We hosted Borrego Block Party #2 with a live garage band last night, taking our turn in the effort to get new neighbors together. No one on our street has been here more the six months, with new homes going up around us every day. I see people in passing, but these get-togethers have allowed a little more in-depth conversation. Although, the band in the background made it more difficult for me to engage my scratchy throat. There are at least five couples from New Jersey, with Pennsylvania, New York, and Minnesota also represented. I thought there would be more Midwesterners like us, but so far this has not been the standard. Moving from Oregon, we’ve definitely traveled the greatest distance to be here.

It’s the first time I’ve ever hosted a party with a live band. The two guitarists were, of course, neighbors, while the initial intent was to have them play outside.  However, it was just to hot, so we moved out our cars, hooked up a couple fans, and threw down an oriental rug to provide some atmosphere. I thought of the band, America, who always dressed up the stage with colorful rugs. The tan epoxy floor coating that we were fortunate to receive as a bonus from the builder gave it a classier look than  plain old concrete. Plus, I had hung some framed, autographed, Broadway posters on the walls that seemed to impress the throng. Just two weeks ago, our garage was packed with over 100 unopened boxes, with bare white concrete walls, but last night it came to life. 

I’ve hung over 75-pictures, four wall-mounted TVs, and built shelves to accommodate our plethora of possessions. We need to find a place for at least ten more pictures, including additional Broadway posters that one graced my wife’s office. Every time we went into New York City for shows, we supported the Broadway Cares organization, and bought signed posters that were uniformly framed in black. We may eventually donate some to local theatre, but last night they served as an appropriate backdrop for the garage band. To think, we almost gave them away to a former neighbor who also took possession of my wife’s piano and several urns of potted plants that would not have survived in storage. She wishes she had all that stuff back now that we have plenty of room. She claims that I gave ALL her things away in our move to the apartment, but in truth there just wasn’t room. In life, we sadly leave things behind like friends, neighbors, and goods. We’re now making new friends and neighbors, while replacing those goods. In the process, we’ve even found ourselves a Garage Band.