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Maplewoodstock music festival!

What a fantastic weekend!  We spent it at Memorial Park in Maplewood for the fifth annual Maplewoodstock festival.  No you didn’t read that wrong.  A bunch of musicians started a two day outdoor music and arts festival five years ago and it’s gotten bigger and better each year.  This year, along with our own local artists,  Marshall Crenshaw and The Band closed the series.

Mid-Century modern home living in New Jersey

We are fortunate enough to have found one of the very few modern Frank Lloyd Wright inspired homes on Sagamore Road in the Wyoming section of Millburn. We enjoy floor to ceiling windows with dramatic NYC skyline views, open and clean living spaces, walking distance to town and the Midtown direct train into NYC, and appreciative comments from visitors and anyone who’s read Dwell Magazine. While some are not in love with modern design, we find freedom and think it’s just down right cool! We love living in our tree house, or a sculpture of sorts with Eichler, Mondrian, and Calder inspirations throughout.

Those who aren’t familiar with Sagamore Road, to me it’s a beautiful country road, nestled up against the South Mountain reservation, with over 2000 acres of trees and streams, but still conveniently located in walking distance to Down Town Millburn!

We’d always liked Modern design as architectural statements, never thinking we’d depart from our traditional roots, but when the opportunity came, we grabbed one (by the skin of our teeth). I can’t say we knew what it all meant at the time, but after living in our Jetsons styled home, it’s hard to imagine we could have ever lived anywhere else!

It’s not that traditional homes aren’t wonderful with their classic charms, but mid century modern homes call to a contemporary sensibility that’s very different and special in it’s own way.

Mid Century modern homes are rare here, but can be found in Millburn/Short Hills, Maplewood, South Orange, Warren, Mountainside and the surrounding towns.

These gems, or diamonds in the roughs, don’t come up every day.  Call or drop me an email, if you want me to keep my eye out for you.  Deirdre  973-985-0500 Deirdre@sueadler.com

Also, check out our web site for more info http://www.adlerbenjamin.com/

Maybe consider family charitable contribution instead of stocking stuffers this year?

By Deirdre Silberman

Few of us have been left unscathed by the economic meltdown all around us. The losses and uncertainty have touched us all, and even if we are fortunate enough to be stable, we all know neighbors, friends, and family whose lives have been affected severely.

While the retail sector will see the worse holiday in recent memory, there is a common silver lining that I see more and more. People are considering family charitable contributions instead of person to person gifts. Many of our friends are rejecting stocking stuffers and ‘things’ that are really not needed, and are creating pacts with their friends to not exchange grown up gifts, and instead just give to children. A family tradition we have enjoyed for years is to sit around the computer and make a donation, as a family. One year we bought a cow for a village in Africa, another we bought goats and chickens. We see this more and more with our friends.

Perhaps seeing our own vulnerabilities helps us empathize with others. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly share my 9 year old son’s desire for stuff (video games for him, shoes for me).  it’s just that in these tough times we have the choice to either feel sorry for ourselves and our losses, or find gratitude for all that we do have.

I bet you will find relief from your friends, if you suggest that instead of giving you a gift, they buy chicks for a tribe in Africa. You do the same. it will cost less, do more, and make you feel a lot better than another ‘thing’. I won’t even mention how green this is.

Here are a few sites you can consider and suggest for your friends:

www.Heifer.org
www.Habitat.org
www.charity-charities.org/charities/NJ.html
www.njshares.org/aboutNJShares/press/101403.asp
www.njcares.org/resources.htm
www.Wish.org
TheWomensAlliance.org
njshares.org
www.secondharvest.org/
mcifp.org/
www.foodbanknyc.org/

Get into the Groove- South Orange, Maplewood, Millburn Art Scene

Wow! Not only do we have SOPAC in South Orange, Maplewood stock and an ongoing music series in Maplewood, but we also have Poetry readings and an original art gallery in Millburn! Not to mention the long-standing Papermill Playhouse, and NJPAC in Newark. Plus there is the NJ Center for Visual Arts in Summit, which offers classes and art shows. Read the rest of this entry »