Happy Birthday, Dad!

Old...

Dad and I celebrated our 113th birthday yesterday at the lake. Mom, Dad, Mary, Mona, Pete, Cory, Ernie, Linda, Rose, Cassandra, the three dogs and I were out for the weekend (though Mary had to take two of the dogs home at night 'cuz they freak out over the nightly fireworks).

Yesterday, while playing DinoBridgeGinRhymeCountingGoFish as Mary Queen of Scots with Rose and Cassandra, who were being Peter Cottontail and Balla, I was informed that "When Mary Queen of Cots were a little girl, she were old."

Last day ...

We hung about this morning, then went to the Zen Center to make cookies, then to Japan Town to Soku Hardware and to a little restaurant in a mall by the peace tower thingy and had okonomiyaki (a bizarrely delicious Japanese yam pancake thingy full of vegetables and ginger, and smeared with mayonnaise and something that closely resembles worcestershire sauce but isn't) for dinner. I'm packed except for what I need tonight and tomorrow. We've got cornbread in the oven. Solas and Sephi are coming over later. Tomorrow's pretty much about getting to the airport.

New weeds ...

I wandered around the Castro today in Samframcisco ... went to Spike's for a steamed soymilk and to read the guidebooklet thingy the nice fellow at the cablecars gave me the other day - turns out it's the French version, so it took me a l'il longer ... then I went to my appointment with Gauge and got my wrist tattoo covered (pictures later, once it's healed (though it looks pretty spiffy now)) ... Solas and Vince came to watch me squirm/offer moral support. Gauge does gorgeous work. I love the design he came up with (dandelions ... imagine!)! He also has a very gentle touch and is just plain sweet about it ... "Ow" is met with "You're doing great, Honey. I hear you ... but I'm not going to stop." It was great. I left quite stoned on endorphins. Vince and I walked Solas to her bus, then went for pie and steamed soymilk, then to the Castro Country Club, then to Under One Roof, all to kill time before meeting Charlos and the PazuZo for dinner at Nirvana. I had a drink. On top of the endorphins, it near flattened me. It was fun to meet Pazzy, and it's always good to see 'Los. We yacked and laughed and had some great food. I came home and read the tattoo care instructions, unwrapped it, gave it a wash and dry and put some Vitamin A & D goo on it. I'm beat.

Rice-a-roni ...

Yazza and Beam and the kids came into the city yesterday and we spent the day doing touristy things, starting with getting everyone an extra fleece or sweatshirt to wear 'cuz it's bloody cold down by the water and they'd decided the wharf was the place to take me.

We had lunch at theBoudin Bakery bistro, then went through their bread museum and watched them making enormous amounts of bread at a time. San Francisco sourdough really does taste different. I figured I would have fish once, since I'm in San Francisco ... it was very good (and the tartar sauce was fantastic! It's all about the condiments).

We got in a rather long line-up to ride the cable cars, listened to some ... interesting ... music by a few amplified buskers all playing at once along the line-up, watched the cable car guys turn the cars around as they came in, and finally got onto one of them. The fellow collecting the fares took our money and gave us tickets, then gave the younger boy a few dollars change (which we didn't have coming), making his day. The cable car ride was very cool ... up and down streets with dickensian streetfronts looming over us in the fog, with the sound of the brakes and cable-grabber levers and steel wheels on rails, and the smell of the scorched wooden brakes in the air ... quite magical, and the older boy was tickled that he got to ride at the very front of the cable car.

At the other end, we got Beam and the boys some socks 'cuz it was even colder out once it got dark. The older of the boys had a pocket full of change and had been thinking all day about what he was going to buy with it. While we were standing in the line-up again to take the cable car the other way, he decided what he'd really like to do was give his change to a fellow in a wheelchair who'd been hanging about talking to people 'cuz he thought that fellow could make better use of it. Very cool. A guy came along and told us about the streets and the cable cars and the neighbourhood at that end of the tracks ... turns out he doesn't work for the cable cars, but is a rather creative homeless guy. He was sweet and told good stories, we tipped him well. The younger boy got to ride at the very front of the cable car on the way back, and the older one got to stand on the step and hold on. Both were beside themselves, having so much fun.

We had dinner in a sports bar in hotel near the wharf and had a waiter who was not having a very good day at all, poor guy. From his bearing and speech, I think he's highly educated and not too impressed with working there ... on the other hand, he coulda been just plain crabby. Ours was the last car left in the parking lot by the time we were done. We had a great time getting thoroughly lost on the way back to Vinces.

San Jose

We didn't get to see Althea. Boo.
But we did see a big barbie-pink fuzz-flocked plastic Buddah bank.

We've been busy. Odesseus came in Friday evening and left this morning. Connie Crete flew in on the spur of the moment Friday night and flew home again this evening. We went to Kiriel's and saw Kiri ('course) and Hidden (and a friend of his) and Noivad and Chicken and Krandor and Zyzyz and Mars (and a friend of hers) and Solas and Sephi and Yazza (and her kids). I ate sugar. I'm so tired.

Samframcisco ...

We've been busy!
Monday: Taxis, airports, a missed connection in Calgary (I have never made a connection there successfully), the BART, drinks with Vince, Solas and Sephiroth at Marlena's, up 'til a bazillion o'clock yacking
Tuesday: Sleeping in, not a lot planned, lots of buses and trollies ... the transit system here is very cool ... meeting and consultation with Gauge, a drop-in visit with Charlos at Spike's, lunch at a créperie (not the same kind of restaurant), dinner with Lorikeet at Greens (very yummy!), family hunt in CL for Nettle
Wednesday: To the college with Vince to sit in on his first class, home for breakfast, back to the college for his second class (I went to read in the SU building but spent most of the time looking at little weeds growing along the sidewalks and birds), a visit with Gauge, a visit with Solas while Vince was otherwise occupied ... then she dragged me off shopping ... sure, it started off innocent enough with a trip to Borders to compare favourite authors, but then there was Macy's and sparkly lacy things ... then we had dinner at the Cheescake Factory (avocado eggrolls don't sound good, but gawds they're amazing!) with a total hambone of a waiter, walked up a small mountain to take Sephi his dinner and then back to Vince's

Gnyah!

After some confusion (the kennel thought they weren't taking the cats 'til next Friday ... yikes!), the cats went off for their holiday. Nina didn't turn up on Thursday and didn't phone back 'til yesterday, saying she'd turn up here before work today or around 1:00 if it turned out she didn't have to work. I haven't heard from her yet. Time for more chamomile tea and rescue remedy! On Friday, I got a dress caught on a door hinge and tore it. I mended that. Yesterday I was talking on the phone while doing laundry and ended up pulling on the thread holding the button on a pair of pants. I fixed that, too. All I have left to do: dishes, empty garbage/recycling, empty/wash the litterboxes, finish the laundry, pack, henna my hair and go see Pat in the hospital. I can do all that and still get a good night's sleep, right?

Forecast and Aftermath ...

I rousted Cory at ten this morning to have a shower and pack up his stuff ... Ernie and Linda weren't far behind. We listened to some of the CD's we got at the Folk Fest, had fresh honey ginger lemonade, popovers and (not chana ... it can't be chana masala without chickpeas and we used lentils ... the kids called it Auntie Lynn Masala) masala for breakfast. Mary came to pick them up a little before noon ... we told each other stories of the last few days and watched Stevie's brand new DVD that I got from him yesterday at the Folk Fest, then they loaded up and left to get Cory to work on time. I puttered about ineffectively 'til I surrendered to the nap gods. I haven't yet checked to see if I have any pictures or not ... I took the camera out a couple of times and pointed it at things but it was either too bright or too dark to check to see what I'd taken for pictures.

What the fridge magnets said this weekend:

be cool as rain
tell spring about love

I want me so over you

gorgeous garden goddess
watch you sweat
producing essential summer gifts

true beauty is beneath

boy delerious dream of hot girl

drool for eternity

road shot

please only like luscious red blood

never shake mad puppy on chain

feet leave bitter smell in my bed

life is like pounding head

blow a forest whisper
but in a day shine delicate power

need not death or love sag with juice

man is shadow of music

ugly dress would beat your vision out

I lick sweet iron scream repulsive egg

I trudge thousand white moon tongues

diamond rose under enormous chocolate fiddle

it with finger run pink smear on most honey sausage

to incubate mother is thinking franticly

me like purple rock fluff

ask your woman to go to sleep

behind drunk friend lies

The kids think I know so many people and were asking if I know them all from outside the Folk Fest, or if I met some of them there. Once I thought about it, I realized that I first met Pete and another Pete and another Pete and another Pete there. Weird, eh?

There are people I see only there ... we catch up once a year and carry on. I miss them if I miss a year connecting with them. Life taken in one-year slices is about big things ... marriages, going clean and sober, babies, illnesses, career changes, deaths, grandchildren, so many big things. A friend I've known for a dozen years but have never seen anywhere else had a Cochlear implant in December and had it activated in January. He was hard of hearing enough that he could hear that his father was speaking, but not what he was saying. He'd never heard his wife giggle. He's still moved to tears each time he hears a friend's voice for the first time ... and then there's the music. I wonder if his speech will change, now that he can hear others speaking. It would be very strange to hear him speak differently.

Brandon phoned this morning to say he'd forgotten how tiring the Folk Fest is. You'd think two evenings and two full days lolling about in the sun listening to fantastic music would be relaxing ...

Thursday's a breeze ... tarp, blanket, extra clothing layers (wet weather gear if the forecast calls for it), water bottles, binoculars, camera, sunblock, bug goo, distributed among the backpacks ("It doesn't matter if that's hers, you're carrying it 'cuz she's little and can't carry as much. It's okay if you carry his hoodie, it's lighter than your water bottle and program." Etc.) and you're set! Head over at four or five in the afternoon, plop down and enjoy ... take the kids down the hill for food a couple of times and to check out the merchandise tent ... pack up by eleven and shoehorn ourselves and our gear onto a bus home ... probably in bed by midnight ... unless it rains, then add half an hour for dealing with wet gear.

Friday's about the same with an extra layer 'cuz it runs a bit later, and the programs we bought Thursday ... pack up by midnight and leave soon after to do the bus shoehorning thing ... probably in bed by one or one-thirty ... unless it rains, then add half an hour for dealing with wet gear.

Saturday's a little more work ... get up at six-thirty to get everyone showered and fed and packed up to go (hurry!) ... to the tarp, blanket, extra clothing layers, water bottles, binoculars and camera, sun block, bug goo, program, add wet weather gear regardless of the forecast, tent (bless Pete's folx' hearts for taking it for us!), tie-dye to mark the tent (I'm going to paint the fly ... I'm tired of trying to get the tie-dye to stay put and of folx not being able to find it), fruit, snacky veggies, pretzels, olives, nuts, etc. (kids aren't fuel efficient) ... rush off to join Pete's folx in line to get in the gate (wait) ... grab a spot for the tent, get it and the tarp set up so it's ready when kids arrive (hurry!) ... take stock of who wants to do/see what when, figure out where and when we've agreed to meet various people and how we'll work it into the day ... take the kids down the hill for something to eat ... check out the merchandise tent ... go to workshops at a couple of different stages ... go find lunch for the kids and something sweet to eat on the way back up the hill to catch the mainstage show and brought-with food ... back down the hill for more workshops at various stages, visits to the crafts, merchandise and record-signing tents ... grab dinner and something sweet to eat on the way back up the hill for the mainstage show ... unload the tent onto the blankets, pack up the tent and tarp by ten-thirty or eleven for Pete's folx to take it home ... pack everything up by midnight and head out soon after for the bus/shoehorn routine ... probably in bed by one or one-thirty unless it rains, then add half an hour for dealing with wet gear.

Sunday's a repeat of Saturday, only everyone's more tired and sun/wind burnt, so it's a little harder to be efficient ... on the other hand, everything's pleasantly surreal ... unload the tent onto the blankets and strike the tent a bit earlier to make room ... pack everything up by eleven and pre-smooch everyone so we can make a break for it as soon as the finale's over ... Sunday night's bus is way more packed than the other nights' ... probably in bed by twelve-thirty or one ... wet gear can wait 'til morning.

Gawds, I'm tired! We sure had a lot of fun, though.

Tired ...

Folk Fest day 4 ... that's a wrap for another year. We stayed through the bitter end so the kids could sing along to a rather stumbly version of Four Strong Winds. We didn't get rained on. It was another day of making plans and then enjoying doing something else instead. Apparently I didn't miss much missing one of the main stage acts I was very much hoping to see ... and while we were missing that one, we were enjoying Big Jay McNeely hamming his way through his set ... he had Amos Garrett and Roy Rogers playing together (yow!), then Rusty Reed and Norton Buffalo.

The boys found themselves treasures in the record tent and Linda found hers in the crafts tent. Unfortunately, Linda's got lost twice and didn't get found again the second time. I have an idea where to find the fellow who made the beaded lizards she's so smitten with, so perhaps Lou (pronouced Lao) has a brother lizard out there somewhere who'd like to go live with Linda.

I haven't spent time with Brandon at a festival in roughly a bazillion years. It was great to do that again! I've been answering, "Hey, who was that guy? He's really nice. How come we haven't met him before?" since yesterday.

Pat phoned me on my cell while I was there, from the hospital. He's having even more trouble walking than he was at the Sasquatch and he's in to see if they can do anything about it. It's got something to do with a tumor on his spine affecting the nerve. He doesn't get the report 'til Wednesday about how the thalidomide's working, but says that if the tumor on his spine is growing it can't be good news. Me, I'm holding my breath a while longer 'cuz ... just 'cuz I can't give up yet.

Surreal Transit ...

Folk Fest day 3 ... On the way to get Linda's glasses fixed, she and I nearly got abducted by a busful of grannies who wanted to keep us. On the way back, the driver had the whole bus singing "The Wheels On The Bus". It was screamin' hot today, then we watched the clouds come in during the evening and got thoroughly rained on, slogging through ankle-deep puddles on the road on the way out. The lightening was spectacular, as was the music. Cory picked up a CD and had Big Jay McNeely autograph it for him ... I picked up an Amos Garrett CD off the shelf and thought it was odd that it was opened ... turns out he autographed it ... the rest were still sealed. Guess which one I brought home.

The house is full of wet things hanging to dry and smells a little like wet pasture. I'm burnt and chilled, my hair's huge and all goofy ringlets. Tomorrow's forecast is for partly cloudy and a reasonable temperature ... but then, so was today's.

Aurora Earle and the Dirty Hippies...

Among others, Steve Earle was on the main stage tonight, giving us his take on what's going on south of the 49th, and singing us protest songs, broken heart songs, and just generally growling his way through his stage time, accompanied by green northern lights stretching from due north to south across the eastern sky.

We had some amazingly bad neighbours at the fest today, one of whom stomped diagonally across all our blankets, my hand and Linda's glasses to get to their tarp and just kinda sneered when Barbara pointed it out. Ick. They were inconsiderate, pushy, messy and kinda smelly. A good-sized cluster of folx who give hippies a bad name. The bright side is that it's remarkable rather than the norm for the Folk Fest ... Cory was very impressed by how clear the ground is of litter.

We got home and unloaded perishables, water bottles, damp ground blankets and stuff we don't want in our packs for tomorrow, Linda washed enough dirt off her feet to start an herb garden, and the three of 'em crashed. Hard.

Tomorrow we'll get up early, go join Pete's folx in line and set up the tent. Once Barbara gets there, Cory and Ernie will hang out with her for a while so Linda and I can go to Bonnie Doon and see if we can get her glasses fixed.