Chapter 3 - Maryanne and the Stockton's

While everyone was contemplating their mortality, they slowly moved from the dressing room, through the corridor, and out the back to the waiting limo. Instead of going immediately back to the rooms, they decided to make a late night dinner.

Leaning forward, Bob asked the driver, "Is the Golden Dragon open this time of night?"

"No, sir," he answered. "There's nothing in Chinatown that would be open this late. We might go down to the wharf. I'm sure that Alioto's is still open or perhaps less formal, the 'Wipe Out Bar and Grill'."

"Oh, yeah," said Bob, "Let's do the 'Wipe Out Bar and Grill'. They have great pizza, fish tacos, and a loose atmosphere. It's just the kind of place that would be waiting for us to party."

When they arrived and got into the restaurant, some people in the bar had obviously been at the show. Much to their chagrin, the "Girls" were instantly recognized on their way in the door.

A couple of them got up and came over to tell the band what a great show it had been and how glad they were they had been able to see it. As always, the girls were gracious with the interruption, thanked them, and continued to move toward the large table that had been set up for them. The limo driver had called ahead to make sure they would all be able to fit, eat, and drink.

The kids watched their parents with interest, knowing that none of them liked the notoriety. It went with the territory, and it was territory the seven of them were entering. Not really thinking about it at the time, the "Girls" were excellent examples for their children.

Once seated, they began the usual family banter you would typically hear at a restaurant. Samantha was the only one of the kids who was old enough to have a drink but declined, as did everyone else. It was just iced tea and coke for this crowd tonight.

Once the pizzas and tacos arrived at the table, it got markedly quiet while they wolfed down the food. None of them realized it, but they hadn't eaten anything since the mid-afternoon late lunch they'd managed to find before the soundcheck.

Bob found and thanked the manager for keeping the kitchen open for them. He realized that it was just closing as they had arrived, and the staff went ahead and made food for them. He stuck his head in the kitchen door and thanked them personally because he knew that, for the most part, they had to start their cleaning routine all over again.

Setting another noticed example for the kids, he made sure to leave a large tip with instructions to share it with the kitchen staff. The house manager told him that it would be no problem and greatly appreciated it. The kids were taking it all in though it's not the first time they had seen this kind of activity from the elders. It's just the first time they noticed it in this new light. Because of who they were, they had inconvenienced the staff, understood they had done it, and gone out of their way to say thank you as well as leave them additional compensation.

It was just past one-thirty in the morning when they left to get back to the Mark Hopkins and some rest. They didn't have to work until early evening that day so sleeping in was no big thing. Anymore, it was part of their regular schedule.

Sitting around in the room when they all got to the hotel, the elders continued with their memories. Much of it daydreams that required explanation, but daydreams nonetheless. The show earlier that evening had brought back so many great memories of their touring days it was almost scary.

They were happy they'd decided to do this tour with the kids because it would be fun. It would also be fun cutting them loose to do their own thing when the tour was finished. They knew they'd be at every show, at least for a while, but it would be their offspring's time to shine.

They had already surpassed their parents musically, so once the voices settled, and it wouldn't be long, their harmony would be even deeper because they had two male voices to complement the five females. Of course, it'll be hard to beat their parent's vocal work, but Bob had no doubt the kids would eventually be better.

"Did you hear their harmony last night?" Bob asked.

All of them nodded their heads, and he continued, "It's not going to be long before they outperform our vocals, the same as they've already done with our music."

There were big smiles all around the table while they talked about things that had been somewhat forgotten.

They were going to surprise the kids later that night with the order of the show. The kids would open, and the elders would play the second set before they came out together to do the third as they had last night.

"That means Kylie is going to have to play her doudouk if they do our standard opening," said Maryanne chuckling. "It's up to them, but she does play it much better than I do. She lacks confidence, and I hate to throw her to the wolves, but that may be the only way for her to get it through her thick skull."

"She does take after her mother, doesn't she?" Bill said with a big grin and putting up a defensive hand when Maryanne gave him a mock punch with a laugh.

"I never lacked confidence in my ability to do anything," she said boldly.

"That is a very true statement, my dear," said Bob. "Anything you tried, you took the bull by the balls and wrung them out. It's one of the things that made you the best of all of us."

Heather laughed, "Yeah, for sure. Of any of us, Annie, you were the one that did all the oddball stuff, and it always sounded great."

"I just enjoyed the challenge," Annie said.

"You certainly didn't take to production," noted Bill.

"No, you're right, but I did my album with Chelly and Jan," Maryanne said with a grin. "Except for the three numbers I had to produce myself with Chelly's help. Chelly drove me batty on those three tracks because her ear is so fine, she'd hear shit that I swore wasn't there. She made me do a fill for it anyway."

"So much for me producing my three tracks," Annie said with a big grin.

"For sure ... you were the victim of Michelle's ear like I was when you guys were giving Bob shit about messing up some practice work we were recording. It was there, I heard it after you pointed it out, Chelly, but it's not something I'd have had the musician do a fill for."

"Hey, do it right or not at all," laughed Michelle.

"The kick ass part, Chell, is that you heard it on the fly. I had to listen four or five times before I heard what the hell you were talking about."

"Yeah, that's what she did to me," said Maryanne, "but you know the final product is perfect. There are not many musicians who can say any of their work is perfect, but we can, after Chelly works on the mastering."

"You know another classic you pulled off, Maryanne, is when you got Daphne and Gabriella to come up and do that string album you wrote. It accentuated your talent on the violin, but those two made you sound good. They're so damned good.

"Yeah, Daffy and Gabby were a kick in the ass to work with. The only problem I had was their ears were as tight as Chelly's, and they wouldn't settle for less than perfect either. I like that. I'll bitch about it, loud sometimes, but I like it."

With a huge smile and a faraway look into non-existent clouds, Maryanne took off into full-on memories mode...

-----

"Hi," she said into the telephone. "This is Maryanne Ellis. Could I speak with either Daffy or Gabby, please?"

"Sure, hold on," said the voice at the other end, "Daffy's right here."

"Hey, Annie," said Daffy, "what's shakin'?"

"Hey, Daffy," Annie laughed. "Things are going great since we retired ... never been so busy. How about you and Gabby?"

"Doing great. We've been doing some studio stuff with Uncle Bob, but nothing worth trying to put on a disc yet," Daffy said.

"Yeah, I've been doing a bunch of studio work with the band and did an album on my own," Maryanne sighed.

"Heard 'em, love 'em," Daffy offered. "The album you did on your own was totally bitchen, lady. Some of that was masterful work."

"Thanks, Daff. I appreciate it.

"Well, the reason I called is I need to do some studio work on some shit I've written, but I need some help," Maryanne said mysteriously.

Hesitantly, Daffy asked, "So why call us? We do classical strings."

"Bullshit, Daffy. Remember who you're talking to here. We've heard you two do some kick-ass work, especially when Bob's involved."

"Okay, you caught me," said a laughing Daffy, "what can we do for you?"

"Well, I wrote some stuff that is specifically for violin and cello. I do the violin, but not nearly as good as you guys. Chelly could probably synthesize the work, but quite honestly, I'd like to do it with real strings, because even though the synth does an incredible job, I can still hear the difference," Annie told her. "Besides, I can't think of a better pair to work with.

"I'll cover all of your expenses to make the trip, and if it goes to press, I'll offer the standard residual plus a percent."

"Annie, you know we don't need the money any more than you do. Can we see the music now so we can go over it?" Daffy asked.

"Of course you can. I've got it on the computer. Give me your email, and I'll send it along. Do you have 11x17 paper for your printer?"

"Yeah, I think so, but if not, we can send Uncle Bob out to get some," Daffy chuckled.

You could hear in the background Uncle Bob asking what he was being volunteered for this time.

"If you guys decide to do it, don't forget, Bob," laughed Annie, "we love it when he's around, and remember, we have plenty of room for all of you guys."

"Oh come on, Annie," howled Daffy, "bring Bob? We can't get away from him, even on a road trip?"

Both of the women were laughing heartily. Everyone loved having Bob Hazzard around because he was a real kick in the pants. Besides, he played a damned good piano.

Maryanne chuckled when she remembered the conversations she'd had with both Daffy and Gabby in the past.

After hanging up, she walked into the computer room, setting up the email to send all the sheet music of her latest composing efforts.

Zipping, then attaching the forty-plus pages, took her a little time, but she was pleased with her work and hopeful her two friends would agree to make the trip. They were always fun, and this time they could play some music together. For a change, it would be for real ... a serious recording effort this time around.

Gabriella and Daphne Stockton had been to the Ranch before. So it was always a fun time when the Stockton's came up the driveway.

They had come backstage with Bill and introduced themselves during one of the "Girl's" tours.

Bill had come into the dressing room to tell them he'd met a couple of well known musicians who wanted to say hello. The "Girls" were pumped from finishing that show and told Bill to bring them in, but they were right behind him.

The six of the ladies hit it off like long lost sisters, and the two Bob's were like birds of a feather. They'd all gone out for a late night meal and spent a bunch of hours just talking music and tours, mostly just kicking around their mutual experiences.

Maryanne invited them up to the Ranch whenever they were in the neighborhood, and they'd come up three times already. The "Girls" took a few trips to their place in New Mexico, and they played a lot of music together, but always for fun. Annie wanted to hire them for her latest effort.

A couple of days later, the phone rang, and Chelly yelled up to Maryanne that Gabby was on the phone.

Annie came to the phone with a big smile and said, "Hey, Gabby, how you doing?"

"Doing great, Annie," Gabby said brightly. "Me and Daff have been playing off that sheet music you sent down."

"Yeah? What do you think?" Annie asked.

"We love it. It's so perfect for our style and yours. I have a music file to send to you."

"A music file?"

"Yeah, Uncle Bob made a recording in our studio after we'd worked it over a few times. We ripped it down so we can email it to you. Let us know how you like our interpretation."

"Far out, Gabby, I can't wait to hear it."

"Okay, hold on a sec. I'll have Daffy send it to you while we're on the phone," Gabby said.

Maryanne heard Gabby tell Daffy to go ahead and send the file while they were still talking. It only took a second.

Gabby and Annie talked for a few minutes about what was going on in their lives. Both Gabby and Daffy had their kids making music like all girls brood and talked about putting them together for fun. They were all still pretty young but enjoyed playing various instruments.

The email came through, and Annie detached the music file and played parts of it. Just as she had expected, it was magical work. She loved it.

"Damn, Gabby, I knew I'd asked the right people," gushed Maryanne. "That sounds fantastic. It's even better than I heard it in my head or played it myself."

"Thanks, Annie. I'll let Daphne know you liked it. When do you need us to work?"

"Any time you can make it," said Maryanne. "I'm in no hurry, and the music's not going anywhere. We're working on a few other projects, so it's not something I'm chomping at the bit to get made post haste. It's at your convenience, sweetie. Just give us a call, and we'll be ready for you."

"Who's engineering and producing?" Gabby asked.

"I asked Michelle and Janell if they had some time," she answered.

"Okay, that sounds good. Chelly's a pain in the ass, but when it's finished, it'll be the best sound possible."

"Yeah, that's what we tell her. Bill says her ear is just too good."

"No, not at all. Honestly, we were thinking about calling you guys to see if we could enlist Chelly, but we haven't decided what we're going to do yet."

"Hey, if you have anything ready, bring it up, and we can do it in the Playground. I'm sure we can get Chelly to work with it since she will be in the booth anyway. Then, we can send you home with whatever you bring already mastered and in the can."

"That sounds great. It gives us some incentive to finish with what we've been working on instead of just farting around. Let me talk to Daffy and Uncle Bob, and I'll get back to you."

"Cool, Gabby. As I said, there's no rush, so you have time to do whatever you need to do. We'll be happy to record your stuff with you."

Gabby finished with, "Very cool, Annie. We'll talk to you soon."

"Okay, Gabby sounds good. Take care ... Hey to Daffy, Bob, the kids, and your mom."

They touched bases regularly, but Maryanne kept letting them know that she was in no hurry and had no release schedule to meet. She kept telling them to finish work on their compositions and when they're ready, come on up.

It took nearly six months for Daffy and Gabby to have enough of their material ready for the studio. Of course, they could have recorded it themselves in their studio, but the prospect of having Michelle do the engineering and producing in the Playground was too much temptation to pass up.

They also knew that Chelly would drive them bananas with fills, but Maryanne would be there with them. They didn't tell her, but what took some of the extra time was they had written in some extra parts to have Maryanne sit in with them.

They had also written six tracks for the entire band. Their next CD offering would feature not only Maryanne Ellis but also "These Girls Can Play".

They couldn't wait.

When Daphne called to say they were ready to make the trip, Michelle answered.

"Hey, Daffy, how the hell are you?" Chelly asked, excited.

"Doing well, Chelly. We're ready to make the trip up to help Maryanne with her string tracks. We're looking forward to working with you."

"Cool. Are you going to be ready to do some of your stuff?" Michelle asked.

"Yeah, we need to talk to all of you when we get there," Daffy said hesitantly. "Are you going to have the time to produce for us?"

"Daffy, if I didn't have time in the schedule, I'd make it for you guys, any time at all. There won't be any contention for studio time because we'll just do you in the Playground, so the only ones you have to compete with are us."

"Thanks, we appreciate it," said Daffy.

"Hey, don't forget to bring the kids and any instruments they might want to play, though we probably have just about anything they'd need. Bob, too."

"Not a problem. I'm sure the kids will have a blast playing music with yours. Someday, when they get older, we'll have to put them together for a session."

"For sure. Where are you guys going to fly into?" Chelly asked.

"I'm not sure we're going to fly. I think we're all going to pile in the bus and make a real road trip out of it. We can stop off and see some sights on the trip back."

"Okay, magic question ... When are you going to be here? I'll need to let Annie know."

"Let's see. Today is Friday ... How about next Friday?"

"That works for us. We're all looking forward to seeing you guys. Take care and have a safe trip."

"See ya soon, Chelly," said Daffy hanging up the phone.

-----

Michelle went into the eating room, where the entire collection was sitting down, eating and chatting.

With a big smile, she said, "Gabby, Daffy, Bob, and the kids, will be here next Friday."

"Cool. I'll make sure things are all set up," said Bob. "It'll be a kick having them around for a week or so. Oh, did they say whether Deliah is coming with them?"

"Don't know how long it will be, Bobby. They're going to do some of their material, too. Annie offered, and they've taken her up on it. I told them I'd produce since they asked. She didn't mention her mom, but I assume she'll be here since everyone else is coming."

"Oh god. A fate worse than death," laughed Janell, Chelly's partner in crime. "Having to put up with Chelly producing and all the damned fill work."

Everyone laughed around the table, but everyone knew that Chelly made sure that when finished, it was done right. They'd make sure the house and the studio were ready for the impending invasion.

Bob called to talk with Bob to make sure they all knew that Deliah was expected when they got here. Uncle Bob laughed and told him that she'd planned on riding along, though she didn't know what she would do with herself since it was a working trip for the rest of them

"I'll see if I can get Judy to fly in from the islands to keep her company. She needs to get some redwood air for a change. Worst case, we'll just fly Deliah to Maui for a few weeks."

"We'll have to play mind games with the kids, Bob," said Bob, "because there'll be two Uncle Bob's running around the place."

"Oh no. Yeah, we'll have to put our heads together."

So the plot had thickened, and it was only a matter of time until the Stockton's pulled out of their driveway in New Mexico.

-----

About noon Friday, the huge motorhome made its way up the drive into the large roundabout at the front of the house. The bus was greeted by a gaggle of smiling kids milling around, waiting for the door to open. When it did, more youngsters were added to the mix.

In the roundabout, it seemed like a grand homecoming party was going on. Everyone from both clans eventually found themselves in the dining room. Quickly, all of the youngsters were relegated to the large playroom, but there were no arguments. The kids spent a lot of free time in the playroom, working on and learning the different instruments their parents had provided. There were to be no limitations.

Suddenly, the dining area became markedly quieter, so the oldsters could almost hear themselves think. Then, laughing at the children's responses, they sat while the Bob's went to get drinks all around.

After an hour of catching up, the conversation migrated to business issues. Chelly wanted to know how much recording they would want to do so that she could budget her time.

Uncle Bob told them that they needed to talk to the group about some of the music they'd brought.

Daffy smiled when she said, "We wrote a couple of numbers that we'll need Maryanne's help on."

Maryanne looked at them in shock.

"You want me to play with you?" she asked.

"Yeah, why not?" asked Gabby. "We need a duet, and your violin is every bit as good as Daffy's."

"No way," Annie disagreed.

"Way, my dear," Daffy chuckled, "we've heard you play."

Then Bob chimed in with the real surprise.

"We also put together five or six numbers that we'd like the whole band to participate in, if you will."

Though wholly caught off guard, with big smiles, the girls all nodded their agreement.

"I think that would be totally cool," said Heather.

"Can eight of you fit in the studio?" asked Deliah.

She was thinking of their studio in New Mexico, which wasn't built for an entire band. However, playroom three was over two thousand square feet and made for big groups.

"Oh yeah, not a problem," said Maryanne. "I figured when Daffy and Gabby and I do my things, we can use the fill studio because it's small and sound isolated. It also has its own booth, which connects to the master."

Everyone was nodding their heads, laughing, and grinning from ear to ear. It was going to be a fun time in the "Girls Playground".

The distinct sounds of amplified music were beginning to emanate from the playroom, so they knew the kids had pulled out all the toys and were teaching each other different tunes. It was an excellent exercise for all of them.

All of the adults looked at each other and smiled widely.

"Hey," said Gabby, "where are those two crazy Aussies you've had playing with you lately?"

"They're touring," said Maryanne. "Unlike us, they love the road, so they go out pretty often. I'm not sure they'll be back before we're all finished."

"That's too bad," said Daffy, "they're a lot of fun, and I'm sure we could use them in the studio."

"I'll leave word with their caretaker so they'll get a message the next time they check-in," said Michelle. "They can at least let us know when they'll be back."

"If nothing else, please give them our regards," said Daffy.

Over the next month, the "Girls Playground" was a beehive of activity. There was the exchange of music and the thought process to get everyone on the same score.

Maryanne was happy with the way that Gabriella and Daphne had done her music, and after she received the music files, she had practiced those arrangements so that when it came time to record it, they would all be playing the same tune.

Once in the studio, the three of them played Annie's three numbers in a few different ways. As they were doing their recordings, they would come up with a different thought and, like any innovative musicians, would try it.

Chelly sat in the booth with Janell, just having a blast. They were already in the fill studio, so when Chelly heard something she wanted done better, she'd just stop at the end of the version they were working and ask whoever it was to redo a particular part, then played it for them.

At times, they would all play against each other, like a battle of the instruments. They played a lot more than just the three numbers that Maryanne had written. They laid down some tracks that Chelly could use for the following weeks when the whole bunch got together to do Daffy and Gabby's work.

All three of the musicians knew Chelly, and how she worked in the booth, so they continually did the fills as requested. They knew that in the end, the final product would be as good as it could ever be. Michelle just worked like that.

At the end of a session, they all three piled out of the studio laughing and grabassing, indicative of the level of fun they were all having to do this serious studio work. After that, they'd have a snack, lunch, or whatever, and then head into the booth with Chelly to hear what they had laid down so far.

By the end of the first week, Maryanne was ecstatic with the results and, with Chelly agreeing, called it a wrap.

Of course, Deliah and Judy would take off every day to go somewhere. They spent days in San Francisco and Sausalito or would head up to wine country with a driver. They didn't even come back to the Ranch a few days. It was a relaxing, fun time for both of the moms.

Word finally came up the hill from Sara and Samantha. They'd be on the road for a couple more months this tour, and they were sorry they couldn't be there for the Stockton's visit.

They sent their mobile phone number saying that if the Stockton's ended up close to one of their performances, to give them a call. They would arrange for passes so they could all visit.

They also mentioned upfront that they wouldn't spring any surprises on them. They may ask, but there was no obligation to play. It would just be cool to see them for some serious chinwag time, as they called it.

After a few days of rest, the party was over for the two Bobs. It was time to go to work. They all sat in playroom number three and worked out what they were going to do, when. Uncle Bob did a few tracks with the two girls. Then there were a couple of tracks where Bob joined them to play bass, though he tried to talk Maryanne into doing it instead.

Maryanne was working with her violin, complimenting Daffy's while Gabby mainly played her cello. Over the years, Bob Hazzard had become a very accomplished pianist, so he would accompany the girls with regularity. It worked out very well since Chelly was in the booth.

It took over a week to get through the tracks that were just strings and piano with the two that Bob had done. To keep things sounding mellow and woody, Bob played a stand-up concert bass for them. Showing versatility that the "Girls" hadn't known he had, he even used a bow when necessary.

Once Chelly was happy with all of the work, it was time for the half dozen numbers they'd written for the whole band.

They also did a twelve-minute recording of When The Devil Went Down To Georgia. It was masterful. Daphne and Maryanne played a whole lot of improv, being joined by Gabriella at times to give a deeper sound. Uncle Bob played the piano and sang vocals the same as he had done for the Stockton's shows.

When Chelly did the playback, she came down from the booth and played it for the whole group.

When it finished, she said, "Perfect! I wouldn't even try to get any fills on that. It's as perfect as it's going to be."

They also did an extended version of Dueling Banjo's, Heather, and Gabby teaming up on the guitars with Daffy and Maryanne playing the banjo parts. Like everything else this bunch did, it was magic. Chelly called down and said it was another perfect recording, no fills.

Everyone was pleased with the results, and for the following few tracks, they called Jilly in to help out, not realizing she was out with the twins. So they called down to the other studio to see if there was anyone who had some time to come up and do some work with the band. One of the contract producers that Bill had hired happily came up the hill to do some mixing while everyone else was busy. There were some crazy times at the "Girls Playground".

Both Chelly and Janell needed to be playing with the band, and Bill was down the hill producing for someone else in the larger facility, so when the girls called down, he sent Shari up the hill to the Playground.

They didn't lose anything with Shari. She was as good as Bill or Jilly and in some ways had a better ear, though not quite as picky as Chelly's.

So by the end of a month of toil and sweat in the "Girls Playground", (Yeah, right! Toil and sweat, uh-huh), everything they had intended to accomplish had been done.

The Stockton's were thrilled with the results, as was Maryanne. Everyone got what they wanted, and they'd had a fantastically fun time doing it.

The kids spent a lot of time together in both schooling and playing music. But, more importantly, they spent a lot of time socializing.

It wouldn't be that long until Gabby and Daffy had Chelsea, Caitlin, Sheridan, and all the rest of the children on stage playing along with them. Chelsea and Caitlin had worked with Tim, Maria, Kylie, and Renee on playing the violin. It just enhanced the skills that Maryanne had been working with them on.

In the month that the Stockton's were at The Ranch, the kids had learned more violin than she would have taught them in over a year. Annie was very pleased. She considered their young age a limitation, but the kids didn't see it that way. They didn't accept any limitations, so they just followed along and excelled. Chelsea and Caitlin were highly patient teachers and, like the others, didn't accept that there may be limitations. They just worked at it until they got it.

It was bittersweet when Uncle Bob packed up the brood to head on down the road. They had planned another couple of months on the road to explore the country. Places every American should visit at some point in their lives. The children were all old enough to remember and appreciate the trip, so the timing was perfect, and the opportunity presented itself.

They still had their place on Trinidad but lived in New Mexico, occupying a beautiful custom built house on a lake. The Stockton's made sure the "Girls" knew they were welcome to play at the lake and if they were available, bring those two crazy Aussies.

Sadly, at the time, Delia and Judy didn't know it would be the last time they would see each other, but that's life as we all live it. Unfortunately, the timing just never worked out, and Judy died before they could get together again.

Everyone was hugging, crying, and saying how much they'd miss everyone. It wasn't like they wouldn't see each other again because over the past four and a half weeks, they had become even closer friends. These kinds of visits would be a lifelong happening.

In her remembrance, Maryanne couldn't help but smile to herself. Gabby and Daffy's kids had all been doing some stage work, and now their kids were doing the same. "These Kids Can Play" would probably ask for and receive some guest musicians now and then and would happily reciprocate. All of that remains for the future, but music being a universal language, she was sure it would come to pass.

-----

"Earth to Maryanne ... Earth to Maryanne," she heard a voice in her head.

Shaking her head and coming back to the moment, she looked around the room at everyone laughing about her being off in space.

"I'm here," she said with a chuckle, "I was just thinking about one of those times we had Gabby and Daffy in the Playground to do some serious recording. My stuff sold like gangbusters, and so did theirs. That was so much fun.

"Now that all the kids are grown and performing, we should try to get them up here again for some serious recording," said Maryanne. "I can come up with some music that we can all do, and I'm sure that by now, they have written some additional music they haven't recorded."

"Let's give them a call and see what we can arrange," said Maryanne.

"When we're done with this tour, we can take a trip down to New Mexico," noted Michelle, "but our studio is bigger."

"We don't always have to make music, you know," said Bob softly, "we can just go for another nice friendly visit."

"We need to get ahold of them," said Maryanne, "and meet somewhere for a monster get together, no work, just play ... After this tour."

"I'm so happy to have them as friends," said Michelle. "They are so easy to work with, and they are SO good."

Maryanne nodded, saying, "It's been ten years since we made those records. They've taken all their kids out on a tour with them a bunch of times. We're due for a few sessions to make some new records with them."

"Our kids are as good as theirs and that's quite an accomplishment," said Bob softly. "I think we've all done very well."

"I haven't talked to either of them in a few months because they've been busy. So I hope everything is well for them," said Annie softly. "I'm going to have to ring them up and see how they're doing."

"Now you sound like Sara and Sam," laughed Bill.

It seemed that Maryanne was the contact with the Stockton's though they were all friends. Bob figured it was because of their mutual interest in classical strings. Gabby and Daffy kept Maryanne's skills sharp, and Gabby was right, Maryanne's violin is every bit as good as Daffy's.

There were nods all around. Then, everyone got up and sleepily made their way to whichever bed they would occupy that night.

As usual, it would be Maryanne and Bill in one and Bob, Michelle, and Heather in another. Janell and Terri occupied the last one ... just as they all did at home.