The journey into Southern California began uneventfully from Austin Bergstrom into LAX, and that's a good thing, but nothing else about the tour could be described as such. As soon as we left the airport in our rental car we drove into Hollywood for a rehearsal with John O'Kennedy, a friend of McCoy-Jacobs family and a successful composer for television and film, accompanied me Saturday and Sunday. We then drove to Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley where we had lunch with the promoter of Sunday's event, Maritza Baca and the co-owner of venue, Rocky's V.  We left Pacoima for Cota de Caza, where the Real Housewives of Orange County was filmed, for the home of my cousin Laura Martinez McDermott and her husband Rod.

Rod and Laura hosted the staff of McDermott & Bull Company on their backyard patio while I performed a set of originals and favorite covers for the mostly thirty-something group. We sold lot's of CDs.

After a relaxed morning we fought the traffic bound for San Diego and Baja California and made our way to the picturesque town of Carlsbad and the Leo Carillo Ranch for a Texas-style barbeque and performance hosted by Ken & Jan Landry from Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Believe it or not, the barbeque was extraordinary--and we knew it would be after my wife learned from the staff that they used real Texas mesquite imported from West Texas. It was fun
watching the conga line that formed as I finished with the Rodeo Night/La Bamba medley as we stretched the park's curfew just a tad. 

Saturday we drove back to Orange County for the home of Kenny and Patti Jacobs. I met Patti at The Sawmill Café where she worked as a barmaid and where I discovered that God meant me to me songwriter, not the graduate student in Journalism that I was pretending to be. Close to one hundred folks attended her backyard house concert, very few of them country music fans, but soon to be fans of what I do. Yvonna sold quite a few CDS that
night too!

Early Sunday morning after French Toast and coffee I played tennis with my cousin's thirteen-year-old Marissa then I hit the highway again. Sunday night's audience was mostly Hispanic in the city of Pacoima and included a beautiful mix of teens, professionals, grandparents and even family. The Rocky's V banquet room looked nothing like I had left when we first met for
lunch to plan the show as the staff had transformed it into a spectacular setting for the dinner-concert. Because many in the audience were so young I changed my set list to share the songs which were inspired by my days as a tennis coach and instructor of English at Marble Falls High. I signed lots of CDs and photos and took many pictures with the new young fans. 

Monday Yvonna and I devoted to family as we shared a glorious lunch with my Tio Eluid and Aunt Elise Martinez, Laura and her children Mitchell, Marissa, & Mia, and Yvonna. I enjoyed fresh Pacific mahi mahi as we gazed upon the marine life and Newport Beach tourists. I look forward to a return trip into Southern California.

Vaya con Dios,
john Arthur martinez