Last night we saw many of our neighbors setting up their lawn chairs on the sidewalk, some of them at the corner of our lot. Howard said, "Could it be that we're so lucky to have a good view of the fireworks right from our house?"
It turns out that we had front row seats to an amazing show put on by the neighbor across the street and four houses down. His show went on for over an hour! And we're not talking sparklers and other wimpy pyrotechnics. We're talking seriously big fireworks that produce oohs and aahs and cause hearing loss. We breathed the smoke of these fireworks and felt their shrapnel falling out of the sky.
Here's a picture of the neighbor's trash this morning. This pile was about four to five feet high, six to seven feet wide, and three feet deep.
I couldn't find his exact fireworks, but to get an idea of what he might have spent on these go here. It was crazy!
Today we went to the 41st Annual American Artisan Festival in Nashville, not to be confused with a craft fair. There was no sign of crocheted potholders or plastic canvas tissue covers or clothing for 18" dolls or glass grapes. There were lots of very artsy people selling amazing stuff (in the rain) for a lot of money.
Howard and I spent a LOT of time laughing in Lorri Honeycutt's tent. Her work is brilliant. We bought an 11" x 14" inch print of this one. You've GOT to check out her gallery and make sure you read the captions!
Wayne Kirkpatrick was selling really clever clocks he made from vintage game boards.
Howard spent a lot of time talking to and admiring Bob Copeland's photography. The pictures on his website don't do justice to his work. Some of the prints are 30" x 60" and he does a lot of post processing to get a unique look. He told us that it took him four years worth of trips to Italy to get this shot. Poor him, right?
By the way, we stumbled upon this festival last year when we were out here for our house hunting trip. We can't believe that it's already been a year since that trip!
I have a really bad memory for details, but the conversation (that took place about an hour ago!) went something like this:
Me: Are these cicadas driving you crazy? Steve (our neighbor who owns a lawn care business): Oh man, when I use the leaf blower, they don't bother me. But when I use the weed eater, they're all over me. (Makes swatting motions.) Me: I guess you have to make sure you keep your mouth closed. Steve: Yah, they land on your mouth, everywhere. (Makes more swatting motions.) Yesterday I got home and found one in my pocket. Then I took off my shirt and found three more. Me: Were they alive!?! (Or, did I ask if they were dead? See, I told you I have a bad memory!) Steve: Two of them were. Me: Oooo, gross!
It turns out that the sound of lawnmowers and weed eaters sound a lot like the cicada's mating call. Click here for a brief news article and video.
By the way, in response to yesterday's post, Mr. T (aka Tomoo) says that we should look at this (infestation) as a positive - free food. He suggested these recipes. He also mentioned that when he was a kid at scout camp, he and his friends used a razor blade to make a small cicada guillotine. You gotta love the things that boys come up with!
That's exactly what I experienced yesterday at the Mapco gas station on Nolensville Pike. The pump was like a cicada airport. I'm pretty sure there was some off-site traffic controlling cicada (with a headset of course) clearing them all for landing and take off on MY gas pump. Hundreds About nine or ten of these creepy creatures were crawling all over the pump threatening to fly into my car, my hair, my mouth! Eeewww. Just eeewww!
And, they are SO loud when they all get together! You can even hear them in the trees when you're on the freeway going 70 mph with the windows rolled up and a book on tape loudly playing. The first time I ever heard them was back in the 1900s during the night in a remote village in Costa Rica. I was alone in a small cabin. (Oh, I lied, I shared the cabin with a gigantic shower-dwelling spider!) But, I digress. Here's what they sound like.
I've saved the best for last so I hope you're still here. This clever song pretty much sums up my feelings about cicadas.
Oh, here's one more brief video if you're interested in seeing their life cycle via cool videography accompanied by Enya.
