Mystery Music Man

Speaking of making music, this snap was taken in a bar here in VLC just before Christmas. Four of us had been asked to sit in for one set with the mystery man in the middle -- a semi-celebrity on his way up whose reputation we did not want to tarnish by blogging him playing with amateurs! Visible, from left: Carmen Hidalgo (ESP), Beatriz Pastor (ESP), TFE and BMW ORACLE Racing colleague Jane Eagleson (USA).

In Too Deep

After a Saturday night sleepover, band practice at our home this morning. From left Meg, Hayley Braun (USA), Rebecca Norberg (SWE), whose father sails with United Internet Germany), and Rosie Huhtamaki (FIN). Yesterday we re-arranged the living room furniture to accommodate a bandstand with a café ambience.



Name of the fledgling combo: "In Too Deep" (we won't ask). When we took this snap they were working up their first original song, yet to be named, written by Meg. No doubt about love and teenage angst. Yesterday, they were in town at the Aqua Mall all afternoon, at the teen nightclub "Guru" until 2300, then watched movies here at Casa Ehman until the wee hours. Not pictured, posse members Meggie Davison (AUS/NZL) whose dad sails with Alinghi, and Mikkel Bank (DEN), whose dad skippers United Internet Team Germany.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

This we first saw this clip courtesy of our old sailing friend Bob "Buddha" Billingham. As Buddha said, "No way!" See for yourself....


Now that's a proper juggling act if ever there was one.

Musical Skills

Here's a test that for sure Grandma Jan, Lynn Hill (Grandpa Tom's partner), sister Ruth and Meg will enjoy, and others of you who are musically inclined -- or think that you might be:

http://jakemandell.com/2006/test-your-musical-skills-in-6-minutes/



Grandma Jan grooving to Diana Krall on my Palm, in a January '05 photo. She plays the guitar, too, and wrote lots of skits and songs for yacht club and school functions when we were growing up. A good influence on the rest of -- a musical diamond in the rough.



Lynn Hill is a superb piano player who, when not lawyering. plays professionally. Last we knew she was the choirmaster at the Webster United Church of Christ. Tom Sr. reminds us that Lynn is a good organ player as well. Summer 2004 photo from an apres-race jam session at Portage YC.



Speaking of roses on a piano, Meg is an accomplished if sometimes unwilling piano player, shown here at a party at our home in Valencia last Thanksgiving in a duet. These days she would rather play the guitar, and does so skillfully.



Sister Ruth, when not playing with her snakes or keeping things on track in the office at Portage YC, sings in the choir at Webster Church -- and just about any other time someone picks up a guitar. This is a summer 2004 photo at Ruth's farm in Michigan.



They keep a guitar for us at the Lambrusceria Ristorante (a.k.a. "The Docks") here in Valencia for the occasional after-dinner jam session. This phone-cam photo is from a dinner there last week in which our new friend "Tony" -- a very talented street musician from Bulgaria -- joined in on his sax.