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.

Live Oak Music Festival

Tom and I have begun packing for our annual working vacation at the Live Oak Music Festival.  I am working on production as part of the Stage Management Crew as Backline Coordinator.  Tom will have the great opportunity of doing VIP Security again this year.  He gets to sit in the front row for every performance and make sure that no one stands up, blocking the view of the sitting population behind them.

We leave on Tuesday afternoon, hopefully arriving by dinner time to share a pot luck with our fellow crew members and other volunteers.  The work begins for me on Wednesday as we prepare the stage, set up the Main Mix and sound system and then inventory and test the backline.

Our campsite and crew are fortunate to be the home of the Featured Artist, Melody Fisher.  She designed the above artwork and will be on every shirt and item sold throughout the weekend at the Mercantile.  She is a great friend to many of us and we are so happy for her to have this honor.

I'll be sure to post some pix when I return next week.  The festival starts on Friday at 2 PM and goes until Sunday night at 10 PM.  We strike that night and then have a communal dinner with all of the volunteers.

It is a great week filled with lots of work but also a lot of play.  Some people have been doing this for over 23 years.  I am pleased that I have been able to participate for the past three.  Our campsite comes alive at 11:00 PM, much to the displeasure of neighboring peeps, but when you work all day and night, nothing beats a martini or two (or three?).

Barney the Bear in Ptown and Beyond

"Barney" the Bear

So there has been a lot of talk about a black bear being in Provincetown.  My Facebook page has been exploding with pictures, news stories, eyewitness accounts, and the sharing of the posted picture.  BTW, the photo has been photoshopped for all of you who have never climbed or seen the Pilgrim Monument.  "Barney" as he is being called would be making national news if he was that big.  If you want to follow the status of this Cape Cod Bear, click here:  Cape Cod Bear on Facebook

I no longer live in the tiny fishing village, but have been amused no less.  I live in Los Osos (spanish for The Bears) and we have not had a sighting here for quite a long time.  I am fortunate to live here and see a bear every time I arrive or exit the area as there are two statues of a bear at the entry to this unincorporated seaside town.  We also have many murals and statues around the area showcasing the namesake.  My favorite are the two that are decorated depending on the holiday or happening in the local area; Graduation Caps currently, Flags for the 4th, Bonnets for Mothers Day, etc.

I stopped at one of these a few years back and tried to take a picture of Luther and the Bear.  Sun wasn't right, camera was off and I was afraid of the constant flow of traffic as it was near 5:00 PM and there was a steady stream of commuters.  I never used the picture, but thought that it may be appropriate while Barney is in the news.

Luther and the Los Osos Bear

Luther and the Los Osos Bear (2)

Luther and the Los Osos Bear (3)

As we plan our trip to Alaska and Canada this Summer, we are to be on the lookout for bears.  We saw a number of them last year, crossing the highway.  One set was a Mama Bear with her cubs.  Too cute! There was another town we stopped in that celebrated bears, Revelstoke, BC Canada.  They too had many statues.  Two of them where at the entrance of the downtown area.

Revelstoke, BC Plaque

Revelstoke Grizzly and Cub with Tom

Revelstoke Grizzly

I have learned that Black Bears may be brown and Grizzly Bears may be black.  Grizzly (or brown bears) have a snout while Black Bears have a more roman nose.  Both are usually more afraid of you than you are of them.  Word to the wise...If you see one, don't approach.  If, by a long shot, they charge, pretend you are dead and curl up in a ball.  They like living prey, especially in the summer months were food is plenty.  If by chance you see a Polar Bear in winter, good luck!  He's Hungry!

Two Dudes, Two Dogs, Alaska!

View Two Dudes. Two Dogs. Alaska! in a larger map


Here is the proposed route for our summer vacation to Alaska.  I always try to develop a theme foe our Road Trips across the states.  This one, currently, is the State Capitals.


The Itinerary:


Sacramento, CA
Carson City, NV
Boise, ID
Helena, MT
Edmonton, AL, Canada
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Juneau, AK
Victoria, BC, Canada
Olympia, WA
Salem, OR


Hitting Alaska will make 49 states for us.  There is a lingering question about North Dakota as to whether we went there or not.  So definitely it will make 48.  All of these states where visited while driving with dogs.  First Amos, then Luther  and finally with Luther & BuddyJack.


Next year, Hawaii, but unless we sneak the dogs in some luggage or take a kayak across the Pacific (honest suggested driving route from Google) there will be no pix of the dogs at Pearl Harbor.


We depart on July 21 and will return August 15.


Come for the ride with us, Two Dudes & Two Dogs heading to Alaska!