In the good old summertime

Posted 8/21/12

Yes, it’s finally here—summer. Concerts under the stars, barbeques, fireflies, dips in the lake and camp for the kids. Summer. It conjures up so many memories of my youth that I can’t help but …

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In the good old summertime

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Yes, it’s finally here—summer. Concerts under the stars, barbeques, fireflies, dips in the lake and camp for the kids. Summer. It conjures up so many memories of my youth that I can’t help but wax nostalgic as I careen from one end of the Catskills to the other, criss-crossing the Upper Delaware River region in a never-ending attempt to soak up as much as I can before leaves of red and gold begin their annual descent. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s just concentrate on summer for a bit. Ahhhh.

Truth be told, I haven’t even completed my spring cleaning, and now I don’t have time, which is as good an excuse as any. I enjoy cleaning (well… sort of), but this is not the time to be indoors, and as someone once said, “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life,” so I’m gonna go with that. Recalling the lazy, hazy days of summers past is easy here in the mountains, where we have fresh air, stunning vistas, and ponds, lakes and streams beckoning ‘round every bend, so again, childhood memories flood my reverie while I take leisurely strolls through the woods with the Wonder Dog. As I observe her chasing a dragonfly or sniffing a fresh flower after a sun shower, her childlike wonder at the beautiful world we inhabit reminds me to slow down because, well… I move too fast.

Now that baseball season is upon us, I couldn’t help but notice that my favorite theatre (www.fbplayhouse.org) had chosen to open its season with a story about “America’s Favorite Pastime” in the form of a classic musical comedy: “Damn Yankees.” I have so much to say about the production (go figure) that I need to devote separate space for the show. Once again, I will be spreading myself a bit thin over the summer and when necessary, plan to scribble my thoughts about this ‘n that in different places, so in-depth coverage of some events can be found online in the Arts and Leisure section of the award-winning River Reporter (www.riverreporter.com). In addition, with so many events happening simultaneously (I guess there’s just no way around that) photographs of parades, street fairs, fireworks and concert headliners can also be found on our website, so this is a perfect opportunity to subscribe (insert shameless promotional plug here) in order to stay informed about the very latest news, sports and entertainment.

Speaking of concerts, the lawn is officially open (www.bethelwoodscenter.org), and the rain abated just in time last Friday night for ‘80s sensation Bryan Adams to take to the stage at Bethel Woods and entertain the crowd with his signature style that still (apparently) has the ladies swooning. If you remember the ‘80s (some of the decade is a bit fuzzy for me) you remember Adams, who had a string of hits, such as “The Boys Night Out”, “Cuts like a Knife,” “Run to You,” “Kids Wanna Rock,” and of course, his eponymous tour single: “Reckless.” While summertime may cause me to reflect, I often cringe (c’mon, you do too) when looking back at that decade’s hairstyles and fashions, but it was great fun to experience Bryan Adams and he sounded (IMHO) pretty good. Loud, but good. Clearly the Canadian-born singer/musician/activist/photographer continues to have legions of fans, evidenced by their response to his performance of mega-hit “Heaven,” which each and every person in the house sang along with, causing the hills to literally be alive with the sound of music.

While I love my work, (yes, attending concerts and plays can be work, I swear!) I’d also like to create some balance this summer, and since I was entertaining my first guest of the season, carved out a few hours to take in a movie (www.callicoon theater.com) in the form of summer blockbuster “Jurassic World,” which caused me to shriek, leap out of my seat and (go ahead, make fun) even shed a tear—for a man-eating dinosaur, no less. The film has already grossed more than a billion dollars, so clearly I’m not the only one who wants to revisit the stone age, and it was another reminder of my youth. As kids, being scared witless while munching on popcorn in the dark was special, and it still is. Knowing everyone else in the place (gotta love life in a small town) makes it even better. Every season has something to offer, and this one (for me) is often too fleeting, so I plan to stop and smell the roses, take more strolls with the pup and experience as much as these creaky bones will allow as the good old summertime unfolds. Uh-oh, I should probably take a nap.

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