Joined at the hip

What do you get when you combine music and love in the land of a thousand beautiful sunsets?

If you’re lucky, somewhat persuasive and not running too late, you get Joined at the Hip and a nice glass of chardonnay.

That’s what happened to me, anyway, as I took a victory lap around St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota, Florida with my mother two weeks ago.

We were both in a pretty good mood as we circled that charming square. I felt particularly cocky because I had just helped resolve a dire emergency for my mom, who needed her lost prescription lenses replaced in time for a big Friday tennis match. I found her a cute and very efficient optometry office, my last act of heroism before I caught my flight home.

As we strolled, chatted and I gracefully tried to avoid any actual shopping, we heard music.

“Ooooo,” I said. “Live music! Can we have our five p.m. glass of wine here?”

(Mom keeps a pretty strict schedule of sunset toasts, morning tennis and afternoon swims).

“Why not?” she said and I grabbed up a table and ordered us each a glass.

Then we sat back and listened to a very talented duo called “Joined at the Hip.” Ahhhhh! They made my night.

Apparently, Dave and Diane Becker have been making music together for more than 34 years. They both sing and he plays guitar, saxophone and keyboard. At one point during their set, he played guitar and keyboards at the same time.

I loved it all — the music, the fact that two people could find such joy and passion in their retirement and share it with others, and the happy discovery that it was Happy Hour and our wine cost just $5 a glass. Win. Win. Win.

If you live any near St. Armand Circle, pop over to the Daquiri Deck Raw Bar during happy hour on Wednesday.

You’ll leave with a smile on your face for sure.