Keeping Warm Thoughts...

I realized tonight, that our faithful blog-readers didn't get a fair dose of Texas this year. Given that we were supposed to be in SA both this week and next, I am going to treat us all to an impromptu cyber visit to the Lone Star State. This is my first time around with One True Media and I can't figure out how to do the music, so feel free to hum the Oscar Peterson tune of your choice (may he rest in peace, dear soul), I picked Bye Bye Blackbird.

I also couldn't figure out how to do the captions. Below are highlights of our Texas vacation in August 2007:

Scene 1: Lunch at Blanca's with Baby
Scene 2: Playdate with Rosemary and a trip down sepia-toned memory lane
Scene 3: Harvey practices for his next gig
Scene 4: Genevieve takes Harvey to the Childrens' Museum. Harvey bakes a pie with a little help...
Scene 5: Tasty peach pie
Scene 6: Joe's gig at the Continental with Elana and friends
Scene 7: H puts on shoes, getting ready to go home
Scene 8: Back in PA - we had a "grape" time! (sorry, bad pun, but aren't those grapes divine? I do declare that they look rather biblical)

By the way, I am on heavy doses of Percodan and Advil to manage sugery pain. This has caused cloudiness of my brain function and increased daytime sleepiness - hence the 3:30 AM posting and inability to figure out how to keep up with the latest blogger technology. PS Thanks KKH for the idea to do this. I LOVED yours!

Free MySpace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Is That a Toupee on Harvey's Head?

We must have taken a million fantastic pictures of these boys last week. Joe, HS and I headed to Berryville, Virginia with our dear friend Jim from NYC for 4 days over Thanksgiving. It was such a relaxing time:

- Singing
-Jamming on the Gilbranson and the Steinway at Jim's sister's house.
-Eating luscious pears, fritatas, tortilla soup, smoked turkey, sweet potatoes and the endless treats that rolled out of Mary Jane's kitchen
-freely and openly discussing politics, books, religion, health-care and all those other "can't touch this" topics
-baking pies (pumpkin and key lime)
-Watching MAD MEN our new favorite TV show on itunes in glutonous quantities
-Luxuriating in the Bathtub after a well-deserved afternoon nap while Harvey slept.... (someday I will miss his 3 hour respites)

and (drum roll) star-gazing on the sacred mountain on a shivery night while we feasted on Jenny's fab paella.

I can only begin to recount the precious memories... There is a meditative peace and tranquility that surrounds me from the moment I set foot on the ground at M and MJ's house on Church Street. There is a feeling of empowerment, love and warmth when we visit. Oh and the wagon rides through the sleepy little town!!! Funny how I started up my yoga practice on the mat again the day before we left and have found my way back... Thank you Harvey for sleeping the WHOLE RIDE OVER and the WHOLE RIDE BACK!! I owe ya one, little guy:) Berryville: the place where dreams become true. Thanks for a beautiful time, Michael and Mary Jane. Let us pamper you sometime in our not-quite-as-sleepy town of Wayne, Pa!

Musical Gathering

About a month ago, Joe's student, Rebecca, hosted a beautiful event in her home in NYC for all of the other students to play. There was a lovely reception afterwards. Harvey slept through the whole thing (it was during naptime) We set up the pack n play in one of the guest rooms. He's pretty flexible that way. Afterwards a lot of people were still tickling the ivories and Harvey got the chance to be a real audience member. He walked into the room and plunked himself down on a chair and listened for quite a while! Then he became more adventurous and went for the piano to play duets with Pat.

Again...at the piano

People are going to think that all he does is play the piano. Actually he uses the piano to climb up and reach better things, like the printer, the metronome, pictures with glass frames and all of the other items we USED to put on top of the piano to keep safe from the baby. He's getting pretty tricky and strong too. He is pictured here at Debi's Bechstein in NYC. He's growing too. Today he tried on his new size 4 pampers cruisers. The size 3 diapers were leaving red marks on the skin (too tight!) I also packed up another big shopping bag of 12 month onesies and long sleeve shirts that ride up on his belly and only reach to his elbows. His trousers are 12 months and everything else is now up to 18-24 months.

Spring Break Kick Off

Tonight was so much fun! Joe and I took Harvey to Barbara and John's house for dinner. Harvey was so funny at the table. At one point I looked over and noticed that he had his hands clasped around the bulb of my wine glass and had the edge of the glass positioned at the ready on his lips everyone at the table witnessed this simultaneously, observing the red liquid easing its way down toward his mouth. Fortunately Joe was able to fetch the glass from him just in the nick of time. Barbara served us chocolate bunnies for dessert in anticipation of Easter. We came home and put the babe to bed (the little WINE-O or should I say WHINE-O) and we have been going at it with the duet books for the last hour or so. I love playing orchestral music that is reduced for four-hands such as Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro and the Grieg Anitra's Dance from the Peer Gynt Suite. Also a ton of fun are the Brahms Hungarian Dances - such DRAMA-packed music and completely sight-readable. We will definitely have to bring these books to Berryville when we come to visit right before Easter. (!)

If the Piano Fits...

This picture was taken at Amal's house in NYC nearly a month ago. Harvey was very quick to find the piano and start banging away at it. It is actually called a toy piano and there are a lot of little competitors out there. Should we start compiling HS's recordings, headshot and resume? I wonder if Mason and Hamlin makes a toy piano model.... (That's a question for my friend Richard at Cunningaham Pianos :)

Piano Man

I think he's got a couple of new licks mastered. Lately, Harvey likes to sit at the piano by himself and just noodle around. Yesterday, Joe thought it was me playing "experimental" music. It's a great activity to get him out of my hair for about 5 minutes. BUT I have to keep an eye to make sure that he doesn't get bored and start climbing onto the top of the piano. Unfortunately, Harvey doesn't like it when I practice without him. He wants to be IN MY LAP dominating the sounds that are produced. If I bang along with him, that is OKAY, but as long as I don't try to make it sound like real music. (I think he gets jealous...)

Thanksgiving Blessings

Piano Lessons

It sounds a lot like aleatoric music to me, but his sound is getting stronger.

Soccer or Piano

I guess we can't just assume that he will naturally gravitate towards the piano. I suppose we have to be textbook parents that support our child in whatever endeavors he chooses. This is fine with me. I promise never to put pressure on Harvey to succeed at the piano.... as long as he learns all 32 Beethoven Sonatas by age 10, he can pursue whatever he wants. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh. We'll let him skip a few of the late sonatas:)