Medeski, Martin and Wood

MMW

MMW played at the Belly Up.  This was my first time seeing this group, having only heard them on Radio Paradise.

Wow! What a concert.  Medeski played the stationary keyboards with his back to the audience.  Not really a problem – obviously done so that he could look at other band mates for cues.  I thought the grand piano would catch fire during the second song.

They played two sets with a longer than usual break.  I moved forward at the break seeking a better view and got it.  Nathan from Philly was trying to coerce everyone into calling out for MMW’s ‘Hey Joe’ cover.  Supposedly very good, according to Nathan.

MMW returned to the stage and tore it up again.

Now the bad part.  We who have situated ourselves close to the stage invariably have self-entitled people try to push themselves into the front.  Two large women tried at first then left after realizing no one was moving to give them room.  There was not room to give!  Eventually they left.  Next, a man reached through the crowd to signal that his friends were at the front.  He pushed in, causing great discomfort to the people he now was standing in front of, and the woman next to me that he was rubbing up.  It was all good to him.

Belly up personnel – where were you?

Iron Chef at Leah's

Leah has an Iron Chef event in her new home.  She recently bought a home in an Oakland area she really wanted to live in:  walk to BART, shopping, and dining.  

Leah and Finley picked me up at OAK.  We dropped the car and Finley off at her new home and walked to a restaurant to meet Damien.  We had a great conversation and dinner.

The home is beautiful and sooo Leah.  The huge kitchen has an opening to the dining area which has an opening to the living room.  Of course, any older home will need some renovation.  First on the list was gutting and putting in a new bathroom.  

Saturday started with a hike at the Sequoia Bayview Trail.

Finley, Damien, and Leah

Beautiful view of the bay and San Francisco, and mighty redwoods.  Later, Leah had to travel for provisioning cupcakes so Damien and I walked around RockRidge.  

Saturday night’s event was the Iron Chef event.  Frankly, I did not know what an Iron Chef event was so I had googled it.  I was to go to Sophia’s place to join my team.  I whined enough claiming I did not know how to get around this area (quite true) so Damien dropped me off.

The Team: Jim, Hannah, Sophia, and Vandana

Sophia was running late and showed up with her dad, John. 

Our cooking mission was to create a main and side dish using asparagus.  While killing time waiting on Sophia we bantered and searched for recipes.  Sophia arrived and some of us took off to provision.  Hannah received a call while we were provisioning and the main dish was changed to a frittata.  We arrived back at Sophia’s and I made a comment that frittata was simple to make.  Presto, I was the alpha chef.

And it was simple to make.  With side and main dishes completed, we cleaned up the kitchen and were the first to arrive at Leah’s.  People and food arrived, and wine and beer were opened.

I started with coffee.

By popular vote, my team’s side and main dish won.  Tough competition from an asparagus soup to pork loin with pureed asparagus.  One team had a song for their dish introduction:  The Age of Asparagus (sung to The Age of Aquarius).

Ellen must have had a bit too much to drink, and asked about my ‘long-term partner’.  Huh?  Leah overheard the conversation and later said I played it well saying to Ellen, ‘I think you have me mixed up with someone else’.  I could have gone Castanza on Ellen.  Right here, right now!

The next morning, Leah, Damien, Finley, and I took off to Santa Cruz starting at Pacifica.  Onshore wind was howling at the beach but did not stop the surfing classes.  One of the surfers said the water temp was about 50F.  Finley made friends with several 4 legged friends, running everywhere on the beach.  We stopped at the Moss Beach Distillery for brunch.  Great view and w-a-y too much food.

View from Moss Beach Distillery parking lot

I needed a nap but that would have to wait for the flight.  

We found parking in Santa Cruz and walked the strip.  Damien finally found a fine wood store that contained impressive pieces.

It was smart to have packed my stuff since we were driving past OAK on the return trip.  It was a great trip to see Leah, her new home, and to meet Damien.