Finally Friday - Go Blue Hens

When I was up in  Delaware in August, I visited my sister's  alma mater - University of Delaware.  Lovely campus.  

Nice message for students as they begin a new school  year. 

Dramatic statue in the quad area. 

Good luck scholars!
 

Whatever Wednesday - Art Unites

Earlier this year, Ray and  I participated in a little art project at the library.  You could paint 3x3 canvases. 

Over three hundred folks participated at several events.  Each tile became a part of this community tree. 

How fantastic is  this?   Every time I walk into the library now, I stop  and marvel  at the  variety of each image, and how the patchwork looks united on  the wall. 

Community and Heart.   Art!

 

Monday Moments - Irving Art Center Variety

Took a quick ride over  to the  Irving Arts Center on Friday afternoon.   Several new little  exhibits. "Rooted  Visions" featured works by over 25 Southern  Black artists - most born in poverty, never trained, just producing their  lives.  Resilience, storytelling, and powerful folk art. 

This is Moved  by the Word (2001) Ransom "Rocky" McCormick.   Obviously spent some  time in church.  Do  I hear an "Amen"?

It Cost to Hate by Ruby Williams.   Simple and striking. 

In the Dupree Lobby Gallery - photos by Bill Thompson.   This one is Threshold 

In De Profundis: Echoes From the Deep, Giselle Castro-Brightenburg captures the beauty of the natural world and explores complexities of the human  experience. 

Mesmerizing  colors

Altogether, a forty minutes art stroll.  Relax and expand  the mind and the heart.  

Have a good week. 
 

Remember 9-11

 

I like the Auden poem for any salute to the  dead. 

Whatever Wednesday - Revisit the Michener Art Museum

Doylestown, PA is a quaint town with an artsy bent.  A gem to wander is the James Michener Art Museum.  There's his donated  writing office complete with typewriter, papers,  books, and memorabilia.  He was born in Doylestown. 

This piece is called "Bloodlines" by Holly Wilson.   Very cool and  the bodies are made from cigars. 

 A special exhibit featured Judith Schaechter.   This was the  ceiling for  a special chapel she created. The  colors glowed

Outside, sculptures  abound.  This was a  Holocaust memorial piece.  

And  a clever poem

The museum also features artists from the  New Hope area and Pennsylvania Impressionists.  The building  is  the former Bucks County Jail.   So  much history and art to appreciate. 

September - I am back

 My two weeks in DE and PA were filled with friends and family.     I've known Debbie since  sixth grade.  Here we are at Glencairn Museum

Yea for my sister Lori.  She put  up with me for a  week.  Had lots of fun.  Here's a lovely trek to Longwood Gardens

Old high school friends  unite on Janet's patio.    It's Cindie,  Janet,  and me - lots of laughs

And me, Mary Ellen, and Joan at the Michener Art Museum.    Smiles here,  but we were quiet in the museum.  Did  not want to get kicked out.

More fun travel posts  to follow.  There's so much to see and do in the  area.  

Finally Friday - Play it loud

First, get out your Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tunes and crank up the volume.  American Girl, Breakdown, Don't Come Around Here No More, Learning to Fly, and so many more. 

Next, settle in to read Mike Campbell's memoir Heartbreaker and learn how a young lad found his soul in a guitar and learned to play like crazy. Then, meet an assortment of like minded musicians and the leading muse, Tom Petty.  Out of hardscrabble Florida, the band played every joint in Gainsville. Slowly, they made connections and pushed to make a touring  dream come true. 

Mike Campbell was lead guitarist and also helped  write countless famous songs - Refugee, Here Comes My Girl, You Got  Lucky, and Runnin' Down the Dream. 

Lots of ups and downs, fights, drugs, and grueling work.  Campbell  doesn't hold  back and his memoir paints  a very complete picture of a band and a dream.

RIP Tom Petty

 

Whatever Wednesday - September

Here in Texas, kids are back to school now.  The summer freedom of just hitching a ride on a big kid shoulders is over.  It's trudging with backpacks in the continued heat. 

It's Labor Day week which now means "Yea, I'm still retired and doing what I want week."
 

Beaches are cleared of crowds.  Now's the time to go!

What does September  signal to you?    Enjoy. 

Labor Day Weekend and Anniversary

It's  Labor  Day Weekend.   It's also  our Wedding Anniversary on Monday, September 1

Here's a good photo from two years  ago  in Pensacola

And  a few years ago in Vegas - Ray's my LOVE

Who were these kids?  
 

And thirty six years ago we said "I do" at the justice of the peace

Not sure how  we'll celebrate this year, but through thick and thin, and older and older, we've been laughing.   Ray's my guy.   Happy Anniversary  and thanks  for putting up with ME. 

Whatever Wednesday - Shucked

I enjoyed a Sunday matinee at Bass Hall on August  3rd.  Shucked is a Tony Award winning  musical and the road cast is excellent. As you can tell from the title, this is a very corny show.  Seriously, the first song is "Corn".   The lead character's name is Maizy.  Aw, shucks - she is  so sweet, but can she  save the town in Cob County?

Maizy is almost engaged to Beau and he grows the  best corn.  But there's a crop  problem and no answers.  Maizy decides  to be the first person  to actually leave the town to find answers.   She ends up in Tampa, FL.  (Don't ask too many questions. Yes, this is very silly.  But entertaining).  Anyway, she meets Gordy (he's a corn specialist - i.e. scamming  old ladies and their feet) and brings him back to their town.  Oh, there's a lot of jealousy.  Maizy and her best friend Lulu get crossways. 

Lulu (Miki Abraham) stands out. What a voice!  Her song "Independently Owned" was a wow.  And  her duet with Maizy (Danielle Wade) "Best Friends" is gorgeous. 

"Corn Mix" is one of the finale songs.  This  whole show was just  heartfelt, funny, punny, and we left with smiles. 
 

Monday Moments - Pool Party Anyone?

An August jaunt around the neighborhood yielded quite a sight - The skeleton is ready for the pool party. Floatie and drink in hand. 

On this street, two homes kept their skeletons up since  Halloween 2024.   I'll give these folks props. They've done a Santa hat, Valentine heart, St. Paddy's  green, July 4th  red, white, and blue, and now August summer fun.  

You never know what you'll see when you walk.  (Here in TX - it's  gotta be before 9 am or  90 degrees).  Happy August!   Whew!

 

Finally Friday - House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

 I was browsing the new book section of the Bedford Library.  Another woman was reading the jacket of a book I had read and I commented to her that it was really good. In turn, she  pointed at this one - House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen - and said it was excellent. She said the author wrote good mysteries.  Okay, I'll give her a try. 

Big thumbs up. cover  blurb - On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.  A nanny plunged to her death...or pushed? A little girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer.  But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying? 

Lots of twists and turns for Stella, our  child  advocate  lawyer. She's Rose's counsel. But this eerie house, the mother, father, grandmother - all seems to be hiding something.  Is the person Stella's  supposed to protect the one she may need protection from? 

I can't write more.  At times I had to put the book down and step away.  Then I was compelled to read more. Well done. Thank you stranger at the library for your recommendation. 

Whatever Wednesday - School's Back in TX

 I'm in PA, but school is back in session in Texas.   Crazy. It's too hot for  kids to be trudging with backpacks, sweating football practice, and doing homework instead of diving into  a pool. 

Don't get me wrong - I believe in education.  BUT - not until after Labor Day.  Summer is summer is summer.  August is for total ennui, hanging poolside, floating, and complaining about the heat. 

Whew!   (kudos to all teachers - good  luck with this wacky Texas Educational  system)

Monday Moments - Roots

 I'm baaaaack!   Howdy Billy Penn

Time to learn how to talk again, see my sister (in DE), brother (in PA), friends, eat a cheesesteak, go to Longwood  Gardens, dip my toes in the Atlantic (Rehoboth), and generally hang out. 

Roots.   Still gonna be weird with no  dad to visit.  Can you go "home" again?  

Finally Friday - The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline

 I really like Lisa Scottoline's lawyer based novels. But she ventures into some other genres and this psychological thriller, The Unraveling of Julia, is a fun page turner.

Julia Pritzker's husband was murdered in Philly and she's still recovering. Then news arrive from Italy - she's inherited a fortune, a Tuscan villa, and a vineyard.  How? Why?  Julia was adopted and has no biological history. A jaunt to Italy becomes quite the adventure. 

The villa seems haunted. Clues appear to indicate Julia might be related to Emilia Rossi and a Renaissance Duchess - Caterina Sforza. And husband, Mike's murder, no longer seems random. Whoa!

 cover blurb - Before long, Julia fears she's being followed. Events turn deadly, and Julia's search for identity becomes a harrowing struggle for sanity - and survival.  

Solid poolside read with a satisfying conclusion. Scottoline does not  disappoint. 

Whatever Wednesday - The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits

 cover blurb - The Griffin Sisters were the soundtrack of  the early 2000s - until suddenly, they weren't. 

Two sisters bonded by music, divided by fame...silenced by tragedy. 

Now twenty years later, a new generation will try to reunite Cassie and Zoe. Can the love between sisters survive the secrets that remain?

Jennifer Weiner with The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits once again writes an excellent family tale with plenty of drama, mystery, love, and secrets.  I really enjoyed following  the tale of Zoe, pretty and adequately talented, AND Cassie, the prodigy voice and piano sister who hides behind her heaviness and lack of beauty. It's a brief stint as a band with plenty of drama, sleeping  around, a marriage, a death, a pregnancy, a talented kid named Cherry - niece, daughter, and kid trying to figure out the story. 

Can there be forgiveness?

Well written page turner - full  of family drama, angst, and emotion.  Thumbs up! 

Monday Moments - F1 the Movie - Zoom Zoom

 This movie is probably streaming by now.  But on a warm Saturday July afternoon, Ray and I treated ourselves to a small popcorn, a medium Diet Coke, and over two hours with Brad Pitt in F1: The Movie.   Money and time well spent.   Very fun!

Brad looks great and he's just cool as Sonny Hayes.  He's a broken man with a racing  history, now just moving  from quick gig to gig.   Javier Bardem as Ruben tracks him down and convinces him to join  his Formula Team - it's on its last legs and needs a boost and some wins.  The young gun driver, Joshua, (played well by Damson  Idris), is of course irked at "old  man" Sonny.  There's  competition, issues, and then teamwork.  

Kerry Condon is the  team hot shot designer who listens to Sonny as he gives his opinion on the car.  Is there a love kick?  Well, yeah - it's Brad, Kerry.  Hot stuff for a moment.  But the key to the movie  is the F1 racing in exotic locations.  One of the producers is Lewis Hamilton.... Hello - he's not going to have crap on the screen.  And gee - is he prominent in the racing finale?  

All in all, this is  maybe a tad long.   But it's very entertaining, well  filmed, and a good summer  movie. 

And Brad!!!!!!!!!!!!  'nuff said.    Enjoy.  

Finally Friday - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

 I have been on a tear with my library picks.  Winners each time.  All the Colors  of the Dark by Chris Whitaker is unbelievable.  So good!  Twists and turns galore and just when you say," Are you kidding me?", he hits you with another crazy plot point.  

 1975 Monta Clare, MO, girls are disappearing. 

Patch, a local kid missing an  eye becomes a hero  when he saves the richest, prettiest girl  in  town. But he's taken and is tortured, left to die, and then saved by his best friend - a tough girl named Saint.   She never gave up. 

cover blurb - Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. Their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean  losing one another. 

A missing  person mystery, a serial killer mystery thriller, a love  story, a unique twist on each.  This book  covers what lurks in the shadows of obsession and  the blinding light of hope. 

It all starts in 1975.  It ends in  2001.   Holy Cow  is  all I can say.   The writing, the characters,  the story arc - un-freaking- believable.     

Get this book. Read it.  You are welcome. 

Whatever Wednesday - More Helicopter and Wow Banff

Afraid of heights - nah!  I loved the front seat  of the helicopter

More glories of Banff  from above

In May - still snow on the mountains.   Hooray!

Clear skies.  We were beyond lucky

 Yep - glorious. 

Thanks Canada for being so  damn perfect

Monday Moments - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is a gripping historical mystery inspired by  the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned eighteenth century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself  into American history. (cover blurb)

I was pulled into this story immediately and the deep freeze of Maine,  1789 kept me enthralled.  After one man is saved after falling into  the ice, another is discovered entombed.  Martha, the midwife, is  called to examine  the body - her declaration: Murdered by hanging. The man - Joseph Burgess - had also  been  accused of rape. 

Over the  course of one winter, a trial  is  pending, more scandal, more accusations and Martha's word and her journal prove to be at the center.  This is  a time when women were to be seen and not heard. The fact that she could write,  that she  knew every secret in town, and that she truly was a woman of convictions makes this story very powerful.  Martha  Ballard proves  an exception and her husband,  Ephraim, is also a man ahead of his time.

I loved the tone  of  this  book,  the pace, the obvious research done, rich characters, and that  family love that  shined  through.  The Frozen River glistens and each word and chapter  flow. Big thumbs up  from me! 
 

Finally Friday - Happy Birthday Ray!

 Today, August 1st is Ray's birthday.   Old enough.  Here he's on  a glacier in Canada.  The  man is always  up for adventure

He's a sports fan of all sorts.  The  Rangers, this year,  are  breaking his heart.  Don't even discuss the Cowboys - ha!

He bowls

He plays  pickleball (he's got  a wicked  serve!).  Here he's  with me and a friend,  Kathy.  We were all set for the 4th  of July  pickleball festivities. 

And Ray  likes the  beach and  a  big drink at a beach bar. 

Hope it's another year  of fun, surprises, and good cheer.     Love ya, Ray.  Happy Birthday!