what a weekend! the big music festival in Pasadena on saturday. more about all that including the story and song by Brad Colerick. . ."is there paper in heaven?" i talked to his wife after his performance and told her how moving the song was. she said it was a true story, basically. this is a photo of her holding her daughter while watching her husband Brad sing. she had such a happy content loving look on her face. priceless.
more about losing my back-up battery that i bought for my digital camera in Japan... a little too expensive to be losing... but, then i lost the camera that it was originally bought for on my adventure to Austin way back at the beginning of June. you don't need to follow all that just know after checking, re-checking and re-re-checking my backpack for it at the festival, i found it (in the pocket i put it in so i would not lose it) in my backpack when i finally made it home and dumped everything out onto the floor. more about all the singer/songwriter/musicians at the Americana Stage in the Armory Center for the Arts, and the local LA jazz singer who started off the free concert season at the Levitt Pavilion in Memorial Park. and the Brazilian reggae band with a touch of gospel at Paseo Colorado, the sweet-voiced Meiko followed by the refreshingly entertaining but hard-to-categorize music of Jesca Hoop at the Emerging Artist Stage. and finally i missed the Latin Jazz sounds of Bobby Rodriquez at Levitt Pavilion under the stars but i could hear it from the Memorial Metro Station. i have seen Mr. Rodriquez and his trumpet at the sunday jazz brunch at The Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach a couple of times which is why i chose to stay and hear Jesca Hoop before hurrying to the metro station. i could have listened to the last hour of the jazz in the park but it had been a very long day. i had thought about staying out all night like in Austin but i wanted to be home to get ready for the sunday festivals in Redondo Beach. and i was tired. little did i know it would take about 3 hours to get home using four different subway lines and riding on two buses.
now i will move ahead to sunday and then the summer festival in Riviera Village (downtown Redondo Beach). more photos to be added this week. it was another hot day but not as hot as the day before in Pasadena. here is a view of a few people staying or trying to stay cool near the Redondo Beach pier. the rest of the beach is not that crowded. only this area near the pier was packed like this... i think it has to do with the big parking garage for the pier and for public transportation to the pier area. 
i put my rollerskates on as the band, The Rogues were playing there last song before their break. i rollerskated north along the bike path (the above photo is from the south side of Redondo Pier). as i approached Hermosa Beach i choose to skate on Hermosa Avenue as opposed the Hermosa Beach bike path. . . too many people, too many distractions, too many photo opportunities to slow me down. i wanted to hear at least an hour of the music at the Metlox shopping/dining area in Manhattan Beach for the last of the summer outdoor jazz and art event. same place as last week but a different jazz band. more good music. more photos. the jazz was over at 4pm and i had good intentions of skating back to the summer festival for the last band starting around 430pm but i stopped by the Manhattan Beach pier where i watched some entertaining beach volleyball and took a couple of interesting actions shots. . . 
now heading south towards Hermosa Beach, i took this shot while skating primarily for the art work. primarily.
can you see the tattoo? think ukiyo-e.
at Naja's at the International Boardwalk area of the Redondo Beach pier i listened to the Land Sharks. they play every sunday at this hole-in-the-wall bar frequented by hole-in-the-wall patrons. i left just after their encore, an a cappella version of Janis Joplin's..."oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz..." which everyone inside and outside the bar within hearing distance sang along to. i finally made it back to Redondo Beach about 45 minutes before sunset. if i wasn't so tired i would have stayed to watch the sunset. but, if i missed the bus around 810p, i would have to wait until around 915p for the next bus. yes, it is sometimes a little inconvenient not having a car... he said while walking past the gas station where gas has risen to $4.55 for regular unleaded. i could have walked back home but it was another long day in the sun. two long fun days in the hot summer sun back to back and one 6 hour walk a couple days before that. of course, if i was in better shape i could have skated home.
i got off the bus near the Subway... the sandwich shop not the metro for dinner. this motel is on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) surprisingly near to where i live. it looks better at night with the neon lights.
could you see the two tired squirrels in the first photo? that is how Tony and i felt last night after a fun music-filled sun-drenched weekend. it was a lazy day for me today except for getting my "bids" done for my August work schedule. i had to do some checking of festivals and music concerts on the intenet before i could try to arrange my schedule. the Tattoo, The Fringe, The Jazz and Blues Festivals in Scotland. the Stern Grove concerts in San Francisco. etcetera at etcetera locations. Mike called to remind me that our "bids" were due today. we caught up a little before he had to check on the kids and do some much needed yardwork. i did a load of laundry. Chris called and left a message (i was in the laundry room) to tell me "the car" will be in the employee lot until he can get the brakes fixed. and then i did dishes from friday. and i had to walk to the market for some groceries (that no car thing). Steve called to invite me to dinner with the kids but i had just started my simple pasta dinner. i have been home for over a week and no phone calls and then three in one day. that was my lazy monday. i think tuesday will be about the same but i think i will schedule a nap sometime in the early afternoon especially if this heat continues. there will be music on wednesday and thursday. and then i may be leaving for Philly on friday, at the latest saturday morning. my saturday trip is in the evening to Shannon again. subject as always to change.
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