While Brian Bastian was counting the rings on the stump, he and I discovered that there was this amazing apparition.
It moved. It danced.
It looked this way and that way, turned into a rabbit, and then disappeared when the clouds came.
When was the last time you had fun with a shadow?
Remember all you need is the sunlight, yourself and a little imagination.
Keep on the look out for some fun!
Did I say that the concert was reaching a crescendo? After Benoit did his solo, he got the audience involved on the next piece with a line dance.
Simply wonderful!!!
Technorati Tags : Lowell2006, folk, festival, music, dancing
You'll need to use your imagination here. This photo captures a mere fragment of time.
Note that Benoit is airborne. I was lucky enough to get that kind of shot. His feet are really moving. Benoit's taps are keeping time with fiddler Olivier who has his own feet moving on his board.
Three instruments; two sets of feet and one fiddle.
I can run pretty well but even at my best, my feet do not move that fast!
Technorati Tags : Lowell2006, folk, festival, music, dancing
From the Lowell Folk Festival web site:
The afternoon concert reached itscrescendoo when this group took the stage. The music beat was infectious.Quebecois - Le Vent du Nord performs the traditional French songs, dances, stories and tunes of Quebec, and are widely recognized as one of the very best traditional Quebecois ensembles. The group consists of step dancer and accordionist Benoit Borque, pianist and vocalist Nicolas Boulerice, fiddler Olivier Demers, and guitarist Simon Beaudry.
From the Lowell Folk Festival web site:
The Festival schedule makers get credit for turning up the heat as the groups changed again. I don't know how Hayden kept his black suit coat on. He did a rendition of Johnnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" that if you closed your eyes, would swear that it was indeed Johnny himself on stage.Rockabilly – Hayden Thompson is one of the last great rockabilly musicians, the original artists who recorded for the legendary Sun Records label in the mid-1950s. A blend of country, blues, R&B and gospel that arose in the mid-1950s, rockabilly had a fast and aggressive sound characterized by simple, crisp drumming, vibrant guitar licks and wild boogie piano. Its heyday was ephemeral, but its legacy profound as the precursor to rock and roll.
From the Lowell Folk Festival web site:
From Liz's single fiddle to three-times the fiddle with these young ladies. They CAN play. And sing. Sweet Texas swing! Got some of the audience to dancing in the aisles.Texas Fiddling - Three lovely, talented young fiddling sisters from Burleson, Texas are creating quite a stir. The Quebe sisters, Grace, Sophia, and Hulda, play and sing western swing, vintage country and traditional Texas fiddle tunes, often in three-part harmony. Before any of them reached their teens, the sisters went to a fiddle contest near their hometown and fell in love with music. "I don't know why we do it," Grace says. "No one ever made us play together. And we all started at the same time so we're all at the same level."
From the Lowell Folk Festival web site:
Irish Fiddle and Guitar Duo – Noted for their virtuosity and creativity, fiddle player Liz Carroll and guitarist John Doyle are among the most influential and celebrated of traditional Irish musicians in America.
Liz and John shifted us from bluegrass to Irish, but the similarities were still evident. What did come first, the cart or the horse?
I have seen John before. I believe he came to the Fesitval as part of the Eileen Ivers group as I recall. He has a good voice. They both played well in the heat and joked about it being early for them to play. They were scheduled to return to open the evening session on this stage. More inline with when they are used to playing at least!
Technorati Tags : Lowell2006, folk, festival, music, dancing
From the Lowell Folk Festival web site:
Bluegrass – Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass is a hard-driving, hot-as-a-firecracker bluegrass band with a sound rooted deep in the mountains of southwest Virginia and two famous musical families originally from the Galax, Virginia area. In the late 1960s, Dan’s father, Bob Paisley, teamed up with banjo player Ted Lundy to form the Southern Mountain Boys. For over thirty-five years, members of the Paisley and Lundy families have together created a distinctive brand of bluegrass that combines impeccable instrumental work with powerful vocal harmonies.
This group followed Los Pleneros. They played great bluegrass! The fiddling and picking was superb!
Technorati Tags : Lowell2006, folk, festival, music, dancing
From the Lowell Folk Festival web site:
Puerto Rican Music and Dance – Los Pleneros de la 21, based in New York City, is the foremost practitioner of the Puerto Rican musical genres of bomba y plena in the continental United States. Under the direction of National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellow Juan Gutiérrez, Los Pleneros brings its exhilarating performances to audiences in their New York community and around the world.They opened the Saturday session playing good music and dancing well in the hot sun.
Technorati Tags : Lowell2006, folk, festival, music, dancing
We used the occasion at Sagano's to celebrate Bob and Lisa's 25th wedding anniversary amongst the many other blessings we all have.
Dolores and I get to our 24th anniversary next month.
I mentioned earlier that we had a delightful meaal at Sagano's Restaurant. Here is the picture of my box plate with tempura, shashimi, teriyaki and white rice. It was delicious.
| | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
Bloggers take their thoughts to the Web
By Claudia Torrens/ Daily News Staff
Sunday, July 23, 2006 - Updated: 01:53 AM EST
You've likely heard about them or even read their observations, diatribes and confessions.
They write about Bush being impeached, about the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, about the latest veto to stem-cell research.
Bloggers have built up a reputation of being somewhat controversial and critical, commenting the news of the day, sometimes questioning them, sometimes being the journalists themselves.
But for some local bloggers, creating a Web journal is more about connecting with people, expressing views and, of course, having an audience.
"I love attention. Good or bad, I will take it," says Erica Ferencik, a Framingham resident and creator of WakeUpAndSmellTheBlog.com.
Ferencik, who writes about her random thoughts, says she is careful about what she posts, trying not to get into political debate, or name the company where she works. Her private online space allows her to get creative and write about things like the dream she had yesterday, using the skills from when she used to do stand-up comedy.
"I am not a political commentator, but I know I hate ferrets," she says with conviction.
That's what she talks about in her latest post: ferrets and their owners, who, according to her, need to be different by owning a ferret, instead of a regular dog or a cat.
Bloggers like Ferencik seem to actually be the norm in the United States.
According to a national study published this month by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the majority of bloggers in the country write about their life and personal experiences.
Only 11 percent of the people who answered the survey - called "Bloggers: A portrait of the Internet's new storytellers" - said they blogged about politics and government. Their blogs, however, are well-publicized, the report said.
About 52 percent of the bloggers surveyed said the main reason they keep a blog is to share their experiences or as a form of creative expression.
Stephen Sherlock, for example, is a 53-year-old Franklin resident who writes about running.
"The temperature and humidity were both still in the upper 80's when we got to the track for this week's workout at 7:00 p.m. Decided to do less repetitions. To go at a slower pace," Sherlock writes in one of his six blogs, http://passionaterunner.blogspot.com .
He also has a work-related blog and another one to explain more personal experiences, called Steve's 2 cents. But whatever he writes, he says, he tries to be meaningful.
"If I can't put value to something, I don't say it," he said.
Blogging has become a rewarding hobby for him because he has been able to connect with other runners, and people with whom he shares the same interests. To describe bloggers as controversial and critical is a generalization, he says.
"Not everyone is out there to replace the mass media."
Mark Mischke agrees.
The Natick resident has been blogging for about two years in two blogs: one more personal and a more professional one that can actually help him get more clients.
"Bloggers get an undeserved reputation of being radical. But I think you need to feel a connection with your topics," Mischke said. "I don't want to wear a bumper sticker."
Mischke, a 41-year-old computer specialist, says he actually blogs to share knowledge about computer-related issues or about things and ideas that could be helpful to other people. For him, to make new friends is not the goal of his blogs, accessible at www.mischke.org.
"If they are done well, it can be to your advantage," he says. "Nobody is interested in my private life. I tend not to write about myself, I write about topics of interest."
Getting too personal can actually get you in trouble.
A British secretary working in Paris and writing a popular blog called "La Petite Anglaise" allegedly was fired this month because of the contents of her Web journal.
She is filing a lawsuit against her employer, according to CNN, but some of the followers of her Web site have e-mailed her saying that being online also carries some sense of responsibility.
Derik DeLong, a 24-year-old Northborough native and avid blogger, says it is hard to sometimes draw the line between being controversial and having readers.
"A very vocal part of the bloggers out there say things to get attention. Many can't get fired so it is easy for them to say things that are wrong," said DeLong, who is a software engineer.
But readers won't read you if you are boring, he said, so it is hard to be fair, honest and interesting at the same time. Besides having a personal blog, DeLong is a blogger for Macworld magazine and is subscribed to 333 Web sites.
Personal life experiences are also what Michelle Swartz writes about.
The 32-year-old moved to Framingham only a year ago and decided to write about the places she visits in town, the things she likes and the things she dislikes. Her site, www.thisisframingham.com, has photos of the restaurants she goes to, the food she eats, and the street corner where she had a car accident.
"People think that Framingham is Rte. 9, but I always wondered about what other little places were out there," said Swartz.
Hers is a light-hearted blog to give out information about where to go in town, she said.
"I try not to get too political. I am usually pretty careful," she said. "I think it is important to keep it light."
(Claudia Torrens can be reached at 508-626-3976 or ctorrens@cnc.com)
The New England Revolution and the Celtic FC players accompanied by young kids in the by now familiar international friendly format lined up with the referees before the game.
The game was good. It ended in a 1-1 tie.
So as forseen, the Bhoys did manage to score before leaving the States. The Revs also managed to score in the 90th minute to tie the game after having had several chances turned away by the Celtic goalkeeper, David Marshall, who was the Man of the Match for me. He did make some great saves.
More on the game can be found here.
Gunning-Fog index, which is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content. The lower the number, the more understandable the content will be to your visitors. Results over seventeen are reported as seventeen, where seventeen is considered post-graduate level.
Flesch Reading Ease is an index number that rates the text on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document. Authors are encouraged to aim for a score of approximately 60 to 70.
Like the Gunning-Fog index, Flesch-Kincaid Grade is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content.
Got around to looking for the photos from last year's visit to Weikert to show the comparison on how high the creek is running this year.
Two different views, two different perspectives but the same creek. This one (2005) with rocks very visible, one (2006) with the rocks submerged.
Thanks to the lead from Phil Gerbyshak, I used the Juicy Studio Readbility Test to check out the readability of my writing on the 5 blogs I write.
The column headings refer to
S2C (Steve's 2 Cents),
PR (Passionate Runner),
P4GCE (Passion for the Good Customer Experience),
HHGTB (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Blogosphere),
and my newest blogventure TE (Tertiary Education).
I'll post my thoughts on what the numbers tell me separately.
As a follow up to the posting about the marshmallow farm the other day, here is a shot of raw marshmallows being prepared for harvest. When they ripen they turn white and sugary.
One marshmallow was naughty and is trying to hide amongst the corn rows.
I don't think it will get away. It's future will surely be on the end of someone's camp fire stick.
| 10 Ways to Make It Great has just been published by Phil Gerbyshak. Check out the line up of endorsements for the book on Phil's website! Quite impressive. I have ordered my copy of the book. Consider ordering one for yourself. |
Disclaimer: This picture did not come out the way I would have preferred. I need to be patient and wait until we return to central PA to get another opportunity to get a better shot of a marshmallow farm.
Yes, a marshmallow farm. See the white line. It really is a stack of large (and I mean really large, like each one is over 6 foot tall) marshmallows. They grow on the farm usually along the edge of a corn field like this. It helps provide the farmer a cash crop and helps to really utilize each square acre of farmland.
Sometimes you can see the marchmallows when they are green but they ripen quickly so green one are hard to find. This is a ripe batch ready to be loaded onto a truck to be taken to the factory where they are cut into little pieces and put into the plastic bags for the supermarkets. And utlimately to be used around the campfire, of course.
PS - and if you believe that one, I do have a bridge for sale!
Yes, a caption contest... you provide some suggestions and we'll see what the best one is.
When our Sherlock and Bastian families get together, it is more like one family than two. We toyed with how we would combine the names to reflect this and the Baslock's won.
Jennifer was missing from this photo. If there was space on the couch, we could splice her in.
We drove to West Point last Sunday (July 2) to visit. Nate is beginning his third year at the Point. He had garrison duty for one more week and then was heading out to North Dakota to helicopter school for three weeks. He was off duty for a couple of days and with the July 4th concert and fireworks scheduled to commence at 1930 (military time), it was going to be a good time to visit.
Doug (Nate’s dad) had checked the web site and called Nate to confirm all was still good considering the 40% chance of rain. At that time it was a go but by the time we arrived, almost a three hour drive, the concert has been postponed to Monday due to the weather. Oh well, Plan B will work nicely.
Our daughters were going to drive down from MA to join us. Dolores and I were on vacation this week, but the girls still had to work the remainder of the week. We booked a room for them to stay overnight near the Point and drive back on Monday while we drove back to central PA later that night.
Anyway, we rendezvoused with Nate, were joined by our daughters who with good timing arrived a few minutes later. We took a walking tour around some of the Point. We spent some time in the Arvin Gymnaisum is quite a facility; multiple pools, multiple basketball courts, a sixty-foot climbing wall, racketball courts, weight rooms, etc.
Ready to eat after all that exercise, we found a picnic spot down in the South Dock area near the ferry. Using the portable propane grill, we cooked our burgers (both beef and turkey) while snacking on some fruit, chips, and the conversation kept pace with the Hudson River flowing just a stone toss away. As we were finishing our meal, working through our desert choices, the sprinkles started. They did hold off enough to allow us to quickly pack up the remnants, button up the grill, load the chairs and everything else into the van. I guess the decision to postpone the concert was a good one.
We drove up to Eisenhower Hall. Eisenhower is a rather large building that contains the post theater, art gallery, banquet room, and the grand hall area where each class emblem is displayed. The most recent 25 class years are displayed. (Not sure if the 25th rolls off as the new class year is displayed, we’ll have to check that out.)
When we arrived at Ike, we initially sat in some comfy lounge chairs in the grand hall, continued our conversation and took some pictures. The natives began to get restless so we meandered up to the banquet room, set up with a number of round tables seating 10. Along one side, the wall was mostly windows and provided a great panorama of the Hudson. I stepped out on the balcony where I found more photo opportunities (more photos to follow).
The baby grand piano in the room was well tuned and Nate sat to play. Brian jumped in for a duet, Cathy joined for a duet on another song, and the bench became almost a revolving spot as someone tool turns to play. Eventually Brian settled in and played from memory quite a number of tunes. Time passed slowly. A barge pulled by a tug boat made its way down river. It was about 1900 hours so I guess we did have our concert, albeit a private one.
Doug had wandered off, continuing to explore Ike Hall. As Brian began to run out of songs to play from memory, the native restlessness returned. We all got up to go find Doug. He was in a corner area of the second floor, not far from the banquet area, where he had found a large screen TV and he was cruising through the channels to see what was playing. The TV area contained a couple of nice big sofas and several single comfortable chairs. The group found a spot and settled in to see what was on. Trying to find an agreement with the limited selection brought up the option of hooking up Brian’s DVD player and viewing one of the movies that he had with him. Pairing the movie with some snacks was quickly voted upon.
Carolyn and Brian went to the van, returning shortly with the DVD player (which Brian proceeded to set up) and some snacks and drinks combined in one of the carry coolers that we had had the foresight to pack for the trip.
Concert and fireworks? Who needs those when you can set up the big screen TV in the corner of Eisenhower Hall and with refreshments at hand let Batman begin!
Yes, the final product. Usually crunchy peanut butter is the choice, although smooth peanut butter works as well. Spread the peanut butter on the muffin. Lay a slice of the cooked spam on top and enjoy!
No, your arteries won't harden instantly!
Note, that this breakfast is not an every day thing. Usually two or three times during the course of our one week vacation is sufficient to fulfill the craving for a while.
Yummy!
Step two is toasting the fork split English muffins.
Either Thomas or a store brand English muffin will suffice. The local store brand advertized as being "double fork split". They were not any easier to separate.
Sometime ago, I mentioned one of our camping treats as grilled spam. While staying with good friends in Weikert, PA we did a lot of our breakfast cooking over an open fire.
Grilling the spam is the first step to our breakfast delicacy.
Technorati Tags : camping, grilling, spam, breakfast
At Weikert. Penns Creek was flowing higher than normal with the run off from last week’s rain storm still coming through the ecosystem. Penns Creek feeds the West Branch of the Susquehanna and crested below flood level The North Branch crested above flood level. Bloomsbury has sections of town that were still without water and some roads were blocked. Further north into New York State, the river took out whole sections of Interstate Route 88 where the road and river crossed paths. Water is a powerful force.
Pictures we took when we were here last year, showed us no more than knee deep in the creek. We were able to walk out with our white resin chairs, position them in the creek, open a book in our lap, and with a drink in our hand, enjoy the cool water flowing through our legs as we read ourselves into another world.
Not this year; the creek is running a couple of feet higher and stronger. The chair would not stay in place in the creek even if we tried sitting two to a chair. The water level has already declined since we arrived. We can observe the depth against the supports for the bridge that crosses to camp at Wesley Forest. You won't see the supports in this photo as I was standing on the bridge looking south.
When we crossed the Connecticut, the Hudson, the Delaware and the Susquehanna on our drive out Interstate 84 and then 80, each river was running muddy; the water a thick, dark, reddish brown. Penns Creek is running clear, a sign that it is running within its banks now and beginning to return to normal.
