Back to the garden

It was simply a glorious weekend! After a week of rain, the sun finally emerged on Saturday morning and continues as I write this on Monday afternoon. We had arranged a fellow to do some various jobs around the house including washing the windows, so it was no surprise when he arrived this morning ready to start with those.

Barry had to be at Mount Sinai on Friday so we spent another Sabbath in Riverdale. Sunday evening was the annual synagogue dinner, but we had the day free, so we headed back to the New York Botanical Garden where they had a fantastic Father’s Day celebration. My thoughts about “heading back to the garden” brought to mind the Crosby Stills and Nash song, but in fact “Woodstock” (the song) was written by Joni Mitchell, who performed and recorded it as well.  

Although the local news reports of the event emphasized the food, which included many vendors with large barbeque grills, there was actually so much more going on, including live music. We brought along a picnic and sat out on the grass and listened to the music, a sort of combination of folk and country.

Roosevelt Dime

To listen to the music of Roosevelt Dime is to take a journey through American roots music. Inspired by Appalachian string bands, Memphis soul, New Orleans dixieland, and the musical melting pot of Brooklyn which they call home, the band has forged an original sound all their own. After years of thrilling audiences at festivals and venues across the country, the band has fully captured the energy and musicianship of their live performances on their new albumFull Head of Steam. The band's seamless mixture of musical genres has been described as "a perpetual crowd-pleaser" by The New York Times.

Cricket Tell the Weather

Based in the New York-Connecticut area, Cricket Tell the Weather is an indie string band featuring bluegrass-inspired original music. Winners of the 2013 FreshGrass Award, Cricket is rooted in the bluegrass tradition, and expands to include rock, pop, and chamber ensemble elements. Award-winning songwriters Andrea Asprelli (fiddle) and Jason Borisoff (guitar) received a blue ribbon in 2011 at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival Songwriting Competition for their co-written song "Remington". They are joined by NYC native Doug Goldstein on the banjo and Jeff Picker on bass from Portland, OR. The band has twice been awarded the Neighborhood Arts & Heritage Grant from the City of Bridgeport, and is actively involved in providing bluegrass workshops to to students of all ages under their "American Roots Revival" workshop series.

Miss Tess and the Talk Backs

Miss Tess & The Talkbacks make grooving modern music with a vintage feel that nods to the traditions of jazz, swing, rockabilly, and more while maintaining a unique and personal sound. The bands most recent release, The Love I Have For You, is their second on rootsy label Signature Sounds and pays homage to some of Tess's favorite singers and songwriters including Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, Ted Hawkins, Randy Newman, and Hank Williams through a set of rousing covers.

With the perfect weather and lovely surroundings, we had a hard time tearing ourselves away. But we had to leave just before the music ended to have time to get home and shower and dress to head over to the annual dinner at our synagogue. We have not gone to this event for a number of years; neither of us is crazy about these dinners. But this year we had two good reasons to go: we are friends with the main couple who was honored, and we have a number of friends who sing with the choir, which was performing. As an added bonus, it was a second chance to wear the outfit I bought and wore to a wedding in Sharon last summer. At this rate of use (≤ 1 per year) I will probably have this outfit for the rest of my life! These annual events used to be sit-down dinners, but a few years ago they decided to do the entire dinner as a buffet. There is always a large selection of things to eat at stations throughout the hall. But usually at these events there are fewer seats than there are guests, and neither of us enjoys eating while standing, let alone that I tire too quickly and that I am carrying an oxygen cylinder. So we arrived fashionably late. The program of speeches and musical performances was held in the main sanctuary of the synagogue. Some annual dinners are very serious, but what is likeable about this one is that it is not: the various honorees all had light-hearted and funny things to say. As celebratory as the dinner was, time was taken to turn our thoughts and prayers to the three young Israelis who were kidnapped last Thursday night and remain missing.

I close with hopes for their speedy and safe return.

Love,

Rebecca