FRIDAY'S FOTO



I love my sunflowers!  Ours are planted and I cannot wait for them to bloom.
Is it that they have become symbols of happiness?
Is it because my daughter and I walked through fields of them in Nova Scotia?
Is it the mesmerizing pattern of the Fibonacci sequence?
http://www.popmath.org.uk/rpamaths/rpampages/sunflower.html



GETTYSBURG BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL--A FEAST FOR THE EARS!!!



66th Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival

 The grass isn’t always greener; twice a year, in May and again in August, the grass in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania’s Granite Hill Camping Resort is definitely BLUE.  That’s when the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival is there, a four day musical feast for anyone who loves Bluegrass music.  This is the fourth time we’ve gone, and it’s always quite a thrill.  This is the 66^th festival at this site!  Not 66 years because the festival occurs twice a year, but still, 33 years is pretty darned impressive.  Here’s my post from 2011 when we went in August. http://thirdagetraveler.blogspot.com/2011/09/gettysburg-bluegrass-festival-there-was.html

Rhonda Vincent took this Panorama photo of the crowd when she played. It is on her FB page.
It was taken on a Smartphone.
She gave permission to share.

I came to bluegrass late—really only over the last few years, but Rob is a long-time fan of some of the greatest bluegrass artists.  But I love live music and music festivals, so the thought of heading for a weekend in Gettysburg was enticing!  Little did I know that I’d fall in love with this great music.  It’s not the singing; it’s the incredible talent of these musicians. 

Gettysburg is about as far north as the circuit comes although last year we saw Rhonda Vincent in Gettysburg the night before she was scheduled to be solo up in Bethel Woods, a venue up in the Catskill Mountains of New York, so perhaps for those at the top of bluegrass, there is a worthwhile audience in the North. 

Rhonda Vincent, from a bluegrass family, playing a great mandolin

Bluegrass means constant touring for the performers, and Rhonda Vincent was heading home to Missouri after being on the road for 45 days.  Not an easy life.  You can check her out on Facebook.  She took the panorama photo of the crowd (much smaller than usual because it was drizzling and 57°--kinda nasty) that I posted above.  You can view it on her FB page to see how the crowd from the stage perspective.

This is such a great festival.  Half days on Thursday and Sunday and full days on Friday and Saturday.  Rob and I go for Friday and Saturday, leaving our house at around 7:30 AM to get to Gettysburg by 11:00 AM when the first act begins on time. 





Here's my favorite combination courtesy of Rhonda Vincent's band.
There's the fiddle, the banjo, the mandolin
the bass, the dobro, and the guitar.
Sweet, sweet music!

 

The sound I love best comes from this combination of instruments: banjo, mandolin, dobro, bass, violin and guitar.  For added richness, throw in a second fiddle.  No amplification of instruments, just a mic to carry the sounds out to the people.

Speaking of sound systems, the one at Gettysburg gets raves from the performers.

One performer told the story of being at a venue in Philadelphia—big place, huge, expensive sound system, but it was badly managed by inept technicians.  When his group couldn’t get the sound right, he told them to give them one mic and they’d do just fine.  And they did.  Real musicians do not need the technical doodads to make music!

What happens at Gettysburg once that music gets started is set after set with no more than five or six minutes between for setup.  Sets run about 45 minutes apiece with 12-15 songs.  First act goes on at 11 AM; last act Friday began at 11:15 PM, Saturday 11:20.  The only break is from 5:00-6:00 for dinner.  Each act does a set by day and a set by night.  Talk about constant music!

Just an impromptu dinner time jam session.  Lovely!

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.  These same musicians run workshops throughout the day on everything from “Celebrating Appalachian Roots” to playing individual instruments—mandolin, dobro, for instance—to songwriting.  Additionally, they have Jam sessions, sometimes members of different bands and sometimes with the public.  There are lots of folk walking around with their instruments, and during the dinner hour, we got to listen to impromptu jam sessions. 

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. 

There are venders of quality instruments as well as of souvenirs (our beer cozies are Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, and yes, we have t-shirts), and there are plenty of food venders as well.  Each performing group sells its cds and dvds, and it is all big and friendly.




Kids were in the pool (it was very hot on Sat.), but no running and yelling.

 

Got kids?  They have activities for them too, including musical ones.  The kids are so well behaved even though the swimming pool is right next to the stage.  Frankly, you’d think you’re on another planet because everyone is polite, neat, and friendly.  But don’t kid yourself.  Long beards, logo emblazed shirts, tie-dyed tees, overalls, skimpy shorts all are here—harmoniously in every sense of the word.  This is a Peace Place with great music.  Read my 2011 post for some more info, but know Rob and I will be back, and I’ll probably write about this festival again.

FRIDAY'S FOTO



This is the rear wall on the U.S.S. Arizona, sunk by the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941
Memorial Day is for the men still entombed on this sunken ship and for all the
other men and women who have died to keep us free
God Bless Them
Never forget them



Standing on the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, I can see parts of this sunken ship
and I am tremendously and tearfully moved by the thought of the men
entombed therein.
God Bless Them
Remember them and others who gave their lives for their country--and us--to keep us free.

ARUBA'S AMUSE BISTRO--A STUDY IN EXCELLENCE

It was serendipitous that we stopped to look at the posted menu at Aruba’s Amuse Bistro just outside the Playa Linda Beach Resort.  Although we were actually heading to another restaurant recommended by friends, the menu was so tantalizing that it beckoned us, and we willingly followed.  We were not disappointed.

Before I even get into our delicious dinner, let me begin with the strikingly comfortable ambiance the owners created.  The peaceful atmosphere was a bit surprising when you consider that Amuse Bistro sits right on Juan E. Iraqusquin Blvd., and people and traffic constantly pass by.  The restaurant, however sits just far enough off and at an angle to the sidewalk creating for the diners a feeling of being removed from the busy-ness of the world around them.  Pardon the expression, but it’s a delicious feeling.

After a day at the beach, it is nice to spend the evening in a casual yet elegant surrounding and to enjoy the comfortable weariness of a full day.  The atmosphere should not be rushed.  This is exactly what we discovered at Amuse Bistro.

The lighting made this a very romantic setting

We sat outside under a lighted covering.  The temperature, as it is in Aruba, was warm and caressing. The easy jazz that played in the background was so nice and light that we asked the waitress if there were musicians inside.  Surprisingly, the music was actually streaming www.jazzradio.com on a good sound system.  Volume was low enough to enjoy the music and still be able to have a quiet conversation.  That combination is unfortunately rare nowadays, and we welcomed it.  Everything contributed to a relaxed yet casually refined mood.  How perfect is that after a day at the beach?!

Amuse Bistro serves French-inspired dishes, but there is no attempt to make you wish you were in France.  You want to stay right here in Aruba.  At Amuse Bistro everything is made from scratch with fresh ingredients.  We’re not talking only about main courses.  Those from-scratch offerings include the bread, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and, yes, even the ice cream!  Dining here, therefore, is unlike any other restaurant, and we sat back and enjoyed the experience.

There’s another nice touch offered at Amuse Bistro.  Diners can order anything on the menu as an appetizer or as an entrée thereby allowing a size selection.  It’s an excellent concept.  We were tempted to order several different appetizer portions so we could taste a wider variety of dishes, but in the end we were won over by the Catch of the Day.



Notice the attributes of each wine.  Nice.

 But let me not jump ahead.  After our cocktails, we ordered wine to have with dinner.  Even the way the wine is offered brings a smile.  The “bottle” menu listed the suggestions.  Not only did we have the name of each wine, but also we had the unique qualities of the wine, so we could sip and allow our taste buds to search out the different flavors to which we had treated them.  That’s exactly what we did.  It was fun. 

We chose the Argentinean Malbec wine, fruity and earthy.  It is a cross between a California Cabernet and a California Merlot.  We were pleased with that choice.

We began our dinner with escargots in garlic butter and served with toasts.  This appetizer is one of our favorites, and it’s something I make at home.  Amuse Bistro’s preparation was lovely.  Escargots is an appetizer to eat slowly and to savor.  We did.

lovely lighting
lovely gazpacho

While we did not order soup, a complimentary tasting in a simple tiny glass bowl of Amuse Bistro’s gazpacho topped with a pine nut was served to us, and that was a pleasant treat.  The gazpacho was delicious, but the special touch simply added to our enjoyment of the restaurant. 

We did enjoy a wonderfully fresh salad, and then on to our entrées.  So much on the menu was tempting that this decision did create conundrums.  The Catch of the Day it turned out to be a perfectly tasty decision.

our grouper
absolutely delicious
lovely presentation
lovely dinnerware

The Catch of the Day was pan-fried grouper served on a bed of spinach and accompanied by mashed potatoes and bok choy in a very light cream sauce.  The presentation was artful, the taste extraordinary. 

Let me digress here to the presentation.  The photographs of our meal show the lovely dinnerware, colorful, unmatched yet all complementary to the deep blue linen and to each other.  The candlelight reflected the blue in our water glasses.  There was also variety in the shapes and sizes of the plates—different yet complementary. 

I was especially taken by the plate on which our entrée was served.  The colors of our meal—the shades of creamy white of the sauce and potatoes, the variable greens in the bok choy, and the lightly browned fish fitting so well on the dinner plate with its blue fish wrapping around the edge—added to the pampering atmosphere.  Who doesn’t like to be pampered?

The dining table became a canvas upon which a picture-perfect meal was presented—not a formal painting, but an elegantly casual picture fitting the restaurant’s setting and the island’s mood. 

We did not have dessert though it was tempting.  We sipped our coffee and then strolled Juan E. Iraqusquin Blvd. just as tourists do, enjoying the sights, the sounds, and the marvelous Aruban evening.

  

FRIDAY'S FOTO



This is not the moon.  We were on an Alaskan glacier. 
The black backgound are the mountains through which the glacier flows.
Breathtakingly beautiful.  Being there is almost a spiritual experience.