Dekie's Garden and Tango!

 We enjoyed two special events today. 

Dekie Hicks invited us to an informal party in her beautiful backyard in Summerville Park. We enjoyed visiting with several new and old friends. Most were folks involved in the League of Women Voters or the Rome Area Writers group. I didn't take any pictures till it was about over. Not included in these pictures are our friends Sherri and Paul Culotta, Marsha Atkins, and Nedra Manners. 

I should have gotten myself into a picture: I wore my usual Greek Fisherman's cap and also my sandals with socks -- seemed appropriate for a yard full of reminders of our storytelling friend and Dekie's husband, John Shultz, on the second anniversary of his death. How we miss that friend.

Here are a couple of pictures:

R-L: Rebecca, Jean, Sheila, Dekie, Ellen

Another person at the event was Sylvia Eidson who as a major sponsor of the Rome Symphony, had complimentary tickets to this night's symphony performance at the Rome City Auditorium, "Tango!" We were glad to have those and thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The first half of the performance included special performances (with the symphony) of 2023's winning instrumental and vocal "Young Artist" winners: Roy Lee on violin soprano Flynn Allen.  Wow. 

The rest of the program consisted of about eight tango numbers. The first "Blue Tango" included the talents of the Rome Youth Symphony. Another featured Nick Hoy on violin. Four of the tangos were accompanied by amazing (and sensual) dances by Jael Montilla and Jesus Matias.

We were so glad to get to visit with a few old friends before the concert and during intermission. Ruth Cain, Lillian's kindergarten teacher. We talked a while and shared grandkid pictures on our phones with Fran Buice. Also several of my high school classmates and others.