Outside Lands

Last Friday morning around 6 am we piled into Edie's super-economical Honda Fit, took a leisurely drive up the I-5 until we reached Stockton, then turned left, crossed the Bay Bridge and arrived in San Francisco with about 5 hours to spare before the first day of the Outside Lands music festival started. Radiohead, Manu Chao, Beck, The Black Keys, The Cold War Kids, etc., were all playing, and my good friend from high school Kevin Francis had invited us up to hang out and see the show. It was a suitably grey and cloudy day for summer in the City, but we had a great time as well, walking down to the fest in Golden Gate Park from Kevin's nice apartment across the street from Buena Vista Park in the Haight-Ashbury district.



Kevin and Edie following me towards the main stage as we futilely try to meet other friends before the bands go on. We saw part of Beck's set, which was OK but I had seen him twice before, and the last half of Manu Chao, which was as intense as expected. Radiohead awaited afterwards as the headliner.



On the blanket at the main stage with Chris, on the right, another transplanted Texan.



Again, another fantastic show from the biggest rock band in the world.




The next morning I went surfing at Lindamar in Pacifica, about 30 minutes south, with an old college friend of mine, Chris Farmer. We had been planning to go surfing together for a long time, and it was great that we finally got to do it. For surfing in the Bay Area, you need a hat, booties, a 4-3 wetsuit, gloves, the works. The water is COLD, but the waves were a good 3-4 feet, almost head high, and I managed to catch 3 good ones before we called it a day and retired for coffee and donuts.



Chris' 7'10" funshape that he let me borrow for the morning.



Farmer is one of my best friends in the whole world, a really genuine person.



We spent the rest of Saturday relaxing in Kevin's neighborhood. Here's a shot of Edie and I on the balcony overlooking the city and the bay.





This kind of weather is considered rare for the summer in San Franisco. All in all, a great short trip before the school year starts up again.