Other than to my local farm stand, I haven't really gone anywhere lately. The other day my son told me that one of our local gardens opened back up, so we decided to check it out. It happened to be a pretty nice day - temp in the high 80's but less oppressive humidity. New Jersey summers are hot and humid, so when we get a break in that, we like to take advantage of it.
It's called the Leonard J. Buck Garden in Far Hills, NJ. You can click on the link to read about it if you're so inclined.
I got my son a new camera for Christmas, which he seems to be enjoying, and he brought it. My cameras are still packed from moving. I know where they are, but I haven't yet taken them out let alone charged the batteries and all that. I still have film cameras too, and I do use them, but I don't have any film on hand. So it was just me and my iPhone, which is good enough sometimes.
When we got there, we noticed that the paths we usually roam around on were now marked with directional arrows to keep people moving in the same direction so as to not have to pass one another. I liked that. It wasn't crowded anyway, which I also liked. It was nice to get out and feel somewhat normal. Nature is always soothing. Enjoy.
My very skinny son. He's actually a very good photographer. Better than I, I think.
Which way?
We were at least six feet apart.
Please
A little history.
Probably don't want to eat these.
Probably don't want to eat these either.
No dogs allowed, but Ivy would have loved splashing in this.
I have a half-written post about a song that took me back to a particular point in time. Things came up, and I haven't finished it yet.
This morning I woke up and did my usual run through of Facebook and Twitter. Within ten minutes, I was pretty certain today would be a day I need to avoid the interwebs. I just don't have it in me to deal with all the crap going on. Some days I can handle it. I think I'm too fragile and tired today.
However, there was on post on Twitter that may be my saving grace.
David Lemieux does a show called 'Today in Grateful Dead History' on the SiriusXM Grateful Dead channel. I love the show and follow him on Twitter. Today he posted this:
I was at that show. I had friends who traveled the country following the Dead. I considered myself a super fan, but I didn't stray far from NJ to see them - maybe as far north as Massachusetts, as far south as Northern Virginia, and as far west as the middle of Pennsylvania. JFK stadium was less than an hour away from my house, so you know I was there. I went with my usual crew: Stevie G, Jenny R, Suzanne S, and Turtle. Someday I'll have to dedicate a whole post to Turtle. He is worthy of it.
It was HOT. I think every Dead show I went to was in the middle of summer. I don't remember ever being cold at one.
Those who know the Dead know that there were some shows when Jerry just wasn't on his game. This show was not one of them. They were spectacular. It was so good, in fact, that the recording of it was released on an album called, "Crimson, White & Indigo."
I looked up JFK stadium on Wikipedia and found this:
Six days after the Grateful Dead's 1989 show, then-Mayor Wilson Goode condemned the stadium due to multiple findings by city inspectors that the structure was structurally unsafe and a potential fire hazard. Just hours before the concert, city inspectors discovered piles of combustible materials, numerous electrical problems, and crumbling concrete. There had been reports of falling concrete for some time before then. The Grateful Dead concert was allowed to go ahead due to strict no-smoking regulations that had been enacted some time before.Renovating and repairing the stadium was quickly ruled out, and it was demolished on September 23, 1992.
Hahaha. I'm surprised we survived.
So there it is. I started the day off sad and tired, but once again, the Grateful Dead picked me up. If you are feeling blue, sit back and give this clip from that iconic 7/7/89 show a watch. It's hard to feel bad. You may even feel like dancing a little.
