swim trunks. You get the idea. All three of my aunts were there and a
bunch of my cousins. I learned how to drive a jet ski (rather
violently, according to my cousin).

I was having such a great time
that I stayed out for about and hour and a half once and made my mom
think I was lost. The next day all the adults went to a casino, while
my cousins and I went to a fun place where there was mini golf and go
carts and bumper boats and arcade games and all that fun stuff. I
think I was the cause of about three go cart pile-ups due to my
aggressive driving. That night I did a little mini concert for two of
my aunts and some cousins at my aunt JoVayne's house. Monday, we drove
to Denver. On the way, we stopped at a rock shop we've visited before.
My dad and I got a bunch of rocks, with some resistance from my mom,
who is not a rock person, who kept asking annoying questions like,
"Don't you HAVE one of those already? (Not the point. The point is to
collect as many rocks as you can) After passing the many signs between
Rapid City and Mount Rushmore that say things like,

Reptile Gardens! Get close, but not TOO close!
Black Light Mini Golf!
Rushmore Cave: The Beautiful One!!
Crystal Cave: The Amazing One!
Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns!
Outdoor Wildlife Park!
Presidential Alpine Slide! (what the heck?) (has pictures of
presidents sliding down giant slide with exaggerated expressions of
wild glee on their faces)

we finally got pulled in by,

See It! Feel It! SURVIVE IT!!!!!!!!! The Cosmos!

So, while my mom took a nap in the car, my dad and I went to go see
"The Cosmos", whatever the heck it was. It turned out to be a tour of
this place in the Black Hills where gravity has gone wacky.
It isn't
some fake thing with magnets, it is completely real. There is a house
where you can stand off the wall. When you throw a tennis ball
straight up, it looks like an invisible force pulls it to one side. It
was really cool, and I highly recommend it to anyone in that area.
When we finally got to Denver, it was almost eleven.

Last night, we did a house concert at my mom's old high school friend, Denise, and
her husband Ed's house. Here's a picture of them and their two boys. Afterwards we set off a TON of fireworks just
for fun. Well, fun for everyone except Sadie, who cowered behind the
couch. Their sons also taught me how to play croquet (I stink). We had
a good time.

Here's one last picture of three generations: Mom, Grandpa Leo and me

House Concert #1, Bozeman, MT

Well, here I am again! I told you guys I would be back!

We’re on the fourth day of our western states tour. Lemme fill you in on what has happened so far.

Monday morning, we left from our house at approximately 11:45 AM
(this is quite funny because the night before, my dad said, “Well guys, I think we should leave at about 7, or at the latest 7:30, that way we can be in Spokane at noon and get to Montana by 7.”)

I made a derisive snorting noise and said, “yeah, RIGHT.”, while thinking, “The only reason my dad and I get up at 7 is to go pee in the middle of the night.”

Only 4 hours 45 minutes late. Not bad. We spent the 10 hour drive to Bozeman, Montana mostly by driving each other batty. It is my opinion, that, if my dad can eat a potato chip loud enough to be heard by someone in the back seat listening to Shostakovich symphonies on an iPod at FULL VOLUME, making me want to grab the chip bag, crush it into a little ball the size of a pea, and throw it violently out the window, then his mouth should be outlawed. Mom thought the most hilarious thing ever to do was to wait for those “how many miles to such-and-such town” signs came by, and if they had Butte, Montana, yell loudly, “NINETY EIGHT MILES TO
BUTT, MONTANA!!!!!!!!!!!! HAR DEE HARR HAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does anyone ELSE’s mom do that??? Noooo, don’t think so. My car entertainment ran out very fast and soon the most exciting thing to do was to pop the top on and off of a Burt’s Beeswax Lip Balm tube and glower out at the signs that told me I had a good few hours left in the car.
Oh, I have a quick suggestion. If you ever go by Missoula, and you stop for a food break, and you see a restaurant called Finnigan’s, and you want to eat there, DON’T. Their food STINKS.
And now back to our show. We reached our friends Bob and Vivian Schaap’s house at about 11:00 and crashed.
The next day was Fourth of July (yay!) which is the awesomest holiday ever. I would like to meet the genius who thought up the concept that exploding things is patriotic. I got a big bag of fireworks and set them all off with Sage, Bob and Vivian’s adorable grandson, who is six. I love those warnings on the firework packages that say things like,

WARNING

DANGEROUS

ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED

LIGHT FUSE AND GET AWAY(that’s my personal fave)

Those firecracker things that are illegal in Seattle and have the really short fuses are so fun. I was more adept at using the lighter to light fuses than my dad, who burned his thumb, though luckily not where he plays piano.
Today, we did a house concert at Bob and Viv’s on the keyboard. The funniest thing happened while I was playing one of my pieces. I had just done this big glissando going up the keyboard (a glissando is where you put a finger down and drag) and I had a leetle too much weight going to my right. The piece-of-crap keyboard bench didn’t like this and leaned over and I nearly fell off. My mom got it on video. Everyone, including me, cracked up. I kept the piece going though!

Sage and I in the River at Bob and Vivians house

PIANO FUN IN BOZEMAN

HAPPY 4th of July!!

Elizabeth will be starting our blog soon. In the meantime, we had some piano fun in Bozeman.

Copy and paste the address below in your browser to see an impromptu performance by Mike and Elizabeth!

http://web.mac.com/krististrickland/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html



Thanks to Jessica Gates of Leg Up Productions (Equine & Event Videography in Kennewick WA) for letting me download this footage of their performance from her camera. She was there as a tourist and I had left my video camera in the car. When I saw that she was video-taping their performance I asked if I could get the footage. We met at her hotel and I downloaded it the same day into my computer. I LOVE the technology these days!!



Kristi