Archive for the Good Times Category
Day Trip to Grounds for Sculpture
Posted in Good Times with tags art, day trips on August 17, 2010 by VergeSunday I moved my band rehearsal to later in the day so that Monika and I could spend the day together doing something fun. We woke up early, but by 11 AM, we still had not made definite plans. Options ranged from Brandywine River Museum, Lambertville to visit River Horse Brewing Company, This crazy abandoned mansion in PA, and this castle near New York.
I think Monika is suspicious that I lied and I'm really driving her to a bar
But, Monika went to art school, and knew about a place I had never heard of. It’s not too far, just outside Trenton and less than an hour from our house in Atco. It turned out to be amazing and it’s called Grounds for Sculpture. I’ve been to sculpture gardens before, but I had no idea what to expect from this one, especially because it was located in the less than sophisticated, truly blue-collar Trenton suburb. I was shocked.
Monika pets abstract art
This place was amazing. First of all, the staff…every single person we met, was exceptionally helpful and very nice. After getting a map, we headed out. You might thing you don’t need a map. You’d be wrong. I’m very good with directions and orientation, and I needed the map plenty. On the other hand, you certainly don’t need help finding plenty of crazy sculptures and inviting little pathways everywhere.
in the secret bamboo woods
Unlike many museums, this one is very interactive. You wouldn’t normally think of a sculpture garden that way, but none of these pieces of art were roped off, and many of them were free to touch. In fact, they offer special guided tours for the blind and disabled because the beauty of the artwork, as well as the landscaping and grounds, transcend the “art fanatic” crowd.
Monika hugs a rock!
Part of the allure of this place, for me at least, was it’s history. The grounds have been the location of public gatherings for over a century, but only more recently a place of art appreciation and grounds for meditations. Some of the original buildings from its historic roots still remain.
this is just one of a handful of structures left over from the original uses of this location
At one time the New Jersey Fairgrounds were located here. That existed for a century or so and used to have festivals, the State Fair and other public gatherings in addition to showcasing farming equipment and the like. Eventually, in the 70’s, they were going bankrupt and sold the property. In the early 90’s, Grounds for Sculpture was born.
This is a depression era bread line sculpture
The landscaping is amazing and very surreal
there are a few lily gardens
and a water garden with waterfalls and streams
and bizarre sculptures
___...~~~***``***~~~...___
this was one of my favorites. it's a guy taking a picture (sort of)
there's even a section that's made from old, discarded pieces of granite and stone
and a whole section where you can interact with famous pieces of art (this one is called "naked girl with perverts)
like Monet's water lily garden paintings.
Spiritualized @ Radio City Music Hall
Posted in Good Times with tags concerts, New York City, Spiritulaized on August 2, 2010 by VergeFriday night midtown Manhattan welcomed Jason Pierce for his most ambitious show in, well…ever. As the man who literally is Spiritualized, Pierce brought with him a band, a choir, a string section and a horn section for one night, and one night only. One could only assume that this show was staged for something more than just for the hell of it.
Dressed in all white and practically sitting in the wing, Pierce commanded the attention of all 30 people on stage who watched his every move. It was clear that no matter how “not important” he tried to make himself appear, he was the dominating force of the evening. Spiritualized never reached the popularity that Oasis or Coldplay or even The Verve enjoy, but the songs wore the air of divinity, instead of mere shallow, emo-ish British Rock.
Spiritualized at Radio City Music Hall 2010 (I took this photo with a phone)
And with the iconic sample that begins “Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space,” so too began the evening. We knew what we were going to see, but no one really knew what to expect. I soon learned that I should have known exactly what to expect all along. Simple, elegant beauty. The choir backed up Pierce’s longing, desperate vocals perfectly. The strings and horns weren’t over dominating at any time but instead blended into the rock band with ease. It was a pleasure to hear real, live instruments instead of lifeless keyboards and samples. It was how Spiritualized always wanted their music to sound – Huge. Soaring. Epic.
Highlights included the anthem “Come Together,” the haunting “Cop shoot Cop,” and a 2 song encore of “Out of Sight” and “Oh, Happy Day.” The lights were vague and subtle. There were no gimmicks or lasers or props, just the music to speak for itself. Surely you can always tell that the words written 15 years ago still meant something to little J. They still speak to me.
okay, not the best seats in the house, but they were at least in the house!
It would be almost impossible, at times, to convince someone unfamiliar with the band that it was indeed not religious music, per se. The emotional ebb and flow, the choir robed in white, and the soaring crescendos are reminiscent of a classic spiritual. The only difference is that the preacher crones his message softly while sitting, squeezing every bit of catharsis from his guitar.
In reality, Spiritualized is a veiled reference to Absinthe, and Pierce worships escape from reality. The story behind the album is certainly depressing (although he still denies it)A. After literally turning a dysfunctional experiment into one of the best selling British acts along side his girlfriend, Pierce’s wife secretly married Richard Ashcroft from The Verve 4 days before the two bands shared one stage. It’s hard to believe Pierce still has it in him to want to relive that mess in it’s entirety at all.
The show was not without flaws. A false opening of the curtain at the beginning teased the crowd before closing abruptly again. There was a sprinkling of speaker feedback that I’m sure will be gone when the dvd is released. Who could blame them with all those microphones on stage anyway. And the crowd was an uncomfortable mix of pleasant fans who wished to sit and enjoy the music (us) and those who thought that if they could only clamor 10 rows closer, the music would sound so much better and photos would be so much cooler when they showed their friends on Facebook the next day (assholes).
In the end I don’t know if a dvd will be coming. They had the cameras there for Spin, so it could be easily done. I’m not really sure why Jason Pierce put the band back together, in this grand fashion, to play just one show across the pond. He could have sold out a dozen shows I’m sure. Being able to see the only one is, quite simply, monumental. In the end, though, I don’t think Mister Spaceman staged this show for his fans…he staged it as a sort of therapy for himself.
Pierce, J Spaceman, Legend
Atco Devastated
Posted in Good Times with tags Atco, Thunderstorm on June 28, 2010 by VergeLast Thursday a fierce storm blew through our town. It wasn’t a hurricane or a tornado, but it did do a hell of a lot of damage. We were lucky we had power back within 24 hours. I honestly saw so many power lines down, I thought for sure it was going to be a full weekend without electricity. As soon as I finally made it home from work, having driven through the hell that was Atco, barely being able to navigate the roads, I grabbed my camera and set out on foot to take some shots of the damage. Here are some of the best.
Night at the Ballpark
Posted in Good Times, Vegan and Vegetarian Lifestyle with tags baseball, philadelphia, sports, vegan, vegetarian on June 12, 2010 by VergeMonika and I managed to score a pair of tickets to the Phillies game on Thursday. Anyone who knows me can tell that I don’t really watch baseball. I find it pretty boring and too slow for my taste. Going to a live baseball game, on the other hand, is really exciting and I thoroughly enjoy the experience because it’s just that…an experience.
Of course, we couldn’t go to an authentic ball game without a little tailgating. We wanted to go simple, though, because taking home a bunch of empty bottles of beer in the car afterward is out of the question, and leaving it in the parking lot is just not our style. We hit up my favorite local liquor store and decided on two forties, white trash style.
We arrived in the third because there was ridiculous traffic and we still had to have a sip of beer in the lots. Though I don’t go very often, I really do love the new park. It is so much nicer than seeing a ball game at the Vet. I’m really glad they chose, in the end, not to share a stadium with the Eagles.
smaller is better in the baseball world
Our seats were pretty damn fine for free
We enjoyed a beer inside the venue, but eventually we got bored (there were only two runs the entire game) and got hungry. Philly has the best food for a pair of vegetarians in the entire country. First, we tracked down the vegan hot dogs. We found them without too much hunting, right along side of the regular hot dogs, but with a special “vegan” sticker stuck to the quintessential tin foil wrapped hot dogs. Surprisingly, there was plenty to grab and they were freshly reheated.
The condiments center at the Park is pretty nice, too. It was relatively clean, all the ketchup and mustard dispensers were full and not disgusting, and you have a choice to grab packets as well. Also, they have these fresh cut onions dispenser that you crank with a handle and out plops bits of coarsely cut fresh white onions. Pretty neat, actually. I had two vegan dogs with onions and ketchup and they were every bit as delicious as I remember a hot dog being when I was a kid at he ball game with my dad.
we stopped back in our seats to watch the Phillies not winning
After we’d had enough, we went to look for the vegetarian cheese steaks that I knew were in here somewhere. I knew it might take us all night going to every kiosk to find it, so I asked a pleasantly helpful cashier where I might find one, and she knew. We headed to the first level concourse where Campo’s is located. The lines weren’t too long at all, and I ordered one veggie american wit.
my mouth was watering...twice!
We grabbed another eyefuls of views of the game and ball park before heading back to the car to enjoy our victory sandwich.
the field after sunset, under the lights
...
there plenty to see even if you're just a casual baseball fan
Me and Monika are not sports nuts. Well, that is to say, we are not huge fans of watching other people engage in sports, though we do like to play games ourselves. But, if the opportunity affords you, I would highly recommend an outing to see the Phillies sometime. Baseball still is our national past time and a fantastic summer ritual. And, contrary to public perception (which is often true), Philly’s fans aren’t really some crude form of humans. They just want to have a good time, see their team win, and hang out with other fans…as long as they’re dressed in red (or orange, or green).
Weekend Review # 3 – “Decoration Day”
Posted in Good Times with tags forked river, memorial day, New Jersey Devil, on a boat on June 4, 2010 by VergeAfter three years living in a town house it Atco, I had more than outgrown my garage/shed space. I used to have a two car garage. I turned 3/4ths of it into my recording studio two years ago, leaving not even a cars worth of space for my workbench, all my tools, my refrigerator and all my extra supplies (like paper towels, toilet paper, and a various multitude of kitchen gadgets that surely do not fit into the limited space of a town home set aside for culinary expertise).
The garage as it looked the week before I owned it!
This is how it looks now ( a bit messy)
This is why I needed a shed...
I also had a small outdoor storage shed. This was actually just a small closet attached to my house and not really a shed at all but more of an outhouse. This is where I’ve managed to stuff every bit of lawn furniture cushions, lawn and garden chemicals (yes, some of them organic, but not all), seeds, a rather large ceramic kiln, a lawnmower, weed whacker, blower, gas for all three (and some gas for I don’t even know what), and all kinds of various outdoor things that really don’t fit in a 4’X6′ closet.
So, I ordered a storage shed from here, and had it delivered last Thursday morning. I had made some preparation in my backyard by removing the stones in my front yard and making a stone foundation in an appropriate place in the deep backyard. In their place, I decided to plant corn with Monika. It just started to come up by the time this weekend came to a close.
Having expanded my vegetable garden into my front yard is not only an intelligent use of my obviously limited space in a town home, but a hilarious trick to play on my neighbors. I plan to make it up to them in the Fall by giving them all dried corn stalks for their Halloween and Autumn decorations.
Okay, in this photo, the corn is barely discernible, but it's there, I assure you.
In any case, I had an unbelievably long, 5 day weekend ahead of me without actually having to burn any vacation days. I had intentionally left it completely free because I wanted enough time to build the shed I had ordered. I arrived Thursday around noon, and that’s when I started building. It took me that afternoon and evening, with some help from friends, and then I finished by the next afternoon. It came out damn nice and I’m completely happy with the money I spent on it.
Now with the big project out of the way, and three entire days of vacation left, me and Monika headed to my parents house in Forked River for an evening of relaxation. Obviously, we had some delicious cocktails on Friday night with my family. the next morning, after a nice breakfast, we took my brother’s boat out for a swim. There were seven of us, and we raced around with no destination, a cooler of beer and tunes blaring. We really didn’t want to end up anywhere. We just wanted to enjoy the crystal clear day, the calm bay and the calming ride.
Alas, after the ride was over, there was some obligatory work to do back at the house. Working on the boat lift and fuel filter for a few hours is a decent exchange for hours of fun on the boat I’m sure I’ll cash in on later in the Summer. Nevertheless, I crouched over the bay, balancing on a metal beam only four inches wide, trying with all my strength to loosen bolts that have partially corroded due to the salt water. It was nerve racking and I enjoyed a much needed martini when we were finished.
We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the top deck, in the sun, with our family.
And, I’d like to take a moment to point out that Decoration Day, otherwise known by its modern name of Memorial Day, is about paying homage and respect to those people who have served our country’s military in all facets of defense. Originally, Decoration Day was a day of remembrance for those soldiers that died in the Civil War, and was celebrated on the anniversary of the armistice. Much later, it was expanded first to the first World War, and then again, much later, for all fallen American service people.
Modern celebrations have drifted to the edge of meaningfulness. The “bank holidays” of the United States have lost much of their potency to the coveted “three-day weekend” that we all treasure so much. And, I certainly understand that it’s not always the best time to bring up the fact that our country was not only bitterly divided, but at war with itself, and many people were killed. In fact, the tactics of the North versus the South near the end of the American Civil War were undoubtedly insane.
call me a patriot, but this alone sometimes can bring tears to my eyes...
Admittedly, we really did nothing more that fly a flag, which in reality, is the same thing we do every day. Of course, we should have flown it at half staff. Next year, I’d like to remember to do more. Better still, I’ll try to do something today, or next week, or all year. Personally, I’m not a fan of leaving carnations of grave sites, but sending letters, or supplies to entertain soldiers overseas suits me just fine.
That night was game one of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was a crazy, high-scoring game that I watched with my Dad on the couch. They Flyers lost, but it really doesn’t matter all that much to me since I’m a New Jersey fan. However, if I’m at a bar watching the rest of the finals (game 4 tonight), I’d like to see Philadelphia win so everyone isn’t pissed off and upset.
Perhaps this'll be your year, Philly fans.
Sunday we planned to go home, so we didn’t get into anything too time consuming. Monika drove home while I tried to convince my friend to go sky diving with us the next day. I’ve wanted to for a few years now, and after talking to a friend of ours who had just done, she convinced me I needed to go sooner rather than later. But, alas, the request was turned down due to lack of funds.
However, he did have a pretty damn fine idea that required no money at all. I’ve been wanting to learn how to sail, and he has a sail boat! He invited us both to meet him and his wife to the yacht club where he stores his boat for my first lesson and an afternoon on the Delaware River.
Getting in and out was a bit more adventure than I expected, but we got it done. Once out in the water, my friend showed us some of the more important things, like how to not capsize by “hiking.” When the wind failed us, we broke out a bottle of champagne and some PBRs and took a break. It was a perfect day for beginners: sunny, not too crowded and light wind. Hell of an adventure.
We wrapped up later that evening hanging out with Kreg and Kat and their families for memorial day BBQ at his house. It was a great weekend. I got a lot done, and had a ton of fun with my friends and family as well. Can’t beat that. I hope everyone else had a great deal of outdoor, familial, friendly, somewhat drunken fun at some point, too.
Paper Gifts
Posted in Good Times, Reflections, Vegan and Vegetarian Lifestyle with tags valley green inn, vegan, vegetarian on May 21, 2010 by VergeSo, May 17th was the first anniversary of my marriage to Monika. This year, our actual anniversary fell on Monday, which isn’t the best of days to celebrate or go out to dinner. Instead, we decided to revisit the beautiful place we got married for our anniversary dinner, the Valley Green Inn.
The VGI has great vegan and vegetarian food, but you wouldn’t exactly know it at first glance. They don’t really have regular vegetarian choices on their menu. However, I knew that they had tons of choices, so I emailed them to ask if it was possible if they could prepare us something special.
With better restaurants, this is a must. As an email exchange I had with one of the managers of VGI confirmed, chef’s often enjoy the opportunity to cook something new. Specifically, he said that their head chef was going to go to the local market to buy items that were fresh and in season for our dinner.
We arrived in the Wissahickon Valley around 530 for our 6 PM reservation. It was a mild night and the park was teeming, so we hiked in from the upper lot. When we checked in at the hostess desk, she wished us a happy anniversary, and we got to sit outside on the porch just 50 feet away from where we were married last year.
Of course, we order a bottle of Champagne. The waitress handed us menus, but then quickly realized we were “the vegetarians.” I told her we were eating whatever the cook wanted to serve us and that’s exactly how it went down. We started with two fresh salads, and our entree was a mix of vegetables and sauces, all of which were teeming with flavor and quite satisfying. I also had a martini and Monika stuck to the champagne.
We almost never order dessert. Most of the time, it’s too full of fat, and neither of us like cake at all. But, we decided we should try some and ordered a sorbet with fruit “leather.” When it arrived, the chef had carefulyl written in chocolate, on the rim of the plate, “Happy 1st Anniversary.” Really, above and beyond our expectations by far.
I really didn’t care what the meal cost. I had told the chef originally that I would be happy to pay whatever price he thought was fair for the off-the-menu entrees he was serving us. Well, I have no idea what that price might have been. Our entrees weren’t on the bill at all.
The waitress informed us that our entire meal, drinks and all, was on the house. I can’t explain how floored we were at the level of graciousness The Valley Green Inn showed in helping us make our first anniversary dinner a special one. The waitress got a pretty damn nice tip from us.
Then, we took some pictures at the exact spot we were married. I really can’t believe it’s been a year already. As time goes on, there may never again be such a collection of wonderful people at one of our parties. I hope, at least, a party of two will return here every year for the rest of our lives.
Oh, and the title of this blog…that refers to the type gift one is to give your wife on your first anniversary. So, this is what she got from me this year.
a beautiful writing journal...
...our first blotter art piece; it is the start of a new collection...
Tiki Torches That Aren’t a Ripoff.
Posted in Good Times on May 13, 2010 by VergeSeriously, Tiki torches are awesome. Real flame burning in your backyard is truly manly. There is nothing better in my backyard when I light a campfire (illegally) and then spread the flames all around the perimeter.
Who doesn’t really buy the regular, 3 bucks a pop, bamboo shit tiki torches every summer to plant around their backyard? They suck to drive into the ground, they rot in months, and they’re generally worth even less that the shockingly low price they’re sold for in the first place.
So, as previously mentioned here, I found a site with stumbleupon that had these awesome, home made, recycled bottle tiki torches that I fell in love with. This past weekend, I went to Home Depot, admittedly a bit intoxicated, and bought all the items needed to make one of these spectacular backyard torches.
you'll need an old bottle, a tiki torch wick, and all the rest of the stuff here. I'm not giving specifics. It's DIY. That means, figure it out for yourself. I was half drunk when I made these, and nothing's burned down yet. Look in the plumbing or gas section of your hardware store to get most of this stuff.
Give the bottle a heavy coat or two of varnish. If the whole bottle is painted labels, then it's optional. If the bottle labels are paper and you want to see them in a few months, you'll have to seal them with something.
you'll need a threaded bar to screw into a base plate on one end and a pipe clamp on the other. I bought a 3' bar and cut it with a hacksaw into 1 foot sections. You should also screw stop bolts onto the rod first so you can lock the position in place later.
The brass fitting should fit into the mouth of the bottle you are using, but not fall into the bottle. Then, I sliced into the narrow side in order to bend it....
...with pliers, so that it's narrow enough to grip the wick...
...like this. Make sure it's tight enough. Fishing the fuel-soaked wick out of the bottle later really sucks, trust me.
While waiting for the bottle to finish drying, I nailed the post to my fence. The original prototypes used a lot of copper components. I thought that was cute and all, but since I was looking for longevity, I switched to galvanized. You can certainly screw them in with drywall screws, but the galvanized will last longer without rusting.
When the bottle is sufficiently dry, fill that vessel with tiki torch fuel
drop in the wick and attach it to the mount. Technically, I should have used plumber's tape to seal the wick holder into the bottle neck, but I didn't have any. It will keep water out of the oil, though, so I will go back later and seal all the wicks into the bottle necks.
And that's it. Light the torch. I got little copper caps to put on the tops when they're not in use, so water doesn't contaminate. Here are some pix of the first few I made...
UPDATE: BTW, these cost about 10 dollars a piece to make. That includes all the parts, the finishing, the tiki fluid and all. Also, I decided to only use Gin bottles in my backyard, but you could use anything. I’m thinking of using craft brew 1 liter bottles of beer in the future. But, be aware that all necks are not the same size, so you may need to try a few different cuffs to find the one that actually will fit around the neck of a particular bottle. Buy a bunch at Depot, then return what you don’t use later.
Two Fires and a Matinee (Weekend Review # 2)
Posted in Good Times with tags atsion, Batsto, Camping, Hiking on May 12, 2010 by VergeThere were a lot of circumstances that prevented the backpacking trip I had planned this weekend. We were supposed to be partying Friday night, then waking up early Saturday and driving to Atsion. Four to six of us were then going to take a five mile hike with all of our camping gear on our backs to the Mullica River campground.
It is a vehicle inaccessible site and so once we were in, we were in for good. The plan was to set up our tents, gather firewood, make lunch and dinner, and generally enjoy the outdoors. This campground has no water, toilets, of other luxuries at all. We were all looking forward to roughing it for a month and a half.
Then, as we made some preparations on Thursday night for the exciting weekend ahead, Kreg got a horrible call. His shop was on fire and those were about the only details he got. He rushed off with Kat to Hainseport to see what the hell was going on. It wasn’t good.
I didn’t see them again for the rest of the night, but several calls from them confirmed the worst. It was indeed his shop that burned. It was no small fire. All his work inside was destroyed. His tools were about the only thing that made it out still usable, and only after several days of cleaning.
At noon on Friday, as I enjoyed a beer at a local bar, I got the news from Kreg that he was bailing. I should have expected that he would. I would have in his shoes. He had way too much to take care of at that point. I was just hoping he was going to blow off things for a day or two and let things settle. Within and hour or so, I decided to call off the trip. It was probably smart that I did.
That afternoon I got to plant my garden and all my annuals. Pictures to follow soon. I originally was planning on feverishly planting so that I could pack our backpacks and head out in the morning. Due to our postponed camping trip, I was able to take my time, and Monika and I had a leisurely afternoon instead of a hectic one. Later, we had a small camp fire at our house, and then another one over some drinks at Rob’s.
The weather was supposed to be windy and rainy. We had originally decided that we were going to go for it anyway and hike through the rain and have a hell of an adventure on Saturday. Well, in the end, it never rained. But, there was a hell of a windstorm that not only would have scared the hell out of us had we slept in our meager tents surrounded by trees that night, but also spread a forest fire through the Pines.
Instead of gathering firewood Saturday afternoon, Monika, Schmoo and I went to Philly to see Julia Nunes, who I was originally pissed I was going to miss due to the camping trip. It was a 4 pm show at North Star Bar in Fairmount because it was all ages and only ten bucks. We got there in time for the opening act, a guy from Philly name Lucas Carpenter, who you can also check out here (all the loops were made on the spot, not pre-programmed).
I was glad we made it for him because I thoroughly enjoyed his show and got to meet him after his set. We also got to meet Julia afterward along with the other 60 or so teenagers that were at the show. We picked up a few of her CDs…
Monika, Julia and Maya on a Saturday afternoon.
and got some photos, too. It was a great afternoon in the city and at least softened the blow of missing our hiking trip considerably.
Later that night we hung out with Marla and Rob and Kreg and Kat over a campfire and some cigars. At least we got outside for another night and had some more outdoor time. The next morning, neither me nor Monika had to work, which was why we were originally going camping in the first place. But, even though we didn’t have to work formally, I had tons of stuff to do around the house and yard.
I worked in my garden, did laundry and dishes and the normal boring crap. But, I did finally finish and mount the huge wooden gear above my garage. And, after discovering some directions online, I made some of my own recycled bottle tiki torches. The details of how to make these is in a coming blog post.
I had a great weekend after all, but at the expense of my best friend’s shop and a potential epic weekend that could have been. Hopefully both will be resurrected in the future, better than the original, and everything will work out in the end.
Weekend Review #1 — Samantha’s Week
Posted in Good Times with tags atsion, dirty robots, new hope, philly, rum bar, speedline, ulana's on April 29, 2010 by VergeSam was in town for the weekend. She arrived Friday evening; That’s when the debauchery began.
Friday evening I wasn’t sure if and when Sam would show up. We played it low key and hung out at Plunge, a swanky little joint located two doors down and run by my best friend. Shorty later, Lorie and Sam showed up with Clint, and libations were plentiful. All three ended up spending the night and Clint was gone when I woke up.
HIKING IN ATSION
As promised, I phoned my friend Mike in the morning and planned to meet up with him at Atsion for an excursion in the Pine Barrens. I wasn’t sure if he was going to show up with his daughter or not. We planned to meet in at noon, and we met at the old Mansion there, among other hikers. We set off on the abandoned rail line that once ran from Atco to Atsion, along what is now Raritan Ave in Atco, and a simple dirt road called Railroad Ave in the middle of the woods nearest Atsion.
Mike showed up with John, one of his good friends, but also, one of our work peers. He is also a seasoned outdoorsman and knows the area well. The six of us found the trailhead easily. I was looking specifically for some concrete evidence that this was the path of the old rail line. Mike and I had also loaded around 25 goecache locations into his GPS the day before over lunch.
The planned path was ambitious — around 8 miles. If you know the area, the hike was this: Atsion on Railroad/Raritan Ave. to the first intersection, which is Railroad Ave and Sandy Causeway, then left onto Sandy Causeway until meeting the abandoned rail lines which run nearly parallel with Fleming Pike back towards Atsion.
We had a beautiful day for a hike. We tracked down a handful of goecaches. Best of all, the hike was not carefree. We had to navigate huge puddles, thorns and thickets and a seriouss lack of bourbon after the first half.
Here are some Geocache finds….
and another one…
crossing the washed away bridge…
…
…
…
DRINKING IN PHILLY
Sam’s friend is about to move to Germany and she was having a sort of going away party at some of her favorite spots in Center City. We met with her and some of our friends after taking the Speedline.
First stop was the Rum Bar. I had only been here once before for Dave’s bachelor party. It was pretty crowded but the music was good and we got to the drinkin’ pretty quick. The bartender was kind of a freak and I think it may have been his first time at a real bar or something.
Perhaps it was my tips, or his inexperience, or my sharp suit, but he was making ’em strong and I got pretty tore up there. So much so that the bouncer at the bar next door nearly didn’t let me in the place.
I wasn’t surprised that our friend Don and his crew were in the city, but I was definitely drunkenly confused when they showed up at the bar unexpectedly. But, the bar had gotten crowded and it wasn’t our scene so much. We poured into the busy streets and hailed a cab to Ulana’s near South Street, a bar I know well and like well enough.
I can’t possibly say that I was completely sober when I took a spill in the club and banged up my arm, thumb and face, but I was soberish. Monika had cut me off back at Rum Bar, so I was certainly in better shape than earlier. No matter, though, I was fine and the scrape on my cheek was gone within days.
We spent some time at Ulana’s until everyone was drunk, tired, or broke. We found our way back to the train. It was after 2 and the train was packed. We didn’t even get to sit down the entire ride from 8th and Market to Lindenwold.
Sam got in an argument with two losers somewhere in Jersey and had a bit of a shouting match with them. Sam was obviously drunk and they were obviously one of only a few people on the train who weren’t at least buzzing. She kicked one of them as they slipped through the doors and I tried to hold her back.
This is me the next morning. That’s a breathalzyer in my hand. I didn’t feel right.
Monika and I had to work all week, and Sam had plenty of things she wanted to do and plenty of people she wanted to see, so we mostly didn’t see her during the week. But on Thursday night, we all went to Manny Brown’s for
DIRTY ROBOTS
That’s my cover band. Anyone who hadn’t gotten a chance to visit Sam while she was in town had their last opportunity Thursday night. A lot of people showed up and most of the people in the bar were there to see her. Some friends who had never seen me play before finally got to check out the band. This includes some people who had never seen me play a bass even though I was their manager for years at Sam Ash.
It was also the farewell show for Faith, a girl I only knew from our shows. She was there almost every week and was always a sweetheart. Her husband was serving in Iraq when I met her, and is coming home to be stationed in Washington State. Faith and Sam both got leid and received their Hawaiian names. I hope to see her and her husband walk into one of our shows one day when they’re back visiting old friends.
SATURDAY IN NEW HOPE
Our last adventure of the week was a day trip to New Hope, PA. Out of the four of us, I ws the only one who had been there before, and I’ve been there a lot. I got to play tour guide for the day, which I enjoy. Let’s face it, I like being the one in charge. I also like leisurely roaming around with three beautiful women.
three blind mice
We wandered around pretty aimlessly for a while, checked into the kitch antique store and spent a good deal of time there. I was looking for a good fedora, and the girls tried on numerous things. We crossed Bridge Street into Lambertville, NJ where the annual Shad Festival was taking place. Since it’s pretty family oriented, we bailed rather quickly and headed back to New hope for Lunch.
We headed towards Sprig and Vine, a new vegan restaurant that was very recently opened. The head chef was a former chef at Horizon’s, one of Philly’s finest vegetarian spots. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and we dined on the patio in a peaceful, outdoor setting. We all ordered something different, and were all satisfied. Admittedly, their menu was small, but in comparison to regular restaurants, I could eat everything, and so the menu was hugely awesome!
Since Sprig and Vine was a BYOB, and we didn’t bring any with us, immediately following lunch, we headed to Triumph Brewing Company. A mere 200 ft away, it is a craft brew pub that has live music, the freshest craft brew on tap, and a great, glass-walled atmosphere. Here, we had many libations…
Okay, so craft brews are kinda’ my thing, so I (not so) reluctantly agreed to visit my favorite restaurant in New Hope, Wildflowers. Right on the water in the center of downtown, this place is everything awesome about this town: great people watching, super nice staff, very quaint, on the water, full service bar, and most of all, amazing home made sangria. We ordered a nice liter carafe of half white-half red sangria, and I let myself get talked into one of their signature Margaritas.
We wound down here over light conversation and reflections of the week behind us. Eventually we made it home. The next night, we drove Sam to the airport so she could finally get back to the one she loves. But, like an emotional see-saw, I know that she must have immediately missed us as much as we miss her. On her final night here, she said something to Monika and me that assured us that for the rest of our lives, we’ll all remain together.
--~verge
On The Verge of Tears 