Thank you for a great summer

While she joked it was the summer of yard work, my sweet 10 yr old thanked me for a special summer. 

She remarked how it was unique I was home and, though we did do yard work - family teamwork to get brush from felling 9 cypress out to conservation ctr -we were all together, enjoying fun things. 😉

We'll look back one day with even more melancholie but recall fondly these past mere 10 weeks of summer 2015!

The Tour de France has ended - and life returns to "normal" at our house - which means there is an annual brief mourning period for our family the last week of July.  Despite the fact the Tour does mean my husband is controlling the TV for 3 solid weeks, it's nice to see him actually take a well-deserved break on what he customarily calls the 'idiot box' - but on which I enjoy spending my time being entertained and decompressing at the end of the day.

The end of the Tour means we know longer hear the voices of Phil Liggett & Paul Sherwen commentating each tense moment of the cyclists ride along beautiful French terrain.  They are comforting, paired with a delightful anchor table - Bobke as always, and Jens Voight, a delightful addition to the comments.

Each July 4th we start out with the "hoorah" for our country, and then all focus is on the Tour... for the next 3 weeks.  It starts early in the morning, and goes through until the later airing, so we can catch some good interviews from after the race.

For years, I've loved watching the beauty of France in the background of the race.  Some very talented helicopter pilots, and stealth motorcycle drivers carry some very talented cameramen who capture castles and farmland with endearing messages or artwork that took hours or even days to create in honor the race or a racer.  Those on the backs of motorcycles, which zip alongside the cyclists at very racy speeds, hang onto motorcycles with their legs while holding heavy cameras - I mean, WHAT?!  They capture hugs, chats, literal blood, sweat and tears... dehydrated lips, and finish line victories.  

The camera feats are only one part of this amazing race.  This year, the production of it all struck me - it is grand. All the grand tours are highly respected by the cycling community, and the countries that sponsor them put forth extreme coordinated shows, along with NBC Sports.  It amazes me each year. Each city is prepared with barricades lining the streets at start and finish towns, and along the course in some places.  The mountain stages are an incredible display of Fan-dome.  Some are excited. Some are rude. And many can be a bit hindering!  It's the only sport I can think of where the spectators get to run alongside the "players" on the "field."  I mean really...soccer (futbol) would never endure this! Can you imagine a cricket match with spectators on the field... interference, anyone?  How about polo?  Running alongside the horses.  It's ludicrous, and the cyclists have extreme focus and patience to deal with the people they have to endure at any moment... and worse, along a grueling mountain HC climb!  Come on, people!  They need to breathe!  You try riding your bike, up a steep hill while someone runs alongside you waving a giant country flag! (and possibly wearing a speedo, or even naked! It's happened!)  So let's stand back and enjoy the race.

This year my kids seemed to really take to watching the tour, as well. The 10 year old has seen plenty of cycling, but even the 6 year old was sad the excitement was over.  The fun of watching not only the cyclists, but their father get excited, and almost giddy - which they will attest is almost NEVER.  The Tour, cycling in general, and "Top Gear" are a few (and there are only a few) things that bring a smile to his face, and good spirits to his demeanor.  So I understand why the end of the tour hits us all so hard.  It's a huge let down for everyone.  And we must go on - onto August and finding other ways to enjoy summer.  The town pool has proven a cool respite in the late afternoons, but we await next July for the excitement of the race, and the sweet sounds of the Tour in our living room.

It seems, sometimes, we are the only household without central air.  I know this is not true - I mean there are many people, I'm sure, in the world... and by world, I feel I'm comparing us to third world countries... but certainly, not everyone in NJ has A/C.  Or do they?  And then, you ask, why not just install the window air conditioners you have in the attic?

Well, my husband and I both say we like the feel of breezes.  For me it's completely true... but I think he partly also doesn't want to run the electric bill up to crazy levels.  I, being the bill-payer, knows it won't break the bank to put pretty efficient A/C's in our windows for July & August, but I humor him.

I also LOVE the sound of the cicada's in the trees at night which can only be heard through an open window.  They bring back such fond memories of nights at my grandmother's house, where there was also no air conditioning, and she'd leave her sliding glass door open with the screen to give my sister and me a breeze, and the sound of the cicadas were an added bonus, in my opinion.
    "Sh-sh-sh" they'd sing...."sh-sh-sh."

This year the cicadas are plenty.  Not as crazy as a few years ago when it was their 17 year cycle - that was insane. And a little like a sci-fi movie.  This year is back to the usual - we can hear them buzzing like electricity in the trees during the hot day, and chirping the "sh-sh-sh" sound at night.

In chatting recently with a friend about them, along with my search for a job in the Bay area, to return us there if at all possible... or CA in general, I recalled the cicadas don't chirp there.  It is one thing I missed when I lived there briefly.  And they would be missed again should we return.  But I'll worry about that when the time comes.  I won't miss snow!  So sometimes you have to pay a price... there's a price for everything!

Sweet smell of a summer's eve

The air on this warm Memorial Day evening smells sweet as summer. Temperate, with a slight breeze that kicks up every so often, and carries with it a scent of nothing in particular, but in summary raises memories of similar nights years ago. Driving my convertible at dusk, when the sky isn't yet dark, but the street lights are on, and the warm wind blows through my hair - a feeling of freedom! 

One day I'll feel it again in another convertible. But for now it's nice to know Summer is on it's way.

Go, upstate NY! Sawyer wins the Voice!

This is the first time my family and I have watched "The Voice," and we watched faithfully every Monday and Tuesday night!  And what a treat it has been.  A terrific season filled with diversity and super talented artists!  We are looking forward to saying - "I saw him/her on The Voice!" when the get big and famous!  

Our family's love of music has always been a part of our lives.  My husband's passion for the soul of music & lyrics probably began with Eddie Vedder - we have every PJ album ever released!  But has been continually evolving and growing.  His passion for music parallels my passion for performing arts in film, television, and stage.  And our children have enjoyed art, music and performing (to a limited audience of family and friends, and dance school parents) while hopefully gaining appreciation for the arts we share.

The show came at a perfect time for us, I think - in the dead of Winter when a cold Monday and Tuesday night were perfect times to sit together and enjoy the show, it's process, the coaches' guidance, and the heart & soul of musical performing.  Our 10 year old daughter is very interested in performing, and we hope this showed her the talent, beauty and commitment involved with the arts.

The 4 coaches also seemed perfect for my family this season - Adam for a few of us, but Maroon5's "Animal" has been my 6 yr old son's favorite song this Winter and he was excited that "that's the singer?! Cool!"   Christina is just a super talented voice!  Blake hits on our recently renewed interest in Country music... we watched the CMA's this year as a family, too, as well as the Grand Ole Opry concert episode from ABC's hit show, "Nashville."  All thoroughly enjoyed by the 4 of us!

And while we all felt so many of the people on "The Voice" were talented - truly sad to see some artists from the top 20 not make it early on, and super excited to see them back for the final show - the final 6 contestants were amazing.  By last nights 4, we would have liked any of them to win, and in our eyes they all already one.  From a performing standpoint - it was wonderful to see their dreams coming true.  To perform with some greats!  To have musical greats write songs for you to perform.
I mean, WHAT!?!?  AMAZING!

Performing on stage... hours of practice, rehearsals, stage design for each song.  It again impresses me the extent of what goes in to these weekly performance shows.  The efforts of ALL involved in front and behind the scenes.   True appreciation for it all!

The final four were all unique and not a main-stream style which gave us hope in the future of music.  If the public is voting these guys in each week, it means maybe melodic music with lyrics that move us and that we can carry around in our heads for hours or days will be back to grace our radios and iPods!  (We also hope to see India, Kimberly Nichole too! Amazing powerhouses!)

We truly appreciate and admire all 4 finalists - blues from the vocal strength of Megan Linsey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZDubPCd0Hs - she is a star born now... career solidified!); gentle heart-felt Joshua Davis; truly blessed, complete embodiment of the music by Koryn Hawthorne; and the humble, old soul in the young boy from Upstate NY, Sawyer Fredricks.
Seeing the young kid from upstate NY be recognized by America as a super musical star with his different look and musicality is why I think I really wanted him to win all along!  It's the dream. And thank you world!  What a deserved soul!  Who will make music proud while not losing himself along the way - you can just tell!

Here's to all the performers!  It takes guts. Something I've struggled with my whole life - hiding behind another career justifying that the paycheck was more important than my dreams. So I give huge kudos to everyone who can take a chance, and put themselves out there and live a dream! Life's too short to not aim high and go for it!

The Royals - E! it took a while but the final 2 episodes really got there!

At the start, this show was sort of like that odd thing that doesn't sit quite right with you, but you can't stop looking at it.  There was something that didn't flow for me - I wasn't sure if it was because there was a "King" of England, or that the Queen was so damned gorgeous.  I mean, really?!  But I kept saying, "of course it's this way - they need something to pull in the audience....sex, drugs and rock & roll."  And the crazy twin siblings rebelling against the formality of their predestined monarchy lives... a bit overplayed.  But again, it's an hour-long show - gotta cram it in somehow.  So I wondered was it the writing, the cast, the over-done-ness of it all?  And then the last 3 episodes started to get good.  So I say, if you tried it and can't quite get into it... hang in there.  The season ends with a couple twists that make the thought of a future season a bit intriguing!  Thanks E!  Besides, I'm just happy the industry is getting scripted television back in the game!  YAY!

wonder...

Did you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you were born someone else?  Born into a different family?  Born with different talents?  Born at a different time?  Made different choices in your current life?

At a crossroads in my life currently, this has been a recurring thought, as I attempt to figure out again what I want to be when I grow up... and wondering what might have been.

Now, not being someone who likes to dwell (or maybe more accurately someone who realizes I can dwell, but doesn't want to) I tend to let the thought be fleeting, and attempt to find a way to turn those thoughts into a treatment for a screenplay! :)   I am longing to join a creative writing team on a project that would go big, and fill my days with laughter!

But for now, I continue to keep notes on my many thoughts - no matter how odd they may be - and duly write my next chapter...