Feathers

Aren't feathers lovely? The variety of colors seen on birds always gives me cause for pause. The gentle tickle of a feather is so soft and sweet and kids love feather boas when dressing up. Some people love feather pillows and comforters, coats and sleeping bags. I like the way feathers float when they fall through the air. You can even make crafts and decorate with feathers. There are so many things to appreciate about feathers but these are not my favorite feathers.

These are:

Unless you remember who they are you are probably thinking I've lost my mind because these are boys (ok, men but when you're my age you can call them boys), not feathers. But they are feathers.

They are THE WILD FEATHERS! And cutie on the far left? He's the drummer and will be my SIL in a little over 30 days.

Backstage at the latest Ryman performance in February.
DrummerBoy and NashvilleDaughter are 5th and 6th from the left.

These guys are so talented, y'all. When I first heard them I thought they were good and I enjoyed their music. Being based in Nashville I was worried they were going to be country but they aren't. They have been compared to the Eagles by Rolling Stone Magazine. They've headlined at the Ryman in Nashville and they've played at the Opry! These guys got to meet, in person, Neil Young and I am still jealous of that.

So, I knew they had talent when I heard them but then I saw them live when they played the Ryman for the first time and they blew. me. away. Their talent looms large and delightfully obvious when you see them live.

I would share videos of my favorites but nearly everything off this latest album is my favorite. While I have loved everything they've put out so far this is the first time I haven't been able to pick a favorite from one of their albums.

One of the things I love best about the talented young men making up this band is how down to earth they are. You'll find no inflated egos here. No arrogant jerks. They are regular, down-to-earth, big-hearted guys. I'm sure they know they possess talent but they seem to recognize it as a gift and they don't take it for granted.

F is for feathers of the wild sort. And if you haven't heard them I assure you it's worth it to give them a listen. If you have heard them, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Y'all can also join the Facebook group, Friends Who Like The Wild Feathers and check out their tour dates on their WEBSITE. Whatever you do, if you get a chance to go see these boys live, DO IT! You won't regret it.

AND---

Please remember to visit CoasterDoodles! 

ENJOY FREE SHIPPING DURING APRIL!

Y'all can find us on Facebook and 

Instagram (@coasterdoodlessc) and

Pinterest

Use THIS LINK or the code: EMPTYNEST 

for 15% off your purchase!

Shelling Out the Hodgepodge

Hello, Wednesday. Do you remember when I looked forward to you each week because of your alias, Hump Day? I do. But I don't love you because of that anymore. I only love you because you bring around the Hodgepodge. Ah, well, at least I do still love you. :)

Speaking of love, I am not loving this hot weather but y'all knew that already. I am, however, enjoying the rain we're getting. There's nothing better than a rainy day. Unless it's a cold rainy day and that tops them all. Anyway...

Here we go, y'all! If you haven't joined in the fun before, why not make today the day? It's fun and you don't have to go out in the heat to participate. 

1. The first day of summer rolls in later this week. What are ten things you'd put on your list of  quintessential summer activities? I wrote a POST all about this a couple weeks ago. If you missed it, it's right HERE.  Will you try to manage all ten this summer? I covered that in the POST, too. LOL

2. Do you collect seashells when you're at the beach? I do not. What do you do with them once you get them home? My favorite thing to do is leave them at the beach. When the beach is 3.1 miles from your back door, you tend to get inundated with shells if you're not careful. Especially if you have 4 daughters. What's your favorite place to comb for seashells? Even if we go out to Capers or other islands accessible only by boat, I leave the shells there. There are creatures who will make homes of those shells. How many of these 'best beaches for hunting seashells' have you visited? Ocracoke and the Bahamas. Which one would you most like to visit? None. I basically live at the beach so, no need. :) 

Calvert Cliffs State Park (Maryland), Jeffrey's Bay (South Africa), Sanibel Island (Florida), Shipwreck Beach (Lanai Hawaii), Ocracoke Island (North Carolina), Galveston Island (Texas) and The Bahamas

3. At a snail's pace, shell out money, come out of your shell, go back into your shell, drop a bombshell, happy as a clam, clam up...which 'shell' phrase could most recently be applied to some event or circumstance in your life? Several of them, actually. But I'll go with, at a snail's pace. Explain. That's how we move down here during the oppressive summers. 

4. What summer activity do you dislike? Anything that involves going outside. Why? Did I mention we have oppressive heat around here? AC is my BFF in the summertime. I will go take Baby M to outdoor places as long as shade is available and the breeze off the water is still coolish and not just blowing heat all around us. Just last week we took her over to Waterfront Park (the Mount Pleasant one not the downtown one).

Here we are under one of the covered spots. They have a bunch of big porch swings for people to sit on and relax under shade frames. The day was HOT but the breeze off the water was cool and the shade was nice. The pier is less than a quarter of a mile long but it's nice. We were partially under the Ravenel Bridge. You can see part of one of the triangles on the right side of the picture, kind of in the middle. Baby M loved being out there and pointed to everything saying, "That. That. That." Seriously, you could hardly get out of your mouth what 'that' was before she had changed directions and saying, "That." again.  I love being around a little one who is learning everything. Their excitement and interest is fabulous. 

5. What's something you see as quickly becoming obsolete? Maps? Landlines? Payphones? CDs? Manners? Boundaries?  Does that bother you? Yes. I'm mostly bothered by the lack of manners and boundaries. Seriously, WTH is wrong with people? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. We had a family gathering Sunday but, shamefully, I have not taken the pictures off the camera yet. Just call me a summer slacker. Or, one who appreciates the slow, lazy pace of a hot summer. Yeah, that's better. HA! It's less than two weeks before Nashville Daughter comes home! We hope to see DrummerBoy too but the band might be in the studio at that time. They've been writing new songs so it's about time to get them recorded. Plus, the guys have been busy- DrummerBoy and Nashville Daughter bought a new house and three of the members had or are soon having BABIES! Two are already here and there's one due in August. Actually, that one is due the same day our little one is due so we're all excited! 

AND---

Our grandbaby boy, Baby R, is due the week after Joyce's grandbaby boy is due. 

I have a feeling it's going to be baby central around here soon! 

For your listening pleasure, here's one of Nashville Daughter's favorite tunes from the second album (isn't the drummer adorable?):

Hope y'all are enjoying your summer! 

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles
and feel free to FAVORITE the shop
or buy something! 😉
I've got brand new additions for your viewing and purchasing pleasure! 😀😁😁