FRANKIE RANDALL “As Long As She Needs Me.” This ballad was sung by a woman in the film version of Oliver. “He” was changed to “she.”
Frankie Randall (1938-2014) was a Passaic, New Jersey born singer and jazz pianist.
When I was a senior at Rutherford High School, across the river from Passaic, Randall performed with his trio. He was about 20 years old then, and the boys in our jazz band were thrilled because he was using the “cool jazz” style which had just come into vogue. I don’t recall that he sang. His bio. says that he was known only for his piano playing early in his career.
The Ackermann Maple Farm is in Cabot, Vermont. It is owned and operated by a young couple, Ian and Caitlin Ackermann. We met Caitlin at her maple syrup display at the Lakes Park Farmers Market in Fort Myers, Florida. She gets to stay warm while her husband is working 6,400 taps at home.
Eileen bought a bottle. She likes to buy American, and much of the maple syrup in super markets comes from Canada.
They came into the rest area single file, or close to it, slowing down as they rode around me. “Hey, you better get out of the way,” said a man sitting at a table nearby. He was promoting the Bible, but instead of saving a soul, he was trying to save me. I realized then that I should stop daydreaming, but instead I starting shooting photos.
The Gulf Waters Bicycle Riders are a social group from a nearby mobile home community. “Candominium” corrected one rider referring to the metal construction of their houses which are not far from Tropicana Park which we wrote about recently. They didn’t seem tired, because they apparently take their time as they ride about 10 miles to get to their destination—the Farmers Market.
They saw me taking pictures, so they requested a group shot. They assembled in about 5 seconds. It shows how fast a group of seniors can move when they are asked to pose for a picture. One said, “Don’t put us in Playboy.” Another called out, “We need to show more leg.”
I call this a “Coaster shot” which I avoid under pain of missing a meal. That’s when a person or persons stand in a horizontal row and grin at the camera. But I did them a favor and then discovered that this was my best shot, achieving a high rate of smiles due to some ribald remarks coming from both sides of the camera.
One of the group, Artie Johnson, stepped forward and asked me to be sure to send them a photo which he would share. He said he was from Calverton, NY and he handed me a card that identified him as an Ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association.
I don’t know what that is, but there was a merchant at the market who sold only pickles. I went up to him and made an offer, “Will you sell me half-sours for half price?”
He replied, “I’m not going to fall for that one.” Sometimes my jokes fall flatter than a fluke in winter at the Belmar Marina.
I mailed Uncle Artie the photo and a link to this site.
We met this lovely young woman gliding around the Farmer’s Market today. She stood out in that bright and alluring dress. When I asked her to pose for our Blogfinger series on the Market, I departed from my usual candid style because she was so beautiful with a brilliant smile to match her friendly demeanor, and I wanted the photo to be successful without someone getting in the way. But it had to be in a setting that revealed her amongst the Market denizens. She said that she was from Chicago and she would be delighted to be in the photo.
Over her shoulder I spotted the Chicago hot dog king. She readily agreed to pose, and I gave her a Blogfinger card. We headed over to hotdog heaven. Once there, she immediately set about reminiscing about Chicago with George on his shirt who had the best Polish dogs in town. I asked them to turn around, and two clicks later, we were done. I don’t ask names for my Market series, because the story is in the photos.
For the music, I thought that this song, written by George Harrison, which I just discovered, called “For You Blue” caught the mood of our mystery model. The Beatles released it in 1970, but this recording is by George Harrison’s only child Dhani Harrison.
