Marty Curtin is a character who's a "whirlwind" of making things happen. I always tell her she is one who doesn't need or want the other person's permission or approval- "Just do it!" Cute as a bug, Marty, a former equestrian, and a retired bartender believes in making martinis with a lot of vodka with just a splash of dirty added, she has a non-stoppable energy that loves to get people together. I am quite sure in her younger years, she was a hell raiser until she met her lover "Koo," the woman who tamed the young wild mare. Koo, a former teacher at the University of New Orleans loves her Scotch and also can hold her own. When they retired from their careers, they sold their house on St. Rock street in the Bywater to move to the quaint little village on the gulf coast in Mississippi called Bay St. Louis. The town holds a population of a little over15,000 consisting mostly of retirees, artists and people who just got tired of living the city life and wanted to be a part of the artist haven. Downtown Bay St. Louis consists of antique shops, art galleries, a coffee shop, lovely restaurants and a sweet little flower shop. It's like stepping back in time. In the evenings, Marty heads up the crew for Sunset martinis on the beach to watch the beautiful sunsets. The second Saturday of every month the town host an art walk and the first time I visited was for the one that was the annual Frida Fest. Frida Fest is a celebration of the artist Frida Kahlo. where men, women and children dress in their Frida costumes to compete in the "Frida" contest that is held in front of Smith and Lens Gallery where Ann and Sandy, the gallery owners and the hosts of Frida Fest welcome the contestants and their admirers. Marty as I said is a woman who always has a "plan" decided that I needed to come to the Frida Fest because she decided that Reba needed to host/emcee the next Dolly Should Fest coming up the following January for Dolly's birthday. The Dolly Should Fest is like Frida Fest in that it's a tribute to Dolly with people parading their best Dolly looks.
This week while going through my photographic archives I came across photos from my first visit to the Bay and from my very first Frida Fest.
