Rock 'n' Roll is All Around Us!

Sooooo... there's this big stadium show coming to the Bay Area, U2. Have ya heard about it? I guess everybody has because there are few if any tickets left. The show is on Tuesday, June 7, but our work onsite will begin this Thursday. I'm very excited about it and only a little apprehensive. My guy is concerned about me being busy for 8 days and I know I'll miss him and my family and my cats too. PLUS I will miss a great Winery show with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, two of my favorites. But I'm excited to spend time with so many friends and such a fantastic crew and hey kids, we're puttin' on a great big rock show!

 Over the past few weeks we've had a lot going on here! Prince was back for a couple of shows in San Jose and I got to have a groovy time with my fabulous gang of friends crew. Lea, Raven, Lisa, Mike, Zach, Bob - what an amazing group! We really kicked butt and Sherry was very complimentary and appreciative to everyone. The shows were leapfrogged with the Sharks playoff games, which meant ice on the floor and chilly temps indoors. At one point I loaned Sherry my Giants Snuggie and got a great picture of her as a souvenir.



Sherry in the Snuggie



Surreal Moments in Rock 'n' Roll:

1. I ran into Dave Chappell backstage Thursday night.

2. Even better: Prince out riding bikes around the Arena neighborhood, first with his security guy, Kerwin, then with Sheila E. I may be able to get a copy of a picture a friend snapped...

Glee was in town for just their second stop on their first tour. The crew had a wonderful time and couldn't stop raving about the tour folks. Dave, Tony, Lea & Raven all agreed it was one of those shows that reminds you why you liked the job in the first place. The catering gang enjoyed a special day too - Charlene, Megan, Trevor, Kathleen, Zach & Larry kept the food coming and the dishes clean for the whole crew. Carin had the biggest challenge keeping up with the shopping list, but fortunately she's up to it. She's fast and fabulous at her job!

Our office is going through the latest round of reorganization so Lea and I spent Thursday helping to get our department relocated. I wasn't so sure about my new spot. I thought I wouldn't like moving away from my big window. As it turns out I love my new space even more than my old one. It's cozy and I felt comfortable from the very first moment. My plants seem to be settling in comfortably so far, and all my tiki goodies have found their new places.

Yep, that's Steve and me in a photo booth down at the Boardwalk. I love photo booth pictures, don't you?

The clock on my cubicle wall is the one I had in the office at Furthur Festival over Memorial Day weekend last year. It's a recycled LP pressed to make a clock face. Lea painted the numbers in and I found the parrot record label on the internet. It's hard to believe that week in Frogtown was a year ago. We had a glorious time with all our festie friends and you bet I'd love to do it again, even with the thunderstorms and the wet tent. It was one of the most fun gigs ever!

The picture on my laptop screen is Lea & me at a Jimmy Buffett show at Shoreline, more good times!

My Kiwi friends Murray and Christy were here for just a quick visit on their way to the Caribbean. It was so wonderful to see them! We had a night out at JJ's Blues, a super groovy little club in my neighborhood where we heard the Liar's Club blues band with Steve and Tim. Everything's better live! With all the big shows I get to see, the little ones are still just as much fun and even more. Of course going out just for fun with friends is a big plus!



Christe, Murray & Tim at JJ's



Christie



So Ricky Martin, Rammstein, Prince, Glee and the Moody Blues have all come and gone. The Winery is all loaded in and the first show was a big success. Usher will be just a memory in a 36 hours. I'm happy in my new cubicle and Joe's feeling pretty comfy in his new gig and I feel a great summer coming on!  Lisa graduated from West Valley yesterday with her Mom and cousin Trevor in attendance and Gabe showed me all the pictures. It's all U2 from here! Bring it on!





Opening Day at the Wine-Ree! The Moody Blues May 27, 2011

Photo by Craig Miller

Welcome home everybody! The clouds burned off, the sun shone and the temp got into the low 70s. The band showed up, catering is delicious as always, and the summer family is starting to settle in. Craig already relocated the first little snake of 2011. Snakes are part of the charm of our place, and we always get excited when we find one. They are always treated with respect and kindness. Our steward Craig Miller is the official snake handler of the Mountain Winery.





Men at Work: Mark Hogue, Joe Battle, Ron Bergman & Peter Donovan





It was great to work with the Moody Blues crew . The drivers were all in a sunny disposition even after the drive up the hill, and I had a good time taking them all to town for the afternoon. Jeff gave me a copy of his cd, yes, in rock ‘n’ roll even truck drivers make records, and there were a couple of pretty good songs on it too. Tony & I worked for Karen “KC” Colvin, who was kind enough to give us a signed picture of the band for Dolores, our awesome “Dry Cleaner to the Stars”. Dolores’ shop, Riverside Cleaners is becoming a gallery of photos of just a few of the rock stars whose wardrobe she cleans for us every week. And she is just about the sweetest lady you could ever hope to meet!



"Dad" looks over Joe's shoulder as he runs his first show at the Mountain Winery



Michael  works one more gig at the Wine-Ree

We were lucky to squeeze one more work day out of everybody's kid brother, Michael Roberts. We're so glad to get to see him before his deployment overseas. He went out to Shoreline for a few hours to see everyone there too. Came back with a little sunburn from hanging on the hospitality deck. Stay safe Michael, we love you!

As it is every year, the Mountain Winery was THE place to be. Ron even left his computer at the office and spent some time relaxing in the sun, watching other guys work! By showtime Lee & Jenn had arrived and Jodi and Michelle were here too. The owners came down, Dean Markley came up. The house was full. I didn’t see an empty seat.. The Moody Blues sounded as great as ever, playing music that took me back to high school. Nights in White Satin was the theme to practically every prom of the '70s, Mark Hogue says even the '80's!



Mark had a Bill Graham moment



Slightly Surreal Moment in Rock ‘n’ Roll: I got a facebook message from a friend with the Doobies to say hello to everyone in the Moodys, and they were happy to say hello back. Mark said, "I love that band!"

The Wine-ree?

I know you're wondering, so why do I say the Wine-Ree? It's because of Dr. John, the Night Tripper, Mac Rebennack. Somewhere in my memorabilia is a copy of his hand written set list and that's what he called our place, the "Wine-Ree". I LOVE Dr. John! Not only is his music straight from heaven, ok, of course by way of "N'Awlinz", but he is just the sweetest guy ever. He made me feel so comfortable and just as happy as you are when your favorite uncle comes to visit. He wouldn't let me drop him off without a hug and kiss good bye. He even drew a little picture in my book.

I'll never forget getting a phone call when somebody thought he'd had heard that Dr. John had died (remember Doug?). Turned out to have been a deejay called Dr. Don. I was sorry for Dr. Don's family, friends and fans, but so relieved! I just wasn't ready to lose Dr. John just yet. AND he's coming back to us this September 27, 2011, along with the Lower 911, Little Feat and the Blind Boys of Alabama. What a show it will be! I can't hardly wait!


So in honor of Dr. John, and one or two Surreal Moments in Rock 'n' Roll, I've decided to call this blog "My Summer at the Wine-Ree", even though I can't resist mentioning the other places I will spend this "Summer Vacation" and the moments I will be having. Later I'll tell a little bit about our San Jose visit from His Royal Purpleness...

RAINY DAY LOAD IN

May 16, 2011 Happy New Year!




Our Lady of Out With the Bad Juju, In With the Good

Today is the first day of my 10th season at the Historic Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California. I am planning on absolutely the grooviest season here ever!

 The Winery is the former Paul Masson Winery, built originally as Mr. Masson's summer home. It's the sweetest little venue ever, with the greatest schedule and most importantly, my other family!



John Faldetta



The Valley from our "backyard"



Kindra, Jeff, John, Craig




Ray, Bill, Mark



It's gonna be a great season!