Amidst Our Constant Rain, California Desalinates
I remember a friend of my sisters who farmed in Arizona laughing when we showed him our rain collecting tank. “With so much rain here, why would you possibly need that?” he laughed. We felt like we were doing ‘the right thing’ but the fact is our east coast water […]
Searching is Better When You Ask Facebook Friends
I have been carrying two issues of Wired around in ‘the Abyss’ as my backpack is known, and last night finally got a chance to read the July issue. Among a bunch of fascinating stories was a provocative piece about how Facebook intends to dominate the web and keep Google […]
The Music Man of the Jersey Shore
Aggie Roberts is the Music Man of the Jersey Shore. His ice cream shop on Grand Central Avenue in Lavallette packs them in seven days a week. While serving ice cream treats, a troupe of singers dances and clowns with the crowd for an hour of fun. There’s nothing quite […]
Twilight at the Beach: Why We Came
What is it that pulls us to the shore? What is that feeling we seek, which makes us willing to endure traffic jams, exorbitant parking rates, being ordered around by beach attendants and sand in our sandwiches? This. It’s that hard to explain, yet totally real experience of twilight by […]
Giraffes Licking Our Car Gives Us a Thrill
This morning we watched giraffes lick the hood of our minivan as we drove through the Safari Park at Six Flags, about 40 minutes north of our beach pad in Seaside Heights. The giraffes like the pollen that sticks to car roofs and hoods, and the people inside the cars […]
A Concert on the Beach on a July Jersey Night
A soft July evening, perfect for a concert on the beach. This was happening right across from our condo, these guys know tons of great songs and belted it out like they meant it. The waves crash right next to the shore here, making it hard for anyone who wanted […]
A Kids Delight in Seaside Heights
What could be more exciting when you’re a little kid who has to go to bed at 7 to stay up way, way really late and go on all the rides you want while the ocean crashes just below? We took two little tykes and one little baby (who slept […]
In "Green River" Mass, Franti Thrills the Big Crowd
WOW! That’s how I remember last night’s Green River Festival. It was a beautiful night, with many friends, colleagues, aquaintances and fabulous music, all beneath a gentle summer night that ended with five enormous balloons being filled with hot air, lit up with their firestacks blasting into the nylon billows. […]
Cheyenne Rodeo Parade
Cindy’s excited to be in the thick of the rodeo scene. Here’s the parade in Cheyenne.
Cindy Guest Blogs from Wyoming: Rodeo Days!
Today is my first full day in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the gateway to the West. The city is abuzz because tomorrow is the first day of the Frontier Days Rodeo, the largest outdoor rodeo in the world. This city of approximately 55,000 will swell to nearly 500,000 people during this annual […]
Cindy’s Guest Blogging from the Rodeo in Cheyenne
Cindy is out in Cheyenne enjoying an all access pass to the Greatest Rodeo in the US. While she waits for the mighty George Strait to open the big festivities, the tourism folks are taking her on local tours. Here’s a photo she sent of Bison at the Terry Bison […]
After Five Years Away, Going Back to Green River Fest
It’s been at least five years since I last bought a ticket to the Green River Festival, happening this Saturday on the lawns of Greenfield Community College. I remember this as an important event in the Valley, sort of a marker of summer. But I’ve spent so much time down […]
T. Boone’s Still Serous About His Windfarm
Daniel Whitten reported on Bloomberg about one of my favorite oilman…wind-power promoter T. Boone. “Billionaire investor T. Boone Pickens said today that he is delaying, not canceling, a $10 billion wind energy project in Texas.” The so-called Pampa project will be postponed until 2013 when Texas is expected to complete […]
At Harpo’s Bar, Getting Ready for Trivia
I got out on the bike tonight, first time in a long time….and I thought about how if you don’t jump when the call comes, you’ll settle back into the lazy route. So roused as I was by Steve’s promise to depart from his house, I set off and soon […]
The Boat Is Lifted Out of the Water by the Whale
We splurged and bought the Sunday NY Times yesterday. Splurged because it’s all on my iphone, but my parents were visiting and they like that big printed copy. I read a fascinating piece about how whales are so well attuned to other creatures. The focus was different whales of the […]
Venus & The Cellar Bar: Worth the Wait
The last time I wrote about Venus & the Cellar Bar, I got many comments from people interested in this new Easthampton restaurant. I have been wanting to go back and sample the cuisine, and tonight was a grand occasion to do so–my parents were visiting. Here is my earlier […]
I Always Admire a Persistent Salesman
I’m on the phone with a very persistent guy from Switzerland. He is trying to convince me that we should fork over $2 grand a month and he’ll give us all sorts of content like video, news feeds and articles. The deal is that they collect all sorts of travel […]
July, July, Will Summer Really Arrive?
Back into the daily groove, things feel good. We just might be past the season’s unending, maddening rain, I’m thinking about a caprese salad of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil for Friday night. Here are the oysters we slurped up last week on Carteret Beach. Wow, I can still taste […]