7/30/2005 03:33:00 PM|||Garnet|||...cuz I'm drinkin' San Pellegrino water straight out da bottle. That's right. Killin' off what's left of this here 25.3 fl oz bottle of fancy bubbly water. *bururrrrrrp!*
Yesterday, Honey and I spent the whole day up in Lyons at a bluegrass festival. This one's called Rocky Grass and it's filled to the rim with famous bluegrass performers. This is a three day weekend gig. Actually, this weekend of non-stop concerts follows a full week of workshops and such, referred to as "The Academy." I wasn't sure I could handle three full days of bluegrass this time (Lyons isn't as happenin' as Durango was) so I just went for yesterday. Honey's there today and will go again tomorrow.
Fried our butts off in the 100 degree heat up there yesterday. While Honey reapplied his sunblock every hour or so, I'd casually think to spray some on my arms from time to time in between trips to the nearby river to soak myself with water. I figured I needed to get my Vacation Tan back in full swing to see out the rest of the summer. Needless to say, Honey's still white. I'm a freaking lobster.
Anyway, the music was good but really, my favoritest part was the people watching. I am an avid people watcher. I used to go on day trips to the airport with friends just to sit and watch the people pass by and make prank-pages over the intercom. I saw a very very large woman in a mumu beach herself smack in the middle of the shallow river with her head resting against a rock. She was there for about an hour, best I could tell. I also saw a guy change out of his shorts and into his swim trunks under the pseudo-privacy of a blanket. Unfortunately, his back was to us. I saw his crack. He forgot that people exist behind him as well as in front. Duh. I saw a woman breast feeding her baby. I overheard a witty man tell a group of friends this joke: "Adam said to Eve, 'Look out! I don't know how big this thing's gonna get!'") and nobody near him laughed much. I saw a lot of great people doing great and, sometimes, stupid things! It was awesome!
I left around 6:00 and headed the 60 miles back home. Honey got home at midnight. He said after the sun went down, not long after I left, a greenish haze covered the landscape of people in the crowd. He witnessed the five or so frat boys in front of him light up doobie after doobie until the show was over. This is interesting to me because I have been to my fair share of Lollapoloozas and the like. I know that at any Dave Matthews concert there will be that thick green haze. But I didn't really know to expect it from the bluegrass followers. Sure, they look like granola hippies but you can tell that they're not 100% because of the $150 sandals and $300 binoculars they possess. They're not hippies, nor are they yuppies. They're not even yippies. I'm not sure what to call them but they are a nice breed of people. The majority of bluegrass devotees are between the ages of 25-75, sporting young to teenage kids in tow and a wide variety of "gadgets" (be they instruments, outdoorsy/REI toys, etc). But they don't light up the weed right as the sound check people are setting up the stage an hour before the concert even begins. These people have CLASS. They have STYLE. Most of all, they have patience and a plethera of common sense: They wait until the end of the concert, after the sun is sufficiently hidden and the crowd has tripled in size (all making it easier and less likely for the security people to give a damn!). Now what I wanna know is, where were these people when I was smokin' at concerts!!!??!?!?
We've already decided that next year we're going to camp at the festival. Our buddies from Coal Creek Bluegrass were in attendance (though not performing) and were camping on site. We'd love to hang out with them again!
Ever heard a bluegrass version of "All Along the Watchtower," "Forever Young," or "Friend of the Devil"? I did yesterday. Hella-cool!
Today I participated in my first "public" Wiccan ritual. The Wicca Basics 101 class that I dropped out of earlier in the summer had a Lughnasadh celebration and ritual this morning and invited those of us who dropped the class. It was small and simply-orchestrated but very comfortable and spiritually enlightening. At the end of the rituals, the teacher was given a gift of thanks from another student (one of the only two who lasted the entire course of the class!) and then the teacher went around and publically, individually thanked each person for coming. She looked me in the eye and thanked me for letting her know when I decided to no longer come to the classes. She said that it meant a lot more to her than I probably thought (it did) that I took the initiative to recognize and express that the class just wasn't right for me at this junction of my path. I felt really good that she recognized that I did it, although I certainly wasn't expecting her to. It took a lot of balls for me to bail on that class. And even more balls to actually explain to her why I did so. I'm normally the type of person who just STOPS. Leaves. Does not return. No longer deals. But lately, I've been more aware of that and being a better person about it. :)
Well. Now. Honey's gone for the rest of the evening. What am I to do with myself!? Tomorrow I'll take the dog to the Bark Park. But this evening I must entertain myself. Hmmmm....
*UPDATE: Fear not, I am sufficiently entertained. I took Dobby to the Bark Park for a bit and he got really hot and panty while trying to avoid the big dogs who were trying to play with him. We hit Noodles and Company on the way home to get me some dinner. Plopped down to watch some TiVo'ed goodness (Monk and Get Color!) followed by some L&O: SVU! I've forgotten how much fun it can be being alone sometimes! I'm an only child...I've had lots of practice!
Hope everyone's having a great weekend!|||112276057925978656|||I'm a Hard Core Snob