Speaking of festivals

They haven't posted a schedule yet, but I'm thinking I might just plan the rest of my vacation to coincide with the entire Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in October – which, according to a recent update to the website, is going to feature this year for the first time the infamous, the one, the only, Elvis Costello (& friends), whom I have never gotten around to seeing before. Can't wait for that! And if you click over to the website, check out the list of performers. It just doesn't get much better than this. And it's all free! With bike parking and everything.

We went last year for one day only, and I found myself really – like REALLY – wishing I'd made plans to see more of it. Aside from it being lots of fun, and free, and a beautiful time of year in the city, I just mainly really, really need to get out more. It's been more than a year now since I've actually owned a car and even though I can use Mr. A's car whenever I want to, I still almost never leave the valley unless he's driving. I guess there's always public transit, but getting to San Francisco on a bus on a weekend takes just a little more than three hours each way, what with transfers and all ... for what would be, in a car, a 40-minute drive. It just doesn't seem worth the effort.

On occasion I have also rented a car. This time I'm thinking I might try some other means. Possibly bike to bus to ferry ... I don't know.

Another thing I go to every year that I'm starting to look forward to again now is the Power to the Peaceful Festival, which is Michael Franti's annual event featuring free live music plus "a Friday night film festival, morning yoga, an open-air art gallery, a healing arts tent, a DJ tent, vendors and food booths, eco village, kid's zone, bicycle coalition, and social, environmental & political organizations tabling & forums."

Closer to home, there's plenty of good live music right here in town – for example, our annual free summer town party on the Plaza (which I am peripherally involved in producing). This year the band was Tommy Thomsen and the Ambassadors of Western Swing, with a guest appearance by Johnny Cuviello, a great drummer and one of the original Texas Playboys (that's him on the left). At 91 years of age the man can still rawk, and cuts quite a rug as well – he had the ladies lining up to dance with him all night long, whenever he wasn't playing. I loved meeting someone who's lived so long and done so much and is still having fun, staying connected and trying new things. I went to shake his hand as the band was clearing out and as we were leaving he said, "See ya next year!"

P.S. Tonight on PBS, at least in the Bay Area (10 p.m. on KQED), you can catch Bill Moyers interviewing Pema Chödrön, one of my favorite teachers and writers and speakers. It's the first time in years I've actually made a special date with myself to sit home and watch something on tv.