Petaluma

4.22.24

We were booked to play the Petaluma Butter and Egg Days parade–a hinky affair, but super huge, a reported 30,000 in the audience. Lots of hokey costumes, robot chickens, hay bales on trailers, classic vehicles, high school bands and wrestling teams, and local dairy and poultry producers. Art and I were invited to represent the Cotati Accordion Festival, playing jigs and polkas while riding on the ragtop mechanism of a 1952 Chevrolet convertible.

I hustled back from Texas in time to decompress and have a rehearsal, and gathered a costume from some possible items I had laid out before I left. Learning the Chevy was gray, I chose the red twirl skirt, black and white striped leggings, and a black bodice and cowboy hat. Sitting in the sun for two hours, I ended up with quite the sunburn on my upper back. I had a super fun time, and when we got to the end I said, can we go around again? As if it was a carnival ride. Nope, the parade was over–we were near the end, #169 of 178 entries.

We packed our gear into Art’s Tesla and headed back to Canyon, where Westy was waiting for me. I stopped in at Misty’s and had a beer with the old gang–it was a bittersweet moment–they were on their way to the Redwood Rodeo, and I was dressed for it, but I let it pass. A rough night–super sad, really. I slept fitfully under the full moon, then made coffee and slipped out the gate just past dawn.