Yesterday was perfect. The weather was wonderful, and I was surrounded by friends. We started out with a picnic because the breakfast/brunch spot we wanted to eat at was closed. Armed with cheeses, crackers, and a whole lot of other “snacks,” we hit up Washington Square Park. Tangent: I remember coming to this children’s playground portion of this park back as a kid. We’d go down the slides, sit on the swings, and feed the birds. Now I only shake my fist and get irritated at the folks who feed the birds… I’ve turned out quite cranky!
Chrissi, a girl from Germany who contacted me via Couchsurfing, joined us at the park. I always love mixing and mingling my various circles. Human interaction between cultures can be quite entertaining. People often take for granted the idioms used and the idea of sarcasm. I could totally see the blank stares when one or the other couldn’t quite understand. Even a simple mix-up with terminology brought a smile to my face. I absolutely love how small the world is getting, especially in terms of traveling and communicating.
A little while later, we all wandered to Dolores Park for ice cream, more sun and people-watching. The tightrope walkers were out, a random band was playing in the middle, and there was even a goat… Yes, a goat in the middle of the park. So bizarre, but my friends have photographic evidence.
Afterwards, wandering around the Mission to show Chrissi some of the random shops and murals. Such a beautiful day in the neighborhood. [cue Mr. Rogers' theme]
And in the evening, I hung out with JM. We had a post-picnic clean-up dinner at Stern Grove; he helped me finish up a lot of the leftovers from earlier in the day. Nothing like a nutritious cheese & cracker, tomato & mozzarella, bread & pita chip dinner. Afterwards, we watched Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita. Of course, it was a DVD box set from Asia, so his name was really Stanlet Kubrick. I was most definitely amused.
How was YOUR Labor Day?