Spyro Gyra Smooth Cruise recap 2 August 15, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
My first Smooth Cruise aboard the Spirit of New York five years ago featured Spyro Gyra. Wednesday evening, I saw that legendary band for the second time. As usual, I opted for the sunset cruise over the moonlight one.
Smooth Cruises are run out of Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The cruise rides along the Hudson River to New York Harbor and back.
Thanks to an area of Canadian high pressure behind a cold front the night before, the Northeastern United States was treated to low humidity and early fall-like weather. But that was the weather outside. We’ll get to outside pictures later.
Inside, the heat was on with Spyro Gyra in action.
The leader of the band, Jay Beckenstein, was on the alto saxophone…
…but not simultaneously.
Jay wore a t-shirt with the Morning Dance album cover on it.
Tom Schuman on keyboards:
Julio Fernandez on guitar:
Scott Ambush on bass:
…and Lee Pearson played the drums:
Lee brought his two sons along.
SET LIST
1. Freetime
2. Catching the Sun
3. De La Luz – Julio, lead vocals; Lee, background vocals
4. Dancing on Table Mountain – Scott, extended bass solo
5. I Believe in You
6. Expect a Miracle – Lee, extended drum solo
7. Falling Walls
8 (Encore). Morning Dance – Jay called this “an encore without leaving the stage.”
Julio’s lead vocal on “De La Luz”:
Backed up by Lee:
Scott’s extended bass solo on “Dancing on Table Mountain”:
The view from my table:
The last note of the night:
Immediately after the set, the band made their way to the deck below for a meet and greet. I caught up with Jay Beckenstein:
Tom Schuman:
…and Scott Ambush:
As promised, we’ll conclude this recap with shots taken outside before and during the cruise:
The Pier 62 skate park:
Close-ups of Hoboken and Weehawken:
Lincoln Tunnel ventilation building in background, Beast Speedboat in center:
Jersey City:
Manhattan’s West Side:
The nearly-completed One World Trade Center:
The Statue of Liberty:
As you can tell by the reflection, I took that at my table.
Brooklyn:
Brooklyn Bridge:
One last shot of One World Trade Center:
Walking through Grand Central Terminal June 8, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
In the late morning and early afternoon of Friday, April 26, I made the long journey from my home in Wantagh to Milford, Connecticut for the this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert (night 1, night 2). After walking from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal, I took the following pictures while waiting for my Metro-North train to Milford:
The next step was buying a round-trip ticket. Then, I bought a couple of snacks at Rite Aid and made my way to my train’s track.
From here, it was on to Milford.
When I headed home on Sunday, I opted not to walk from GCT to Penn. Instead, I took the 7 train to Woodside-61st Street and waited for a Babylon-bound LIRR train. I had been on enough trains on that branch that I assumed Woodside was a regular stop. But it wasn’t this time. I had to board a Ronkonkoma train and change at Jamaica. The Babylon train at Jamaica arrived on the same track as the Ronkonkoma train. There was a short delay in Baldwin, but I eventually made it back to Wantagh and wound down at home.
Expanding my collection May 16, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Travel.add a comment
The mental seed for expanding my music collection was planted at the first night of this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. One of the guest musicians that night was wind instrumentalist Nelson Rangell. He played one song from one of his albums and two covers not on any of his albums. The first of the two covers was a Return to Forever song called “Spain.” Nelson’s cover featured guitarist Marc Antoine, who was the first guest introduced that night. “Spain” was Marc’s fourth song in a row and followed Nelson’s contribution to his cover of “Mas Que Nada” by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66.
Return to Forever (or RTF) is one of a few bands Chick Corea has led in his long career. I don’t have any of his solo albums, but I did have all but one by the Elektric Band (plus one Elektric Band II album).
That Friday night at the Parsons Complex, I was unaware “Spain” was an RTF cover. But the refrain sounded familiar and typical of Chick. The following morning in my hotel room, I did a Google search for spain jazz song. The top result was this Wikipedia entry. So, I listened to a little bit of the song in Spotify. The mental seed that was planted the night before was starting to grow.
At home a few days later, I looked into the rest of Return to Forever’s works. Bypassing their eponymous debut album, I liked what I heard on half of Light as a Feather (where “Spain” originated), but I haven’t listened to Flora Purim’s vocal contributions to the other half. I liked all of Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior. But I didn’t like Musicmagic because it was all vocals. So, after a week of deliberation, and purchasing saxophonist Andy Snitzer’s The Rhythm, I bought Light as a Feather as an MP3 download and the four albums that followed it (Hymn, Where Have I, etc.) on CD. Some songs on those albums were good, but the rest were great, especially if they featured various synthesizers.
I will eventually buy Return to Forever’s recent live album, The Mothership Returns. The latest incarnation of RTF, after several hiatuses, features 75% of the band during most of its 1970s run (Chick, bass player Stanley Clarke, and drummer Lenny White) plus violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and guitarist Frank Gambale.
While I was waiting for the four RTF CDs to arrive, I remembered that I had a Chick Corea Akoustic Band album – the CD, at least – for six years and never ripped it to my computer. The CD arrived by accident in a jewel case that had artwork for the Elektric Band’s Beneath the Mask album. I eventually got that album’s CD, but never listened to the eponymous Chick Corea Akoustic Band CD. That changed last Thursday. I liked the jazz standard covers in the first three-fifths of the CD, but loved Chick’s originals that rounded it out. The Akoustic Band was the Elektric Band without saxophonist Eric Marienthal and the aforementioned Frank Gambale. That left Chick on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and Dave Weckl on drums. The four Chick originals were “Morning Sprite,” “T.B.C. (Terminal Baggage Claim),” “Circles” (a nod to Chick’s Circle band?), and a new arrangement of “Spain.” The one I got hooked on was “T.B.C.” because it reminded me of walking through airport terminals, particularly at Tampa International Airport. And since the album came out in 1989, I harkened back to plane rides I took to Tampa that year, and the joy of seeing my grandparents, who lived 45 minutes away in Crystal Beach, greet me in the terminal and walk with me and my immediate family to baggage claim. “Many bags look alike,” the baggage claim announcement included. (The rest of it was something about claim checks.)
As the RTF CDs came in, I also found the GRP All-Star Big Band album that I had been sitting on for just as long as the Akoustic Band album. That, too, featured a cover of “Spain.” And when my girlfriend shipped me Brian Simpson’s new album, Just What You Need, and Tom Borton’s 1992 album, The Lost World, I finally listened to the other album of Tom’s that I’ve had for eight years, Dancing with Tigers. I bought that one after learning excerpts from a few songs were used as Local Forecast music on The Weather Channel in the early ’90s.
As if all of this music wasn’t enough, I decided to give the later albums of Miles Davis a try. I’ve had downloads of “Tutu” (from the album Tutu) and his cover of “Human Nature” (from You’re Under Arrest) for years, but finally decided to buy Tutu and Amandla. The latter was Miles’ last album completed in his lifetime. (He died during the production of Doo-Bop.) Eventually, I’ll get Aura, You’re Under Arrest, Decoy, Star People, and maybe The Man with the Horn.
In three short weeks, that seed for expanding my music collection has blossomed into an enormous music tree. One song at one concert led to the purchase of five albums, then discovering two albums I never put on my computer, then buying two more albums, then receiving two more albums from my girlfriend which led me to give an album I hadn’t listened to eons another shot. Thank you, Nelson Rangell, for planting the seed in my head by covering “Spain.”
SJFS 2013 Night 2 recap April 29, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.1 comment so far
Updated on 8/20/13 with two videos.
If at first you succeed, try to duplicate the success the following night. That was the task for the second night of Jay Rowe‘s eleventh annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert.
Kevin McCabe was the first to speak to the audience just before 8PM:
As you can see behind Kevin, before Jay and the house band came out, the show began with a performance by the Foran High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Jessica Shearer. Their song featured a solo by Jay. Pictures of what was visible can be seen later in this post.
The house band was made up of Jay on keyboards:
Jerry Brooks on bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
Steve Scales on percussion:
The show took place on Steve’s birthday.
…and for eight of the songs, Rohn Lawrence on guitar:
SET LIST
1. Martinis and Bikinis (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Live at Daniel Street,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
2. Side Tracked (Jeff Golub)
Originally heard on: “The Three Kings,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub (electric guitar), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
Unfortunately, Jeff went blind a few years ago. But he hasn’t let that stop him from performing. He still sounds great. His courage and perseverance are admirable.
3. Freddie’s Midnight Dream (Jeff Golub)
Originally heard on: “The Three Kings,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub (electric guitar), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
4. Can’t Stop Now (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
5. Wild Thing (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Whisper,” 2013
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
6. Black Pearl (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Whisper,” 2013
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Chieli Minucci (acoustic guitar)
7. Dreams (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: “It’s Gonna Be Good,” 1998
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (soprano sax)
8. Crazy Eights (Chieli Minucci & Special EFX)
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013 (to be released on May 21)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
9. If I Could Fly (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
10. It Is What It Is (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “North End Soul,” 2010
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
11. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Jeff Golub (electric guitar)
12. Suede (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Player’s Club,” 2004
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
13. Katy’s Groove (Jay Rowe)
Featured musicians: Foran High School Advanced Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Theresa Voss
14 (Finale). Cold Duck Time (Jeff Golub; Eddie Harris cover)
Originally heard on: “Do It Again,” 2002
Featured musicians: Everyone
Various shots of Jay Rowe:
Jerry Brooks:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Rohn Lawrence:
Vincent Ingala:
Jeff Golub:
Chieli Minucci:
Marion Meadows:
Just like in 2011, Marion began “Suede” by playing his way through the audience:
Vincent and Rohn:
Chieli and Vincent:
Marion, Vincent, and Chieli:
Chieli and Jeff:
Foran High School Jazz Band:
Foran High School Advanced Vocal Ensemble:
The Finale – “Cold Duck Time”:
The second night of Smooth Jazz for Scholars was now complete.
Jay: “We’ll see you all next year!”
I hope you enjoyed this pictorial journey through both nights of Smooth Jazz for Scholars. Until next year, so long.
SJFS 2013 Night 1 recap April 29, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
Updated on 8/20/13 with two videos.
This weekend, I made my annual pilgrimage to Milford, Connecticut, for Jay Rowe‘s eleventh annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert. For the first time in SJFS history, there were two nights of music to enjoy. This is a recap of night 1.
Kevin McCabe had some opening remarks:
…and so did Jay Rowe:
Jay played his keyboards:
His house band was rounded by Jerry Brooks on bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
…and Steve Scales on percussion:
The structure of this recap is different from previous SJFS recaps. Instead of combining the set list with pictures from the corresponding songs, I’ll list the set list first. Here it is:
SET LIST
1. Martinis and Bikinis (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Live at Daniel Street,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
2. Sunland (Marc Antoine)
Originally heard on: “Madrid,” 1998
Featured musician: Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
3. Mas Que Nada (Marc Antoine; Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 cover)
Originally heard on: “Cruisin’,” 2001
Featured musicians: Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
4. Spain (Return to Forever [Chick Corea] cover)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (flute), Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
5. Turning Night Into Day (Nelson Rangell)
Originally heard on: “Turning Night Into Day,” 1997
Featured musician: Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
6. Did You Know? (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: “Just Come On In,” 2003
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
You read right. Vincent isn’t limited to one instrument. And if you’ve read the liner notes for some of Nick’s albums, neither is he.
7. Rainy Night in Georgia (Nick Colionne; Brook Benton cover)
Originally heard on: “It’s My Turn,” 1994; “Keepin’ It Cool,” 2006
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (vocals/electric guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
8. Pusherman (Alex Bugnon; Curtis Mayfield cover)
Originally heard on: Upcoming album
Featured musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Jay Rowe (keyboards), Nick Colionne (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
9. A House is Not a Home (Alex Bugnon; notably covered by Luther Vandross)
Originally heard on: Upcoming album
Featured musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
10. Poinciana (notably covered by Ahmad Jamal)/107 Degrees in the Shade (Alex Bugnon)
“107 Degrees…” originally heard on: “107 Degrees in the Shade,” 1991
Musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
11. The Connection (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: “Feel the Heat,” 2011
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
12. How Insensitive (Insensatez) (Antonio Carlos Jobim cover)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (whistling/piccolo), Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
13. Harlem On My Mind (Alex Bugnon)
Originally heard on: “Tales from the Bright Side,” 1995
Featured musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Nelson Rangell (flute), Vincent Ingala
14. On the Strip (Marc Antoine)
Originally heard on: “Cruisin’,” 2001
Featured musician: Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
15 (Finale). Cantaloupe Island (Herbie Hancock cover)/(James Brown-style jam)
Featured musicians: Everyone
In the finale, some musicians switched to different instruments. Vincent went from electric guitar to tenor sax; Marc Antoine tried out Vincent’s guitar, Steve’s drums, and one of Jay’s synthesizers.
With the set list out of the way, let’s get to the pictures.
We begin with various shots of Jay Rowe:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Nelson Rangell helped out during Marc Antoine’s “How Insensitive” solo. Seconds before I took this, he struck the chimes:
Marc Antoine:
Nelson Rangell:
Alto sax:
Flute:
Piccolo:
Whistling:
Whistling like that deserved a bow:
Vincent Ingala on electric guitar:
Nick Colionne:
Hearing from the audience:
“Rainy Night in Georgia”:
Alex Bugnon:
Nelson and Marc’s “Mas Que Nada” call and response:
Jay and Alex’s dual medley:
Nick and Vincent’s “The Connection” duet:
The finale:
“Can I count it off?! (slow staccato): Can I count it off?!”
Nick in the audience:
Back on stage:
With that, the first night of the eleventh annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars was complete.
The fun resumed the following night. Click here to see.
Busy Saturdays (and one Friday) ahead April 13, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology, Travel, Video.add a comment
I have a busy pair of Saturdays (and one Friday) beginning next week.
Next Saturday, I’ll be at the second annual WCWP Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. As I noted in mid-October, this year’s inductees are Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, Bill Mozer, and Maura “Bernie” Bernard. Like last year, the ceremony will take place at the Tilles Center Atrium. But unlike last year, it will take place in the afternoon rather than the evening.
The following Friday and Saturday, I’ll be up in Milford, Connecticut, for both nights of keyboardist Jay Rowe’s annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. In the Friday show, for the first time since 2008, Jay won’t be the only keyboardist performing. Alex Bugnon is one of the guests scheduled to perform, along with saxophonist Nelson Rangell, and guitarists Marc Antoine and Nick Colionne. Saturday’s lineup consists of guitarists Jeff Golub and Chieli Minucci, and saxophonists Marion Meadows and Vincent Ingala. This will be the first time I’ve seen Jeff since he unfortunately lost his sight.
At both events, I’ll have the same video and audio equipment as last year, but I’ll be using a new digital camera. After getting the Nikon D3100 last May, I lucked into swapping it for a new D5100 earlier this week.
You know the drill: After each event, I’ll post a photo recap here at MikeChimeri.com. Crafting posts will be easier now that WordPress lets you post all the pictures at once.
Until then, so long.
Smooth Jazz for Scholars 2013 dates/lineup January 28, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.2 comments
You read the headline correctly. For the first time in Smooth Jazz for Scholars’ 11-year history, there will be two shows, both at the Parsons Complex Auditorium in Milford, Connecticut. Keyboardist Jay Rowe, the man behind SJFS, writes:
The Smooth Jazz For Scholars show will be held on [Friday] 4/26/13 and [Saturday] 4/27/13. The line-up for 4/26 is Alex Bugnon, Marc Antoine, Nick Colionne and Nelson Rangell. The line-up for 4/27 is Jeff Golub, Marion Meadows, Chieli Minucci and saxophonist Vincent Ingala. Tickets are $40 each for each night and $70 each for both nights. Tickets can be purchased by sending a check or money order payable to Smooth Jazz For Scholars Inc. to P.O. Box 3723 Milford, CT. 06460. Please be sure to include your return address and tickets will be mailed to you immediately upon receipt of order and payment. For additional info call 203-415-8878.
I will be on hand for both nights. This will be my seventh year in attendance.
Friday, April 26
Alex Bugnon (“boon-YON”)
Marc Antoine
Nick Colionne
Nelson Rangell (“ran-JELL”)
Saturday, April 27
Jeff Golub
Marion Meadows
Chieli Minucci (“key-L-e min-OO-chee”)
Vincent Ingala
Tickets: $40 each for one night, $70 each for both nights
Tickets can be purchased by check or money order payable to:
Smooth Jazz For Scholars Inc.
P.O. Box 3723
Milford, CT 06460
Include your return address.
For more information, call: 203-415-8878
Here is how the singular 2012 show went.
5/27 UPDATE: Sorry I didn’t share the links sooner, but here are recaps of this year’s first night and second night.
Matt Marshak “Colors of Me” release party November 19, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
Other Matt Marshak show recaps: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015
Saturday night at Houndstooth Pub, contemporary jazz guitarist Matt Marshak hosted a CD release party/show for his new album Colors of Me. It made for a great present for my 31st birthday.
This is my first show recap to include grayscale (black and white) pictures.
Matt played electric guitar:
Kenny Harris was on bass:
Carl “C-Man” Anderson on drums:
…and Daniel West on the keyboard:
I was at Houndstooth for the first set. Here’s the set list:
1. Down in Delaware
2. Cadillac Kid
3. Summerfunk
4. Teddy P (audience request)
5. Sanibel
6. Time for Takeoff
7. On the Rocks*
8. Funkology*
*-Alex Bugnon sat in on keyboard.
After “Time for Takeoff,” it was time for surprise guest Alex Bugnon to sit in on keyboard…
…which he did for “On the Rocks” and “Funkology.”
“On the Rocks” featured an intense call and response between Matt and Alex:
Alex’s “Funkology” solo:
…followed by Kenny’s bass solo:
…and the C-Man’s vocal solo with audience participation:
As the set concluded, Alex and I met in person for the first time. Then, my friend Dolly Moye took this picture:
What can I say that I haven’t already said in other recaps? I had a great time, as always; another unforgettable night.
My Sandy experience November 10, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Audiobooks, DVD, Health, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Travel, TV, Weather.5 comments
The nightmare known as Hurricane (or Superstorm) Sandy was thrust upon my attention on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 24, hours before seeing pianist David Benoit perform at the Iridium Jazz Club. The first report I read about the storm had a few scenarios, which included turning east out to sea and taking a sharp westerly turn toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S, combining with an approaching cold front. By the second report, the latter scenario became more likely. With each passing report, until it made landfall in South New Jersey on the evening of October 29, more and more models showed that worst case scenario. And with each passing report, I grew more and more paranoid and fearful of what would happen.
Sandy was so large that its effects were first felt through cloud cover on Saturday, October 27. The following day, October 28, showers and minor wind gusts began. I couldn’t stand hearing the wind plowing into the windows and wall from my Wantagh home’s east-facing bedroom. So, I slept in the basement that night.
When I woke up early on October 29, the worst still hadn’t arrived, but the wind was still strong, around 30 miles per hour with gusts in the 50s. Somehow, the power did not go out during the morning. By 1:30 PM, the power began to flicker off and on, and at 1:45, the power went out to stay and wouldn’t return until nine days later. Back in the basement, as the wind continued to howl upstairs, now approaching sustained winds of 45 mph with gusts to 60, I used my Sennheiser studio headphones to listen to audiobooks on my CD-playing Walkman. But spoken words were unable to completely drown out the sound of wind. So, rather than waste battery power on my iPod, I used the Walkman, which runs on AA batteries, to listen to music. I took two pairs of CDs that I used for my two recent WCWP Homecoming Weekend shows and a dozen albums. When I wasn’t listening to news radio for the latest on Sandy, or sports radio to forget about Sandy, I was listening to my CDs.
My parents, sister, and I were prepared with plenty of bottled water, bags of food, canned goods, AA batteries, C batteries, D batteries, and a generator. We didn’t use the generator until after the height of Sandy, which came around 8PM, shortly after it transitioned to a post-tropical cyclone. While the worst winds pummeled the house, gusting as high as 85 mph, we congregated in the living room where an extension cord ran from the generator in the backyard to the middle of the room. There, I plugged in a power strip and we plugged in a table lamp for light, and all our rechargeable electronics. For a time, we watched DVDs on my sister’s laptop. After a couple of hours, my dad turned off the generator and we all went to sleep. I returned to the basement for that.
Outside of a tree falling in my next-block neighbor’s back yard, two shingles falling off our roof, a toppled-over garbage pail on the side of the house, and branches and leaves on the grass, I was clueless about the extent of damage in my area. But a tree fell a block east of our house, which is why our power went out, and a few trees fell one block north and west.
At around 11AM on October 30, I walked around the exterior of my house to take aftermath pictures.
I began at my front patio, worked my way around the house, and then to the curb:
The pails on the west side of the house:
I fixed the pail that blew over about half an hour before taking pictures.
The container that covered the gas cans for generator fuel blew off:
When the power strip wasn’t connected to the extension cord, either the microwave or coffee maker were plugged in.
I turned this table upside down on Sunday and removed the tiles, stacking them on the ground near the wall:
The tile-less table was moved slightly by the high winds.
There had been a tree in the center of this empty space:
Part of it fell into our back yard:
Or it may have been from this tree which fell at around 6:00 the night before:
I was in the basement listening to a CD on my Walkman and could hear my dad in the kitchen saying “Tree down!”
You can barely see a tree down up the road to the east:
To the west, a utility poll was slanted (not visible in pic):
A week later, my sister took the following pictures on our street from east to west:
As bad as things looked on our block, the absolute worst hit areas were waterfront communities. Main floors and basements were destroyed. House and building fires that started after flooding began couldn’t be contained and had to burn out. Knowing all this gave me survivor guilt. I felt guilty that my house was hardly damaged and all I lost was power, while my friends in places like South Freeport, Baldwin Harbor, Island Park, Long Beach, Lido Beach, and Massapequa lost everything that wasn’t on the second floor or higher. The Rockaways and Staten Island were hit just as hard.
An example of how hard Freeport was hit can be seen in this video of damage to the Nautical Mile (Woodcleft Avenue), via The Weekly Freeporter YouTube channel:
Guilt aside, I developed cabin fever after two days at my powerless house (outside of generated power). So, on the night of Halloween, after riding out Tuesday night in my increasingly cold bedroom, I made the trip to a family friend’s house in Rockville Centre (power had just returned after only two days). I would spend the next week there while power was out at home. Of all the times for power to come back, on the afternoon of November 7, it was as a wet snow-producing nor’easter began to affect the Northeast. Unlike Sandy, however, the center of this nor’easter was far offshore and the winds were not too strong on Western Long Island. The wet snow bent but somehow did not break tree limbs, and it gradually melted or fell off the following day.
While power returned on November 7, cable did not come back until two days later.
After experiencing the March 2010 Nor’easter, Irene, and now Sandy, I can only hope that it’s a very long time before another major storm of Sandy’s magnitude hits the East Coast.
We’ll conclude this post with a few pictures in Rockville Centre on November 7 as snow began to accumulate…
…and a picture on November 8, hours after shoveling the driveway at home:
Also:
Laura Donovan: The Domino Effect Of Hurricane Sandy: Why One Natural Disaster Changed Everything For Me (dead link as of 10/29/18)
Peter Hoare: How Hurricane Sandy Ravaged My Town (Long Beach)
11/13 UPDATE: Yesterday, I walked my street from east to west to get a close look at the cut-up downed trees, and the damage caused by them:
As I took this last shot, Town of Hempstead sanitation trucks were making their way up the street to remove debris:
MikeChimeri.com 
2012 in review December 30, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
The following is an excerpt of an end-of-year post WordPress created for MikeChimeri.com. Scroll down for my editorial.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
Click here to see the complete report.
This site began in 2012 as The Mike Chimeri Blog, but in May, I did something I should have done four years earlier: combine my blog and my original website that I created through Yahoo Sitebuilder. After two weeks of uploading files and recreating pages, the new MikeChimeri.com was born.
2012 was the year I switched to a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera, a Nikon D3100, improving the quality of the pictures you see in my posts. The first two posts featuring pics shot with the D3100 were Scenery Pictures in late June and the Brian Simpson recap in early September. The Matt Marshak recap from mid-November was the first post where all pics were shot with it. Despite the switch, I plan to hold on to my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 as a backup. In fact, my last regular post of the year, pics taken westbound on the Belt Parkway, was all shot on the Lumix.
Unfortunately, 2012 was the third year in a row where a major storm hit Long Island, knocked out my power for more than a day, and left me to relocate until power was restored. This time, Sandy was the culprit.
Whatever comes my way in 2013, there’s a good chance I’ll post about it here. Have a happy and healthy 2013, everyone.