One of the things about living in New Jersey that’s hard to get used to is humidity. After 30 years in the dry climate of Colorado there are things you forget. Like sweating. Everything sweats. Ice melts faster. Dogs pant more. Bread molds within a few days of purchase. Windows fog up with the air conditioning on. I don’t really mind the humidity or sweating, it actually feels good to my skin.

Yesterday morning we were all rudely awakened by a thunderstorm at 4:30 a.m. that dropped nearly an inch of rain. The humidity was higher than the temperature when I got up and it was a bit foggy. The sun threatened to peek out from the cloud cover all day but it never quite made it.

I should have remembered one other thing about high humidity — jeans will not get dry when hung outside. Moral of the story: don’t do laundry on humid, clammy days unless you’re prepared to use the dryer.

Last Thursday evening we had an event to attend. The world premiere of Slow Dancing at the Lincoln Center in New York City. We were invited by Director David Michalek to his “invitation only” celebration for all the people associated with the project. From our private balcony in the Avery Fisher Hall we sipped wine and watched as the magic of slow motion dance unfolded across the plaza on 40 foot tall screens suspended from the façade of the New York State Theater, home of the New York City Ballet.

How exactly did we manage this you might ask? Because my husband Rick was responsible for donating the use of the high-speed, high-definiton digital camera [made by the company he works for, Vision Research] that made it all possible. Back in February we got to visit David’s studio in NYC and watched two of the dancers being filmed. It was fascinating to watch the process first hand. When I saw “Lil C” on So You Think You Can Dance two weeks ago, I was still in awe that I had stood right next to his well-muscled body—in person! [He is one of the creators of krumping.]

Here is an explanation of what Slow Dancing is all about from the Playbill:
“Slow Dancing is a series of 43 larger-than-life, hyper-slow-motion video portraits of dancers and choreographers from around the world, displayed on multiple screens. Each subject’s movement (approximately 5 seconds long) was shot on a specially constructed set using a high-speed, high-definition camera recording at 1,000 frames per second (standard film captures 30 frames per second). The result is approximately 10 minutes of extreme slow motion. The trio of portraits will be randomly selected for each cycle, allowing viewers to simultaneously compare dancers from different styles and cultures.

What at first appears to be a series of still photographs unfolds gesture by barely perceptible gesture—a motion portrait in which each dancer’s unique artistic expression and technique are revealed. Viewers can choose to focus on one dancer’s complete performance or observe the interplay among the screens. The extreme slow motion enables the viewer to share privileged information about the complexity of the simplest gestures, catching details that would normally escape the naked eye.”

I took some still photos and a few videos to give you an idea. The vids are not the best and somewhat grainy, but it’s the best I could do in nighttime conditions. Watch carefully because things unfold very s.l.o.w.l.y. Keep in mind that each performer’s moves were only done in 5 seconds of real time. What can you do in 5 seconds?

I like how in this photo below you can see how tiny the real people appear at the bottom in comparison to the screen.

In this first vid, the middle screen is showing Herman Cornejo just before he begins his jump. Lil C is on the right.

Now a little further into his performance Herman is in mid leap!

The dancer on the left is Wendy Whelan, principal dancer of the New York City Ballet and she just happens to also be David Michalek’s wife.

Herman Cornejo was the most awesome for me. His form is so incredible! He is Argentinean and is now a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater. To see more of his spectacular segment, click on this link to watch the video on Slow Dancing’s website.

It was nice to see Rick’s name listed in the acknowledgments in the Playbill: [see second line]

Thank you, David! It was both a privilege and an honor to be invited. For those of you in the area who wish to see this great work of art, the exhibition runs until July 29th, nightly from 9 pm until 1 am. Admission is free, just bring a chair to set up in the Plaza to watch. In September the exhibition moves to Los Angeles in the Music Center Plaza. To read more about the dancers and the project, follow this link  to visit the website for Slow Dancing.

I thought this photo taken this morning of my bee balm looked like a burst of fireworks, so here it is. New Jersey likes its fireworks, obviously, since for the past several nights that’s all we’ve heard. First one little town will have their fireworks display, then the next town will have theirs the following night. Plus the neighbors have been setting off illegal fireworks on and off during the day and night. It’s getting a bit old since none of us are fans of loud noises. The dogs have held up well though and I’m proud of them.

Rick’s Dad came through the surgery, but it was much worse than they had thought so the surgery was a long and difficult one. We hope his recovery goes smoothly.

It’s cloudy and cool here today so far. We were hoping to spend the day lolling around the pool but it’s not really pool weather. We have a pork shoulder smoking on the BBQ for our pulled pork sandwiches later today. Of course,  now it looks like we have some rain on the way… Freshly made coleslaw and sweet corn on the cob will round out our 4th of July barbecue. Yum! Hope you all have a great holiday!

. . . to buy ... well ... everything!

Ever since we lived in France and literally ate our way through the wonderful open-air markets that alternated between towns every week, we’ve been addicted to farmer’s markets. Can you honestly think of anything better than eating fresh, locally grown vegetables as they are meant to be eaten—in season—or enjoying artisan cheeses and breads?

We are lucky enough to have a great farmer’s market close by in Warwick, New York. Although not as extensive as the one in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (Provence), it has its own merits. From May through October local produce, cheeses, breads, jams, baked goods, and meat are available on a seasonal basis. Even the cheeses change according to the grass that the cows have been eating.

It’s become a tradition for us to visit the Sunday market and buy the makings of our lunch plus a few meals for the week. What follows are some photos of the various vendors. I found the way they present their wares to be a visual feast for the eyes. I hope you think so too.

We came home with both carrots and these lovely purple beets. The carrots were tender and bursting with sweetness. We roasted the beets and tossed them with olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepper, and salt. Delicious!

The Bobolink Dairy offers artisan cheeses from their own cow herd. She also has crusty bread made from whole grains baked in a wood-fired oven. Her crusty wheat bread filled with chunks of melty garlic is wonderful!

The peas were finally out this week and we couldn’t resist a bagful for Tortellini with Cream, Ham, and Peas. We only eat it once per year when the peas are fresh, so it will be a real treat. The strawberries were just picked and the smell at their stall was overwhelming.

Another favorite vendor is BuddhaPesto. THE best pesto I believe I’ve ever tasted. All the other vendors thought I was a bit crazy for taking photos of their wares, but this vendor actually thanked me and was flattered I was taking a photo!

Finally, burgeoning with bags and sacks containing carrots, beets, lettuces, spring onions, a sirloin tip roast, bread, strawberries, parsley plants, quiche, pesto, homemade blue cheese dressing, and a few more things we finally made our way home—to eat.

Today was a pool day for certain. Clear blue skies, no threat of rain, sunny, low 80s.  I sit writing this entry poolside about mid-afternoon. A nice breeze blows by once in a while and a few minutes ago the breeze lifted the umbrella up and the table I am typing on as well. wheeeeeeeeeee…......

We went to the Farmer’s Market in Warwick this morning and had a great time. I took lots of photos and my blog post is coming, probably tomorrow. We had a lovely lunch from our purchases at the market. But more of that to come in a later post.

Anyway, the afternoon has passed by with a combination of swimming laps and lounging on the floats. I took a few funny videos and we’ll see how they turn out. I also was trying to take a photo of my swimsuit and the pool by looking down at myself because the colors matched, and realized I was taking photos of my reflection in the pool [while in the pool], so I hammed my postures up a bit. Fun. See what you think below. I think my new camera is causing me to act a bit weird. I keep thinking of new things to entertain on my blog! I’m not sure if you are entertained or not as a reader, but I certainly keep myself entertained. And, I suppose that’s all that really matters. If you think I’m strange; so be it.

On a more serious note, I had some more amphibious reflections and made Rick bring his laptop poolside so I could type while soaking in the not-quite-summer-yet temperatures.

Swimming along doing the side stroke I see and notice the following things.
Sounds:First of all I hear the water gurgling and glugging beneath my ear. Leaves rustle companionably in the strong breeze and various birds lend their song to the air.
Sights: Looking up I see our big oak trees swaying in that same strong breeze, their large limbs flung wide. Clouds, far and few between scud by quickly out of my line of vision.  And for now, dear readers, yes, I am fully clothed in bathing suit. Rule #1: no skinny-dipping in daytime hours. Period. I make no promises for night time swims, however.

Since I’ve been sitting here, a chipmunk has come to peer at me, wondering what I am doing out here, and just now a hummingbird hovered near me. Good thing I don’t have on my neon pink suit today or he would have thought I was a flower! Butterflies flit in and out of the flowers in the bed next to the pool. We seem to have an abundance of white butterflies lately. They are beautiful, but skittish. I’ve tried numerous times to capture their images, but they are too camera shy.

So, with that I’ll sign off for today. Enjoy the vid. More to follow on the market tomorrow. Right now I need a nice chilled glass of white wine ...