patti smith

i just got back from seeing patti smith at "bite of oregon". she put on a great show, and seemed to really enjoy herself. admission to the festival was $7 (of course you pay extra for the food & drink once inside) and we kept marveling over the fact that we were seeing PATTI SMITH for seven bucks. crazy.

i had just come from a potluck that afternoon, so i wasn't particularly hungry before the show (which is too bad, 'cause there seemed to be a lot of great oregon foods to try). it wasn't until an hour into the concert that i started to get a little peckish. by then, though, the vendors were tearing down their booths and it was hard to find something to eat... until i spotted a young woman with a wrapped burger in her hand. she was holding it out, trying to give it away. she looked at me and asked if i wanted a burger (i did!) and as i approached she said, "oh my god! you're the new announcer on the classical station!" she said she listens all day long in her law office and recognized me from the photo on the station's website.

i was completely freaked out. that has never happened to me before.

she was so excited. she gave me her burger (she said she had eaten too much at the festival, and didn't have any room left in her belly for it), and then went to the back of the booth (she was volunteering there, helping out a friend) and came back with a free widmer hefeweizen, which apparently is *the best* regional microbrew. (the burger, by the way, was from burgerville, the area's local, sustainable fast food joint.

it turns out this woman who fed me the free beer & burger is also a rollergirl, and skates with my neighbor two doors down. small world. she invited me to their bout saturday night, and i just might go.

so a good day... patti smith, free burger & beer, great potluck, and i started the morning by going to the doug fir to experience the crafty wonderland, where i bought these flowers made out of jar lids: