Monday, June 20, 2011

Fish Markets I have Known and Loved

Friends incessantly tease me about my fish market fixations. Weekly I look forward to finding my dinner catch at the local markets. This shopping adventure of My Youth is gone.
On Sunday mornings my Dad and I would buy the family fish dinner at the Indian River Inlet Fish Market.
The shopping promised a delicious dinner and yet the shop itself was a place of horrors.
Trailing clouds of cigar smoke my Dad walked into the shop full of seaweed-y-fresh and ammonia-rancid fish remains. In the case we picked out the whole fresh fish. The fish was scaled, hacked, gored, filleted, wrapped in paper, thrown on a pile of huge ice-cubes all decorated with dashes of the fish blood.
The always cheerful fish monger worked on a butcher block and behind the slop decorated with fish heads and bits of rolling eyes landed on the floor in splashes and canal-rivers. I remember a hose flushed the remains out the store and into the canal. The floor remained painted, stained and highly scented.
I was equally scared and delighted. No need to plead for an evening at Fun Land's House of Horrors!
When I made my adult return to this same store I was again in shock. Delighted as I was to find again the best fish, soft shells and scallops to be bought for 100's of miles around: the House of Fish Horrors was now a classy stainless steel surgical operation.

Beach Blessings,

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Find the Music and the Music Finds You!

Without a doubt finding The Music keeps me going. The day starts with the bird-y Morning Chorus and by mid-day I'm in the midst of Shorebird Music .... more like noise... not exactly music.
Thus after Piping Plover Bird Police Duty off I went to the Lewes Library to take in the second free concert of the month: The Pegasus Trio. ~ 40 attendees delighted to the instrumental and vocal presentation which deftly played Classic, Romantic, original scores and original arrangements and Show Tunes!
We were so happy enjoying the music that we clapped after every movement.... heck we know better! But our enthusiasm could not be contained!
Later that evening, dressed a la '80's re-done for '11 in fishnet-capris and the biggest-ever disco-circle earrings attending The Party of Parties I danced the night away to the smooth Jazz original and cover tunes of The Comfort Zone!
Find the Music and the Music finds you .... and the party too!

Beach Blessings,

Monday, June 6, 2011

Formal Party gets you into The Starboard!

A Summer House Formal Party at the beach? It was all I could do to grab an outfit and work it! The outfit's inspiration was a to-the-max 1980's black beaded collar!
The Lion's Club venue was almost too fancy for us! We lived up to the challenge.
The party always segues to another venue. This time around it would be The Starboard.
Lines, lines, lines: there was NO WAY I was going to wait in line.
Wanna get into The Starboard without a VIP Pass? Formal Wear! is The Pass! The Bouncer hailed us in!
*When you are next at The Starboard and you want to see what truly drives the beat: step into the DJ Booth. Coming of Age Primal Ritual! Look up! Stars? Uh, no. Close! Look again! Only females are invited!
I was invited to Join The Club!

Beach Blessings,

Hanging "At the Ropes" : Sweet and Bitter

Hang Time @ " The Ropes" @ The Point @ Cape Henlopen State Park ( aka CHSP) is my theater where the scene can be ultimately sweet or bitter as can be.
Setting the stage with my telescope I turned to see a SWEET Hip-Hop performance "just for me and the birds"! I thanked the performer and asked "What is Goin' On?"
The 49'ers were taping a music video and CHSP provided the visuals.
Sweet! My day was made!
Yet, the rope hang-time can be BITTER: when the Bad-Bad-BAD Birder/Kayaker knowingly and defiantly entered and cruised the Federally Protected Bird Nesting Reserve just to get a bit closer with his binos and camera.
I called the intruder description into the "system" who next time will be met by the Park Police.
Sweet!

Clear Space Productions @ The Lewes Library!

It takes A-LOT to get me off the beach! Yet, I did just this, on a Saturday, to enjoy the Lewes Library: Clear Space "An American Songbook" free concert.
Fresh off the beach, in sandy flip-flops, I brushed off the sand and pulled on a sun-dress. My hair was in a ponytail with the ends flying everywhere. I entered a room of ~ 30 looking to be Lewes residents all nicely dressed and ready for the show!
This was an hour production, but fully scored and scripted, but minus the intermission, the setting and costumes.
During the first song I settled in fast and happy.
Deeply touching but intimate was this bare bones setting. Even the hard seat chairs were perfect.
Hard seat benches! My body remembered: Ah ha, I was taken back to numerous Summer Concerts, held in similar settings at my beloved youth camp, Michigan's Interlochen Music Arts Camp.
I looked around..... I was the youngest attendee by far. I was certain I could ask each and everyone who came, and they would admit: I bet you loved Summer Camp!
Or for a moment we enjoyed what was a tiny moment in what could ultimately be "A Lewes Summer Music Arts Festival"!
The production was wonderfully sweet, lovingly performed and as touching as can be.
And yes, afterwards I pulled off the sun-dress, and happily returned to the beach!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Bonfires: The Fire Within and Without!

My favorite activity is crashing Bonfire parties! After the first crash I'm told: You are Invited!
Thus you should have seen me whining when I asked: Will we have our Bonfire this Holiday? The Host's yellow labby puppy's litter mate showed up and they played non-stop while the adult humans tried to relax non-stop.
An "Until Death Dewey Party" 60-something member twice repeated her "it's a ritual" of throwing shovelfuls of fire-y and glowing coals into the sea.
The music was provided by a 30-something iPad owner!
WHAT?!?
The volume hardly competed with the crashing waves.
I yearned for a boom-box.
I yearned for a guitar sing-out!
I wondered if the iPad user ever did KNOW a bonfire with yelping kids and dogs, hot-dogs falling charred into the pit and burnt fingers from licking clean the burny-hot marshmallow smored- sticky-gooeyness?
iPad liefstyle does not match the above.
I wondered what was the first bonfire "techno-accompaniment? Radio?
Our crazy coal throwing party-goer got it right. The fire is without and needs to stay that way. Put out by the sea.
iPad fire within is ultimately without: life.

Beach Blessings,