And the city, well, it’s old it’s not likely to change. There were still swarms of tourists, massive structures of stone, scooters buzzing and bells tolling. It was a fantastic revisit. Yet, I think my friend Cheryl summed it up best when she asked me if it was one of those trips where you feel like you can never come home again. I see truth in that statement, more so than I thought. And that brings me peace. My visit to the stone city helped heal the riff that I thought may still be there. I come away knowing that I made the right decision to come back to the States. That is perfection in itself.

I did manage to take a few photos, but only had a long lens — so pardon the blurry subjects.

https://picasaweb.google.com/juliapadgett/Florence2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Admittedly biased due to my love of Kermit, but put that aside and you still have something beautiful. The artists alone are worth perking your ears up: Weezer, The Fray, My Morning Jacket and Andrew Bird. They all come together and pay homage to not just the Muppets and Jim Henson — but maybe more importantly they spotlight all the sunny, trippy, happy beats of childhood (at least my childhood of the 70s and 80s).

Indeed, it makes it not feel so false when you think you can go back there someday—no, not as the child for sure—but as the human that lived the child’s life.

Please listen, buy, and support public radio and television. It’s worth it:

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/14/138984517/first-listen-muppets-the-green-album

Please, please read this fascinating and inspiring story of Nancy Wake. Apparently there are biographies and memoirs as well. Guess I’ll be reading those soon! Maybe you should do the same?

Anyway, I’m at work and it’s August and it’s hot and here, just read this and do something about making it untrue. If you can, do.

Great article on the state of ideas.

Percolate it people. Or at least read.

(by the way, I’m going to just randomly post coolness I read until the ideas of my own start making their way)

So, along with all the well-deserved celebrating, some funny things have happened along the way. One being that it was recommended to have a write up in the local paper talking about the “savior” of the Mentone Springs turning 70. Naturally this cracks me up. We’ve always joked about dad’s Jesus complex and how he is adamant that he can fix anything. I’ve seen him jack up an old hotel with railroad jacks, blow torch tar to stop rain from seeping, prop a sagging floor up while the people above were dancing on it, move earth to make a pond more scenic—the whole time arguing with anyone that tells him it can’t be done. His response to that limited thinking has always been “bullshit”. And then he proves them wrong — almost every time. So now he gets to be called savior. I protest the usage of the word, but not the gist behind it.

Job well done papasahn. Just don’t let it go to your head.

What I have is here though:

Julia's 40th

I Wanna Hold Your Hand— The Beatles: it’s the 1st song I remember loving. Once, at the hotel, Top, Sandy, George, me and some other people circled the fireplace holding hands and singing and dancing to this song on the radio. Pure joy.

Lots of U2—but all of Joshua Tree: it created me.

Prince—Purple Rain: he taught me lust.

The Police — Synchronicity: it was my first vinyl purchase.

Tom Petty—my constant

Bob Dylan: for my life of alone that I learned in Italy.

Erin McKeown: for Shelby, Tallahassee and healing after heartbreak.

David Bowie: it’s Bowie.

Depeche Mode—for Karen’s car, tinted windows, high school & a friendship of youth and a lifetime. Long roads ahead.

Pink Floyd’s “Mother”: for Duncan and all that he is and so much that I know.

Buddy Holly: he’s what Dad sings to me. He would pull my ears and sing “Hey Little Girl”. I think he did it to make my ears long like his. That and Hank Williams, Sr.

Patsy Cline: For Joyce Walden and instant coffee and cigarettes.

Soundtrack to Pretty in Pink

The Stones— their old stuff. I bought their greatest hits and that double disk was the first CD I bought. I was with the Odom guy and I think somehow he was disappointed in me.

Cowboy Junkies–Trinity Session: Dad introduced me to this by walking into a record store in NYC and asking a guy “what would my teenage daughter like?” and he handed dad that CD. Smart guy.

Jane’s Addiction—XXX: Best segue into a song ever incorporates “Jane Says” and “Sympathy For the Devil”. Awesome.

The Pixies: no explanation needed.

Willie Nelson–especially the Padgett theme song “On The Road Again”

Brown-Eyed Girl—It’s my birthday.

Librarian Song by My Morning Jacket — it’s about a sexy librarian.

Wilco, REM, so many others I can’t think of for Lori.

Avett Brothers, Gorillaz, Lucinda Williams, Fleetwood Mac, “Stuck in the Middle W/ You”, Journey and Queen (for Dee), Random Rod Stewart (it’s my secret pleasure), Bob Marley (at least Redemption Song), Nirvana (really like the acoustic), REM (I know I mentioned them, but they deserve another mention and if “Night Swimming” isn’t on there then you don’t know me.

Random 80s: “I Melt With You”, etc. And there are a lot of versions of “Satellite of Love” but I love Frank Black. And Mendy should really help with this part.

Some Jimi Hendrix and The Doors and of course Janis— I remember wanting to be her when I was little and looking at my dads old album of Pearl.

Mazzy Star . . .

Actually, there’s no end. All the bits of memory come with some kind of soundtrack. Traffic, crickets — even now the air is blowing, my neighbor upstairs creaks in their bed and the beat goes on. Even future has a song.

Hello 40.