I know two weeks is too long to be away. I feel certain you have been sitting staring at your monitor the whole time. Now, you have to clear your schedule because this will be the longest post in history. However, you’re about to see my life in a two-week retrospective. I’ll begin with the part of me that I call my passion. I grew up in a musical family and began studying at an early age. Mrs. Clayton let me sing instead of “do my multiplication tables”. I can get to “my fives”…beyond that you’ll get to hear a Ragtime Cowboy Joe or His Eye is on the Sparrow. No Really!!!

In fifth grade I began playing the saxophone and in 1973 our band director loaded up a bus of us and took us to Lexington, KY to The Bluegrass Nationals…a Drum and Bugle Corps competition. That trip motivated much of my life for the past 40 years. You’ve seen a post from my most recent Drum Corps involvement and it’s that commitment that took me to San Francisco week before last. I’m honored to be involved with these wonderfully talented young artists and the equally talented staff. They are seeing great success in the early competitive season and are working diligently everyday to be the very best they can be. It’s the selflessness of those band directors in 1973 that drives me to give back to these performers in hopes that their lives may be as equally enriched as mine.

OPENING SET

FABULOUS Talent!!!

 

Art x Two

The Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps…so proud!!!

Thankfully, I have a real job that allows me to explore my passions.  I’m thrilled to report all is well on the interior design front as well.

The kitchen and family area are going to be spectacular!!!

…just in case you ever wondered what 23,000 pounds of Corinthian Travertine looks like.

  

Of course, working on this particular project means I get to visit The Neon Pig in Tupelo, MS. So delicious!!!

Finally, you know my passion for eating and entertaining certainly plays an integral role in my world. The South Main Art District in Memphis has “Trolley Night” the last Friday of every month. It’s a night where all the retail stores stay open late and the street comes alive with performance art, food, drink and frivolity. This past Friday we made Trolley Night an excuse to do some frivolity of our own.

  

Double Creme Brie with Fig Preserves…Fresh Figs with Tasso Ham, Watermelon and Parmesean…Mediterranean Seven Layer Dip

Supper for Six

Place settings from the brilliant minds of Bucky Farnor and John Simmons

Spring Pea Soup

Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Apple and Fennel

Peruvian Shrimp Cebiche with Plantain Chips

The Memphis Farmers Market is really beginning to be resplendent with natures bounty. Every week we get more vendors and more options.  This week I did some shopping for friends. They came to pick up their stash and we enjoyed brunch together.

  

   

Heirloom Tomatoes, Arugula, Stone Ground Grits, Spring Peas, Cucumbers, Squash, Zucchini Blossoms, Carrots, Potatoes, Chantrelle Mushrooms, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms, Peaches and Cream Corn

Breakfast Bowl…Creamy Cheese Grits topped with Scrambled Eggs, Morel Mushrooms, Banana Peppers, Scallions and Baby Heirloom Tomatoes with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Toast with Brie, Fig Preserves and Roasted Fig

So, there you have it.  Two weeks in my world.  The houses and hotels were (or will be) lovely and a good time was had by all!!!