Reflections

For the last number of years guitarist Fred Vine has played a late-season Rochester show at Maple Bay Café, sometimes closing out the venue’s performance season. As usual, Fred delivered a professional and pleasantly appealing show on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 12. Usually at this point, I drift down a few spaces and start a new paragraph detailing the set list, audience reaction, etc. This passage will spin off a thought I had: how much do we know about those talented souls that bless our home with song?

Introducing Rochester's own Maggie Mullen on vocals, Tim Sullivan plucking Bass Guitar and Steve Greene strumming the Electric Guitar! The drummer of the band that filled the Maple Bay Café airways with incredibly dynamic music on Tuesday afternoon, August 28 is already well known. Old Maplewood friend Ron Alessi provided the anchor for a memorable performance. An ample crowd slowly gathered on a prototypical summer afternoon.

When's the smell of petrol and rubber a good thing? When it's outside at our Street Rod & Classic Car Show! August 25 was the big day.

This annual event is sponsored by Rochester's own Good Times Oldies Car Club and organized by Club members and Maplewood volunteers Bob and Donna Baumgartner. They, along with our dynamic Recreation duo Gary Sacco and Sarah Hodges did a great job of putting together a fun afternoon of car gazing and socializing. A number of hotrods and antiques took their bow on the Maplewood back parking lot. Detroit enjoyed strong representation with classic Chevys, Fords, and Chryslers, while several Europen makes impressed as well.

Music and prizes featured throughout the afternoon with DJ Duke of Earl calling the tunes. To round things off, our Dining team put on a great spread in the Gazebo and at Maple Bay Café.

Elvis Presley was 42 when he died unexpectedly 35 years ago. He would be 77 today (August 16), about a decade and a half younger than many of our residents. Several of them are fans. Count me among them! Although I never paid too much attention to his mystique, Elvis’ appeal to me started and stopped at his voice. Listening to that deep powerful voice took me and so many others to indescribable emotive places in our souls. Our residents observed his passing by participating in a relaxing trivia session outdoors and watching a program detailing the recording of his first landmark album.

For the second straight summer The Maplewood community was treated to the rich, wonderfully powerful baritone voice of Bernie Levinson. On the afternoon of August 10 Bernie ran through a number of great tunes, invoking memories of Goulet, Jolson and George M. Cohen. Fans ate up every note!

We were ready. Tent up, tables and chairs set, food line… check! “Control what you can” is sound advice, but the weather is not one of those factors that we can control! We really hoped that the hottest summer in many years (perhaps since records have been kept) would take an intermission on Saturday, August 4. The sun looked and felt like Jupiter on fire! Even the band called in to cancel their appearance due to the heat! But we are The Maplewood, and we’ve always believed the show must go on. In this case, the show was our Annual Friends & Family Picnic.

Resident Gordon S’s kindness and gentlemanly manner shone through the moment he moved to The Maplewood. “Scotty” (a preferred nickname) has enjoyed life at The Maplewood, along with wife Phyllis and daughter Jackie. He always receives his numerous visitors warmly. “Scotty” is an accomplished man, winning over many admirers through the years.

While he is delighted that The Maplewood’s Administrator Greg Chambery picked up the YES Network, enabling him to watch his beloved Yankees, something has been missing. A passion of his that would be difficult to import here. That’s where Penfield’s Centerpointe Stables and “Scotty’s” long time friend Charlie Horst comes in to this story!

A recent Friday afternoon was complex and fast moving with much happening. So when Phyllis took me aside and asked me to visit her husband Gordon’s room, I obliged with little thought. I assumed they were looking to firm up plans for a future visit to their friend’s Penfield horse farm. What I found instead was a priceless window into the youthful days of my Great Uncle Joe Messerino.

Great Uncle Joe was one of four Messerino brothers on my mom’s side, which included my Grandfather. He was probably the most caring of the four… sorry Gramps. They grew up in Fairport, New York. “JoJo”, as he was affectionately called, stayed put in Fairport. As the last surviving member of this great brotherhood, he sadly passed on a few years back.

Because I’m in the process of moving back to Fairport myself, that means I’m returning to the epicenter of my family’s history. Yet I never expected to see the piece of history Gordon held in his hands!

I grew up in the Village of Fairport, so every time we bring our residents there for ice cream and a stroll down the canal, it brings back lasting memories for me. My grandparents in fact lived right on the canal!

On Thursday, June 14, we brought residents Thorne W, Thelma W and Carl M with us. Volunteer Joyce T helped out. We actually de-boarded at my Grandmother's house. After carefully cutting through her short back yard we were rolling west on the canal trail.

Our two “invasions” of Highland Park for Rochester Lilac Festival 2012 held a somewhat disappointing, if not anticipated sight, for those enthusiasts that covet lilac blossoms. This year’s bizarre, upside-down weather with March’s warmth combined with April’s descent into chilly temperatures messed up nature’s cycle. In spite of the spent lilac bushes, both of The Maplewood’s tour groups soaked in sunshine, warm weather and an overall great experience!