It's 116 degrees today - why am I here?

Yesterday the heat index in Clarksdale was 116 degrees. 116! It was hard to move around and to be honest it was truly miserable. I began to think about what it was that keeps me coming here on my precious time off from work. I mean really, summertime back in Seattle is amazing this time of year. We enjoy being outside and not needing to change our clothes several times a day. I must say that as I reflected on some of the experiences of even the last few days (not to mention countless others from previous visits) it became clear why Clarksdale, MS is truly a home away from home for me.

My dear friends Stan and Dixie Street from the Hambone Gallery, finally persuaded me to leave my little urban camping hovel (aka - The Delta Dipsie Doodle Flophouse) and enjoy a glorious night of sleep, under divine air conditioning with no crickets joining me in bed and a shower with water temperature control. Sometimes it's the simple pleasures in life.

Hambone gallery feature's live music every Tuesday by local and traveling musicians. A great place to get a drink and relax with the new friends you'll surely meet, while enjoy art by Stan and other artists. It's people like Stan and Dixie that make this such a special place. It was just a couple weeks ago that, after jamming at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Stan stopped by my house in Seattle and hung out for several days enjoying our temperate summer climate and throwing back some local seafood like mussels, Dungeness crab and Dukes clam chowder.

Yesterday I also had a chance to hang out with my good friend Randall from Rust restaurant here in Clarksdale. Had an amazing time hanging out with this accomplished chef and artist watching as he created amazing works of art from found objects that would otherwise be garbage. Check out Rust while your in town for some great food and

Today I got to spend some time with Joey Young from Lambfish Gallery in Clarksdale. Joey is an amazingly talented artist and hard working guy who is an art teacher at one of the local schools, and also moonlights at Madidi restaurant. If you look carefully you might see some of Joey's work around town discretely painted on the sides of buildings. The picture of the twister is Joey's work. Huge thanks to Joey for the signs he painted for me, now hanging in the New Roxy.

I met two more new artists in town late last night while they were busy getting a coat of paint on a new gallery space on Delta Ave. There was even a meeting for a new artists cooperative to form in town. Between the many musicians and artists calling Clarksdale home, the creative energy is always evident and inspiring and one of the many reasons that I brave the heat and mosquitoes. I hear it's supposed to be 120 degrees with the heat index tomorrow....