July Heat

Tues., July 12, 2011. I recd a call today from a friend in California who follows my blog concerned that I haven't written in a while. I apologize, all is ok. My numbers are good and I feel good. Carol is fine and busy. Mom is doing very well also. I started a new drug to help me loose weight and it is helping with the cravings to eat. So I hope this will work better than other attempts. The music jobs have been keeping me busy this summer. Mon. and Tuesday mornings still the Big Band in Paterson; Mon evenings Jazz at the Parkwood Diner; Wed. nights concerts at the pool; last Sunday MapleWoodstock (see MapleWoodstock.com or Maplewoodonline.com) and Friday night Summer concerts in South Orange. So we are busy. I've also been posting frequently on that other site (FB). On a hot day like today I'll get over to the pool and get in some laps and do some reading.
I'm easing up on the rehearsals with cello, and with the brass quintet, and the trombone quartet, this summer. We'll get back to that again in the fall.
We got up to Woodstock for a fine July 4th weekend...favorite restaurants, the Miro String Quartet at the Maverick; a great movie, several art galleries etc. All in all a wonderful vacation. We'll go back for some weekends soon and then a week in August.
Rebekah and Greg and the kids are in Israel for a nice trip. Exciting stuff. We enjoyed having Ben and Maayan here for a week...Spiderman, miniature golf, movies, restaurants, NJ Shore, and Seaside Park amusements...lotsa fun. Also reading and math skills with Grandma and Music lessons and Woodworking skills with Grandpa for that "Camp Grandmapa" week.
This year at MapleWoodstock I played with the Jimmy Lee Ramblers, our new country band. Lotsa fun. Very different from my usual gigs. I gotta go buy me a new pair of cowboy boots soon....my old ones are too small anymore.
OK, enjoy the summer you all. I'll write again after my next visit to Memorial Sloan Kettering in August. Peace, and again, thanks for keeping up with me. JIM