Loose Leaf Notes

Now showing at the Taubman Museum of Art: Neon Clouds and Ice Crystals by Amanda McGavour.   More about the Taubman HERE, HERE and HERE.

She was a whirring dervish of dance, hard for the cameral lens to pin down. But those impressionistic painted moments just can’t be deleted without taking a second look. It was a musical evening of masterful performances from principal players of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, and one of the highlights was the debut performance of […]

We wore purple wrist bands at the Donna the Buffalo Show in honor of Prince.  There was also a Purple Rain inspired instrumental playing over the loud speaker as the band set up.  It was the band’s third time playing at the Dogtown Roadhouse in Floyd, and much more in Floyd if you count Floydfest. […]

Who knew the cello could sound like a violin, guitar, drum or voice and sometimes at the same time?  I guess Community Cello Works cellist Lisa Liske-Doorandish, who organized Wednesday’s “Celebrating the Cello” Give Big fundraiser for Springhouse Community School, did her job showcasing the unaccompanied cello as a concert instrument in its own right, […]

It was my first time at the Phoenix, the music venue club that holds Battle of the Bands contests for Floydfest’s fan-voted On the Rise band competition. It was a breath of fresh air to feel transported back into the 60s, where I saw bands like Led Zepplin before they were famous in an old […]

After they held an audience member hostage and did Hamlet backwards, they said they were going to Disneyland.  Look for photos from this Floyd Community Theatre Guild’s presentation of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) in an upcoming Floyd Press.

-The following are photos and captions from events that I recently covered for our local paper.  The new owners of New Mountain Mercantile, Judy MacPhail (formerly of A Company of Crafters at The Station) and Nancy Bell (right), enjoyed a steady flow of traffic during the store’s recent soft opening. Store owners will carry on the […]

He’s Four! _______Shadow Shot Sunday / Our World Tuesday

Over the weekend I heard my first peepers, the crocus popped and Joe dug a hole for transplanting some giant lilies. We went to the 30th anniversary celebration of The Kind at the Pine Tavern. The above rousing sing-along conclusion to I Know You Rider about sums up the celebration for the band that is […]

That’s what I said when I dug into my lobster-sauce drenched, crabbed-stuffed salmon at the Hardware Bar and Grill in Hillsville Saturday night.  Although, if my five-year-old grandson Liam saw it, I’m sure he’d think it was more like a “Hot Lava Godzilla.” Sorry about the low-light blur in the picture above. I was probably […]

And I  have to shake it to get the purple down. Meanwhile, here’s a sneak preview of the Jacksonville Center’s new exhibit Floyd Potters: Generations of Clay, in which show host Jayn Avery brought together two generations of Floyd potters, including my Asheville Potter Son Josh.   Along with the excellent work, the heartwarming exhibit includes the […]

I think about all the milk being sold at the grocery store so that the kids who won’t have school tomorrow can eat cereal in the morning. And that’s what you’d get if you let a poet report the weather.  Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads