Vacation Week August

My hubby had a week vacation and we went somewhere everyday. Lake Chabot 9 mile hike, Pleasanton farmer's market, San Francisco to the Off The Grid Sunday where we had oxtail and grits (amazingly good) and walked by the Lucas Film studio in the Prisidio, the statue of Yoda is actually an outtake from the movies. Carmel there was a car show in the area all week and we saw Lamborghinis, Teslas, Feraris, and this Rolls Royce. And best of all we went to the San Jose Toy show and saw John Saxon, who was so gorgeous when I was a growing up I loved the Bold ones and Night Gallery (he was impressed and so happy I mentioned Night Gallery). He was there because he was in Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee. We bought a picture of him and Bruce for him to sign and then took his picture. Bruce Lee's sister was there unexpectedly and we took her picture. She is 75, I told her we visited her brothers grave a few years ago in Portland and that our son passed two years ago and she was very sympathetic and moved. There was even a game there that had my name on it and was made the year i was born, crazy.

I know the picture of John Saxon and me is blurry but it is a good picture and I don't remember why we were all laughing so much that even Dave was shaking the camera it was all so funny. The fountain is the Presidio in San Francisco, it is a beautiful area, looks like a collage campus with such large fully restored buildings and beautiful landscaping. In the Lucas Film building that we stumbled across going to the food trucks, inside we could see oscars and full replicas (not sure if they are the originals) of Darth Vadar and a storm trooper. So cool aparently  it is a 300 seat film studio and headquarters for Industrial Light and Magic.
The Bike I just got today in the mail free from my rewards points off of the American Express card. I love it!! I gave my other bikes to my kids so had none now I have new, yeah!

Such Cool People At Markets

Wednesday I was at Cambrian Park Plaza Market and a man came up to me and asked me if I could teach him to sing. I said I don't know I have been singing since I was nine and am still learning. He like my voice and asked if I could sing Persian songs. I told him if he teaches me I could. He said he has a recording studio down the street. Then he said he was on America's Got Talent. He was the man with the household instruments like brooms, and vacuum cleaners and shovels that he makes into instruments. I couldn't believe it, I had voted for him several times, he was the only person before or since that I had ever voted for from a show. I voted for him because he was good and from San Jose. He was really cool too, had such a great attitude the judges were really rude and he was smiling, easy going. Check out his video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spley5hYK5o

Seasonal Fruits and Great People

This was a cool week. We went to the Black Bear Diner in Tracy and they happened to have a bear carving demo. 5 men carved and could carve a bear in 3 hours. There were 6 already made, two sets of bear families, and this one in progress. They were holding a raffle to win one even. The girl shellacks them all.

 The San Jose Almaden market on Wednesday is really picking up. Colorful seasonal veggies and berries. The farmers are so creative the way they display it all.

 These are two actual sections of the Berlin Wall. My tax man's partner is German and somehow was able to obtain and bring back these historic pieces. The complex he works at is beautiful also with a waterfall a couple of asian style bridges and Koi. Unfortunately Google has bought the property and will destroy it all. Fortunately the Wall will be on display at the Mountain View Library.

 These flowers are gorgeous and the lady that sells them was not there at Almaden this week but her daughter was filling in for her. She was so nice and her flowers always sell out fast. At the end of the market she handed me this huge colorful bouquet and said she cut these specially for me because she like the music so much. I always try to make the vendors enjoy it the most because I see them every time and it is a cool community.

I was at the Milpitas market on Sunday and that market starts EARLY. People come as early as 6:30am to stand in line for fish. The guy sells out by 9 and the market technically starts at 8. This is one of the best and busiest markets for me. The people are all so generous and appreciative that one man loved the music so much he put in a twenty. The strawberry vendor across from me gave me three baskets of strawberries at the end he enjoyed it so much. None of this is to brag but to let you know that I have been told no so much that when people acknowledge they enjoy it it really does my heart good and gives me encouragement. I hope you enjoy it as well and remember I have free music downloads on my website. Eat well and I hope to see you at the markets. God bless

One Wacky Market

Now I have seen everything. A pink pony ride at a farmer's market! Adorable! This market in Salinas Northridge Mall has a little of everything. Flowers, honey, produce, asian toys and candy, food booths, carved wooden bears (which I bought two), churros, fish.
So cool to see such variety and a really nice area in the parking lot of a fairly new shopping mall right off main street. The weather I was not expecting. It was cold and overcast all day. I thought Salinas was hot like Gilroy and Watsonville but no. All the vendors said it was cold and overcast every time they come. This market is every Saturday all year round from 8am-2pm. The man selling the bears carves them himself and he is from Montana. They were so cute it was hard to choose. I got one in redwood and one in pine. Next stop Almaden on Wednesday in San Jose.

 Hope to see you at a market near you!
God bless

Midweek Music Post

Pretty cool couple of days at the markets. Wednesday was a 4-8pm market at Santa Clara and 14th street in San Jose. This is a new market across from the Valley Medical building in a vacant lot that has grass for the market. It was a lot of fun, people were very friendly and receptive to my music and sales were moderate overall for the vendors.  I played at Brisbane on 

 Thursday from 3-7pm. Such a beautiful location. In the park next to downtown with the hills and homes in the background. The park was quite full in the afternoon with families and kids playing ball and getting balloon hats. This is a new market for only a year now put on by West Coast Farmer's markets and the young man with the white polo Sharks shirt is the son of the owner. 

 He is really nice and very professional working his way through college for his dad. Great vendors, fresh nectarines and strawberries, honey, veggies and prepared foods like toffee.
It was quite windy and I did not put up a tent so got quite sunburned on my face. 
Next stop Saturday at Northpark Mall in Salinas from 9-2. I have never been to that one and am looking forward to seeing somewhere new. Hope to see you at the markets. God bless.

Music Weekend Update

 Such fun at San Mateo College Farmer's market Saturday. I had been selling my guitar pick earrings and hats there for a couple of years and know all the vendors and their great wares. Super good cupcakes in crazy good flavors like basil and 

lemon and toffee. My friend Shelly runs Precious Puch Doggie Bakery and she comes from San Leandro. Handcrafted cheeses from Petaluma. Fresh flowers and lots of produce. Really tasty sausages, she coincidentally lives across 

 the street from me. 
Beautiful handmade crystal style jewelry by Table Of Light dot com.
She is super sweet and will make special items and even repair your jewelry on the spot. Then there is Jennifer Carruthers silk flowers. So 

 beautiful I bought one of 
the violet flower pots for my mother-in-law for her birthday. It was great seeing all my friends and they cheered me on. Also if you like really quality handmade pottery the students at the college sell their pottery at one of the  

booths as well. I had
bought several pieces over the holidays for gifts.
The ultimate fun though is when Earnest from Sweet Potato Pies sings with me. He is so good and really enjoys it and we harmonize great.

 It was all fun and I will be back in September.
Sunday I was more local at Almaden Market in San Jose. Really great market with produce, prepared foods, kettle corn, jewelry and tupperware.Was a lot of fun I played across from the tables where 

 people eat and one lady enjoyed it so much and was applauding every song, of coarse I love that when people let me know they are enjoying it. The vendors next to me really enjoyed it as well and I played The Cure for the one vendor and Simon

and Garfunkle for the other. I also play there on some Wednesdays as well as Sundays. Today is tuesday and tomorrow I will be at Santa Clara and Thursday in Brisbane. Brisbane is beautiful, it is in a park surrounded by hills with the downtown right there as well. Take care hope to see you at a market near you! God bless.

Weekend Wrap Up

Another weekend come and gone. Was super hot Saturday in the 90s at 

De Anza college in Cupertino at the flea market. I played through most of the day but did leave an hour early because of the heat. My sunglasses kept sliding down because of the sweat. People enjoyed it and gave me lots of encouragement and took some free cds. I will be back there July. Sunday was great beautiful day.Started out cold and overcast then turned sunny and just right, no wind either. I gave away 9 cds, and people really enjoyed it. Another vendor, Ernest from Sweet Potato Pies came over near the end and sang You've got a friend while I played guitar. He was awesome and in a band of his own. Next time we will get more songs to sing together, he likes to harmonize. He is also at San Mateo College farmer's market where I will be on the 8th. I go back to Half Moon Bay in July and am there once a month on average. It was so cute too on Sunday. This boy about 9 or so was fascinated by my playing. I was playing my Martin Backpacker guitar which is a very small guitar with amazing sound quality and the only Martin guitar that I can afford. He came up to me after a song and said that I sound really good so I thanked him and gave him a cd and a free pick. When his mom came back from shopping he was telling her all about me, so cute! The kids are really the best at the markets. I love it when they stand mesmerized by my playing. I even put little Vans shoes on my drum to keep it from moving and when they ask why they are there I tell them "so when we leave he can walk back to the car" and they are so confused. The little girls are the best. I feel like a role model to them because there really are not that many women out there playing. They stand there the whole time watching me play while their parents go shopping. I like to play newer music for them like Pink or Christina Aguilara. I give them a cd and a pick, they leave so happy. I am going to try to update this every week. So next weekend San Mateo and Almaden in San Jose.

Hope to see you there!

One Woman Show

Check out my cool new rig. I bought the drum, vintage 60's stripped, lightweight and sounds great with a free pedal. Battery Roland amp, Sure mic, classical guitar for outside shows. I also have a twelve string Fender strat electric with sunburst finish, a Kramer electric, two Takaminis, a Martin backpaker and a few more. Guitars are so fun to collect, each one has a different sound and feel, some with pickups for an amp and some without. My Kramer I bought in 1985 when I was pregnant with my second son. I bought it for the sound and features and of coarse because Eddie Van Halen had one.
This was taken at the Evergreen Farmer's Market in San Jose. It was so windy that day, I didn't set up the umbrella because I thought it would blow over. I also have a foot cabasa with a foot tambourine, so much fun. I put a little pair of Vans from Goodwill on the drum so it wouldn't move and it looks good too. Come check out one of my shows, I love playing outside and am at various markets throughout the bay area. All on my calendar margiewongmusic.com

Les Miserables I Dreamed A Dream Margie Wong