This summer we rediscovered a favorite activity, the City of Palo Alto's Twilight Concert Series. We love that we can bike or walk to the venues. It's free with no tickets or any other elaborate planning required, and the whole family enjoys a festive and relaxing evening of fun and music. We picnic and socialize with friends and neighbors we see too seldomly, and this year the weather was particularly cooperative, reminding me of the balmy Midwestern evenings of my youth, but without the mosquitos or humidity! Some folks go all out with multi-course gourmet picnics, but if that's too much trouble, the food trucks are great, too.

This year's highlights were watching all ages, from toddlers to senior citizens, in motion to the band Journey Revisited's rendition of "I'm a Believer". I also loved hearing everyone singing along to universally-loved Beatle's hits. At another concert, our teen-aged daughter's much beloved 3rd grade teacher and her family were seated nearby. Her teacher's adorable one-year-old had just started walking, but was determined to immediately master running around the park's grassy field. She had us all charmed with her high fives and hugs!

As an early riser, I appreciate that the concerts wrap up by 8pm. We can have a lovely evening out and still turn in early!

The last concert of this summer is Saturday, Aug. 22rd at Rinconada Park. Grab a lawn chair and a sandwich and join the fun. See you there!