Chincoteague weekend

This is an unusually nice weekend. In August there is always a nice breeze through the place. No AC necessary! The temperature is moderate, the ocean is warm, the breeze is soporific. This weekend we have Pickle, our oldest daughter, with us.

The beach has not been as crowded as in the past, perhaps due to the gas crunch. At any rate, this year there seems to be an increased focus on surfing. It could be that the surfers are local and just appear more numerous when the crowd is thinner.

The waves seemed more than usually perfect for surfing. Normally there is a short break at the sand bar, then a second break near the shore. This time the break was continuous from the outer reach of the sand bar all the way to shore. There were some long rides today for a change.

That left more time for some maneuvering. I don't know what they were called, but it was pretty cool. There seems to be a bit of everything in the water, long boards, short boards, kayaks, and boogy boards. They were all getting good rides.

I kept to my normal occupations, however; daydreaming, kite-watching, lunching, people-watching and such-like.

Third time is the charm?

I've been enjoying minor surgery for the last couple of months. It started out with a lump on my upper arm that was bothering me. I would bump into something and the lump would hurt. So I got in touch with a surgeon, got inspected and detected, then got the surgery in a nice out-patient surgery building. It went well, though I thought the number of nurses and the sophistication of the operating room were overkill. We got through the "hospital incidentals" scam relatively unscathed (the hospital billed more than $1500 for what amounted to a pair of socks, a robe, a blanket, and the use of a locker for a couple of hours). Incidentals, my ass! They just make this shit up...

Anyway, the pathologist said this was an atypical spindle cell tumor, but not malignant. Unfortunately he also said that some remained around the edge of the sample. So the surgeon politely asked me if he could remove the edges of the scar. Round 2 was in the doctor's office. By now I felt like I was getting to know the guy. He is a really nice guy, BTW. So out came the scar, looking like a little worm attached to a thread. This time the pathologist said that the edges were OK, but the bottom (where the sample faded into the fat tissue) still had some strange spindle cells. He/they (it had been to 4 labs by then) said this was a myxoid, spindle cell tumor that was not malignant, and would not metastasize. But the 4 of them (pathologists) together had some kind of anxiety, in that they could not classify it properly.

I spent some time reviewing this kind of tumor, and the result was confusion. Apparently there is a bunch of nomenclature, but not much standardization. It was like talking to a financial advisor, all jargon and smoke screens.

Soooo, the surgeon asked me again to allow him to get the rest, this time in the hospital. He wanted better lighting, better access to sutures, and a better nursing staff. Today I went in to have the surgery. Since he had to go all the way to the muscle, he loaded me up with lidocaine. Then he asked me if I felt anything. It was pretty much negative, though I could feel tugging. Since he was into the fat tissue, he started experiencing a bit of bleeding (wait, it was ME bleeding, I experienced the bleeding!) He used the electrocautery knife to sear off the blood vessels. Anyway, part way through he asked me if I felt anything, then it felt like he ran a hair brush over my raw meat! That was not pleasant, but I told him and he lidocained me again. A bit later, as he was finishing things, he asked me again. At that point, a sizzling noise preceded another hairbrush episode that just about brought me off the table. I yelled and scared the nurses. The doc apologized, and finished up without any more pain. By now, I told him, we were almost golfing buddies. To which he replied that he did, in fact, leave a divot in my arm. He had to go deep enough to eradicate the last of this benign tumor.

Hopefully this will be the last of it. Anything more and I'll be pissed. No wonder medicine costs so much. Next time I'll ask for an apple corer rather than surgery.

Another gorgeous summer day

My friend Jody pointed us to the Knowlton Riverfest this month. Off we went yesterday afternoon up to Delaware, New Jersey, to check it out. It was a beautiful summer day, and the site was just beginning to gather a crowd. Delaware is set in the hills near the Delaware Water Gap.

The place was all set up for two types of groups, acoustic and amplified. The bigger tent was for the amplified groups. I'm not sure why, but I really like the shapes of these tents, backed by sun and clouds and trees.

There were lots of small stands with jewelry, clothing, and food. There was one advertising local theater as well. Apparently Gallagher will be coming to the area in early September.

One of the reasons I like music fests so much is that there are always lots of stories. Of course, there is the music. Jody hangs with a music crowd, so we were there to see some of them play. But there were tons of other good acts as well. Below is Sarah Ayers with her group. This woman can SING. She did a lot of her own stuff, along with covers of Aretha and others. She got all raucous like Janis, but she could sing a tune as well. Her band was great.

The guitarist was especially good. The guy could lay down a riff!

Next up over in the acoustic tent was Claire Reynolds, a local blues singer. She did a really entertaining set, with a bit of yodeling as a closer. Her guitar took bows for her. Apparently she really loves it. Anyway, she could play that thing like BB.

Jody's friend knew of her from older days. Apparently she used to pump gas in one of the local villages. It hurts a bit to see real musicians, capable of giving so much joy, reduced to making ends meet. In a kinder, gentler world we would revere and promote these people and hold them immune from daily cares.

Things got busy in the big tent again with Cate' Musiq Group.  These guys were amazing to me. They had a big band R&B sound, sort of like Chicago brought forward. I really didn't expect to hear that kind of a sound at this festival. Jody tells me that the promoter, a local guy, really has an eclectic taste in music. He books music of all kinds into the festival.

Cate' (pronounced kah-tay) started up the second theme of the evening, good hair. Maybe because I am bald, I have always enjoyed people with hair, particularly wiggly, unrestrained hair.

At any rate, he had a lot of really young musicians, brass and woodwind. They were great, doing everything from a big band sound to individual jazz riffs. I was amazed and really jealous that such young guys were so good! It made me think I had misspent my youth!

The music really got the crowd going. There were lots of families here; kids ranged from stroller babies through toddlers and young children to teenagers. Everybody seemed to enjoy the music.

One of the most fun acts to watch was this one, KJ Denhert and the New York Unit. This lady describes her music as urban folk and jazz, but to me it refused classification. It is a sophisticated New York nighttime sound. The woman can sing, and she can play, too. The band is good, but you could hear her guitar coming through, even while she was singing.

Ms. Denhert continued the hair theme, with her curls rocking back and forth on her head as she moved with the music.

Next up in the big tent was Frank Vignola's Rhythm Machine. This guy began to make me understand the place of the bandleader in a big way.

Take a look at the way these guys were staying in touch with him for cues. He really led a wild ride, but they stayed in sync with him the whole way. The music was amazing. It ranged from jazz to bluegrass and beyond, all focused on amazing guitar playing.

This is not to take anything away from the other band members. Mr. Vignola is just an amazing player. But there was another guy in the band, Aaron Weinstein. I could just see this guy taking lessons his whole childhood, then pissing off his parents breaking off into a more popular genre. He has the classical chops, too, though. He has played at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Wolf Trap, too. When Frank Vignola wasn't leading, this guy was, and he was also amazing.

Then it was time for an acoustic break with Kate and Paul.  These are Jody's friends, who play folk music with a slightly political edge. They harmonized beautifully, with a really virtuoso guitar performance by Paul. His slide riffs really made my day.

So, on to a couple more themes for the day. One theme was dog friendliness. In particular, there were a lot of BIG dogs. The biggest was probably this Irish Wolfhound, which stood above his owners waist. This was a very friendly dog, despite his size. He let anyone near him and people were petting him all day long.

There were other big dogs as well, including a brindle Rottweiler, lots of Labs, and other generally big animals. This one had the slobbers, drooling into his water dish.

There were lots of small dogs, too.

It was a good people-watching day, too. Lots of local people of various flavors: bikers, left-over hippies, happy families, and tons of (wait for it)

GEEZERS like me. I was kind of amazed by how many "older" people there were. At any rate, the music was really agreeable for us. It was kind of slanted toward the sort of things we used to hear when younger.

E thought this guy looked like Mickey Rooney. Maybe in profile? Anyway, I liked his tats. There were lots of those around.

For me, the last major representation was the cigar smokers. There seemed to be more of them in the crowd than I expected. This guy let out an amazing jet of smoke, but I couldn't seem to catch it right! It's all in the timing, dammit!

A lovely summer evening

E and I were on the way to Buffalo for a meeting on my project. Along the way we stopped to see Dad. He is now 87 years old and still going pretty strong. He still has his unusual sense of humor. We caught up with him on the front porch. As we drove in and opened our doors, we heard a horn blast. Note the sousaphone in the background of the picture. Dad has been in love with the "tuba" since I played in the high school band.

So when he found one for sale he bought it. Every now and then he toots, trying to make 4 octaves so he can play taps. Below you can sense his unusual nature. A sousaphone is fairly heavy (I know, I used to cart one 4 miles in a parade dressed in a heavy wool sweater and serge pants). At any rate, Dad thought he would string the horn up so he wouldn't have to pick it up every time he wanted to toot!

This is the same guy who built himself a papier mache spotted dog (Dalmatian). Then he dragged it along on a cart behind him when he walked in parades as a clown. He would throw candies to the kids along the edge, then, as they rushed to get the candy, the dog would pee right over the top of the fire hydrant on his cart. The kids would squeal and giggle and have a ball! One time the dog peed on a sheriff's deputy.

These days Dad likes to go out to dinner, so we all piled into the van and went to Watkins Glen. While I was growing up this was a small, kind of depressed town dominated once a year by the Watkins Glen Grand Prix. That is long gone, though there is racing still. Watkins (former home of Watkins Salt) is now becoming a bit gentrified. There are lots of old Victorian homes (all the small towns around central New York have them). Now there are also nice restaurants, a better hotel, and plans for town houses on the lake (Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes).

So we had dinner in one of the nice new restaurants, right near the docks from which the dinner cruises leave. Dinner was out on a beautiful open porch.

Then we went on to a concert at one of the town parks with a band shell. There was a small band and a huge repertoire. This was lots of oldies, polkas, cha chas, foxtrots, tangos, swing, jazz, and more.

The dancers were out, but they were mostly around Dad's age. Some were older. He pointed out a couple of guys who were over 90, dancing away like they were young again. I even saw one of my high school teachers.

Dad danced with his lady friend, too. This was great.

The couple below is a central New York dancing championship pair (polka, perhaps?)

The band seemed to have a great time. They had clearly worked together for a while. They were really good!

This was a wonderful evening! The weather was cool (70 or so), bug free, and very pleasant. What could be better?

Went to D's for lunch

D is the guy who led the effort in Paris for the pharma company. He and his buddy were there for a year with me, fixing a broken account. E and I went over there for lunch there Sunday. D and his wife, S, have a son, S, who is now 4 years old. D used to tell me about him from a couple of years ago in Paris.

S has grown up a lot and goes to school every weekday. His English is very, very good. His Dad and Mom report that he uses words they don't even know. So now he seems very grown up to us.

He is obviously the king of the household. His parents are SO proud, and rightly so. He is full of energy and obviously really smart. At 4 he even has a sense of humor! He has lots of toys and books. We try to give him something that stretches him a little when we come over (big puzzles or books, etc.)

His Mom is really sweet, and a hell of a cook. She made two appetizers and a lunch that wouldn't quit. We were so stuffed we couldn't breath. It is vegetarian fare, and we always come away saying we could subsist on this (if only we knew how to cook it). We came home and both tried a mushroom and onion dish, with differing but good results in both cases. Not the same as S's, though. So sad, but so glad they tasted good at the same time.

Anyway, D's family had recently gone through some difficult times. Their village was flooded and many of the houses were destroyed. D's house was damaged a little, so they are are planning a new one near the new highway. The Indian government seems bent on connecting up all of India with good quality highways.

So, D invited us to go over and participate in the house-warming event when the house is ready. He now has 5 weeks vacation, after 5 years in the company. He can go and spend lots of time in Orissa with his family.

These people are the salt of the earth. They are lovely and gracious. We always have wonderful discussions with them.

Last night at J's

J is an old friend. He used to work at the same company as I did. Apparently I was his manager for a while (he tells me - forgotten ancient history to me as I get older). Anyway, he asked us over to a deck party held last night. His brother K also was there. I haven't seen him in many years. It was nice to get in touch again. I finally met his wife (also Asian as is mine), and his kids.

J is a musician at heart, and the party was dominated by musician friends of his. These people are really interesting. Many hold day jobs, and they are varied - advertising, radio personalities, BMW mechanic, Tai Chi instructor, etc. They are all really passionate about their music, though. Many, if not all, perform on a regular basis. There are several husband and wife teams. Many are guitar players, as J is. We met a lot of people with different lives than ours, but they were really easy to relate to. Lots of interesting conversations as we got to know people. Apparently we have been missing a lot!

The next time we will see some of them is at the Knowlton River Fest  held in Delaware, NJ, in mid-August. We'll go for the first time this year. Here is a link to a picture of J performing last year.

E is a lot of fun sometimes

We're now married for nearly 32 years. She is a very strong, intelligent, and capable woman. She has a great sense of humor, and even pretends to like mine sometimes. That's pretty good.

So, we're watching a documentary on moose. Why, you ask? Well, who the hell knows. It's just noise in the background. A guy is carrying around a huge moose head with giant moose antlers, way out in the Canadian woods. This allows him to get close to both males and females. He scrapes a shoulder bone on trees, and then proceeds to blow on a birch bark horn. He uses two calls at different times. One is long and horn-like, kind of gurgly. The other call is short, kind of a grunt/hoot (this one is for males, the other is for females).

Well, shortly after he starts up, E starts hooting and gurgling. She just tells me, "I can do that," and starts up making moose mating calls. I had to laugh, she looked so proud! This is kind of what I like, a bit of whimsy and spontaneity. Keeps things kind of lively around here.

Update on "retirement"

One of my grad school friends scoffed "quaint notion" when I told him I was retired. It turns out he was right. These days retirement really means tapering off. If you have had a decent career you will still be in demand when you are done with it. Less than 3 months after retiring I was asked to join a project involving my former company. This brings in decent income, but is still part-time. That, in turn, allows me to have MUCH more freedom to travel and involve myself in more enjoyable things. I get to take vacations, write, do photography, and get involved with my kids' lives a bit more than before. Those things are of much more value to me than work these days. ;-)

The funny side of all this is that I made fun of my wife as she was agonizing over taking a package and quitting work. It turns out that she was employed part-time for 3 years after that with the same company, tapering off. That left her fulfilled in a "bringing in the money" sense, yet left her a lot of time to coach her daughters as they got started with their careers.

When it came time for me to retire, I also agonized over it. It took me quite a while to get to the point where I was comfortable with the idea, despite it having been quite some time since I really enjoyed work. So there I was, in exactly the same state that I teased my wife about! So, here we are, both able to enjoy life a lot more (together) than during the "nose to the grindstone" years. Yay! For me, it's a bit like the time before we had children, and then got involved in their lives. That, also, is a very good thing.

An enjoyable visit to Brooklyn

In contrast to our last adventure, How cars are sold today, we had an enjoyable visit on Thursday. We went to Brooklyn Heights to see MA, E's French friend from the earlier days living in Paris. MA is the mother-in-law of the husband of a customer who befriended me while I was working at Danone, in Palaiseau.

Anyway, we set off to Verandah Place, where MA, her daughter and husband and kids were staying. It is really hard to find parking here (too much construction), so we parked a couple of blocks away. That allowed us to see some of the elegant old buildings and apartments in the area.

Then, right at this beautiful little park, we came upon MA. Soon we were inside a delightful maison with 4 floors and a beautiful backyard. It is a big place, with others sharing the house. One of the people there (C) is married to the keyboardist for Sheryl Crow. (Update: this morning we saw him on TV.)

MA introduced us to her family, and we sat for some conversation (halting French and English).

Before long we were on the road, trying local streets to get around a bouchon on the BQE, headed for Brighton Beach and Little Russia. The Tatiana Restaurant is one we have gone to several times before for lunch. The food there is quite good and certainly plentiful.

The salads are unbelievable!

And so are the rest of the entrees. However, this is an expensive place, probably because it is right on the boardwalk in prime territory.

It was a nice, lazy afternoon of small talk, proceeding via halting French (on our part) and pretty good English on theirs. The kids had a good time, beaching a little and enjoying the scenery. It was quite nice to find more French friends.

We ended up driving past Coney Island so they could see it before it gets destroyed. Then we continued on to Verandah Place. They seem to be having a very nice trip here and enjoying themselves in New York. So did we today.