Shooter plays Antones

7 o clock on Friday night we were wondering what to do with ourselves, and music was on the mind. I remembered that a friend of a friend had some music connections in Austin. After multiple emails back and forth we learned that late country outlaw Waylon Jennings only son, Shooter Jennings was making an appearance at the legendary Antone's on 5th st in downtown Austin. After finding out that we had 3 free tickets plus V.I.P seating, we were out the door and ready to have some fun.

On the way to the club I learned that Antones has been referred to as home of the blues since 1975, and has hosted countless legendary performers including Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Muddy Waters to name a few.

The show was amazing, the night was long, new friends were made, and the drinks were flowing. A high five and big thanks to close homie Jessica and new friend Brooke from c3p for making the night extra fun.

And by the way Soprano fans, Shooter Jennings has a five month old baby girl named Alabama Gypsy Rose with long time girlfriend Drea de Matteo. Hot.

Beach Hut Deli Coming soon in So. Lake Tahoe

Thanks to the hospitality of our good friends Chris and Brooke Hernandez we were able to relax and feel at home when we stopped through Lake Tahoe 2 weeks ago.


Chris and Brooke are in the process of opening Lake Tahoe's first Beach Hut Deli. After looking for a location for 2 years and another 6 months of research and build out they are into their final week of construction. They are so close to having the best sandwiches in town and locals mouths are watering just thinking about the sandwiches that Chris and crew will be preparing.


With Hawaiian vibes, sandwiches and surfboards mixed with 8 tasty beers on tap and 3 flat screens pumping Fuel TV in HD, Lake Tahoe locals will now have a place to hang out and celebrate aloha!

9th St. Artwork

The first place I wanted to visit in Austin was the legendary bmx trails off of 9th street. I really had no idea as to where it was on 9th street, so Jana and I started cruising the area and with 30 minutes it found us. It is simply a work of art, I wished I had brought my bike.

Over the past 8 years I have only seen the trails through bmx videos and photos in magazines. There are over 50 different jumps and more than 10 rideable lines. All the jumps are handmade by shovel, and with water access these trails are ever changing and well maintained. The locals have built a small skatepark like bowl setup out of dirt that is amazing and as hard as concrete.

BMX = ART

Why REI rocks

REI rocks. We all know that but I've just discovered a few more reasons why.

-They'll take anything back. Seriously.

-They've got cool travel articles at http://www.rei.com/learn/Travel on everything from combating jet lag to the basics on bouldering and top roping.

-They give their employees Christmas presents.

-They have a bitchin' outlet site. Get up to 50% at REI-Outlet! Always Cool! Always on Sale!

-If you click through from our site to buy something, a percentage of the sale will go to Surfari Collin. Really.

That rocks!

Ross' Birthday Extravaganza

On March 15th we drove from Bear Valley to Woodland to celebrate Ross' 26th Birthday. And what a party it was, thanks to event planner and Ross' girlfriend Colleen. She had so much good food and refreshments for dayz! Of course no party is a party without shooting guns in Woodland. Ross' buddies, which I like to call, "The good ol boys", did not let me down, each showed up with a shotgun, bullets, clay pigeons, and a twelver. It was going to be an exciting day indeed.

It was a great turnout, the boys went out to the country to shoot clay pigeons and the ladies were kind enough to prepare all the food back at the house. 5 hours later we returned and my dad barbecued the best drumsticks I have ever had. They were so good and went so fast that no one used a plate; it was a grab, eat, grab another before they are all gone party.

Happy Birthday Ross! And thanks for the great food Colleen!

Happy Easter & Stay tuned

Hey gang, sorry it has been a week since an update.
Happy Easter to all. Jana and I are in New Mexico working our way to Austin Texas. We have been side tracked by amazing hot springs since we got to Arizona.
Had a nice dip in the Colorado River and now we are headed to another hot spring, which will probably end up in another night of camping.
Stay tuned as I will have pics and slide shows of the action packed weeks before our California departure. Among those posts: Beach Hut Deli in South Lake Tahoe, Ross' Birthday extravaganza, Modifications on the Surfari Collin Mobile, Mullet pics and more.

Until then, Love Much and Laugh Often
Brad

DJ Christopher Andrew Makes Appearance

Last Friday was a memorable one indeed. My former babysitter and longtime friend, DJ Christopher Andrew made his first live appearance in over a year at The Divided Sky in Lake Tahoe.

People came from all over the lake to see Christopher Andrew mix his funky house creations. He had them shaking it on the floor and grooving in their booths for the 2 hour set. A standing ovation at the end of the night proved that So. Lake Tahoe is ready for more DJ Christopher Andrew.

I had the opportunity to sit down with the 5'6 DJ and ask him a few questions.

• What went through your mind when organizing your play list?

"Picking the tracks was pretty easy. There have been tons of great tracks released lately, so I just picked my favorites. I picked some that are more obscure (to expose sounds that most people don't hear), and made sure all tracks were mixed within their key. Looking at the set as a whole; I move through different sounds to take the crowd down a road they have never traveled."

• Describe the style of music played.

"As a whole I play San Francisco style funky house music. Some people will call this sound "jackin", but the blend of funk, organic instruments, deep vocals, and tech beats is all within the SF style I love. "

• Where can we hear your beats?

"People interested in hearing my sound can email me at andrew@rainurbana.com and request a mix."

• What is your DJ name and who is your crew?

"My DJ name is Christopher Andrew and am a partner in Desolation Recordings out of South Lake Tahoe."

Thanks for your time little buddy, keep it up!

B

I'm going To Be Mark Twain For Halloween...

... And a Travel Writer when I grow up

Gaining accurate information for this trip through Central America has been a huge chore. Hours a day can literally be wasted away looking for the best language immersion school that accepts pets.

Frommer's.com has become a good source for tapping into the energy current of traveller's and travel writers. Frommer's came through once again when I stumbled across the 5th installment of the latest series,"How to be a travel writer" by Robert Haru Fisher.

In this 5th installment Fisher dishes on the dirt and diamond rewards of freelance travel writing. Of particular interest are Fisher's highlights on Mark Twain's freelance career whom he proclaims quite accurately, "First Amongst Freelancers."

To prove his point, Fisher shares this charmer. A quote that strikes a chord with the beauty of truly great travel writing.

-Mark Twain, quoted during a dinner, "held in honor of a baseball team about to embark for Hawaii on a world tour (sponsored by Albert Spalding of baseball bat fame)...in 1889."

"No alien land in all the world has any deep strong charm for me but that one,
no other land could so longingly and so beseechingly haunt me, sleeping and
waking, through half a lifetime, as that one has done. Other things leave me,
but it abides; other things change, but it remains the same. For me its balmy
airs are always blowing, its summer seas flashing in the sun, the pulsing of its
surf beat is in my ear; I can see its garlanded crags, its leaping cascades, its
plumy palms drowsing by the shore, its remote summits floating like islands
above the cloud rack; I can feel the spirit of its woodland solitudes, I can
hear the plash of its brook, in my nostril still lives the breath of flowers
that perished 20 years ago."

Ahh, delicious! For more on this series, check it out at the Frommer's site. http://www.frommers.com/rss/articles/5023.html

Photo borrowed from The Official Website of Mark Twain.

Best Fish Tacos in California!

If

If you are like me, you love Baja fish tacos, or maybe you just get the craving to eat fish tacos. If so, do whatever it takes to get yourself to Firewood, located at 420 Main Street, Murphys in the heart of California Gold Country. The Baja fish tacos here are the best, hands down, in California. Really.

The day I got married I brought all the fellas here before the big deed and we ate fish tacos and more fish tacos and enjoyed some cold ones as well.

Since Firewood Grill is way out in the middle of nowhere, you might want to take in the sites since you've gotten yourself all the way there.

These are our reccomendations:

Ski Bear Valley

Go wine tasting at one of many Murphy's, CA vineyards

Take a hike at Big Trees State Park

Go spelunking at Mercer Caverns

or check out the state famous Calaveras County Frog Jump

Happy travels!

"Surfer stuns experts with simple theory of everything"

I don't know what this article means but with that title and excerpts like this, it must be genius...

"Physicists around the world are astounded by the work of 39-year-old Garrett Lisi, who told the UK's Telegraph newspaper that “being poor sucks” after releasing his theory of how everything in the universe is linked. "

Check the full article out at;

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22768828-23109,00.html

El Fin, J.

P.S.

If this makes any sense to you, let us know...

Playing in the snow - It's just like riding a bike, right?

Everytime I visit my friend Christy she literally kills me with extreme sports immersion. This visit was no different...

snowboarding - check (like riding a bike)

rock climbing - check (like escaping certain death through a chimney)

out of control cross country skiing - check (as easy as traverssing the Austrian mountains with the Von Trap family)

I think Spanish Immersion will be a bit easier on my body... thanks Christy! That was super fun!

El Fin,

J

3/6/08 Shredding the Rad at Mt. Rose

Hi Blog, it's me, Jana.

Back in Tahoe, I met up with my old partner in crime, Christy, for an afternoon of snowboarding.

We lucked out with super cheap Ladies Day tickets for only $20 at Mt. Rose.

Mt. Rose is just above Reno and only two shakes of a lambs tail from Incline Village. It's smaller than most Lake Tahoe Ski Areas and has some interesting rules...

-No Alcohol
-No Pets
-No Sledding
-No Mulletts

That's right, no mullets! Do they have any idea how close they are to Reno?
Someone should report these people to the Un-American Activities Committee..... no mulletts..... commies.

Goodbye LA, Hello Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is beautiful, need I say more. It is so nice to see old stomping grounds, and catch up with good friends. There is snow on the ground and the sun is shining. It's bringing back some great memories. If you have never been here, Get here!

Yesterday was the official move out of LA day. In separate cars Jana and I drove up north; I took I-5 and Jana took Hwy 395.  Now I am in South Lake and she is North Lake. 

We will rendezvous Sunday and feast with friends before we head west to Sacramento. 

What a long week!

Jana finds time to relax after a long week of packing and research for the big trip.

Getting Closer

Many days and nights have been enjoyed upon this rooftop in West Hollywood over the last 2 years. It's amazing how peaceful and beautiful LA can be once you are off the freeways and out of traffic.