So what do you do during the day? Days in the life of jazz fans in Rochester

 

Margaret Almon and myself at the Metropolitan Art Gallery

Margaret Almon and myself at the Metropolitan Art Gallery

Our favorite vacation spot seems to be Rochester NY in June when the XRIJF is happening. This year I made it to seven straight nights of jazz but before I do some celebrating of the jazz blogging, ...

We generally refuse to spend time standing in long lines, but we do stand waiting to get into jazz venues. From time to time we even break out of our introverted selves and talk to the people next to us. I think we are hoping to find another out of towner. It hasn't happen. We have met locals who take the week off so they can stay out late every night listening to jazz. But no others who are on vacation.

"So what do you do during the day?" The locals ask us.

Generally we ~> lounge at our friends house, find an interesting lunch, visit stained glass stores and yarn shops for souvenirs, and go to museums. Margaret has already blogged a bit about this reflective statue on her blog when she celebrated her July Fifth, yes Fifth, Independence Day, so if interested, check it out.

 

TBT JAZZ ~> Thelonius Monk 1952 / 1954 Trinkle Tinkle

From the album "Thelonious Monk Trio" (1954)

Thelonious Monk - piano

Gerry Mapp - bass

Max Roach - drums

Recorded in New York City on December 18, 1952

 

 

Scenes from the June Garden

Lemon Thyme in the garden of nutmeg designs

Bee enjoying lavender in the garden of nutmeg designs

See five more June garden images here

Creeping Back to a Well Kept Garden

Creeping thyme overhanging white wall

Summer school has arrived and though I enjoyed the three week break, the garden took advantage of the time to run in its own direction. Weeds. Dead blooms. Plants in need of support.

So it is a good thing that I asked for more horticulture time this summer and that the temps have stayed low enough to get some gardening in at the school. But back to back to back horticulture classes following a pre-school day weeding session, had me a bit tired out. Each class brought a set of fresh legs while mine grew less fresh. When it was over I drank some water and walked up the hill to some creeping thyme.

I'm not sure why but of all the blooms encountered the last two days, these small flowers asked the most for my attention. Saint Ignatius would say God was conversing with me when those blooms caught my eye so deeply. The desire to respond to a garden in need of attention is a much greater call that I find difficult to ignore. It gets me to the school early to rid the flower garden of weeds and helps me to keep going as those fresh legs enter into my classroom.

Throwing It Back Thursday : Mary Lou Williams Trio 1953 Just You, Just Me

Recorded: Paris, France December 2, 1953

Personnel:

Mary Lou Williams - Piano

Buddy Banks - Bass

Gerard Pochonet - Drums

 

 

Wordless Wednesday ~> Candy-striped Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea )

Candy-striped Leafhopper, Red-banded Leafhopper, Red-and-blue Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

Celebrating Plant Diversity: Artist's Acanthus ~> Acanthus montanus

Artist's Acanthus Acanthus montanus

The last time I walked about Longwood Gardens with my camera, I tried to be patient, to wait and see what plants would jump out at me. Artist's Acanthus did just that and now I am trying to imagine a slug causing damage to such a fierce looking plant. To learn more about Acanthus montanus, a plant native to Tropical Africa, check out this site.

Artist's Acanthus Acanthus montanus bloom