news about a visitation, at last

There has still been no news about what happened that morning in Betz Creek.

However, we at least have word from Barbara's niece about a service for her.

Rather, it will be a visitation, as Barbara was not religious.

I'm glad that belief is being honored.

 

Here is the obituary, soon to be on the Gamble Funeral Home site.

"Barbara Adele Nixon, born on July 11, 1951, passed away on July 25, 2024. She was preceded in death by her parents...as well as her sister, Margaret Nixon Ranew.

After earning her Master's degree, Barbara dedicated over 40 years of her life to teaching mathematics and was a proud member of MENSA. After retiring, she dedicated her time to tutoring in mathematics and to traveling.

Barbara is survived by her niece, Deborah Ranew, her nephew, David Ranew (Tracy), and her great-nephew, Alex Ranew. 

A memorial visitation to honor Barbara's life will be held at Gamble Funeral Home... on August 3rd from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM." 

I'll be sure to block out that time for her.

I'll also find some photos to place on her tribute wall, starting with that one of me, her, and Sandy from her birthday73 celebration.

Amazingly, I didn't take that... Barbara did.

That was odd, as she didn't usually take our group photographs.

Perhaps there was something in the air that night...

as had been on the night after a karaoke session at Steed's fifteen years ago, when something prompted me to click on Sam with Bob and Mom Wiley.

There's a thought.

workout on the little trees

"There are no accidents."

To me, that means to try to look for that silver lining when life gets overwhelming.

"There are no accidents."

Even though I told Carolyn that I would check Kal's house for Barbara's car this morning, I puttered around at home until almost noon.

"There are no accidents."

That meant I was still home when the City of Savannah, in the form of Lynn Nash, came tapping on my door with a yard complaint in her hand.

"There are no accidents."

The problem was not with my grass height, but with the overgrowth hanging off the curb in front of my house, as well as the "unkempt vegetation", i.e., little trees growing between my neighbor's house and mine.

"There are no accidents."

That gave me a different focal point from words spoken last night to Carolyn.

That enabled me to calmly leave my house and head for 13 Rigger Court in Betz Creek, not focusing on the nightmare that might await.

I've been in shock since that Saturday morning.

That shock has finally begun to loosen its hold on me.

"There are no accidents."

The paperwork that Lynn Nash gave me has stayed in view on the marble coffee table in the living room, reminding me of work to do, reminding me of a source upon which to vent my frustration and loss.

I started on that pruning this evening, after the temperature had cooled enough.

That area in the first photo has been appreciably altered now.

Three piles await the City of Savannah.

Their turn now.

"There are no accidents."

Right place, right time...

i thank You, God.

and the dragon warrior says to the master...

"So, should I stop talking?"

Resignedly, Shifu replied, "if you can."

Perfect.

Anyone who knew Barbara Nixon knows what a nonstop chatterbox she could be.

If she had been at "Kung Fu Panda" with me, we would have spent a minimum of thirty minutes standing in the parking lot of the cinema, with me getting an occasional word in when she paused for a breath.

That could be rather aggravating at times, but, as we both live alone, I would allow her to get her pent-up need to talk out of her system.

A listening ear was all she required of me.

I got that... and I "got" that.

 

I'm so glad I came to this movie this morning.

It was exactly what I needed.

Now, I'm going to do a little loss adjustment at the Purple Planet.

Mindless physical exertion, accompanied by music, is what they give me, when I need to put my thoughts on hold for a while.

"There are no accidents," Oogway always said.

I have been where I needed to be.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

even at a higher setting, this was all i got

I knew the grass had grown during the vacation to Kissimmee, so I made an accommodation by raising the mower blade and inch above the usual setting.

I needn't have bothered.

The Ryobi gave it the best effort it could, but that thick growth was too much.

After only 45 minutes, the battery was completely exhausted.

So was I.

At least there are furrows to allow more water to evaporate, as more is forthcoming.

That began tonight, so I'm glad I hustled out to do that task.

Not only because it needed done, but also because I need the physical work.

Loss adjustment, still, ongoing.

Detective Noble's investigation is still ongoing, too.

At least he has information from Kristin and Carolyn, as they never seem to eliminate any text messages from their phones.

Perhaps he will soon have a story of what happened between Barbara and Kal on that Thursday morning last week.

Well, the logistics of it.

No one could ever know the conversation before those gunshots were fired.

luncheon of comfort and joy

Right place, right time.

I had almost called to cancel our luncheon, but hesitated.

I didn't want to have to say the words out loud about Barbara and Kal's deaths.

I had already spoken them to Lauri and Lynn, as well as to Kristin.

I had already sent numerous emails with those words to so many.

I had already sent so many texts to Sandy and Carolyn.

I needed a break.

So, I showed up at Houlihan's, as already scheduled...

and this "Summer Tree" greeted me.

Then Josie came!

She and I talked about so many things!

Her book about her time in Ghana as a teen is now under review with the publisher!

She is in process of moving all from her house to her new office, as her counseling business has been sold to her partner!

Both of those changes, as well as her bird-feeder invention, will provide revenue streams well into the future for Buddy Watch and the shelter for homeless veterans.

She also told me that her son, Michael, the impetus behind her creation of Buddy Watch, has gotten married, though time will tell how that turns out.

I told her about my trip to Kissimmee, but she could tell something was off.

After all, she's known me since high school.

She knows when the smile is reaching my eyes, and can tell when it stays only on my lips.

So, as we were finishing our meal, she asked what was up...

and I told her all of it, from the words I'd said to Carolyn to the

nightmare visit to the Wilmington Island house to all the

rehashing while notifying friends Barbara and I had in common.

She wondered why the police did not have yellow tape out front to mark

the homicide scene, but she listened intently.

Then, she reassured me, as Jeff and Christina had, that there was 

no call for guilt on my part for my glib slip of the tongue.

And we talked about Barbara's decade-long infatuation with the SCAD

philosophy professor and about her continual insistence for three years

that she would take care of him when he finally had the hip surgery.

And we talked about Kal's narcissistic need for a live audience for his 

classes, how he had detested having to teach by ZOOM this summer,

how depressed he was at the thought of having to do so again in fall.

And we talked about both of my friends having owned guns.

A momentary lapse of reason, with forever consequences.

Does it matter which fired their weapon first?

No.

Does it matter whether it was murder-suicide or double homicide?

No.

Both are dead, both are dead from gunshot.

Still.

The thing to keep in mind, though, is as my first niece said:

"The last ten minutes of their story is far less important than

the rest of their story."

Jo agreed.

i thank You, God, for these wise women in my life.

aftermath... (she would have loved that pun)

Today, I drafted a message to people who knew Barbara Nixon, to let them know.

The news has not yet released names, but it's only a matter of time before they do.

I thought it would be better to hear it from me than a TV screen.

I called our friend Lauri, who I'd just seen, to let her know.

After all, she had called me when Christa had died.

We were on the phone two hours.

That was good.

For Barbara's MENSA friends - Cedric Stratton, Susan Daggett, Bonnie Blue and Don Jarvis - I sent an email, along with my phone number.

I also sent emails to Patrick and Sarah Young (from JAVAflix Savannah days), now in Jacksonville; Tomasz Warchol of CinemaSavannah; our theatre friend, Kaye Kennebrew; Barbara's movie pal, Brenda Shermer.

I'll have to contact Kristin Stout on fb, or call her, but that can wait for tomorrow.

I'm exhausted.

 

Here's my message to them.

"Barbara has died.
Actually, both she and the man (Kaloyan Hariskov) she has been tending to since his hip surgery in early May were both found dead in his house on Thursday morning.
The police had been called there for a "wellness check".
The police do not expect anyone else was involved in their deaths by gun.
 
https://www.wtoc.com/2024/07/26/chatham-county-police-department-investigating-after-two-people-found-dead-wilmington-island-home/
https://www.wsav.com/news/2-people-found-dead-in-rigger-court-home/
https://www.wjcl.com/article/rigger-court-chatham-county-death-investigation/61711357
 
I found out yesterday when I drove to Kal's house to see if Barbara's car was there, as none of us had heard from her on Thursday.
I am sure we will none of us truly know what went on there.
I do know that the relationship between Barbara and Kal had become very strained about a month ago when it became clear that Kal had re-injured his repaired hip and would have to again go through the surgery and recovery process.
 
Such a sad situation..."   

 

Such a sad situation.

words that should have stayed silent

i thank You, God, for the ex.

He has a sense of wit that sometimes gets his mouth in trouble. 

Apparently, so do I. 

When he texted a chemistry joke to me this morning, I took it as a sign.

me: An oldie but a goodie. Nice to hear from you, though. Was thinking about you yesterday.

me: Found out my friend Barbara was murdered. Looks likely that the man she was helping recover from hip surgery shot her, as well as himself.

me: You can find the story by searching 'rigger court' Savannah.

him: Wow, I am so sorry.

me: Thank you. Yesterday was hard.

me: Their relationship had become quite strained for the last month. I had no idea he had guns. He was a philosophy instructor for SCAD.

me: Carolyn called me Thursday night, since neither were responding to her texts and calls. She had checked Barbara's house, his car was there but not hers. So I told her I would drive out to Wilmington Island to his house.

me: Her car was in the driveway. I knocked, no response. By the time I came off the porch, a police car had arrived and parked by my car.

me: He told me they found the two both dead, after being called for a "wellness check".

me: Still in shock.

me: I will be okay. It's just ht me really hard. I had made a glib comment to Carolyn on Friday night during our phone call, and I feel really badly about it.

me: When she told me she had no responses from either of them, I said, "You don't guess they've killed each other, do you?"

me: They were both already dead by that time, but, still. I knew Carolyn was well aware of the anger and frustration the two had about the situation.

me: Still, I regret having said that, in light of what has become.

me: I just wouldn't have put those words into the world if I'd thought they might actually be true.

him: I suppose it's only human to feel that way. But it's also human to have made that comment. Forgive yourself that, at least. We all make sardonic jokes about the extreme possibilities *because* they're so unlikely.

----------

I had texted my story to Christina shortly before he'd sent me the joke.

She had told me almost exactly the same thing that Jeff had.

her: You had no way of knowing what was already done. Mourning the loss of your friend is fine. But don't hold yourself accountable for what happened.

-----------

It's reassuring to have such wisdom from two I love.

thanks, Dane, for the musical about a peach

He knew it was something I'd looked forward to this summer, so, when I'd shown up unexpectedly on his porch, he didn't encourage me to stay with him.

Instead, when I had opened the door after almost an hour, he came out briefly, then went back in to stay on the couch.

"Go," he was saying to me.

After all, he had already gotten me the money for the show.

So I went.

Dane's a good dog.

He was right, of course.

I needed to stay in my groove, stay the course, take care of my mental state after such a shock.

"Roald Dahl's James And The Giant Peach, Jr." had been on my radar ever since I saw that the Tybee Post Theatre has the 1996 film version of the 1961 book for their "Summer of Sea Adventures".

So, off I went to the Savannah Children's Theatre.

I knew I could find solace in the company of strangers, as I have in the past.

And so I did, surrounded by families celebrating this tale of an orphaned boy setting out to sea with on a giant peach, with only two insects, an arachnid, an invertebrate, and a hundred-legged creature. 

Sounds like a bunch of bugs, right?

However, that would be incorrect.

The ladybug, the grasshopper, the spider, the earthworm, and the centipede are none of them bugs, and only two are classified as insects.

Good to learn something new, isn't it?

Now, back into my groove for Sunday I go.

"Keeping Up Appearances" and "Are You Being Served?" will soon come on.

i thank You, God.

i'm sorry, your friend has been murdered

I am in shock.

I had gone to Rigger Court on Wilmington Island to look for Barbara's car, and found it.

 

Something about the quietness of the house bothered me, so I took a picture and sent it to Carolyn, partly as proof that I'd done the errand she requested of me, partly as proof of where I was in case things went badly.

Neither of us had heard from Barbara for a couple of days.

That was very unusual.

Carolyn told me she'd texted and called several times yesterday, but never heard back.

She had texted and called Kal, too, to no avail.

That's when Carolyn had become alarmed and called me last night, to see if I'd heard anything, to see if I knew where his house was, as his car was at Barbara's.

As soon as Carolyn got the photo of Barbara's car, she called me, then she was going to call Sandy and see if she might know anything.

I went up to the porch and rang the doorbell.

No response.

I knocked on the door, loud raps on the wood to get their attention.

No response.

I looked in the window by the door.

The house was dark, no lights anywhere, no sound at all.

That was very unusual.

And just as I was about to step off the porch, Carolyn rang, telling me to get out of there, that Sandy read a story online about them being murdered.

Say what?

By that time, I was crossing the small front yard, heading toward my car, when I saw a young woman dash up to the mailbox and pull out its contents.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" I asked, in my best authoritative voice...

and reaching out her right hand, she said her name, followed by the words, "I'm Kal's stepdaughter"...

and I just froze.

She was who???

Kal had a stepdaughter???

That's when Detective Noble stepped forward and asked me why I was there.

What???

I had not even noticed the police car pulled up beside my little Saturn.

I told him I'd come to look for my friend's car, in response to a friend's concern, as I had Kal's address and Carolyn did not.

I told him we had not heard from Barbara in a couple of days and that was unusual.

I told him Barbara had been taking care of Kal since his first hip surgery in May and that they had recently come back from North Carolina where he had that surgery repaired as he had messed up the hip again.

The detective took my name and number, confirmed that the young woman was Kal's stepdaughter, that she'd arrived from New York with her boyfriend, and that Kal's wife was still in Japan.

Kal's wife???

What???

The detective also took the names and phone numbers of Carolyn and Sandy and told me to let them know he would be in contact this next week.

When I brought up Barbara's niece and nephew, he told me they had already been notified of Barbara's death...

and that's when it hit me...

she was really dead.

But she just had her birthday, only two weeks ago...

right?

Seeing the shock, that's when the detective again said those words to me:

"I'm sorry, your friend has been murdered."

Shock.

The police had been called in for a 'wellness check' on Thursday morning, after gunshots were heard.

Both had been dead when the police arrived.

There were no signs of forced entry, no signs that anyone but them had been there. 

Shock.

I sat in my car and cried until I felt calm enough to drive.

I left the officer, the stepdaughter, and her boyfriend still at Kal's house.

I drove straight home, then walked down to Tony and Laura's house.

They were gone, so I sat on the front porch in a rocking chair, sitting and crying and gradually calming down as the birdsong and green tree and curious gekko surrounded me.

My guess is that took an hour.

It was long enough that I felt I needed to let Tony and Laura know I was there, in case one of their neighbors mentioned my visit.

They were having a Saturday in Pooler when I told them about Barbara's death, but I assured them that I was about to go home, as I was calmer.

I also opened the door and let Dane come out, but he was a bit spooked that I was there and had been crying.

He really is a very sensitive dog.

Now, I am home...

in shock...

still...

but calmer.

i thank You, God, for leading me where I needed to be this day.

friday fiesta, sans kamerons

"Without any of them? Not even Mark?"

Nope! They were all up in north Georgia for a wedding of a nephew. A nephew! And both Jimmy and Mark were going to have to wear tuxedos, although they're uncles, not his father.

"It's an evening wedding then?"

It is. 

"Those are fancy by default."

I understand that, but why would uncles have to wear tuxes, when they aren't part of the wedding party? 

"I think Mary answered that question. Betsy had bought a fancy dress, so the menfolk had to dress up, too."

I guess.  

"Well, it must have been good to see your brothers for the second time this week..."

That it was! I'd gone with Tony and Laura for the "At The Movies" at their church, and Smitty and Mary showed up, too. This time, we were there early and saved seats for them! 

'And what movie had been used for the sermon this time?"

It was "Bridge Of Spies", the one where Tom Hanks played the lawyer of a Russian spy, all based on a true story from 1957. The title doesn't make any sense until the end of the movie, but that's okay. The minister tied in the message, "every life matters", voiced by the lawyer and echoed in the Bible story of Jesus dying to save the lives of all. Quite well done.

"Such a good movie that was! And what was the one from last week, while you were gone?"

Listen to this: they used "It's A Wonderful Life"!!! I would have loved to see what the preacher did with that one! I do so love that one! You know, Mama would have been ten years old when that Christmas movie debuted. Cool fact.

"Very nice! Well, I'm so glad you've had so much time with family this week!"

Yes, me, too. I tried to get two of mi amigas - Barbara and Carolyn - to come with me for a new Susan Sarandon chick-flick, but I never heard from the first one, and the other had plans. I knew Sandy had her psych appointment, so I didn't bother her. Hopefully the movie will last more than a week, but "I Can See Clearly Now" that it probably won't.

"Hahaha! Yeah, it was nice to have that song featured twice in the little movie. Right time, right place, for me. There's always next week to get together with your g'friends!"

a triple once again!

I knew I was in for a treat already, but my odometer verified that a special adventure awaited me at the cinema.

Just look at that mileage: 235757.

2_3_5_7_5_7.

23 57 57.

If there was a lottery game with such numbers, I'd be tempted to play it!

Not that I had time for that.
"Deadpool & Wolverine" had finally - FINALLY!!!! - arrived and I was at AMC to see the first showing of the film on its BigD screen!!!

As I told Breeanna, that was the only way to experience it for the first time - big and loud and in your face!!!

Seriously!

Ryan Reynolds reprising his slick and sexy Marvel of a man, combined with Hugh Jackman bringing my longtime favorite long-nailed creation of Stan Lee back from the dead.

(That would be Logan re-enlivened, not the Talented New York artist.

However, it was fantabulous to see Stan's image painted large on the side of a bus!!!

It just isn't really a Marvel Universe without him popping in to check on things, right?

Excelsior!)

And how was the movie?

Let me put it this way: as soon as it was over, I wanted to go right back in and see it again.

The line waiting to get in dissuaded me of that.

Well, and the fact that I had saved the last dance of my A*List for those two fellows, so it would have cost me dearly to climb into their arms again.

That will have to wait a new day, when the dance card is empty and longing to be filled.

(smile!)

And just what other movies did I twirl about with?

Monday was spent doing a Chubby Checkers number with "Twisters"...

nice pun, n'est-ce pas?

Hahahaha!

Very good movie, too, different in all the right ways from the Helen-Hunt/Bill Paxton film from 1996 - seriously, it's been almost three decades - but with a similar flavor to make the mouth happy from its vibes of the earlier feast.

Speaking of 30-year-old films, "The Lion King" is the one I watched for Tina Tuesday while I waited for the day to cool off.

I'd hoped to catch it on vacation with the two little blondes, but all of that Tuesday was spoken for, incredibly, with the former "Sweet Caroline girls".

If we had gone for that 30th anniversary screening, the children would have been more acquainted with what lemurs were... and Lauri would have loved that!

(smile!)

not in canvas anymore - lol!

That's the punchline on the meme posted by Bob Bueling on fb!

The Blue Boy and Mona Lisa are looking around, clearly in a modern city scene.

(Now, there's a May-December couple if ever there was one, as they are more than 250 years apart in age.)

 

Taxi cabs and delivery trucks rumble past.

 

Then he looks at her and says:

"I guess we're not in canvas anymore."

 

Hahahaha!

 

I'm not in Orlando anymore, either.

 

Not that the temperatures there last week were any different than the ones here in this seaport.

 

See that high of 91?

 

Be sure to add 12 degrees for the heat index due to humidity.

Yowsah, yowsah, yowsah.

 

And yet, I still managed to mow the front yard.

 

See the huge difference between the levels within that spiral walkway and its walls?

 

That's with the Ryobi on its next to lowest setting, not the lowest, as the grass was so thick it still almost choked out the device.

I got quite a workout pushing that mower, even using the higher setting.

And here's the worst part: it's barely been three weeks since the last mowing.

I waited until just after 7 PM to begin, too, as it was crazy hot at 4 PM.

 

See what I mean?

Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun... and I qualify as neither of those.

 

That's what I told the two neighbors out walking when they paused to tell me how smart I was to wait until the sun was off the yard.

 

I told them the line was from a poem, but it's more than that: it's from a poem set to music.

 

We call those "songs".

 

Hahahaha!

 

Now, I have a free pizza - let's say that's the Garden Vegetable one - and a discounted 3-item - with pepperoni, pineapple, and banana peppers - awaiting me after a shower.

 

So glad I had ten bucks in Papa John "dough" to spend on these!

So glad that "A Quiz With Balls" will soon be on!

So glad it's Tina Tuesday!

(smile!)

finally back to life!

I left the thermostat on the little air conditioner in the dining room set at 86 F when I left on the 13th for Hinesville.

Yesterday, when I finally returned from vacation, a sad sight awaited me.

My aging peace lily was totally limp, though not yet brown.

Quickly, I'd given it half a bottle of water I had on the kitchen counter!

Then, I waited.

Five hours later, signs of life were slowly returning.

Still, though, the plant clearly struggled to hold up its leaves after going thirsty so long.

I gave it another cup of room-temperature water, then turned off the lights.

Time for me, and it, to rest and recover overnight.

The next morning, after I'd had coffee, I gave it another cup of room-temperature water, this time with a tiny amount of the decaf coffee still in the pot.

Afterward, I went about my day, even going to an afternoon matinee of "Twisters".

 

And just now, when I stopped to chat with my dear peace lily and to apologize again for leaving it without care, it was back to life, with its leaves held high and happy!

I do so love this forgiving plant.

back to home, in Hinesville and in Savannah

This was my view for most of the ride.

It's pretty cool, isn't it?

This bumblebee decal is rather like the cubist mirror once part of the Jepson museum.

She'd put it on the windshield to entertain the girls, but that likely hadn't engaged their attention for long.

How could it possible compete with lit phone screens?

Fortunately, I lack that addiction.

Oh, yes, and I am easily entertained.

(smile!)

Between sing-alongs with the music on various channels of Siri, with various accompanists, and chatting with my first niece, we were out of Florida fairly quickly, it seemed.

That above photo was taken at 2:02 PM, shortly after crossing the Georgia state line.

I know: we should have been almost to her place.

Hey, not with two little girls on the ride!

Our pitstop at MacDonald's had taken over an hour.

Still, we arrived just in time for the low country boil awaiting us at Michael's house - hooray!

(smile!)

That gave me a chance to talk with Melinda and Matt!

True, it hasn't been that long since I saw them, but I always enjoy their company.

I didn't get to spend much time with the twins, but I did get to have a visit with Michael!

Even better, I talked him into taking that exerbike off my hands... and out of the back seat of my car!

The security guard at the church auction had placed it there for me, but I couldn't handle it by myself.

Now, either he'll use it or he'll sell it during their upcoming yard sale - either way, I'm done with it.

Hooray!

Now, to try to restore my peace lily.

Poor, thirsty, plant...

highlight for two little blondes: the pools!

Friday and Saturday

I truly do wonder if the girls would have been just as happy to hang out by the pools every day rather than go off to do things.

 

Truly.

 

Friday began with them off to the pool with Christina.

 

Yep, first thing in the morning, and they stayed for two hours.

 

TWO HOURS!!!

 

For lunch, we dined at Olive Garden.

 

And guess what we did upon our return to Orbit One?

We all four of us got into our swimsuits and headed out to the "quiet and peaceful pool", as Miyah dubbed it.

 

Yes, me, too.

 

Unfortunately, that was not meant to be.

 

The pools had to be cleaned after some earlier kids mistook them for the bathrooms...

so, we waited for them to re-open.

 

The very moment they did, we headed to the "big and noisy" pool, as I dubbed it.

 

Chloe and Miyah just loved the two slides there!

 

Not I, nor was I fond of being in a packed pool with a bunch of strangers, right?

So, in deference to me, we returned to the smaller pool for our last day's swim.

 

Well, they swam, not me.

I danced to the music of my youth coming out of the surrounding speakers!

And, yes, they all swam, including Chloe, first with her water wings, then without.

Miyah was very helpful at teaching her sister!

I was quite proud of both of them!

(smile!)

After nearly two hours of the girls trying their very best to transform into mermaids, we were done.

 

Time for showers!

Time for hair to be washed free of chlorine!

Time for one last load of laundry!

Lunch break!

 

Surprisingly, the girls had dressed in matching tops - how very Dr. Seussian of them!!!

 

Then Thing 1 and Thing 2 had a ticklefest with Mom!

 

Hahahaha!!

 

Time for Mom to have some quiet time.

"Let's go play golf!", they asked me.

 

Sure, we can do that!

 

So we walked up to the office and signed out the two putters and balls and off we went!

 

Yeah, that was good for about 15 minutes.

 

"It's hot. Let's go back in," they said.

 

Nope!

 

I told them we were going to play outside for the same amount of time that we had been out for the pool.

By gosh, by golly, so we were!

They played on the two hammocks, something Chloe especially enjoyed.

 

They slid and climbed on the playground set.

 

One of Miyah's vacation pals came out and she played mini-golf with her for a while as I chatted with her mom and Chloe tried to play with the brother.

 

We ate the popcorn we'd gotten at the office and went to the ice machine at the small pool.

 

Then outside time was up, time to go in at last...

ah, but first we had to return the golf stuff.

 

(smile!)

 

Dinner was leftovers from the fridge.

Christina even created something new: garlic bread pizza, using the sketti sauce from last night and the shredded cheese from the Taco Salad the night before.

Magnificent!

Plus, we had to finish off the ice cream, too!

None of that would make the trip home, right?

 

(smile!)

how to party like a local in Orlando, una vez mas!

Thursday

Off northward again, as we had been on Monday!

 

This time, we were headed to the Orlando Museum of Art, following a red-brick road!

 

No need for tickets, either, as we happened to be in town for the free monthly "Art For All" day, like the Jepson has.

 

That meant the two little blondes could make art!

 

Christina even took part in the mosaic workshop led by Cherie Bosela - very nice!

 

Not I, though.

 

I took advantage of their hands-on art time for an adventure of my own: exploring new exhibits!

 

Before I reached any, this lovely 20-yearr-old piece from Dave Chihuly bade me pause in its "Citron and Cobalt Tower" glory...

wow.

 

Even the shadow cast by it was photo-worthy!

The "Florida Prize In Contemporary Art" exhibit lay straight ahead in Galleries D through H.

 

This giant tiger on canvas occupied an entire room!

 

Hai Vin used twenty gallons of paint - wow - to create the beast in the style of pointillism, so he must be amazingly patient.

 

And that large boulder on the tail of the piece?

 

That's to keep it "pulled from sky to earth" - wow.

Impressive as those were, they were dwarfed by this massive one from Sheila Goloborotko!

 

I kept the stranger in the photo to emphasize the sheer size of "Now Our Minds Are One" - wow.

 

Like "katniss", this was constructed of shapes cut from colored plastic and strung as mobile art.

 

Unlike that favorite piece, this one was a celebration of animals and plants and included some human creations, too, with silvery sperm swimming on the white platform.

 

I was fascinated by the light play, in the air, on the walls, stretching out along the floor.

 

I must have spent at least twenty minutes there.

And when I ventured away, I discovered that the artist was talented in other styles, with other materials!

 

Everything - and I do mean everything - in this area of the gallery belonged to her, from that gorgeous mobile construction of plastic and wire to the crafted metal objects and daguerreotypes on these blocks and the walls.

Those other pieces were part of her "me/you" exhibit inspired by her struggles with her then-16-year-old daughter.

Time to see some other artists!

 

Hahahaha!

 

After an hour, my two little blondes had completed their compositions and were ready to join back up with me!

 

I had them pose with their creations - don't they look like budding artists?

 

Chloe wanted her mosaic to be part of a bracelet, hence the ribbon she's holding.

 

Miyah has more experience with design.

I get to enjoy one of her earlier artworks with my morning coffee from time to time.

How about perking up their enthusiasm for art with a visit to another gigantic piece?

 

I very much enjoyed this colorful wigwam!

 

Constructed of huge blocks of fabric, there was even a sign that bade visitors to come on inside - so we did!

 

And see the message there in the center?

 

"Kuna Matata", no doubt a reference to the song from "The Lion King"!

 

Njeri, the student artist from a Swahili-speaking country in Africa who designed the structure, probably grew up with that movie from 1994!

Wondering where my first niece was?

 

She was enjoying the art, too!

 

I don't know what it was about that painting that urged her to take a photo of it, as I was busy with the Chlo.

 

I do know she's posted it on fb from our visit today.

 

Very cool!

And her she is again, this time with both girls.

 

This display would have been right at home at the Jepson during its annual PULSE technology exhibit!

 

We watched all of the 8-minute, 9-second video as Kate Gilmore created "Blood From A Stone", moving heavy squares full of white paint onto those white shelves on the wall.

That's art which would be different every time she crafted it!

I had kept up a running patter throughout the video and was pleased that the girls watched so intently.

Of course they did!

It was a TV screen!!!

LOL! Okay, time for some lunch!

Off to Cici's on 192, back in our neck of the woods!

Why there and not somewhere else?

I'd gone to GOVX and purchased an "Eat and Play Orlando" card to get discounts - like the locals! - on various restaurants and fun activities, like this place right here!

 

It's the Bonanza Gold Rush mini-golf!!!

 

Our card granted us a 30% discount on our tickets, so that was a sweet deal, especially right there by the pizza joint.

 

Here, the two little blondes were waiting for Christina's ball to emerge from under the bridge on the Gold Nugget course.

See the ball, there on the right?

 

She knocked it into the hole with the next stroke.

 

Miyah and Chloe had never played mini-golf before, and they struggled with trying to hold the putter the way we showed them.

 

They were still pretty good at making it into the holes in five strokes or less!

 

New vacation with a new experience!

 

Note to self: This was not a game to be played in the midday heat.

 

They're off to the pool at Orbit One now.

 

Me?

 

I'm just "chillin' like a villain" after four cups of water.

 

Hey, the physicist will get that joke.

 

(smile!)