Beauty Amongst Thorns

 

By now you know that our neighbor Regina is a wonderful neighbor, very hip at age 73, and always ready for an adventure. Sunday's market was hot--enough said. Pretty much once you are home you don't want to do a thing, but a phone call from Regina changed my mind. "Would you like to join me in seeing some amazing night blooming cacti--I'll pick you up around 11?" she asked. My first instinct was to say no thanks, not to mention that the Magic were playing and I was certain they were going to win, but instead I said, "sure." Not far from us on Orange Avenue, in front of an office building, there are these huge cacti covered with these beautiful blooms. Turns out it is the building Martini Graphics first moved to when they left their home office next door to us, the business our neighbors founded where both Jonathan and Bill worked for some time. Anyway, it was an amazing site to see such ugly plants producing the most gorgeous flowers which open at night, closing just after sunrise. Awe inspiring comes to mind.'

Lest I give you the impression I had no sales, let me correct that notion, just not too many. While I was sweating under my tent with two fans going, Bruce was scorching on the roof, cleaning both the gutters and the roof itself. Apparently it was so unbearably hot he had to stop working, jump in the pool to cool off, and rest several times. On top of that he rode his bike to the market which isn't too far, but far enough at 4 in the afternoon with temperatures hovering around 94!

Today after my museum stint I drove straight to Sports Authority to get the bathing cap which I plan to use shortly. Realizing I was not only hungry, but close by, I stopped at our friends, Rico and Evelyn's little restaurant. Here's a link to a review from Orlando Weekly: El Coqui Mexicano For four years they toiled at the market. spreading both good cheer and food. If you check out the comments you will see that not only do people rave about the food, but they rave about their friendliness. Much to my surprise when I arrived they were not on the premises, instead at home getting some much needed rest. Generally I don't ever go out for lunch, but with the restaurant doing so well, Evelyn and Rico are taking the summer off from the market; the truth is, I miss them. I was hoping to let them know that we all do, but we understand that working on your feet till late at night seven days a week begins to take a toll. Adding to my surprise was the cook, Chris, who is the husband of Jennifer, the cupcake lady. I used to know all the vendors names but not so much anymore what with so many of them. Usually people are referred to by what they sell--the bean dip lady, produce people, the orchid couple, cheese lady and popcorn people are some examples. That's what happens when you take a small market of twenty or so vendors, expanding to around seventy or more.

So back to Chris, on Saturdays he's a wedding photographer, during the week he now cooks. Before I left we discussed that although the market can be tough you never know what other opportunities might come up, something I've mentioned in the past. I don't know if it will go anywhere, but Brad came by Sunday afternoon, asking if I might be interested in doing another gallery show, this time at the Comma gallery (on Virginia Avenue) in October. We shall see--they've had some pretty big time folks there; I may not be ready for the big leagues just yet.

By now you know the Magic lost a bit of their post season magic, winning only one game against Los Angeles, although it could have been a much closer series if not for losing two overtime games--at least we can get some sleep now!

I finished Life of Pi a very satisfying book which I highly recommend. Another book Matt gave Bruce years ago is Devil in the White City which I'd never read despite an excellent review from Bruce. So often people bemoan the state of things, sometimes with good reason, other times due to a lack of historical context. The book is non-fiction with this description of Chicago in 1892 in the opening pages:

"Anonymous death came early and often. Each of the thousand trains that entered and left the city did so at grade level. You could step from a curb and be killed by the Chicago Limited. Every day on average two people were destroyed at the city's rail crossings. Their injuries were grotesque. Pedestrians retrieved severed heads. There were other hazards. Streetcars fell from drawbridges. Fires took a dozen lives a day. There was diphtheria, typhus, cholera, influenza. And there was murder. In the time of the fair the rate at which men and women killed one another rose sharply throughout the nation but especially in Chicago, where police found themselves without the manpower or expertise to manage the volume. In the first six months of 1892 the city experienced nearly eight hundred violent deaths."

What do you think? Wouldn't you rather be living now? And what about people's fear for the future? I expect things will continue to improve in unimagined ways, of course, I've always been an optimist.


Listening to: Lisa Stansfield - The Real Thing (K-Klassic Mix)
via FoxyTunes

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Listening to: Republica - Ready To Go
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Listening to: Basement Jaxx - Red Alert
via FoxyTunes