I’m pseudo-taking a week or so off from blogging, here, so don’t ya’ll fret. This is the week when things start crazying up before winding down in Hood River, and our shop is busy lining up homes for all our rental gear, tip-toeing around booking windsurfing lessons, and cleaning house before the crowds leave and the rains drift into town. Lots and lots and lots has happened and will happen and keeps happening, but I’m not so certain I can keep up with it all. Excess is the best kind of cess, I always say.

What’s been goin’ on, lately? Friday night we started partying at Horsefeathers and went over to Jack’s for karaoke. I tore the roof off the mutha sucka with a ripshitkickass rendition of James Brown’s I Feel Good (not the actual name of the song, incidentally but the one everyone knows it by). Once that was said and done and all the girls of Hood River were whipped into a tizzy we headed over to Savino’s Lounge, where a nice folky trio let some of us get our groove on. Liz and Jason were there, and Liz and Jason were also getting married the following afternoon.

I went to bed around 3:00, got up at 9:00 and went to the shop to fix my kite at 11:00. I changed into my rhinestone cowboy outfit, went to Liz and Jason’s wedding and played in our band Samba Hood Rio for the reception. The wedding was outside atop the cliffs overlooking the Hatchery, and every so often someone would nail a jibe and your eyes would get hit by the sun reflecting off their sail.

Saturday night some of the gang and I hit up the Slingshot party at the Copper Salmon. The people there were creepy and really drunk. All you need to do to be a pro kiteboarder for Slingshot is to be an albino midget with long hair. We left Slingshot and met the rest of the crew at Savino’s. A funk band named Dr. Theopolis (or something like that; I’m never thinking very hard by the time I reach Savino’s) was playing outside, and who should be in the audience but Liz and Jason. Liz wore her wedding dress to the after-party. She’s originally from Michigan, and it seems that wearing your wedding dress to the after-party is a midwest thing… people find it strange and don’t do it out here. Liz was ecstatic.

When the band stopped playing I got bored really quickly. Watching the crowd afterwards I found that the reason I was so unlucky with the girls on the dance floor was because most of them were dating guys in the band. Typical. I went to bed early that night around 2:00.

Sunday night Motoshi cut his finger open chopping cabbage so we got to visit the emergency room. They glued him shut and he’s just fine. The hardest part? He’s not supposed to get it wet for a week, he leaves Hood River on the 31st and there’s still wind to be had. The nurse gave us a million latex gloves and a fat roll of waterproof tape.

Monday night I hit up a jam band from Frisco called New Monsoon at the River City Saloon. The place was crawling with smelly hippies, and they played a lovely counterpoint to this bronzed and chiseled summer. I shook my booty off for a couple hours, got bored during a long setbreak (seriously, setbreaks are painful) and went home.

Fell asleep at 1:00 or so. Woke up at 6:45 for work.

And tomorrow? The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, live at the River City Saloon in Hood River. Greta and Tyler are in town, too, so we are sure to have a good, good time.

Ain’t nuthin’ but a party, ya’ll.