Took My Breath Away ...

The Gulf 

Bo and Mary @ Mercers through Joyce's eyes ...

From a Distance...but up close and inside ...

Before the walls came down on the expansion ... at Mercer's Fresh Roasted Coffees in Charlotte Harbor, Florida ... the musicians and listeners were inches away from each other. And the customers joined in the music as they came through the gathering to get their favorite roast from the shelves you see behind this Frump. 

The sounds of Music and friendships growing... 

Ashokan Farewell

The Ashokan Farewell

"Ashokan Farewell" is a piece of music composed by Jay Ungar in 1982. It has served as a goodnight or farewell waltz at the annual Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camps, run by the composer and his wife, at the lakefront campus (near Ashokan Reservoir) of the State University of New York at New Paltz. The tune was later used as the title theme of the 1990 PBStelevision miniseries The Civil War,^[1] as well as the 1991 compilation album Songs of the Civil War.

http://en.wikipedia.org

Mary and Roy stopped in for the Nov 16th circle at Mercer's Fresh Roasted Coffees in Charlotte Harbor, Florida and delighted the group with The Ashokan Farewell.

Mercer's Saturdays Jams, a weekly gathering of musicians in the local Charlotte County, Florida area, presents a multitude of talented friends and friends of friends. The group of friends encourages and lends support to every level of talent and is also supported by a following of regulars who come for the afternoon. Customers of  Mercer's Fresh Roasted Coffees who stop in for their favorite roasted fresh beans are often surprised and treated to some great group playing which they otherwise would never have experienced.

Approaching it's six month of Saturdays celebration, the Jam's founding duo, Bo and Mary Kirgis, are thrilled with the growth and weekly revolving talent which supports them in this endeavor to bring acoustic music to Saturday afternoons. The expansion of the Mercer's floor space, partly due to the growing numbers on Saturdays, now offers a quiet seating area for diners, and drop ins for the Wi-fi and beverages, while the attentive audience fills the new addition of comfortable seating. 

Native American Flute played by Thumper

Saturdays Jams @ Mercer's Fresh Roasted Coffees

Charlotte Harbor, FL 

Early July of this year, these two Frumps went in search of a venue we had been told about. Well, it was not a venue YET .. but a lovely Coffee Shop / Roastery in Charlotte Harbor. 
After sitting out with the "BLUES BROTHERS" down the road, 

Me an' THE BLUES BOYs 

we pulled up to the front of a nice strip mall with the smell of fresh roasted beans drawing us into the main entrance of Mercer's Fresh Roasted Coffees.

 A Welcoming Entrance

The atmosphere was nurtured by owners, Wayne and Valerie Mercer for two years in this location, (and two years in a previous location in Punta Gorda) as a quiet, welcoming local roastery, where you could sit a while and enjoy fresh brewed and specialty beverages. We Fell In Love with it! Earthy colors of coffee bean browns, clay colored reds, and golden sunset yellows made me feel like I was just melting into serenity. 

 Wrapped in the comfort of the colors and tones

The sun light focuses on the counter where you can watch the roasting process

Soft sounds of music streaming over the in house stereo made it possible to carry on personal conversations and not invade other customers private "space" .  

After a fresh bagel and a shared French Press, and finding ourselves the only customers at a rare moment, hubby inquired of Wayne his openness to a duo of "folkies" setting out a tip jar and quietly playing their own styles some afternoon. Wayne, in his mild mannered way, stated he wouldn't object at all! 

Leaving with the idea in mind that these Frumps would call midweek to determine a good day for trying this out, we headed home. BUT! Hubby suggested we just get the guitars and head right back for a trial hour or two that day!  The look on Wayne's face was priceless when in we strolled 45 minutes later guitars in hand and smiles on our faces. 

Well, needless to say, that was the beginning... and now 17 weeks later, the crowds have grown, of Musicians and Listeners! And so has the floor space! A courageous move on these Frumps' part, caused the domino effect of courageous moves and the Mercers have expanded! 

 Getting ready for Saturdays Jams before all the walls are painted

 Wayne tempted try it out and put his feet up

 Val adding the finishing touches of the wall art

 oh yeah, just right ..

and the WOW factor of the open space from the front entry

The following is just a sample of the broad genres and talents coming to these Mercer's Saturdays Jams. 

Therapy for the heart, mind and soul comes in many forms, but in this Frumps opinion, there is none so valuable as the music we have, and share.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEmkNJ-UA1U

Florida Bobcat in my Backyard

I shared this YouTube video here so you can see that these awesome scenes are not uncommon.  Earlier this week, as I sat on the Lanai, I saw a beautiful bobcat strolling casually across the back yard of our neighbor. 

Dumbstruck and in awe, I just sat there watching until it stepped into the wooded lot and disappeared. Reporting this event to my husband and son later that day, left me a little doubtful of seeing this event in full daylight, and a very urban setting. 

UNTIL the next morning, as my hubby and I drove away from the house in mid morning daylight, I saw another bobcat (or maybe the same one) sitting along the side of the road, and as we approached, it got up and trotted into another undeveloped, wooded lot. 

As you can see in this video, this gal was not so surprised at her visitor that she couldn't get some great video footage of it, and did a good job a capturing its casual attitude in being in her yard. LOVE this Florida WILDLIFE ! 

When Plan A gets Trumped ... by plan B ...

...and Plan B Gets Cancelled ...

Go To ... Plan C !!!

Paddling again ! After seven years of absence from these back waters of Florida... like the first drink after a week in the desert ... satisfying .. nourishing.. and life sustaining. 

With this post I am sending you to another blog of this author for a photo journey of this past Thursday's Kayak adventure. Hope you enjoy it. 

http://dogs-n-blogs.blogspot.com/      Stories from Big Sur, CA to the Gulf Coast of Florida.

When You're Smiling ...when you're smiling ....

LAUGHING OUT LOUD AGAIN !

I can feel most of my face, upper lip, and cheeks again.  (Two hours since I left the dentist’s office, 4 hours since I sat in the chair for the fix… and although the discomfort of my upper lip being stretched over my head for working room still reminds me where I went this morning,)  I am doing the “new tooth” dance !!   Even having a high tolerance for pain cannot prevent some of the dental agony in the aftermath of a great sculptor.  But today, parting with nearly three hundred dollars total for this positive result, I am excited to be able to smile my toothy smile in public, laugh with my head tossed back, and make those “cheesy” faces when relating descriptive stories to friends and strangers.

Caught exposing the gap at Busch Gardens Tampa !

Earlier this summer, I walked into the kitchen to declare that I had sufficient evidence to argue that one should not brush their teeth. The gaping hole in the front row of my not so perfect teeth, and the last bit of the old filling in the palm of my hand.  Sporatic years of irregularly scheduled check - ups, cleanings, fillings and such is no substitute for consistent, daily diligence to my own hygiene. 

Fully owning the responsibility of my inactions for my dental practices, I am grateful for the technology and skill available now.  I recently learned that due to the political pressures for Americans to provide their own health insurance, there is a disappearing element. Any county, state or otherwise, free health clinics.  

As a result, I went searching for some reduced cost clinics and discovered one nearby.  The Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida Inc. You can check out their website at http://www.fhcswf.org/.  

While waiting for the full impact of the numbing injection, we made some inquiries about the FHC and learned that it is a non profit organization, with careful hiring practices to insure that the staff has the same work ethic and dedication to providing the best patient care as the individual who started this company nearly thirty years ago.  Without going all mushy or overstating an opinion, I just want to say here, that this organization seems to have a handle on blending the “old school” medical practices with current state of the art tools, and topping it all off with a friendly, courteous, knowledgeable, compassionate staff. KUDOS ! to The Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida ! 

... The Whole World Smiles !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOH_mioL3TU

Wondering if it's A Personal Plague ...

I get the feeling there is a message here ... but have yet to hear it clearly.  Frogs ... there is a "frog magnetic field" around my person. The following photos (taken by me) are of actual up close and personal events with these amphibians... just three of dozens over the years...
 Wiki...  http://www.wikipedia.org/      opens the "frog" page with this statement: Frogs are a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (Ancient Greek an-,without + oura, tail). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. 

So ... am I an ancient soul.. being sought after for reconnection? ... or do I look like a great meal for a jinourmous appetite? 

 The Sky is the Limit

 ...and the black button is where? 

...a zen moment in the Ozarks ...

Weekly gatherings of local talent , great coffees and friends ... Mercer's Fresh Roasted Coffees in Charlotte Harbor ... oh yeah ....

New Smyrna Beach Summer night...

 McGaragal Whirl 

for Joanie B...

Mom !

Saturday afternoons at Mercer's Fresh Roasted Coffees

More from grandchildren

These following two posts are creations of sisters... Arianna and Tianni. Surfers by nature and nurture... and drawn to this media under the same influence... check out what makes a grandma's heart and face light up when she gets these videos from the girls.

My Summer Survival Kit Part 1 (Rough)

The Adventures of T-Bird

Awesome Stars of the Wild

This is a fun video clip of family pics and friends of the Animal Kingdom too.
"Stars" poem written and read by MJ Jordan with Apple loops playing through the reading.