When in Cali, do as the hippies do.

Last Saturday was a gorgeous day... 80* and slightly breezy.... an ideal day, I figured, to wander through Golden Gate Park {just a couple blocks from our diggs!} and find the perfect spot to relax and read. Dan was at school for the day, so I was flying solo.

Oddly, it seemed there were a lot of other people who had the same idea. Usually the park is bustling with joggers, bikers, families on sweet strolls, but today there were loads of hippies in the mix. Old hippies, cool modern hippies, young student hippies, middle- aged parent hippies... tiedye, raggy, and Urban Outfitters clad folks in swarms. They were all headed in the same general direction, and because I had no particular agenda, I decided to tag along and see where they were all going.

I could hear music in the background and the further we walked, the louder it was. Suddenly there was a sea of people and a loud, progressive band was entertaining the crowd of thousands. Every 4th person was toting anti-war propaganda or promoting Proposition 19 (to legalize marijauna in CA). There were activists of every type, about a three hundred people doing yoga on the sidelines, and the air was pungent with pot.

Unwittingly I had stumbled into the Power to the Peaceful festival; an annual international event held at GG Park for, as the website explains, "art, action, and music... highlighting mankind's similarities and celebrating our differences," that draws 50,000 attendees every year. Call a spade a spade-- it's a MAJOR hippie fest. San Fran at its finest.

I felt a bit out of place with my Gap tank top and Adidas sandles and all, but realized quickly this was stupid... nobody cared-- they were all peaceful and stoned. Michael Franti and Spearhead were the main event and next on the line up, and I ended up staying all afternoon.

Later that night Dan asked me what I did all day. I told him, and his dubious look irritated me. "You went to the Power to the Peaceful?" Yep, I did. All day long.

And I'll probably go back next year, too. :)

*Regretfully I didn't have my camera, so I snapped a few pics on my phone and borrowed some from Google images... here's a sneak peek:

Love, Life & Labor Day

A Bakke Blog update is overdue! We've been official residents for 1 month and time sure flies now that we're in the swing of things...

Dan finished work week #2 with a bang-- he's loving the fast-paced, challenging, large-and-in-charge nature of of his new position. He spends all day zipping from project to project around the city overseeing installations, assessing costs, ordering materials, managing crews, creating inventory systems, and on and on. In his own words, he's "a busy bee" from 8-5 daily.

Every evening after dinner he retires to his 'office' {& spare bedroom for visitors!} for a not so action-packed night of studying/reading/writing papers for school. His classes are every other weekend, 8 hour days... and he's thoroughly enjoying school. Conveniently, the content, classes, projects, profs, & classmates are right up his alley. So far, money well spent... and our big move to SF was not in vain.

Me, on the other hand... well, I'm a different story. My job doesn't start until next Monday, so I spend my days lounging in the morning, exploring the city/beach/parks in the afternoon, and traipsing home in the evening to either 1. prepare a delicious meal for my hardworking husband, or 2. {the more likely option} find one of a thousand delicious take out options and carry it home :) Alarmingly, I'm becoming extremely well adjusted to my lackadaisical routine & I can get quite perturbed if any real-life responsibilities cramp my style ;)

I must admit though, I'm getting just a bit bored and am looking forward to starting my new job. Dan is looking forward to my job too... I chat his ear off from the minute he walks in the door until about 7, when he gently tells me that I have to quit talking now so he can get some school work done. Oh. Ok... Instant Netflix, here I come!

We had a wonderful Labor Day with our first official overnight guests at the Bakke B&B! Dave and Tracy (Dan's friends from high school) came down from Eureka, CA, where Dave is in school for the year and Tracy is job hunting/ enjoying Cali life. We had an excellent time showing them around the city a bit & enjoyed our quality time together!

On the agenda:
*Exploratorium (imagine every sweet science museum exhibit that ever existed all rolled into one giant room... ages 5+, but there were probably more adults than kids... a definite must see!)
*Palace of Fine Arts, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square
*Chinatown for yummy Asian fare
*Oakland A's baseball game
*Bike tour through city parks and Golden Gate Bridge
*Relax time... food, drink, great convo & board games!

Thanks for coming, dear friends. We loved having you here and you're welcome back any time!

(you can click the collage for a sharper view)