Incredible String Band – "Waiting for You" (1971)

Yes, the hydrangeas do look divine
This time of the year

If you took chemistry in high school, you probably remember that if a solution turns litmus paper red, it’s acidic.  If a solution turns litmus paper blue, it’s alkaline (or basic). 

The opposite is true of hydrangeas.  Most hydrangeas produce pink flowers in alkaline soil and blue flowers in acidic soil.

The acidity or alkalinity of the soil isn’t directly responsible for whether a hydrangea’s blossoms are blue or pink.  What matters is the concentration of aluminum in the soil.  But aluminum is more easily absorbed by a hydrangea when the soil is acidic, which is why pH affects the color of hydrangea flowers.

So if your hydrangeas are pink and you want them to be blue, amend the soil with enough acidifier to lower its pH and increase the uptake of aluminum.

If you want pink hydrangeas, raise the pH by adding lime to the soil around the hydrangea.

It may take some time for the hydrangeas to react to the change in soil pH, so be patient.

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My recent visit to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket came at the height of hydrangea-flowering season.  There were hydrangeas everywhere – and I do mean everywhere – and the vast majority of them were blue.  

I’m guessing that blue hydrangeas are preferred because there are a lot more plants that produce pink flowers than blue flowers.

It’s possible to manipulate soil pH to produce hydrangeas that have both blue flowers and pink flowers and in-between colors, too:  

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Here’s are photos of some of the beautiful hydrangeas I saw on my bike rides around the Cape and islands last month:

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The Incredible String Band, which was called a “psychedelic folk band” by one reviewer, was one of the more esoteric musical groups of the sixties.

Their music is pretty indescribable.  It’s often sort of Celtic-sounding – until they add Middle Eastern and Indian instruments (like ours and sitars) to the mix.

To say that the Incredible String Band’s music is an acquired taste is something of an understatement.  There’s a chance I’ll attempt to acquire a taste for it, but there’s also a chance – probably a much better one – that I’ll just forget about them.

The Incredible String Band at Woodstock

By the way, the Incredible String Band performed at Woodstock.  They don’t appear in the Woodstock movie, and none of their music was included on either the original three-LP Woodstock album.  

But there are two Incredible String Band songs on the six-CD Woodstock box set released by Rhino Records in 2009.  (That box set features several other of the more obscure acts that appeared at Woodstock – including Sweetwater, Bert Sommer, and Quill.  But it does not include anything by the Keef Hartley Band, which is the only band that performed at Woodstock but was left off all of the Woodstock compilations.)

“Waiting for You” was released on the Incredible String Band’s 1971 album, Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending.  It’s a very odd song, but if you’re looking for a song that mentions hydrangeas, you don’t have a lot of choices – and all the other hydrangea songs were even worse.

Here’s “Waiting for You”:

Kashif Saleem – "Edgartown Groove" (1984)

Come on, come on, come on down

Come on down to Edgartown

Edgartown, which was incorporated in 1671, is the oldest town on Martha’s Vineyard.  It's also the poshest town on that very posh island, so it's no surprise that 2 or 3 lines dropped by for a visit during my recent vacation on Cape Cod.

Unlike the many celebrities who vacation on Martha’s Vineyard -- the Obamas, the Clintons, various Kennedys, David Letterman, Larry David, Spike Lee, Carly Simon, Meg Ryan, and Lady Gaga, among others -- I didn't fly in on a helicopter or private jet.

Cars boarding the Martha's Vineyard ferry

Instead, I drove to Woods Hole one morning and boarded the slow ferry to Oak Bluffs with my bicycle.  I then rode to Edgartown on the bike path that's adjacent to Beach Road, which goes along the island's eastern shore.

From Edgartown I continued on the Katama Road bike path to Katama Beach, where elements of General George Patton’s Third Army practiced amphibious landings as part of their preparations for D-Day.  (David Letterman's summer home isn't far away.)

After riding back to Edgartown, I was ready for lunch.  I hit a convenience store and grabbed a Dr. Pepper and some potato chips to go along with the sandwich I had made that morning, then plopped myself down on a bench in Memorial Park (also known as Cannonball Park) to enjoy my modest repast.

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The most notable feature of Memorial Park was its Civil War monument, a tall and handsome stone obelisk that was unveiled on July 4, 1901.

Edgartown’s Civil War monument

One of the panels at the base of the obelisk featured a keystone with the letters H T W S S T K S carved on it.  Those letters stand for “Hiram, Tynian, Widow’s Son, Sendeth To King Solomon,” which relates to Masonic ritual.  (You can click here to learn more about what those words mean to the Masons.)

The obelisk states that it was erected through the efforts of one Enoch C. Cornell, a Union veteran who saw action as a member of Company H of the 1st Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. 

Cornell, who was born in Edgartown on Valentine’s Day, 1827, sailed to California in 1849 hoping to find gold.  I don’t know if he found any, but I do know that he eventually returned to Edgartown, where he made a living as a photographer in the years leading up to the Civil War.

Cornell was 34 years old when he enlisted in August 1862.  The 1st Massachusetts Infantry had been organized in 1861, just in time to see action at First Bull Run, the first major battle of the war. Cornell was presumably assigned to that regiment (which consisted mostly of Bostonians) as a replacement for one of the regiment's casualties.

1st Massachusetts monument at Gettysburg

The 1st Massachusetts suffered heavy losses at Gettysburg.  Cornell was shot in the right foot at that battle, and was discharged from his regiment in May 1864.  He eventually applied for and was granted a monthly pension of $12, indicating that his wound was relatively serious.

Cornell died less than a year after the Edgartown monument he was responsible for was dedicated.  He was 75.  

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Kashif Saleem (born Michael Jones in 1959) was a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer from New York City.

Kashif released five successful R&B albums in the eighties, but is best known as the producer of hits for R&B stars like Whitney Houston, Evelyn “Champagne” King, George Benson, the Stylistics, and Jermaine Jackson.

His 1984 hit, “Edgartown Groove” (which features Al Jarreau), was nominated for the “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” Grammy.  

Here's “Edgartown Groove”:

Click below to buy the song from Amazon: