Wednesday, July 14

Up at 6:30 to get ready to go to the last session of water aerobics until August 23. I hate that it'll be that long before I can get back in the pool. Since it was the last day, lots of folks showed up.

Back home, after I was ready for the day, I did a few things on my upstairs computer, and then Mother and I went to an Italian restaurant to join the other ladies from water aerobics for lunch. We were urged to wear hats today, but I declined, since I was scheduled to man the art gallery this afternoon, and I didn't want to mash my hair down.

Other ladies did wear hats, though, mostly red ones, since several of them are also members of the Red Hat Society. One lady, though wore a bright red Chinese cap that featured a black pigtail down the back, and one lady wore a Hawaiian hat and flower lei.

Mother and I ordered grilled chicken sandwiches and mixed fruit for lunch. We also indulged in the garlic French bread dipped in marinara sauce.

After lunch, Mother and I went downtown to the art gallery to relieve Hubbie, who had been there since 10 a.m. We arrived around 12:30.

Since we were to be at the gallery until 4 p.m., Mother and I worked on greeting cards...tarjeteria cards to enter in the fair, and a few other kinds to give to Caring Hands Hospice.

While I was there, I called one of the members of the fair board on behalf of the community theater board, who wanted to know if there was booth space available for a theater exhibit. I was told the fee for a booth in the commercial building is $125. When I called the community theater board president to report this, she said our treasury could not afford it this year.

Then I called the library on behalf of community theater, hoping to use their display case to advertise an upcoming fairytale theater production. But I learned that the display is not available until the end of the month, because it is being used for exhibits related to story time at the library. The end of the month is too late, since the play will be produced the last weekend of July.

Oh, well.

There wasn't a lot of traffic in the gallery...a woman stopped by to leave a magazine for the arts council director; and another woman dropped off a stack of used printer cartridges, which can be redeemed for money; and a few people called about a Saturday art workshop.

At 4 p.m., I locked the art gallery and went next door to return the key. When I handed it to a clerk, she looked at me questioningly.

"I was manning the gallery today for Colleen," I explained.

She continued to look puzzled. Oh, dear, I thought, she's never seen me before, and she's not sure I had any business in the gallery all afternoon.

"Colleen is gone for a few days to be with family for the birth of a grandchild," I continued.

She still looked baffled. "Okay. So what is this for?" she asked.

"Oops," I laughed, as I retrieved my car key and handed her the gallery key.

At home, we fixed a supper of leftover fried chicken, sliced and served cold, mashed potatoes and gravy, garden tomatoes, and slices of sourdough bread, followed by dishes of mixed fruit (mango, peaches, and pineapple) from the Italian restaurant, to which I added chunks of watermelon.

After that, I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I relaxed in front of TV. We watched a 1994 movie called, "Golden Gate," an R-rated film starring Matt Dillon and Elizabeth Morehead. A young man (Dillon) out of law school in 1952 is recruited by the FBI to uncover Chinese subersives in San Francisco, during the Communism scare. The film covers three decades (in which the man appears not to have aged a day), during which time he learns the error of his ways. Surprise ending.