Over-the-Counter Culture Jonathan Lynn

Nestor Gil and his wife Brandi are two of my favorite people who I greatly respect. Nestor came down to Florida from PA recently, and while he was here we did an art trade, because he is an excellent artist and Brandi wanted one of my prints so we did a trade. One of Nestor's practices is breadmaking, which as I understand it, gives hime a creative practice to enjoy without expectation that acts as a counterpoint to his creative practices that do carry expectation, as a practicing artist and professor. I never thought of bread in this way before, but it makes me want to start baking. Thanks for coming on the show Nestor; much love to you, Brandi, Harvest and Sol.

Meet Alexis, the owner operator of A2Swimwear. She's part of our north Florida surf community who handmakes swimsuits from neoprene for all those folk who enjoy being active in the water. We were out surfing one day and got to talking, discovered that sewing and tailoring is in both our families, and then a few months ago Alexis came over to the front porch on a rainy day, and over a couple cups of tea, shared her story. She's from Pennsylvania and a few years ago set up shop here in Atlantic Beach, and we're glad she's here. Check out her website a2swimwear.com and on Instagram @a2swim 

This is an episode of The Practice, a short form series that talks to people about things they do in their lives on the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc... that make their life better. In this episode I talk to my parents, who are two of my favorite people. They have lived quite the life, beset, as all lives are, by blessings and challenges. One of the things I respect most about my folks in their thoughtful nature, which has served them well. My mom is a life long educator who specializes in early childhood education while my dad is a man of the clothe, first serving in the Southern Baptist Church before transitioning into a career as a hospital chaplain. They moved our family to Jacksonville Beach in 1982, still live in the house that we grew up in, and are part of a deep and wonderful community. I'm proud to say that a few years back the Beaches Leader and the Beaches Historical Society recognized them as Beaches Legends, a honor for which the truly deserve. It is truly a blessing to be their son and I love them to the moon and back.

Argie is amazing, a ball of light and energy who we're lucky to have in the northeast Florida arts community. Really enjoyed talking with she and Amanda Holloway about Argie's story and the world of creativity in fashion and textiles. Argie is currently making masks for $10 each and if you buy one she makes another to donate to health care workers in need. Find her on Instagram at @argiemitra and online at http://argiemitra.com/

Georgette Dumont is a city councilwoman of Jacksonville Beach, FL and a professor  at the University of North Florida (UNF). I first met her in 2010 as a student in UNF's Master of Public Administration program when she, and her husband George, joined the faculty. Their energy was a shot in the arm for the program, and for the community of Jacksonville Beach that they call home. One of the things I've always admired about Georgette is how she engaged with the community, volunteering for events, participating in public activities and meets, sitting on the zoning commission, and in 2018, running for and winning a seat on the city council. I appreciate her civility and willingness to have meaningful discourse and debate over policy, a trait that much of our body politic would do well to emulate. It was fun talking to her and George on the porch about her upbringing in New England, her route to being a professor in higher education, why she chose a life of public service and her thoughts on some of the issues facing Jacksonville Beach, and other small municipalities across our nation. Visit her website https://www.dumontjaxbeach.com/ to find out more about what she's up to, and thanks so much for stopping by the show. 

You can find me on Instagram @mrlynnprints and at my website www.duttonisland.com

On this episode of The Practice Emily Ussery is a yoga teacher in north Florida who is a proponent of essential oils, using them daily in a variety of ways to make her life better. My knowledge and use of essential oils is limited, but once I did receive a diffuser of oils once as a gift and enjoyed it. I found that when I diffused the oil it made my house smell amazing, without the smokiness of incense or the fake chemical smell of a plug in. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed it until the diffuser broke, and I promptly bought another. Emily uses oils in a variety of interesting way that was fun to learn about. If you're interested in yoga and/ or essential oils you should reach out to her at atlanticroots.co  or find her on Instagram @atlantic_roots_co