***Saturday under the sun***

Weights
Cardio class in the morning followed by indulgence afterwards. Rest of the day was spent walking the festival (see below).


Whatever
The Long Beach festival starts off all the major festivals for our community out here in SoCal. Because of its location and the weather in that area, it’s The Spouse’s favorite one.

Unfortunately, we were delayed. We originally planned to be at the festival no later than 1400. One of our contractors, however, decided that, after not making three appointments, to work that afternoon. What could we do? So R. gave instructions and we left them to finish the kitchen and start upstairs in the guest bathroom.

We arrived around a little after 1500 in Long Beach and were immediately drenched in bright and hot sunlight. Only the light breezes kept things from becoming unbearable. Because R. had not eaten or drunk since arriving home from on-call, we immediately checked out the food rows. Then the shopping began. R. obtained info for a new roof and we looked at jewelry. I picked up a free bag from one of the booths to hold our numerous brochures.

Live music played in the background. At one point, we stopped to listen to one particularly good band. I nestled R.’s head between my knees as we listened to the lead singer’s surprisingly good originally pieces. We later purchased their CD. R. would later tell me that was the best part of the festival: to be lying down with me.

We met a few of our friends at the festival, including GAC and CS. While we enjoyed the encounters, we, as a rule, consider festivals our time. Alone and together.

One realization nearly spoiled the day. Once upon a time festivals emphasized our community and its diversity with booths providing information about the many diverse activities and lifestyles available for everyone from hiking to crafts to self-realization groups. Now we just saw endless products to buy: jewelry, shirts, and food. We bumped into an acquaintance whom we knew was active with a local hiking group. I asked him where was the hiking group’s booth. His tanned face saddened and he said the festival was too expensive for them to attend.

R. and I discussed the changes to our community on our way back home that evening and ultimately agreed that tolerance (not necessarily acceptance or even understanding, mind you) by the mainstream community is a mixed blessing.

We ended the evening with a fine and late dinner.