Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Tiki Time

The thing is, I was going to try to do this post together with my photos from Chimney Rock from Sunday, but that’s more than I can handle so let me just make this easy for myself.  It’s not a long drive from SF to Santa Cruz and thence up to the sleepy mountain canyon town where Jules lives, but it’s a world apart.  The weather, the air, and the sense of limitless joy - these are unique to the world of Jules and it was up to me to drive down and partake of them. 

It took me nearly 2 hours to make that drive, at the end of which I was met with joyful (well I enjoyed them) hugs from Jules and Mona, and Jules’ friend Jenn who seems very nice indeed.  We returned to the house, got settled a bit, and then I drove (in Jules’ parents’ car, with her parents, sister and nephew) up to the cool creepy haunted lodge, the kind of place with a dozen rooflines in every room, where peaked ceilings collide at strange angles as rooms stack up with woodsy casualness. I ordered a few drinks and shmoozed with Dennis the mellow barkeep, who showed me around the creepy Mermaid Room (still haunted by the spirits of naked hotties who would swim in the world’s largest jello-shot, which formed a wall of the room), the sliding-combo-fireplace-and-escape-tunnel, and the selection of weird fruity drinks.  Jules drank something that tasted just like a snowcone.  Magnificent.

At the lodge we got the blogging crowd together with Jill, Mona, Mia and Ryan, Pete and Erin, and Jenn and Rina, for local color.  We were an eclectic and noisy band as we poured ourselves forth from the bar and onto the city streets for the short drive back to Chez Vilmur, where Remy was pounding stakes, beers and sand - he’s a man who clearly knows what, where and when to pound. 

Then the party really got rolling.  Matthew and Humberto, in from Mo-town, ran the table karaoke-wise, providing lengthy and hilarious renditions of what I believe to have been popular hits from the 60s, lo even unto the present day.  At 9 Sawni called in and I got to meet her as well.  At 10 the karaoke machine packed itself up and moved away, and the crowd contracted till it was mostly us goofball bloggers and Jenn and a few other entertaining folk from Jules’ “real” life.  We continued to drink and chat in ever-changing and endlessly fascinating configurations which left me tired and disappointed at 2:30 am - disappointed that I had to leave.  I had another gig the next morning.  I got home at 4 am and didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. 

I’m not about to try to express the true depth of my feelings for my new friends in this pale, clumsy medium, but let me say this, at least: Jules and Remy are not just thoughtful and entertaining hosts, they have a lovely home and are flat out lovely people.  I could hang with them every weekend.  Plus they have a house full of really good books, and Jules sings divinely. Mona Bliss was an absolute delight to meet - after a year or so of on-line friendship, she was even cooler and nicer and sweeter and funnier than I’d expected, which was plenty on all scores.  Mia and Ryan just blew me away - I don’t know why I wasn’t ready for them but they’re both so genuinely funny, thoughtful, clever, and easy to hang out with.  I hope I didn’t wear out my welcome with them because I had so much fun with them both.  Jill and I got a few good chances for a meeting of the minds; she’s a wise and wonderful woman with a great perspective and enviable talents - I’m sorry she had to leave semi-early.  Pete and Erin, on the other hand, I couldn’t stop chatting with.  Each of them is a jewel of a personality, witty and intelligent and with their heads screwed on right.  Sawni, with whom I barely got to speak before it was time to pass the phone to Jules, was the sort of person I can imagine having known for a very long time already and liking more each time I spoke to her.  Jenn and Rina were also exceptional and cool and fun and amusing but I didn’t spend enough time with them either to be more specific - I’ll address that next time. 

I have left out many amusing and embarrassing details. That’s right. Next time, wrangle yerself an invite and you’ll see the depths to which I sink.  It’s worth the effort, I assure you.  And in the meantime, and in conclusion, Thank you so much, Jules and Jeremy, for a party I wish I could remember more clearly but that I’ll never forget.  You folk are tiki torches in a world of fluorescent overhead lighting.  And I for one think that’s a good thing.