The Empress of Soul

May 13, 2018 / Karina Pinella / 5 Comments

Gladys Knight graced the stage tonight, singing among others, her most notable songs:

Midnight Train to Georgia
If I Were Your Woman
Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First One to Say Good-bye)
I’ve Got to Use My Imagination
I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me
Help Me Make it Through the Night

She didn’t look her age of 73. Her voice sounded as good as when she was a decade or so younger. Excellent performance!

A sample of another recent performance (January 2018):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2PeC1MkAZE

Still Charming after All these Years

April 13, 2018April 12, 2018 / Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

Opening Spring Fling in Florida – Part 3 of 3

South of Jacksonville,
Northeast coast of Florida
Sits St. Augustine.

Colonized by Spain,
Oldest city in U.S.,
Briefly British ruled.

Flagler spurred its growth,
Menendez spread religion;
Their legacy shows.

If you missed:
Part 1
Part 2

Orlando

April 11, 2018April 13, 2018 / Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

Opening Spring Fling in Florida – Part 2 of 3

Our return to an expanded Disney Springs.

(sung to the tune of Abba’s Fernando)

Can you hear the gasp, Orlando?
I remember long ago when souvenirs were less than this
On a fire sale day, Orlando.
You’ve come a long way from a few shops to miles of chains
I could hear the constant ka-ching,
And sounds of consumerism from all over.

They are so many now, Orlando.
Every hour, every minute a sale is made
My eyes are glazed, Orlando.
Every turn I make, there’s a character from the past and present,
And I’m a little ashamed to say,
The sights and sounds still impress me.

Other parts:
Part 1
Part 3

Opening Spring Fling in Florida

April 9, 2018April 13, 2018 / Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

Part 1 of 3

My family and I had our own mini-celebration just a week before Major League Baseball’s Opening Day on March 29^th. We went for a brief visit to Florida, where we stayed with friends and, among other things, went boating in Kissimmee, bopped around in Orlando, and enjoyed the beaches and downtown sites of historic St. Augustine. This was our way of welcoming the new season with faces turned to the sun and arms open wide to embrace the warm weather (even though we experienced two more nor’easters upon our return home). Not to be deterred, our recent memories of good times mixed with sunny days and beautiful evenings will be presented here and in the next two posts. It’s just a reminder for those up north that spring will soon feel like spring!

Kiss-a-me, Why Don’t Ye?
Water-sprayed hair,
Laughter fills the air,
As old friends toast,
Listening to Margaritaville
And other oldies from the ‘70s,
Eighties, and 90s,
O, Sun, kiss-a-me,
Why don’t ye?

Part 2
Part 3

Time Balm

April 5, 2018April 4, 2018 / Karina Pinella / 6 Comments

Image: Pixabay

Give it time . . .

Time will tell . . .

This too shall pass . . .

Time heals . . .

Patience is a virtue.

Good Friday

March 30, 2018March 29, 2018 / Karina Pinella / 4 Comments

Psalm 22: 28-29
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the
Lord;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
For dominion is the Lord’s,
and he rules the nations.