Rails to Trails

Today began with a sighting of three black crowned night herons at the pond that I pass on my morning run. Often, I've spotted one heron, but this is the first time I've seen three. A harbinger of a good day ahead.

Even though the day would be hot, my friend and I stuck with our plan to ride a section of the Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail from Blairstown to Stillwater. The trail runs alongside a tributary of the Delaware River through lush woods and farmland. http://www.traillink.com/trail/paulinskill-valley-trail.aspx

It's about a 9 mile stretch to reach the Stillwater General Store. Except for the flat screen television that faces the deli counter, the store could be from 1950. We left our left our bikes out front, unlocked, and went in to get something to eat. Patrons can get a sandwich, order fresh pizza, get their mail, a few lottery tickets, and sit on a bench out front. We ordered an egg sandwich and then went outside to sit on one of the benches. While we were eating, a mother and son walked across the street. The boy, approximately age 7, was not wearing a shirt so his mom told him he had to wait outside while she went inside the store. He waited on the other bench until she came out a few minutes later with a pizza box.

On the way back to Blairstown, my eye was attracted to a small truck attached to a carrier filled with racks of horseshoes. A clanging in the nearby barn caused me to walk over and watch as a horse got a new pair of shoes. I asked the farrier how he learned to shoe horses, and he responded that he learned as an apprentice, and had been working with horses since 1993. While he was able to make the shoes, he said nowadays he ordered from a catalog an inch thick that had every size shoe and any special needs imaginable. He told us that in the summer, a horse would need new shoes every six weeks, since the hoof grew like a person's nail. So, the shoe is removed, the hoof clipped, and new shoes put on. I commented that this sounded like a pedicure for the horse!  http://www.soundhorse.com/

Once we reached Blairstown, it was time for a sandwich at Dale's, a stop at the German butcher to bring home chops and pork cutlets, and a visit to the local art gallery and book store. Not much had changed since my last visit there a few years ago. The bookstore has a new owner, the Dairy Queen has a new name. But that small-town trust remains as true as ever.

Watchung Reservation

My friend, Maggie, sat on a bench at Watchung Reservation with her face toward the sun.  "I'm like a battery," she said, "I need the sun to recharge."  After an endless winter, cold rain two days ago, and a blustery wind yesterday, the weather finally gave us a chance to relax, recharge, rejoice!

The Watchung Reservation is a 2,065 acre preserve in the heart of Union County.  To get there, I drove the Garden State Parkway South to Route 22 West: not scenic.  Inside the preserve, though, it is scenic.   There's an abundance of trails, streams, an abandoned village, a lake, a picnic area and playground.  We hiked the Historic Trail, noted on the map with an "H" and a pink line.  While part of the trail runs along the road, most of it is in the woods along Lake Surprise, which does emerge through the trees  like a surprise! Along the way, historic markers are posted to describe a bygone era of boy scouts, corn fields, a boathouse.

An area such as this in the densely populated state of NJ is a true wonder to me.  Check it out as soon as possible!  Or, better yet, stay away and let it be quiet there for me!

A Morning Run

I was running on Broad Street around 8:00am, Saturday morning.  The road was quiet.  I felt someone on my left side, so I glanced over my shoulder.  There was a man on a bicycle.  This was nothing unusual, until I noticed his clothing:  light brown plaid pajamas (matching top and bottom); thick, gray wool socks; sandals.  His head was shaved.

"You're in your pajamas!" I blurted out.  My first thought was that he must have been in an awful hurry to get out for a morning bike ride.  My second thought was that maybe it was not such a good idea to talk with this person.  After all, a grown man riding a bike in his pajamas might have serious issues.

Without missing a beat, he looked at me and asked, "Did you see a garbage truck go past?"

Now, I saw that his left hand gripped the handlebar and a bag of garbage.  It was a medium sized bag of garbage-- a brown paper bag inside of a plastic bag.  I also saw the vein that bulged on the side of his head.  "No, I didn't."

"It was just 8:01 and I missed the truck.  I can't believe it."  He focused on the road before him, almost willing the truck to appear.

"Well, if you ride up to Shop Rite, you can put the garbage in one of their bins.  You're almost there, anyway," I offered.

He hesitated, turned his head to the right to look at me, replied, "That's not a bad idea", and he pedaled away.  

I continued on my run and felt oddly better about myself.

The Montclair Film Festival 2014

"It's  Sundance. Only Jersier."  That slogan represents both the attitude and the ambition of this local and highly enjoyable annual film festival.  This is the third year of the festival and over 90 films were shown between April 28 thru May 4 in several different theaters throughout Montclair.   I saw four films this weekend on a wide range of topics.  All were a hit with me!

On Friday, I saw "The Dog", a documentary about John Wojtowicz, the bank robber who tried to rob a bank to finance his lover's sex change operation and inspired the movie "Dog Day Afternoon". My friend, who was interested in seeing the movie, couldn't help but wonder why two young directors would want to spend 10 years gathering material for this film.  Wojtowicz had an unusual story to tell!

In complete contrast, on Saturday I saw "Advanced Style", a movie based on the photographs and blog of Ari Seth Cohen, who photographs women between the ages of 62-95 who exhibit a strong sense of style.  Seven of the women were highlighted in the film and two were in the audience!  An exceptionally fun film which played to a packed theater.  Check out his blog:advancedstyle.blogspot.com/

On a similar note, today I watched "Men of the Cloth", about the art of tailoring.  The film focused on three old tailors from Italy and one young apprentice.  (One still lives in Italy, one in NY and one outside of Philly.) The producer is a young female who was a men's fashion editor.  On her trips to Italy, she became fascinated by the men who were "behind the scenes" making the clothes.  The three men she highlighted, were not really "behind the scenes", but true artisans with very successful businesses and teaching careers.  One of the men was 90 and still working, though he died in 2011.  The scenes in Italy were breathtaking- another reason to visit!

So, two of the four films this weekend focused on fashion as art, beauty, and working into very old age.  

I ended the weekend with two other friends watching the closing film, "Wild Canaries", written and produced by a young married couple both from NJ, the wife from Montclair.  The film was a wild and crazy "whodunit" murder mystery/comedy/drama starring the married couple and other more well-known TV actors. The movie was fun and we all wish them the best of luck!

That's it for the 2014 festival.  Now, the volunteers get to rest, filmmakers take their films on tour, and the audience members go back to work, all invariably enriched by the shared experience. 

Merry Christmas

In the locker room at the Y this morning, another woman and I chatted about how we had to take down our Christmas trees today. She informed me that for many people, January 6, or Three Kings Day, marks the true end of the holiday season. She briefly summarized the story of the kings, and concluded with the warning that it was simply bad luck to take down the tree before the twelve days of Christmas passed. For me, last weekend was filled with holiday activities and there was no time during the week between work and dance, so I planned for today. However, with a day filled with sunshine and the warmth of 60 degrees, my tree remains standing, and still decorated. Sigh.

This holiday marked the return of two past traditions: dinner at Union Square Cafe in NYC, and attending The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. My kids and I managed to time our dinner at Union Square to coincide with an absolute downpour. We planned an easy walk from the Chelsea Market to the restaurant. However, that idea changed when by 5pm, it was pouring. Umbrellas offered no protection from rain coming down sideways, and after two blocks we were soaked! We were lucky to get a cab! I will say that the dinner was worth it, but I won't rush back. Service was as good as ever, the restaurant as beautiful as ever, and the food very good, though somewhat drab on the plates.

My son declined a ticket to the ballet, so it was just "the girls." Of all the Christmas activities, The Nutcracker is arguably the most splendid. The music for this ballet was written by Pyotr Tschaikovsky, and adapted from E.T.A. Hoffman's story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Tschaikovsky wrote three ballet scores: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. The first full-length, two act version of the ballet was presented by the San Francisco Ballet in 1944. (The first time I saw The Nutcracker was, in fact, in San Francisco at the Opera House!) George Balanchine's version premiered in NY in February, 1954. Ten years later, the NYC Ballet moved to its present location and redesigned the ballet. From 1964 till now-- almost a 50 year tradition of The Nutcracker during the holiday season! Jen and I loved every minute of the performance from the "growing" Christmas tree, the battle with the Mouse King, the ribbon dancers, Mother Ginger, and my favorite, the pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince.

By the way-- After the ballet, we ate at Nick and Toni's Cafe on 67th Street. (Same owners as the fancy Nick and Toni's in East Hampton.) Salads, soups, pizza, and full dinners. Since it was late, we had pizza, salad and roasted local vegetables. All wonderful. Beware though- my beer was $9!
http://www.nickandtoniscafe.com/

The Real Start of Summer

For me, today felt like the real start of summer.

I went to the Montclair Farmer's Market and bought my favorites: fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, zucchini, lettuce, fresh bread. (You can surely imagine what I ate for lunch when I got home!)

Then, a bike ride around Montclair and over to the Avis Campbell Gardens next to the Montclair Public Library.

On nearby Church Street there was a sizable crowd at the outdoor tables, though there was space at both Raymond's and 32 Church. Judging from the empty streets and tables, is half of Montclair on vacation this weekend? I also noticed two new spots: a cupcake bakery where Gimme Jimmy's used to be and a gelato shop in the place of a photography studio. Both will certainly satisfy a summer sweet tooth.

Now, I'm finally wearing my "Cruzan hook" bracelet from St. Croix, which for the past two years I've put on at the start of summer and removed on the first day of autumn. In a little bit, I'll make a big salad, cook burgers on the grill, and enjoy the backyard. Am I finally relaxing?