I am sure there will be time for celebration later! In fact, I am absolutely certain there will be…we are having a “family dinner” tonight with salmon, homemade fries, and asparagus from the Farmers’ Market. Kyle slept in this morning so Kelsey and I headed to Old Town for a breakfast with our friend Bob and the Market. This is an absolutely spectacular day so far. We have been going to the Market for many, many years and I know that I will miss going when Kelsey leaves. Actually, I may still go but not having Kelsey will be quite different. Her glowing smile has always gotten a lot of attention from the vendors and most of have spoken kindly to her even as we look and don’t buy. We enjoy gazing at the glorious flowers in this particular stand and the guys who run the stand have been giving Kelsey a single rose for probably ten years.
The $5 bouquet that we sometimes buy probably doesn’t make up for all the flowers they’ve given her over the years. Kelsey suspects they give flowers to all the women who shop there; I’m not so sure. I think they may give flowers to everyone who smiles at them and makes them feel good about what they do. Shouldn’t be a surprise that their stand is a must stop on our shopping trip and we always buy a bouquet if we have the $5 leftover from veggie shopping!Surprisingly, most of the time the cats leave the bouquets alone. But not so much the single rose that Kelsey puts in a special single rose vase. We have to lock the rose up at night in the bathroom or put it outside on the deck. Today, the trip to the Market was relatively peaceful. Just the standard slow pace of people enjoying the gorgeous weather, the picturesque market just exuding Americana, and the promise of good food at night after shopping.
Old Town Art Festival
Once a year in September, usually the week before “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (which was yesterday in case you overlooked the celebration), artists from all over converge on the streets of Old Town for a two day showing of their art. Last weekend was the Festival and after breakfast we walked around and enjoyed all of the art…sculpture, photos, painting, welding…well, pretty much everything.
But again, probably the best part was enjoying all of the people enjoying the festival! The place wasn’t “jammed” with people…no crowds but lots of people. And the weather was on-again off-again raining but just a light sprinkle. Most of the artists had to occasionally cover their vulnerable art. I, of course, am wondering what their sales volume is, what their margins are, what makes their stuff more enviable than the tent just 50 feet away. Of course, the mere fact that they are exhibiting at all is significant to me…they believe in themselves, in their connection with some segment of “the public” and Alexandria must believe in them too because the City isn’t going to want artists that don’t draw people!
Dogs In Old Town
Old Town is a “dog friendly” city, dogs are welcomed in most places. The Farmer’s Market doesn’t want them in the Market grounds so many are tied up just outside of the Market steps. Most of the time, they just sit patiently and wait for their masters to return. Seldom do they bark and I’ve never seen a dog fight. Many merchants have water bowls outside their doors so that people can hydrate their dogs on their walks. Some restaurants allow dogs in the outside dining areas. And of course, some dogs are spoiled. I took a couple of shots during the Art Festival, dogs are everywhere. Look closely at the top one, the little dog has a mohawk haircut and the mohawk has been dyed green!!! The second shot is of a little dog that is being carted around in its very own carriage. Now that’s…a lucky dog!
