Lassie and Other Hollywood Tales

Sat. June 19, 2008 at Dreamweavers in Napa CA. Napa is about 50 miles from Santa Rosa.

I was so excited to be going to this show! I listed to the best of John Denver all the way there, songs like Country Roads and Thank God I'm a Country Boy.

The event had hors d'oeuvres and wine. Here is Jon speaking to a fan in the lobby.

The wine was Eagle and Rose Estate, 2003 Skyhawk Sangiovese, it was superb! They were also pouring a 2005 Skyhawk Sauvignon Blanc which was a little too sweet for me, especially after enjoying the Sangiovese, but most of the people there were drinking it.



In the lobby, they also had a large flat screen TV showing an episode of Lassie. It was wonderful to see, especially the music and the credits at the end. That's what I remember the most of the show.


Jon and Laurie are the cutest couple.

I enjoyed talking to Laurie all about the book and how much I enjoyed reading it. She was so friendly!

Jon does have the bluest eyes!











Jon purchases some of his posters from eBay.













Jon told a lot of funny stories on stage, surrounded by wonderful posters of his films, adventures, and Lassie.

He also answered questions from the audience.

He was very entertaining. He seemed so comfortable and at ease on the stage.



I sat in the front row and was mesmerized the entire time, Jon is quite the storyteller and was very amusing!




Jon was signing autographs in his book, the lady behind me in line was kind enough to snap my photo.










I think Jon and Laurie were disappointed that there weren't more people there, but for me, it was perfect, since I got to converse with both of them and enjoy some fantastic wine.

The book was so good, reading it makes you feel like you've been friends of the family for years, and Jon and Laurie certainly treat you that way in person.

I drove home to the tunes of Dan Fogelberg.

Timmy's in the Well - Part II

I am so lucky, I am going to meet Jon Provost this weekend. He is giving a talk in Napa and I'm going.

I find when I read an autobiography, I end up really wanting to meet the author. When I read Maya Angelou, I know why the caged bird sings, I ended up reading all of her books, books of her friends, and books that she read. I felt I wanted to meet her. When I read Me and a Guy Named Elvis, I just wanted to meet the author, Jerry Schilling. I think that feeling fades after a while. Now, I can't imagine meeting those people.

Jon's book, written by Jon and his wife Laurie, was so fantastic. I feel lucky that he lives in Santa Rosa and is giving this talk in Napa, and that I am able to go.

The timing is just right.

I must have heard Jon and Laurie on the radio promoting the book some time last year because when I visited my Amazon.com wish list, the book was on there! It has been on my mind since then to check the book out of the library.

I finally did check it out about a month ago, and I went to Jon's website and signed his guestbook. Signing the guestbook signs you up to be on his mailing list that may inform you of personal appearances. I received an email about this appearance. I had some questions so I emailed him and he replied.

Look for Timmy's in the Well - Part III, when I report on this talk and meeting Jon in person.

30 Minute Mozzerella

I have a new hobby - I'm going to make some cheese.

I remember when I started my other hobby, home coffee roasting. I swore I would never do it, but here I am a year later, still loving my first and only true hobby.

I found out about home roasting from a friend, and never for a moment doubted that I had a new hobby, even though I had never done it before and didn't have any equipment.

Reading what I could, I procured the equipment and finally, about a month or so after declaring my new hobby, I put my order in at Sweet Maria's for green beans.

A book on my bedside stand that I read in between autobiographies, is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which in a way, is an autobiograpy, I read a recipe for 30 Minute Mozzerella, and I knew I had a new hobby.

I went to my local beer/wine/cheese making shop, The Beverage People, and purchased the two ingredients needed to make this cheese. Coincidentally, the 30 Minute Mozzerella was the feature recipe in their current newsletter.

I plan to make this cheese on Friday, the 4th of July! All I need now, is a gallon of Clover milk.