Our star party turned into a rainbow party.  
The magnolias were not cloying as we tromped in the wet grass. 
The clouds were gilt with golden light.

 

After a lot of work and planning the last weeks of learning co-ops is finally over and summer "break" has started . We know this because we camp every Memorial Day weekend in Tappahannock .  We walk through the marsh on a long boardwalk listening to the bracken click against each other and watching the red wing blackbirds dance.

We swim, splash, laugh, wrestle, drink, eat and dig our feet in the sand. Our hair smells like smoke and our skin changes color.

We play rousing games of Big Bootie, drink, tell stories, listen to friends play the Ukulele and are awakened to a new camper playing classical guitar. Pure Joy. 

The children become a tribe. The dogs attempt to form a pack.

The sun and wind molded us and we knew we were alive.

Thank you River.

Thank you friends. 

 

 

 

In the interest of art here is the new Ed Trask mural on 21st and E. Main that I mentioned in a previous post about The Globe Hopper ( a new coffeeshop in Church Hill) and art in Richmond. Dare I say it is now my favorite Trask  piece now? Not only because of the sheer fact that it is of Nina Simone dammit, but it is also quite lovely. The palette and the painterliness of it makes it a pleasure to see. I'm fortunate enough to pass it daily. Thanks Ed !

Science and art belong to the whole world, and before them vanish the barriers of nationality.

~Goethe 

Richmond is home to all kinds of public art. We have a good deal of monuments, especially ones dedicated to civil war veterans. There is one of Bojangles that I always liked, Arthur Ashe (by Fulton Hill artist and neighbor Paul Dipasquale)and a new one called the Reconciliation monument that went up last year. If you've been here in Richmond for a while (I've been here since 1990), you will likely be familiar with the mural paintings of Ed Trask along with his musical inklings and regular ole paintings to boot. Ever since I've lived in Richmond, I've lived with Ed Trask art. I can't tell you how many folks, including my children and I , who were taken aback by the whiting out of the Princess Diana mural that used to adorn Club Velvet, a local strip joint on E. Main Street.

In my last post about the new Globe Hopper coffeeshop here in my part of town, also on E. Main Street, one can see the concentric circles in black and white that were painted by Mr. Trask. I was happy the coffeeshop had kept the circles but when I drove by the very next day I saw that they were being painted over. It seemed like a bleak day for Ed Trask paintings on E.Main Street.

My eight year old son, feeling pretty down about the disappearance of art, asked me "Mom, why does Ed paint them if he knows they are going to get painted over?" I told him he should ask Ed :) 

Fortunately, I spoke with Mr. Trask last night while I dined on crispy duck and foie gras mac & cheese at Millie's Diner for my birthday celebration. He confirmed that he is painting a new mural on the Globe Hopper coffeeshop. It will be of the High Priestess of Soul,Nina Simone. I already know  I'm going to love it, it is Nina Simone dammit !

 

In other news, after dining out with friends and the incomparable Millie's, we headed to Toad's Place to see Benevento Russo Duo. Chris and I have been enamored with these guys for a while now and we were "like totally psyched" when we saw they were playing Richmond. I don't think I've been to a show since before our girlchild was born. We were not disappointed! I really don't think I could describe the music. Describing music is like trying to draw how something tastes...ya know. However, I will say that Russo's drumming was dumbfounding (AND he wore a blazer for most of it) and Benevento's overlapping melodies are not only mesmerizing but so fucking catchy. There is nothing like watching to consummate musicians enjoy having fun. I love how , at times, they both looked like they were having out of body experiences. They were doing what they love and I'm thankful they were!

Happy Birthday to me, I was spared over for another year :)

 

*Special Thanks to Ed Trask, Chris Bopst and Russell Cook for making my birthday so tasty and cozy! 

That goes double for Cat, Clint, Daisy, John and John ! 

 I never liked coffee until I got a job cooking in a small, indie coffeehouse in Richmond, Virginia. Twas around 1994 and I was looking for work. I was 24 and  had worked in kitchens for several years by then. Through a friend, I started cooking at World Cup Coffee. Within a week or two, the kitchen was all mine. All 10' X 10" of it (if that). The wee kitchen had a double sink, a small steel dishwasher, and a metal table with an industrial hot plate on top. Above it hung a big stock pot, a medium sized pot and a sauté pan. To the right was a shelf with herbs and spices. The convection oven was through the double swing doors behind the coffee bar.

 I created the menu and cooked everything for our little shop and two other shops the owners had just opened. Eventually, they scaled back to just the one shop again though. It was a great job and I worked with some amazing women. I made some forever friends and a boatload of memories at World Cup. For a while there I booked poetry readings and music there as well. It was a fantastic place to work.

And so began my work in coffeeshops and my love for coffee began with the oh-so-sweet, creamy and spicy Thai coffee.  Eventually, I weaned myself off the fattening and delicious sugary Thai brew and graduated to a deep fondness for espresso.

There is nothing quite like working in a coffeeshop. People come to you for a warm cup of caffeine imparting goodness. All kinds of people love and need their coffee. Grumpy old men who clog up your coffeehouse toilet and boast about it need coffee. Artists with or without talent need coffee. Medical students need lots of coffee and were definitely part of the coffeeshop camper crowd. Writers and real estate agents need their coffee; as do students and members of AA and NA. Business folks and sweet little penny counting grannies need their coffee. Crazy people need their coffee. Public masturbators, mothers, fathers, doctors, lawyers, judges and even the Governor needs some coffee. I love'm all and I think it is the people that have lured me into this career. If only I could make a living wage serving coffee, I just might make it my career.

I seriously considered opening up my own coffeeshop in the nineties but it just wasn't my time. For two women here in Richmond, it is time and they've opened up a lovely little coffeehouse near my neighborhood and I'm glad they did. It is in a building that Chris and I have always adored. A little corner shop with stained glass and some interesting graphics painted on the old brick near a Coca Cola ghost painting. The Globe Hopper opened a few days ago and I took my two little ones (seasoned coffeeshop customers) in to grab a latte and a treat and check out this new local business.

 

The Globe Hopper is well appointed. The stained glass I have admired since I moved here in 1990 was even more wonderful from the inside where sunlight shone through and created a rainbow of light on a sofa. Buddha art and handcrafted caramels were also appreciated by this trio of happy coffeeshop goers. However, the shining jewel of the Globe Hopper has to be the latte. It really was the most delicious latte I have ever had in the city of Richmond and I've had a lot of lattes. I've MADE a hundreds of lattes but this one was like a dessert. The espresso's flavor was so superior to any I've had in recent memory and the foam was perfect in every way.

Globe Hopper also uses cups made from recycled materials and corn plastic cups which are compostable. My personal jury is still out on corn plastics. I think it is great that they are biodegradable but me thinks that there must be a lot of chemicals and residual waste that goes into turning corn into plastic. <mental note: find out how corn becomes plastic>

I'll also mention that I briefly interacted with both of the owners of Globe Hopper and they were very pleasant. I wish them great joy in their business and community endeavors and if you live in the East End or are visiting us, do stop by 2100 E.Main Street if you love good espresso or homemade caramels for 40 cents !