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March Madness
Mar. 10th, 2009 06:44 pmThus begins my month of nonstop weekends.
Saturday was spent in the wild outdoors of St. Petersberg’s Weedon Island Preserve, where Anne and I explored the endless mangrove forests(I guess you would call them that) and had an international picnic lunch under the shade of oaks and palms. At the visitor center, we learned that while Rome was partying and ginormous ziggurats in Asia were being built, native Floridians were still essentially scratching in the muddy sand for shells and grunting about fishing trips. After walking around, taking in the birds and mullet hopping out the water as kayakers floated down the little streams, we went to The Pier for ice cream and the glorious view of Tampa Bay. The pirate ship was there and it was pretty busy, so I don’t know about those newspaper reports saying there’s more pelicans there than humans most of the time. Of course, it was a Saturday and people don’t have any jobs, so that could account for it.
We had a nice casual day discussing life in Wall’s End, places to go in New York City, the UK’s inefficient citizenship visa procedures, the primeval Floridian wildlife compared to England’s surly bumblebees, food, music, gardening, and getting together with Connie in April. It’s really nice to discuss adult things with people my age.
Sunday morning, while still not fully aware of the time change, Mom and I attended the Swamp Fest in Weeki Wachee. It was a perfect day for just such an activity, and amongst the smells of fried gator tail, sweet potato fries, boiled p-nuts and “Swamp Soup,” we perused the arty-farty stalls for wind chimes made of spoons, lawn kitsch, jewelry, and of course, orchids. As any orchid owner knows(or at least an orchid owner who’s helped their flower survive through one growing cycle) you don’t buy orchids at Lowes. Only wholesalers and folk who display them at town fairs and fests have the healthiest, most robust plants at great prices. The Lowes/Home Depot/whatever stores are orchid pimps who whore out their plants at their flowering peaks, often repotting them and wrapping them in plastic and bows in the middle of a flowering cycle(GASP!) Totally uncouth.
But yeah, enough of my righteous indignation. I got three(therefore doubling my collection), for only $31. One HUGE white one just spilling out of its container with beautiful roots and two spikes, one miniature red oncidium, and a lemon-yellow phalaenopsis that’s so edible-looking I could make an ade out of it. I can’t wait for the night temps to go above 60 so I can finally put them back outside instead of all over the kitchen table. Most gorgeous clutter ever, though. I’m proud of them!
You know, walking around the Swamp Fest and the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire and their ilk,* I can totally see myself being one of these middle age/old ladies selling their little crafts in a warm little tent every year. I think I’ll go into the beaded jewelry/painted cigar box business someday. I know everyone will come visit me in my tent ;)
Next weekend, more tents will be visited as we travel to the Bay Area Renn Faire on the 15th! Green beer weekend, woo!
*I actually despise that word, “ilk.” These days, it’s only used to make generalizations about stupid people and institutions, but it sounds like “milk,” which is a good thing, so “ilk” is the verbal equivalent of spoiled milk.
Saturday was spent in the wild outdoors of St. Petersberg’s Weedon Island Preserve, where Anne and I explored the endless mangrove forests(I guess you would call them that) and had an international picnic lunch under the shade of oaks and palms. At the visitor center, we learned that while Rome was partying and ginormous ziggurats in Asia were being built, native Floridians were still essentially scratching in the muddy sand for shells and grunting about fishing trips. After walking around, taking in the birds and mullet hopping out the water as kayakers floated down the little streams, we went to The Pier for ice cream and the glorious view of Tampa Bay. The pirate ship was there and it was pretty busy, so I don’t know about those newspaper reports saying there’s more pelicans there than humans most of the time. Of course, it was a Saturday and people don’t have any jobs, so that could account for it.
We had a nice casual day discussing life in Wall’s End, places to go in New York City, the UK’s inefficient citizenship visa procedures, the primeval Floridian wildlife compared to England’s surly bumblebees, food, music, gardening, and getting together with Connie in April. It’s really nice to discuss adult things with people my age.
Sunday morning, while still not fully aware of the time change, Mom and I attended the Swamp Fest in Weeki Wachee. It was a perfect day for just such an activity, and amongst the smells of fried gator tail, sweet potato fries, boiled p-nuts and “Swamp Soup,” we perused the arty-farty stalls for wind chimes made of spoons, lawn kitsch, jewelry, and of course, orchids. As any orchid owner knows(or at least an orchid owner who’s helped their flower survive through one growing cycle) you don’t buy orchids at Lowes. Only wholesalers and folk who display them at town fairs and fests have the healthiest, most robust plants at great prices. The Lowes/Home Depot/whatever stores are orchid pimps who whore out their plants at their flowering peaks, often repotting them and wrapping them in plastic and bows in the middle of a flowering cycle(GASP!) Totally uncouth.
But yeah, enough of my righteous indignation. I got three(therefore doubling my collection), for only $31. One HUGE white one just spilling out of its container with beautiful roots and two spikes, one miniature red oncidium, and a lemon-yellow phalaenopsis that’s so edible-looking I could make an ade out of it. I can’t wait for the night temps to go above 60 so I can finally put them back outside instead of all over the kitchen table. Most gorgeous clutter ever, though. I’m proud of them!
You know, walking around the Swamp Fest and the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire and their ilk,* I can totally see myself being one of these middle age/old ladies selling their little crafts in a warm little tent every year. I think I’ll go into the beaded jewelry/painted cigar box business someday. I know everyone will come visit me in my tent ;)
Next weekend, more tents will be visited as we travel to the Bay Area Renn Faire on the 15th! Green beer weekend, woo!
*I actually despise that word, “ilk.” These days, it’s only used to make generalizations about stupid people and institutions, but it sounds like “milk,” which is a good thing, so “ilk” is the verbal equivalent of spoiled milk.
