san franciscan Gemütlichkeit

Endless sun in Dolores park on Saturday, followed by endless and very hearty dancing at Stern Grove on Sunday, followed by outstanding cioppino for dinner that evening. I did not make it, I merely consumed a great deal of it, with intense and heartfelt and often-verbalized gratitude. Wow. But back to the music - Toto la Mompasina and Nation Beat (some audio clips available here), neither of whom I knew anything about but either of whom I would gladly and unhesitatingly see again, played and played and played and everyone in the grove danced and danced and danced. Except at one point some men to my right, who stood, arms crossed, heads nodding slightly in time to the beat. We were then a mere 6 or 8 feet from the stage. I watched them out of the corner of my eye. I led by example. They did not follow. They just stood there, nodding. Fellas, I wanted to say, this just ain't that scene.