Uncle Jack drove to Fitchburg, Massachusetts on Sunday (four hours down I-95) to visit his new great-granddaughter Adeline Marie Van Hazinga who is now all of two months old.  (see pictures below).  On Monday he returned to Camden with Adeline's grandmother in tow (who happens to be Uncle Jack's only begotten daughter, Emily Randall, of Concord, California).

    This morning he and Emily hopped into Mini Too and rowed out to take a look at all the spectacular yachts that have wound up in Camden harbor simultaneously this week.  They had a lovely trip out to the outer harbor to check out the super-yacht "Kaleen" but were drenched when the clouds moved in on the way home.  Now the sky has cleared again and the weatherman promises three consecutive days of rowing weather.  Stay tuned. 

      The organizers of the second annual Hope Jazz Festival were the recipients of the second annual Hope weather miracle yesterday.  A dismal, rainy morning metamorphosed into a glorious sunny afternoon just as it did last year and the show went on.  Once again the wretched morning weather held the crowd down but the several hundred who showed up were treated to some great jazz---along with some that wasn't so great but still enjoyable.  Hope is not New Orleans but then again nobody expects it to be.

     The headliner was a world-class guitar player named John Jorgenson who channels the spirit of the great gypsy jazzman Django Reinhardt in uncanny fashion.  Uncle Jack is ashamed to say he had never heard of Jorgenson before yesterday but he is now a rabid fan.  If you ever get a chance to hear him play don't miss it.

    And now Uncle Jack is off to Fitchburg, Mass. in the Mini to see his great-granddaughter Adeline, age two months, for the first time.  Pictures at 11.

     A spectacular yacht has been anchored in Camden's outer harbor for the past week, its nameplate just out of reach of Uncle Jack's binoculars.  He has been hoping for a chance to row out in Mini Too and check it out and yesterday he got his chance. 

      She turned out to be "Islandia", 130 feet of elegant steel, aluminum, wood and carbon fiber built in Holland by the Jongert shipyard in 2002.  Click on the link below the pictures for further information about this fabulous boat which is apparently privately owned and not available for charter.  

       Yesterday was a glorious day weatherwise---the best day of the month so far---and tomorrow is predicted to be another.  Unfortunately the same is not true of today---Saturday---which must be giving the organizers of the second annual Hope Jazz Festival a bad case of the blues.  The sky is completely overcast and heavy rain looks imminent which will discourage many potential customers from making the ten-mile trek out to Hope.  Uncle Jack and Mrs. U.J. bought their tickets in advance but it's beginning to look like that wasn't such a good idea. 

         Just checking in to let everybody know that all is well in Camden.  Uncle Jack and Mrs. U.J. have been enjoying a visit from some old friends for the past few days, hence the lacunae in the weblog department.

         Excitement has been limited to a few more arrivals and departures of snazzy sailboats and motor yachts but the weather has not been conducive to outdoor activities which has resulted in a paucity of pictures.  So call this one a filler.

         For those who have been waiting with 'bated breath to know if Walgreens got their requested zoning change in Rockland the answer is yes.  The planning board was agin it, the mayor was agin it and a large and vocal part of the population was agin it but for whatever reason three members of the town council voted for it so Walgreens wins. Small town politics is a wonder to behold no matter where it plays out .

     Next time:  Complete coverage of the second annual Hope Jazz Festival which is coming up on Saturday. It nearly got blown away last year but the promoters are back again and hoping for better weather.