Kicking Off Summer

I picked Spinz as today's fractal mostly because the psychedelic quality of the image reminded me of the band we saw last night. (They all wore tie-dye T-shirts) The pretty rainbow colors and bright blue background reminds me
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Summer may not "officially" begin until Sunday but for Robyn and I the season started last evening. Frankly I didn't expect the season to kick off so soon (or in such a pleasant way) but sometimes serendipitous events just happen to fall into place. Here's a story of how it happened for me...
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There's something magical about a community concert: doesn't matter if it's a brass band, a rock combo or even a kids choir. You've got a group playing simply for the love of music. Add a nice setting and a pleasant weather and you have a true winner. Robyn and I missed the first of the "Summer Concerts" at the Corona Crossings but we finally made it out yesterday. (Actually we didn't know there were concerts out there to be had--y'all need better publicity people!) The evening sky was the color of bleached denim as we arrived and we watched puffy clouds first fatten then flatten on the northern horizon. Just as we arrived the "Sundowner" winds danced in from the Santa Ana Mountains cooling us with gentle butterfly kisses. The westering sun dusted buildings and trees with an antique gold patina while the large fountain in the courtyard provided a soothing white-noise background and ever-changing yet always-the-same display of dancing water.
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The band was The Hypnotics--a group who played (mostly) rock music from the 60s and 70s was fun to hear: yes, their musicians and harmony vocals were better than their lead singers but that didn't matter to us. They played music we grew up with (and I recognized all but one song--which made me happy.) Robyn and I enjoyed seeing people close to our age still doing something they loved (no doubt knowing they'd never get rich at their craft but pursuing the music just for love). We also enjoyed the band's low-key approach: there wasn't any hocking of CDs or T-shirts--and they only mentioned their web site once (and that but briefly).
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What I enjoyed more than anything else was the people watching: there was quite the mix--oldsters who walking with canes, a pair of east Indian ladies in full native garb (who were still groovin' to the music) younger folks who were "too hip for the crowd" yet somehow deciding to hang around and random folk who simply got drawn into the scene as they passed by. I couldn't help but notice the young families with children who unabashedly danced to the music as if nobody was watching (even they we were.) I found myself wondering if I'd ever had that much boundless energy and complete lack of inhibition (and I was a bit envious wishing I'd been brave enough to take Robyn out and dance with her--and not worry what people watching might say or think.)
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Sunset neared and the breeze grew colder so Robyn and I left the concert before the second half. (Our old bones aren't much accustomed to sitting on iron benches for long periods.) Still, as we drove home through a sere landscape painted in shades of ochre, sienna and umber back by blue-violet mountains in the distance, Robyn and I were both well-satisfied. After 24 mostly-cloudy days with temps five to ten degrees below seasonal it seemed the summer had started in a nice way.
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'nuff said.