Bumbershoot 2003

End of Summer Walk about--

What was it they were talking about on the Today Show on Sept 1? That we should close out the Summer with something special? I'm ok with that. This year it was the Bumbershoot with Donovan....... Donovan. Wow who's he???

We're about to find out!

Actually any adventure begins the moment you step out the door, and doesn't end until you step back IN, so for those just interested in Donovan, I'll put that in the second part. Ready? Here we go!

Aug 31: first stop: Blackberry Festival, Bremerton WA. This was simply an excuse for the local street vendors to hawk their wares (some from China and the Phillipeans) on the streets, and for the ubiquitous hot dog stands (etc) to pop up (objective: to take money away from the unsuspecting tourist!). What a wonderful blue windy seashore day! It was on the ferry dock, and as I had an hour to kill before I sailed for Seattle, it was just right. Happenings:

The Ferry: We walk on for free in Bremerton, and then they get us for money on the way back. This was a new ship I've never been on (they shuffle them around, depending on state of repair, there are about 15 routes in the Sound area altogether). Coming back at night is always a lot of fun, especially on the weekends. The young people infest the ferry, most of the high and goofy, hopping and jumping around, some playing cards, most sleeping. We approached the dock and they yell over the loudspeakers "Wake up, wake up your friends, we're here!" Kids are so cute.

There seemed to be a lot of people who thought the ride was the adventure (we get used to them up here, it was pretty mundane to me). Met some nice folks from Salt Lake City who wanted to see the Aquarium, and were driving, poor souls. Seattle is a nightmare for drivers.... I always walk over. Found a new coffee mug to my liking, which had orcas on it, and bought it (standard ferry mug, you refill them for a buck).

Seattle: It's a lovely cloudless dry day, the last time I took this walk it was raining pitchforks! Across the Skyway up to First Ave. then over past the Hammering Man. Dove into a bookstore I passed, Arundel Books. Very nice people. I was looking for Philip Jose Farmer, who apparently is TOTALLY out of print, he was not even on the shelves in Barnes and Nobel! Stephan is wanting the Riverworld Series, it was a mini-series on the Sci Fi channel recently, and he really liked it. Apparently everyone else did too, as this store was cleaned out except for one out of five of the series, The Fabulous Riverboat. And I picked up two of the Tier World series too. Sigh I am going to have to go to Amazon I guess. Or Ebay. You can email these guys for searches in Los Angeles at LA@arundelbooks.com or orders@arundelbooks.com in Seattle. Very nice people.

Then I found a quilt store I've been in before, and bought some card fabric. This is hard stuff to find actually, I always buy certain themes in prints when I see them, www.undercoverquilts.com.

Pike's Place. Tends to be touristy, but it always warrents a quick look. Usually you come up from the dockside *through* this structure, but I came a different way this time and approached it from the outside. There was quite a crowd and cheering about the fish stand when I got there, so I guess they were tossing fish. I've always missed this, though it's world famous. Anyway in the gutter, was my first encounter with a street musician for the day, and he was a doozie. He was some scruffy old dude, two of them actually, and had what I thought at first was a ferret on his shoulder. I laughed... and mentioned it to a lady next to me. "No it's a POSSUM!!!!!!!!!!!" So it was. I about gagged....... these are nothing but overgrown rats, and the few I've encountered in my yards have scared me good, they are so ugly. North American opossum, our only marsupial. Well, I used to have pet rats, so I tossed the guy some change for 'possum food. He was singing "Desparado" by the Eagles, and frankly I can play that particular song better myself.

The Bumbershoot: This is a nickname for "umbrella" up here, rather like the "Bucky Walter" is a telephone in Booneville, CA. It's a free form art festival, again like the Blackberry festival, but with more variety of music, and more people. Gobs of people, everywhere. A lot of young people were there to see some bands I had never heard of. I poked my head between a couple of the wicked little things who were huddled around a hash pipe, lighting it up, and said "Naughty smoking like that!" and kept walking. It was pretty funny. Everyone was turned out in hippy clothes, if not weirder. People of ALL ages danced partially clothed in the International Fountain (very pretty, shaped a bit like a UFO). In another hidden spot, I found a mermaid pool full of little tiny kids, watched carefully by their parents.

I made a quick (free) tour of the Children's Museum which was pretty cheezy, but good for kindergarteners..... they had a cute theatre with functional stage lights and drapes, and one studio with hanging ribbons of blue satin and glittery fabric (I must steal this idea!).

Passed my first drummers. I once dated a Deadhead who was into this, and I'm getting a little tired of it by now. I like good drumming, but most people are just banging..... in the case of one Bumbershoot group, it took on the aura of War Drums. People who drum that long, loud and furious are very angry about something (probably about the price of marijuana). Unfortunately it was right outside McCaw Hall where we lined up to see Donovan, and it gave me a headache until I could get inside. I was not alone, some young college students next to me didn't like it either.

I'm not overly fond of huge crowds though, and would not have come if it wasn't for Donovan at 8 pm. Once I found a quiet cornor in a garden spot, and enjoyed my sack lunch. (I also thanked God somewhere that I still have a fit body, and can sit cross legged on a curb when there are no seats). And later I found the "Elephant Ear" vendor. This is called a Funnel Cake in Southern California, but basically it's a big greasy pancake and fried in deep fat. You slap cinnamon sugar, and jam on it, and eat with fingers. I gotta say, having tried both, the Funnel Cakes are better.

There was art on every cornor. I got to be in the parade once! The drums were thrumping, and through the crowd came a pretty girl in a harlequin suit, on stilts, and waving a ribbon flag back and forth! Following her were Mardi Gras puppets, butterflies, people in cow suits... dragons... the idea was any bystander could be in the parade and "man the puppets" which they did. The problem was getting through the crowd! I found it all delightful, and joined the rhythm dancing and clapping. It was rather sad so many people just stood and watched, not participating. I don't know how they could help it, the boundaries between observer and performer were very very loose. Excellent street theater it was. Jugglers, clowns you name it. Carnival midways.

The crowds got unbearable at some point, so I dodged out of the festival grounds, outside on the street and made my way to the EMP, hoping to snag a beer in the Liquid Lounge. It was cool in the lobby, but the Lounge was just as full as the Bumbershoot! So I diverted through the Gift Shop, and finally found a Hendrix tee shirt I really liked....... all purple tie die, and brown-blue. And a Doors sticker for my car. They threw in a free psychdelic poster so I made out there quite well.

Ok......... the time has come for the Donovan report.