I Know, I Know, I Know!

The Lyric is back!

I've been a bad blogger--and a bad quilter too. I haven't done either in, what?, a couple of weeks I guess. It's not that anything is wrong--at least not anything new. It's just that the things I have to do (laundry, meals, a tiny bit of housework, grocery shopping) take all my energy. Then it's so easy to just ignore the things I like to do--like blogging and quilting. I know that sounds totally wimpy, but it's true. A simple trip to the grocery stores wipes me out.

I went to a concert on Saturday with my sister Ramey. This has been planned for month. The tickets were bought. I could hardly back out, although I imagine I would have if I hadn't already spent money on tickets.

It was a wonderful concert featuring a local group called Three on a String, which Ramey and I have followed for decades. It was held in the restored historic Lyric Theatre in Birmingham. The place started out in 1914 as a vaudeville theatre. In my youth, it was a movie house. But it closed down in the 80s and had gone unused and uncared for for many years. But now it's restored and beautiful.

The Lyric (left) back in the day, directly across 3rd Ave., N., from the Alabama, which has been open since the 1920s and is much bigger than the Lyric.

Before resoration

It's small theatre. We sat in the balcony, which back when I was a teenager, was reserved only for black people. You know, Birmingham during segregation days. Back then, I was a bit jealous of the black people because I always thought it would be such fun to sit in the balcony. No more. I don't envy the generations of people who had to sit up there through a movie with their knees touching their noses. There is virtually no leg room between seats. We sat for two hours plus in these uncomfortable seats, and I have suffered ever since. I haven't been able to bend my left knee since then. And my back is more painful than normal even.

A view from the balcony

Beautiful and extravagant details. So many young people today have never had the experience of watching a movie in such luxurious surroundings.

But I did enjoy the show. If any of you ever have a chance to see Three on a String, take it. They play all over the country and the world, although their performances are not nearly as numerous as they were in their heyday.

This photo is best described as Four on a String instead of Three. Pictured are Bobby Horton (far left), Jerry Ryan (third from left, background), and Andy McGinnis (far right). These are the Three on a String that I first met in the 80s playing at The Stage Door in Homewood, Alabama. When Andy moved on to other endeavors, Brad Ryan (second from left, Jerr's son) took over. All four of them, plus others who had played with them through the years as well as other Birmingham musicians appeared in the 45th Reunion Concert, which my sister and I attended on Saturday.