Down By the River

There's a hint of autumn in the air in New Jersey right now. It still remains to be seen if we're going to charge right into the cold weather or whether we'll get a reprieve. In any event, you get the hint that winter is coming. A mellow Sunday with nothing much on the docket so the Astrals decided to cruise over to New Brunswick to check out a river festival, sponsored by the Beez Foundation, where our oldest son, Dale, was working as a volunteer. The Beez Foundation benefits kids with brain cancer and they have an annual rubber duck race on the Raritan River. We weren't planning to stay long enough for the race but we figured we'd sneak up on Dale.

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in the fields of gold*

If you look close, you can see bigfoot. Psyche!

The festival was held at Boyd Park. You can't make this stuff up.

Since I was a boy, I've ridden by this park hundreds of times

but was never there until today. There are some nice views of

the river.

This the pod that is craned over the river to release the ducks.

The sun was trying to come out but the clouds

pretty much prevailed today.

This was cool. The Raritan River is tidal so this was the river flowing 

upstream into the locks where the rubber duckies will be later to race.

Incoming!

So there ARE Raritan River Keepers! Who knew?

Mmmmm....

We have come to worship at the shrine of the Rubber Ducky.

Some of the early music was in our zone. 

Jackie Wilson Said.

Here's Dale on the right. 

Watchin' the River Flow.

Class of 1914? I'd like to see that crew now.

This ain't no Banksy. In fact, it's kinda freakin' me out.

I think I took the brown acid. A mistake, of course.

We decided to skip the river fest menu and went to Tumulty's Tavern,

a New Brunswick institution.

One of their signature items is a huge wedge of iceberg lettuce. No

matter what you order, you get one of these these.

The Astrals just went for the burgers. At 10oz, it was impossible to finish.

Not sure how old this building is, but it seems pretty dated.

I see a ghost rising. Do you?

Look into my eyes.

*'Fields of Gold' - Sting