SB FIRE

I went to check on the Rubi-Miller house this morning and were given a tip on how to get through the road blocks and drove up near scofield park and las canoas and made it to Hillcrest. The house is ok. I took out a lot of important family items and filled Len's car and I took len's car out of there and had adrian drive my car. There are some embers and smoldering land up at las canoas and all across scofield park and gibralter but Hillcrest and the immediate surrounding neighborhood are ok for now. I watered down the house as well as the yard the best I could but police were patrolling and I got everything I felt was necessary and am staying in the San Roque area for now.

We have 20 air tankers dropping water and things are looking a little better as of right now. They predict some more Santa Ana winds to come back later in the day so they are working hard to put out the blaze. Our friend, Crosby Loggins, lost his mom's place up on gibralter. He said ‘ it looks like the moon'. Nothing left but one live chicken up there.

I evacuated my house off of Alston as well and then evacuated Adrian's grandmother and some of her things as well. Was a crazy night and havent slept but what's important is that we are all ok and I was able to get important things out of the house and the house I think will be ok.


I took these pictures on mission canyon and up by scofield park / las canoas area.. as well as the sheffield res.

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Berlin Blast

We have arrived to the last week of our Luna di Miele. We came to Berlin to visit with Simone and celebrate the twin birthday! We made a beautiful dinner starting with the famous gougéres with arugula, bacon, onion, and pickle and also one with steinpilz (german forest mushrooms very similar to porcini) and chanterelles in cream with a slice of comté cheese. Little tiny sandwiches with the perfect tiny 'bun'. Simone made pumpkin and butternut risotto and greens and Marcin brought a cake from one of the fave bakers in town. Such a nice night of great conversation and laughs and dance floor antics with the new whitest boy alive album. Yay! what a nice suprise to hear tracks recording in the glass cube studio in Mexico from last year.

Dave Dupuis was here for the weekend ... a nice CA bro to add to the festivities. He has just come off his tour and ended it with a weekend in Berlin. We rented bikes with him yesterday and had a beautiful fall day. Such a rare treat for us. Real carpets of leaves everywhere. yes!

Back to SB on Friday....

First Dance

Here is a little video from the night before the wedding. We rallied some friends to come over to Ojai to a little bar to play some music to get into the mood for what was to come!

Honey Miele Hönig

Adrian and I are currently in Grindelwald, Switzerland...after days in Italy on our honeymoon. We started out by flying into Pisa, picking up a car, and driving it into the belly of a massive ferry. We floated over the mediterranean waters and landed on the island of Sardinia. A craggy and beautiful island (the oldest isle on earth) with no tourists and the most intensely turquoise and cobalt blue waters I have ever seen. We stayed on a farm and ate rustic foods with various origins and discovered little cove beaches with white sand and clean, salty, clear water. After a few days on the isle, we drive back into the ferry belly and slept in a bedroom cabin and woke in Livorno. We then drove to Tuscany and stayed at a farm belonging to an architect and artist, and walked the endless paths inbetween the ripe grape vines. Watched the harvest happen and migrated north to Piedmont to taste some early white truffles and stay at another farm. I love Piedmont. The city of Alba is refined and sincere and ALL ABOUT the quality of food and wine. Slo Food Nation's headquarters are here. There are no internet cafes.

I had the best meal of my life in Barolo at a Locanda del Borgo Antico, a Michelin starred restaurant on a vineyard. I was in heaven. Every aspect of the menu was explained in detail with a warm smile and the dining room was modern and elegant but understated and true to the style of the food.

We had a post-wedding party here in Grindelwald with some friends and the weather has been super summery and ultra technicolor. Took the gondola up to Männlichen and enjoyed a long traverse to a little restaurant for Rösti and beer. Our friends have moved onto their next destination now, and so will we. Onwards to Paris. Old turf and good friends await. I will post photos shortly. YAY

Next Show

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Parc des Buttes Chaumont

My favorite park in Paris, and it's in the 10th! On sunny weekends, this place is full of life.

Segway

Finally. Finally Finally.
After the Gonzales show (he entered the stage on one), a segway was all alone, charging backstage. Adrian had his moment. Simone and I fell on the floor from overwhelming laughter.

Blooming

Been having an extraordinary week. Ducking into basement-cave jazz clubs, picnicking at the Butte Chaumont park, walking and talking and all the rest. Went to see Feist's friend, Gonzales, the other night. I had no idea. What an amazing entertainer he is... the show was fantastic. The night ended with Gonzo hosting a large 1am dinner at Brasserie Wepler...Adrian ate snails for the first time. Yes!

Settling into Paris

Been here for over a week now and feel at home. Been walking the streets like mad, every day, looking for my new favorites. Found a few. There is a large covered market nearby, Marche St. Quentin, and another, Marche St. Martin. These farmer's markets are open 6 days a week and have stands selling fresh produce, artisanal cheeses, pates, rillettes, butchers, seafood sellers (including tanks with crates of oysters), bakers, and the odd tailor and shoe repair. The flat is near the canal St. Martin, which is the perfect spot for strolling and breathing while taking it all in.

The other night we got lost on purpose and discovered a tiny bar called "cinquante" (50). Its on 50 rue du Lancry and has a special something. We went into what we thought was the tiniest bar, to discover that it actually opened up in the back to be a long narrow bar that feels like you are in your long lost french Grandfather's livingroom. Lots of old postcards and family photos jumbling up the walls and an old piano (with candle holders on hinges) with little odds and ends scattered about. The owner, Patrick, looks like an old sailor and welcomed us to the neighborhood. Nice.

One of the new pals through the Casa Rincon in Mexico swirl, Ed, lives here. He took us to a party the other night where wonderful photographer, Mark Borthwick, cooked risotto Milanese for everyone and sang songs along with Ami Sioux. It felt like a french version of one of our parties...an interesting slice of CA vibes in Paris.

The photo at the top was taken yesterday from the balcony of the flat. Those windows make great movies. The ceilings in Paris have beautiful detailing. Ours has things like oak leaves and cornucopias of fruit.

There are also bums in Paris sleeping on benches that look like little smurfs.