Unattended Children

You can just see the sign in the upper right corner of the picture. It says "Unattended children will be given espresso and a free kitten". And so, without question, my grandson was being carefully attended at the Sweet Sage Cafe.

The Freedom of Mobility

Now that Mason can move his way around a room he is giddy! Everything is funny to him. This new freedom has shaken loose his irritation and all of the joy is pouring out.

Before I can blink my eyes, I'll bet that little Mason will be asking for the car keys. I can see him putting the top down on our convertible, playing the radio too loud and driving down Gulf Boulevard giddy with the joy of his found-again freedom of mobility.

Some walk in the rain, others just get wet

These girls *run* in the rain. One dashing into it and the other out. We spent the day at Busch Gardens with my cousin and his wife. They were visiting us from Alaska and my cousin told me that they really wanted to visit Busch Gardens. After riding a few roller coasters with him I finally heard him say that he had never ridden on a roller coaster before that day. Sheesh! He was fearless! I was duly impressed.

There was one roller coaster that had a foolishly steep drop that terrified me (I saw my face in the candid camera pictures and they accurately depicted my terror). It was mesmerizing to watch (as long as I wasn't on it) and then I realized how fun it was to watch the kids wait and wail when the car dipped into the water and sprayed everyone in the walkway.

There's something so satisfying about watching the glee and hearing the happy shrieks of kids playing in the middle of a sunny day.

Smitten by White





What is it about color against all white that is so delicious? Contrast I suppose. With the pink (as opposed to red) the blooms suddenly appear delicate and dear. It makes me want to wear pearls or a tutu, listen to Mozart and sip from tiny, thin tea cups.

Fuel Fumes

Filling my car up with gas these days is a little disorienting. Somehow I just can't wrap my head around the fact that it's over $3 a gallon so I'm always saying it wrong. "Yeah, I paid a $1.45" or "I saw it for $2.32 yesterday" when of course, I didn't and it wasn't. It's not that I'm outraged by the price. Prices just went up so quickly that I got knocked off balance.

And then there's the pumps that require you to hold them the entire time. What's up with that? Why can't I clean my windshield or take silly photos while waiting for my car to fill up?

Is Donald Duck mad?

Doesn't this toothy fish sculpture look like an insane Donald Duck? If it weren't for the studious art lover in the top corner of the picture you might not know it was in an art museum. The Ringling Museum of Art, in fact.

What is art anyway?

Friends. Art. Florida. We took a trip with friends to visit the Ringling Museum of Art on a Sunday. I've been there before. Baroque.

We took the guided tour but the four of us ended up wandering our own separate ways. I found myself in a room with only myself and these tremendous paintings. So I thought, "I will become one with the art." Well, maybe I didn't think that exact thought, but I did fancy some crooked pictures with the camera perched on my soft purse.

And that brings us to what is art? Clearly the paintings have been defined as art. But what about my photos? Is every photo a work of art? Children's crayon drawings are art, but we don't usually see them in a museum. Is museum art different from ordinary people's art?

But considering that John Ringling was a circus man, where do art and entertainment diverge? There are performing arts and couldn't a circus be considered one? John clearly didn't think so, but delightfully they have added a vast miniature circus to the museum's exhibits.

As long as I get to continue being silly with whatever medium abides me, then I suppose I don't really care what it is called. Or in other infamous words, I'll know it when I see it.