Peace, love, happiness, and Emmylou Harris

Dancing Roommate and I went to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass yesterday afternoon and, despite spending two hours looking for parking, managed to have a wonderful time.

Sitting on the grass, swaying to the music, with a stranger's dog curled up beside me, I felt that Hippie thing I'd always assumed came from smoking too much pot. I think they call it harmony.

Estimates indicate that 500,000 people attended and peacefully mingled in the park. That, it's fair to say, is a massive crowd, but it never once dissolved into chaos or violence. Everyone was polite; most people offered to share whatever they'd brought. The Marina crowd, the dreadlocked stoners, the middle-aged folks in sensible shoes, and the young parents with kids in tow mixed easily. There was just something about it that made me incredibly...hopeful...and I really, really needed that.