Laine has already mentioned that this newsletter is a tad wordy but this is sort of a Father’s Day/Memorial Day reflection so I beg your charity and I hope that this is worth the read. –

In my parent’s home the book shelves bulged. They had more than one room where, from floor to ceiling, from left to right, hundreds of spines  invited a reader’s caress; a little of everything from my unopened text books, a copy of The Little Prince in French that was probably my sister, Maureen’s, book and books on nearly every topic under the sun.

Without realizing it my father seemed to live on the side of a Groucho Marx quote, “I find television to be very educating.  Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book.”

I am more of the ilk to appreciate Groucho’s “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.  Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

Of all of the books piled around only a few stand out in my growing up memories and all have to deal with lessons my father tried to impart to me with marginal success.

As a child I used to look forward to the “before bedtime” with my father reading to me and my older sister, Colleen. After dinner and after he had finished the Chicago Tribune or the Sun Times he would read a mystery to us from Sherlock Holmes or a clever tale from O’Henry.  As I got older I started to pay attention to what he would read for his own pleasure. For some reason he was fascinated with the WWII naval encounters and the Battle of Leyte Gulf in particular. Although he had served on the deck of several ships during the war, by his own admission he had never heard a shot fired in anger.

My teenage years could not have been that pleasant for him and if the choice were his I probably would have had to walk the plank more than once.

I remember one early evening in the living room with astonishing clarity because he paused from his book to talk to me.

He wanted to tell me about the incredible bravery involved in what is now referred to as The Mariannas Turkey Shoot.

This was the decisive naval battle in the Pacific.  It was mostly an air battle fought over two days, June 19^th and 20^th, 1944. When the battle was over little was left of the Japanese fleet and they lost over 600 aircraft. The last engagement was a US launched night air attack, something almost never done at that time because of the difficulty for the pilots to find their way back and land in the darkness. Just before sundown 550 planes took off from the aircraft carriers and flew to the furthest extent of their safety margins to drive the final stake into the heart of the Japanese navy. The cost of their bravery was that the planes began to run out of fuel before they could return to the carriers. Radio operators cried as pilots would ask them to pray for their safety just before they went silent and crashed into the inky sea. In all, only 20 were lost in combat, another 80 had to ditch.

But what I think that my father wanted me to learn was about loyalty, honor and responsibility to our friends and to those who depend upon us.

Martin Luther King said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

With no moon to light their way the pilots started to fall into the waves.

As those anxious and frightened young pilots disappeared from the fleet’s radar Vice Admiral Mitscher commanded all of his ships to turn on their running lights, the carrier swept the sky with their klieg lights and picket destroyers fire starburst shells to guide them home running all of the risks from Japanese submarines that infested those waters.

Sometimes in life we all face such decisions though the consequences are certainly, hopefully, less detrimental.

Vice Admiral Mitscher risked his life and the lives of many others to perform the only honorable alternative. His crew, his pilots, his friends were worth every risk and he didn’t fail them in their hour of need.

God forbid that I should ever be tested to such degree but God give me the strength to have shoulders enough to support my friends in their hour of need.

On a lighter note, Bali-HI at both locations will offer 15% off on most mirrors for the month of June. You know we have a fabulous selection from $5 to $55 and every kind of mirror you can imagine for your home or office!  We will also be offering a special sale on our vintage aloha shirts just in time for Father’s Day on June 20^th. Watch your e-mail or fan us if you are on Facebook and we’ll let you know what the skinny is!

Our selection of art and crafts from local artists continues to expand. Some very popular new items are the handcrafted cross stitched suede and leather bags, pillow covers, and beautifully crafted and painted boxes and bangles brought to us by Mariyam Bashir from her family in Kashmir.  The passport bags are perfect for your summer travels and they are almost gone so come check them out before it is too late!

We love the new location in Railroad Square!  We are both there on 1^st Fridays until 9 PM. This 1^st Friday falls on June 4^th. We are air-conditioned and in the cottage at 565 Industrial Drive next to Star Seas Café.Our hours there are 11-6 PM Tuesday – Sat. and Sunday 12-5 PM.  In Midtown find us @ 1123 Thomasville Rd. and around back with ample shaded parking. We are open there Tuesday – Friday 11-6 PM and Sat. 11-5 PM. Call 766-7175, email us at  aloha@balihi.us, or visit our website www.balihi.us .

Best Wishes & Peace,

Elaine & Bill Grace

BALI HI Trading Company
565 Industrial Dr. – In Railroad Square
1123 Thomasville Rd – In Midtown
850/ 766-7175
aloha@balihi.us
www.balihi.us

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“In May, nature holds up at us a chiding finger, bidding us remember that we are not gods, but over conceited members of her own great family.  She reminds us that we are brothers to the chowder-doomed clam and the donkey; lineal scions of the pansy and the chimpanzee, and but cousins-german to the cooing doves, the quacking ducks and the housemaids and policemen in the parks.”
-  O’ Henry, The Month of May

May is named for  Maia, Mother of Mercury, the goddess of blessings. She gave her name to the fifth month of the Julian calendar. Through dancing and feasting her approval was sought.

The Goddess was once thought of as a source of all … feeling, intuition, dreams, passion, love and creativity. She was connected to the cycles of the moon and to the Earth. The Moon was thought to be the source of dew, sacred healing water. Water as a cleansing or purifying agent always played an important part in ancient festivities associated with a new year.

May is the month of gardens in the yard and in our life. And oh the weeds and unintended sprouts that grow between the rows.

There was an afternoon once, in May actually, that I spent a portion of it pondering the irony of a tiny garden that I had thrown some seeds at. On this Sunday, as the sun was falling west down Stuckey St., I was exhausted from being up the entire night before. In a distracted fashion my mind wandered and mulled over how unfairly treated were the roots of my plants. I tended to only notice the blooms and the fruits of my garden and gave nary a whit of thought to the labor of the tendrils that moved unseen, out of the attention of the sun. For a moment I accepted that that was so true for me in my very life, that I marveled and desired the beautiful, the exotic and distant and gave little purchase to those closest to me, my family, my friends, my true roots. And for a moment I was ashamed and glad that I was alone and no one could watch me wipe my eyes.

On a different note, I ask you, how can I let Mother’s Day go by without thanking my own mother, Fran/Mom, for putting up with me, forgiving my faults, ignoring my foibles and for having the love and strength enough to raise a wonderful herd of a family?

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

And to all of the mothers in the BALI HI family.

So, what else is going on, eh? Would a Grand Opening make you happy?

Our Bali-HI family is growing daily with new artists and a new location in Railroad Square Art Park!  We are now located in a cute little cottage at 565 Industrial Drive next to Star Seas Cafe! We hope you will join us 1st Friday, May 7th from 6 – 9 PM for our grand re-opening in the Square!  We can still be found in Midtown at 1123 Thomasville Rd. in the Salmon colored building we are around back on the ground floor or you can come down the stairs or elevator through Lucy and Leo’s and Textures. It is more magical to enter through the verdant courtyard and enjoy some of the comfortable teak chairs in the garden.  Our hours in the Square will be Tuesday – Sat. 11-6 PM and Sunday 12-5 PM with Laine joining me on 1st Fridays until 9 PM.  The Midtown hours are now Tuesday – Friday 11-6 PM and Sat. 11-5 PM.

Our local artist family has grown and we now feature over 21 local artists with a monthly featured artist in Midtown.  We still offer all our great Hawaiian and Bali arts and crafts too!  The featured artist this month in Midtown is Rene’ Lynch who has installed some beautiful tropical watercolors including some small box framed pieces that are very affordably priced!  Rene’ spent a year long sabbatical on Kuaui so you know she’s got island style!  We also have several new fine jewelry crafters, some beautiful chain stitched bags, and more great mosaics from Cindy Sbrissa.

Best Wishes & Peace,

Elaine & Bill Grace

BALI HI Trading Company
565 Industrial Dr. – In Railroad Square
1123 Thomasville Rd – In Midtown
850/ 766-7175
aloha@balihi.uswww.balihi.us

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“We’ve been around, we fall, we fly
We mostly fall, we mostly run
And every now and then we try
To mend the damage that we’ve done”

For some reason I find myself listening to Leonard Cohen with increasing frequency. He certainly doesn’t have the crooner’s velvety throat but when my folksinger stepping stones begin with Bob Dylan and Dave Von Ronk, the bar gets set sort of limbo low.

The lyrics above were lifted from Cohen’s tune, “Song of Bernadette”.

Sometimes on a long road trip, with the CD playing and the white sound whoosh coming through the open moon-roof, those four lines cause me to pause. Though I have fallen so many times, I have always had dear friends, and now Laine, to help me get back up. And those few times that I would fly, I would do so with the wings of a misguided angel. And the damage that I have sometimes left in my wake has often been among the greatest lessons that I have learned.

I mention this song because on April 16^th, 1879, Saint Bernadette Soubirous, saw a vision of the Virgin Mother in a cave outside the village of Lourdes, France.

Miracles happened then and they have happened since to those who touch the holy water, so they say.

I know a joke about two guys who make a pilgrimage to the grotto. Maybe I will tell it to you later.

Coincidently enough the musical, The South Pacific, also was debuted in April, in 1949.  It was the only musical production ever to win all four Tony Awards for acting. Although best remembered for song like “Some Enchanted Evening”, “Happy Talk” and our favorite, “Bali Ha’I”, what is easily overlooked is the issue of racial prejudice that was sensitively and candidly explored, particularly for the 1949 stage work.

One more April reference that many of you can appreciate is that on April 17^th, 1964, Ford debuted the Mustang. Steve McQueen made it famous when he drove it in the 1968 movie, “Bullitt” but Laine made it beautiful and worthy of a song of her own when she drove her “Stang”s to the Tampa-St. Pete beaches.

So, you say, ancient history is fun but what is happening at BALI HI in this lifetime?

I am always glad when you ask. Tonight be sure to drop by BALI HI Midtown at 1123 Thomasville Rd. We are in the back, downstairs, in the salmon colored building just north of Whataburger, and, hey, we have the huge parking lot! Come in through the “Wonderland” courtyard where the mystical music of Didja Vu will be setting the stage for the evening.

Inside you will find a “Mosaic Wonderland”. Cindy Sbrissa is an incredible mosaic artist and her work goes out the door as fast as she can bring it in so come early and often.

The reception for Cindy is tonight, First Friday, from 6-9pm. Cindy is the featured artist in BALI HI Midtown for the month of April and our hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 11am-5pm.

In the courtyard you will also find the colorful work of Didja Vu’s talented drummer, Mershell Sherman.

Saturday April 3^rd will bring as “Artist’s Garden Party” in the courtyard and spilling out into the huge parking lot! Cindy will be there to show you how she makes her magic! You can see the art and meet the artists. Joan Matey, Patty Maney, Barbara Psimas, Mershell Sherman and Cheryl Sattler will be there from Noon-5pm.

BALI HI in both locations is also having a very special sale on teak furniture in preparation for our move to a new Railroad Square location. Take advantage of us and get 25% to 50% off a lifetime piece of unique, solid teak furniture. The perfect time to take your comfortable teak chair and live in the garden! We are happy to offer layaway too!

By the way, if you fall in love with the Midtown BALI HI courtyard, please note that our space there is available to rent for your special event. Call Elaine at 766-2053 if you are interested. Also check us out at www.balihi.us or email us at aloha@balihi.us.

Finally, let me remind you of the 3^rd Annual Peace In the Park Festival being held out at the Railroad Square Art Park next Sunday, April 11^th, from Noon-6pm. This event is to celebrate the great work that our friends and neighbors do every day to make Tallahassee and Leon County such a wonderful place to live.

We will have squad cars and fire trucks, over 50 community organizations will have tables set up so that they can introduce themselves to you. Mayor John Marks is the Festival’s Guest of Honor.  We will also have 14 bands performing on 4 stages throughout the park and fun for children of all ages.

The Blood Mobile will be here too and they desperately need a pint from you. In just ½ an hour you can save a life.

Check out the website at http://www.peaceinthepark.info

Best Wishes & Peace to you,

Elaine & Bill Grace
BALI HI Trading Company

Well, you see, this whole thing started with me wanting to tell you about our March 3^rd Sale. The idea behind this generosity is actually Laine’s way to celebrate Hina Matsuri or Girls’ Day with you.  

Hina Matsuri is the annual Girls’ Day Festival celebrated on March 3, (3/3), by Japanese and Okinawan families in Hawai’i. Hina Matsuri evolved from ancient Shinto purification ceremonies. Using origami dolls, girls could rid themselves of impurities by breathing upon the paper dolls, rubbing the dolls against their bodies, then casting away the dolls, and thus their sins, into a river.

Anyway, I thought that for this newsletter I would be a regular polymath and so I Googled “#3” to explore whatever few trite factoids bubbled up and I figured that I could throw them out to you like beads at a Gasparilla parade. Now I know the meaning of the Irish slang, clever dick.

Few bauble indeed. I discovered math enough to twist and tangle a strong man’s mind: Fibonacci Numbers, Heegner Numbers, Mersenne Prime, Lucas Prime, Stern Prime, for cryin’ out loud, Vulgar Fractions, too. Has math no mercy?

So, still with my mind spinning like a samara in the fall breeze, I switched tracks hoping to find something simpler and closer to the soul so I sought a metaphysical expression of the #3 and – bam- The Holy Trinity – swoosh – The Triple Goddess – pow – Thesis+Antithesis=Synthesis – Divine Law, Natural Law, Human Law. Even Mark Twain has his troika, “Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics”.

Although, I must admit that I am pleased to have found Robert Sternberg’s 3 Components of Love; Passion, Intimacy, Commitment.

And, yet, the 3s are still unexhausted.

3 Strikes
3 Wishes
3 Pigs
3 Witches
3 Blind Mice
3 Musketeers
3^rd time is the charm
Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance

Even our TV’s are set up to play the DVD on channel 3.

Did you know, do you care, that there are 3 golf balls on the moon?

I always thought that a Hat Trick was a well dressed gentleman on the wrong side of town.

Curley, Larry & Moe working for the law firm, Dewey, Cheatem & Howe.

Enough already! Don’t even get me started on the number 9.

So, let me just tell you about the damn sale –

Our main location at 1123 Thomasville Rd. in Midtown will also offer a special Girl’s Day Sale on 3/3 – 3/7.  All non-consigned jewelry will be 20% off.  We do have a wonderful selection of local jewelry artists and although their art is not on sale at this time you can still treat yourself to a lovely Girl’s Day gift for a very reasonable price! This month’s featured artist is Cheryl Sattler. Cheryl will be sharing with us “Moments in Time”. Cheryl sees time a little differently than most. In her delicate, sometimes gravity defining glasswork, she captures the essence of moments in time – their wonder and ephemeral nature. “Life speeds by leaving us with memories of moments.” There will be an artist’s reception for Cheryl at the Midtown location on 1^stFriday, 3/5 from 6 to 9 PM.

Our regular BALI HI hours are Monday-Friday 11-6 and Sat. 11-5 PM at 1123 Thomasville Rd between the Whataburger and Waterworks. We are downstairs with plenty of parking on the back side of the Salmon colored bldg. or you can enter from the stairs inside Lucy and Leo’s Cupcakery and Textures.  Cheryl’s special exhibit will be on display through March.

The Railroad Square Art Park location in with The Other Side Vintage will have a “Girl’s Day Sale” on all our women’s clothing and purses. Take 20% off from 3/3 through Sun. 3/7 at The Square.  Then look for a sale on some newly acquired Fair Trade/ Eco- friendly albesia wood products sometime in March or April.  We will let you know.

Guys don’t despair because ‘Boy’s Day” is 5/5 and you know Elaine brought back a ton of Aloha shirts when she was in Hawaii in October.

Oh, by the way, red pen circle the date, April 11^th. BALI HI & The Other Side Vintage will be presenting the annual Peace In The Park Festival at Railroad Square. This all day event will celebrate the great work that so many non-profit and civic organizations do every day to make Tallahassee & Leon County such a great place to live. So far we have over 30 community groups registered to participate and 12 bands will perform on 4 stages. Longineu Parsons will perform for the festival and Mayor John Marks will be the guest of honor.

Best Wishes & Peace,

Elaine & Bill Grace
BALI HI Trading Company
aloha@balihi.us
850/ 766-7175

 “Well, I’ll be a suck egg mule”, it’s February already, quite an appropriate time to poach a phrase from the voice of Tallahassee, Red Barber, his birthday is February 27th. I am sure that many of us used to listen to Red and Colonel Bob each Friday on NPR’s Morning Edition as they chatted about sports, the Tallahassee weather, Red’s garden and whatever the devil else flew past their window of thoughts. It ran a good stretch of time, from 1981 until 1992 when Red went to the Great Stadium in the sky. Maybe even some of you even listened when he was a sportscaster for the Cincinnati Reds, or when he was the voice of the Brooklyn Dodgers and introduced Jackie Robinson to the plate for the first time or maybe his “sittin’ in the catbird seat” calling the games for the Yankees up to his forced retirement in 1966. During the heart of this time I was living in Seattle. After carrying my books across the FSU campus in a tattered canvas Boy Scout backpack for so many years, I seem to only appreciate the Tallahassee flora after I began to listen to Red spin on about what was coloring his backyard while I was driving in the perpetual fall-like rain of Seattle. For that matter, after all that work and dedication to educational excellence, about all I can say that I learned in college is that you shouldn’t walk around with an opened bottle of beer in a single paperbag, that the egg probably came before the chicken, that you really don’t want to play Scrabble with Steve Deady and that I am pretty sure there is a word that rhymes with orange but it is in Arabic.

 February is also the birth month for Chelsea Clinton, February 27th. “Oh, Doctor”, she’ll be 30 years old this year. Awhile back I ran across the trivia that she is named after the Chelsea Hotel in Greenwich Village and this stuck with me because the hotel is referenced in a Leonard Cohen song that he wrote of Janis Joplin after her death.

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
you were famous, your heart was a legend.
You told me again you preferred handsome men
but for me you would make an exception.

 The Chelsea has a very bohemian and romantic history. Over the years Bob Dylan, Arthur C. Clarke, Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen and Joplin lived there as did Mark Twain. Thomas Wolfe wrote there and Dylan Thomas drank himself to death there. Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen had a room that nobody really wants to talk about after Nancy’s death in it. And even today you can get a room at the Chelsea for under $150 a night.

 And it is Valentine’s Day this month, of course, my lovelies. Oh yeah, another thing that I learned in college, mined in the rich pages of the Flambeau actually, from sometime when the 1980’s were still young, there is a lot of conjecture written about the origins of the St. Valentine’s Day, stuff about monks and such but less is written about the origin of the design of the heart, there are whispers though, in less delicate quarters, that suggest perhaps Georgia O’Keefe knows that flowers too unfold many symbols of true love.

 So, what else is going on in February, you ask? Well, you nosey Parker, let me tell you about BALI HI.

 BALI-HI Midtown has new expanded hours and we are now open Monday-Friday 11-6 PM and Sat. 11-5 PM. Don’t forget we are downstairs which can be accessed through Textures and Lucy and Leo’s Cupcakery or come around back and enter through the courtyard where there is ample parking. Sundays you can also find Elaine generally working down at Railroad Square. You can always call us for special appointment times too.

 This month we are celebrating the glass art of Alison Schaeffler-Murphy. Alison is a skilled and award winning artist who creates everything from jewelry to dishes. This exhibit is called “Keys Inspirations” and you will recognize how life in the islands inspired this beautiful art. Her work has to be seen up close to appreciate its light bending beauty! So come and meet Alison on 1st Friday, February 5th, in Midtown where we will be open until 9pm for your gallery and perusal pleasure.

 We are also welcoming a new artist Cindy Sbrissa. Wait until you see her glass mosaic hearts you will fall in love! We will feature Cindy’s amazing mosaic art in April with a “Garden Party” in the courtyard. You will also find some special Valentine jewelry gifts created by our many local artists. Jodi Fletcher in addition to her special heart jewelry has designed some adorable frames that just shout I Love You! We even have some cute glass art tags that will speak sweet sentiments for you created by glass artist Kelly Wood.

2-EARLY YEARS

3-INSIGHTS

4-JAGGER-COODER

5-RY-MILES-KIP

6-KIP-LANGSTON

7-CHILDREN-MARLEY’s MOM

8-MARLEY’S MOM-SEATTLE MARKET

9-WRAP UP

When I was about 8 or 9 my parents took the family to the Art Institute of Chicago, I guess to bore culture into us in both senses of the word. I have been fortunate enough to have been in a lot of the major art museums around the world and the piece that probably had the most effect on me of them all was a then recently acquire acrylic by Ivan Albright, an 8 foot tall painting called, “The Door”, or, “What I Should Have Done But Did Not Do.”

(Click here for Wikipedia Biography on Ivan Albright)
(Click here for link to “What I Should Have Done But Did Nor Do ” )

And now it is 2010. It seems like just hours ago we were partying like it was 1999. A decade is too much for me to get my convoluted grey matter around so, for the moment, let’s play, What happened in January, Bill?

Well, let me tell you, and, since Laine and I just had a movie date yesterday and we saw Sherlock Holmes, I will begin there – The Game is afoot.

According to fiction, Holmes and Watson met in January, 1888. Watson had returned from a British engagement in Afghanistan after having been wounded in battle off base from Kandahar. In the real life battle, the Brits, exhibiting the very definition of hubris, saddled up and led 2,476 men into a situation where they were easily surrounded by 25,000 Afghanis. They suffered over 60% causalities and the only thing that saved those remaining was apathy and humanity on the Afghan commander’s part.

As for the movie, it was an excellent escapist movie, fast paced in a family friendly way. But 2 mysteries were unasked and so unanswered, first, how horrible does a case have to be for Holmes to prohibit Watson’s request to tell the tale of The Giant Rats of Sumatra, and, how did our Sherlock thwart the gigantic, hostile force of the Cthulhu from taking over humanity?

1898 – Brooklyn was incorporated into New York City.
1902 – The first Rose Bowl was played.
1914 – The 1st scheduled air flight took place between, of all places, St. Pete and Tampa. They even charged for excess baggage.
1962 – The Beatles failed their audition with Decca Records and signed the next year with Columbia. The Decca executive claimed that guitar bands were on the way out.

December 9th, 2009- Linda Louise Friedling died. She was a wonderful woman and a very beautiful gal. She loved to laugh as much as birds like to sing and often when she was talking you would feel like she was letting you in on some minor conspiracy. She was that tall, lathe thin blonde girl at a party who let me believe that I was Superman once, when I really felt like I was Elmer Fudd in a blue t-shirt with a red S on the front. My first memory of Linda Lou was sitting behind her at an outdoor concert in Tampa and noticing that from behind, from her belt to the ground, her shapely Levi’s looked very much like a romantically curved letter W. I left the park that afternoon with a joyful appreciation for the alphabet. She loved to travel, mostly wheels on the ground kind of stuff, RVs and SUVs plowing forward into some adventure. I always wanted to sit and drink some coffee with her and hear her amusing yarns of misadventures and close encounters, but I never took the time. She always loved dogs and once had a wonderful co-pilot in a Golden Retriever named Sadie, and now I have adopted her Sheltie half-pint named Maggie. Well, I feed her and walk her; it is really my other 3 dogs that have adopted her into the pack. Some people carry their heart on their sleeve. Linda’s heart was too large for that, it beat with the rhythm of the wind at the tree line in the mountains and the breaking waves on any sandy beach. Linda’s heart was all inclusive and fearless and, not that I ever did notice, but now, I can almost see in the sanguine sky at sunset Linda’s heart embracing the world.

Linda Lou was Laine’s little sister.

She will be missed. She will be remembered. She is Loved.

So, did someone say, Soup? Wouldn’t a warm bowl of soup be just fantastic right now? Indeed it would. Now, imagine that you can warm your cockles and help some worthy causes at the same time. This Sunday, January 10th at Railroad Square, it is SOUPER Sunday – A bounty of tasty soup will brace you, including Laine’s acclaimed vegan Spanish Black Bean Soup at BALI HI and  amazing tasties at The Other Side, all supporting Second Harvest and Spread the Love. Noon to 5pm.

A couple of weeks down the trail, on Friday the 22nd from 6:30pm until 9pm BALI HI in Midtown will be staying open to celebrate our Key West Artist, Alison Schaeffler-Murphy’s exhibit, “Key Inspiration.” This is in conjunction with the Midtown Design Special Art and Trunk Sale, so come on out to 1123 Thomasville Rd in Midtown on the 22nd for a full immersion of art and exotic wonders.

A plethora of parking in the front and back of Midtown BALI HI.

On Saturday, January 30th, Noon – 6pm there will be an all day concert with over 8 bands, a silent auction, raffle, craft sale and plenty of food and beverages. The proceeds will go to benefit Tallahassee Rollergirl, Danger S, with her ongoing fight against Stage 4 Cervical Cancer.

Mahalo Nui Loa.

Elaine & Bill Grace

BALI HI Trading Company

aloha@balihi.us

“Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer! Now, Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, On Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

About a half a dozen years back I was sitting in the airport lounge in Honolulu awaiting my cattle flight back to Seattle and to Sweet Laine for Christmas. It is possibly the longest flight over just water that one can take so I was never able to see a reason to claim a window seat. With that in mind, I was usually one of the last to board, but always behind me were the “non-rev” passengers, employees of the airlines or family members flying for free. On this warm Hawaiian December day, while I waited, the crowd thinned out to just a uniformed pilot in transit sitting across from me and a family – mom, dad & 3 young toddlers scampering about and a tyke on momma’s lap. A little girl about 6 years old was trying to remember the names of Santa’s reindeers and was struggling as she asked her father for help. He wasn’t much help, and, as if to save him from further embarrassment, the pilot leaned forward and politely offered to recite the roster and he did so with the rhythm and order of a father who had read the poem each year as a Christmas Eve ritual to his own children. When pilot was through the mother whispered excitedly to the lad on her lap, “That pilot has to know all of the reindeer’s names in case he is flying and sees them in the sky on Christmas.”

That is one of my precious moments in eavesdropping. And Laine wonders why I listen in on other people’s conversations.  

I just noticed that December 5th is titled, “Pardon Someone Day.”

Long ago I decided that when I die I want two things to take place, besides free drinks for all. First is that someone read aloud one of my favorite quotes to the few gathered. This one is from H. L. Mencken – “If, after I depart this vale, you should ever remember me and have thoughts to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink at a homely girl.”

The second thing that I would like to transpire is that after 49 days have passed someone would mail a postcard to all of my friends so that they can read in my own handwriting, “Everything is beautiful. Wish you were here, Love, Bill.”

So, what indeed is happening at BALI HI?

Free is always a good way to start. At our Midtown location at 1123 Thomasville Rd between Whataburger and Waterworks we are giving away goodies with your purchases – Free shell leis with any purchase, a recyclable cloth bag with purchases above $25, a beautiful Hawaiian calendar for purchases over $50 and a great, multi-pocketed Peace-Love Aloha tote bag for purchases above $100.

All the more reason to do all of your Christmas shopping at BALI HI.

These precious baubles can only be had at the Midtown Design Center at 1123 Thomasville Rd. (salmon colored building), downstairs from Textures and Lucy and Leo’s Cupcakery. There is ample parking in back on the Gadsden St. side or you may take the stairs inside after you treat yourself to some tasty cup cakes!

You will find Bill holding court at Midtown on 1st Friday, 12/4 when we are open until 9 PM. We are featuring some beautiful Hawaiian art including a new Tiki carver Elaine met during her last visit to the islands. You will also find many local artists with some absolutely amazing prices. As always, our lamps will brighten the holidays and make a very unique gift.

Please join us when the Midtown Design Center celebrates the inimitable Patty Maney’s Birthday on Thursday, 12/10. We will be open until 9 PM for your shopping and partying pleasure and, as always with Patty, it is for a good cause too!

BALI-HI TRADING COMPANY is happy to announce our 3rd year at the Railroad Square Art Park. We are very pleased to be sharing a new location with The Other Side Vintage at 607 McDonnell Drive.

In keeping with our tradition, we will be offering a special sale on our fabulous Aloha Shirts on Mon. 12/7 – Sun. 12/13.

Also, if you mention to the checkout person that you saw this notice, you will be given some free Balinese incense.

And, Hot & Special, BALI HI is now located on the internet. I feel that the ice has melted and the flood of all that BALI HI has to offer is now at your tender fingertips. Please check us out at www.balihi.us and if you have any suggestions on how to make the site better please email me and let me now. I’ll throw in a free lei for you.

 You don’t get an offer like that from the big box stores, now do you?

 As always, thanks for supporting Locally Owned Businesses.

 Best Wishes & Happy Holidays to you and everyone you love.

Elaine & Bill Grace
BALI HI Trading Company

________________________________________
In Midtown at – 1123 Thomasville Rd
In Railroad Square at – 607 McDonnell Dr
And on the web at – www.balihi.us
850/ 766-7175

November is finally here, and it is fuller than a funny car stuffed with clowns.

And, just this week my godson and his Marine unit pulled out of Afghanistan and should be in Okinawa by now. Thanks for the Service. Now it is R & R time – For you and your parents.

So, what’s happening at BALI HI, you ask?

Now, you remember that we are in two locations, right?

We are in a new location in Railroad Square. Just as you are entering the park there is a long stretch of green space on your left and then, rising up on the loading dock is a colorful warehouse, the home of BALI HI and The Other Side Vintage, a marriage made in Heaven and currently honeymooning in Paradise. – 607 McDonnell Dr.

Our shop in Midtown is amazing, and I have never lied to you. Elaine has fixed it up so it has the look and feel of an upscale Rodeo Drive with our low, low, Crazy Laine prices. – 1123 Thomasville Rd – Located in the salmon colored building between Waterworks and Whataburger. We are in the back where all of the ample parking is.

First, and sadly, we will be holding a memorial tribute for our dear friend, Gianna Mitchell, who died over the Halloween weekend in a tragic auto accident in Hawaii. She was so beautiful, so talented and so young. She was a truly wonderful person with a very impressive artistic talent. We are awestruck how energetically she was able to capture the wetness and the churning power of an ocean wave through the eyes of a surfer and rebirth it in acrylic. Gianna was born here in Tallahassee just 31 years ago, graduated from FSU and was all set to enter law school after a summer vacation in Hawaii, which lasted 9 years.

This First Friday friends and admirers will gather at the Midtown location from around 6pm until 9pm to share memories – Talk Story as is the colloquialism from her adopted state of Hawaii. Music will be performed by a fellow artist, Mershell Sherman and his didgeridoo band, DidjaVou. Please come on out and celebrate Gianna’s life.

And at Railroad Square will be a First Friday celebration of another sort – we will have three bands –

6-7: Midnight Matinee -

7-8: Elito – Solo Acoustic Latin Music

8-9: The Covers – As the name implies – R&B/R&R cover band. Some of the members were members of the Tallahassee Swing Band.

And the hits just keep on coming like late night AM radio show. Later in the month, on Saturday, November 14th, the South East Regional Yoyo competition will be held in Railroad Square. It will be a fun day of Walking The Dog and Rockin’ The Cradle. You don’t need a Yomega Brain to enjoy this sport. By the way, Tallahassee’s own General Lafayette was a big fan of the Yoyo, as was Baron Munchausen.

On Friday, November 20, Railroad Square will have it first Farmer’s Market with plenty of fresh, locally grown vegetables and other great goodies. Just in time for your Thanksgiving Dinner.

Aloha, My Friend,

Come on down to either or, better yet, both locations from 6pm until around 9pm and enjoy the beautiful evening with 3,000 of your closest new friends.

 Since August 1st – August 7 is Smile Week, I will tell an amusing story here sliding in just under the wire.

 On August 3rd, 1981, I was in Frankfurt, Germany, the international airport departure area to be exact. I had just completed an FSU summer program in Belgrade & Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. This program was jointly sponsored by FSU and the Yugoslavian Government, FSU supplied the teachers and the government paid for the room & board at a downtown Belgrade hotel. About 10 of us from FSU spent a week in Belgrade and during this time we made friends with some 10 or 15 local college students. They had shown us around the city, translated for us, took us to campus parties and otherwise showed us a fine welcome. On our last evening there we all gathered in the hotel restaurant for a festive communal meal and, since our train didn’t leave until about 2am, we drank until the smoke filled bar closed.

 At closing time our patient waitress came over with about 20 little notebook pages filled with numbers for the price of all of our meals and copious drinks. On top of this pile of scraps was a larger sheet with the final tally for our whole little jamboree. I have no idea what it totaled to be but it was the longest string of numbers that I have ever seen that wasn’t the product of some calculation of Pi.

 As everyone began to discuss how to divvy up this bill I ceremoniously reached into the center of the table and like the true gentleman and proud American that I am, I insisted that I take care of it. I then had one of the locals help me figure up a ridiculously generous tip of about 50%, not bad considering the workers in this communist state probably only got tipped by Americans.

Then, like I had for all of my other meals, I signed for it, put my room number on it and handed it back to the waitress knowing that some Yugoslavian bureaucrat was going to dig into Tito’s budget and pick it up.

 It was pure pleasure to watch her joy and excitement; she was smiling like her lover had just whispered something delicious into her ear. Although I didn’t understand a word that she said, that was good enough for me.

 Golly, I wish that I travelled on government expense accounts more often.

 Now, if I could just do something about all of my outstanding parking tickets in New Orleans.

Back to the beginning, how do I know that I was in Frankfurt? Because that is when the American air traffic controllers decided to go on strike and for more than 2 days I was stranded in the wonderful company of a foreign exchange student from East Germany. For these days we shared stories, a single toothbrush, some granola bars and a couple of apples that I had “gepluckked.”

 So that is how I spent my summer vacation. Let me tell you what is happening out at BALI HI. We are moving!!! BALI HI will be joining with The Other Side Vintage at the “First Building on your Left” as you enter Railroad Square. This will be a wonderful confluence of The Other Side’s eclectic goodies and our tropical paradise bits and pieces.

We will also be moving a smaller portion of our exotic jewelry, art, home décor and gifts to Midtown, 1123 Thomasville Road, between the Waterworks and the Whataburger. CLICK HERE FOR A GOOGLE MAP

 This will all be in place by the 1st Friday next month, September 4th – God willin’ and the creek don’t flood.

 And please, don’t get me wrong, I am not lazy, just generous, yeah, that’s it, magnaninous, I don’t want to move one more item than I have to so we are marking everything but consigned items down at least 15% and some of our larger furniture is as much as 75% off. So, if you have been waiting for it and you don’t get it now, Shame On You.

Yyyyaaaayyy, nnnn, what’s up Doc?

To which you reply, “July First Friday, of course.”

 Let’s also not forget some of the other July anniversary dates. You know what folks, with just July as a mile marker, our own personal history is full of interesting steps:

July 1^st, 1966 – The ZIP Code was instituted
July 3^rd, 1971 – Jim Morrison died
July 10^th, 1964 – The Beatles released Hard Day’s Night
July 20, 1969, 10:56pm – Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon
July 30^th, 1975 – Jimmy Hoffa disappeared ( You should see the Jack Nickelson movie – HOFFA)

Other big dates:

July 2^nd, 1937 – Amelia Earhart disappeared in the Pacific. (You should listen to Joni Mitchell’s song titled, Amelia. It is one of my favorite of Joni’s)
July 6^th, 1885 – Louis Pasteur treated a child with the first anti-rabies vaccine. And almost 125 years later he saved my sweet Lanie’s life after she was attacked by a rabid bobcat here in Tallahassee.
July 7^th, 1898 – The US annexed Hawaii
July 15^th, 1881 – Pat Garrett shot & killed Billy the Kid. The Kid was just 21 years old.
July 17^th, 1821 – Spain cedes Florida to the US
July 22^nd, 1934 – John Dillinger was shot & killed by FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. (I am looking forward to the Johnny Depp movie)
July 27^th, 1940 – Bugs Bunny debuted.

The beautiful hula dancer on my Hawaiian calendar is confidently looking into the camera while in her pose as if to say, “Can we talk a moment here?”

Noting the Hawaiian annexation earlier it is probably important to her that I mention that there is a strong and legitimate Hawaiian sovereignty movement among the native islanders. One of the organizations has a very clever name, ALOHA – Aboriginal Lands of Hawaiian Ancestry.  After quite a few years of American businessmen shenanigans, over the stanch protests of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii was annexed. In 1993 President Bill Clinton, by way of a Public Law, offered an apology to the Hawaiian people. It is sort of fitting that the sweetest voice of the Hawaiian Rights Movement was honored with a huge funeral on July 10^th, 1997, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, Bruddah Iz. He is most famous for his soft and tender cover of the song, Somewhere “Over the Rainbow.” He was also very vocal about native recognition and Hawaiian pride and in several of his beautiful songs he beseeches his listeners to appreciate the Hawaiian culture and its rich history.

Since First Friday will probably be over by the time that you read this let me jump ahead to what is happen for Second Sunday. On July 12^th Railroad Square will be hosting the LOT – Locally Owned Tallahassee –  members to set up and display their whatevers and introduce themselves to you. There will be dozens of your local business owners out here anxious to let you know why Tallahassee is sassy.  Come on out from noon until 5-pm for the little box people like BALI -HI.

Of Hawaiian importance, June 11^th is King Kamehameha (meaning: The Lonely One) Day. It is a public state holiday honoring Kamehameha The Great, the monarch who first established the unified Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. Kamehameha is often referred to as the Napoleon of the Pacific for his prowess in warfare and achievements in diplomacy. This day is celebrated with a beautiful ceremony of an evening draping of long strands of colorful and scented floral leis on the 8 ½  foot tall statue of the king in downtown Honolulu. This amazing ceremony is repeated in the U.S. Capitol where the king’s statue is displayed. Before 2008, shortly after Hawaii-born Barack Obama was nominated, the statue was moved from the dark, back row of the Statuary Hall to a prominent position in the brand new Visitor’s Center at the Capitol. Now that is a show I would like to see if I am ever in D.C. at the right time.

For hard-core English majors and Irish aficionados, June 16^th is Bloomsday, a commemorative festival held annually in Dublin and around the world to re-live events from James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses, the date that the characters, Leopold Bloom and his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle, spent the day strolling.  In Mel Brooks’ movie, The Producers, Gene Wilder’s character is named Leo Bloom, an homage to Joyce’s character.

Of course, June 21^st is the Summer Solstice (12:45am EST). It is both the longest and the shortest day of the year depending on your location north or south of the equator.

June 21^st is also Father’s Day so beat the rush and spend lots of money on the grand guy here at BALI HI and while you are at it, take advantage of our Father’s Day Hawaiian Shirt Sale – 20% off.

And what’s not to like about the name, June, I ask you? After all, that is the name of America’s 1950’s pinnacle of a wife and home-keeper and the mother of Beaver Cleaver.

So, what’s happening at BALI HI and around the Square, you ask? Well, let me tell you, Bali-HI Trading Company is proud to welcome a new artist to Tallahassee.  Jon Elliott will be the featured artist for the month of June with an opening reception on 1^st Friday, June 5^th from 6 to 10 PM. 

Jon’s exhibit is called “On the Other Hand”.  The expression has a whole new meaning when it comes to Jon’s art and life.  For the past 12 years, Jon has lived in a wheelchair after falling 21 feet through a roof onto a cement floor.  He spent 4 months in a comma and sustained partial paralysis of his left side.  He has neither walked nor been able to use his dominate left arm since. 

Jon was a student at the University of Miami, Ringling School of Art and a graduate of Pacific Northwest College of Art.  Jon has had to teach himself to paint with his non-dominate right hand, starting with taping the paint brush to his hand.  The past 12 years, through perseverance and self adaptation, Jon has developed a new body of work.

Jon’s art startles with its emotion and intensity.  What appears at first to be just little slices of daily life upon close examination offer a glimpse of much more beneath the surface of the paint.   Be sure to stop by Bali-HI during the month of June to see the work of this emerging young artist.  Bali-HI is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 AM until 6 PM and Sunday from 12 to 5 PM.

For Second Sunday at the Railroad Square Art Park the 621 Gallery has put together another spectacular Summer Soulstice Festival. It is going to be hotter than anything Al Gore could predict. They have 5 bands lined up and fun stuff for the whole family that I can’t even tell you about for fear of starting a stampede again.

BANDS:   The Windfall,  The Frigidaires,  Aloonaloona,  Jane Jane Pollack, Yellow Dog

So come on out to BALI HI and to Railroad Square and I guarantee you that you will get your summer rolling in greased grooves.

Best Wishes,

Elaine & Bill

April is going to be a marvelous month for activities at BALI HI, Railroad Square and for life in general.

Bali-HI Trading Company is heading into spring with a great SALE! Our already unbeatably low priced solid teak outdoor furniture will be on SALE along with many other spring specials.  Also be sure to watch the Tallahassee Extreme Home Makeover on Sunday April 12 at 8 PM to spot décor items donated by Bali-HI.

On 1^st Friday we will be exhibiting the photographic art of the exquisite Kati Schardl.  Kati is assistant features editor for the Tallahassee Democrat. She is a true-blue North Florida native – born in Panama City and raised in Marianna. She is a writer, gardener, cook, reader, music lover, dancer and bona fide tree-hugging dirt-worshipper whose favorite times of the day are dusk and dawn, when the light is so ephemeral and yet so real that you feel you can grasp it like a cobweb and cup it in your palm. That’s what she has tried in a completely unschooled way to capture in the photos featured in this show, which also includes random images from travels that have taken her to Hawaii (twice) and New Zealand, and snaps of fires and sparks she has known and loved. She hopes that before she shuffles off this mortal coil she will get to see the fabled flash of green that comes just after the sun sets. She’s keeping her eye on that twilight horizon.

Join us for an artist reception on 1^st Friday, April 3 from 6 to 10 PM.  Meet Kati and see how she views the world through the eye of her camera.  As always we offer Hawaiian style food and beverages and an opportunity to meet the artist.  Kati’s art will be on display at Bali-HI Trading Company, 617 Industrial Drive, Wednesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 6PM and Sunday noon to 5 PM through Sunday, April 26^th.

Sunday this month, April 12^th, happens to fall on Easter so we are celebrating with a Peeps In The Park  Fun Day.   We will be open along with a few other hearty souls to make Easter 2^nd Sunday fun for adults too.  It is “Peeps in the Park” day.  Search for tiny eggs and stuffed plastic eggs to win gift certificates, prizes, discounts and of course Peeps!

On Sunday, April 19^th, participating Shops & Studios at the Railroad Square Art Park will host an afternoon of Peace & fun beginning at noon and continuing until 5pm and beyond. This event at the Railroad Square Art Park will commemorate the 51^st Anniversary of the design of the Peace Symbol as well as celebrate and honor peaceful practices and programs in Tallahassee. More that 50 civic & service organizations will participate displaying the spirit that volunteerism brings to our community. Throughout the Art Park will face painters, music by several local bands, Italian ice treats and assorted buskers. The Star Sea Café will be serving lunch and various other goodies will be available around the Park. Canned goods and money donations will be collected for the Big Bend Second Harvest to help people in need and to educate and inform the public about the problem of, as well as the solutions to, hunger. Bali-HI is offering for sale a beautiful Peace T-shirt and shopping bag designed by Nate King.  It should be available on 1^st Friday. There are women’s and men’s styles and many choices of colors.  Shopping bags are free with purchases of $100.  We now have a new selection of stained glass peace symbols by Kelly Wood. 

BANDS

 Sarah Mac Band

Moon Dance

Vulpes/Vulpes

SOMA

Yellow Dog

Unsigned Name

Yo Soybean

Yellow Dog

Lean HS Steel Drum Band

Bob Carey

Chris Perry

 PARTICIPANTS (Partial List)

Big Bend Cares

Collie Rescue

Peace Is Possible

2nd Harvest

Tallahassee Resource Group

Big Bend Hospice

Big Brother & Big Sister

Family Literacy

Big Bend Homeless

Aussie Rescue

Animal Service Center

FOOD

Star Sea Café

Peace, Love & Italian Ice

Soul Vegetarian

CHILDREN ACTIVITIES

Face Painting

Henna Artist

Popcorn

Bounce House

March always has made me think metaphorically about young lovers, like we all were once. March comes to us sometimes with a warm, soothing embrace and, oh, the promises it makes for the days to come and all the flowers it will bring to us.

Sometimes, too, March comes disheveled and wild, tempestuous & wickedly alluring. And who among us has not been seduced by that combination, asking for no promises, expecting no flowers and accepting whatever tomorrow will bring because we were adventurous, impetuous and so full of life we would not let our heart be corralled?

And, these days, March has become that old friend that I do not see often but each time we do gather we talk and joke and cry about our previous encounters and I listen to the tales of what has filled its days.

Of course there is March 17^th, Saint Pat’s, the day when everyone is Irish for 24 hours. I am among the fortunate, I am an actual citizen of the Irish Nation and I have a passport to prove it. I consider St. Pat’s to be a sort of amateur night for revelers so for you rookie partiers I suggest that you go to Wakulla County to do your drinking.

And, as a hat off to Tri-Eagle Distributors here in Tallahassee, in Hawaii, on March 14^th, is the Kona Brewers Festival. If you have ever wondered what Aloha tastes like you need to get down to Publix and pick up a 6 pack of some delicious Kona Beer.

 A couple of quick bullet points – On March 27^th, 1513 Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida and on the 3^rd of March, 1845 Florida joined the US for the first time.

On a personal note, March 21^st is my mother’s 90^th birthday and the ol’ gal is spry and doing well, thanks for asking. Sadly though, my father had the unfortunate timing to pass away on her birthday and 11 years later we all miss him incredibly.

For Laine and me, March 3^rd, 2003 (03-03-03) was the start of our adventure in Paradise. I had been living in Hawaii for about 6 months at that time and she in the Seattle area but on that day we landed together at the Honolulu Airport with our family of two dogs. Not so good for our dogs, it was the beginning of a 30 day rabies quarantine, doggie jail. I will never forgive Hawaii for the damage done to our pups’ health and sanity. It was the dirtiest trick we ever played on them.

Just to mention it because I found it interesting, March 14^th is considered Pi Day and at various universities and museums around the world they celebrated with pie feasts. The beginning series of numbers for the mathematical constant, pi, are 3.14. March 14^th is the day that MIT sends out its letters of acceptance.

Laine told me that I couldn’t tell this joke at the end so, of course, here it is, “Every month people ask me why I write a newsletter and I always have the same answer, “Because I never metaphor I didn’t like.”   Now here’s Laine for what’s happening at the Square.

What can I say? Bill never listens to me anyway!  He failed to tell you that March 3^rd is also “Girl’s Day “.

It is the Peach Blossom Festival in China and the Doll’s Festival in Japan.  It is also widely celebrated in Hawaii and was a good day to arrive.  It has a new special meaning for me as on 3/03/09 I started my 1^st day with Covenant Hospice as a PRN nurse.  I always liked things in 3’s.

Please join us this 1^st Friday for what is expected to be some fabulous weather and a very special performance of Railroad Square’s own “Sauce Boss”, Bill Wharton.  Bali-HI donated some of our great mirrors to the silent auction so come place your bids and help support all the good things “Planet Gumbo” does for our community.

Bali-HI will feature the unique photographic cell phone art of my son Nate King.  You can meet the artist before he heads back to places unknown on the West coast.  Be sure to join us for 2^nd Sunday, March 8 from 12-5 PM when Railroad Square will feature our bi-annual “Artists at Work”.  There will be live music from 2- 4 PM and Bali-HI’s own Jodi Rhea Foster will be on hand demonstrating her hand tied jewelry art.

Bali-HI has 8 local artists represented in the shop and we are proud to welcome E’layne Koenigsberg. Her cool scrabble tile necklaces are a hit and I love her “bone fish” bracelets and get lots of compliments when I wear mine.  Don’t forget we are still having our “Heading into Spring Sale” with sarongs and aloha shirts 15% off and 20% off all tropical and beach scene original art.  We will also give you a free handout on how to tie a sarong with purchase of same. As always, we still give a free energy efficient light bulb with every lamp purchase too.

And to jump ahead a little bit, be sure to highlight April 19^th on your calendar for our Second Annual Circle The Park For Peace Celebration. We will have some 40 community organizations out here introducing themselves to you, 8 bands will be performing throughout the day and throughout the park. We will also have food vendor and entertainment for children of all ages.

Best Wishes & Mahalo Nui Loa.

Elaine & Bill Grace

BALI HI Trading Company

You couldn’t guess it by walking around outside scantily clad these days but the word fever has its root word in the month of February. In ancient Roman days, long before the Fellini films, February was associated with a purification ritual called Februa. The Latin word for fever (febris) is associated with the idea of purification or purging, due to the sweating commonly seen in association with fevers.

I know that that is really a bit of useless information but somehow I am comfortable that you will tuck it away someplace in some cluttered mental closet and wow your friends with that knowledge at some future date.

Here is something else for your fun factoid file: If you look at the calendar you will see that February looks like a perfect block. February starts on a Sunday and, exactly 4 weeks later, ends on a Saturday. February is the only month that such a trick is possible and the year 2009 is one of the few years in which it actually happens.

And, of course, February is the month of St. Valentine’s Day. Although there is great debate about who St. Valentine was and his relationship to romance, he is one of my favorite saints, although some have recommended that I should lean a wee bit closer to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. My saintly preference is sort of ironic because Laine will tell anyone who will listen that, mush-mush that I might be, I am not that much of a romantic. I don’t believe in soul-mates, I don’t believe in love at first sight and more than once I have found myself walking down the street thinking, “Oh, so this is what Jimmy Carter meant by lusting in my heart.” 

There is a song by John Hiatt called, Learning How To Love You.  One of the lines in it goes –

From the first kiss in the schoolyard
To the last heart broke in two
I didn’t know that it would be so hard
Learning how to love you.

We all make a lot of mistakes falling in love. Maybe that is why it is called falling-in-love, because it is an ongoing process, when we stop falling is when we crash. So we all keep on trying. And we keep learning. Maybe that is why we need a saint, to comfort us and assure us that our hearts can beat in someone else’s hands

This year, when you tell someone Happy Valentine’s Day let them know that you are still learning and that they are your favorite subject.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Laine.

Things are pretty sweet this month at Railroad Square. Bali-HI has expanded so come see our new space! We are all about the tropics as we get through the winter and head into a beautiful Tally spring. Come find that perfect tropical painting, lamp or Aloha shirt to lift your spirits and remind you of the warmth to come. We have fine handcrafted jewelry from 7 local artists if you are looking for that special ValentineS gift.  Several of our artists have created special Valentines gifts from heart pendants to handcrafted LOVE frames.

 2^nd Sunday (2/8) from 12-5 PM is “Sweet Sunday” and participating Shops and Studios will be having a bake sale with homemade goodies and sweets for sale.  The Cake Shop is donating some goodies too so be sure to get there early because these will go fast!  All proceeds will go to support 2^nd Harvest and Big Bend Homeless Coalition, HOPE Community.  Horse drawn carriage rides will also be offered this year, so it really will be a “sweet” event.

And Thanks for Shopping Locally.