O Christmas Palm Tree!

I was out walking around this morning and cut through the canals to check out the bridges in the daytime. The sun was high and warm and humming Christmas carols felt a little out of place, but it still had to be done ... 'tis the Season!

At the other side of one bridge, I saw a great and creative use of dried up palm fronds - someone had made Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on a frond. Love it.

Carrying on down a different canal, there was another family making good use of the fronds. There was a Mrs. Claus type, with blonde braids I could appreciate ...

... And then there was Mr. Claus himself, in a grass rootsy display of natural Christmas decoration  ingenuity. I've never seen palm tree art done like this, and it touched me as a very Venice way of showing off your holiday cheer. Good job, folks!

Christmas decorations make me happy (my name is really Carol for a reason), and I'd love to see which ones all of you love most ... please feel free to share them with me and I'll post for all to see. It all goes by so fast, let's love it all while we can!

Ho Ho Ho!

Streetlight Cadence Plays For Abbot Kinney

I was kind of in a rush last weekend, just needing to grab something quick at the liquor store on Abbot Kinney on my way home, and wistful for the days when this could be done much speedier. Crossing the street, I heard a guy shout, "We're Streetlight Cadence, from Honolulu, Hawai'i!" There, set up on the corner, was a quartet of gentlemen playing their hearts out for all the foot traffic folks out strolling the boulevard.

Their music and their vibe was delightfully retro, and I was surprised to hear that they were from Hawai'i. The more I thought about it though, I wasn't. Here were these young guys all playing their instruments (guitar, cello, violin, accordion), belting it out for all to hear, in a wonderful example of the Aloha Spirit that Hawai'i is famous for (and which I was recently reminded of by Mona to LIVE as an example). I stopped and thoroughly enjoyed a number before I had to speed off, with a little crowd gathering of others whose afternoons had also been made. I love the DIY spirit of creative people like this, and it's something everyone can use way more of. Just get out there and DO whatever it is that you love!

Thank you to Streetlight Cadence for bringing their music to the people, and for showing Venice their Aloha! Cheers, boys!