Twenty-Eight's new album is released

"Just a Number," the new album by Gerrit's band Twenty-Eight, was officially released on Sept. 28. It's available via the band's web site, iTunes, Amazon and other digital download sites.

Congratulations to Gerrit and the band!

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Competition season begins for SPFHS marching band

For Andy, it was his first competition as a member of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Raiders Marching Band. For Christine, it was her "last first competition," kicking off her final season.

Andy on drums at bottom left, Christine on flute near top right

The band performed at Hunterdon Central Regional High School near Flemington on Saturday evening (9/25).

Christine marches by as drum major directs

The Raiders band was alone in its category at this particular show, but received a good score from the judges, a good sign for future competitions.

A summer 2010 retrospective in photos

Before the summer fades from our memories, check out the photos Brien took in Noyac of Dan and Lorraine and their various visitors.

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Lots more to see!
Visit Brien's
Summer-Long Island-2010 gallery
at our Picasa photo site

Twenty Eight is about to release its second album (UPDATED with release date)

Twenty-Eight performing at the Dennis Fireworks Fest. Gerrit is second from the right.

Twenty Eight, the five-piece acoustic band from Cape Cod featuring Gerrit on guitar, is about to release its second full-length album, "Just a Number."

From the announcement on the band's web site:

We are happy to announce that our official release date will be this coming Tuesday, September 28, 2010.

You will be able to find the album right on iTunes, as well as many other online stores including, but not limited to, Amazon, Napster, eMusic, and many more.

If you have iTunes installed, please follow this link.

Once the album is released on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 you will be able to find it on that page.

We are very excited and proud of this album and hope that everyone enjoys it!

You can get a taste of the 11 new songs in a preview montage now available on the band's web site, where you can also learn more about Twenty Eight and view photos.

The band has had a very busy summer, both in the recording studio and performing around the Cape and in Cambridge.

Soccer update: Fordham Prep remains undefeated (Updated 9/26)

From a NY Post photo gallery.

Fordham Prep cruised to a 6-0 victory over Christ the King on Friday, 9/17. LoHud.com reports Pat and another goalkeeper combined for the shutout.

The previous day, FP and Xavier were tied 1-1 at halftime when their game was called due to the severe storms that moved across New York City.

The New York Post ran a full story on the game, plus a collection of photos including these featuring Patrick.

Pat makes a save on a Xavier player's header.

UPDATE (9/26): Fordham Prep had another shutout victory on Sept. 23, 3-0 over Xavierian. Meanwhile the league decided that the suspended game with Xavier will be finished on some future date, so FP's record now stands at 5 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie.

Old rock, new rock at MusicFest

Train at Union County MusicFest. Watch the video.

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy enjoyed two days of free live music at Union County MusicFest, held in a county park in Clark, N.J., on Sept. 11-12.

Click here to see more photos

The annual event includes some moderately big-name acts each year, along with some local bands and some oldies-but-goodies. A few years ago Chuck Berry showed he can still rock at age 80-something.

This time the headliners were Train "(Drops of Jupiter," "Hey Soul Sister") on Saturday night and Spoon ("Got Nuffin," "The Underdog") on Sunday. Train drew by far the biggest audience, which made exiting the park on Saturday night a long ordeal, but the crowds all weekend were friendly and the atmosphere very relaxed.

OK Go perform at Union County MusicFest

Our gang also enjoyed watching and listening to The Bravery, OK Go, Robert Randolph and the Family Band and the Zombies.

Yes, the Zombies are still around (undead, right?). They currently consist of original members Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone; bassist Jim Rodford (formerly of the Kinks) and his son, drummer Jim Rodford; and guitarist Tom Toomey.

For any old rock-and-rollers who might be interested, here's a clip of the band performing "Hold Your Head Up" -- which was not a Zombies song but was a hit for Argent's later band, Argent, and features his wild playing on the classic Hammond organ.

THERE'S MORE TO SEE:
VIDEOS: A brief clip of Train and a longer one of Spoon
PHOTOS: See the album on Picasa

Dan preparing to change jobs

After 12+ years at The Star-Ledger, Dan will be taking a buyout and moving on to a new job.

He'll start in Oct. 12 as an editor at Harrison Scott Publications in Hoboken, which puts out specialized newsletters for professionals in real estate, finance and investment fields.

Dan, NOT at work

Dan says: "It's going to be a big adjustment after nearly 35 years of presenting general news and politics to a wide audience. But working with reporters, helping them develop stories, editing and polishing the copy - all that will be familiar.

"I've been happy at The Star-Ledger, and it will be hard to leave. But the paper is now going through its third phase of cut-backs in the last two years, and I could not pass up this new opportunity."

Dan joined the Ledger in the summer of 1998 and worked in its Trenton and Union County bureaus, then in its Newark newsroom as politics editor before joining the editorial board in November 2008. After starting out in radio news in 1975, he joined The Associated Press in 1977 and spent 21 years in AP jobs in New York, Washington and New Jersey.

With Patrick in goal, Fordham Prep soccer is off to a great start

The Fordham Prep varsity soccer team went undefeated in its first three games this season, thanks in part to Patrick's goalkeeping.

After playing Iona Prep to a 0-0 draw, Fordham Prep shut out Regis and Stepinac, both by 2-0 scores. Pat was credited with three saves in the game against Regis, according to LoHud.com.

The New York Post's report on the Stepinac game said Patrick "made five saves for his third clean sheet, extending his shutout streak to 240 minutes."

Dolores exhibits her 'Art in the Park'

On Saturday Dolores participated in her final outdoor art show for the year at "Art in the Park" in Chestertown, Maryland.

Chestertown is a pretty Eastern Shore town on the banks of the Chester River, a Chesapeake Bay tributary. It is the home of Washington College, one of the oldest in the country.

The show is held in a compact park area in the heart of the town. This year it was blessed with beautiful autumn weather, so a large crowd came out.

Here Dolores is discussing her work with a potential customer.

Christine and Andy in first official marching band show of the season

Looking spiffy in their SPFHS Raider Band uniforms, Christine and Andy took part in the band's first official show of the season, at the high school's football season opener on Saturday.

The band is off to a fine start this year, and everyone's hoping for a great season in the band competitions.

Pastels by Dolores in museum show

This week Dolores delivered two pastel paintings to the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland for inclusion in an exhibit at the museum.

The exhibit will feature works by Signature Members of the Maryland Pastel Society, and will run from September 21 until November 10, with an opening reception on September 26.

Here are images of two of the paintings Dolores is entering.

Further information can be found at the museum web site, or the Pastel Society web site.

Labor Day weekend at the lake and the falls

Cathy, Christopher and Stephanie visited with Cathy's parents, Hugh and Dolores, at Deep Creek Lake, Md., over Labor Day weekend.

Cathy writes:
We were fortunate to have nice cool fall-like weather so we visited some sights while we were there.


Here's a bunch of pictures. We found the llamas hanging out near Schoolhouse Earth gift shop nearby. We did some shopping there too.

Mom wanted to find some of the barns on the "Barn Quilt Tour" that is available in Garrett County. There are about a half-dozen barns in the vicinity that have replica quilt squares on them of various quilt patterns. Mom and Dad have sponsored a new one that should be completed later this fall.

Of course no visit to the Lake is complete without seeing the whale (a big climb-on sculpture behind the Uno restaurant). They have also added giant deck chairs in back of Uno's since we were last there. The kids thought they were a lot of fun.

On Sunday we went to Muddy Creek Falls & Swallow Falls. There was an apple butter festival going on that day. Chris & Stephanie had a blast climbing around on all the rocks. As you can see the water level was quite low.

All in all it was a delightful yet brief trip. We look forward to going again many more times.

Enjoying the waning days of another Long Island summer

On a beautiful Labor Day weekend (unspoiled, as it turned out, by Hurricane Earl), Kathy and Ted, Dan and Lorraine, Brien and Dan squeezed in a little more summer fun to round out the 2010 season in Noyac. Above, they relax after a fine meal at Kathy & Ted's. Below, the guys sail Spindrift on a windy bay.



Here, Brien contemplates the mysteries of the ocean - including why it swiped one of his flip-flops.



Here's a nice portrait of Dan and Lorraine, spending their 50th summer in their cottage on Birch Street.


Yes, it was in 1961 that they first brought their family to the cottage known as Fair Play, after renting another house on the same street two prior years. Where does the time go?

Marching band season under way for Christine and Andy

The SPFHS Marching Band previewed its 2010 show for parents and friends on Thursday at the high school football field. This season both Christine and Andy are members of the band.

Christine, a senior, is leader of the flute section. Andy, a freshman, plays drums and other percussion in "the pit," the group of musicians who set up and play their stationary instruments at the edge of the field in front of the marchers.

In the photo above, Andy is at the drum set at front right, while Christine is near the top left corner of the picture, the second flute from the left.

This photo of Christine appeared on the local news web site "Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch."

Here is a very brief video clip that shows Christine and other players marching past Andy as he plays congas.