A Really Big Show!

Those of us of a certain age will immediately recognize my title as one of the most anticipated moments of the week for many American families. After watching, and loving, the opening ceremony Friday night, I couldn't help but think of one of Ed Sullivan's most famous lines. He, who brought us the British Invasion, would surely have uttered those words after seeing Danny Boyle's extravaganza! Talk about a variety show!

I pretty much loved every minute! Here are a few highlights for me:

•  Rowen Martin's hilarious skit.
• The unsung heroes--construction workers who built the magnificent stadium--getting a nod
• The smoke stacks rising from the ground.
• Mary Poppins floating.
• The Olympic rings coming together in the sky.
• Fantastic music, loved the drummers lining the track.
• The cauldron could not be more beautiful could it?
• The Queen's outfit. I wonder why she doesn't smile more...
• Being reminded just how much the British have brought to our cultural world.
• Artic Monkeys performing "Come Together" with the cyclists wearing wings. Oh my!

Surely, you had a favorite part if you were watching.

Indeed, Ed Sullivan brought us, what was then called, "The British Invasion" because during my years growing up, so many, who have become iconic, British bands came on the scene. Once again, if you are of a certain age, you probably remember seeing The Beatles for the first time live on a Sunday night in 1964. I was 10 at the time and so darn in love with the Beatles you can't imagine. Back then, because the show had something for everyone, whole families gathered around the television, wondering what new and exciting guests would be on each week. I can still remember Herman's Hermits, The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks, Gary and The Playboys, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Barbara Streisand and the list goes on.

Young people today can hardly imagine how we lived, only seeing acts once a week, not to mention whole families watching television together on the only set in the house! It makes me a little nostalgic for those times. Currently, our cable provider is running a commercial about how every person in the household can do their own thing using all sorts of gadgets. Can this really be a good thing?

I hate commercials as much the next person, but not so the commercials aired during the Olympics. Most of them are poignant, especially one for Tide detergent which celebrates Moms. I like the one with Ryan Lochte for AT&T where he says he swims to London. And another one which brings a tear to my eye, a Nike one showing sport in all kinds of places called London. Every time I see the little boy jump off that high dive, I can't help but think of my twins doing the same all those years ago at the swim club. They were about that small, with all sorts of folks daring them to do so. I should have known then that they would grow up to become "Eagles!"

I could go on and on about the Olympics, and in other posts I probably will; for now I'll shut up on the subject.

What have I been doing besides watching the Olympics since my last post? Stuff.

Friday I spent a considerable amount of time on a project for Dana. She's taken over the annual Winter Garden Art Show, and as such, has this idea of making a collage of WG into a poster advertising the show. Knowing I come pretty cheap, she asked your favorite blogger to head out there to see what she could see with her camera. Which she did. I have much to say about the day, but for now, because this post is going on and on, I'll mostly show some photos.

Winter Garden, up until the "Rails for Trails" project happened, was mostly an agricultural town. Citrus and cattle for the most part. It won't surprise you that there is still a feed store just off the main street which I visited for the first time on Friday. My, oh my, a real step back in time. They have a few pets in the store, including a rabbit, a pig, and a Polish chicken. One thing about WG is the folks everywhere are really friendly and don't mind a minute if you take photographs. In fact, the woman working there insisted I would want to see the pet pig named "Pinky" because my visit would be incomplete without said viewing. Are you ready?

She claimed Pinky is an easy pet, much like a dog, however, unlike a dog, this pig does his business in a litter box! Yikes! Pinky would not leave her napping post for a frontal view, for which, perhaps you are glad?

Then there is the barn part of the store which houses yet another pig, only this one looks nothing like Pinky.

Maybe because it's a boar, what with that tusk and all? Sandy, in the background, will be quite familiar to many--we are definitely taking a nostalgia trip today aren't we?

Speaking of family togetherness, this is quite a common site in Winter Garden:

Oftentimes folks refer to Winter Garden as a Mayberry type place. You know a place where Sheriff Andy Taylor would fit right in. Although growth and progress have come, there is still such a delightful small town feel to the streets. This sign in the book store window says it all:

The thing is, I arrived around 9:30 in the morning, having waited for Bruce to arrive home from the red-eye flight before leaving. Good thing because most of the downtown shops do not open on until 11:00 in the morning! My goodness, that was a surprise.

Sunday market was super hot, but GUESS WHAT??? I had a former Olympian visit my tent!

The young lady on the left remarked upon seeing my London collage, how great the restaurant Leon is. I agreed. Of course I noticed her British accent, discovering that, although she now lives here, her Mum lives in London. So, Miss Talkative went on to rave about the opening ceremony. That's the thing about conversation I'm afraid many folks are missing these days, it meanders, oftentimes leading to amazing discoveries such as when, after noticing she and her Mum were wearing Olympic ring necklaces, I learned that she was a gymnast in Beijing and her Mum was one of the British gymnastic coaches!! How about that adding to my Olympic fever? Unfortunately, at the same time a young man came into the tent claiming he'd emailed me about the photography business and wanted to chat, cutting short my time with the charming Brits. :(  What brings her to Orlando? She is in the cast of La Nouba. You NEVER know who you are going to meet at the market.

There's more, there's always more I could say, however, most of you have long since lost interest in this lengthy post, so I will force myself to call it quits for the day. Happy Olympic viewing my friends.