Say Whaaaaat!??!

That is right, I had a last minute addition to the Mofo World Tour. I was speeding through the Spanish country side on a train headed for Valencia from Barcelona and I was writing a few words for my best friends wedding. JM Marr and Tiffany Jones were to be married on August 4th in Sonoma Valley California and I wanted to send a couple of thoughts. I began my note with the words "It is with deep, deep regret that I can't be there tonight...". As I reminisced about the last 10 years of friendship with Jon Michal and the Marr Family I couldn't help but feel sad that I was going to miss such a special weekend. (And a damn good party)

I like to think that I live my life with very few regrets and I wasn't going to start now. (OK, I do regret paying 9 bucks for Planet of the Apes the other night, but other than that). At this point I made some quick calls to the states and with the help of Ann and the people at delta I was booked on the next flight out of Madrid to SFO!!! I was about to pull the biggest "Drop in" in the world! JM had no idea I was coming. I feel very lucky that a trip like this is even possible for me. The world is such a small place these days.

You don't have to go on a trip around the world to know that the most important things in life are relationships. Relationships with loved ones, family and friends.

So I headed back to Madrid after a quick stop in the lovely town of Valencia. I really liked Valencia.it was a nice change of pace after Barcelona and a great food. Valencia is the home of Paella!

I arrived in Madrid and my friend Hugh Shields was kind enough to put me up for the night before I headed out on Thursday morning. Turned out that Hugh was on the SAME Delta flight from Madrid to JFK the next day! Can you believe it? The next day Hugh and I are walking around the Madrid airport buying some Spanish Wine the airport intercom starts blasting: "Maitland Waters, Maitland Waters, comes to gate 28". . UPGRADED to FIRST CLASS!! I turned to the lady and asked her about my amigo Hugh? And She upgraded Hugh too!!

So now Hugh and I are sitting in seat 7a and 7b, sipping on our 5th glass of French Merlot dining on Filet Mignon watching "Enemy at the Gates" and "Shrek" on personal TV monitors in chairs with 15 different settings....and I turned to Hugh and said - "Right now, we could be back in "cattle class" watching "SPY KIDS"!!!. Sweeet!

After saying Adios to Hugh in New York I arrived safely in SFO. I did have a landmark moment in the lounge in NY. Walked past a TV with CNNfn on and didn't even look at the Nasdaq or the DOW. Pretty cool!!!!

Friday headed out to drop in on JM. Met the Marr family poolside at the Sonoma Mission Inn and totally surprised JM and Tiffany and celebrated with a bottle of "J" Champagne. Great time. Spent the rest of the day touring Vineyards.

The rehearsal dinner that night was held at a terrific winery called "Artesa". This winery is one of the oldest in the valley,but is very modern and had some amazing modern art. Very elegant and everything was perfect. http://www.artesawinery.com/tour/

The wedding itself was completely incredible. The backdrop was a beautiful part of the Sonoma Valley and was held at the Landmark Vineyard. The weather was lovely and the entire event was intimate and perfect. And to top off the weekend there was a fabulous brunch at the Sonoma Mission Inn on Sunday Morning. Whew! Congratulations Jon Michal and Tiffany!

I will be hanging out in San Fran for a little while before heading back to Europe. Other good news is that I am able to repack! You really don't need half the stuff you think you do. Also, I need a couple more shots and stuff. The weather here is excellent and I am getting in some running and checking out some new music in the city.

BTW, don't forget that Burning man is just a few days away!
http://www.burningman.com/
http://www.mofo-records.com/burningman/

Peace,

Maitland