Earth Appreciation

This past weekend was one of those rare times when I really felt like an older, slightly more mature version of that inquisitive child growing up in the suburbs. The girl who went and climbed to the highest branch of the tallest tree and scraped their legs going all the way back down just so I could grab the first piece of watermelon from the picnic table. I'm not sure if if was a combination of being out in the bright California sun, experiencing new sounds and new sites or reconnecting with family after years apart. 

The week itself was busily spent studying and reading for midterms. I'm starting to really appreciate the library as a place to study as opposed to a place to hide with coffee when its so hot outside you sweat while standing still, or where to madly finish an assignment at 3am. Wednesday was a challenging day however I was smiling by the afternoon after an awesome time doing yoga with Nadia and chatting to some UCSB students who are heading off to Australia for exchange in the fall (spring for those of you at home). 

Anticipation was also brewing for the weekend ahead as my cousin Justin headed down from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara to say hello and take part in the SB Earth Day Festival. Justin, Dana (his assistant) and the Compass Green truck rolled into Isla Vista just in time for lunch on Friday. As previously mentioned on the blog, Justin introduced me to at IV local, Wyatt, during my first week here at UCSB and we have been friends ever since. Justin and Wyatt actually met on a surfing trip in Northern California and so it was a reunion not only for me but for the them as well. To celebrate the occasion Dana, Wyatt, Justin and myself went to SouthCoast Deli to indulge in some delicious food and spend hours catching up on what was missed. 

After an amazing lunch we all trooped down to Isla Vista beach to take a stroll and show the guys around. After being on tour for a year Justin and Dana were itching to get out and spend some time on the beach so I left them with Wyatt and headed back to the dorms to do some work. The day only continued to improve from there as I met up with Thomas to go and watch Terakaft play at the MCC on campus. Terakaft are a West African band from Mali whose members were previously part of the civil liberation front and have turned to making rhythm and blues music. They were incredible live, dressed in traditional costume and rocking out to their eclectic and catching music. 

The music appreciation continued over the weekend as I was able to catch Wyatt's band (Platform Holly) playing at their lead singer's 21st birthday (The Love Shack). It was a great set and super fun night, fit with a fire truck appearance and crowd-surfing. I was then able to see another Isla Vista band play on Sunday at the Earth Day festival. After a day of wandering, chatting to stall vendors, decoupage and slack-lining we caught a great set by FMLYBND (Familyband). The formerly Christian-rock synth band was surprisingly good and it was a great way to finish up the festival.

 Justin the tree monkey and the Compass Green truck

Fully electric Porsche Auto-shop school project

Slack-lining practice

To finish up our day of fun and festivities in the sun Wyatt, Justin, Dana and myself trooped over in the truck to the Brewhouse. Before settling down to dinner Justin introduced us to his favourite tree, a Moreton Bay fig that sits next to the amtrak line just out of the main strip. The tree is magnificent and to commemorate the meeting we all climbed up and monkeyed around. The dinner that followed was delicious and started some story telling. They continued during our trip back into town and while waiting for the bus. As a last hurrah we played a game of pool at an Irish pub that was spotted on the way. It was an awesome way to end the night and a great visit from Justin and Dana.

I couldn't have asked for a better Earth Day week and can't wait to be back in SF to see those crazy guys again.

Nina