Okay, everyone, back to our adventures in Durham...
The next day, Saturday, we slept in a little. The day before had been longish and we wanted some revival time.
Martha with ice cream ...but that's kinda obvious :-)
Then, we drifted over to Vincent’s house. We had plans for the day. We were going to go to a local venue, The Blue Note Grill, for barbecue and music (https://www.thebluenotegrill.com/). Vincent had suggested the place and left it up to us to pick a performer. At first, we thought we might see a quartet that is, it seems, quite famous locally. But, then, Martha remembered our ghastly experience with the Zombie musician and the Audience of the Living Dead. “I just don’t think,” she told me, “I can stand another concert from old white guys.”
So, instead, we picked another performer, Mysti Mayhem, a younger musician who provides an eclectic blend of blues, rock, and so on. Definitely not boring.
We got there and ordered sandwiches. Mysti Mayhem performed along with two other women, Elana Mie Scheiner on cello and Pam McCarthy providing percussion. They were, by the way, genuinely very good, indeed. If you get a chance, check out Mysti Mayhem’s videos on youtube, which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/mystimayhem
She also has a webpage, here: https://mystimayhem.com/home. Though, frankly, she seems more active on Facebook. Last I checked, her FB page was: https://www.facebook.com/mystimayhemmusic
I enjoyed her and their performances thoroughly, and Martha even more so. Their music was just the kind of sound that she prefers – which is, basically, ‘60s folk with a touch of rock, a dash of country and an overlay of hardcore blues. (Think a truck load of Peter, Paul, and Mary LPs having a head-on collision with the “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” commissary truck, and then toss in Cole Porter for good measure and you’ve just about got it.)
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We finished up our sandwiches about the time Mysti Mayhem (and “the Mysti Mayhem trio”) completed their performance. I did get down to the stage long enough to meet her and say how much we’d enjoyed the show. She seemed pleased. Though, alas, it doesn’t look like that she performs too far from her home turf. I’m guessing we won’t see her in Texas anytime soon.
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Vincent then gave us a driving tour of downtown Durham. We saw any number of important and interesting buildings and settings. But it was amusing how many of the shops he showed us were cafes, bakeries, or ice cream parlors. People say that Martha and I are experts at finding coffee shops and restaurants. But we’re rank amateurs compared to Vincent. There may not be a maker of bread, pasta, or sweets in the greater Durham area that he doesn’t know, and whose owners he may not also know on a first name basis.
As I say, he’s really good at it.
We ended up at “Simons Says Dip This” (https://www.simonssaysdipthis.com/) Simons is a kind of interesting place. It is, sort of, an ice cream shop, but with complications. You start with a vanilla custard ice cream, and then you have a great many choices of what to put on it or in it. This includes 24 different flavors of hot Belgian chocolate “dips.” (I picked espresso chocolate). Then you can select among multiple dry toppings – like candy Jimmies, Fruity Pebbles, M&Ms, and so on.
Oh, and you can elect to have your ice cream “stuffed.” That is, you can get an additional filling for the “inside” of your ice cream – fillings like fudge and caramel.
It was very good. Vincent and Martha really enjoyed theirs, I think. Me, well, I'm a bit more of a purist when it comes to ice cream. I’d prefer just a cup of good vanilla and a spoon. But that’s only my taste, and no one else has to share it.
And, truth be told, the espresso chocolate dip was pretty spectacular.
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From there, we headed to Vincent’s where we had – as an alternative to the Friend’s Easter that had been, alas, canceled – a Zoom call with us, our kids and their kids, and Martha’s friend-qua-sister, Judy. It wasn’t as good as an in person meeting (particularly as there wasn’t any garlic lamb involved), but it was fun, and we all enjoyed it.
Then, we had a quick supper (Chinese) and headed our various ways.
Martha and I went to bed early that day. We would need our rest.
Because, you see, the next day…
Was art.
More to come.
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Hey, Everyone. Since I wrote this, I’ve learned that Mysti Mayhem has had a mild stroke. I gather it was *very* mild, but it has disrupted her life significantly. If you get a chance, drop by her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/mystimayhemmusic, and wish her a quick recovery.
Get well soon, Mysti. I want to see you perform. And that wild red wig needs a work out.
~mj
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