Blues for the Green

They hold the ACL music festival on the green around the rock island in Zilker Park, the crown jewel of Austin.

On the first day, the sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, the temperatures were glorious, and my brother Ben said the grass on the green was like carpet.

"You didn't even want a blanket to sit on," he said in amaze. Everyone was talking about it. What a wonderful change from the barren dirt and choking dust of years before.

On the second day, dark clouds filled the sky, and it rained. It's been years since we've had a rain like that, and although we needed it very, very badly, we really didn't need it on that particular day. Nevertheless, it rained - all - day - long. And when we picked up Ben at the end of the day, his clothes were soaked, the things in his backpack were wet, and his shoes and socks were smeared with mud.

So on the third day, the Zilker green was brown. There was no grass left to see. My brother said the mud was like chocolate frosting four inches deep. Everyone was covered in it up to their shins.

After the millions of dollars it took to plant the sod and the year they spent irrigating it so that it would be ready for the festival, at least they got one good day. And I think it's safe to say that the music this year was the best it's ever been, so the festival was a great success. But nothing remains of the grass in the park, and I wonder how long it will take before the green is green again.

9:15:07 AM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: