A Day of Islands and Drums

Today we did go out in the boat again. Yay! We went to Madeline Island, which had a total Key West vibe going on today. (The only other time I was out there, it had more of a spooky vibe, like you were right in front of a portal to another dimension.) The weird portal seemed to be closed today, maybe because of all the sunbaked tourists. There were all sorts of little shops and stands selling "island goods" and some place called Tom's Burned Down Tavern, which was the burned-out shell of a building. Inside there was still a functional bar, and there were boards with pithy sayings painted on them posted all over.

On the way back from the island we trolled for fish. We didn't get anything, but it was hypnotic to watch the tops of the rods nodding as if they were fighting to stay awake. Anyway, it was such a beautiful day that actually catching a fish was sort of beside the point. As I have mentioned, my people were island people, and I am happiest on the water. (Of course, since the islands in question are England and Ireland, I have no pigmentation to speak of, which is why I had to wear Sea Foam Rice Paddy Hat.) At Tom's Burned Down Tavern, a woman raved about the SFRPH, so Tiffy's father said I should have sold it to her for a profit. (I have no need to sell it for a prophet; I've been dreading winter and then the Farmer's Almanac said this week it will be an AWFUL one, so my Celtic Second Sight still seems to be working.)

Then tonight we went to a big tent and watched a couple of bands. One was a traditional Irish music band, and they were really good. The other band was really loud. They played all kinds of Irish drums, including one Tiffy said could be Paul Bunyan's drum. They started the show by rubbing something on the head of Paul Bunyan's drum, which was a sound as delightful as metal scraping a chalkboard, and later they played it with whips, which was REALLY LOUD. Afterwards Tiffy's mother asked us what we thought of the show, and I replied, "What? I can't hear you!" (Which wasn't far from the truth. I think my ears are still ringing!) One member of the band played an African drum, which was no more random than any of the rest of it, although it made me want to dance the guaguanco more than an Irish jig. Not that a casual observer could tell the difference between my attempts at either dance!

See, it just goes to show you can spend a day with islands and drums without ever leaving temperate climes.

Famous Hat