The Cooper Young Fest

Two weeks ago, I headed out to the annual Cooper Young Festival. I met one of the gals from work there, and we essentially just walked around, looking at the goods, listening to the music, and just enjoying a simply gorgeous Saturday afternoon outside. (It was the first great fall day. Granted, to me, a fall day means mid-80s. People around here seem to want it to be in the 70s before they'll call it fall. I'd be fine with that too, but low/mid-80s is awfully nice too.)

The Cooper Young area is an area of town--in Midtown--where Cooper and Young streets intersect. It reminds me a lot of the lower Greenville area in Dallas: cool bars, eclectic restaurants, and an accepting atmosphere such that everyone's at home here.

Once a year the area hosts a festival, and it's a huge one for Memphis. The main parts are on Cooper Street, which is, of course, closed down for blocks.

Here's a view down Cooper---first looking north, then south.



Over a hundred vendors are set up, selling art and other wares. I bought a hand-made keychain, made from glass in the lampwork style. It is, naturally, maroon, and pieces of white glass are incorporated into it. It's become the keychain for my work keys. (The one I bought last summer in Hawaii broke when I dropped it one too many times.)

Live music was going on all day of all different sorts. I must say, though, my favorite band wasn't one that was advertised. Instead, it was a band that had simply set up in someone's front yard! I guess they didn't score a paying gig with the actual festival, but they played anyway! Anyway, here's the band Karol and I listened to while we got a bite to eat at Celtic Crossing.



(Yes, it's an area of great businesses, but it's also very residential with lots of fabulous old homes. and thus, i suspect that's why the festival winds down by 7pm. It's enough the people in the neighborhood have to have their streets so full all day, they surely don't need loud bands at every turn late into the night.)



Memphis, of course, is very much about music. And these guys were having a blast on these drums in front of the Memphis Drum Shop, I'd love to learn how to play a drum--the kind you can hold between your knee or under your arm. That'd be cool.




And so, I got to experience Cooper Young Festival. It wasn't hard to figure out why this one is so well known and liked.

Labor Day Weekend--the Rest of the Story

And now, for the rest of the story . . . of the weekend.

The holiday weekend was great. I'm trying hard to get better about working hard on days I work, and leaving work alone on days I shouldn't. And I did a decent job for two days of the three-day weekend!

On Saturday, I slept in, enjoyed the morning, then I finally went to see Death at a Funeral.

It was funny and certainly entertaining. --a good way to spend an afternoon.

After the movie, I headed downtown and checked out the Memphis Music and Heritage festival. it was small, for festivals I'm used to. But the music was great. There weren't a lot of booths, but there were enough to show me that Memphis certainly has some good artists. I'm now really looking forward to the Cooper-Young festival set for next weekend.

Here are a few pics:





After all of that, I headed home, but first--to check out the place I'd been directed to for great Greek food. Okay, I'll admit that I was more than skeptical. After all, here's the name of the place:
But after trying out their hummus and the lamb schawarma---Wow! Indeed, the "Juice Bar and Discount Cigarette" place has great Greek food. Who'd of thunk it?

And thus, how lucky am I to easily meet people and learn about my new town! :-)

Sunday morning found me and Howard finally checking out the long trail at Overton Park. I'd been nervous about venturing back in the wooded trail before, but I met some locals who assured me that it was safe---in the daytime. (What single woman walks in a park after dark?) And it was great!

We walked about three miles (or just under), and naturally, Howard loved it! We also met a dog named Dallas and her owner, and I've been invited to Dallas's owners' house to visit and get introduced to more folks around the neighborhood. They live about two blocks away, and he and she are non-practicing attorneys who lived in Dallas for several years before moving here nine years ago.

After the walk, my neighbor helped me finally get my new flag (thanks, sister, for the gift!) for my house.
And after that, I finally went to my first group rowing class. It was great! Sure, I've used the rowing machine already, but the neat thing with a group class is that you're pushed a little harder and for a little longer. I see it as the gang theory with a positive twist.

Of course, after the class was the Jerry Springer Opera, then I drove around, finally venturing out to Mud Island. Here are a couple of snapshots I took on the "island" (it's really a peninsula, but oh well):

I then enjoyed a bite to eat out and a few beers at Boscos, and got to visit more with my friend Pete. I met Pet at HH on Friday while chatting with my friend Worth--a wonderfully interesting man--a JD/MD. Can we say over-achiever? ;-) But seriously, both are great. It's nice to have folks to chat with about so much that's going on---and about nothing at all.

No, I didn't take Monday off. Instead, I worked hard on my presentation for the upcoming Fort Lauderdale conference. It's coming along just fine.

And so, yes indeed: what a great weekend!

Beginning the Goodbyes

Good day, my lords and ladies!

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with a few friends the likelihood that I'd be moving. A few of us had headed to Fort Worth's Rahr Brewery---for the Saturday beer tasting (four pints for five dollars!). Great afternoon, but it was the first I mentioned to friends that I was looking to expand my experience and broaden my career. In spite of the surprise of the news, we had a great time! I hope to make it back to Rahr before moving away.

Me, Tim, & Heather at the Rahr Brewery

Of course, back at that point, it was still undecided and I was still in negotiations with places. But now it's official: I'm headed to Memphis. So this weekend I started spreading the word a little more, and I got to enjoy a day out with some friends as one of the first of many outings with friends, knowing I'd be leaving.

But wanting to do as much as I can with friends over the next couple of months, and having wanted to head out to this fair since moving here, Saturday, three friends and I headed to Scarborough Fair--a basic renaissance festival. I had been to one sort of fair only once before--the one near Houston. And like before, this too was a great day! We had fabulous weather and wandered around the fair grounds from before 11 until after 5. While there, I was most entertained by Zoltan the Adequate. Yep---the Adequate. He even picked on our friend Dave ruthlessly, for Dave did not participate in the obligatory audience participation part. Zoltan ate fire, swallowed one of those animal-shape balloons, and even hammered a four-inch nail up his nose. I'll admit--I had to turn away on that one. But he was quite entertaining and funny.

Zoltan the Adequate

We also watched the mud show, ate typical fair food, and watched the belly dancers (I went with three male friends, after all), who pulled our friend Roger on stage. He even competed in a "dance-off," but alas, the guest who was pulled out of the audience to play the pharaoh won. (all based on which side of the audience gives up the most money as "donations" for the show)

And what's a fair without a tattoo? --henna, of course. I had my first henna tattoo in Hawaii last summer, and with the opportunity again, had to partake.

Before leaving, we found this big guy again; he'd been at the entrance when we got there.

He stood as still as a statue, but grab me tightly as my friends took this photo---I was a little afraid I wouldn't be let loose! But he did, and of course, we tipped him for his time.

A great day---and a great fair. I'm glad I made it out---even if I did spend a lot of the day hearing Dave ask, "But why do you have to move?"