Live Oak, 2012

It's Thursday night and I finally feel back in the swing of things.  We returned from Live Oak Campground on Monday afternoon and I slept.  And I slept.  And I slept.  Then worked a few days, waking up at 5:00 AM for an extremely boring conference at the PAC.  It lasted for three days, ending today.  Tom and I just got back from tending to the GALA booth at Farmers Market and now I am ready to post.

Most of these pictures are about our camp with the theme of Balls II.  It is the production camp.  We pretty much work every day from Tuesday on from 8 AM to 10 PM.  We end the night either going to sleep or hosting other campers to Martinis or any other libations.  We can get noisy at times, and thus Melody, for the second year, made t-shirts with the tag line, "Noise at 11."

The noise from our campsite has become infamous and so we tend not to have too many neighbors that don't already know.  Ear plugs are a necessity if you want to sleep.  We were pretty tame tis year, though.  Only on Sunday night after the music had ended did we stay up late enough to begin to hear the birds chirping.  Needless to say, packing on Monday morning was no great pleasure.

Tom & Ron hanging balls at camp.  Ron is the one falling over.  No martinis had been tasted yet.

Mary Ellen, Joan & Melody

Melody's phallic mushroom

A blank stage and preparing the woodchips for the seating area

Planning the logistics

Some of our construction crew and supplies

Lights!

Sound!

Main Mix!

Tom blowing ball at camp

An empty corral which will soon be filled with RVs

Our lighting crew with chick, Oliver & Bad Zac

More lighting crew

Nearing completion

My office

Ron, checking the sound cables

Danny on monitors, checking the Main Mix

Tom checking things out

Who needs power?

Brent from PAC West checking on monitors

Mel & I

Checking the backline with a jam session

Laying out the Main Drag

Back Stage Ambiance!

Ambiance theme of Alice in Wonderland

Artist holding rooms

Outdoor Ambiance

Our dining area, Through the Looking Glass

Jamming on an open stage

This way please!

On your mark, get set, go!

We open the show with bagpipes

Welcome to Live Oak!

Melody, the Featured Artist waits for her fans at the Mercantile

Melody signing Lisa's shirt designed by Melody

SMR

Lights in the trees

Ambiance at night

Caterpillar and the Hookah

Joe Craven's, emcee, tent

My favorite act, Carolyn Wonderland

My office filled with backline

Melody backstage

Natasha, artist greeter

Joe Craven

Melody's original artwork for Live Oak 2012

Mic check with Nate

Cecile standing by

VIP Security Alex

Mike O, sound engineer, checking on the stage

The featured artist being introduced

And the winner of the original artwork...Not Me

Tumba?  Conga?

Closing act of Indigo Girls.  Lots to say but their rider forbids me.

A very happy crowd

Main Mix at night

Stage Too, Complete!

Stars at night?  No!  Lights by Zak in the Oaks.  Thank you!

5:15 AM picture from Tom on Monday morning.
Live Oak complete!

There are many other sites to look at if you want to see the acts that performed or some of the other campsites that partake in Live Oak, but I mostly lived in the two areas of the Main Stage and our campsite, less a few whoop whoops around the campground.

It was a great, tiring week.  It was even greater to come home to Luther & BJ on the flip side.  One month to go before the four of us head to Alaska.  Live Oak, a good trial run.