I GET A CHUCKLE out of the fact that some of the music I listened to in my youth has found its way onto my boys' Apple iPods, just as a few of their generation's tunes have landed on mine.

While they were home from college this summer, a mixture of classic rock and current hits wafted throughout the house or from the speakers by the pool as they hung out with friends. They have since headed back to school and things are quiet again.

Sharing a similar taste in music makes me think of special memories we've made together as a family over the years. We have songs for our sunny Shasta Lake trips and tunes that remind us of being snuggled in a cabin with snow falling down. Always in the mix is music from the Steve Miller Band.

While I can say that I share this common bond with my kids, Alamo residents Susan Talon-Mazer and Marc Mazer can take it a step farther. As "Fly Like an Eagle" was blasting throughout our house this summer, the Mazers got to watch their daughter Rachel, 17, perform the song with the Steve Miller Band. How cool is that?

It turns out that for the past four summers, Rachel has attended the Interlochen Center of the Arts music school's summer camp in Michigan, which helps young artists focus on their major of choice — be it music, visual arts, theater, film studies or dance.

Rachel's niche is jazz vocal and jazz saxophone. This summer she was the first tenor saxophone

Meanwhile, the Steve Miller Band was scheduled, as part of its national tour, to perform a concert at the Interlochen 3,600-seat outdoor auditorium (where other artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Wynton Marsalis, have performed). Steve Miller contacted camp directors and asked them to recommend a tenor sax player for their concert.

With about an hour's notice, Rachel found out she was to perform with the band. During "Fly Like an Eagle," Rachel had an improvised solo that lasted over three minutes. I chatted with Rachel about the feeling of performing with them.

"The energy of the Steve Miller Band was exhilarating. It was an incredible experience to be on stage playing music while hearing their fans clapping and screaming," she told me.

Way to go, Rachel!

A REMINDER: The Alamo Women's Club will host a special pancake breakfast 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 20 at the clubhouse, 1401 Danville Blvd. The fundraiser will benefit the Julie Hawkins Medical Fund. Julie recently had a liver transplant and her family has incurred overwhelming medical bills.

The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Organ donor forms will also be available.

In other news, the women's club will hold its first meeting of the season at noon Sept. 23. Lorrie Sullenberger will be the featured speaker. She is a contributor on ABC7's "View from the Bay" and a writer for Alive East Bay and is an ambassador for the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness. Oh, and her husband is Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who is the hero pilot of the Hudson River plane landing.

Tickets for the catered lunch are $20. E-mail your reservation by Sept. 19 to normascruggs@yahoo.com.

Have a great week!

Reach Caterina Mellinger at aroundalamo@hotmail.com.