Corrine Bailey Rae - La Zona Rosa - August 14, 2010

One Saturday, we decided last minute to attend the Corrine Bailey Rae show that evening. We'd never seen her live; and, that made up for the slightly painful price of the tickets. We parked on Congress for dinner and then walked the few short blocks over to the La Zona Rosa, located near the Royal Blue Grocery and Johnny Mellow Bike Shop. La Zone Rosa is certainly nothing spectacular. It is a bare room with a stage in one corner. Admission is general, standing room only. That didn't seem too terrible when we first walked in. However, after standing through the opening act of Dan Dyer, my legs were already tired! In addition, the air conditioning was weak; and, the ceiling fans did little to cool the audience. Definitely not the venue for the occasional live music attendee.

Wonderfully, Corinne Bailey Rae and her band were amazing! I had not expected such a large voice to be coming from such a tiny woman. Corrine's voice slid and modulated up and down the scale, resolving into melodic phrases. She was pensive and joyful, quiet then projecting loudly. Whether playing guitar or tapping a tambourine, Corinne exuded endless energy. Her slender hips would be swaying to the beat one minute; then, she would be jamming out with the guitarist, pianist or drummer the next. Corinne's band were strong musicians in their own right; and, each had a chance to shine through riffs. Corinne started with the songs from her new album. Near the end, she started playing her well-known singles - "Like A Star" and "Put Your Records On".

If you get a chance to see Corinne Bailey Rae, I highly recommend going.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

When my alarm went off at 7 am on a Saturday morning, I was pretty tempted to turn it off and go back to sleep. But, we'd already taken the REI clinic on stand up paddle boarding; and, the lure of a $20 discount for a lesson got me moving. A groggy drive east on Cesar Chavez past I35 brought us to Robert T. Martinez, which we followed south to the river. We quickly slathered on sunscreen and headed toward the paddle boards waiting on the dock. I had made one previous (terrible) attempt at surfing; and, I approached the paddle board with low expectations. Hopefully, we could just sit on the board. Did we really need to stand up? However, within a few minutes of floating on our knees, the instructor was encouraging us to stand. Amazingly, it was easy! Soon, the entire group was paddling back and forth across the lagoon. One guy fell in; and, that broke the unspoken "don't fall in" tension. We were falling in trying the instructor's different tricks - "walk to the front of the board", "walk to the back of the board", "stand on your head". Overall, it was a very enjoyable early morning outing.

The Expedition School gives Stand Up Paddle Board Lessons by appointment. First time lessons are $45. Subsequent lessons are $25/person or $15/youth. http://www.expeditionschool.com/safety-courses/day-trips/

An evening bicycle ride...

It's been way too hot to bicycle during these 100 degree days. Maybe a 9:30 ride will be a little cooler.
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Even though it's still close to 90 outside, there was a slight refreshing breeze. There are well marked bike lanes on the west side of MoPac along Lake Austin Boulevard all the way to Hula Hut. The return on Enfield also has bike lanes until Exposition.