It was a beautiful, crystal-clear day in June when Tracy and I went down to the Lakeland Farmers Market Saturday morning, setting up our tent to show our art.
We had been there for a couple of hours when I decided to go look for something to eat because there is a delightful variety of food vendors there in the market. As I was walking along, I noticed some stunning pink flowers growing out of a big beige pot on the sidewalk. The city of Lakeland has a commitment to maintain beautiful landscaping throughout the town. This particular pot was just one such example. I took a couple of pictures, but realized that something was missing.
I needed to somehow include the brilliant blue sky in the photograph. The only solution: I got down on my knees, turned over, and now, lying on the rather warm sidewalk, began shooting up at the flowers and the sky. Suddenly, one of Lakeland’s finest rolled up in his cruiser and stopped. He leaned over to the open passenger side window and called out to me, “ Sir! Are you all right?!” Lying on my back, I held up my phone, made clicking motions with my finger, and hollered, “I’m fine, Officer!” He gave me a thumbs up, and slowly pulled away.
I guess he doesn’t often see eighty-year-old men lying on the sidewalk in downtown Lakeland.
