Rural Music

Now that summer has officially ended, I am reflecting on the local events that mean summer to me.
One summer tradition is The Bainbridge Old Time Band concerts. Only one-hour long, three to four times each summer, outside if the weather is good, and always associated with desserts and church-fundraisers. The season usually begins with a Strawberry Shortcake Special. The concert pictured above happened toward the end of blueberry season...and for $2.50 I got the works. The choices included blueberry cobbler -- which I devoured, blueberry buckle, and a blueberry cake, topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, and garnished with a use-serve-yourself helping of blueberry sauce.
The band which has grown in size since the first time I heard them...used to play from the small gazebo at the other end of the park...is now up to 15 players. The evening's program included marches and waltzes and a medley of Scottish tunes sandwiched between the national anthem and God Bless America. Folding chairs, caps of white-haired couples, the band leader is the local maple syrup producer and his mom leads the last tribute song.
There are many other musical offerings in this area -- people raved about the Blues festival this past weekend on the bridge in Binghamton and my family and I enjoyed the line-up at this year's Colorscape, but summer just wouldn't be summer without the Bainbridge Old Time Band.


   What events mean summer to you??

Coffee Meets Tea

 

 

Alan accompanied me on my morning walk on Sunday...and we stopped for breakfast at Henry's....which we do every few months or so. Always an interesting group of folks...hunters, clients, neighbors, city folk up for the weekend...some reading local newspapers, all eating the diner-esque food and drinking pretty dilute coffee. There are often folks sporting various caps and shirts -- not with designer logos -- but with names of favorite sports teams or hunting slogans or ??

And so while drinking my coffee I met the guy pictured, all proud of his recent participation at a Tea Party rally. His shirt says it all...of course, we disagree on most everything and then again....a few items like "I am not going to take...dependence on foreign oil." Hmmm...even if we agree on that, I am positive that we would vehemently disagree on the means to achieve it!!

And to end on local taste... you've probably seen a "ship in a bottle" before, right? A small model carefully  built and encased in glass. Well, here's the upstate equivalent....a cucumber in a plastic soda bottle. Plant a seed, give it light and moisture, and see what grows. Even if you don't appreciate the aesthetics, you may like the metaphor.