broken bells

broken bells, originally uploaded by .solo..

day one - brooklyn vegan, broken bells, dark castle, neon indian, zoe keating, soko, choir of young believers, fanfarlo, ozomatli, the black, paul wall & chamillionaire.

amazing musical wanderings as well as a first: ride home for a 20 minute sunset siesta & lola run.

musical city appreciation and anticipation

it begins yet again! four full days of official spring introduction and wandering explorative freedom. most look at band lists and carefully plan what shows, venues, bands & schedules work best. I find the most fun in the freedom that comes with fresh air sweet sun cycled wanderings; fully appreciating the influx of out-of-town music enthused folks and bands where the level of energy is palatable and relaxed at the same time. night enjoyment of notable acts mixed with new artist sampling complete the experience.

daytime activities consist of outdoor venues, free beer & cocktails and occasionally food. short sets starting at noon run the full length of the afternoon with ebbs & flows of crowds, energy and musical stylings. eventual transition to night small (or relatively large) indoor venues and 'proper' shows.

exhaustedly night cycles home and relaxed musical musing dreams rest up before waking and finding that in this beautiful town that reinforces happy local living: daily juice beginnings; local coffee shop book and lawn lounging; friendly folks abounding in exploration and shared experiences.

all begins tomorrow. random musings and extensive pictures and photos will assuredly appear.

enjoy!

urban saturday

urban saturday, originally uploaded by .solo..

Mobile social ride great times cap a typical saturday of active happiness. ballet fit in the morning awakes, strengthens & stretches. downtown market farming with stops to chat with Roberto, Sebastian, and the Dai Due crew leisurely entertain. last sunset valley farmers' market day Richardson Farms steak acquisition and tales of blue corn possibilities and wet fields.
To note: I was not able to find one copy of the Oxford American after visiting three book stores /sigh: I guess on-line shopping is indeed best (direct ordering costs only 5.95 from the comfort of home).

Compiling market acquired (& other local ingredients) in brunch form is one of the most rewarding enjoyable practices of the day. Nothing quite like cooking imminently with acquisitions to accentuate the excitement and reinforce the discussions had with farmers and folks.

Mobile social rides have grown from in the neighborhood of 20 people when we (I was conceptually and loosely involved at the beginning) started back just over a year ago to routinely more than several hundred folks now. amazing (& I can take no credit for any of it as I typically have to miss the Thursday night rides in favor of long standing (6 years!?) softball traditions). Acting as a ride leader is rewarding, fun & a whole different type of responsible dynamic (especially in this group. Yesterday I was able to help the googlemaps bicycle group (marketing & engineers that created the program who flew in from Seattle for sxsw interactive and attended the ride) change a flat and then escort them around town catching up with the main portion of the ride. It's always nice to welcome out-of-town folks to our city and be the best hosts possible (something that I wholly appreciate when I visit other cities and that which leaves lasting impressions). After two hours of city sun riding, free beer, raffles, & swag under a mellow johnny's tent. new out of town folks were amazed by the greatness of this (now familiar) city along with the fact that free beer was available for more that two hours with minimal lines (new belgium beer is an great supportive brewery & company!).
great days such as this have afternoons that cumulate with sunset home cycling, lola happy greetings with rewarded neighborhood hill running. further farmer market short order cooking with Zhi Oolong favorites and music (transitioning into the rewarding Up film) yield a happy tired leg relaxed self. great well rested dreams.