Herd O’ Flipflops

Flickr

Their grandad wrangled the flipflops while their owners played in the
shade, waiting to enter the hula show venue.

Ginny
I can has iPhone?

Via: Flickr
Title: Herd O’ Flipflops
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 24 May ’09, 4.40pm CDT PST

UPDATE: We were in line for a hula showcase (being fans of Hawaiian music and culture) and I noticed the guy behind us instructing a bunch of pre-teen girls to stay in sight, and he’d watch their shoes so they could run on the grass lawn in front of Bagley Wright Theatre. This meant that he had to kick a flap of flip-flops along (I just made that collective noun up) as the line began to move. The little girls chased each other around in the sun, running in circles burning off an excess of energy that I envied. Eventually, the middle-aged granddad called them over to retrieve their footgear and they trooped in to watch the show.

I have a fondness for shots of flip-flops, because they’re often encountered on the beach in Hawaii, or left on front porches or doorsteps. The curved shape of well-worn “slippahs” is like a ghostly imprint of their owners, who might have just stepped out of them to wade in the surf, or jump in the pool.

Gradec Croatian Tamburitza Orchestra

Flickr

Ginny
I can has iPhone?

Via: Flickr
Title: Gradec Croatian Tamburitza Orchestra
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 24 May ’09, 3.14pm CDT PST

UPDATE: We were waiting for the next act, after a long day wandering around mostly in the corner of the Seattle Center site near the Northwest Court Stage. This room seemed to have become the default “indoor folk venue where we stick acts that don’t have enough draw for a big outdoor stage” place. In years past, there was a coffeehouse vibe and this kind of act was in the Alki Room, a multi-level place with good sight lines, room for a few chairs, and the ability to set up a small food/beverage/snack counter. Alas, not this year, as they had moved all the artist music CD sales into Alki. So we were somewhat crowded and there weren’t enough chairs. These guys were interesting, but not what I had hoped for, and we were waiting for the next act anyway.

Electric Mbira

Flickr 

UPDATE: 

And then I saw these guys – two conga players, a maracas player, and two guys playing ELECTRIC mbiras (they were wearing battery powered amps. An empty sound gourd can just be seen in front, decorated with cowrie shells, being used as a tip bowl. The musicians were wearing animal skins and singing – I’m not sure the crowd realized how radical their electrified sound was compared to the trad sound of the other group that was in the Alki courtyard performing area behind me.

 

Ginny
I can has iPhone?

Via: Flickr
Title: Electric Mbira
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 23 May ’09, 2.07pm CDT PST

 

Mbira

Flickr 

 UPDATE: I own a kalimba, a small African musical instrument played on metal keys braced on a soundboard or soundbox. These musicians are playing mbira, larger versions of the same instrument that are attached to calabash gourd sounding bowls. This makes it difficult to see how the artists’ thumbs play the repetitive patterns and melodies. I took more pictures with the big camera trying to lock in an image of how the woman on the right was playing, but the singer’s butt kept getting in the way. These folks were very good, very traditional.

Ginny
I can has iPhone?

Via: Flickr
Title: Mbira
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 23 May ’09, 1.47pm CDT PST

 

Our ride is finally here

Flickr

Looks like we arrive about two ours late.

UPDATE: Sure, we paid for Economy Plus, and we had more legroom, but I need more buttroom and hipbone room these days. At least the flight was smooth, in spite of the air traffic control audio that warned the pilots about wind shear at 1300 feet. During the flight, David slept and I watched “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” which turned out to be not brainless, rather sweet, and quite funny.

Ginny
I can has iPhone?

Via: Flickr
Title: Our ride is finally here
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 22 May ’09, 9.26pm CDT PST

Manchu Wok ORD

Flickr

Spicy tofu… Is spicy.

It’s become a tradition for me to photograph food via my iPhone and update to Flickr and the blog, especially when traveling. We’re on the road again, this time traveling to Seattle for Memorial Day Weekend and the big Folk Life Festival, and this is what I ordered at the Manchu Wok in the O’Hare Airport Food Court.

It was okay, actually. Not too bad, although the noodles were mushy from behind held on the steam table too long.

Our flight to Seattle was delayed 2 hours, and we arrived after midnight, local time. While at dinner I’d discovered that my Avis Wizard number wasn’t in the reservation… GAH! Stupid travel agent (me) forgot to put it in. I thought I did, but I bet I had a system fail or error and didn’t realize that it hadn’t “taken.” Simultaneous changes can wipe out changes before they’ve been saved. Anyway, we almost had an even longer wait at Seattle, because even though I called in my Wizard number belatedly, the local station hadn’t gotten the update soon enough to set up the car with keys and contract on the seat. So I had to flag down a passing agent who pulled me and David out of the line of people waiting to get cars (no reservations, long wait).

We arrived at the Hampton near the site of the festival and finally got to bed about 230am local, which for us was more like 430am.

Ginny
I can has iPhone?

Via: Flickr
Title: Manchu Wok ORD
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 22 May ’09, 7.57pm CDT PST