Sunday Musings

Yesterday was perhaps the first time I have not posted in well over a year. Rest assured that I am alive and well. In addition to working the Ghent Business Association booth at the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival in the Ghent area of Norfolk for a number of hours yesterday, I also spent much of the day with a wonderful new guy, first at the Arts Festival and then later at dinner. Following that we went to an open house/going away party for a client/ friend and her family (my friend and I are pictured at left at a pirate themed party at her house). Her husband is military and has received orders out of the area so my client and her children will soon be leaving for her parents’ home in British Columbia pending her husband settling in at his new command. She has been a great friend and definitely very gay friendly and affirming, as has her husband and all their friends. It would be wonderful to find a way to visit BC again while she’s there to show me the sights and introduce me to her friends. Goodness knows what mischief might occur. I will truly miss her and her husband, although like many Navy families, they will likely return to this area at some future date.
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This morning, I went to church at First Lutheran Church (“FLC”) and saw my old friend from my family’s summer home growing up in the Adirondacks and brought her up to date on all the family doings, especially my son’s Appalachian Trail odyssey. My church attendance has been somewhat hit or miss lately – largely because I still have issues with some policies of the larger Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (“ELCA”). While FLC for the most part is very accepting of gays, the larger ELCA has yet to fully accept committed gay couples or allow gay clergy. I believe that result will eventually occur, but sadly for now some of the wing nut Bible thumpers prefer to embrace a message division and hatred for those who are different. Meanwhile, far too many of the moderates lack the guts to do the right thing instead wasting their time wringing their hands over “unity.” I’d rather do the right thing and stand alone instead of going with the crowd of lemmings over the cliff - would that more folks had some backbone. Of course, I did find some humor during the service today when the choir did a beautiful piece by gay Russian composer, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky. Heavens, what would the small element of gay haters at FLC think if they knew a sodomite had written the piece performed during communion? :)
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Later, I will have dinner with my daughters in honor of my oldest daughter’s 26th birthday this past week. I always enjoy my time with my girls. They are smart, beautiful and wonderful individuals. Yes, I am a wee bit biased, but they are all of what I’ve described. Until then, I am going to get a little work done and post a few more articles.

Festival Update

I am back from the wine festival and Wayne Besen should be arriving soon. The wine festival pass packed and the wineries - there were 32 attending, all from Virginia - were doing a brisk tasting and sales business. Since I needed to remain sober, I did not buy the $35 ticket for tastings at all 32 vineyards. I suspect some folks were truly getting their money's worth. I also must comment that there were MANY gorgeous guys in attendance. I did bring back with me a bottle of Barboursville Cabernet that I will enjoy later. :)

The other festival going on this weekend is the Stockley Gardens Arts Festivals (pictured above at left), sponsored in part by the Ghent Business Association (I am a member) to raise funds for Hope House. These festivals have been going on for 23 years now, twice annually- on the third weekend in May and the third weekend in October. These popular events each attract over 25,000 - 300,00 people. The money raised during these events helps Hope House assist with housing, transportation, medical needs, and various other necessities for people with developmental disabilities in Hampton Roads. The real art of this is that the events not only benefit the population served by Hope House Foundation, but the entire community. The festival is held in Stockley Gardens in historic Ghent surrounded by stately old houses and the Gothic bell tower of Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church which is very beautiful and like a smaller sized cathedral.

All day Saturday and Sunday, approximately 150 of the area's - as well as the nation's - finest artists exhibit a wide variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, photography, and many others. Throughout the weekend visitors can enjoy a wide variety of children's activities , live musical entertainment at the main stage and festival food vendors from across the region. A judge juries the artists who compete for the festival's cash award prizes.

If the weather is as nice as today come tomorrow, I am sure that I will stop by the Arts Festival.