What better way to assure a steady rain than to wash your car  forget your umbrella make plans to go to the lake with friends?  In the South, scattered showers are typical; all-day lingering rain is not.

Sunday, bags brimming with all manner of picnic and lake necessity, our plan was to head out immediately after church.  We were thrilled it was raining early–in our half-full glass minds, if it was raining BEFORE church, it wouldn’t be raining after.  Never mind what the radar and forecast indicated.

As the morning unfolded and rain set in for the day, so did reality:  unless we were interested in boarding the boat already soaked, it was probably a good idea to postpone our outing.  Instead, we came home, picnicked in our kitchen and watched a bunch of turkeys play in our yard. 

As the afternoon drizzled into evening, we decided to have dinner at Sticky Fingers in downtown Chattanooga.  Our hope was by the end of dinner, it would’ve cleared enough to stroll the district–if you’ve never been, downtown Chatty is a GREAT walkin’ around destination. 

A mess of onion rings, ribs and chicken wings later, the skies cleared.  Because "Project Black" is on my photographic mind, it’s not surprising so much of what I saw was indeed black.  I’ll keep the explanations simple; the photos speak well:

My youngest son’s newest tee, the cutest Sticky Fingers billboard I’ve ever seen!

This visual appeal of this poster is undeniable.  Verbally–"Imaginative, appealing, ambient jazz"??   Aren’t you the least bit curious to hear Shikoh and Phillips?

As we walked out, I looked up…no doubt Anna inspired me to "see" this.

At the peak of the Bluff View Arts District, a mighty watchtower stands guard.  Except he’s not very good at his job–he doesn’t know how to tell time.

Bluff View is home to dozens of sculptures, many of which suit Project Black—

This accordion-pleat beauty, "Red and Black Spiral" by George Sugarman is one of my favorites (click the picture for an alternate view).

After coffee, sweets and a bathroom break at Rembrandts, we headed back to our car.  The last "black" to catch my eye was this punched sign for "Easy Bistro and Bar"; not so much for the aesthetic value of the sign (though I like it), but because the restaurant changed names since the last time we saw it.

It wasn’t the day we planned, but when all was said and done, I think we accomplished the same thing–fun was had by all :).

~ Please visit Anna Carson for more views of Project Black (and, as always, she’d love for you to post your own!).