Art Show

It’s been some years since I exhibited any of my oil paintings, and it’s gratifying to have three of them on display again. They are at the clubhouse of the retirement community across the Bay where we have lately been spending time. I do not yet have any photos of them for posting here, but one day I’ll get around to it. There is a very active art association at the community, with talented artists in various media whose works are also being exhibited. I plan to spend more time over there, and do more painting. It’s the time I need, always. More time.

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There you are, sitting in a small restaurant enjoying lunch, when a car stops outside. You do not hear the brakes, nor the car’s motor. Instead what you hear is a deep, gut-numbing boom from supercharged loudspeakers from within the car, a steady throbbing that seems in close sync with your heart rate, and is no doubt intended to emphasize certain sounds that pass for music. Or singing, or, yes, the thing they call rapping. The words are unintelligible, as though barked in an alien tongue, but there are those for whom the words are consequential, even meaningful. The bombardment continues for the better part of a minute, until mercifully, the traffic light changes, and the car moves on, leaving us poor diners to finish our meal in the welcome, and quieter, hubbub of the restaurant.