Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Me and my dad in front of a mural

I could have slept in on Saturday, but I couldn't sleep, so I got up and used the weed trimmer to do our very small lawn. I had never done the grass with a weed trimmer, and it was harder than I predicted, requiring the use of many arm muscles.

Then, since I had time, I also weeded the garden, knowing my dad would stop by some time that weekend, and that my sister and mom are coming up the following weekend.

The Gryphon and I went out for breakfast, and then he put together some images we hoped to be able to try out with a projector when we met with the event coordinator at our reception site. We wanted to test out the idea of using images on the screen.

While we were working on that, my friend Attila the Pun called to chat, so I split my attention between giving The Gryphon feedback on the images he created and talking to Attila.

We headed out with enough time to arrive early for the meeting with the event coordinator, since Dad was meeting us, as well. Of course, he got there even earlier than we did, so he was standing out front, waiting. He said he was happy for the opportunity to enjoy the sunny day.

The appointment was for us to solidify details such as layout of the rooms, rundown of the schedule and other small details. Dad, who is paying for the rehearsal dinner, also could begin planning that. It was his first chance to see the site we've chosen.

Our event coordinator will be taking maternity leave in about a month, so she wanted to finalize details such as the layout of the rooms, the order of events at the reception, and some other small details. She also worked out a menu for the rehearsal dinner, which will be held at the hotel restaurant. They're going to do it from the menu, instead of a buffet, since our guest list for that dinner is fairly small.

After we worked out the details, we took a tour of the rooms so Dad could see where everything will take place. He was very pleased with our choice and supportive of our ideas.

Following the meeting, we went to dinner at J.B. Dawson's, which offers steaks, seafood and a variety of other foods. I ordered the crab cakes, but had half of it boxed up. I'm trying to be careful for the next month or so before my dress fitting, because it's my last chance to tone up before the wedding.

Then we took in a movie at the King of Prussia Mall. We bought tickets for *Next and then did some window shopping at the mall until the showing. As we walked, we told Dad more about our wedding plans, updating him on the latest ideas.

The movie was interesting. It plays with narrative. Nicolas Cage plays a man who can see the future, but only his own and only two minutes ahead. He gets drawn into a national security matter against his will, forced to choose between that and a new love.

On Sunday, we met with Dad a bit earlier. He came over to our place at about 10 and watched as The Gryphon and I started yet another registry, this one for Corelle Ware. We'd been signed up for a registry that included plates through TheKnot.com, but unfortunately, they discontinued their registry so we had to start from scratch.

Then we hopped in my car and drove to the Men's Warehouse so Dad could get measured for his tux. I'm glad we did, because the measurements were a little smaller than Dad thought. I don't think he's been measured since he lost 30 pounds several years ago.

While we were there, we had The Gryphon measured again, since last time they hadn't been able to update his measurements in the system.

Afterwards, we drove to Media for some lunch. We were going to eat at a Thai restaurant we like, but they were closed, so we tried Brodeur's, which we haven't gone to since they were the New Orleans Cafe.

They had a sign out front that they were having a champagne brunch, but surprisingly, we didn't have to wait for a seat. We simply had to sit upstairs. Since it was a buffet, we just gave our drink orders and went down to get our food. Since The Gryphon and I had already had breakfast, we opted for lunch items. I found some shrimp, along with some salad, fruit and a small cheese crepe.

Of course, the desserts were tempting, including a chocolate fountain with marshmallows, chocolates, and strawberries. Of course, I sampled this in moderation, trying to be good. They served mimosas, as well. I had half of one, since I was driving, and then drank only coffee.

Our main plan for the afternoon was to drive to the Manayunk Art Center. Peter Krok of the Schuylkill Valley Journal had told me that there would be an art exhibition with wine and cheese, followed by a poetry reading of local poets, featuring John Amen, editor of The Pedestal as well as musician and poet.

We didn't have much trouble finding the art center, which sits off one of the hilly residential streets in Manayunk. The entrance path was a brick driveway, partially blocked by a wrought iron fence and some planters.

On the outer wall, there was a bright mural of a rural countryside, so we paused for some pictures.

The exhibition consisted of one medium sized room, the walls lined with paintings in various media, ranging from watercolors to mixed media. The best part about the event was the chance to talk to the artists, who are all members of the Manayunk Art Collective. One of them had made one of the bottles of wine, a blush wine that he enjoyed talking to us about when we asked.

The art collective put in a membership fee and then can share studio space or hold group shows and other events. A lot of the artists appeared to be older people who had either picked it up since retirement or had done it all their life. We particularly liked watercolors by a painter called Albert Schweitzer and oil paintings by John Graham, whose brightly colored portraits showed by cubist and pop art influence in terms of use of color and fracturing and repetition of images.

My dad enjoyed socializing with people. He's always got a curious mind, so he loved learning about the paintings and the artists. As we looked at the exhibition, he remarked how much my mom would like it. I'm sure she would have. I found myself wishing there was an art collective near her that she could join. She's a talented artist who began taking classes several years ago. Most of the art hanging in our place was done by my mom.

We spoke, too, to a photographer, Sandy Sorlien, who brought some proofs for a new book she's doing, black and white photos of Manayunk. She also did Fifty Houses, a collection of photos from small-town America with a forward by William Least Heat Moon, whose book Blue Highways inspired me and my ex-husband, The Druid, to drive up the Mississippi River. Lately, Sandy's been taking photos with a cheap imported camera whose plastic lens gives an interesting nostalgic feel to her photos.

Eventually, the artists drifted away, some of them to another nearby arts festival. Since it was just us and Peter Krok at this point, Dad and The Gryphon helped him set up chairs for the poetry reading.

We spoke to a poet who was sitting behind us, but unfortunately, we didn't get to hear him read. We had to leave by about 5 p.m. so that we could get dinner, drop The Gryphon at his weekly PAGE (Philadelphia Area Game Enthusiasts) meeting, and get Dad on the road for home. As it worked out, they broke at about 5, so we could leave gracefully.

Peter surprised me, when the event began, by announcing that I was in the audience and run a literary magazine, Wild Violet. He asked me to stand up and say a few words about it, which I did. I apologized that I hadn't brought along promotional materials for the magazine, but on Peter's suggestion, I left a stack of my business cards on the table where they were selling books.

Next time I attend a poetry event like this, I'll have to bring along some Wild Violet post cards.

The event was run in a creative way. First, John Amen read some of his poetry, and then Peter picked names of readers out of his hat, who would then get six minutes to read from their poetry. Periodically, John Amen would stand up and read another of his poem or sing one of his songs, which I found lyrically reminiscent of Bob Dylan.

Later, they were going to allow other poets to stand up on an open mic basis, but we missed that portion.

We saw many good local poets. I was particularly impressed by John Amen's work. Perhaps I'll review one of his collections for a future issue of Wild Violet. I also got a chance to talk to him briefly ahead of time. He told me he's been all over the East Coast lately, reading his work and playing his music.

A number of poets there had been published in The Pedestal as well as in the Schuylkill River Journal. Two of my favorites were Amy Small-McKinney and Adele Bourne, so I made sure to swap e-mail addresses with them before leaving.

Both Dad and The Gryphon said they'd enjoyed themselves. Afterwards, at the advice of Peter Krok, we drove downtown to eat at Le Bus. The place looked like it had once been a boathouse, an impressed aided from a boat hanging from the ceiling, oars and all. They'd retained the rustic look, with brick walls and exposed beams, and added large oil paintings of flowers.

The food was eclectic, so I ordered the vegetarian black bean enchilada, which I found both tasty and filling (I boxed half to take home).

Then we drove The Gryphon downtown for his meeting and headed back home, where Dad's car was parked. After some hugs and thank-yous, he was on the road for Central Pennsylvania.

Immediately afterwards, I drove down to Target to look for an outfit to wear to my bridal shower next weekend. My sister has apparently told everyone to dress up, which should be interesting, since they're not all accustomed to doing that! Of course, I enjoy dressing up, and so does my sister. I picked up a short-sleeved navy linen jacket and a white skirt which should are both casually elegant and comfortable. Plus, I can mix and match them with other items in my wardrobe and get a lot of use out of them.

More Musings from my Dad's visit:

May 4, 2007 - Socializing and Shopping

May 7, 2007 - Semiformal Fun

More on Alyce's wedding planning:

Musings on Alyce's Wedding

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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