MARCH 2013 – “Here We Go, Here We Go, Here We Go Now …”

MARCH 31, 2013  “GET BUSY!” (That’s when it was written …. but only posting now …. so it’s reflecting my state of mind back then)

I wish I felt more chipper. That’s what you want to hear in a blog, but I’m just not feeling it today.

It’s been a long week = heavy mix of work and play.

The crowd gathers before dawn

Plus the early rising – well before the sunrise to walk to the Easter Morning service.

Easter Sunday Sun Rise Service

So I’m pooped from that on top of being wrung out by this Art Festival endeavor.  But as the saying goes – This Too Shall Pass.

RE: Arts Festival.  We are now a week away.  Printer’s going non stop making booth tags, name tags, we heart art tags, maps, lists etc.

The stress I was feeling as I reeled from one festival  job to the next considerably lessened by mid March.  Sponsors secured, artists selected, t-shirts & posters designed, advertising venues procured, written, produced  + + +  . . . a rush of never-ending details.

What I’m most excited about is the WE HEART ART program. We are trying to curate an art-smart audience for our show so … to get people thinking about what art moves them, speaks to them, we are giving each visitor 4 free heart stickers for them to plant on their favorite booths with Art that Inspires their Heart. It is not a contest. It is a personal choice.

The program has gotten GREAT PRESS, genuinely exciting the media, townspeople, advertisers, artists – everyone.  We shall see how it goes – but we are prepared for 9000 people to get 4 hearts each to participate among 161 artists who are indeed FINE ARTISTS!  All we need is good weather and a big crowd (22,000 is the norm).  I pray for sunshine and a light breeze.

The rest of our world still exists -in pops and slivers. We had three visitors and several parties to enjoy this month of March. Plus the annual Women’s Fashion Show  which is always a hoot, along with making some new friends along the way.

Early March brought our Fisherman Friend John Pascoe to Cedar Key.

John Pascoe Arrives

Fishing back bay

Catching!

He mostly hung out with John, as I had a storytelling conference to attend for two days.  But as I hear, it was a good thing.  Man, can that man eat!  But he was a great guest – toting along venison in his bag which we are still enjoying –  and it was lovely to see how delighted he was with the Cedar Key Surroundings.

March 14 – The Women’s Annual Fashion Show – where the fashions come from the local consignment shop – was a hootenanny yet again. Such a lovely gathering of the women with a happy, happy theme.

Tall Girls in Town!

Closing Song: I got you Babe

March 17 – Cindy Matossian and her husband George Saunders sauntered into town.  Cindy came last year and wanted George to see the island. We were relieved he loved it. We kind of hold our breath when someone new comes because this Island is one of those places you either get or you don’t. We also like visits because it motivates us to go to this place and that – trying new things as well as old:

Welcome Snacks!

Wilderness Walk

During the ShellMound walk, Daisy suddenly bolted deep into the jungle. John followed and we nearly lost them both but I sent C&G down the path, hoping Daisy would pop out on the other side …. and she did …. with a few scratches that bloodied her eye but did no other damage.

We also enjoyed the RIVER WALK, which we’d done before but our eyes never tire of such wildness along the Suwannee River

We also kayaked at RAINBOW SPRINGS – one of many springs throughout Florida where the water is always 72 degrees and the wildlife is gorgeously tame (Scared o you? Don’t think so!)

Birds on the Dock

George at Shellmound

Cindy making flat bread on the cooker

Rainbow Springs kayak

Look How close we can get!

Yertle?

A big post paddle laugh

In between the two visits – we met some new people – a woman named Millie from Massachusetts. She is an interesting free spirit who decided to seek a place to stay for a year in Cedar Key.

Milli from Massachusetts

I naturally recommended our realtor – only to have Millie report back they tried to rent her the house we were in — OMG!  Well, that led to a scramble in the middle of my workload, trying to secure a new place for next year  – which we successfully did and … it is on the water with more room -for work AND guests (3BR-2B) – so if we do indeed take on this job again and return to CK – we will have a nicer spot to be. .. but what a damn pain to go through.

After Cindy & George left – I attended the PAINT OUT ART AUCTION – where artists create something in 4 hours that is then auctioned off – and of course I bought a painting or two

Bruce Wilson – Auctioning off the art (he was fun and funny)

Amy Gernhardt showing off Susan Dauphinee’s painting

– but also met a woman who said “I’ve a painting of you.”  And indeed she had – with Laura Pearson Wood when she visited us last March – the artist had snapped our picture at the Tiki Bar. I rather like that painting so we bought it, too. Thank you Ju

Bev Ringenberb with her Son Joe, DIL Rebecca and Hubby Mike

lie, your mom Carol and your hubby Burt.

We also had supper at Carol and Dick Frost’s home one Sunday evening — during the march madness, which was a distraction – but I have to show you her orchids which were madly blooming!  Gorgeous, diverse flowers – they travel with them from one FL house to another.

Like it was growing in the air. = having off a cabinet door

Toward the End of March, Our Favorite Son – in law or otherwise – came to visit.  Scott Nordstrom has always been consistently kind to both John and myself.  He always calls to thank us for gifts or remembrances and he took the time out of his very busy schedule to come visit us when he was in FL on business.  In less than 24 hours we had a marvelous visit, touring the island, sharing meals, yakking around the campfire and finishing it off with a morning visit to SHELLMOUND where the white pelicans gave us quite a show and the tide was very much out.  Stunning – all the way around.

John and Scott Nordstrom

Daisy curling up with Scott

Some people don’t like that I say he is our favorite – but the fact remains he is because of how he treats us – and that’s deserving of a high distinction.  Otherwise, it would be like raising children now a days where everyone gets a trophy for doing nothing.

Shellmound Morning

Pelicans at Shellmound Marsh

Love this boat – is it the color?

I have another month of work ahead of me – two weeks to the festival and another two weeks of wrap up and report writing – before we go to Ft Lauderdale for the wedding of Matt Lawskowski – after which we are heading up the East Coast to Melbourne – catching their art festival – then up to Palm Coast to catch up with Greg Andriate – then back to Cedar Key until May 15 where I want to catch up on what we’ve been missing — boating & fishing primarily.

As I close this off – I’ll be promptly starting the April Edition — as it is now the 15th and the festival is done.  Sneak Preview — It was pretty darn good . . .  and I’m pretty darn exhausted. xoxo Laura