A Walk in the Park

Late this sunny Sunday afternoon I decided to take Seamus for a walk. We headed over towards Fort Negley, which is one of my favorite nearby walking destinations. We casually walked, or, I walked and Seamus pulled like a Budweiser Clydesdale.
The grassy area in the middle of the fort is my favorite part; surrounding it are old stone walls bordered with wooden boardwalks. As we walked into the fort I looked around for other dogs frolicking with their humans or families taking in the Nashville history- the usual. I didn't see anyone though, and then I thought it "it would be fun to run through the grass". Looking up, I took one more glance around, when I noticed something white on a boardwalk across the way. Wooden railings along the walkway kept it kind of hidden...so I quietly got closer... and realized: this is a naked man!
Yes. It's true; a nude man lay on the ground disrupting my leisurely stroll. Seamus and I sprinted back to road in what had to have been record time. When I caught my breath I called the police; after holding for several minutes I got through to a helpful lady who seemed almost as shocked as me. Since I'd split the scene so quickly, I didn't have a detailed description, but I certainly hope he was found and will never do that again.
The moral of the story is twofold. Men: if you sunbathe sans clothing around me I may call the cops. Women: always be aware of your surroundings. Now, I'm not easily frightened, but this was a startling reminder that even if you're in a public place, mid- day, you never know what might happen. Take it from a dog- walking woman who just happened upon a nude stranger.

OPEN STUDIOS !

Please stop by; if you have any questions about how to get there, etc.. let me know!
* Tasha does not have a "C" in her name. Whoops!

Please Bring Yourself

Friends,

The Downtown Presbyterian Church invites you to

ART-LUCK: The Art Show / Pot-Luck Dinner

that kicks off the Downtown Gallery Crawl right!

Saturday June 7th, 2008 6:00 - 9:00 PM

Featuring:

The Art Works of The Contributor

Nashville's Street Newspaper

Diverse perspectives on homelessness. Genuine opportunities for advancement.

www.nashvillecontributor.org

The Pot-Luck Dinner and Art Show begins at 6:00 PM

The Downtown Presbyterian Church is proud to welcome the Art Works of The Contributor as the first event on its newly renovated fellowship hall floor. The Art-Luck series is a combination pot-luck dinner and art show during the 1st Saturday Downtown Gallery Crawl. Thus it is fondly thought of as a sort of tail-gating event for art. The Downtown Presbyterian Church is ideally located in the heart of the Gallery Crawl at the corner of 5th Ave. North and Church St. All are welcomed to bring a dish to share at 6:00, enjoy the art and then to visit the galleries across downtown.

This month's show features The Art-Work of The Contributor, Nashville's Street Newspaper. "Street Newspapers" are newspapers from across the world that focus on homelessness and poverty issues and which are sold on the streets by homeless individuals. The Contributor began publication in November of 1997. It is written by both homeless and non-homeless individuals, and it is sold on the street by homeless and formerly homeless individuals as an alternative to panhandling.

Works on display will include works by a cross section of homeless, formerly homeless and non-homeless artists including, Jonathan Field, Ray Ponce De Leon, Tasha French, Paul Fahle, Richard Davis, and others. Vendors will make issues of the June Issue of The Contributor available.

The Downtown Presbyterian Church is located at the corner of 5th Ave. North and Church Street

154 5th Ave. North Nashville, TN 37209 615-254-7584 www.dpchurch.com

For more information contact:

Tahsa French: (615) 598-0061 frenchpress@gmail.com

Johnny Cash by Jonathan Field (homeless artist)

Summertime, and the Livin's Easy?

Ah yes. Much to my delight (and someone's else's dismay I'm sure) we have actual "summer" weather in Nashville. 90 degrees,sunshine, and water warm enough to swim in; this is my favorite time of year! This past weekend Jon, myself, and an adventurous group of friends went on a little trip: we kayaked the Hiawassee, and white water rafted on the Ocoee, and grilled out at our KOA campsite, and ate ice cream at Clumpies in Chattanooga, and, and, and, I feel like a kid who got to stay up past bedtime! I can't imagine a much better place to be; summer fun is not just for kids!
The hard part is: how to accomplish all the things I need/ want to do? Painting, playing outside, working, triathlon training, taking care of the cats, dogs, house, yard, etc... it seems like when I accomplish a lot in any one arena something else has to fall by the wayside- if you saw my piles of dirty dishes & laundry you'd believe it!
The good news is there is plenty of daylight and I have plenty of energy at this time of year. I guess I'll attempt a balance of work and play. What I really feel though, is that girls just want to have fun. This girl does anyway.