Tf3

"Hi...this is my friend Bonita...she teaches yoga to children..." "...and I'd like you to meet Alexis, she was the cellist last night"...

"Mom...those people brought their own coffee table and have candles lit!"... was my daughter's first verbal observation to me at the TIME FOR 3 (Tf3) concert that I took her to tonight at Brook's Farm in Skaneateles, NY. I read about this group in the STARS section of the Sunday paper a couple of weeks ago and knew that I had to see them perform. They described themselves as garage band meets coffee house. Classically trained string musicians who all met at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, they jam together, improvising on Beatles songs, Cohen, Imogen Heap as well as their own original scores.

I absolutely love it when an artist is able to take something that we have a certain stereotype image of, and completely turn it inside out. Tf3 delivered, that is for sure. They played these string instruments that we normally consider only worthy of classical music, with all the passion Jimmy Hendrix plays an electric guitar. They broke all the rules and seduced me with the bow as it vibrated across their strings. I was mesmerized as their instruments became extensions of their invividual personalities and communicated with each other without words.

First of all, being at a concert in Skaneateles is nothing like being at the Hannibal Field Days. Not to put people in a different class or category at all...but you could not be at this concert without noticing that the mix of people are just a little unfamiliar. From the food they brought to picnic on to the behavior of their children. Definitely a culture shock.

On our way in, a very nice volunteer asked Jillian if this was her first time to Skaneateles Music Fest. She said yes, and he invited us to place our blanket up front by the stairs where he and his family had saved some spots for young kids. How nice!

We arrived with 45 minutes to pass until the concert. We spent that time just absorbing the conversation and the people around us. One lady to my left was alone and on her cell phone, telling someone that NO, she was FINE and that she really NEEDED to be alone at this tonight. She had a bottle of wine with her and I just felt that there was much going on in her life. I felt a silent connection with her. In no time at all we were chatting and exchanging websites and ideas. She was the YOGA teacher for CHILDREN I had overheard being introduced earlier. She invited me to some 2 day yoga fest in September, telling me that it would change me, heal my soul, and vibrate my inner self for at least 6 weeks. She was on fire telling me about this, as I handed her my Moleskine notebook for her to pencil in the information.

The trio itself was secondary to everything that I felt a part of this evening. While they were everything that I thought they would be and more, it was the connection that I felt to these other people gathered to appreciate the music that I most related to. Also, a special bond that I felt being there with my daughter. Laughing over getting lost and her navigating us into the place, parking the car and lugging our picnic in. As we laid on our blanket together under the stars, my nose snuggled in her hair, tears streamed down my face as Tf3 played Hide and Seek. I had an emotional moment just then and felt change in the air. I felt that I am not the one in control right now...and there can be no more hiding. I have been found. Tf3.

The Tasting Room of Life

Is it a bad thing when your 9 year old knows where to look on the shelf for the wine that you like but they never seem to have in stock? "Look, Mom, it is supposed to be RIGHT HERE!" What does that say about my parenting? Or what does that say about my daughter?

Actually, it probably says that she is a sucker for art on wine bottles just like her mother. I am a big fan of ROARING RED by Chateau LaFayette Reneau and have no doubt that the lion's deep green eyes didn't have something to do with it. A lion in a tuxedo will sell me every time. While not a big fan of their Northern White or the Emperor's Blush, I could be lured in by the fuzzy polar bear with warm pink cheeks or the happy little penguin tipping his glass. So I never say never when it comes to wine with good art on the label. Wineries like Bully Hill understand this and have been pulling people like me in as long as they have been making wine.

But does this just go for wine? Of course not. Packaging is the first thing we see when we go to make a purchase and it is that one chance to win us over with the first impression. After that, it will take something like someone telling us this is a fantastic product to look past the lack of effort on the outside to trust what is inside.

As often is the case, art imitates life. We go about judging people by the way they present themselves. Once in a while the package is not a fair representation of what is on the inside. We can be disappointed or pleasantly surprised. But we need to take a chance and investigate beyond the label. We need just a little taste to see if we were right. Then maybe a second taste in a different atmosphere or paired with different food. Sometimes it takes a few tries to truly decide if it makes the wine list of life or if we move on to look at other labels. If all else fails, you can walk to the other side of the store and just go for the hard liquor. After a few shots you won't ever remember that it came in a bottle!

What's a Little Whine Between Friends?

Thursday, August 5, 2010

I am coming up on that point of the summer, where I slow down long enough to realize that it's coming to an end, and I have done nothing. Sure I've been busy. Busy transporting kids here and there. Busy running to doctor, dentist and orthodontist appointments. Busy cleaning up after children. Busy fixing food for everyone. Busy keeping my mind off of the fact that I have not had any vacation. But I am trying not to go there this year. I have made a serious effort to schedule dates with friends on the calendar just as I would those doctor visits.

But even so, no matter how hard I work towards not hitting rock bottom, it is just that, work. While I have been told before that my problem is having too much time to think, I don't think that is a bad thing. No one can ever accuse me of not being in touch with my feelings, or being in denial of reality. And if I am not thinking about my feelings then I am writing about my feelings. And if I am not writing about my feelings, then I am thinking about writing about my feelings.

One of the things I am most grateful for are the people who put up with my constant ramble about life. How I view it, drawing analogies to things, analyzing the past and speculating on the future. Of course this is best received after a relaxing lunch date while hanging out in the pool on an 80 degree day with a couple of bottles of wine and a bag of lime Tostitos. After some time, it is amazing how philosophical these talks can become and how much fun you can have floating your wine glass in the pool. At that point, all that ramble becomes just a little whine between friends!