Greetings friends of
NHABDA:
Where do I begin? Sarah and I
left for New York City with my boss to get visas
for China
on Thursday, February 25th. It rained all the way there until we reached NYC
when it started to snow. Not an enjoyable day in NYC with a 12 yr. old who’s got wet boots and sneakers. We didn’t get to do our
window shopping as it was too snowy and windy to do that. We woke up on Friday
to get a message from Joe that we had no electricity and to call him. I figured
we’d lost lights before and what were the chances that we’d repeat the 2008 ice
storm. Well, not only did we lose electricity but we have a 70 ft. hickory tree
“leaning” on our roof. We got our visas and came home Friday and it snowed all
the way home. It was very hard to reach our house because of all the downed
trees and wires.
So as I write this, I’m home with a daughter who had a
horrible time in NYC, no electricity, no telephone service,
no Internet, and no TV. Where can I escape to? The 2008 ice storm was really
hard for us even though we’re campers and now we’re going to have to go through
that again! We do have a generator, but it doesn’t run everything—including the
well pump, so getting water is a challenge. Still, we’re luckier than a lot of
folks.
Today is Sunday and we still have no power. Even dance
class was cancelled. We did get cable back on so Sarah will be happy for a
while. Bruce and Sue Stevens invited us over last night for a delicious meal,
TV and Internet for Sarah, showers, and two loads of laundry. I paid them a
visit again tonight for another shower and to wash dishes. Thank you so much
dear friends! I hope that all of you survive this calamity safely and we can
hopefully share a laugh or two of our experiences at the next dance.
Well enough of our saga and back to NHABDA. The Outreach
group had a wonderful time at the Ridgewood
Center on Sunday,
February 7th. (I was away on a “mini” girls weekend.)
Joe did attend it and said that some residents were dancing in the back. 40+
residents were so happy that we performed for them and want us to return.
The 1960’s Flashback Dance was a huge success.
Attendance was up (162 people). The lesson, a Viennese waltz instructed by
Maria and Ray of Paper Moon Dance Center, was fantastic and we’re glad that we
recorded it so that we can review it later. The showcase performed by Paper
Moon Dance Studio was really a pleasure to watch. I still can’t believe the
student who danced with Joe Butera was 14 yrs old and had only five months’
worth of lessons. A personal standing ovation to all who performed that
evening! I also want to thank Bill Wynn for great tunes that evening. First
time having him at our dance and we’ll see when we can have him come back
again.
The next Outreach
performance will be at the Bentley
Commons in Bedford
on Sunday, March 14th at 2:00
p.m. If you want to join our group give Joyce Wilson a
call. You’ll never regret performing for the residents. You’ll walk out feeling
good about yourself.
The next
dance is Saturday, March 20th
at Pinkerton Academy.
Giancarlo Costa will be teaching a Salsa lesson and be performing in the
showcase. Rico Barr & his Jump ‘n Jive Review Band will be returning and
pounding out the music for us that evening. Let’s celebrate the official start
of Spring!
Please, if you are attending the dance, don’t forget to
call ahead of time. We need a count on Friday to let the custodian know how
many tables to set up. The decorating committee needs to know how many
tablecloths and decorations to get. The set up committee needs to get the
appropriate amount of supplies for the dance. It also minimizes the frustration
for Betty who has to play around with the seating arrangements.Thank
you all in advance for helping us out.
As always,
Cheryl
P.S.– As of press time, we did get our power back (after four
days) and the tree is safely on the ground with very minimal damage. Someone
was looking out for us!
PPS.–
I found a black fleece zippered jacket after the Jan. dance at Pinkerton. Size large. If you lost it and want me to bring it on March
20th let me know. It’s
all washed!
