Close, But No Cigar

I thought I would take in the 35th annual ArtFest by the Sea in Juno Beach, Florida yesterday afternoon. This show takes place on an oceanfront road and features 300 artists and craft artisans from 30 different states. It received a lot of press from the local television newscasts and looked like it would be fun to attend, even though I already attended the Under the Oaks Art Festival up in Vero Beach the previous day. I drove along Juno Beach's waterfront and parked in the beach parking lot as I approached the "road closed sign," which I assumed was where the festival started. However, when I got back to the road, I saw that the festival was actually blocks away. I have been battling what I think might be sciatica lately, and during this current episode, it hurts like hell to walk more than a short distance. And so, I decided to turn back once I reached the Juno Beach Pier, as seen in the photograph on the left.

In any case, since I already posted photographs of the Under the Oaks Art Festival on yesterday's blog, I reasoned the Juno Beach Pier would certainly be an acceptable substitute for today's blog post. I did not walk out onto the pier itself, however, not only because of my difficulty with walking, but also because they actually charge money to go out there. Talk about painful things. Therefore, I took a few photos of it from the entrance and hobbled back to the car, none the worse for wear. There is always next year for ArtFest, after all.

The 74th Annual UNDER THE OAKS Fine Arts And Crafts Show

I attended the annual UNDER THE OAKS Fine Arts and Crafts Show at Riverside Park in Vero Beach, Florida yesterday afternoon and really enjoyed it. This is a major art festival and features over 200 artists. It is considered one of the top 200 art show in the country. The emphasis is on fine art, and this festival very much reminds me of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival back in Denver. In fact, I noticed that Scanlon Windows to the World, a family of fine art photographers who specialize in photographs from around the world and have a booth at Cherry Creek every year, have a booth here, too.

There was not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was a very pleasant 80 degrees, and so there were a lot of people walking around viewing the art. The setting for this show is very beautiful. Riverside Park is located along the Indian River and filled with moss-draped oak trees, which provide lots of shade for art patrons. I was expecting to have a hard time parking, but amazingly enough found a spot directly across from the entrance. Perhaps my parking karma is back. After visiting the festival, I headed to the beach, located just a short drive away. There are a number of beachfront restaurants and bars to visit off Beachland Boulevard, including the original Mulligans Beach House and Grill. And just to the north is an historic boardwalk lining a very popular and crowded beach. I did not see a single parking spot available there, and so perhaps my parking karma is simply just plain dumb luck. In any case, the UNDER THE OAKS Fine Arts and Crafts Show continues today from 10:00 to 4:00, so if you happen to be in the area, be sure to check it out.

The March Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the March Mutt of the Month while waiting for the light to change at the corner of Colorado and Buchtel Boulevards in Denver. That dog seemed especially interested in interacting with me, and so I quickly got my camera out and snapped a photo. I have no idea what kind of dog it is, but to me it looks like a hound dog (is that an actual breed?). And so now, thanks to taking that photo, I will have Elvis' song "You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog" going through my head for the rest of the day, if not for weeks. Nevertheless, thanks for posing for the portrait, guy.

Returning to Stuart Beach...

My sister Susan - seen in the photograph above - and I have resumed our daily habit of stopping at Wendy's and then heading to Stuart Beach for a healthy lunch - Susan a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and chicken nuggets for myself. Can't get any more healthful than that, right? The weather has been pretty nice here - some days are in the 80s, some in the lower 70s, with evening temperatures sometimes dipping to the upper 40s, which the local weather forecasters consider very chilly. Not quite as chilly as the 10 below zero temperatures we experienced for a couple of days in Denver last month, but cold for Florida. Since this is "The Season" (January thru March), there is a lot more traffic and a lot more people on the beach, but very few who actually brave the water. Which is wise. There is a reason why manatees head for the waters around electrical plants this time of year. They are smart. Unlike some of the snowbirds out there.

Arkangel: A Sigma Force Novel

I just finished reading Arkangel, James Rollins latest Sigma Force novel. Sigma Force is a secret government department that takes on special assignments that usually involve pending disasters that might result in the end of the world. And, of course, they always succeed. This time a Vatican priest who is looking for a lost library of ancient manuscripts collected by Ivan the Terrible under the streets of Moscow texts photographs of one particular book to Sigma Force right before he is killed by a notorious group hired to find that book, which holds clues to the existence of a lost continent in the arctic. It turns out the long-gone civilization which occupied that continent discovered a secret that could change the world, and Sigma Force is dispatched to discover that secret before a group of fanatical Russians does and uses it to dominate the world. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it, although in real life I am convinced Donald Trump would disband that unit immediately, with dire consequences for the world. That's why I always read fiction.

The 2025 CTA Historical Calendar's March Photograph Brings Back Memories

This month's CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) Historical Calendar photo, as seen above, brought back a flood of memories to me yesterday. It is of the Argyle "L" station, taken back in 1910. And no, I do NOT remember it as it was back in 1910. I am not THAT old, although some days it feels like it. What the photo did was bring back memories of Tom Dundee's song "The McBride Argle Station Furnished Rooms," which I listened to back in the 1970s on WFMT's Midnight Special during one of its Chicago music and humor broadcasts. I recorded that 3 hour show on an 8-track recorder and played it over and over again until the tape wore out. It wasn't until the advent of the internet that I was able to find that song again. Yesterday I looked up Tom Dundee on the internet, and it mentioned he was a principal member of Chicago's folk music scene, along with Steve Goodman (City of New Orleans), John Prine, Mick Scott, and Bonnie Kolac. And that led me to see if Bonnie Kolac was the one who wrote another Chicago song on that show called "Rainy Windows." I googled that, and it turns out she wasn't. But just below that was listed Bonnie Dobson, who was indeed the writer and performer of that song. It took years to find that out, and all because I had googled Bonnie and Rainy Windows. The internet can be an amazing thing. And now I intend to tune in next Saturday night to WFMT and listen to the Midnight Special once again, which is still being broadcast after all these years. Thanks for the memories, Chicago Transit Authority!

Fat Tuesday!

Today is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and to celebrate this major party holiday, Terra Fermata, an outdoor concert venue here in Stuart, Florida and seen in the photograph above, is hosting Lefty Hathaway's tribute to Dr. John tonight from 7:00 until 10:00. Terra Fermata, by the way, is located in downtown Stuart and has live music seven days a week. It isn't Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but it is awfully convenient to get to, at least if you are here in Stuart. I was there once by accident back in 2016. I had had a beer at a local brew pub across the street, and as I was leaving, I got into a conversation with some hipsters visiting from Deerfield Beach, and wound up walking into Terra Fermata with them. It was at that point in my life that I realized this was no longer my parent's Stuart. I later found out that Terra Fermata always has a cover charge, which I assume the group I was with had already paid for earlier in the evening, and I had unconsciously gotten into the place for free. Definitely a win-win in my book. In any case, if you want to party in Stuart instead of New Orleans tonight, the tickets are $10 online or $15 at the door. And no, I will not be attending. I don't do cover charges. Not then and definitely not now.