Baby Jeremiah and Ukuleles!

Baby Jeremiah, my grandson, is OBSESSED with ukuleles! I have absolutely no idea why! I only have five ukuleles, which I play pretty much whenever I get the chance! He calls them "OOOOHHHLALAS!" every time I see him, he runs over to a ukulele -- either the tie-dye one that sits on a table (the fluke) or to one fo the ukuleles in a case and shouts, "OOOHHHLLALALALALLAS!" He wants me to play one. Immediately. He will be playing one in no time. I am absolutely convinced of it.

This past Friday night was my FIRST night hangin' with Baby Jeremiah...Megan joined us...! 

7pm: I get home from work. Baby Jeremiah sits in his high chair and Aunt Megan presides...baby Jeremiah finishes eating and it takes both Megan and me to figure out how to unfasten Baby Jeremiah and free him from his high chair. By 7:40pm, me and baby Jeremiah are jamming on ukuleles. I let him use my fluke uke and I play the Kala...I let him try out the Kala but only for a little while...we jam for a long time and Aunt Megan takes pictures...

8:30pm...we put the ukuleles away and head downstairs to play. Baby Jeremiah finds his ball and his Daddy's pitchfork for his costume and plays...the dogs keep their distance as he runs around with it...we play and chase each other around...then baby Jeremiah waves and says, "Byeee!" and heads up the stairs. I follow him of course...he runs over to the wall with the Beatles pictures and says "Beatles!" in his own cute way. We admire the pictures...we play with some of Baby Jeremiah's toys upstairs and he runs around in circles and heads back downstairs saying "Bye!" I follow him. 

Megan shouts, "Mom are you watching him?" Of course I am! Geezzzz! 

It's around 9:45pm and Baby J is still going strong...he heads back upstairs and this time I follow him into the kitchen where he opens a drawer which luckily only has "safe" stuff...plastic and a spatchula...Baby Jeremiah finds the plastic cookie cutters and puts them on his arms like bracelets...he's very proud of himself! Then he finds the case of canned tuna fish and restacks them in his own way. Then we head back into the living room...

it's well after 10pm and Mama Jen had told me he took a late nap so he might not be tired right away...not tired? this kid is an energizer bunny! I get out my binder with songs for the ukulele singalong jam I'm going to first thing in the morning...baby Jeremiah helps me "organize" my papers (mostly by throwing them on the floor and I let him do it...because he's "helping" me! 

Megan suggests that we make a bottle for Baby Jeremiah and I agree...night nights? I say. Baby J shakes his head "Noooo!" Megan heats up the bottle and I lay down with him in his room downstairs. Megan turns on the special lights that make the whole room look like stars are shining...the nice, quiet sounds of the ocean pretty much put me to sleep...but I wake up with a start when Baby J gets up, opens the door and runs out into the downstairs living room...he runs around in circles for what seems like forever...I figure he'll pass out soon. I sit him next to me on the couch...

baby J hangs with me for about 45 minutes and then gets up and runs around again...I attempt to put Baby Jeremiah into his crib, but he screams his head off...oh no, we can't have that. I take him out...FINALLY after midnight, me, Megan and baby Jeremiah and the dogs all crash in the downstairs bed...whew!

Ukulele Rebels Take Over San Francisco!!!

Ukulele Rebellion in San Francisco!

Right now as I sit here writing this, the sun has just risen and you can see the hills now -- gray clouds barely illuminating the sky. I'm the only one awake to watch this happening.

Look out -- on an unusually warm Sunday afternoon, I headed to San Francisco for the Ukulele Rebellion meeting at the Oakside Cafe near the Panhandle! Ukuleles have infiltrated all over the place, from Santa Cruz to Silicon Valley to Sacramento and beyond!  Almost 30 people with ukuleles played and sang their hearts out for well over two hours -- younger people, older people, from all walks of life. We sang and played everything from old show tunes to Hawaiian songs, Beatles songs, even a Queen song -- As I stood there surrounded by all these people at this coffee shop in San Francisco, I remembered San Francisco back in the 60s and 70s and how people came together like this and played music. Maybe that's a part of my attraction to the whole ukulele scene, the inclusiveness. We played the Beatles' "Something" and the two and a half hours seemed to fly by. I've made several friends here at this place, and Steve plays the ukulele bass. People play at all different levels from advanced beginner to more advanced -- lots of intermediate-level players like me -- but here it doesn't matter. Nobody judges you -- you just show up with a ukulele (or without, but mostly everyone brings one).

he's from the Uke University Strum Shop Sacramento Gang!!! and he helped me out at my impromptu Beatles Jam in Sacramento!

I even saw a guy from the San Francisco Folk Music Group -- and wow! One of my Sacramento uke playing friends made a special trip to San Francisco just to participate in the Ukulele Rebellion. He says that next time, in two weeks, he'll bring friends. I remembered him from my impromptu Beatles jam a few months ago -- it's like we're all inter-connected -- the ukulele folks, an amazing community of people who love to share music and play. And do we ever play! Here at the ukulele jams, we're not just spectators, we are a  part of it all...and for some of us, it's the only time we get to do this!

and even though I love to play the ukulele on the beach in Santa Cruz, and I love to play with my friends in Sacramento and with the Ukulele Club of Silicon Valley in Mountain View each month, there's something special about coming "home" to San Francisco -- walking through my old neighborhoods where I grew up with a ukulele on my back...something magical that I cannot even explain, past the old Victorians and all the buildings crowded together.

After the ukulele singalong jam, we all reluctantly left the coffee shop because they were closing -- the owners of the coffee shop love us and don't mind if we linger longer. Dean, one of the organizers, had said he thought about finding a bigger venue because we were growing so fast, but the people here would love for us to stay -- so we're still at the Oakside Cafe.

So, after it was all over, I walked with my friends Dean and Steve down the street to hang out at another coffee shop and play some more -- it was a beautiful warm day in San Francisco, not a cloud in the sky, rather unusual for the City. We walked past old buildings and the panhandle, that long strip of Golden Gate Park that runs through the Haight Ashbury and into the upper Haight. I saw teenagers sitting on a front porch and on stoops and suddenly remembered how I grew  up sitting on a front porch of the flat we lived in -- me and the neighborhood kids -- the only thing missing on these streets were the kids. Where were they? Most likely not allowed to play in the streets of San Francisco. Heck, we RAN those streets -- cars had to drive around us when we played a rousing game of kick ball in the streets. We were everywhere. I sighed, it's a different time and  place now. But still magical.

We saw some guys with guitars on their backs heading up to a flat on Broderick Street and Dean talked to them -- they invited us to come over and jam -- to join their party! Of course we didn't know them, but the spirit was there, everyone making music together. That's what it's all about. It isn't about how good you are or not -- although it is fabulous to hear someone who is really good play the ukulele, like Steve who is in a category all by himself. I know I'll never be that good -- but I know that nothing will stop me from picking up my ukulele and playing.

Nothing makes me happier, except perhaps Beatles music!

My car got stuck in the sand in Santa Cruz!

Car stuck in the sand? Might as well play the ukulele!

WHAT is a chick to do when her car is STUCK at the beach in Santa Cruz? Ahhh what a beautiful day at the beach it was, the waves crashing against the shore...I knew this morning when I drove in that the grayness and fog would lift...I could d just FEEL it...! I was just trying to park my car alongside the beach and dash over to the beach to play ukulele with all of my friends and then some, but somehow I misjudged and my car got stuck...at first, I thought, okay, I will just deal with it later -- AFTER the ukulele jam and the AFTER the big jam ukulele jam...

Surely I'll figure out a way to get out of its little predicament right? Wrong? So many wonderful people offered their help!! A bunch of guys attempted to lift my car while I turned the wheel...but to no avail. One guy even got his pickup truck and hooked up a dog leash to his truck...and pulled...but the dog leash broke. I thanked him profusely for trying...I truly appreciated his efforts...everyone's efforts. In the end, I had to call a tow truck, but where was my warranty info with the roadside assistance number, etc., on it which I always keep in the car? I'd taken the info out because just the day before I had work done on my car...so I had to get a hold of Jen at the house for the info...and it took forever because the cell phone reception wasn't good on the beach. As I called, a cop rolled by and asked if all was well..."No, I'm stuck!" I said. He got out of his car, holding the constant traffic up, and walked around my car. "Your car is stuck!" he said, and then he took off. FINALLY I was able to get a hold of roadside assistance -- tow truck driver called. As I waited for the tow truck driver, estimated 45 minutes to an hour, I stood in the sand on the beach and looked out on the ocean, the lovely lighthouse, sailboats gliding by and thought, okay there are worse places to be stuck. So I got my ukulele out and played...and one of the dudes on the beach who had tried to help me took a picture...! some people laughed as they drove by in their cars...I thought, well some day I hope YOUR car gets stuck in the sand! but, really, it could've been worse. Finally the tow truck driver arrived to save the day! and within 10 minutes, he hooked a chain up to the car and pulled me right out! Yay my car was free once again...what a day!!!!

Check out more pictures of the day here!