All that jazz. . . . . . . .

Not being into the local bar scene, a nice glass of wine at home seems to do

it for me these days, we have actually found ourselves heading out twice into town

 to a club for a drink - but mostly for the music!

Remember those days back when night clubs were awesome.

Cocktails, velvet curtains, sofas to lounge on, comfy ladies rooms, no TV

screens blaring out sports. . . . and often live music such as jazz or blues groups

with a songstress singing oldies with lyrics you could understand,

 and melodies that brought back memories of the great stage shows and

 classic movie musicals.

I guess the majority of today's younger 'clubbers' don't always go for this type of

 entertainment, but there are so many of us out there who can still enjoy an evening

 on the town at a place such as C.Grace in downtown Raleigh. 

It's underground and has the feeling of Prohibition-era. Entering through the

 door you are faced with a dark space which, as your eyes become accustomed,

show velvet hangings and art deco statues anchoring the corner stage. Comfortable

 seating at small tables and areas with sofas, and three sparkling bars where it's touted

 the best bartenders in town shake and pour. 

The crowd was interesting, all age groups, couples, singles, casual or dressed

to the nines. . . . . . . . . 

A peek inside the ladies room at C.Grace . . . . . . 

. . . . . and three ladies who enjoyed a couple of special hours together,

Cindi singing with her excellent musicians, and us enjoying every 

moment at the club on a chilly evening - Bob was with us also.

The back story here:  Cindi was Jasmin's Kindergarten teacher many years

ago - we knew back then she had amazing musical talents, voice

and piano, as well as being a great teacher. 

Jasmin is musical and sang in and directed her HS chorus.

She's a first soprano, loves jazz - you may recall she asked us to 

take her to New Orleans for her 21st birthday gift in 2017. Front row

seats at Preservation Hall were part of the trip and we had a ball there, 

also listening to street jazz and visiting other jazz venues.

As for me - I got to know Cindi well during those Kindergarten days when

I read to her class on Wednesdays, and was always addressed as 'Jasmin's

 Grandma.' Cindi is retired from teaching now - back in 

November, we bumped into her at the grocery store and she told us she was

 singing with a jazz group at this club on certain nights. We immediately made

 a date to go and had such a fun time. Last week we went a second time and

 Jasmin tagged along. . . . .needless to say it was so much fun to get together.

Branson - music and more!

A few photos from friendly Branson - we had such a fabulous visit.

Arriving at Springfield, Missouri airport at sunset.

Walking through the charming historic old part of Branson.

We went to these six shows whilst in Branson. 

Every one was really good with great singers and dancers, definitely a lot of fun.

 My favorite (Bob's too) was George Dyer - the most charming tenor with

an extraordinary voice who could sing anything, he blew us away!

Theatres, theatres everywhere!

Early on a sunny morning Paula, Bob and I took a trip to the National Tiger Sanctuary

 near Branson. 

This is a non-profit, rescue and training organization that provides a permanent

 home for exotic and domestic animals.

 The sanctuary is dedicated to preservation of the environment and exemplary

 animal care. IT IS NOT A  ZOO, and there are no breeding programs.

The white tigers were rescued from a magic show. They had only ever lived

 on concrete, causing them serious foot problems. Now they are healing and

 gradually becoming used to their spacious natural area complete with their

 own 'swimming pools'. 

They are magnificent animals.

This is Harry, one of two cubs rescued after being used in the 'Pay for Play' industry. 

Many exotics die early from stress and germs after being handled that way. 

Harry loves the water for swimming, even when it's ice cold.

A pride of lions were brought to the sanctuary in 2013. There are two are large males,

 with three females - they all seem to get along well together. These cats were owned

by a private collector. When he died, apparently his wife did not want to continue

caring for them. I wonder why?

This female was not too happy when I bent down to eye level to take her picture,

 and snarled at me. I still loved her!

This is Leo, an extremely large older lion who loved just lying in the sun, 

yawning and showing us his huge teeth when he roared!

As you may know, we no longer visit zoos since traveling to Africa and

viewing the big cats (no tigers there of course, but plenty of lions, leopards

 and cheetahs) in their natural habitats. This sanctuary appears to be in excellent

hands, with much love and devotion shown toward their animals, all of which

 have been rescued from dire conditions where their lives were at risk.

Yes, the Branson trip was a lot of fun - and of course seeing dear friends

was wonderful as always.

I'll be taking a short blog break this week - have a lot going on and need

to play catch up.

Senior Year. . . . . .

A shout-out to Jasmin!

Just a grandmother's proud moment……

As another school year commences many of our 

children, and grandchildren, are already working 

hard as they settle into their classes 

and adjust to new schedules.

Our granddaughter Jasmin, now a high school senior, 

certainly appears to have a very busy year ahead.

Although she doesn't plan a musical career, her 

great love of music plays a huge part in

her daily education. 

As a first soprano in a chorus known for achieving 

many awards, both locally and nationally, and with 

a Director who himself has been recognized in the USA 

as one of the very best, being chosen for this 

important position is just one, but a big one, 

of Jasmin's dreams come true.  

This important senior year Jasmin will be very busy.

I know she'll manage to do it all though because she is 

a very special young person who, at seventeen, has shown 

that she is mature, forward-thinking, thoughtful, 

helpful, gracious, reliable, and thought of highly 

by her peers.

Way to go Jasmin!

We are so proud of you.

Am I bragging? You bet I am!

If I could save time in a bottle……

Yesterday flew by in a fog, as are all the days lately.

I have a lot on my plate at present as we are preparing for a big trip.

The weather has turned hot again, temperatures in the 90's requiring 

dragging the hoses through the garden as the nights are staying very warm also. 

Leaving home always requires attention to so many things, indoors and out. 

I'll be taking a break from here for a couple of days. Tomorrow a very special blog 

friend will be visiting and then Memorial Day will probably be one of those bustling 

holidays where anything can happen, even when plans haven't been firmed up.

Old bottles - Durack Homestead, Kununurra, Western Australia - September 2012

The beautiful lyrics of the late Jim Croce's song

came to mind this morning. 

Time In A Bottle

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty, except for the memory of how
They were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

Jim Croce 1943-1973