Bourne Farm.  West Falmouth MA.

Ellen and I spent last three days up in Cape Cod attending my cousin's daughter Caroline's nuptials at the site above.  All was splendid amidst much natural splendor and there's not much that beats good food, drink, family, the celebration of a love fueled life affirming launch into marital orbit and... dancing. And though most of the festivities took place in one of those big tents like the one on right, the feeling and vibe remained an outdoor one throughout.  My octogenarian cousin Ralph gave everyone a lesson in how to stay young in a dazzling display of dance floor stamina while I pooped out long before he even took his first pit stop.                                          

And our good friends Dan and C.L. put us up in their sprawling and spectacular home surrounded by some of the most lush blooms and bountiful edibles this Bronx born drifter has ever seen or consumed. And just about every inch of the place (including a shed the size of a NYC studio apartment) is the product of their own labor. Ellen's appreciation and understanding of the gardening arts runs far deeper than mine ever will, but even my untutored eyes were dazzled by the bountiful wonders they've grown and cultivated.  And to top off an Edenic weekend, Dan gave me some amazing slices, chunks and limbs of red oak and other woods that I'm going to transform into tables and (if I don't screw up) a few other hand hewn items of use.

BTW--if gardening is your thing, you have to check out C.L.'s website:  http://www.gardenlady.com/

...and her weekly radio show is like the gardening equivalent of Car Talk--to wit: thoroughly entertaining and engaging for even those to whom the topics at hand are entirely foreign.   And you can stream it online when it's live on Saturdays.  Check website for details.

He's often wrong, but never in doubt. 

Q. & A. with The Answer Man

Why is 95 %  of all advertising crap? 95 % of everything is crap...and actually it’s 99.9% of advertising that is crap.

Why does the price of gas fluctuate so much from day to day? Because the handful of guys who control the prices are chronic gamblers and misogynists  who are prone to sudden mood swings and they refuse medication.

Who will win the presidential election? The one with the most positive media coverage of the totally irrelevant emotional issue that dominates the final week before election day.

Why do people stand on lines for hours to get into certain restaurants?

Because of all the things they are, the one thing they’re not is hungry. 

Do Guns kill people or do people kill people? People who ask if it’s guns or people who kill people are the people who kill people cause they’re the people who stand in the way of taking the guns out of the hands of the people who kill people. 

What does the expression “ Nothing personal, it’s just business...”  mean?

It means “ Hey, I just won, so don’t make me feel bad about the shit I had to do to beat you.”

  A (not personally witnessed) Times Square moment:  Woman to her male companion “Look, a dead pigeon” And companion said “where?” as he looked skyward.

Tune I've been working on. Three Views of a Secret by Jaco Pastorius.  Love the melody (melodies) and the voicings and though it sounds best as an orchestral work, it's got enough going on with the changes to keep me happy.  This guy is pretty close to my voicings, and if you're interested, check out the original with Weather Report and all the other versions...including a piano one that is all over it.