Newest List of Robin's Upcoming Author Events!

A recent book signing event at Barnes and Noble, Blossom Hill, San Jose, CA.

Here's the list of my summer events: I hope to see you!

Saturday, July 6: 10:00 a.m. Andy's Orchard: book signing/author talk. This one will be pretty jammed (to coin a phrase) as Andy is famous for his more-than-twenty-varieties of apricots and will be holding a tasting, orchard talk, and you-pick-it as part of the fun. There is a fee for his part, so check the web site of Andy's Orchard. His address is: 1615 Half Road, Morgan Hill, CA. 95037. 408-782-7600.

Sunday, July 7: 2;00 p.m. Los Altos Hills Town Hall: author talk followed by a book signing and an all-apricot reception! This will be crowded too, as it will benefit, the Los Altos Hills History Committee, the Los Altos Hills Historical Society, and the Los Altos History Museum, so don't be late! 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, CA. 94022.  650-941-7222. 

California Apricots: Harvesting For Good

Alta Mesa orchard in Palo Alto, California. Apricot season is early this year.

As the shadows lengthened on this June evening, I had an appointment to meet Susan Osofsky in an apricot orchard not far from my Los Altos home. Osofsky helps organize volunteers to pick the bounty of fruit in the Santa Clara Valley that would otherwise go to waste. 

Imagine. Apricots going to waste. I'll be right there with my bucket!

Bamboo Trading Compay Has Shrewd New Hit

The Bamboo Trading Company CD has "the soundtrack for the summer of 2013."

I have now lived long enough for it dawn on me, that the most interesting people in my life have always been the most creative. And one of the best of those is filmmaker Steve Latshaw, whom I met at WESH-TV in Orlando and who is now a Hollywood guy. He recently introduced me to a young man who helped do the music for his funny new film Return of the Killer Shrews. The young man in question is music producer, writer, arranger, and general organizer, David Beard.

Latshaw met Beard through his many contacts in the Beach Boys organization and thanks to his friendship with Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean fame. I don't know exactly how the connections worked (maybe I can get Steve to write about that) but it all brought forth some terrific tunes for Steve's wonderful film, and a whole CD more of summer fun.

Annoying People Who Need to Go Away

How could you resist Larry? He couldn't remember you, so he couldn't cause you any trouble. Ever!

CNN had a real winner in Larry King. No one was more American than Larry. He was your very best friend when you met him, and then he completely forget who you were. (I had a personal experience with this.) He had, what? Seventeen, eighteen wives? How many convictions for floating bad checks? How many radio jobs in Florida? Perfect! Keep that guy. Give him a show!

The good news about Larry is that he didn't pretend to be anything he was not. He was a radio talk show host who got lucky and went on TV. No kingmaker he, Larry enjoyed his celebrity, chatted genially with his guests and went home and slept a good night's sleep (with whomever happened to be there). Hello New York!

Rockin' With Elvis in "Jailhouse Rock"!

His best film of all. They didn't call him the King for nothing.

I was still attending the early grades of Loyola Elementary and watching the Mickey Mouse Club when Elvis Presley exploded on the scene in the 1950s. In the West, as pre-teens, my friends and I fell for the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean and our teenage years were launched with the Beatles. Later, Elvis seemed out of the past to us as we began rockin' with the Doors and the Jefferson Airplane. 

So I'm a late bloomer when it comes to Elvis. By the time I began to take notice of him, he had been exploited by managers, over-drugged by physicians, over-stuffed with fried peanut butter sandwiches by everyone, and over-costumed like Liberace. Not exactly a teenage girl's delight.