Wednesday, June 29, 2016

A Birthday Gathering And A Video From Cuba


Despite my vow that I was not going to be leaving Lloyd for at least a week, I somehow managed to go to Tallahassee twice today. Once to go to the store and once to go out to supper for Boppy's birthday. Not all of us could be there. Jason and Hank are working and of course Jessie is in Asheville still (STILL!) with Vergil and August but May and Michael and Lily and her children came and we were a merry party despite our missing lovies.
There's a beautiful picture of May holding Magnolia June. Two beautiful girls.
I could not for the life of me get a picture of the boys and Maggie with their grandfather on his birthday. I took four pictures with them posing but they were all just about ridiculous and the one I liked okay, Mr. Moon insisted that I delete. The man is as vain as I am.

Here's a cropped picture though of Gibson and his sister in Boppy's lap.


I got the boys hats from Cuba and of course they really have no idea of the significance but I told Owen that they are very rare and that probably very, very few boys in the United States own one of these hats. He took that in stride and they both wore them with great panache if you ask me. 
Maggie wanted to chew on them. Of course. 

I am very, very tired tonight and aching in all parts of this old bad ass body but I did figure out how to upload a video to Youtube which I took of a song that Lis did at Fabrica de Arte Cubano on Sunday night. I took the video from a doorway and of course the sound is not what it could be. The room was like a bunker, all cement, but the sound guys did the very best they could and the bouncers shushed people if they were talking. The point was to listen. And so we did. 
So I give this to you and it sums up a whole lot of what the trip was about. Sharing art, sharing culture, sharing hearts. Some of the musicians which we'd seen perform while we were eating supper the night before came to hear the Americans. This is a thing I learned about Cubans- they don't say they'll "try" to do something. If they say they'll do it, they will, and these guys did. Lis had given one of them her CD and when he came to see her the next night, he gave her a tiny oil painting that he had done of her using her picture on the CD cover as a guide. 
Such beautiful people. 

Here's the video. Jim Quine (the photographer I linked before we left) and Elisabeth Williamson. 



My mind and heart are full of Cuba



even as I sit here on the back porch of my own sweet home in the south.

And now, time to rest, to sleep, to dream of it all.

Love...Ms. Moon

9 comments:

  1. The photos and your words and that amazing video say it all. Thank you for sharing so much! Just lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was beautiful, every bit. I see a strong family resemblance in May and Maggie. That Lis is something special, what a lovely voice!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks so much for the video, and bringing a small part of your activities in Cuba to us!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy Bithday, Glen!

    Beautiful video, Mary.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh love I am thrilled with how profoundly this trip has and will change you. And I am thrilled to read and see your stories unfold here. You are indeed bad ass and my hero.
    Love
    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  6. Joanne- Oh. I am so glad you are enjoying this. Thank you.

    Angie D- Lis Williamson is one hell of a bad ass musician. She can whip any guy's ass onstage, wearing her petticoats and eye liner. Trust me. Isn't that a beautiful picture of May and Mags?

    Steve Reed- More to come!

    Jo- Thanks, sugar!

    Rebecca- I suppose this is why people travel, isn't it? Ah la. I am doing a lot of thinking about things since I've been back.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful music! What a lovely voice Lis has! And happy birthday to you man!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Speechless really with the realness of your visit.

    ReplyDelete

Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.