Ollie and I hiked a 3.5 hour loop to the top of Windy Hill and back. I love that we have such an amazing hike right from our front door. There was a cool breeze from the fog at the coast, but we had sunshine all the way. A perfect day for the hike! When I first moved to California, my landlady informed me that the appearance of Amaryllis Belladonna (first flower picture) means “Back to School.” ...

Saturday night’s alright for retro punk, with Geri Vahey and the Seagulls making the scene. Micah and I met up in San Francisco and did a bike ride on the waterfront to Fort Mason and back. Then after some tasty empanadas at the Ferry Building, we headed to the Mission to check out Geri’s band. First up was a teenage band doing their best Green Day. Meanwhile we took in the vibe of run-down, dimly lit bar – cash only, mind you. ...

I pulled out my best western shirt to join Audrey and a sea of pink cowboy hats at the Chicks concert. “With 33 million certified albums sold and sales of 27.9 million albums in the US, the Chicks have become the best-selling female band and best-selling country group in the US.” (per Wikipedia) Audrey knew all the words and was not shy about singing and dancing along to the two hour set. ...

In celebration of Jacob’s birthday and Father’s Day, we visited the new Guild venue to “take a journey” with Kamasi Washington and his powerful band. With two drummers, the beat was always intense and funky. Kamasi also brought a singer, keyboard player, trombone and flute/sax. It was my first time at The Guild and I loved the new space. Also enjoyed seeing our ushers, Patti and Larry. Tunes included a wonderful new song for Kamasi’s newborn and the powerful closing “Fists of Fury.” ...

A double bill of a quality that would be hard to find in New York City or anywhere in the world – that’s how Stanford Jazz Workshop’s Jim Nadel introduced the show. And the music did not disappoint. James Francies opened the show with his trio of Zach Moses (bass) and Eric Harland (drums). The music featured powerful open chords and interesting melodies. A lot of sustained chord sounds, maybe fourths. Francies at times was technically fast and precise, but mostly very melodic and musical, with repeated cycles of chords that slowly built drama. Eric Harland played the set imaginatively, with constantly shifting beats and colors, building slowly to a climatic solo at the end of the set. ...