The Times-PicayUnity May 12, 2000

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May 12, 2000

So much to report after two weeks down south. It will take me several pages to get it all out. Two days of the fest, 3 days on the beach in Gulf Shores, many visits with people, much good food and music. Chigger bites and sunburn are a small price to pay.
On the Thursday before JazzFest we tried out some recumbent bikes with Cheryl and Chris who were in from Sarasota. Chris and I did two wheelers; Melissa and Cheryl did three wheelers. It's a height thing. We rode all around City Park, parked 'em and had lunch out front at Whole Foods, rode through the mid-city neighborhoods around Ursuline Street. The bikes are very comfortable, but the best thing is how the laid back position lets you look up at things. Perfect for architectual tours.
It was a great pleasure meeting Veda and Musa who run Laid Back Tours. They spent a lot of time fitting my high-maintenance girlfriends with bikes, and we kept finding things to talk about. My Metairie nieces are as entertaining as ever. Melanie had to transform herself for a school play. Good job. On our first day there we went to a symphony concert in City Park. In Maine such a concert would have been a sedate affair, some wine sipping, sandwiches on a blanket, polite applause. In New Orleans it's a fairly rowdy party which at times drowns out the music, and a lot of milling about connecting with people. It was great to see Mel and Barb there and to run into Ida the Spider. My sister Colleen ventured to JazzFest with us on opening Friday and was into it once we showed her where the flush toilets were in the grandstand. Her new friend is a sculpture at the WWOZ tent. Being two chalky white people from Maine, we visited the Lagniappe stage often to get out of the sun. Sitting in our favorite spot in the balcony listening to Little Queenie's new samba sound, we spotted Barb, Dawn, Cheryl, and Chris down below. Saw Liz and Mary Jean there also. Going to hear Little Queenie is tantamount to meeting at the flagpole.
Back in Maine we have hit the ground running; Unity College's graduation this weekend is one of our busiest weekends of the year. More in a few days.
Last Time

So much to report after two weeks down south. It will take me several pages to get it all out. Two days of the fest, 3 days on the beach in Gulf Shores, many visits with people, much good food and music. Chigger bites and sunburn are a small price to pay.
	On the Thursday before JazzFest we tried out some recumbent bikes with Cheryl and Chris who were in from Sarasota. Chris and I did two wheelers; Melissa and Cheryl did three wheelers. It's a height thing. We rode all around City Park, parked 'em and had lunch out front at Whole Foods, rode through the mid-city neighborhoods around Ursuline Street. The bikes are very comfortable, but the best thing is how the laid back position lets you look up at things. Perfect for architectual tours.
It was a great pleasure meeting Veda and Musa who run Laid Back Tours. They spent a lot of time fitting my high-maintenance girlfriends with bikes, and we kept finding things to talk about. My Metairie nieces are as entertaining as ever. Melanie had to transform herself for a school play. Good job. On our first day there we went to a symphony concert in City Park. In Maine such a concert would have been a sedate affair, some wine sipping, sandwiches on a blanket, polite applause. In New Orleans it's a fairly rowdy party which at times drowns out the music, and a lot of milling about connecting with people. It was great to see Mel and Barb there and to run into Ida the Spider. My sister Colleen ventured to JazzFest with us on opening Friday and was into it once we showed her where the flush toilets were in the grandstand. Her new friend is a sculpture at the WWOZ tent. Being two chalky white people from Maine, we visited the Lagniappe stage often to get out of the sun. Sitting in our favorite spot in the balcony listening to Little Queenie's new samba sound, we spotted Barb, Dawn, Cheryl, and Chris down below. Saw Liz and Mary Jean there also. Going to hear Little Queenie is tantamount to meeting at the flagpole. Back in Maine we have hit the ground running; Unity College's graduation this weekend is one of our busiest weekends of the year. More in a few days.