Living in Mangoland, theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher Living in Mangoland, theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher

Troast in Review

On Monday, May 9th we hosted another great concert with Jon Troast. As mentioned, we changed venues and took Jon out of our living room and down to the church. He performed live (and amplified) at Redeemer Church in downtown Modesto. It was a great concert full of old favorites, new songs from his recent release and even brand new un-recorded music that he sampled for the audience.

As always, Jon took requests from the audience, provided the stories behind the songs and entertained us with his wit and humor of life on the road as a traveling musician. We counted about 75 (See Official Concert Pic Here) in attendance at the concert. I'd guess that about half of them were brand new to his music and the other half knew his music and sang along with him.

The afterparty involved a bunch of guests back at the house hanging out around a campfire on the back porch. Every visit is fun with Jon. Since he stays with us, we always have fun catching up with him and his life in Nashville. The littlest Fletcher's love having Jon around the house and I think Kenj just enjoys having an adult that she can talk with. It's always a bummer to see him leave and we look forward to his next tour through California!

Bonus...

As Jon took requests from the audience, someone asked him to sing "The Andy Song." It's a personal favorite for obvious reasons. One of the Mangokids caught it on video and made a quick movie. Enjoy!

 

Quietly making noise,
Fletch 

Read More
theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher

Dinner at Phil's

A quick trip to Santa Cruz for a New Year planning weekend.  Kenj and I got caught up on some long overdue paperwork and school discussions.  We capped the night with a quick trip to refuel at our favorite seafood restaurant on the coast.  Phil's Fish Market claims to serve the best cioppino in the world (Phil proved it by beating Bobby Flay on Throwdown).  I have to agree that it's pretty dang close to the best I've had. 

Ten out of ten Fletchers agree that Phil's is a worthy stop when you are visting the central coast.  Tucked in and amongst the fisheries and docks in Moss Landing, CA (look for the smoke stacks between Santa Cruz and Monterey) you will find this warehouse/market/restaurant.  It's first come, first serve...never any reservations.  It tends to get packed by dinnertime, so plan accordingly.  We give it 5 out of 5 stars!

 


Quietly making noise,

Fletch

 

 

Read More
theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher

Advent Plans

This year for Advent we will begin reading through the third book in this excellent advent series. If you haven't read these books yet, they are WAY WORTH the investment in time and effort. "Jotham's Journey" and "Bartholomew's Passage" are great stories full of adventure and evening cliff hangers.
They are each unique stories, but each one is written parallel to the other stories and there are several cross-over characters and even the occasional blending of the stories as the main characters meet one another on their journeys.
It has been a great way for our family to prepare for Christmas every year. What are you doing to celebrate the Advent season in your homes? Any traditions?
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Read More
theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher theMT Recommendations Andy Fletcher

Cup o' Joe

Aeropress Coffee MakerI don't think I have mentioned this yet, but the Aeropress Coffee maker is my favorite way to drink coffee lately. This is the perfect system for making "less than" a pot of coffee. It is super easy to use and equally easy to clean and there is no glass so you have less chance of breaking. You can count on this little press to make consistently good cups of coffee.

I was introduced to this cool little gadget by my dad. I used it a few times at his house and loved the flavor of the coffee it was making. So, I decided that I needed one of my own (and one at the office...and potentially one in the VW bus).

It is so simple. Pop in a filter. Add one scoop of coffee. Add hot water. Mix with the handy paddle they provide. Press a shot of hot coffee through the filter into your cup Add hot water to the strength you enjoy. Stir and enjoy a yummy full flavored cup of coffee.

Clean up is a breeze too!. Twist off the filter cap and plunge the grounds and filter into the trash. The plunger cleans and dries the system, so all you need is a fresh water rinse and you are good to go.

And, it was invented by the guy that made the Aerobie flying ring. Very cool indeed.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Read More