THE BOTTLEWORKS

Met a friend for lunch this past week at the Bottleworks, a mixed use community of several buildings in Athens. Here's a map:

Dating from about 1900, the site once included a bakery and livery stable. In 1928, the Athens Coca Cola Bottling Company was built. That was sold in 1985 and the buildings were abandoned. Rehabilitation began and sputtered in 2008 when the economy collapsed, but in 2012 the project was sold and brought back to life Now the compound includes condos, offices, shops, and restaurants.

We ate in one featuring Argentine food:

I meant to take a picture of my spinach and mushroom empanada but when it came, I, unfortunately, out of habit, began to eat. So you'll have to take my word that it looked good. And tasted better!

We ate inside because it was hot and the pollen has been bothering my head, but diners outside didn't seem to mind:

Can't wait to go back!

BICYCLE RACES

Last Saturday in this college town featured a day of bicycle racing and music. All ages get to participate in smaller races, ending with the big one that night. We didn't stay for that one, but here's the beginning of a race for smaller people:

And then we have the start of The Gambler. The contestants race to specified points and pick up playing cards at each stop. When they get to the finish, the best hand wins! Kind of neat, huh? Gives everyone a chance.

And all day and night, there are musicians. This is just one band:

Seems a great time was had by all!

Oh, and thanks to my guy for his pix.

AERIAL DANCE

Last weekend we went to an aerial/trapeze dance exhibition. Little girls used to take tap and ballet but nowadays they've branched out! This is something you usually see in circuses but now it's found a place in everyday life!

The ones we saw use trapezes and hanging silk ropes. They did some amazing postures and poses, including swinging by their legs and/or feet and falling, only to have the silk catch them.

This duo shared a trapeze and at one point, had one girl supporting the other with her knees, among other difficult feats. Amazing!

Then we come to the silks. They're two long panels of silk that the performer climbs, holding up a loop and putting a foot in it, then repeating until she's in the air. Then she uses brute strength to go through various poses.

Here's another silks performer. I wish the camera could have captured one movement where the silks are wrapped around the body and then the performer suddenly drops several feet. It was quite spectacular!

And this is a group performing on the silks. You can see how the performer has to have upper body strength, lower body strength, and core body strength to do all these stunts.

An amazing show, considering they were all kids who'd only been taking trapeze a few years!

We saw this spring exhibition at the Canopy Studio in Athens, GA, but I learned the founders have moved to the coast near us where they've constructed a large studio and give classes and workshops.

Not that I'll be taking any, thank you very much!