Socially Speaking

With Athena

All right! We did have sun this past weekend and the fireworks were wonderful. There were blue skies, white clouds, sun and strong breezes. Folks went to the beaches and the pools but many did not swim long in the cool waters. This is not the summer that I remember with cloudless sunny skies, the smell of freshly cut grass or soft salt water breezes and warm water in which to swim. The prognosis according to the weatherman is that we will be having this kind of weather in the northeast for some years to come. In the south and southwest, they will have a drought while we get the rain they used to get. Global warming is doing a number on our way of life and let us hope that something can be done about it.

The folks who belong to the Cherry Valley Club enjoyed their fireworks following a good Fourth of July dinner as is their tradition. They started with the show in Washington D.C. and then went to the Macy's show from the Hudson River. They were much grander than in years past so it was a good move. One Garden City couple visited their son's home in Brooklyn and said they had a nice front row seat. I can't report on those from Boston with the Boston Pops as I was too tired from gardening.

Golf has taken a hit with all the rain but the Twilight Golfers are getting a late but good start at all the clubs in town. The ladies at the Garden City Country Club held their Caddy Scholarship Fund Tournament this past week and their Tournament chair people Marilyn O'Grady, Jeanne Rohrbach, Nancy Riley, Mary Hickey and Ginny Erhardt did a great job, as did all the players. Most of the tournaments at all the private clubs are for the benefit of good causes.

You can take a gardener out of their usual gardens but you can't stop them from enjoying them again and again. Dorothy Holl and Barbara Wilson volunteered for many years at nearby Clark Gardens but they now reside at Peconic Landing near Greenport. Both ladies, along with Marilyn Hopkins and Harvey Feinstein, recently joined with the Horticultural Alliance of Southampton for a visit to Clark Gardens. The three ladies enjoyed welcoming spring there. It was followed by a delightful luncheon at historic George Washington Manor with their lovely gardens as a nice background. On the way back, a stop at Martin Viette's Garden Center finished off the day and the happy gardeners returned home. A glass of champagne on the jitney home was a nice finishing touch to their day. We miss you ladies here in Garden City.

The Alford's, Dorothy and Ed, had their grandchildren from out east for the 4th of July and they all had a wonderful time. Mom and Dad were celebrating their wedding anniversary with a stay at the Waldorf Astoria. Congrats to the celebrants and to the grandparents.

Happy wedding anniversary wishes go to Arlyn and George Rath , who will be celebrating their special day just about now. May they have a wonderful day and a lot more years ahead in which to enjoy their lives together. Much good health and happiness to you both.

Note to Joe! Of course I would not have forgotten your b-day! Your congratulations appeared in the column on June 19th. I admit it was a tad early but I thought it gave folks more time to congratulate you. I hope that you enjoyed your 86th birthday and that you have many more of them. I will try to get it into a better time slot next year. The Long Island Choral Society wound up its 80th year with great style and they are now planning a sing-in at a church in Freeport. If you would like to join them in singing Handel's "Messiah" or another well-known Oratorio, call (516) 868-0434 for more information and who doesn't like that? The same number called can give you all the information and you just might like to sign up as a singing member for the coming season. A number of Garden City folks sing with them.

And now - let us all hope for not only sun, but warmer weather to complete our summer happiness. See you next week!