By Caron Schwartz
Although I write a lot about art, I don’t make enough time to enjoy it. I’m too distracted nesting with my beloved, caring for my nonagenarian mother, and keeping my condo tenant happy.
Lenny and I were replacing the door locks at our tenant’s apartment the other day when we realized the key didn’t work in the back door. At Home Depot, a rare, old-timey hardware guy fixed the problem in a jiffy. He introduced himself as Leon, and we started chatting about musicians named Leon (Redbone, Russell). Turns out he (Barickman) was one too and would be playing “acoustic punk” at a GCAA ArtWorks reception on April 19. His wife, Sarah Ruehmann, is a GCAA member, he said. He then showed me a photo of her piece in the upcoming Art in Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts.
OMG, I totally forgot! One of my fave exhibitions, where artists craft floral arrangements inspired by a work of art. The most aromatic show around! I made it my business to get to the MFA that Saturday (via SunRunner, of course) to enjoy the sights and smells of the weekend-only show.
Lenny was disappointed that I chose highbrow over the Pinellas Park Pepper Festival, where he was performing with the Gulfport Gecko Amalgamated Marching Band. We agreed to meet up later at Gulf Orchids’s Grand Opening, where the band had its second gig of the day.
I dawdled, savoring a Sakura Cloud Tea Latte at the museum’s Clementine Cafe, and missed the band. (Lenny did as well, having dawdled over a chicken sandwich at Cheddar’s.) But I stopped to see and smell the tropical blooms at Gulf Orchids anyway. And we will make it our business to dance to some punk ‘n’ roll this weekend.