Perfect Night for a Concert by the Sea

Today was absolutely beautiful!!! The temps moderated to a normal range of the mid 80s and the humidity was reasonable. The sun was shining and there was just the slightest breeze. We knew the concert in the Park would be great as we're quite familiar with the band, Big Cam & the Lifters.I knew it would be a great day. Our saucer magnolia tree that normally blooms once in the early Spring is blooming again!!! Most years the blossoms burst forth over the course of two, maybe three, days in April, only to be hit by wind or cold rain or just very cold temps the next day or two and we only get 3 days to a week of beauty out of it. Thank goodness it is a pretty green tree for most of the year. Every year, we find two to three stray blooms from time to time in the off-season but nothing very interesting.
This year, the tree was gorgeous for about a whole week in April. (I think I posted a few pics back then.) Cold days appeared and the blossoms died off as usual. Well, lo and behold, after weeks of triple digit temps and very dry conditions, it is suddenly in bloom again. At least a third of the tree is in full bloom and there are still dozens of buds ready to open! This is so unusual that we've had neighbors calling to ask what we did to get it to bloom again!! (Absolutely nothing!)

So after an afternoon of enjoying my tree and my yard (It was actually comfortable to sit outside.), we headed off to the park by the marina for the concert. We always make a picnic of it so we go a little early. We were shocked at the crowd already gathered when we got there. It was the largest audience this year. I believe there had to be at least 1000 folks there!!
We always sit with the same people - a couple we've known for over 30 years. The Big Guy and I were both friends with these great folks since before we were a couple. Luckily, they had gotten there a little earlier and staked out our front and center location.
The band was fantastic, as usual and they really got the crowd on their feet. Couples of all ages took the floor (er, "the grass"). The view of the river and bay (they merge at this point) was beautiful tonight and there were plenty of sailboats floating by. What a night ! this is what summer is all about in these parts!

Please - play in my ketchup!

It's hot. It's sticky. Everybody's sweating. The kids are getting bored. You're running out of ideas to keep them occupied.

So, raid the pantry and refrigerator. Plop it down in front of them and tell them to "get creative."
Rachael Ray had a whole show devoted to playing with your food the other day. There were very elaborate pictures made with nothing but Jelly Belly jelly beans. (You've got to admit, they've got a great color pallet.) Jason Baalman presented Rachael with a detailed portrait done only in Cheetos and there was a guy who "painted" with used chewing gum!

The gum guy was a little gross to me. he didn't just use his own chewed gum but gives out quality gum (those that retain their colors when chewed) to others to chew provided they return the used wads to him. The artwork wasn't bad but I just couldn't embrace that particular concept.

Jason Baalman, however, was pretty fascinating. He's used pretty much everything you can think of to create works of art - Cheetos, chocolate, lipstick, mascara, even bbq ribs! He actually earns a living at it, selling only online. He recently used 1500 little toy soldiers to create a piece that was auctioned for a fundraiser for the U.S.O. Up close, one saw a battlefield. From a distance, it was a very detailed portrait of a soldier. Impressive!!

I Googled him and spent a good hour reading about his accomplishments and creations. I found his You Tube site the most informative but there are dozens of listings for him.

Jason demonstrated how to use anything around you to "draw". Since he was on a popular cook's program, he showed how to raid the kitchen for both "paints" and tools of the trade. They used ketchup, bbq sauce and mustard for Rachael's effort. She liked the squirt bottle for applying the ketchup but he also showed how to use a knife, fork or even chopsticks to create design texture. Shading can be accomplished by mixing "sauces" or thinning them down a bit for a lighter shade.

I decided to give it a try. I used ketchup and spicy brown mustard and painted on a foam plate. I didn't get too creative with the tools and just used some kids' paint brushes and a toothpick for details.

I need to practice with this new medium - or at least buy better, thicker ketchup.














However,

I do think the kids would find it appealing being able to play with the foods in the fridge. There's something wicked about playing with your food, even when Mom gives permission.

Might be good for an afternoon of activity. Give it a try.

Consignment deal gone bad? Take it to The People's Court!!!

When a consignment deal gone bad reached an impasse, a crafter and a shop owner took it to court - The People’s Court that is! I saw it myself this morning.

The crafter was a laid-back casual sort of old soul who truly enjoys the art of decorative painting. He claims to generally work on specially commissioned projects only. The shop owner was a polished, slick business type who seemed to put on a few airs, billing his shop as an upscale boutique offering “hearth products - home décor items.”

It seems the painter was an acquaintance of the shop owner’s mother-in-law who just happened to be the shop’s bookkeeper at one point in time. She suggested the shop carry some of the painter’s work “on consignment”. A verbal agreement was reached and the artist delivered the goods which were then displayed in the shop. It is unclear if this ever really resulted in any sales.

In time, there was some sort of family falling out and the mother-in-law left her position with the shop. The shop owner decided he no longer wanted to carry the painter’s merchandise and advised the mother-in-law to tell him to come and get his things. She did not want to do this as she wanted to spare her friend’s feelings. The shopkeeper removed the items from display and put them in storage.

The painter got wind of this and showed up to claim his merchandise since it was no longer on display. It was a “bad time” and the shop owner told him he would have to come back . After several attempts, the merchandise was picked up by the painter’s representative. The shop owner explained the delay as a “paperwork problem” and inferred that situation was due to his mother-in-law’s record keeping.

Had this been the whole dispute, the players would have taken their respective toys and simply agreed not to play together anymore.

Ahhhh, but there’s more…

At some point in this time period, the shop owner visited his mother “upstate”, where she either owned or worked for an antique shop. (Her role was a bit disputed but really not important here.) He returned with two antique milk cans which he wanted the painter to clean up and paint as room accents. He indicated to the artist that he had been given the cans but, in Court, maintained he paid $75 for each of them. The agreement between the two was such that the painter would paint the cans with whatever design he deemed appropriate and the shop owner would place them in the shop. When sold, at whatever price, they would split the profits. They actually had this agreement in writing!


The painted cans were placed in the shop but they did not sell . (We’re talking well in excess of two years later, here). At this point, the artist requested payment for the painting job. He demanded $250 for the work he’d done on each can as the shop owner had them priced at $500 a piece. (This was marked down from $700. Apparently, this shop is in a high rent district!) Funny, this particular dilemma had not been dealt with in the agreement. What would happen if they didn’t sell? Good question.

Judge Milian saw three possible solutions to this mess:

(1) The cans could remain in the shop waiting for a buyer to come along. (The shop owner blames the poor economy. He is convinced they will sell at that price when the economy improves.) Everybody would simply have to wait to make the profit. The Judge didn’t really feel this was an ideal solution.

(2) The shop owner could simply pay the artist outright. He didn’t like this solution.

(3)They could each take one of the cans and do with it what they will.

Since it seemed most equitable to all concerned, Judge Milian went with the third option. They actually reached easy agreement on which can each would take. No money exchanged hands as a result of this ruling.

However…

The artist took his can and left the courtroom. On his way down in the elevator, someone admired the can and, get this, bought it right then and there for $250!!!!
The moral of this story?

Make sure you take EVERY possibility into mind when entering a consignment agreement and get it ALL in WRITING!!!!

Of course, there is an underlying marketing lesson here, too. Take one of your best pieces and simply ride elevators all around town, who knows who might fall in love with the product!! LOL

Teaser Tuesday - "Bubbles All The Way"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers for today:

"To think my career at the News-Times had been done in by hair extensions. Not by all the bigwig steel lawyers who had tried to cut me at the knees, but by latex and hair, the death knell rung in the women's room of a Masonic temple."
pg. 281, Bubbles All The Way, Sarah Strohmeyer

Picture Jamie Pressley's character on My Name is Earl as a hairdresser turned newspaper reporter who likes to investigate murders in her spare time (and on company time when possible) and you've got Bubbles Yablonsky. There are quite a few books in the Bubbles series. Who would've thought there was so much crime in the quiet Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania?!?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Where did the weekend go?

Another busy weekend has simply whizzed by as we quickly approach the end of July and what I consider the "downside" of summer.
Although the sweltering record temperatures of this summer of 2010 have been a bit much, summer remains my favorite season. It depresses me to think it's speeding by so quickly. So, I desperately try to squeeze more into each day - to get "it all" done. All those things that are summer to me - outdoor music and festivals, walks on the boardwalk, enjoying the smells and sounds of the beach, corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes,just sitting along the shoreline enjoying the long days and evenings, and so much more.
We did our best to do it all this weekend. Friday evening found us at the park above the marina listening to a band we've been trying to catch up with for over two years, Bottle of Blues. Believe me, they did not disappoint us!! The heat was stifling in our front yard as we left for the concert but in the park along the river only a few miles away, a gentle breeze blew and we were actually comfortable. What a beautiful evening!!! As the full moon rose and reflected on the water, it was absolutely mesmerizing.
The same band was also playing at another outdoor event on Saturday and we had planned to see them again for a longer show but the morning dawned with miserable, sickening heat and humidity. The heat index reached 110 in the afternoon. It did not seem healthy to be out in it if given a choice. We didn't venture out until late evening when we met friends for dinner at a restaurant in the local casino. It turned into a very late night for us. The temp had actually cooled to a very sticky 86 by 2:30 a.m. It is extremely rare for us to be out that late these days!!

Obviously, we didn't get a very early start on Sunday. Instead of going out for our usual weekend breakfast outing, we did lunch. (It actually turned out to be an early dinner as we never did eat another meal that day.) We had planned to catch some outdoor music again in the afternoon but by the time we finished eating, it was actually too late to go! Instead we made a grocery run and stopped at a local farm for produce which pretty much shot the rest of the day. The Big Guy's regular crowd shuffled in for their weekly pinochle game soon thereafter.

Suddenly, the weekend was over!!!

Hope you had a good one.

Love In His Eyes

I saw true love personified tonight.

It didn’t have the exact image I thought it would. Oh yeah, it appeared to be male, too.

He took me by surprise. He was about 65 and a bit weathered looking. He definitely looked a little tired. Of course, it was almost midnight. He had a plastic cup of beer in one hand and a Marlboro in the other. He spoke in plain, straight forward language and he didn’t care who knew he loved his wife with all he’s got - and then some. While he chatted, it dawned on me, he was beautiful. I hope she knows how he feels. What’s more, I hope she appreciates what she’s got.

Seriously, we were at our local casino and I’d reached my limit for the night and was somewhat tired. My man begged for another half hour to play and I advised I’d be waiting in the smoking lounge. I don’t smoke but there are fairly comfortable seats and tables there and you don’t need to be playing a slot just to sit and kill time in the lounge.

Since it was late, there weren’t many of us killing time there. Another woman about my age and this gentleman were the only folks there when I entered. It’s funny, we each staked out a seat in opposite corners but it is a small area and conversation began easily among us. The other lady soon finished her smoke and reentered the casino. My ale friend and I were left to chat among ourselves.

Like me, he was waiting for his spouse. He’d lost all he wanted but did not want to rush her as she was “having a good time.” He said he loves to see her enjoy herself and she really does deserve a good evening out as she’s “a good woman.” He went on to describe how hard she works and all she does for the family without complaint. While he has already retired, she’s still going off to a job each day. He claims to keep the house tidy and says he does a little cooking, too. She has recently lost a fair amount of weight and he has dutifully helped by keeping her supplied with the foods she needed for her diet. Though he loved her in her larger form, he is truly proud of her accomplishment in taking off the weight. (She’s lost about 45 pounds.)
He punctuated every other thought or two with the words, “I love her dearly.” Confessions that he knows he hasn’t always been the easiest person to live with and the fact that they have definitely faced disagreements (mostly over the kids) came up in the conversation, but were quickly seasoned with statements of “but nobody could ask for a better woman.”

His pride glowed as he spoke of her. He described her as a great beauty and exclaimed he wasn’t sure what he’d ever done to deserve her. I was beginning to picture a youthful, perky “trophy wife.” Then, he boasted they were quickly approaching their 44th anniversary and he wished he’d hit the lottery so he could give her the country mansion she deserved. Alas, he figured they’d have to make due with a “nice dinner out.”

About that time, his “fine lady” came out to check on him. She was a cheerful lady with a neat appearance and a twinkle in her eye. She admitted she’d gone through her allotted cash and at that point would have to call it a night. He admitted to having a few more bucks stashed in a pocket and gave it to her to go back and play with. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and hurried back to the machines. He smiled proudly and said, “See what I mean?”

You know, I did see it.

My husband appeared about that time and a we rose to go, my new friend lit another cigarette and mused he should have held back enough money for another beer but then said, “She’s enjoying it more than I would.”

I felt good having had such a chat and seen such a happy pair. I think it made me appreciate my man a little more, too. I hope we’re that happy when we reach 44 years together. As we headed for our car, I reached over and held his hand. I think we were happy. I know I love him.

May we all see that type of love in our mate's eyes.

We were hostages in our own home, today!

We decided yesterday we'd have a date night tonight with dinner and a movie, something we hadn't done in a while.

Well, things went along fairly well until mid-day when we noticed a lot of police activity in the apartment complex across the street from us. It was hard to tell what was happening but there were a lot of police cars, unmarked cars and dozens of uniformed officers just standing around one of the buildings and parking lot. We hid inside and watched from behind our curtains.

After several hours, the SWAT team and other tactical units came on the scene. Dozens more police vehicles filled our street and blocked all access in and out of the community. We couldn't get out at all. Time for us to head off to dinner came and went and we were still blocked from leaving the community. Neighbors that had gone out early in this action were now stuck on the outside. Some parked several blocks away and walked in to their homes when they came home from work.

Finally, the officers came out of the building, congregated in our court and began taking off their armor. Someone finally gave us a hint of what was happening. It seems they thought a suspect from a murder in a neighboring community on Sunday was holed up in that building. Turns out, he wasn't. Kind of makes you wonder why it took at least 6 1/2 hours to figure that out!


We finally set off for dinner over 2 1/2 hours later than originally planned. We ended up waiting for 40 minutes for our table! (When we arrive before 6 there's almost never a wait.) We had a great meal and then waddled our full bellies across the street to the movies. At that point, we had to settle for whatever movie was starting near that time, not necessarily what we set out for. So, for our romantic date night, we saw Karate Kid!! (When you've been together as long as us, just being out together qualifies as romantic.)

It's a good movie but, like the other Karate Kid movies, there is a lot of violence (Hey, it is "karate".) Although I am a Jackie Chan fan, I'm still partial to the original with Pat Morito. Jaden Smith (Will and Jada's son) does do a fantastic job as the kid and shows the great depth of acting talent he has at such a young age. He's also adorable!! That kid'll certainly break some hearts along the way! While it won't be in the running for an Oscar, I do recommend it. I'll give it 4 out of 5 stars!!!

Hope you had a little calmer afternoon than I did!!