Tonight marks another 1st Friday Event at the Romaine Brooks Gallery in Albany, NY from 5 to 9 PM. This time we’re featuring a Youth Show headed up by Wayne Manchester. It’s a group effort that has been traveling throughout a number of local high schools, culminating with tonight’s show. There are a number of promising new artists taking part in it, so stop by if you have a chance.

Romaine Brooks Gallery
Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Council
332 Hudson Ave., Albany, NY 12210
5 – 9 PM

There is a shady walkway between two downtown buildings in Albany that is lined with linden trees (Tilia americana). They are in full bloom now, and their sweet scent fills the air with perfume, leaving the bees giddy and dizzy with intoxication. It is the smell of summer, of warm nights beneath a yellow lamplight.

At lunchtime, I sit beneath the lindens, idly reading a book or watching the people pass by, taking in the breath of the inconspicuous blossoms. Summer is often a time of stillness, but it hasn’t been hot enough for that to happen yet.

PS - Today I walked to the Lindens, and the City of Albany in its infinite wisdom decided to prune the lower two-thirds of the linden trees completely off. A ridiculous and wholly unnecessary decision that will probably due more harm than good to the trees. Will somebody please help this place?

This year is the first that I’ve grown the Canna.

So far, so good.

Lost amid the Fargesia nitida.

Courtesy of a trio of coneflowers (Echinacea).

To answer a few engagement questions:

1) Yes, I got a ring. A simple platinum band, no rock, as requested. It’s slightly at odds with tradition, but I wanted the engagement ring to be simple, and the wedding ring to be where the bit of bling comes into play (and it will, courtesy of Shreve, Crump and Low).

2) Our closest friends and family were told first, in letters that I wrote from Maine. I toyed with the idea of simply changing my FaceBook Relationship Status to “Engaged” (and I still think that would have been funny), but half the people in my family don’t know FaceBook exists. Besides, Andy and I are old-fashioned boys.

3) Maine is scheduled to begin marrying same-sex couples in September, however there may be a referendum against it, so if it’s not legal by next year we will do the civil ceremony portion in Boston.

4) Yes, we are excited! (As evidenced by the uncharacteristic appearance of a rarely-used exclamation point.)