Stages

Seen on a building in downtown Tampa. More detail is in the large view.

A big performance, a small performance, adventures on the road, joy on the auction block, and a long-distance phone call with good news....

I've had a jam-packed week.

This past Sunday evening I served as photographer for Savor the Art of Citrus County, a major fund-raiser for the art center. The main attraction was a juried live auction supplemented by a non-juried silent auction. My photo Swamp Lily was one of 21 pieces chosen for (and sold at) the live auction, which got my name and bio into the program book. This was the first live auction I'd ever attended, and the first time any art of mine has made it into a juried selection, so that was a thrill. Earlier today I submitted an article and photo of the event for review before they go to the Citrus County Chronicle.

On Monday, after a spate of errands that included taking our trash to the landfill (since we were going to miss curbside pickup) and dropping off Savor the Art photo CDs, Mary and I departed for Tampa to see the musical Wicked. We'd missed it the first time it came here and managed to reserve our tickets a year ago.


This hibiscus plant grows by the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center (TBPAC).


Hibiscus close-up. Large view.


Mary spotted this cormorant in the channel beside TBPAC. Large view.

Wicked was extraordinary. We've seen plays at our local community theater, but this was the first Big Show we'd seen since we moved down from Boston, and the third one we'd seen since we met (the other two were Cats and Les Miserables). Seeing it was Mary's idea, and I jumped at the chance because she is very hard to get things for, other than for practical use. As an added treat, Glinda was played by Christina DeCicco, who graduated from my alma mater. Wagner College had a superb theater department when I was an undergrad student there in the 70s, and that tradition continues.


Fountain by TBPAC. Large view.


Seen in downtown Tampa. I haven't yet identified the species. Large view.


Sculpture seen outside a bank building. More detail is in the large view. I've also posted a close-up and a reflection shot.

Koboca Publishing is headquartered between Tampa and home, with a detour from our return trip of only a few miles. I'd arranged beforehand to stop by and say hi to publisher Bo Savino, editor/musician Ellie Daulton, and a terrific creative community. A Fed Ex truck pulled up in the midst of our combined socializing and shop talk, and I got to see an advance copy of Meg Files' poetry collection The Love Hunter. Beautifully-crafted poems, enough for me to pick up a copy literally hot off the press. I gave Bo a copy of the Savor the Art program, which mentions Koboca in my bio, and we started planning convention appearances for promoting Covenant.


Large view

Mary spotted this hawk not far from Koboca. Buteo lineatus, Family Accipitridae. This pale version is one of five subspecies of the red-shouldered hawk, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.



When Mary and I got home, one of the messages on my answering machine was from Robert James, editor-in-chief of Reed Magazine out in California, who'd called to let me know my creative nonfiction submission has been accepted. Published annually out of San Jose State University and dating back to 1948, Reed is one of the oldest student publications west of the Mississippi.

Thursday's mail brought more goodies. First, I had written to Sanford a while back to tell them how pleased I was with their colored Sharpies. I had never bought a Sharpie before I'd splurged on their set of 24. It also turns out that Sanford produces two other products I love, the Onyx Uni-ball pens that are my journaling mainstays, and the Waterman Phileas fountain pens I use when I want to write in luxury. Along with my letter I had sent them a print of my second Sharpie Doodle shot.

Sanford sent me a thank-you letter and some of their latest colors, which I look forward to using in my next (fourth) doodle installment. And the interim doodle I sent is being passed around the offices there. (Grin)



Then, Marge Simon over at Star*Line sent me a copy of the handwritten newsletter that Steve Sneyd produces over in the UK. His latest issue mentions my article, "Using Metaphor to Terrify."



On Friday night, to round off the week, I read Chapter 1 of Covenant at the Woodview Coffeehouse. That performance, posted here, includes my extemporaneous a cappella singing prior to the chapter and my complete poem "Solstice" after it. An excerpt of "Solstice" had appeared in the 2004 We'Moon calendar. My digital recorder sat in the audience, so there is some ambient noise. Unfortunately, there is also some static, particularly during the singing, which I don't yet have the software to clean up. My reading of the chapter begins about 3-1/2 minutes into the recording.

Woodview's featured performer was the terrific Celtic folk duo Castlebay (Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee), down from Maine. (I've been playing their CD Tapestry VI - Sea & Skye as I've been typing this.) One couple in the audience had flown from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, then rented a car and driven up to Lecanto to hear them perform. It was a surprise gift from a gentleman to his wife -- both of whom received a loud round of applause from the rest of us, and front-row seats.

---

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.