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!

Austin - Kerbey Lane Cafe and Symphony on the Green

Lunch at the Kerbey Lane Cafe was pretty good. This is a kind of a diner, but not in the sense of the rest of the nation. The food is kind of southwestern. We had a 25 minute wait or so before getting a table. The placed was pretty packed. Apparently there are 4 of these, all open 24-7. It's a pretty good franchise.

This was such a big lunch that we had a small picnic for dinner while waiting for the Symphony on the Green to start. This is a summer institution where the Austin Symphony plays each week for free in the open air. This week was a brass quintet with a selection of baroque and classical short pieces. The harmony was wonderful. The shortness of the pieces and the explanations by the quintet members kept the crowd in touch. The setting was the Long Center for the Performing Arts, south of Town Lake.


















Our picnic included the goat cheese from yesterday's farmer's market, along with fresh fruit.


















Some had Hooters to Go, from down the street.

As usual, the crowd included dogs.


















The quintet members played trumpet, cornet, French horn, trombone, and tuba, as well as this (some strange name I forgot - oops, H remembered it is a cornetto).

The story of the night was the kids. First one, then another, then more kids found themselves drawn to this surface. They all danced, wiggled, strutted, giggled, and generally had a good time.

The kids were gorgeous!

As the evening drew on, the light became slanted and rosy, making the kids even more beautiful. What a future Austin has!

Austin - Yesterday adventures

Saturday is the Austin Farmer's Market day. This is held in the middle of town (on 4th and Guadelupe - Republic Park). The focus is on organic food. Apparently there are a lot of small farms around Austin devoted to making good food.



































 The produce is top-notch.

There are also cheese and bread makers. We took the loaf closest to the camera home with us. It was very good, whole wheat, and well-baked (even bubbles, good crumb, sesame on top).

For kids and adults there is a bit of entertainment. Here are the finishers of Heat 1 of the zucchini races. This ends the age-old question: "Does a human get both feet off the ground when galloping?" Note the zucchini batons in hand.

There is quite a bit of music, too. These guys were playing a fine country blue-grass set.

This young lady was hawking something by walking up and down, but I did not catch exactly what it was. She was obliging for a picture. (She actually thanked me!)

There was a little something for every one. Here is a store with Chinese lettering on the boxes. We know not what is inside.

Then we were off to the Bob Bullock Museum and the Story of Texas. This is a terrific museum, with a couple of movie theaters. We saw the Star of Destiny, a story of the Texas spirit. The seats rumbled with the thunder and lightening, and we were misted during the Galveston Hurricane part of the presentation. Sam Houston (or the actor playing him) sounded suspiciously like George W. Bush.

In the middle of the atrium is this huge inlay with a variety of the historical features of Texas' history.

The building itself is quite a monument.

















It seems you can only get a decent picture of the Texas Capitol from the middle of a huge street. Careful!

For din we went to the Iron Works. This is Texas barbecue at its best. Iron Works is in a galvanized tin building that used to be a blacksmith shop. Some of the tools are still inside. The place is raw, simple, and makes outrageously good bar-b-que, Texas style. That means slooooow cooking, smoke, and really good quality meat. No fat and gristle here. They serve up a plate cheap, $7-9 with potato salad, beans, a slice of Texas sweet onion, some  bread, and all the jalapenos you can stand. Order at the counter, put it together with a Dos Equis or a Shiner Bock, and it's close to heaven. The meat is smoky, tender, darkened on the outside, and unsauced (unless you do it). Brisket, pork ribs, chicken, sausage, and more are available. Like much of Austin, this is close to the green belt. It is a couple of blocks from Town Lake/Lady Bird Lake/Lake Austin, and right next to Waller creek that winds alongside a walkway down through Austin to the lake. It is cool and shaded by the trees, some of which grow up through the porch roof.

Austin - 1st Thursday

In Austin on the 1st Thursday of the month we were reminded to Keep Austin Weird. That is an ongoing theme that recently was supported with a 5K run. H and D volunteered, making up goodie bags and supplying the runners with shirts, gear, water, etc.

First Thursday is an institution that brings a lot of people to South Congress Street (that same street where the bats leave the bridge in the evening). People gather and walk along the section of the street that contains a lot of shops with eclectic merchandise, a variety of bars and restaurants, and, for the night, a lot of music.

Here are a few pictures, starting with a view back toward the center of town along Congress Street.

There is music of all sorts. Rock and roll was playing in this bar.

















Continuing down the street we saw these ladies being interviewed by a local station. Not sure what they represented.

Then we came up on a street group playing the blues.

There were a lot of different kinds of people around, everything from old time hippies to goths to just plain strange people ("not that there's anything wrong with that!")

Up the street was a band doing heavy metal. Without a bass they found themselves unable to kick ass, though.

We ARE in the west, even if Austin is pretty hip.

There were even some Brazilian foot boxing (capoeira) type people.

















And, finally, the Austin Motel sign. Yep, it really look like it!