Send Pinkie Right Over

I am a huge fan of public art.  San Francisco has some of the most beautiful murals just hanging out in various nooks and crannies.  When I lived there I went on a bike tour of the mission to see some of the most stunning homages to society ever made. Diego has a couple, but they are tucked neatly away in buildings. My personal favorite is the Woman's Building on 18th. The entire exterior of this four story building interweaves common female archetypes in a colorful cyclone of movement and wisdom.  The first time I saw it was after it's restoration in the late 90s.  I just stood across the narrow alley breathing in the waves of civic responsibility endowed to me by the artists.

In Seattle we have a sculpture garden, I haven't officially visited, but there is a giant rolly eraser just off Elliot that makes me giggle each time I pass it.  And I was dumb founded by the Yellow Arrow Project based in New York City where people posted yellow stickers with numbers on them.  If you found one, you text the number to yellow arrow and back would come the posters composition regarding that space, building or view.

I've wanted, for quite some time, to create something, perform something or build something of a public nature.  I have lots of ideas but I've got a motivational disorder, ha!  But yesterday, I had the best time ever when a group of friends and I played a spontaneous game of Red Rover in old Ballard outside of Kings Hardware.

Since we are not allowed to smoke in bars anymore, we were gathered outside the building chatting and smoking.  I started "popping and locking" (in a way that proves my severe lack of popping and locking know-how) for the people sitting in the window.  This some how became a group activity and without prompting quickly evolved into the linking of hands and the school yard chant, "Red Rover Red Rover send Checkered Shirt right over"  This request was sung out to complete strangers has they walked down the sidewalk.  Some would walk around, but the vast majority heard the call, set their mark and dashed into our linked arms.  Grown adults, men and women.  

The best part was, of course, our ability to  block even the most  aggressive attempt thus maintaining our undefeated status...  really it was the recognition in peoples eyes when they heard of call.  You could almost see the memories fire up and the complete joy grade schoolers seem to have cornered the market on, surge through the body as our competitors took flight.

I highly recommend the activity to you all.