(S)he Remembers Being Small. Playing Under the Table and Dreaming.

This morning dawned Seattle perfect, all gray and green.

Despite the cold, I drove to the beach with the top down on my car listening to the new DMB. Despite the fact it was 6:20 on a Sunday morning, I played it loud.

I have not bought a Dave Matthews CD since Under the Table and Dreaming captured my imagination in the early 1990s. Shortly afterward came Crash and suddenly Mr. and Mrs. Suburbia were trekking to the Gorge Amphitheater in their freaking Subarus with their picnic baskets and wine coolers to hear them play...and the magic was gone.

The sad passing of saxophonist LeRoi Moore last summer got me thinking about the old sounds, and this morning I was so happy to discover that now, 10 months later, the reminiscent chords are captured on Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King in their full and beautiful glory. Moore played on some but not all of the album.

I arrived at the beach feeling Seattl-y and spiritually sated. Nice swim with Brendan, Connor, Jan and Liz to pair of pink buoys at the tennis club. In theme with the Seattle groove, we went to Starbucks after. Here is what you missed:

Tatyana -- heading on a long run
Jan -- cute new haircut and planning on a long bike ride
Liz -- going to watch the Furry 5 K at Seward Park in recognition of a canine charity she supports
Tim -- business is good in Paris and London
Connor -- expecting his second child later this summer
DT -- traveling to Dallas instead of Baltimore these days
Brendan -- planning to swim from Magnuson Park to Mercer Island in August, sans wetsuit
Joseph -- blew off coffee and was missed