Bonni Brodnick Blog

Have you ever had a perfect moment? Where many things are aligned and you feel the grace of what is happening at that particular time and place? Today I had a perfect moment. Beautiful summer day. My daughter is home from Hawaii and had all four of her wisdom teeth removed (so I can be in full-tilt "Mommy Mode," which I love), and my son came up from the city. We languished and swam, floated in the pool and chatted for hours. Later BBQd and all pitched in with dinner (although everyone vanished when it was time to clean up the kitchen. Oh, well.)  I am full of gratitude for this simple moment of being with my family, everyone in good health, enjoying one another's company and the beauty of summer.

The Spanish Courtyard at Caramoor   Photo: Gabe Palacio I recently attended a senior-thesis violin recital at Juilliard, the prestigious arts conservatory in New York City. The talent before us was brilliant. The audience behavior around me was appalling. Click here for my new Huffington Post, "Concert Etiquette: Get With The Program." Let's talk ...  Good Manners ,  Etiquette and Advice ,  Performing Arts ,  Patti LuPone , Impoliteness ,  Arts ,  Etiquette ,  Live Performance, Etiquette ,  Concerts ,  Arts Patrons ,  Concert Etiquette

B R I L L   B U I L D I N G   P R O J E C T Times Square, 2014 June 17 - July 4 M-F 4-10 p.m. 1619 Broadway @ 49th Street Hammerstein and Christopher are live on Broadway! Not in the theater, but in a unique pop-up-gallery-studio space called the Brill Building Project.  Andy Hammerstein and his painter friend, Tom Christopher , have occupied the street-level windows of the venerable Brill Building -- the most famous music building in New York (RIP Gerry Goffin) -- and can be seen painting paintings of Times Square in full view of the Times Square public. "Thousands of people have stopped to watch us paint," Andy said. "Musicians, ticket hawkers and street artists have been drawn by the crowds." "At first the prospect of painting on public view seemed frightening," he added. "But, to Tom's and my surprise, it has become addictive!"                                 ...

You are cordially invited to  PLUM PLUMS on Saturday, June 21 from 7-9 p.m. to celebrate 8 years in Pound Ridge! What's the big hoo-hah about this quaint shop that features the world's best cheeses in their prime? Maybe that they also have excellently selected artisanal foods, hostess gifts, olive oils, picnic baskets and party platters? And want to know more? Fromag è res Audrey Free and Gayle Martin are available for private wine and cheese parties/classes. Tomorrow's celebration announces Plum Plums' new partners, Gayle and her husband, Michael Riahi , who bring backgrounds in wine importing and marketing/communications ... and what could be better than pairing wine and cheese? It's the perfect synergy. "We've been fans of Plum Plums for years and are thrilled to be a part of making it even bigger and better," Gayle said. If you can't make it to the f ête  o n Saturday evening,  check out Plum Plums and their multi...

It's not the sixth month of the calendar year until a June Bug flies around your office. This Buick-sized creature is pesky to home gardeners but nothing matches this genus's annoying characteristics as much as sitting quietly at your desk and having a June Bug fly into your head. And while we are on the subject, I will state here and now: If one person complains about the heat, I will inflict a plaque of June Bugs on you. Remember the Polar Vortex and everyone yapping about the frigid weather from Antarctica? And everyone wishing it were summer? Wake up and smell the iced tea, peops. Summer is finally, blissfully, here.

While standing in line at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, I was perplexed by the slogan on the back of the gentleman's (obviously knock-off) shirt in front of me.  "They sometimes work for large department stores Original style and draw pictures the stores latest fashions." Vivienne Westwood It reminded me of tattoos that go awry when the person thinks they are laying down something spiritual and in reality it means something like, "I like the zen of nested rats at other times cats will do. In here." Getting back to the blue shirt:  Are we calling this a "fashion statement"? Anyone want to venture a guess as to what the hell it means??

Like, like ... highway ???? (In Hawaiian, it's pronounced "Licky-licky.") Still ... I likey.

Lei-making demonstrations are frequently given at the Jaggar Museum at  Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park . (I had initially thought I would find Mick Jagger, but he was not there.) [To set the mood when reading further, click here. ] A Hawaiian lei is not what you think it is. Rather, it is a garland of flowers, leaves or shells that are strung together as a sartorial adornment to your grass skirt or even business suit.  When placing a lei around someone's neck, it is like sharing the breath of life from one to the other, or sharing your divinity. It is a gesture of love and aloha, especially upon arrival or departure.                                                   tadcraigphotography.com There are the several types of Hawaii...

                                                                                         Roosters at the Beach Roosters are omnipresent on Kaui. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki destroyed chicken coops and the birds went flying across the island. Result: chickens and roosters are literally free-range now. They are in parking lots, at beaches, in the mountains, by waterfalls. The crow of the rooster is everywhere , and it's like they live in Las Vegas. They have no definition of morning, afternoon or evening. It's cock-a-doodle-doo all day long and i...

After kayaking up the Wailua River in Kaui, Hawaii, we hiked through a tropical rain forest on a challenging trek that, in some places, had mud that was knee-deep (not kidding. It looked like we were wearing boots.) We arrived at a 120-foot waterfall called Secret Falls, had lunch and a swim. The cold water and mist from the falls was delightful after the long hike. Then back on the trail and through the mud, into the kayaks and paddle 4-miles back to shore. It was a wonderful adventure.