We had a nice chat after, then I asked Nick what they were up to for the evening. He said they were returning to NYC but first had to stop off at Target to return the jacket the percussionist bought for the gig.
(handsome, no?)
Chico at rest.
Jul 29, 2009
Nick and Chico
Last Saturday Amy and I drove to the large Borders bookstore in Riverhead to have the pleasure of watching Nick play with jazz great Chico Hamilton and band. To see some of Chico's achievements click here... he truly is a jazz giant. One of Chico's greatest achievements is being able to play well and entertain with a sense of humor at age 88! The melodies flowed smoothly as each musician took solo turns. Nick, with ease, confidence and no wasted motion played difficult progressions without breaking a sweat on his beautiful 1968 hollow body Gibson, one sweet guitar. An appreciative audience eagerly applauded at songs ends and after solos. The hour and more that they played seemed short when it was over. We really enjoyed ourselves at the gig remarking that Kara would have enjoyed it too but she was busy celebrating Alyssa and Bill's wedding at Paul and Kay's home with 60 or so people in attendance.
Jul 25, 2009
Moving a sidewalk in Hoquiam
Over the July 4th weekend, Janice, Stephen, Vivian and I went to Hoquiam to work on landscaping. I had assumed that this would be somewhat idyllic work, perhaps preparing the odd bed for fall planting under Janice's direction. But Stephen had other ideas.
The new porch was designed so that there is now a slight offset between the front door and porch stairs. Consequently, the sidewalk no longer met the stairs. So, rather than install a new sidewalk at considerable time and expense, we decided to move the existing old sidewalk sideways about two feet. Of course, nobody really knew what they were doing, and Janice typically kept her thoughts to herself. 
The next morning, we started by removing the sod and soil from where we wanted to shove the walk. The sod was remarkably tough because the area had not had rain for weeks.
Then, laboriously, we freed the walk, slab by slab, and occasionally broken bit by broken bit. Steve used an enormous iron bar to lever the slab sideways, half inch by half inch, while Vivian and I kept our shovels under the slab's front corners to form a kind of sled so that the first corners to bump into the new location did not dig in, but moved relatively smoothly. Just moving the first slab at all was a victory and called for a break.
We soon learned how to position the slab, getting it settled on gravel and sand. Rather than viewing the broken slabs (broken for decades, likely) as disasters, we thought of them as puzzles to reassemble.
The end of the old walk (out by the street) was too broken to be reused, so we broke it up and removed it, leveled the soil, and found enough old bricks to fill the gap.
We used some bags of sand to fill the walk's cracks, old and new, and then let the sand settle.
Steve, Vivian and Janice got a pickup-truck load of top soil to spread around the 'new' walk and get some grass started. While we had been working on the sidewalk, Janice had been preparing a new bed at the front for shrubs which will be planted this fall when the damp weather encourages transplanting. Finishing this bed was a real victory because she had first uprooted all sorts of difficult weeds, then turned the sod over, leveled the bed and dressed it with top soil. Steve laid some gravel and paving stones for easy access to the outside faucet.
While the others were shopping for various things, I decided to see whether Janice's suspicion was correct. When she had been working at the back of the house, she wondered whether she had discovered bits of a sidewalk parallel to the back of the house. Curious, I started digging, pulling heavy sod away, and yes, there was indeed an old cement sidewalk which was totally covered by grass, weeds, stones, broken glass, etc. for years. The walkway was in remarkably good shape, and best of all, it did not need to be moved or leveled.
What's wrong with this picture?
The new porch was designed so that there is now a slight offset between the front door and porch stairs. Consequently, the sidewalk no longer met the stairs. So, rather than install a new sidewalk at considerable time and expense, we decided to move the existing old sidewalk sideways about two feet. Of course, nobody really knew what they were doing, and Janice typically kept her thoughts to herself. 
The next morning, we started by removing the sod and soil from where we wanted to shove the walk. The sod was remarkably tough because the area had not had rain for weeks.
Then, laboriously, we freed the walk, slab by slab, and occasionally broken bit by broken bit. Steve used an enormous iron bar to lever the slab sideways, half inch by half inch, while Vivian and I kept our shovels under the slab's front corners to form a kind of sled so that the first corners to bump into the new location did not dig in, but moved relatively smoothly. Just moving the first slab at all was a victory and called for a break.
We soon learned how to position the slab, getting it settled on gravel and sand. Rather than viewing the broken slabs (broken for decades, likely) as disasters, we thought of them as puzzles to reassemble.
The end of the old walk (out by the street) was too broken to be reused, so we broke it up and removed it, leveled the soil, and found enough old bricks to fill the gap.
We used some bags of sand to fill the walk's cracks, old and new, and then let the sand settle.
Steve, Vivian and Janice got a pickup-truck load of top soil to spread around the 'new' walk and get some grass started. While we had been working on the sidewalk, Janice had been preparing a new bed at the front for shrubs which will be planted this fall when the damp weather encourages transplanting. Finishing this bed was a real victory because she had first uprooted all sorts of difficult weeds, then turned the sod over, leveled the bed and dressed it with top soil. Steve laid some gravel and paving stones for easy access to the outside faucet.
While the others were shopping for various things, I decided to see whether Janice's suspicion was correct. When she had been working at the back of the house, she wondered whether she had discovered bits of a sidewalk parallel to the back of the house. Curious, I started digging, pulling heavy sod away, and yes, there was indeed an old cement sidewalk which was totally covered by grass, weeds, stones, broken glass, etc. for years. The walkway was in remarkably good shape, and best of all, it did not need to be moved or leveled.
Jul 16, 2009
Visiting Paul and Kay, June, 2009
We visited Paul and Kay June 4-6, 2009. The weather was gently warm, and the long evenings were wonderful for eating leisurely on the back deck. I enjoyed walking through their home throughout the days and evenings, casually shooting as the light changed. This was an utterly peaceful visit, a good chance to visit before the busy wedding that lay ahead.
Throughout the day, we are invariably drawn to the kitchen, not only for watching Paul and Kay prepare meals (or Paul bake bread), but to talk over Paul's exquisite coffee.
The back has been nicely developed for the years. In addition to the extensive lawn (which I'm glad I don't have to mow), there is Kay's garden and the wooded area with paths and a special place where Paul likes to read under the trees, in solitude. Unlike me, he is an avid and disciplined reader.
The grandcat:
I never have to wonder what time it is. Kay's father and grandfather were excellent wood workers and left them a number of clocks. I forgot to shoot the largest, the grandfather clock.
Throughout the day, we are invariably drawn to the kitchen, not only for watching Paul and Kay prepare meals (or Paul bake bread), but to talk over Paul's exquisite coffee.
The back has been nicely developed for the years. In addition to the extensive lawn (which I'm glad I don't have to mow), there is Kay's garden and the wooded area with paths and a special place where Paul likes to read under the trees, in solitude. Unlike me, he is an avid and disciplined reader.
The grandcat:
I never have to wonder what time it is. Kay's father and grandfather were excellent wood workers and left them a number of clocks. I forgot to shoot the largest, the grandfather clock.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
