12 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {sloane citron} found our seats, which were in a great spot with a clear view of the stage. The first half of the show featured the band’s early songs, and we fought the urge to get up and dance. We didn’t want to block the people behind us, so we just sang the songs together and rocked in our seats. To her credit, Tali knew them all. She did, as she reminded me, grow up in my home, where ‘60s music was always playing as we swam, barbecued and played sports in our backyard. The night was brisk, but soon the band encouraged everyone to stand, and we moved to the familiar music, the quality and poetry of which has not diminished after 60 years. That warmed us up and got our energy flowing. It was a happy, lively evening, the stars shining above us. Since Tali’s normal wake-up time is 2AM, 4AM and then up for good around 5AM, we didn’t want to get stuck in the traffic going down the mountain, so when we felt like The Fab Four was closing in on its finale, we dashed out to beat the crowd. Thirty minutes later, I was depositing my sweet girl at her home, the lights still on, waiting for mom to come back. It was a perfect night with a perfect daughter. We had a splendid time together, reminiscing, joking, laughing and singing our hearts out to the songs of the ages. “Dad,” Tali said after giving me a hug and a kiss when she was about to get out of my car, “We’ve got to make this an annual thing.” And so, we will. I teared up a bit on my solo drive home, nostalgic for my life when my children were small, but feeling blessed that they all still like to hang with their dad. Awhile back, my daughter Tali suggested that she and I should do something together, just the two of us. We couldn’t remember the last time we had done such a thing, giving greater resonance to the idea. Tali is the third of my four children and has always lived at home in Menlo Park or nearby (her family now lives in San Carlos, which they have come to love) and our lives are very much intertwined. She married her high school sweetheart, Sam (also from Menlo Park), works as an excellent real estate agent and is the caring mother of three small children (5, 4 and 2) who are always on the go. She’s a busy woman, as you can imagine. My daughter has a spunky nature, always laughing, joking and happy. She’s youthfullooking, and many do a doubletake when they learn her age. When Tali was a small girl, I wrote an essay about how she reminded me of my long-gone grandmother, Beulah. That glimmer in her eye and her sweet smile still make me recall my grandmother, with whom I had a loving, special relationship. When I’m with Tali, I often think of the sweet, old woman who taught me to play cribbage. Tali found a concert for us at the spectacular Mountain Winery in Saratoga, and so we secured tickets and put it on the calendar, which happened to be on the Saturday before Father’s Day. While I’m a bit underwhelmed by holidays celebrating me, I did like the idea that we would enjoy the evening together before the day. I’m an anxious guy when it comes to getting to events—or anything—on time, so I was a bit concerned when Tali told me that her family would be at a birthday party until late afternoon and that she could be home and ready to leave at 6:30 for the 7:30 show. I arrived early and as soon as she pulled up, she jumped in my car, and we headed off to Saratoga. If you haven’t attended a show at the Mountain Winery, you’re missing out. I’ve gone to dozens of shows there and it’s my favorite venue for seeing a live act. It’s up on a luscious green mountain surrounded by vineyards, and the setting is simply dazzling. You can see for miles. It’s perfectly laid out, intimate and unique, with the original winery building from 1852 serving as the backdrop for the stage. Tali and I made quick work of the trip there and, even though we were later than most arrivals, were fortunately given a closein parking space. Outside of the seating area, they offer a variety of delicious dinner options and after promptly receiving our food, we sat down in the patio to enjoy our meals. We were just finishing our last bites (in between chatting with different people we knew) when we heard “She Loves You,” the iconic Beatles’ song. This was not a recording but what we had come to see: The Fab Four, perhaps the preeminent Beatles cover band. We finished up and yeah, yeah, yeah
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