First stop...OAKLAND, CA!

....I'll get to the story behind this mysterious photo in a minute!

When we left our adventurers, they were on thier way to Oakland CA to play with the intrepid Pink Martini at the renowned Paramount Theatre in Oakland CA. (Its a lot like the Schnitzer in Portland) We arrived without a scratch, and with slightly more sea worthy legs. Navigating the galley of this bus is a lot like being on a ship at sea, I don't quite have my sea legs yet, but they are coming! We haven't had any casualties of tight turns yet, except for some carrot juice & some water. With the help of incense constantly burning in the bathroom & a good cleaning now & then, the bus is quite the lap of luxury!

When we got to the Paramount, it was the classic rock star hurry up & wait scenario. We all had a fair amount of butterflies I think, to play for a sold out crowd at such a huge venue for our first gig of the tour. But we showed up, rehearsed with Pink for 30 min or so, did our sound check, came out, Rocked our 25 min set before Pink played, and then played two songs with them on stage for thier encore, "Dosvedanya" & "Brazil". (In between there was a whole lotta waiting around staring at each other.) All went swimmingly, and we were treated at the Paramount like stars. They had showers backstage, lots of food, sandwiches, pizza, and after the show, most importantly: BEER!!!

It's funny to hang out with Pink. They are touring in two tour busses, a trailer & rental vans for 17 people. We have 24 people at this leg of the tour, and all we gots is our trusty Bus! Maybe some day, but for now, we are loving it! This truly is my family, and we are having a blast together. We had a blast playing with Pink once again, they are ever so gracious, professional & sweet. They came over & partied on the bus with us after the show. Can't wait to play the BOWL with them tomorrow!

NOW, about that photo....

Well, next day we slept in because we were up from 4:30 am Tuesday to 2 am Weds. WHEW! So, a much needed good nights sleep was in order. We stayed at the Gamelon X Warehouse in Oakland, and we ran into our good friend Rab whose apartment is just right behind the warehouse. He put us up and we were able to get a solid night sleep in. In the morning we called up our friends David & Sara & they picked us up in thier Citroen they have rehabbed. IT is sooooo cute! We went & I bought a new camera (drat it, I lost mine somewhere in the craziness of leaving portland), and then we went off to dinner at a homey Italian restaurant near Berkeley for Chris Lejeune's (my brother in law) Birthday!

Erene (my sister) had blindfolded him a half an hour before & wouldn't let anyone talk. SO, he arrived at the restaurant with no idea what was in store for him. He told me later he was afraid he would wind up on the stage with M4th & have to strip tease or breakdance to be set free! Lucky for him, all he had to do is sit at the table in silence while everyone showed up, be given lots of presents, and fed a fabulously fresh & delicious Italian meal. Oh, a few of us did nibble on his ear and he tried to grab us, but to no avail.

After the dinner, we went to the show at the Lobot Gallery where our gracious hosts, Gamelon X, the LLoyd Family Players (Samba) & Brass Liberation Orchestra were also playing. There was a whole lot of drums, horns & boogying. I won't digress into the details of debaucery & delinquency that followed the show, but lets just say Erene's car now has smashed apple all over the rear window, Patrick has a footprint on his stomach, and M4 didn't leave Oakland for LA until 3 pm the next day.

HERE we are at a rest area getting gas, emptying the potty, getting more water, and stretching our legs....LA LA LA LA....we're coming for you NEXT!!!