I Can't Drive 55...even if I tried!!!

So the circle of life continues...and here I sit at my favorite coffee shop, the safe haven I've returned to for so many years...ever since I can remember. I can still see Aaron behind the counter or over at the voluminous roasting oven...his bare muscled tattooed arms held out so my young red headed daughter Megan could swing on them and Aaron could yell, "I'm going to sell you to the gypsies!" And Megan would laugh as I sat here perhaps right at this table reading and writing...

How did it happen? How did Megan grow up and the teenagers all became grown ups. And yeah, how did I turn 55? Well, I'm here to tell you that age is relative...and I still can't drive 55!!! or even 65 for that matter...or whenever I get the chance.

This morning I got up early for a Saturday morning...I had to head over the hill to Santa Cruz to play ukulele on the beach with 75 to 100 other crazy people. They were doing my song list this week...the one I'd created...

here's the songlist -- the one I created, realizing that I forgot When I'm 64... but oh well.

so these are the songs we sang this morning... I had invited all of my kids and some of my friends to come on down to the beach...a beautiful beach by the harbor complete with lighthouse...coffee shop and restaurant right there... everything you can possibly imagine, even surfers and sailboats drifting by as we all sang and played ukuleles...the conga drums and dude on upright bass keeping time.. I was amazed that everyone wasn't all excited to get up early and head over... it is just so beautiful...

In the end it was just me by myself who headed over the hill...and in the end, we are all alone on our life journey although we encounter many people along the way, especially those we love family and friends... yes my friend Albert showed up a bit late... and once I got there, I wasn't alone...playing and singing with all of my ukulele playing friends... I've found my "group" a community that I feel as if I totally belong, among these crazy ukulele players... it's wonderful! and I could've easily played longer than 2 hours...this morning I decided to bring my 8-string ukulele...somehow it seemed like the right ukulele to play...

I mean it's not like I went to bed early last night or anything. I am part of several meetup groups, including one called 40 plus singles... they have all kinds of activities and last night there was a free dance class at this dance studio in Mountain View by the movie theater. I don't do much with this group -- mostly I do stuff having to do with the music groups..but thought it would be fun. I even managed to talk my coworker Leslie into going -- it was only fair since she talked me into going to a rock climbing event earlier in the week!!

of course we didn't realize that there was a big concert at the Shoreline and we'd get stuck in traffic just driving across Mountain View...then the trippiest thing happened when I called my good friend Albert up and found out that not only was he also stuck in traffic, but he was coming to this dance event! I was so surprised. I didn't even know he belonged to that group on meetup, nor did I ever believe he would even want to learn how to dance the cha cha and the tango (I was a little nervous about this as well)... and all fees were waived for members of our group, free night of dance lessons! There was salsa too and some sort of swing dancing...

so yes we got there late and I realized how wrong I was to dress comfortably in tennies and comfy pants... Leslie was dressed casually too, although she wanted to go home and change...she is more knowledgeable on these things than I am...I'm used to rock n' roll shows and ukulele singalongs and folk music stuff... what do I know about dance studios?

Most of the chicks in the rather large dance studio filled with several huge rooms and mirrors were dressed like they were getting ready to be on Dancing With the Stars! Seriously! Then I even found out as we signed in with our group that the chick who owns this dance studio was apparently on Dancing With the Stars. That figures.

The dance lessons had already begun began we were late...Leslie said she felt weird because we really dressed for learning these dances...how do these women dance in high heeled shoes like that I wondered? they must've taken lessons just to learn to dance like that? And look at those beautiful dresses. I don't even own attire like that...I do have boots..but I felt kind of weird too as we were wisked into a room where everyone was learning this swing dance that involved triple steps and this instructor guy or whoever he was attempted to show me how to do the dance...I sort of got it. My tennis shoes gripped the floor though, so I couldn't easily slide around or twirl around like all those people dressed to the hilt...

what the heck am I doing here? oh well, might as well go with it. Suddenly we were learning the tango...Leslie caught on faster than me I think tennies and all...I was sort of getting it...but I don't have a clue how to follow another dancer, which is what I'm supposed to do. All I know how to do is get out on the dance floor and boogie down...that's what I DO for heaven's sake!!! but these dancing with the stars people looked cool the way they danced...could I ever dance like that? I doubt it.

Albert showed up and I waved at him...my music playing buddy whom I hung out with at the Reno Ukulele Festival and Burning Uke and various other music-related things..never dancing though. He said he wanted to learn salsa. that looked way harder even than what we were doing, but Leslie and I finally made our way over there where everyone was learning this 1-2-3 move...basic and how to turn around in three steps...and slide and do all this other stuff...then we had partners and we switched partners...I felt sorry for my partners because I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing... one older guy actually went through the moves with me and I was grateful to him.

In the end we had a fabulous time...but I felt like a fish out of water! We then went to downtown Mountain View to my favorite Chinese restaurant which I'd recommended to the gang because I knew it happened to be open until midnight, Kirin...smiling as I walked in through the backdoor, showing Leslie a new place...Albert meeting us there. so many memories of eating here with Megan when she was little, and all of my kids, my family....it's a rather authentic Chinese restaurants with fish tanks (that was what Megan and I first noticed when she was young...look Mom, fish!" and the restaurant was open late... great place...even the gang that was already almost done eating agreed the food was good there.. that it was not Americanized at all... Albert loved the place, the old school ambience. I noticed the same people still worked there just as they had for so many years...they still speak very little English and it's no use going to their website because it's still in Chinese. But the menu has English translations..not always perfect translations, but close enough. I love Kirin Restaurant!

Then we parted ways because, after all, I had a big day ahead with Santa Cruz and all... and that's where I was this morning...and here I sit now on my way back home...

Stevie and Liezl came over and we all ate barbecue when I finally made it home. We sat around and chilled afterwards, and then I remembered the Megatones were playing at Number One Broadway and my friends would be there.

So I got to Number One Broadway late...and I'm so glad I went! we had so much fun!!! I got to dance with cool guys from Korea who had never danced before...now they have something to talk about back home...! and the Megatones...

Me with Phoenix, and the two guys from Korea (who work for Samsung) whom I danced the night away with!

And you can imagine how surprised I was to hear the Megatones play...Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band -- just fo rme! :) FABULOUS!

what a perfect way to end my bday!