‘Hello Summer’ (an excerpt)
Oh where does the time go? The sands of the hourglass just slip by when in the midst of some serious slacking. And I have been slacking. Maybe it is the summer heat, or maybe it is lower back pain. Could also be attributable to the endless supply of Old Milwaukee in the refrigerator.
So, in this lazy, semi-drunk before noon spirit, let’s keep it light. How about some shout-outs? The first is much-belated and much-deserved and is bestowed upon the trio of nerd/punk/artists Hardland/Heartland for their fully successful event that inaugurated the Summer Events Series at Art of This. Way to go boys and girl, what a treat and thanks for inviting us old guys to the after party.
A sad shout-out goes to the now late George Carlin. I am still not sure why the handrail of the escalator goes faster than the steps, but I will certainly continue to lose more sleep.
Some long distance props goes out to Franconia where my old friend and one-time undergrad muckraker Holly Streekstra has just competed her latest sculptural project. A Camera Obscura made out of a small trailer house painted up traveling carnival style, this marvel is not only technically tight, light tight and trimmed out to the nines inside and out, but damned comfortable as well. Make the trip out there dammit and the wonders of Americana, science and mosquitoes will thrill both mind and soul.
A quick, consoling pat on the back to me for just biting the tongue, blood be damned, and not dragging a couple recent local art ‘exhibits’ out behind the barn for a good throttling like my daddy used to do. C’mon y’all.
Stevie Wonder on drums. YouTube that shit right now.
And, lastly, just in case I don’t get back here before next Saturday, a grand and gratitude-filled thank you shout-out to my daughter Ruby for making the past year the most amazing of all time and who, despite her frequent bouts of whining and crying, continues to remind me on daily basis how it is just going to get better and better. Happy Birthday Sweetheart.