Mary Travers, 1937-2009

Mary Travers, of the iconic folk singing group, Peter, Paul and Mary, died Wednesday. After successful recovery from leukemia through a bone marrow/stem cell transplant, Mary succumbed to the side effects of one of her chemotherapy treatments. She had been suffering from leukaemia for several years.

Peter, Paul and Mary had many hits, but are known perhaps universally for two: If I Had a Hammer, and Puff, The Magic Dragon. The group released their debut album in 1962.
They became known for their mixture of liberal politics with folk music that won them a loyal following of fans and also five Grammy Awards.

Bandmate Peter Yarrow said that in her last months, Travers handled her declining health "in the bravest, most generous way imaginable".
He added that throughout her long career, Travers sang with honesty and complete authenticity.
"I believe that, in the most profound of ways, Mary was incapable of lying, as a person, and as an artist - that took great courage, and Mary was always equal to the task."

Noel "Paul" Stookey, the trio's other member, praised the singer for her inspiring activism, "especially in her defense of the defenseless."
"I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers and honored beyond my wildest dreams to have shared her spirit and her career," he said.
Travers was an outspoken supporter of the civil rights and anti-war movements.
(Excerpted from BBC News) Click on the headline for the PP&M website.

A rare Jaxonia endorsement

Eggs have been a Jaxonia staple since the dawn of time. Scrambled, basted, over easy... in quiches, on sandwiches, in meat loaves... just about everywhere.

Fresh eggs are best, of course, and for some unknown reason, brown eggs seem to taste better. Generally, though, most eggs are, well, just eggs. Sometimes something straight off a farm can taste better, but it's really not a big big difference. Not until now.



These Land O Lakes puppies are fantastic! They look different (bright orange yolks), they taste GREAT, and they come in a super-cool double-seal carton that really looks like major league protection.

Jaxonia makes no money on this, but if Land O Lakes reads the blog, maybe we'll get a coupon or two? Click on the title for the skinny on the whole production.

Difficult to remember and forget

This is the view from New Jersey, along with a photo I took in the summer of 1970, when the towers were still under construction. (That's Jen in the stroller, Tracy alongside, and two nephews, Mark and Lewis. Kathy wasn't here yet.)
I knew the pic would be historic, but I didn't know why.

Almost a decade later, and Ground Zero is still Ground Zero.

I want my America back! When they topped off the first tower I put on a hard hat, grabbed a clipboard and sneaked my way to the top. I was ten feet away from the windows before I realized there were no windows!...We celebrated a family birthday at Windows on the World, a five-star restaurant on the 101st floor... We took the girls to the observation deck one evening in their PJs... WTC was THE venue for lower Manhattan power breakfasts... In the weeks following this tragedy, I drove several Madison families past the site, and wept openly every time. I'm weeping now, as I write this.

Do not forget this day.

Runnin' the DC Beltway

From Madison, NJ to Glen Allen, VA clocks in at 311 miles. With a little luck and a decent radar detector one should be able to get door-to-door in four hours.

HAH! In five years of trying, I've made that bogey just once; it was so euphoric I felt like spraying the family with champagne!

The first 200 miles fool you. You rip along down the NJT, across the Delaware Memorial Bridge and down into one of the Baltimore tunnels with ease, but the final 100 miles are KILLER.
Anything can happen and often does. Accidents, traffic delays, bumper-to-bumper through inexplicable 'construction' sites (where no one seems to be constructing anything).
Here is the latest beauty... just before the DC drawbridge, a wall-to-wall accident that completely shut down I95! Without explanation or any detour help, the men in blue just shovelled everybody back onto I95 North! It was 'Yankee Go Home' time!
The little MINI and I got around that with only a 30-minute delay thanks to the VZ Navigator app, but another accident 30 miles downwind and some truck-traffic slowdowns made this voyage log in at a mind-altering 7 hours and 41 minutes! Good thing I love my kids!