&bsp; I&squo;ve been out enjoying the art of Dale Chihuly and the jazz of the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee on the West Coast, so now I&squo;m behind on everything. In fact, about three hours behind with the jet lag. So I&squo;ll start off with a reminder that the Tryon Arts & Crafts is looking for artists to submit work to a juried show as part of their first annual Fall Festival. Applications and information are now available by calling 828-859-8323 or visiting www.tryonartsandcrafts.org. Don&squo;t be late with your submission!

I know I need to make time to wander through the Upstairs Artspace before their current show, &squo;Generations&squo; closes this weekend on May 31. The expressive oil paintings of three generations and two families of artists are sure to both remind me of the California coast and mountains where I&squo;ve just been, and the beauty of the softer hills of the South that I now call home. About the artists,

While I&squo;m thinking about art, I also want to see the new show that opened at Red Clover Gallery last weekend. The folks at the Red Clover want you to know that &dquo;Neither William or Anne are timid with their use of color and their careful compositions mark the couple as timeless artists. Those who share their love oftraveling will certainly identify with the way they capture introspective landscapes, embodying nature&squo;s most intriguing color combinations.&dquo;

Thursday in Tryon stop in for a bargain dinner that is both tasty and healthy at the Melrose Inn. It&squo;s the Artists Porch (or lawn, depending on the weather) that takes place the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Meet and greet over food begins at 6:30 p.m. with music, poetry, and more to follow. Anyone who feels so inspired is welcome to share a something or simply join in on the music jams. Maybe I&squo;ll even share a bit of the stories from my trip. Over in Columbus, Winkie also known as &dquo;Island Boy,&dquo; will be lighting up the evening at Elmo&squo;s Too from 7 ‐ 9 p.m. Up in Saluda you can enjoy a fine meal while listening to Greensboro folk artist Bruce Piephoff at The Purple Onion starting at 7:30 p.m.

Friday at 6 p.m. take a trip up (or down) the Saluda grade for music on the porch at the Gallery at Bear Creek with Christian &dquo;power folk&dquo; band Loveslave. The gallery is located near the entrance to Pearson&squo;s Falls in the area know as Melrose Station. Later, head on up to the Purple Onion for the fine jazz piano of Fred Whiskin from 7 ‐ 9 p.m.

Saturday, catch country bluegrass with a hint of jazz from Blue Line Highway at the Purple Onion. If you are too wound up to sit still, party with the beat of the Silver Travis band at the Saluda Mountain Jamboree on Saturday from 8-11 p.m.

Last Sunday I missed the big Memorial jam at Elmo&squo;s Too in Columbus. But I&squo;ll be back

this week to visit the Gallery Coffeehouse to see who has appeared for the Jazz Jam from 3-5 p.m. of Traditional and Dixie jazz standards. I believe there will be a plectrum banjo and clarinet showing up as well as a guitar and possibly a piano player. The more the merrier! Later, rumor has it that you can head on over to Harmon Field at 6 p.m. for an old time jam. If I wasn&squo;t so behind, I might have heard this rumor early enough to call 828-894-3370 to find out more information. But sometimes it&squo;s best to just show up and see what&squo;s happening.