First Friday

gallery space in the Crossroads

Last night was First Friday in the Crossroads district and everyone was out and about. I've missed every First Friday for months - it was nice to go last night when the weather was decent and the sun was out. We had a full roster of events for the evening. Our first stop was Badseed for the Grand Opening of the Friday Farmers Market. I have been so so eager for the start of the season; I could hardly believe it was here. We bought lemon sorrel (greens), two bags of spinach, rice, steel cut oats, cheese, broccoli sprouts, chinese radish sprouts, and green coffee beans which Sergio intends to roast himself. Lots of food. Even so, we were out for the night, not cooking at home, so we scurried down the street for a quick bite - a veggie burger, actually. Sergio's ceremonial first veggie burger since the VB project ended precisely one month ago.

tea herbs at Badseed

There were so many exhibits, events, and openings; we could have made a number of stops throughout the course of the evening but we had our sights set on just a few. First, "Mañana" at Digital Labrador - an exhibit of photography from Nicaragua by Maria Brenny, whose selected works capture a full and diverse range of Nicaraguan impressions. Across the street we joined the crowd around the Fresher Than Fresh Snow Cones trailer (more on that...) and we hovered briefly outside the interesting things to see at Hammerpress Letterpress Studio while we tasted our First Ever FTF Snow Cones and accepted a piece of paper from a man dressed as a donkey.

artist's statement

fresher than fresh

reading what the donkey gave us

We moseyed to the west side for our next two stops and we happily stumbled upon the urban farm of Lew Edminster, the Herb'n Gardner, whom I had just chatted with at Badseed. Lew wears overalls and farms a corner lot across from the Primitivo Garcia World Language Elementary School on 17th street and Belleview. I said hello to the little lettuces which I hope to buy in a couple of weeks.

baby heads of lettuce and headless bodies of art

the syringe

Up the street then to The Syringe (right next to Mattie Rhodes) where "Mortality" - works by Jessica Dassing featuring needle felting, hand died protein fibers and renderings of birds - was on view. After learning some remarkable things about fibers and admiring a delicate, sheer tapestry comprised of human hair, it was time to go. We had to head out to the last stop on our agenda: "Jutting and Swerving," a show by Jane Gotch and Tiffany Sizemore at La Esquina.

finding our seats

waiting for jutting and swerving to start

Having recently attended my first modern dance event already, I was less unsure and even more amazed. I watched as the dancers worked with fluidity and tension, and I even stopped searching for symmetry. The music and movement cleared my head and aligned my thoughts. The dancers looked so graceful after it was over; exhausted, but graceful. I didn't want it to end and I thought perhaps they didn't either.

espresso

I thought the evening would end, too, until we emerged from the show to find that the Crossroads were still hoppin' so we stopped in at Extra Virgin for espresso and churros with chocolate. Nothing like churros in Mexico, but delicious, and the espresso was just the thing on the patio in the chill.

The only bad thing about First Friday is that it's only once a month.

the patio at extra virgin