Apr 24, 2011

Rainy Saturday in Shelbyville

April is always a fickle month with beautiful balmy days followed by chilly rainy ones. Except for April 2011--which has featured a few of those beautiful days but mostly the rainy ones.  Right now, we're considering an ark.

Despite the rain and stormy weather that's been sitting on top of us for days,  with more to come, we've still enjoyed the usual routine.

Yesterday, Bob and I went across the street to the community theater to help with the box office and usher for the matinee production of "Girls in the Garden."  Splashing down the sidewalk and crossing at the intersections, my feet (in sandals) got soaking wet and so did my long pants about three inches up from the hem.  The temperature was pleasant though, so it wasn't uncomfortable.  After our theater duties, we ventured back out into the rain to the tea shop owned  by Regan Wann, a friend of ours, located in a beautiful old 1880s house owned by a different friend of ours,  http://www.shelbyvillelookingglass.com/  Here's a picture of the shop from last summer when Regan moved into it from her old place:


But yesterday we went traipsing through the rain to hear jack salt's Sea Chanties.  (jack salt is the alias of Regan's husband, Lance Minnis).  Here's a fuzzy picture taken with my cell phone yesterday:



Lance is obviously the one with the guitar.  Anyway, the rain poured and poured while Lance...I mean, Jack, took us asailin' on the seas.  Then we had to navigate the rushing waters ourselves on our way back home. 

I also took a bit of video on my phone (yay me!).  I know I need to work on my videography skills, but I don't think it's too bad for a first effort.  You will get a little dizzy as I swing back and forth.  Stand by.



Apr 19, 2011

Sweet Smells from the Past



I meant to write about this much earlier.  While we were in Florida in March, we were driving north on Merritt Island just cruisin' along (Merritt Island--hard to believe it's so close to civilization) and I caught a whiff of the sweetest smell on earth--orange blossoms.  Instantly, I was transported to my days growing up in Florida.  But more specifically, the smell was like a time machine to a specific day--ca. April 1967:  Driving home through the orange groves northwest of Tampa from the university after takng exams, top down on my 1964 LeMans convertible. 




The smell, the balmy air, and the Lovin' Spoonful cranked up to high volume on the radio: