When school closes for summer vacation then my wife Marsha has the opportunity to go with me to some of the beautiful places where I perform. On June 9^th I was scheduled at the Pacific Grove Library. Pacific Grove is a little community just south of Monterey along the beautiful Central California Coast. It was a splendid day and we walked along the beaches and rocky cliffs, breathing in the sea air.

Randel & Marsha surrounded by pink flowers on the sea shore.

Silly seal sleeping on the rocks!

On Friday June 11^th we headed for the high Sierras and more puppet work. Tioga Pass, the way through Yosemite to the Eastern Sierras, had opened just a week before. It is closed by heavy snows for most of the fall, winter, and early spring. We quickly passed through Yosemite Valley. Though the road was clear, snow was still piled high on each side as we ascended the mountains. When we left home the temperature was close to 85° F, but as we crossed Tioga Pass at nearly 10,000 feet the temperature was 35° F.

Tioga Road descending into Mono Lake Basin.

We dropped quickly down the other side of the pass into the Mono Lake Basin. I thought I had seen most of California, but this is an area I have missed. We soon pulled into Mammoth Lakes, CA, famous for its ski resorts. What beautiful, rugged mountain vistas!

The sights were breath-taking, literally and figuratively, for Mammoth Lakes is about 8,000 ft. above sea level and the air is much thinner than we are accustomed to.

I was scheduled as entertainment for an outdoor health fair. My sponsor was the Inyo Mono Association for Community Action (IMACA). The week before had been sunny and mild, but for the fair the weather was cold and very windy. Display tents were blown over before they could be secured with anchors. The craft tent where I was to help with puppet making projects stayed in place, but the walls and floor bulged in with every gust. Fortunately the library, whose parking lot we were using for the event, had a storyteller cancel, so Groark and I were able to move our show indoors.

After the health fair Marsha and I still had time to see the lakes of the Mammoth Basin. The blues and greens of the lakes and blue of the sky were so intense! However the forest trails we wanted to hike were still covered with deep snow.

An awesome view of the Sierras from Lake Mary!

We had Sunday to ourselves. We found the local Latter-Day Saint church and had a great time visiting with the local members. We took a leisure drive south to see Convict Lake and found McGee Creek. Perhaps I have some distant claim to land in this area…or not.

Marsha at Convict Lake. This site is often used in TV and movie scenes for a high mountain lake backdrop

McGee on McGee Creek. Any relation? I don’t think so.

On Monday Marsha and I met with Terri Speidel and her staff at IMACA and demonstrated and made simple puppets for use with play and learning activities for young children. They were an open and enthusiastic group. They are already planning for my return next year, and I am looking forward to it.

We spent the late afternoon in Yosemite Park. It is no wonder why this is one of the most visited parks in the National Park system. The views are stunning! I love this job and the places it takes me!

Parting view of the Yosemite Valley.

To Dr. Seuss (and Randel McGee)

By Groark the dragon

(originally written for March 2, ’99)

Today is March 2^nd. Today is the day,

That we throw up our hands and we all shout hooray!

So why do we cheer? Don’t you know, silly goose?

It’s the day that we honor our friend, Dr. Seuss.

If You don’t know the Doctor,

What a laugh! What a crock!

Where have you been living? Down under a rock?

Oh, he’s not a Dr. that sews cuts with stitches

Or rubs smelly crèmes on the place where it itches.

He doesn’t do research in a hospital  lab.

Or tell you how you can lose inches of flab.

Oh no! He’s the Dr. that makes us all laugh.

He writes stories that are quite a laugh and a half!

He makes up strange creatures and hilarious rhymes.

When reading his books, it’s the best of all times!

“To think that I saw it on Mulberry Street”

is the very first children’s book he did complete.

But there are way more! You have seen them at school!

Like “On Beyond Zebra” amd McElligot’s Pool”

Your friends and your fam’ly will have a treat when you

Add “Green Eggs and Ham” to your reading menu.

Now let’s look at the book of “The Cat in the Hat”

They recently made a movie of that.

The book was the best! It was way out of sight!

But the movie just didn’t get the story quite right!

I guess that it’s true when at movies you look.

It’s really much better when you read the book.

But there is another man born on this day,

Who plays with his words and makes us shout Hooray!

March 2^nd’s the birthday of Seuss, don’t you see,

But it’s also the birthday of Randel McGee.

So we honor two men who write stories and poems

That make us all laugh and now you all know ‘em.

So three cheers for the stories that we’ll all hear today!

Let’s throw up our hands and let’s all shout hooray!

The end

McGee, you’re my right-hand man! I love ya’ like a brother! So, can I borrow $20?

Here’s McGee in the role of Li’l Randy:

In't he cute!

On Saturday January 23rd, my son Matthew and I drove to Club Nokia in Los Angeles to see The Pee Wee Herman Show! Huh – Huh! Our puppeteer friends Sean and Patrick Johnson and their team at Swazzle, along with other talented puppeteers, helped build and perform the puppets that help Pee Wee in his crazy hi-jinks! Matthew and I had lots of fun! AAaauugh! (FUN was the secret word! Whenever someone said that word we had to scream real loud!)

We even had the chance to participate in the Question & Answer session after the show. That was also lots of f… Uh, very enjoyable!

Here is Paul Reubens at the Q & A in a Pee Wee-esque pose!