Live Oak Post 1: Mark Wilder : Juggler & Entertainer Extraordinaire!

Live Oak Music Festival Post 1

(Live Oak isn't only music...)

I am inspired by laughter... And by anyone who easily make others laugh. hard.

One of the highlights (of many, I must admit)

of the weekend was seeing Mark Wilder perform.

Mark is a SLO county resident and is amazingly entertaining and hilarious!

(not to mention good looking too!)

(click on photos to enlarge)

Meet: Mark Wilder!

Mark warming up before his big show.

Mark's hat comes in handy as a fun prop!

Mark's performance at the Hot Licks Stage drew a large crowd of kids and adults.

Here he is getting to know some of the younger audience.

Of course, like any good juggling act, there was the required audience participation.

And juggling a bowling ball, a flaming torch,

and a pin while standing on a folding chair (which proved to be difficult for Mark).

What you missed here was the other side of this sign, which said "Volunteer"

Until the little girl came on stage, then it was human sacrifice.

And what act isn't complete with some side kicks...
Adam Duncan and Tyler Niday did an excellent job filling those shoes!

The crowd grew more and more as laughter filled out of the stage area.

Getting pumped up...

There were wardrobe changes...

And break dancing...

And 6 and 7 foot unicycles...

The kids really wanted to participate in the show.

The grand finale:

Juggling, on a unicycle, UNDER WATER!
(now an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records*)

Ta-DAAAA!!!!

So basically I was sort of cranky when I went to the show.

But I genuinely laughed so hard and left the show with a big grin on my face.

Mark is available, as he stated at his show, for: birthday parties,

weddings, bachelorette parties, sorority slumber parties...

His info:

(530) 902-3293 http://wilderjuggler.com/ or find him on Facebook

And he can be seen performing all over the central coast.

So if you get the chance to watch him, do it.

I promise you will thoroughly enjoy yourself!

(And as a side note, I do not know Mark personally, and my putting his info

on slo inspired is purely based on the fact that I as thoroughly entertained by his act!)

*Only for pretend...

Live Oak Music Festival!!!

This past weekend, I took humanKind Fair Trade on the road

to the Live Oak Music Festival!

The festival is among the oaks near Lake Cachuma in the Santa Ynez Valley.

I won't go into it much now, but I will say that I had a really amazing time.

And as you might expect, I took a bagillion photos.

And I will of course be sharing them with you.

But for now, here's me and my partner in crime at the festival, Fiona, in front of our booth.

I had fun taking my new fisheye lens out for a spin.

Summertime in SLO

Despite the odd weather that we have been having, SUMMER is upon us!!!

Rarely too hot, lots of live music going on, and its vicinity to so much to do outdoors makes
San Luis Obispo county an amazing and inspiring place to be in the summer!

There are a few things that I will check off my summer list in SLO:

First up, this weekend, is the Live Oak Music Festival.

This fun weekend is a fundraiser for KCBX Public Radio.

Music, Camping, Food, Friendly Faces, and Wonderful Vendors!
All amongst the beautiful oaks in the Santa Ynez Valley.

I will be there, running humanKind Fair Trade's vendor booth and I am super excited.

Next on my radar:

Concerts in the Plaza!

Concerts in the Plaza are on Friday evening, from 5:30-7:30.

Some of the bands that I am looking forward to (and so should you):
June 24 - TROPO
July 1 - Cuesta Ridge

July 8 - Zongo All-Stars

July 22 - Resination

July 29 - Criticnue

There are lots of others too, but those are the ones that I am most looking forward to.

Art After Dark is a fun way to spend a warm summer night.

It's the first Friday of every month in downtown SLO.

Art, wine, cheese, and conversation- so fun!

I am especially looking forward to July 1, as my amazing friend

AnnaLillian will be showcasing her photographs at humanKind!

Of course the summertime is the perfect time to check out the county's farmer's markets...

Including SLO's Thursday "Farmers" and Avila's Friday Farmer's Market.

I have actually never been to Avila's but I've heard it is a lot of fun.

Besides these dated events (and there are tons more, so keep your ears open),
there is just so much to do outdoors in and around SLO county.

Also to be had, there are hikes, beach time (must wear my sunscreen!),

trips up the coast to Big Sur, wine tasting, weddings,

bike rides to no where in-particular, impromptu BBQs with a cold beer,

lazy days at the park, and so much more!
Man I am getting excited just thinking about it all!!

How about you?

What's on your summer agenda?

Radha's bridal tea party!

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated our friend Radha with a

Bridal Tea Party at Lovejoy's in San Francisco.

I've known most of these girls since freshman year in college so it was extra special.

Isn't she cute?
I've always loved photographing her.

Jordan did an amazing job with the set up- including place cards, a menu, and goody bags!

We had Vanilla Rooibos, Black Rose, English Breakfast, Black Mango...

others too but I can't remember!

And what tea isn't complete without little sandwiches!

I didn't get a good photo of the amazingly yummy cream that we had for the scones...

But just trust me- it was delicious!

Beautiful and silly Jordan. :)

Tanya! She is super photogenic!

These lower res photos do not do Emily's eyeballs justice...

They are BEEAAUtiful.

Loretta- always a gem to be with. I mean it.

Cheers!

These group photos are extra special because 5 of us have been taking them for about 14 years!

Happy Bridal Shower Radha!
Can't wait for the wedding next month.

xoxoxoxoxoxo