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POPSICLE DAYS!

August 26, 2012 by pbenjay

 

Some people refer to the hot humid days of July and  August as dog days. Did you ever wonder why?  The phrase has a celestial origin;  In the days of ancient Rome, the brightest star, Sirius often rose in the sky either slightly before or at the same time as sunsrise.  This is no longer true, due to the precession of equinoxes.  Since the star was so close to the sun, it was thought that this star, Sirius, was responsible for the sultry days.

Finley and Francesca, smart as they are, have no concept of Roman history or for that matter, astronomy or astrology.  So for them, these hot days of summer can eeasily be summed up as Popsicle Days.  And why not?  What better way is there to wile away an afternoon after a couple of hours in the pool, than to just suck down a fruit-flavored ice pop.  And sharing it with your sister – PRICELESS!!!!

West Hampton LI. Finley Ray and Francesca Clark.

Not now, I’m licking my popsicle

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“I Walk The Line” – The High Line That Is….

August 25, 2012 by pbenjay

And actually it was Murray who was walking along the High Line and snapping photos of just what you see as you stroll along.  There are two schools of thought when it comes to the High Line;  For years this piece of real estate lay fallow, weeds and wildflowers flourished in this vacant narrow strip of land.  For sure there is a history of the High Line to be told:  In 1847 the City allows street-level railroad tracks on the West Side. Between 1851 and 1921 there were so many deaths due to this train traffic that 10th Avenue was nicknamed Death Avenue. By 1929 after many years of public debate, the City and State of New York and the New York Central Railroad agree on an improvement project which includes the High Line and adds 32 acres of parkland to Riverside Drive and costs over 150 million 1930 dollars – equivalent to about 2 billion today. In 1934 the High Line opens to trains running from 34th Street to St. John’s Terminal on Spring Street.  By the 1950’s the growth of interstate trucking leads to a decrease in railway hauling nationally and on the High Line.  In the 1960’s the southernmost section of the High Line is demolished.  In 1980 the last train ran through the High Line carrying 3 carloads of frozen turkeys.  In the mid-19080’s a group of residents who owned land beneath the structure lobbied to have the High Line torn down.  In 1999 The Friends of the High Line, a preservation group was formed.  From that point on, they worked with various City and State commissions to have the High Line preserved and turned into a public use space.  This was the first school of thought; that this unique piece of real estate should be open to the public, preserved to be enjoyed by the masses. It took years to explore all the possibilities, secure permission from various regulatory commissions, to hold design competitions, to get approvals for every aspect of design and construction and on and on through miles and miles of red tape until finally in 2009 a section of park was opened from Gansevoort Street to West 20th.  That was then and now in 2012, the High Line has become a major tourist attraction.  And that brings us to the other school of thought about what has progress wrought upon us?   A few days ago in the New York Times there was an Op-Ed article entitled Disney on the Hudson.  Here are the first two paragraphs although from the title itself, I’m sure you know where this is going! “WHEN the first segment of the High Line, the now-famous park built atop an old elevated railway on the West Side of Manhattan, opened in 2009, I experienced a moment of excitement. I had often wondered what it would be like to climb that graffiti-marked trestle with its wild urban meadow. Of course, I’d seen the architectural renderings and knew not to expect a wilderness. Still, the idea was enticing: a public park above the hubbub, a contemplative space where nature softens the city’s abrasiveness. Today it’s difficult to remember that initial feeling. The High Line has become a tourist-clogged catwalk and a catalyst for some of the most rapid gentrification in the city’s history.”Sadly, that’s how I feel about most of what was at one time, a unique place or event in our great City.  I really don’t like enormous crowds anywhere and long lines are distressing, not to mention the weariness of dodging slow-moving gawkers. Oh well now I sound like a cranky curmudgeon New Yorker!   Anyway here is the link to the entire piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/opinion/in-the-shadows And now that brings us a couple of days ago when Murray took these photos:

High Line NYC, graffiti

“I Wonder Who’s Kissing You Now”

View From My Window

Broken Dreams

Rec-reate-Advocate-Procreate

ONE WAY

KEEP OUT

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

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NEIL SEDAKA – 60 Years of Love Songs-Telling It Like It Is!

August 19, 2012 by pbenjay

American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka. Taken ...

American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka. Taken at the 2007 Scream Awards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you hear someone say, “Neil Sedaka,”  what do you think of?  I believe most people think of some 50’s simplistic Rock and Roll tune, like  the happy-go-lucky-even-if-slightly-naieve, Next Door To An Angel.  If that’s what you’re thinking, then please read on because  the next time you hear  the name, Neil Sedaka, you’re going to think twice. NO, not twice more like somewhere between 300-500 – that’s how many songs he wrote.  Neil Sedaka is a consummate composer.  I tried to do some quick research and find the answer to this burning question – just how many songs did Neil Sedaka write and/or cowrite?  I found a list of about 270 titles and in Wikipedia, it says he wrote 500.  Either way, it’s one hell of a lot of musical talent.

Neil Sedaka was playing the piano when he was eight years old.  When he was in high school in Brooklyn, NY he formed a Doo Wop group with now-famous classmates, known as The Tokens.  He was accepted into the prestigious Julliard School of Music in Manhattan, where his parents hoped he would become a concert pianist.  He is a concert pianist, he just doesn’t perform as one – believe me he plays beautifully as he demonstrated tonight at the end of his concert.

BUT tonight’s concert inspired this blog, not so much as a review of his performance but rather more as an homage to his enduring creative talent, a God-given gift (his words).  I wanted to use the word, genius, however, genius connotes (to me anyway) a talent at an extraordinary  level.  Maybe he is composing at an extraordinary level and I don’t recognize it because he makes it seem so easy.   As he said; he sits at the piano, comes up with a tempo, then a melody and then lyrics.  Sounds simple, right?  NOT!  

For me, this evening was yet another trip down nostalgia lane.  Oh those songs!  I think I sat there with a lump in my throat for most of the evening and a couple brought tears to my eyes.  The love songs had lyrics that pluck at your heart-strings.  I guess when you’re a woman of a certain age you can’t help but remember where you were, who you were with and when.  I can’t tell you what I had for dinner 4 nights ago, but I knew every word to every song!  Scary isn’t it?  And most of all I think his lyrics tell it like it is. Mr. Sedaka said that he drew inspiration for his songs from his family and friends.  And the he told us he has been married to the lovely Leba, his wife of 50 years.  She must truly be the love of his life – how else could one feel and express such emotion.  From heartbreak to regrets, to wishing and dreaming of true love, and  from longing to loving forever, the music plays on, the romance continues and all in words you can clearly understand and remember!  

The following are just a few of the songs performed this evening:

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Love Will Keep Us Together

Laughter In The Rain

And also the sad but very real Solitaire, Lonely Night, Should Have Never Let You Go, I Let You Walk Away.   The lyrics are haunting.  Often at a concert, the performer introduces some new song they’ve written or recorded and I have mostly been disappointed.  Not so tonight.  Neil Sedaka is still writing songs and sang one from a few years ago, You.  Now that’s a love song!  It had to appeal to the large majority of middle-age couples and seniors in the audience.  It is a story of the lifetime love between two people, very sweet. I loved it!

Neil Sedaka has been writing and singing songs for over 55 years.  The list is way too long for this blog, for as he said tonight, “I’ve a got a million”.  However, so many of the songs were hits and released many times over by various artists, I think you’ll know every one of them:

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen

Earth Angel

Carol

Alone At Last

Angel Eyes

Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Cathy’s Clown

It’s All In The Game

Climb Up (Stairway to Heaven)

Proud Mary

Stagger Lee

Tears On My Pillow

The Diary

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6 Symbolisms of the Dragonfly

August 18, 2012 by pbenjay

 

Murray sent me a terrific group of Dragonfly photos.  They were taken on Thursday and should have made the FAB FOTO FRIDAY post but as you can see, there was no Friday post.  SO today I’m posting the photos AND writing about the many characteristics and principles associated with this beautiful winged insect.

dragonfly, Central park

Beautiful Blue Dasher Dragonfly

Maturity and a Depth of character
The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.

The traditional association of Dragonflies with water also gives rise to this meaning to this amazing insect. The Dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what’s on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.

dragonfly, Central Park

Brown Hawker Dragonfly

Power and Poise
The dragonfly’s agile flight and its ability to move in all six directions exude a sense of power and poise – something that comes only with age and maturity.
The dragonfly can move at an amazing 45 miles an hour, hover like a helicopter fly backwards like a hummingbird, fly straight up, down and on either side. What is mind blowing is the fact that it can do this while flapping its wings a mere 30 times a minute while mosquitoes and houseflies need to flap their wings 600 and 1000 times a minute respectively.

The awe inspiring aspect is how the dragonfly accomplishes its objectives with utmost simplicity, effectiveness and well, if you look at proportions, with 20 times as much power in each of its wing strokes when compared to the other insects. The best part is that the dragonfly does it with elegance and grace that can be compared to a veteran ballet dancer. If this is not a brazen, lazy, overkill in terms of display of raw power, what is?

blue dasher dragonfly, Central Park

Poised to Perfection

Defeat of Self Created Illusions
The dragonfly exhibits iridescence both on its wings as well as on its body. Iridescence is the property of an object to show itself in different colors depending on the angle and polarization of light falling on it.

This property is seen and believed as the end of one’s self created illusions and a clear vision into the realities of life. The magical property of iridescence is also associated with the discovery of one’s own abilities by unmasking the real self and removing the doubts one casts on his/her own sense of identity. This again indirectly means self discovery and removal of inhibitions.

2 blue dasher dragonflies, Central Park

Not An Illusion-Two Blue Dashers

Focus on living ‘IN’ the moment
The dragonfly normally lives most of its life as a nymph or an immature. It flies only for a fraction of its life and usually not more than a few months. This adult dragonfly does it all in these few months and leaves nothing to be desired. This style of life symbolizes and exemplifies the virtue of living IN the moment and living life to the fullest. By living in the moment you are aware of who you are, where you are, what you are doing, what you want, what you don’t and make informed choices on a moment-to-moment basis.

This ability lets you live your life without regrets like the great dragonfly.

Brown Hawker dragonfly

In the Moment

The opening of one’s eyes
The eyes of the dragonfly are one of the most amazing and awe inspiring sights. Given almost 80% of the insect’s brain power is dedicated to its sight and the fact that it can see in all 360 degrees around it, it symbolizes the uninhibited vision of the mind and the ability to see beyond the limitations of the human self. It also in a manner of speaking symbolizes a man/woman’s rising from materialism to be able to see beyond the mundane into the vastness that is really our Universe, and our own minds.

Here’s Looking At You Kid

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

Text from Wikipedia

 

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JULIA CHILD – Wise Words from the Magician in the Kitchen

August 15, 2012 by pbenjay

English: American cook, author, and television...

English: American cook, author, and television personality (August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today Julia Child would have been 100 years old!  I wonder what she would have cooked for breakfast? This post is in honor of a great lady, a wondrous cook and wise woman.  I was never a fan of her food. I don’t own any of her cookbooks not even the famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking!  I like French food but I guess as a young 20 year old bride I was more concerned with mastering cooking first and learning more about Italian dishes than French.  

However, I have always admired her quick wit and sharp to the point remarks.  So in honor of that laudable characteristic of hers, I am posting some of her famous remarks.

1. “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

2. “Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
3. “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”
4. “The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appetit.”
5. “I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”
6. “Fat gives things flavor.”
7. “Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed. Eh bien, tant pis. Usually one’s cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile, and learn from her mistakes.”
8. “I think one of the terrible things today is that people have this deathly fear of food: fear of eggs, say, or fear of butter. Most doctors feel that you can have a little bit of everything.”
9. “I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it — and, more important, I like to give it.”
10. “I think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a Valentine as you can give.”
11. “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces — just good food from fresh ingredients.”
12. “Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know?”
13. “I just hate health food.”
14. “Learn how to cook — try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun.”

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Signs Signaling the End of Summer

August 14, 2012 by pbenjay

When did it happen? You’re never really sure exactly when sometime between the Fourth of July and mid-August, it’s apparent summer is waning like tonight’s moon.  The signs are all around us and they’re getting harder to ignore.

end of summer, sea grass

Lariope-Uh Oh!

Just like those hopeful crocuses signal that Winter is over and life renewing Spring is on its way, when I see the Lariope in my front yard bloom, I know with a heavy heart that Summer will soon be over!  And then there’s the candles in the window….

I have battery-operated candles in the windows of the cottage; White candles with light bulb flames, flickering or not, are status quo in Ocean Grove along with flying the American flag.  My house is very old and I don’t have the luxury of multiple outlets, so I have these candles which turn themselves on every 16 hours.  You set them when you want them to light and then each day at that time the candles go on.  Well, what’s been happening lately is that it is getting darker and darker and the candles still haven’t gone on.  Apparently we are now losing a full 2 minutes of daylight each day.  Time to adjust the candles to go on earlier…and you know what that means :(.

Of course you also can’t go into any store and NOT be assaulted with signs that the first day of school can’t far off.  File folders with exotic designs, 3-ring notebooks in a rainbow of colors, hundreds of pens, pencils and highlighters are visible everywhere.  

And need a summer dress or a pair of capri’s and you are SOL.  It makes me hot just to go into the store and see all the wool and knits and dark colors.  I feel like disoriented tourist wearing my  orange bermudas and sleeveless tangerine top as I walk around the circular displays of brown, black, gray and loden green outfits!

What signs do you see that tell you summer is over?

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The Exquisite Art of Mother Nature

August 14, 2012 by pbenjay

Every season brings us proof of a higher power, a creator more talented than ourselves.  Some of us refer to this master artist as God, some as Mother Nature and others, well I can’t really speak for those who don’t acknowledge or appreciate the fact that the beauty around us was NOT put here by us.  I, for one, marvel at the beauty God has created BUT I’m quite happy to credit Mother Nature here in my blog for the endless seasons of exquisite art.  AND OF COURSE, I have to credit Murray Head for his unbelievable artistic eye and steady lens, for if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t get a glimpse of any of these wonders of the world.   I live 5 blocks from Central Park, but I can’t tell you the last time I was there.  So thank you Murray for bringing Mother Nature’s Art Show to us all.

lotus, pink water lilly, Central Park

Pink Perfection

water lilly, Central Park

Wonderful White Water Lilly

dragon flies, water lilly

Serene Summer Scene

Reflection

turtle, Central Park pond, mallard duck

Harmony

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

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How I Turned a Simple Supper Into A SUPER SUPPER.

August 12, 2012 by pbenjay

New York times, tomatoes, Jersey tomatoes, figs, blue cheese

Tomato, Fresh Fig and Blue Cheese Salad

We had worked last night and all day today and the last thing I wanted to do was cook.  At least that’s what I started out thinking and saying.  We bandied about a few places we might go to eat but it was still early and although neither of us had anything to eat all day except a few bites of some leftover tea sandwiches and I had a piece of watermelon, we weren’t ready to commit. AND we still had a few errands to run before we went home…. Somewhere between going to Walgreens and Wegman’s I got the idea that if we hurried we could get to Matt’s Vegetable and Fruit Stand before they closed and buy some corn.  The corn we had last night was Silver Queen and it’s like candy on a cob.  With that memory fresh in mind, I decided I would cook tonight IF Peter would agree to a simple meal of hot dogs.  And I mean simple – no grilling.  I would boil them which actually is the way we prefer them cooked anyway.

But I wanted some hot dog rolls tonight and sauerkraut and baked beans as well as the corn and we should pick up some tomatoes too.  When we got to Matt’s, the display of Jersey tomatoes was unbelievable. There was a 10′ table laden with bright red fleshy globes of sweet juiciness.  Hundreds of tomatoes to pick from and so I did – pick a few perfect specimens.  Peter grabbed 4 ears of corn using a tried and true technique for picking the best ears.  Well a farmer told me and it’s always worked for me so I’ll pass it on to you.  No need to strip the corn down a bit.  Besides that’s is just so rude.  Pick the ears that have long very dark tassels.  I spied some zucchini and yellow squash and remarked that we had not  had any other fresh vegetables this summer other than corn and tomatoes, so bought some squash too.

And now this is how I made the meal into a great dinner.

The corn was steamed, the baked beans heated up in the microwave along with the sauerkraut. I sliced up the squash and sautéed the slices in olive oil and garlic.  Then, I found the dining section from this week’s New York Times and proceeded to follow a fantastic recipe listed there in the glory of tomatoes.  I should check to see if the writer is from New Jersey – HEY, we all know that BEST tomatoes are Jersey Tomatoes.  I want to share the recipe with you in case you threw out the paper or can’t find it on the web.

Tomato, Fresh Fig and Blue Cheese Salad

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 cup olive oil

2 TBS pine nuts (I didn’t have quite that much, so just tossed the rest of the bottle in pan)

1 large or 2 small ripe tomatoes about 8 ounces, thinly sliced

1/2 pound fresh figs, cut into quarters (I used 2)

1 ounce crumbled blue cheese or to taste

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I had some frozen but they were more like dried)

Black pepper

1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and salt. Whisk in oil

2. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast pine nuts; shaking the pan occasionally until light golden, about 2 minutes.

3. Spread tomato slices on a large plate.  Scatter fig quarters and pine nuts over tomatoes.  Sprinkle with cheese and thyme, drizzle with dressing and finish with pepper.

recipe from New York Times

This was really a feast and in very short order too.  Life is good in The Garden State in the summer.

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RED IS WHERE YOU FIND IT! You Just Have To Look For It….

August 11, 2012 by pbenjay

But if you can’t find it or don’t want to hunt, just stick around for a few minutes because Murray discovered some great RED last weekend.  For the past couple of years, he has been photographing an annual event in New York City known as the Dragon Races.  Since this is a Chinese festival event, you can count on seeing red and I don’t mean the angry kind of red.  No, this is the good luck, good fortune red and fortunate we are to have these wonderful photos.  Thank you Murray for sharing!

Dragon race, dragon,

“Oh my what a big mouth you have”

captain, Dragon races

I Don’t Think His Team Won!

Dragon race, New York city

You GO girl!

Dragon races, captain

Do NOT Mess With This Guy

Good luck, dragon, dragon races

And the Dragon Wins!

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

 

 

 

 

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The Drought and the Domino Theory-Amuse Bouche du Jour

August 10, 2012 by pbenjay

English: A display of six ears of field corn w...

As I walked into Costco today and if you have been in one, you know they have a big board posted with the gas price of the day.  Actually in case you hadn’t figured it out yet, this only applies to those stores with gas pumps.  Today the gas price per gallon was $3.47 for regular.  WTF?  Last week I posted on Facebook that it was $3.35 which was already a BIG jump from the week before when it was $3.15 per gallon!

So this got me to thinking of some weird domino effect or as to what Wall-Streeters refer to as global economy.   Well maybe…. for days, no actually weeks, I have been hearing news about how horrible our corn crop is going to be.  No rain – small corn, shriveled up corn, maybe no corn.  And that means the cost of feed for cows and steers is going to go up in price due to the shortage.  Also, anyone even vaguely familiar with our basically unhealthy diet in America which seems to be based in high fructose corn syrup knows that if there is a shortage of corn, then all the products that have corn in them, will also rise in price.  It’s been estimated that upwards of 70% of our processed foods contain some corn product.  Wow, I guess EVERYTHING is going to go up in price.  Oh dear….too bad we don’t have corn in our salaries, paychecks, or commissions.

Last I knew and I admit I don’t know much, corn or corn byproducts were not in gasoline. So how does the drought in the Midwest which is destroying the corn crop, cause the weekly rise in gas prices?  That’s one hell of a domino theory!

Or are we paying more at the pump because Syria is in the midst of a civil war?  Or because Spain’s economy is slipping away although I doubt we import much gasoline from Spain.  Maybe it’s because Greece is still not out of the economic woods or because Brazil is enjoying a robust economy.   

Food for thought in the form of Amuse Bouche du Jour!  I’m assuming many people know more about this than me – See articles below.

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