This week's Stern Grove kicked some serious booty shaking musical social ass, between my dear friends, the lovely energetic yellow clad Emeline Michel [picture her holding her heart: "I just want to stay in San Francisco; you are such blessed souls," and me + 15,000 others screaming back: "You can stay with me!!!") and the equally soul soaring Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective. Not to mention a super fun not too crowded but enthusiastic multi-generational groovin' crowd. One 4 footer-and-rapidly-shrinkin elder was raising her red sweatered arms up over her broad rimmed white straw hat in her enthusiasm. Unfortunately this dance move knocked her off balance almost every time. Despite a couple near disasters, she continued to groove, putting her next in line on my "Elders I Idolize" list (after M.E, who has been rocking the casbah for 96 years).
Me with both a Birthday Girl and a Quite Recent Birthday Girl
So I was on "hard core" duty, which means a 10 a.m. arrival so that Sej the birthday girl can have a fantastic view while showing up 4 minutes before the music starts. So I'm hanging out surrounded by lunchable snackage and blankets and other onesies similarly holding down spaces for their peeps. With a book, a damp but not too cold sky, and an equally prepared but chatty neighbor. His name was Drew? Stu? I think Stew. AKA the self proclaimed "Smoking Police." Light up near this fella? From inside the vest breast he whips out the water glock and dowses our neighbors midlighter flicking all while vocally enforcing the newly codified but old san francisco tradition of banning cigarette smoking (but not toking) from all public land. Here's to Po-Po Stu, who apparently represents a Stern Grove Classic. Should you be in his vicinity, may nothing but condensation escape from your mouth.
