Soggy Second Saturday

Another posting gap - two trips to San Francisco, a day with the family, a freelance piece to finish and etc - and I have to admit that, despite my hyperbole, it's not ALL about The Grid. 

But we're back: And Second Saturday didn't catch much of a break this weekend, with the Grid basically awash in water more than visitors. You could actually walk around inside Body Tribe, and the usual throngs on the street were replaced by people scurrying from shelter to shelter. And it wasn't even safe to park (if you can't make it out, that's an SUV on 21st wearing a very large branch, with the local cops flashing behind it). 

But we made a few stops, and they were good: First to Lumens at 

21st and K to see co-owner Peter Weight's very inviting and texure-rich paintings. Very evocative, and we have no idea where he finds the time, running a store like Lumens. But that's why we love artists, right?

 

Then down 21st to Body Tribe to catch the tail end of a Ross Hammond/Mike Palmer/Tom Monson gig and the gym/gallery's usual funky art.

But this month's "home" - really, we try to hit everything, but it's completely impossible - was Old Soul Baking Co. on the alley between L and Capitol, 18th and 19th. There's nothing quite as much fun for me as finding a room full of people I know, sorta know, and don't-yet-know, and settling in for the duration. And the place for that this month was Old Soul. The entrance was a barely-fordable puddle, bridged eventually by a well-place shipping pallet, but once we got inside, it was a little slice of heaven. Warm, friendly, and scented by freshly-baked goods. 

Reinhard Hohlwein and Anna Scacel's photos of Turkey (which we enjoyed last month at Momo Lounge) looked even better on Old Soul's big bare brick wall, the music was by the estimable Rusty Zinn (in a rare acoustic appearance) and a Burner gal who goes by Canadian Bacon was rolling out the next day's croissants as people ate cheese and crostini and sipped excellent wine and lattes. I'm glad this blog doesn't have a lot of readers, because I don't want this place as mobbed as it deserves to be. Consider this to be a bonus for "early-adopters" of bloggingthegrid.com. 

And best of all (from my perspective) was running into not one, not two, but THREE readers of bloggingthegrid! I'm still adjusting to the immediacy and intimacy (and requisite frequency) of this medium, but running into people who're actually visiting makes me very happy. I will keep it going, I promise.