TULIPS R US

It was a beautiful Spring day today so I decided to photograph some of my awesome tulips!  To me, these short-lived flowers are the best source of landscape color for the yard.  I like to get real close and shoot the interiors of the flowers.  I don't have a macro lens, but I can still get close enough to show their amazing pistols and stems. Is it any wonder why honey bees are attracted to them?

EVA CASSIDY ENCORE - IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD

In 1993, Cassidy had a malignant mole removed from her back. Three years later, during a promotional event for the Live at Blues Alley album in July 1996, Cassidy noticed an ache in her hips, which she attributed to stiffness from painting murals while perched atop a stepladder. The pain persisted and a few weeks later, X-rays revealed that the melanoma had spread to her lungs and bones. Her doctors estimated she had three to five months to live. Cassidy opted for aggressive treatment, but her health deteriorated rapidly. In her final public performance in September 1996, at the Bayou, she closed the set with "What a Wonderful World" in front of an audience of friends, fans and family. She was subsequently admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital. 
Cassidy died at her family home in Bowie, November 2, 1996, at the age of 33. She was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Washington Area Music Association. In accordance with her wishes, Cassidy's body was cremated. Her ashes were scattered on the lake shores of St. Mary's River Watershed Park, a nature reserve near California, Maryland.(Wikipedia)

Here's the video of her performing "It's a Wonderful World".
HERE.

MUSIC AND LIFE

I love my walks.  Not only do they provide needed exercise and Vitamin D, they also provide me with needed mental health as well. On a beautiful day like today-warm and inviting with a gentle breeze, I usually walk from my home to Shooks Run Park, which has a long and wide concrete walkway.  Along the way are tennis courts, playgrounds, a basketball court, picnic area, lots of grass and  a creek that runs along the west side of the park (Shooks Run).  I brought my mp3 player so I could enjoy my music while taking in the scenery.  Today, there were many people also enjoying the park in their own way and there were times I wished I'd brought my camera.

One of those times was when a young man was coming toward me being pulled on his skateboard by his pit bull dog.  Both looked like they were having a blast!  It seems the best images sometimes are those that could have been-the ones that would have a story attached.

As I listened to Josh Groban singing "Awake", I looked over to my left and down a grassy hill and spied a young couple having an intimate picnic and kissing.  Ah, how wonderful life is and how great it is to have the freedom to live it as we choose here in America!

Coming back towards my home, I walked through my familiar neighborhood as Tommy Emmannuel strummed and picked his guitar playing his arrangement of  "Those Who Wait".  I came upon a small group of people ahead of me, and as I caught up with the young couple and their two toddlers and leashed dog, I noticed there was also a little puppy just tagging along and following the other dog.  As we approached a street intersection, the couple turned right on the sidewalk and I was going to cross the street.  The puppy saw me and decided he was going to follow me and for a brief moment I realized I'd better stop or he would  possibly run out into the street.  Even though no words were spoken, I saw the look of appreciation on the couple's faces as they called the puppy towards them and the little guy soon was darting among them again as they went their way and I went mine.

Nightline's Tribute to Eva Cassidy

True talent lives long beyond life's existence. Turn on the radio and on every station you'll hear many songs  that have passed the test of time.  They call them 'oldies but goodies" or "old standards".  But those songs were sung by people who reached stardom from record sales in the millions or from media coverage recording their lifetime of accomplishments.  Some became famous from 'one-hit wonders'.  All enjoyed their 60 seconds of fame or longer during their lives.


Not so, for Eva Cassidy. She became famous after she died at age 33. Eva was an American vocalist who succumbed to melanoma skin cancer in 1996 and never reached stardom or became famous while she was alive.  But she got really, really close.  Unfortunately, the world didn't get to enjoy her music until some of her recordings were discovered years later by BBC radio.


When I heard her story and music a few years ago, I posted  two songs on my Playlist: Over the Rainbow and I Know You by Heart.  If you're not familiar with Eva Cassidy, I found a YouTube video of her story aired by ABC's Nightline that will give you the opportunity to learn what a great talent we lost.  Fortunately for all of us, as I mentioned before, her music lives on.  Click HERE.