a jazzy day

Sunday arrived clear, sunny and warm. After the busy week that Chuck had, he was in need of a little relaxation. Earlier in the spring, when my sister was here visiting, she and I stumbled on to a beautiful courtyard in this local shopping area. I had never been to it at all, so I was surprised to see that along with a few nice shops and restaurants, there is a big outdoor stage hidden away in the middle of the plaza. I picked up one of the brochures that they had announcing the upcoming events. They have a free wine and jazz concert almost every Sunday afternoon. Yesterday was the first Sunday that we didn't have something else going on, or that he was not working. So, I didn't tell him where we were going... just told him it was a surprise.

They had tables with umbrellas set up and rows and rows of white folding chairs. Many people brought their own chairs too. We were not there early enough to snag a table or a chair, so we opted to sit up on a wall in the shade.

They were a band that played New Orleans style jazz. The lead guy and a couple of the others were from New Orleans, the others were actually local. The tuba player is a professor from ASU and when they spoke about each one they said that in the tuba world, he is known as the best tuba player in the country. He was quite good. The banjo player was excellent.

The lead player was really good on the trombone and showed his skills playing two horns at once. He entertained by showing his dance skills as well.

The event lasted three hours, with a few intermissions. We didn't stay quite that long, but certainly enjoyed just listening to the music and people watching. There was wine and food available but we opted for bottled water.

More of the plaza.

The last song that we listened to was one of my all time favorites... Louis Armstrong's, "Oh What A Wonderful World." The guy that sang it did it with the same deep voice as the original.

It was an enjoyable afternoon. We went home and Chuck made dinner. Steaks on the grill, baked potato's and spinach salad.

Now that is a wonderful day.

mama quail update: there are now an even dozen!