Ginger Ale soap?

Mmmhmmm... Found a locally made soap in Sugar Loaf yesterday that smells like Ginger Ale. Effervescent: ) It was not my first time strolling the lovely town, but it was an introduction to the Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts, where their annual Festival of Trees was the ideal atmosphere to get in a glowing mood for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. Bravo to the Warwick Middle School choir for warming the pavilion with their caroling voices. Check out the photo section of our site to see some of the amazing kids we met, including 3-year-old Elizabeth from Warwick. With her charm, smile and pigtails, Elizabeth is destined to have her own show! The trees were fantastic, hard to pick a favorite but leaning toward the one I'll refer to as 'The Peace Tree.'

Here's a bit of the Pixie tree..."all you need is faith & trust & a little bit of pixie dust," said Peter Pan. Loved the Girl Scout tree too, with handmade magic like this...

This week in our Hudson Valley Artist Spotlight, we checked in with Anthony DaCosta, who is at Columbia University these days and among his favorite performance haunts is Postcrypt Coffeehouse. We heard the song Matters of the Heart from Anthony's 8th album release, Ain't Afraid of Nothing.

If you missed the Common Ground Coffeehouse show last night, you can check Anthony's web home for live gigs and hear more of his music. His last album, a collaboration with Abbie Gardner titled Bad Nights/Better Days includes the song Down On My Knees, that simply knocked me out the first time I heard it.

My thanks to Ida 'the screenwriter' Carusio in Atlantic Beach, for sending over a copy of the screenplay she and her husband John mentioned to us recently, along with a dedication. It's titled: The Sneeze That Almost Blew Christmas Away, and I'm excited to read it!

While the turkey is thawing, send some love to our troops who won't be home for the feast here.

Before this week flies and catapults us into the hustle of the holiday season, I think we need a deep breath--and I'm madly in love with this new Pearl Jam tune! (Easy chords to play : )

With thanks for YOU & music,

Catherine