Photo-A-Day #31 07/31/05
This is Bart, he's doing a mean looking Bartles & James type commercial for Yuengling Lager. But Bart is usually smiling, not sure why he didn't smile for this.
Drew's Photo-A-Day
Allison's Photos
This is Bart, he's doing a mean looking Bartles & James type commercial for Yuengling Lager. But Bart is usually smiling, not sure why he didn't smile for this.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Tonight Allison and I went to James and Danielle's for a BBQ. This is their Bloodhound Cara. She is a beautiful dog. Lots of energy.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Allison's friend Jen gave us this cat condo. She is moving and had to part with her cats. One of them still needs a home. He's a beautiful cat and very loving.
Duncan has his freaked out sniffing face on. That look on his face looks like he's mad but really he is trying to get a better smell. And with some new smells from unknown cats they are doing a ton of smelling today.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Tonight there was a block party downtown. Allison and I headed down there to see what was going on. We caught up with my Aunt Corrine and my cousins Maddie and Haley. Then we saw Don and Alice and I even ran into a friend from high school whom I had not seen since I graduated from high school. She was there with her son.
There were a couple of volleyball pits set up in front of the post office and a rock wall across from the bank. Each of the restaurants downtown were selling food outside. Allison and I got a blooming onion and brought it back to the house to share with Mom and Dad.
Then we grilled a couple of pork chops and had a nice dinner.
This was my favorite classic vehicle, I wonder why.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
These toys are on my bookshelf in the bedroom. They used to have foam darts and when you squeeze the toy the dart would fly off. Unfortunately the darts got lost or mangled by the cats.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
I took this on the approach to T.F. Green Airport. I don't know exactly what island this is, it has a large harbor though and looks really busy. I wasn't finding my way over Rhode Island very easy, each time I thought I recognized another landmark I was wrong.
Monday, July 25, 2005
I had dinner here tonight. The beers were very good but the lobster tail was awful, so they comped it. Good stuff.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Have you ever stopped and looked down at the carpets in hotels? Who comes up with these designs?
Saturday, July 23, 2005
The new building where the casino used to be is coming along well. I wonder when the new restaurant will be open.
Friday, July 22, 2005
We are down the Cape, awaiting the rains to move in, there has been heat lightning for about an hour and a half now. Thunder in the distance. I snapped a late night photo for today's picture. Tomorrow I'll have to get to the beach for a shot. This is the patio at the Cape house.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
This is out front of one of my companies buildings. No we are not going to be sold to Merrill Lynch, yeah still not that funny. But rather this was from one of the more recent art shows. Not sure what it is titled, Bull would be too obvious. Maybe Rusty Bull since it has gotten rusty since being outside. But I like the sculpture and that is why I stopped to take a photo today.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Still on the theme of flowers and new life. What with two very special people in our lives passing within a day of each other, smiles have not been commonplace except when speaking of the days when they were with us. Both Fran and Great-Uncle Richard loved flowers and the beauty I see in the flowers is a reflection of the beauty found within each of them.
Monday, July 18, 2005
This morning the day lilies were wet and open. They look very beautiful in their many colors. Great-Uncle Richard was a gardening enthusiast and would have loved the flowers that Tara and Dad have planted all around the house. Look at something beautiful today and really appreciate it.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Wow 100 photos. Yikes. Can't believe I kept this up so long. Took no real pictures today. It was the day of my Great-Uncle Richard's wake and I didn't take the camera along, obviously.
This is the front hall of our house. And I took this picture because as I went up and down these stairs all day. (Wakes and funerals mean lots of running around.) Anyway I noticed that the temperature here is always disproportionate to the temp in the rest of the house. Unfortunately it was very cold in the front hall, which means that I am sweating like crazy outside and all around the house. Oh well. And it is a mess, because Allison and I have too much stuff and not enough space for it.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
One of the 4 Praying Mantis that I found today. They were all safely relocated to the trees in the yard. There were also two very small toads.
Today Dad and Tara and I worked on the backyard. We planted trees, laid down mulch and dug lots and lots of holes. At one point in the day I was walking by the truck and I saw a green bug on the truck, upon closer inspection I noticed that it was a Praying Mantis. A very small one. So I got my camera and went up for a close up shot. It jumped onto the lens of the camera and began to walk up my arm. I gently brought it over to some daisies that we were going to plant. And it hopped off my arm and onto the Daisies.
A while later when all the trees were out of the truck we found three more, they were all brown and about an inch long. The three ones we found later were all in the truck, they must have come from the trees that my Dad bought. So I rescued each one and put them on the trees. And we found two small toads as well. These hopped off the truck and are running around the backyard somewhere.
Some hard work today did us all some good. It was a really good feeling once we were all done.
Because this weekend is going to be filled with funerals and a time of mourning.
Last night however, Allison and I spent the evening with our friends Steve and Erin. We brought over some great pizza and played the game Scene It. We played as individuals and the game took longer than when we play as couples. The game flies as couples, so we really get a full game playing as individuals. I hadn't taken my Photo-A-Day yet and got out the camera. Steve got out his camera to make sure he got a photo of me taking the Photo-A-Day. Then I took a photo of him taking a photo of me.
We really had a great time visiting with Steve and Erin and the laughter and joy of their two beautiful children, Shaun and Katie. The laughter and good times we shared last night was exactly what we needed yesterday. We certainly are blessed to have such wonderful friends.
Also I would like to thank everyone who has sent condolences on for Great-Uncle Richard. The wake is tomorrow at Dyer-Lake Funeral Home and the funeral is on Monday. The obituary is out today and I am trying to grab it off the Sun Chronicle's website, but it doesn't seem to be cooperating. I'll post once I can get it. Great-Uncle Richard had a great love of Photography that I share. From the obit "He enjoyed photography, preferring to take the pictures rather than being in the object within them." Sounds alot like how I feel about pictures.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Tonight Allison and I went to see Steve and Erin and their two beautiful children Shaun and Katie. We brought over some Pizza and Scene It and had a great evening. It was nice to get out of the house especially with all the recent sadness that has befallen the family. Thanks guys for taking our minds off everything and having us over.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
The Transformer out of the box was the first one I ever got. The one in the box was given to me by my Great-Uncle Richard, a few years ago for Christmas. He found it in his closet. Great-Uncle Richard passed away today at 4:30pm. I will miss him very much, but always treasure his generosity.
If you noticed my imood, you know that I am sad today. Great-Uncle Richard passed away today at 4:30pm. I appreciate all the prayers that people have said for him. He is finally at peace and no longer in pain. I was lucky because I was able to say goodbye to him today at 3:55pm. I started my morning in Iowa and landed in Providence at 1:20pm, by the time I got to New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Center it was 3:30pm. I was in fear the whole day that I would not be able to get there in time to tell Great-Uncle Richard what I had to and say goodbye properly. My prayers were heard and he held on till I was able to say goodbye.
My Great-Uncle Richard was the kindest most generous person I ever met in my life. He's also a very unselfish and hardworking person. He never forgot a birthday or holiday and took care of all his nieces and nephews and many other people besides. He was a huge fan of the Red Sox, Horse Racing and Golf. And when I was a kid he bought me many of my transformers. He gave me one of my most cherished transformers ever. Wheeljack. Wheeljack was the first Transformer I ever got, from my Grandparents, but I guess Great-Uncle Richard had bought me one too. Anyway it got put in his closet and 15 years later he gave it to me one Christmas, mint condition in the box. My favorite character and in perfect condition. I will always cherish the memories of Great-Uncle Richard's generosity and gentle spirit. I never heard him raise his voice or say anything bad about anyone. And that is how I will always remember him.
God Bless you Great-Uncle Richard, you will be missed. You touched our lives and made us better people by knowing you.
This is the obituary that was in The Sun Chronicle on Saturday July 16, 2005
Richard A. Belanger, 76
ATTLEBORO -- Richard A. Belanger, 76, of South Main Street, Attleboro, died peacefully on July 14, 2005 at the New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Stoughton surrounded by the love of his family following a brief illness.
Mr. Belanger was born on June 26, 1929 in Attleboro, and was the son of the late Ernest and Mary Rose (Dusablon) Belanger. He was a graduate of the St. Joseph School in Attleboro and attended Assumption Preparatory School in Worcester for a short time. He was a 1948 graduate of Attleboro High School, having been bestowed the honor of salutatorian.
Immediately after high school graduation, Mr. Belanger began his career at the former General Findings in Attleboro. After three years of employment, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 30, 1951 and served until his honorable discharge on March 29, 1953, having achieved the rank of private first class (T).
Following his military discharge, he returned to work at General Findings, which had become Leach and Garner, and worked until the age of 71, following almost 55 years of service, when he retired as the supervisor of inventory control.
He was a life member of the B.P.O.E. Attleboro Elks Lodge No. 1014.
Mr. Belanger was a lifelong communicant of St. Joseph Church, Attleboro, where he enjoyed volunteering for the church fair for many decades.
An avid golfer and bowler, he had served as the secretary of the General Findings bowling league and golf teams for nearly 30 years.
He enjoyed photography, preferring to take the pictures, rather than being in the object within them. He enjoyed making photograph albums from his pictures after attending weddings and other family celebrations.
Mr. Belanger had several hobbies, but one most notable was his love for thoroughbred horse racing, having had attended the Kentucky Derby on several occasions.
He loved spending time in his vegetable and flower gardens.
He was a very humble, generous man who was dedicated to his loving family.
Mr. Belanger was the proud godfather of many children over the years.
He leaves a sister, Theresa Williams and her husband, Richard F. Williams Sr., of Falmouth and Attleboro; a sister-in-law, Louise Belanger of Naples, Fla., who was married to Ernest Belanger Jr., now deceased; two cousins, Edmond Dusablon of South Attleboro and Myles Dusablon of North Attleboro; three nieces, Denise Bennett and her husband Andrew E. Bennett, Jr. of North Attleboro, Luann Vinson of Falmouth and Darlene Belanger of Attleboro; four nephews, Richard F. Williams Jr. of Attleboro, James A. Williams of Redondo Beach, Calif., Donald Belanger and his wife, Jill Belanger, of South Attleboro and Douglas Belanger and his wife, Krista Belanger, of Naples, Fla.; five great nieces: Tara Bennett-Bristow of North Attleboro, Shelby Bennett of Falmouth; Carissa Williams of Attleboro, Lindsey Vinson of Falmouth and Holly Belanger of South Attleboro; and eight great nephews: Andrew "Drew" Bennett, III of North Attleboro, Shaun Williams of Attleboro, Nicholas Vinson of Falmouth, Adam Belanger and Nathan Belanger, both of South Attleboro, Michael Donlevy of Attleboro and Douglas Belanger and Matthew Belanger, both of Naples, Fla.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visitation with veteran's honors on Sunday, July 19, 2005 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the "Commonwealth Chapel" of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Ave., Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro.
A ritual service conducted by the Attleboro Lodge of Elks will be held on Sunday, July 17, 2005 at 4:45 p.m. during visitation.
Children's room is available during visitation.
Those in need of a ride to visitation may call the funeral home at 508-695-0200 to make an advance reservation for such free transportation.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend the funeral service with veteran's honors on Monday, July 18, 2005 at 10:45 a.m. from the "Commonwealth Chapel" of Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial with military honors at noon at St. Joseph Church, South Main Street, Attleboro, with the Rev. Michael Carvill, pastor, officiating.
A graveside service will be held at St. Stephen's Cemetery, Attleboro at a later date.
Following services an invitation will be extended to join the family for a time of refreshment and fellowship at the Attleboro Elks Lodge, 887 South Main St., Attleboro.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mr. Belanger's name may be made to the LaSalette Missionaries, Attention: Mr. Michael O'Brien, 947 Park St., Attleboro, MA 02703 or to the St. Joseph Church Food Cellar, 208 South Main St., Attleboro, MA 02703.
To send the family an expression of sympathy, please visit our on-line guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com. cs175
Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro. 508-695-0200.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Today I got to go to probably the best Harley shop ever. It is called Zooks and it is in Des Moines, Iowa. The place is a giant barn complete with silo.
and I'll tell you why. The people here are so very nice. The folks I demonstrated for today were all so nice and I had a good time there. After the demonstration I stopped at the Cedar River Harley Davidson Shop. It looks like a horse ranch. The woman behind the counter was very nice to talk to, and told me about the shop and I commented that their shop was one of the most unique ones I had been in. "It looks like a ranch", I said.
She told me that they actually own a ranch down the road called the Harley Davidson ranch. I though that was pretty cool. On my drive back to Des Moines I noticed that the rest area's had wireless internet access. That's a good idea, especially for business people who may need to send a document back to work or something. I stopped at a McDonalds for lunch and went to use the credit card machine but the machine didn't work. The woman asked if I had a check, I said no and that all I had were the credit cards. She said she would just promo it and gave me my lunch for free. How sweet is that!
The ride from Charles City (America's Hometown) to Des Moines was over 150 miles and as I finally got to Rt. 80 I spotted the grand-daddy of Harley Davidson shops, Zooks! The place is enormous and it looks like a giant barn. I picked up a custom shop pin from them and they also gave me one of their pens. See, the folks here are very nice. Zooks had one of the best layouts of a Harely Davidson shops I have ever seen. The showroom was so clean and there were about 50 bikes. They have a great custom pin too. Outside there is the barn motif complete with a silo. And on the ground there is some brickwork with the name Zooks spelled out in grey bricks. I, of course, took a couple of pictures.
So this trip was very good for my pin collection. I got to visit three great shops, Mason City Harley Davidson of Mason City Iowa, Cedar River Harley Davidson of Charles City, Iowa and Zooks Harley Davidson of Des Moines, Iowa. And that was all without consulting the Harley Davidson dealer locator. Which I just did to get the websites, and I see that there were about two or three more shops I could have hit today on the ride to Des Moines.
I also took pictures of my three new pins. They have been added to my Harley Davidson Custom Shop Pin gallery on Buzznet.
Also Mo sent me a link to a Harry Potter quiz that might be slightly easier than the trivia game. Harry Potter Quiz. I got only 2 wrong. The same ones as Mo #'s 3 & 9.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The Mason City Harley Davidson shop has this great mural on the wall. It is Iowa's biggest Harley shop. I got a great new pin from this shop.
I am in Mason City Iowa. It is about 110 miles norht of Des Moines. I have a black 2005 mustang to drive. It is awesome! The car is impossible to keep under 75 mph. And since the roads are so sparcely travelled and totally straight. So cruising along at upwards of 90mph was commonplace. Needless to say I made the trip in no time.
The demo this morning in Chicago went well. I was done and out of there by 9:30am. So I was able to get an earlier flight to Des Moines, so no really late drive into Mason City for me. I got here about 3:00pm and checked in and then headed over to the Mason City Harley Davidson shop. Today's Photo-A-Day is of a mural that was on the side of the building. They had a pretty nice dealer pin too.
I'm continuing to read Beach Music and it is really a great book. I forgot that Allison has the book on tapes, not that it will do me any good having only a CD player in the car. Oh well.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Somebody left their cart in the hallway across from my room. Little soaps for everyone for Christmas. My shopping is done.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Back to the backyard. Dad and I moved the shed back near the fence. This time it is on the other side of the tree. Lots of fun moving that to the other side of the tree, but it is all moved back and we are steps closer to completing the backyard project.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Allison has a new car. She purchased a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. She also traded here 1993 Volvo 850 in towards payment for the car. She ended up with a pretty good deal at Volkswagen of North Attleboro.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Tonight Allison and I went over to Andy and Rondi's house. They have a new Puppy! His name is Stephen. He already knows how to sit and he's ten weeks old. He is a Golden Doodle. And he is very cute.
Hi everyone. Allison had an idea. We are interested in what our friends think they look like as south park characters. So please send us your South Park Character and I will put it up on the site. It will be a new feature, I'll add it to the sidebar.
Here's what you need to do.
1. Go to the South Park Character Generator. (If you get an error try the link again, it does work.)
2. Create your Character
3. When you are done push the Print Screen button on your keyboard.
4. Open Paint
5. Under Edit choose Paste
6. Save the file and send it to either me or allison. abennett96 @ gmail . com or alsparky @ hotmail . com (obviously remove the spaces.)
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Chupa Chups Tongue Painter Lollipops. They are to blame for this blue tongued disaster. Again playing with the macro lens and found I could swivel the LCD view screen around to take a picture of my own tongue. I guess I'll be putting the 360's tongue scraper to the test when I get home.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
This is the view from our upstairs window. It rained today. No great photo, sorry.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Monday, July 04, 2005
Happy 4th of July. Here are some Red, white and Blue kids. Our neighborhood on the Cape does a parade each 4th of July. It is a great time for the neighborhood. The parade goes right by the house. So we often watch the opening ceremonies and then head back to the house to catch the parade. Because If no one watches a parade it is basically a group of people walking down the street.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Look at how nice and straight those hedges are. This is the view from the front yard. I did the hedges this morning. Hope I did a good job.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Friday, July 01, 2005
My Uncle gave me a fiber optic statue of a motorcycle that sits on a light up base. I need to get me some batteries for that thing. Anyway I was messing around with the macro setting of my camera. Thought it would make a good photo to kick off July.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
This is Bart, he's doing a mean looking Bartles & James type commercial for Yuengling Lager. But Bart is usually smiling, not sure why he didn't smile for this.
Rainy Day BBQ....
Today Allison and I were at her parent's house for a BBQ. I got up this morning and went and got the ice for the beer and soda. Then I fogged the back yard for bugs and we prepared for everyone to arrive.
Folks started arriving at 12:30pm and we had plenty of food, but the sun wasn't out and the rain was falling. So everyone was in the house. Around 3:00 the rain stopped and we went outside. I jumped in the pool, because this weekend I was going to go swimming, no matter what. The weather had been so terribly hot this past week and I really wanted to swim today. I even went out and bought some pool toys so we would have something to do in the pool.
The pool toys were a couple of plastic Orca whales that when you held them underwater and released them, they would 'swim' to through the water to the surface. After a couple dozen tries I finally got one to go about six feet across the pool. Bart stood on the desk and flipped one into the water over and over with the pool net. We made a game out of how many flips the whale could do before it would land in the pool and whether or not it would land, 'clean' i.e. minimal splashing.
Dano cooking the grub.
Hours of fun for a mere $5.
I'll take my ice cream cake in the pool please.
We had a good time today and lots of fun. Bart and Erin agreed to read at the wedding, and we are very happy to have them share with us that day.
We should be leaving for home soon. I took a great nap today.
Folks started arriving at 12:30pm and we had plenty of food, but the sun wasn't out and the rain was falling. So everyone was in the house. Around 3:00 the rain stopped and we went outside. I jumped in the pool, because this weekend I was going to go swimming, no matter what. The weather had been so terribly hot this past week and I really wanted to swim today. I even went out and bought some pool toys so we would have something to do in the pool.
The pool toys were a couple of plastic Orca whales that when you held them underwater and released them, they would 'swim' to through the water to the surface. After a couple dozen tries I finally got one to go about six feet across the pool. Bart stood on the desk and flipped one into the water over and over with the pool net. We made a game out of how many flips the whale could do before it would land in the pool and whether or not it would land, 'clean' i.e. minimal splashing.
Dano cooking the grub.
Hours of fun for a mere $5.
I'll take my ice cream cake in the pool please.We had a good time today and lots of fun. Bart and Erin agreed to read at the wedding, and we are very happy to have them share with us that day.
We should be leaving for home soon. I took a great nap today.
Tonight Allison and I were at James and Danielle's new house. (Well, I haven't been there yet and they have been there about a year now, so it is new to me.) We had a very good time and plenty of good food to eat. Ken and Alicia came over as well. And Dick and Peggy were there. Danielle's friend Jodi and Bill and their daughter Josie came over too. At James and Danielle's wedding I was paired with Jodi and she was pregnant with Josie at the time. I thanked Josie for waiting till a week after the wedding to arrive. James and Danielle have two dogs, Adri and Cara. Adri is a pit bull mix and Cara is a bloodhound. They are both very good dogs, lots of energy in each of them. Adri is warming up to me and Cara loves everyone.
Ken, he boycotts the blog.
Alicia
James
Danielle and Adri
Allison and Cara and Danielle in the background.
James and Cara.
Ken, he boycotts the blog.
Alicia
James
Danielle and Adri
Allison and Cara and Danielle in the background.
James and Cara.Photo-A-Day #113 07/30/05
Tonight Allison and I went to James and Danielle's for a BBQ. This is their Bloodhound Cara. She is a beautiful dog. Lots of energy.
Site Changes...
In an attempt to make this site more compact and easier to navigate, without bombarding you with ads and long lists of links, I have been making some changes. The changes are taking longer than expected because of the numerous coding items that I am setting up for the site. I haven't even thought of doing anything to the actual design look of the site, as far as color and graphic changes.
Gradually I am converting all the links to drop down menus so that you don't have to scroll as much to find your favorite sites.
I've added a table to the top with some things like a Flatwater Bookstore Findings section, basically books and movies I think you should have because they are awesome or because I am currently reading/watching them.
Then Photo-A-Day is right there on top of the screen along with the options to get the BenSpark as an RSS feed. A link to Blogroll the site and a link to my Blogshares page.
This leaves the sidebar less cluttered so that you can go directly to the Wedding F.A.Q. and see our countdowns.
I do have to find a way to get the Trivia game link in a more prominent position. That is why alot of people come here.
Gradually I am converting all the links to drop down menus so that you don't have to scroll as much to find your favorite sites.
I've added a table to the top with some things like a Flatwater Bookstore Findings section, basically books and movies I think you should have because they are awesome or because I am currently reading/watching them.
Then Photo-A-Day is right there on top of the screen along with the options to get the BenSpark as an RSS feed. A link to Blogroll the site and a link to my Blogshares page.
This leaves the sidebar less cluttered so that you can go directly to the Wedding F.A.Q. and see our countdowns.
I do have to find a way to get the Trivia game link in a more prominent position. That is why alot of people come here.
Triboro Plaza...
Back when I was in Jr. High and High School the only place to see movies was Triboro plaza. Tonight I went to see Batman Begins with Andy. Triboro is exactly as I left it 10+ years ago. Not a thing has changed. The theaters, the concession stand, and even some of the video games are still the same.
Batman Begins introduces us to a new Batman, more human, and yet stronger than any Batman who has come before.
I liked Batman Begins very much and Christian Bale was fantastic. I still like Michael Keaton's portrayal of the Dark Knight. I will have to see both again to make my final call about who is the best Batman.
Batman Begins introduces us to a new Batman, more human, and yet stronger than any Batman who has come before.
I liked Batman Begins very much and Christian Bale was fantastic. I still like Michael Keaton's portrayal of the Dark Knight. I will have to see both again to make my final call about who is the best Batman.
Photo-A-Day #112 07/29/05
Allison's friend Jen gave us this cat condo. She is moving and had to part with her cats. One of them still needs a home. He's a beautiful cat and very loving.
Duncan has his freaked out sniffing face on. That look on his face looks like he's mad but really he is trying to get a better smell. And with some new smells from unknown cats they are doing a ton of smelling today.
55 Words..
Today while checking out Questionable Content, I took notice of a link that J. Jacques had on the sidebar. It was for a site called 55 words. The concept is that the woman who runs the site writes 55 word short stories. I don’t think I could tell a story in that short a time.
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BTW (The post message was 55 words, not including this bottom stuff, see I couldn't tell a story in 55 words.)
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BTW (The post message was 55 words, not including this bottom stuff, see I couldn't tell a story in 55 words.)
Have you heard of this guy....
Just stumbled across this but looks like it would be a funny and entertaining show to see. One Man Star Wars Trilogy and One Man Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I watched the two videos that he has and they are pretty funny. The guy is talented and very energetic. If you are New York you might want to check it out.
Photo-A-Day is back on the BenSpark
I decided to post the large Photo-A-Day image back on the main blog. I found it silly to expect people to go from one place to another just to see the picture. If you are just surfing by and would like to add Photo-A-Day to your blog then you can use this code.
Photo-A-Day #111 07/28/05
Tonight there was a block party downtown. Allison and I headed down there to see what was going on. We caught up with my Aunt Corrine and my cousins Maddie and Haley. Then we saw Don and Alice and I even ran into a friend from high school whom I had not seen since I graduated from high school. She was there with her son.
There were a couple of volleyball pits set up in front of the post office and a rock wall across from the bank. Each of the restaurants downtown were selling food outside. Allison and I got a blooming onion and brought it back to the house to share with Mom and Dad.
Then we grilled a couple of pork chops and had a nice dinner.
This was my favorite classic vehicle, I wonder why.
Kieran Ridge Band is on Myspace
Got this message today from the Kieran Ridge Band. I went to college with Kieran Ridge and hope to be able to see him play sometime.
"The Kieran Ridge Band will be playing tonight at the Reel Bar in Allston. The address is 477 Cambridge St., just before the intersection with N. Beacon St. We'll
be playing from 10pm-1am. It's a small bar with a good sound system and cheap beer.
You can hear some of our new songs that will be a part of our CD release on our myspace.com website at
http://www.myspace.com/thekieranridgeband
See you soon,
Kieran Ridge
www.kridge.com"
"The Kieran Ridge Band will be playing tonight at the Reel Bar in Allston. The address is 477 Cambridge St., just before the intersection with N. Beacon St. We'll
be playing from 10pm-1am. It's a small bar with a good sound system and cheap beer.
You can hear some of our new songs that will be a part of our CD release on our myspace.com website at
http://www.myspace.com/thekieranridgeband
See you soon,
Kieran Ridge
www.kridge.com"
Photo-A-Day #110 07/27/05
These toys are on my bookshelf in the bedroom. They used to have foam darts and when you squeeze the toy the dart would fly off. Unfortunately the darts got lost or mangled by the cats.
Been to Shit's Creek....
forgot my paddle again!
So yesterday's adventures in aggravation did not end once I got home. They were just beginning. You see, on Monday while I was away the drainpipe backed up into the washing machine again. So Tara spent most of Monday night working with the plumber as he sent a snake through the pipe out to the street to cut a hole through the line so the pipe could drain. His snake broke.
A little history here. A drainage pipe runs along the side of the house to the street. Our next door neighbors used to have a tree in their lawn that was about 5 feet in diameter. It was a big sucker. And trees have roots, roots find there way everywhere. Sometimes they find their way into drainage pipes. The tree has been gone for about 10 years now and about 15 years ago Dad and I moved a few trees from the backyard to the side yard. And these trees have put down their own roots which have attacked the drainage pipe.
So occasionally the drainage pipe backs up and it needs to be snaked. This is a messy process and not fun at all. Well, it happened on Monday. And there has been a "compound"-wide water ban. (I call it a compound because 2/3 of the children have returned with their families in tow. And if the Kennedy's can call their place a compound I can call ours one too.)
Well, yesterday afternoon Dad and I wanted to make sure that things were working correctly. I ran the shower and the sink and the toilet downstairs while Dad took the cap off a pipe that looks into the drainage pipe to see if the water was flowing okay. Also at the same time we ran the washer machine with two rags that were used to clean up the mess from Monday. A little water flowed when I ran the shower and the sink and the toilet. Then when the washer machine began to drain things seemed okay. At first. The next thing I know water is shooting out of the pipe behind the washer machine. I quickly shut off the washer and the water. Not before the floor was once again thoroughly soaked. So I went out to give my Dad the bad news and find out how we can get the water up. We have an old Wet/Dry vac that we brought downstairs and began to suck up the water. Once again the laundry room was dry, or at least not soaking.
Then I noticed a small leak at a pipe under my Dad's desk. It was at a point at drainage pipe where there is a joint. So there is a cap here. There was a small wingnut on the top of the cover and then behind that is a rubber sealer and a PVC cover. The whole thing seals the pipe and as you tighten the nut the cap fits tighter. That is how it is supposed to work! Well, behind the cap is corroded and tightening the wingnut just makes the dripping happen faster.
So I point out the dripping to my Dad. Now the fun begins. Dad goes under the desk to discover the leak has made a box wet, he is not amused. Next thing we know I'm running for a container to catch the drips. That container is not adequate. I get another, also not adequate. I get a third, then a 5 gallon joint compound bucket, then another joint compound bucket and then the wet dry vac.
So, Dad collected the flow from the pipe and transferred it into the 5 gallon bucket. I took the full bucket out to the backyard and tossed it. Ran back inside and turned the wet dry vac on to suck up some of the overflow. This process went on for about 2 hours. During this time I also got a bunch of tools from the truck, explained the situation to the rest of the family and forbade all to not use the water.
After the water was gone from the pipe and all over the backyard Dad went and got a new cap from Lowes. When he went to install it. I went with him. As he took off the old cover, we extracted another 15 gallons of water. Someone didn't listen!
So we have no water usage at the house. Had to go down to Jen's for a shower. Apparently her hot water heater boils the water prior to sending it in a scalding 'rain' of terror at you. It would not get cold. Finally I got numb to the burning and braved the shower. Quick and painful and I was sweating more after the shower than before, but at least I was decontaminated.
You may be wondering why there are no pictures of this event. I had the camera with me but knew that the best course of action was not to take any pictures.
A couple of things I learned from this.
So yesterday's adventures in aggravation did not end once I got home. They were just beginning. You see, on Monday while I was away the drainpipe backed up into the washing machine again. So Tara spent most of Monday night working with the plumber as he sent a snake through the pipe out to the street to cut a hole through the line so the pipe could drain. His snake broke.
A little history here. A drainage pipe runs along the side of the house to the street. Our next door neighbors used to have a tree in their lawn that was about 5 feet in diameter. It was a big sucker. And trees have roots, roots find there way everywhere. Sometimes they find their way into drainage pipes. The tree has been gone for about 10 years now and about 15 years ago Dad and I moved a few trees from the backyard to the side yard. And these trees have put down their own roots which have attacked the drainage pipe.
So occasionally the drainage pipe backs up and it needs to be snaked. This is a messy process and not fun at all. Well, it happened on Monday. And there has been a "compound"-wide water ban. (I call it a compound because 2/3 of the children have returned with their families in tow. And if the Kennedy's can call their place a compound I can call ours one too.)
Well, yesterday afternoon Dad and I wanted to make sure that things were working correctly. I ran the shower and the sink and the toilet downstairs while Dad took the cap off a pipe that looks into the drainage pipe to see if the water was flowing okay. Also at the same time we ran the washer machine with two rags that were used to clean up the mess from Monday. A little water flowed when I ran the shower and the sink and the toilet. Then when the washer machine began to drain things seemed okay. At first. The next thing I know water is shooting out of the pipe behind the washer machine. I quickly shut off the washer and the water. Not before the floor was once again thoroughly soaked. So I went out to give my Dad the bad news and find out how we can get the water up. We have an old Wet/Dry vac that we brought downstairs and began to suck up the water. Once again the laundry room was dry, or at least not soaking.
Then I noticed a small leak at a pipe under my Dad's desk. It was at a point at drainage pipe where there is a joint. So there is a cap here. There was a small wingnut on the top of the cover and then behind that is a rubber sealer and a PVC cover. The whole thing seals the pipe and as you tighten the nut the cap fits tighter. That is how it is supposed to work! Well, behind the cap is corroded and tightening the wingnut just makes the dripping happen faster.
So I point out the dripping to my Dad. Now the fun begins. Dad goes under the desk to discover the leak has made a box wet, he is not amused. Next thing we know I'm running for a container to catch the drips. That container is not adequate. I get another, also not adequate. I get a third, then a 5 gallon joint compound bucket, then another joint compound bucket and then the wet dry vac.
So, Dad collected the flow from the pipe and transferred it into the 5 gallon bucket. I took the full bucket out to the backyard and tossed it. Ran back inside and turned the wet dry vac on to suck up some of the overflow. This process went on for about 2 hours. During this time I also got a bunch of tools from the truck, explained the situation to the rest of the family and forbade all to not use the water.
After the water was gone from the pipe and all over the backyard Dad went and got a new cap from Lowes. When he went to install it. I went with him. As he took off the old cover, we extracted another 15 gallons of water. Someone didn't listen!
So we have no water usage at the house. Had to go down to Jen's for a shower. Apparently her hot water heater boils the water prior to sending it in a scalding 'rain' of terror at you. It would not get cold. Finally I got numb to the burning and braved the shower. Quick and painful and I was sweating more after the shower than before, but at least I was decontaminated.
You may be wondering why there are no pictures of this event. I had the camera with me but knew that the best course of action was not to take any pictures.
A couple of things I learned from this.
- A drainage pipe holds alot of water.
- Sewage water sucked into an old dry vac smells worse then sewage water on its own.
- Don't plant trees near sewage drainpipes.
- The little Dutch Boy caused the leak in the Dyke by pushing on it.
- Do not use the water also means don't flush the toilet.
- I can run through the entire house in 30 seconds and find what needs to be found.
- I'm not a complete spaz in a panic situation.
- Some commercials make more sense on mute.
- Jean-Claude Van Damme movies all have the same plot.
- Not everything needs to be photographed for posterity's sake.
Photo-A-Day #109 07/26/05
I took this on the approach to T.F. Green Airport. I don't know exactly what island this is, it has a large harbor though and looks really busy. I wasn't finding my way over Rhode Island very easy, each time I thought I recognized another landmark I was wrong.
Back from Cape Fear...
I flew home today. Wasn't in the best mood for these flights. Cut the arrival at the Fayetteville Airport close because couldn't find a gas station close to the airport, so had to turn around and get gas, made several wrong turns and long detours. Had the worst orange juice ever and a homemade egg and cheese biscuit that was worse than any one McDonalds ever served. Stood behind small children and old people who haven't been on a plane yet this century. I'm ever so patient when people have no clue what they are supposed to do in the security line. Had a headache right behind my left eye that was pulsing like it was being stabbed repeatedly. Found my ipaq completely empty of battery power. My carry on doesn't fit wheels first in every airplane.
However once I got on the flight from Charlotte to Providence things went better, I had a piece of pizza and some Mello Yellow, the headache went away, started reading Serpent by Clive Cussler. First book in the Kurt Austin Series, I think I am going to like this series. The seats had power so I could charge the ipaq. I dropped my empty soda cup as I was passing it to the stewardess and ice went everywhere, luckily no one was sitting next to me in the middle seat. I had a window seat which was nice especially on the approach to Providence. I almost got plowed into on the way home on 295. Some idiot didn't look, didn't signal and went right into my lane as my front bumper was parallel to her rear bumper. Then she changed lanes again with no signal. I hate that! Get off the road you stupid cow!
I'm home no, so things are more calm. Day of ups and downs, in more ways that one.
However once I got on the flight from Charlotte to Providence things went better, I had a piece of pizza and some Mello Yellow, the headache went away, started reading Serpent by Clive Cussler. First book in the Kurt Austin Series, I think I am going to like this series. The seats had power so I could charge the ipaq. I dropped my empty soda cup as I was passing it to the stewardess and ice went everywhere, luckily no one was sitting next to me in the middle seat. I had a window seat which was nice especially on the approach to Providence. I almost got plowed into on the way home on 295. Some idiot didn't look, didn't signal and went right into my lane as my front bumper was parallel to her rear bumper. Then she changed lanes again with no signal. I hate that! Get off the road you stupid cow!
I'm home no, so things are more calm. Day of ups and downs, in more ways that one.
Photo-A-Day #108 07/25/05
I had dinner here tonight. The beers were very good but the lobster tail was awful, so they comped it. Good stuff.
Cape Fear...
I am in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Cape Fear is near here. I went to the Cape Fear Harley Davidson today after the demo and picked up two pins, actually three pins, two for me and one for Dad. The Cape Fear Harley Davidson has two great pins. I added them to the buzznet photoblog. And I also got a shirt for Dad, it is a pretty nice one too.
I also noticed that I now get 400 photo uploads a month from Buzznet. Sweet!
I had a good dinner next door at The Mash House, a brewpub. They have a ton of great beers that they brew on site.
I played Runescape tonight. Kinda done with that game, pretty boring now.
Congratulations Marcia! Great Job!
I also noticed that I now get 400 photo uploads a month from Buzznet. Sweet!
I had a good dinner next door at The Mash House, a brewpub. They have a ton of great beers that they brew on site.
I played Runescape tonight. Kinda done with that game, pretty boring now.
Congratulations Marcia! Great Job!
Woo Hoo!
Big Congrats to Marcia for passing her State Boards and officially being a licensed esthetician!
Photo-A-Day #107 07/24/05
Have you ever stopped and looked down at the carpets in hotels? Who comes up with these designs?
Finished...
I finished Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince today. And no MO I won't be putting up any spoilers. Still can't believe you felt the need to admonish me about that sort of thing. Honestly!
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince was good. I liked it alot and loved the twists and turns. Certainly great addition to the overall story. It was a quick read, well at least today it was. I finished all but the last chapter before my flights were done and read the last chapter while waiting for a 1:05 movie to begin. I went and saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith, pretty good movie. There were some great action scenes in it and the humor was good, Vince Vaughan was in it too and he was pretty funny. He's becoming a caricature of himself lately though. I saw Wedding Crashers last week and Mr. and Mrs. Smith this week and you could basically drop him into either movie and its almost the same character.
Anyway, if you haven't read it yet go out and buy Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince and read it.
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince was good. I liked it alot and loved the twists and turns. Certainly great addition to the overall story. It was a quick read, well at least today it was. I finished all but the last chapter before my flights were done and read the last chapter while waiting for a 1:05 movie to begin. I went and saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith, pretty good movie. There were some great action scenes in it and the humor was good, Vince Vaughan was in it too and he was pretty funny. He's becoming a caricature of himself lately though. I saw Wedding Crashers last week and Mr. and Mrs. Smith this week and you could basically drop him into either movie and its almost the same character.
Anyway, if you haven't read it yet go out and buy Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince and read it.
Photo-A-Day #106 07/23/05
The new building where the casino used to be is coming along well. I wonder when the new restaurant will be open.
Cape Cod for the day...
Yesterday Allison and I met up at the Holiday Inn to set up the meals and final details of the wedding with Steve, the events coordinator. While we were there we saw many roadies for Gretchen Wilson, but not Gretchen herself. Oh well, camera was in the car anyways.
After that we headed to the Cape, made some great time and picked up some pizzas for dinner with my parent's from Paul's. After dinner we went for a walk along the beach and stopped by Uncle Paul D's house so Dad could show him the White Water Rafting video.
Mom and Dad went to the Country show at Gillette today and Allison and I spent the day at the beach after we went and visited Grandma and Grandpa. I'm more than halfway through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and looking to finish that tomorrow.
Off to North Carolina tomorrow.
After that we headed to the Cape, made some great time and picked up some pizzas for dinner with my parent's from Paul's. After dinner we went for a walk along the beach and stopped by Uncle Paul D's house so Dad could show him the White Water Rafting video.
Mom and Dad went to the Country show at Gillette today and Allison and I spent the day at the beach after we went and visited Grandma and Grandpa. I'm more than halfway through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and looking to finish that tomorrow.
Off to North Carolina tomorrow.
Photo-A-Day #105 07/22/05
We are down the Cape, awaiting the rains to move in, there has been heat lightning for about an hour and a half now. Thunder in the distance. I snapped a late night photo for today's picture. Tomorrow I'll have to get to the beach for a shot. This is the patio at the Cape house.
Guest Blogger: Steve: NASCAR Racing
The first ever Guest Blogger: My friend Steve is a NASCAR fan, hardcore. He's written a straightforward post about what NASCAR is all about. He was also the one who came up with the idea to do a guest blog post. After reading this and watching the videos I wanted to go to a race. So read Steve's post and let me know what you think. Should I let him write another?
OK, you’re thinking this post will only be about a phenomenon found only in the South, for beer-drinking good ole boys, who want to watch guys drive fast and turn left all day. Maybe, as most racetracks allow you to bring in your own food and beverages, and that does include beer, but there’s WAY more to NASCAR racing than the above stereotype would suggest. Believe me, I know. I’ve attended over a dozen NASCAR-sanctioned events…oh, and I live in Massachusetts and my last name is not Petty or Earnhardt either (even if you know nothing of NASCAR, you know these names).
First of all, what is NASCAR? It’s not a car. No racecar is a “NASCAR” (commonly heard misnomer). NASCAR is an organization that essentially sanctions or is the ruling body over its various stock car racing series, with the premier series being the Nextel Cup Series. The name stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and it was founded in 1948. While the history of stock car auto racing is born from the southern roots of moonshiners “suping” up their cars to outrun the local police, it soon became a pastime to pit such cars against one another in races to earn bragging rights. A man by the name of Bill France, Sr. took it upon himself to organize rules-based races on the sands of Daytona Beach back in the 40’s and from these humble beginnings, NASCAR formed and has become a corporate magnet (think UPS, Budweiser, Dupont, Lowes, Home Depot, and Cingular, to name a fraction) and the fastest growing spectator sport for years. Many fans pull for their favorite driver, like you would for your favorite sports team. This explains the number decals I imagine you have seen on cars and trucks, such as 3, 8, 24, etc. and perhaps you had wondered what these meant.
So with a quick history lesson out of the way, it is my intent to share the experience of attending a NASCAR race. While I can’t give you a taste of it (ever tasted burnt rubber or 110 octane fuel? Me either), I can provide some of the sights and sounds…
On Sunday 7/17, I attended yet another race at the New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) in Loudon, NH. This time I was joined by my wife, Erin, her sister-in-law Jen, and my buddy, Bill. The race was called the New England 300 and was one of 36 races in this year’s Nextel Cup racing series season. We got an early start, heading north by 6:45am. Once parked in a lot, we proceeded to grill some breakfast…oh yes, tailgating is a staple. Jimmy Buffett apparently reigns king for concert tailgating. In my opinion, NASCAR is superior for sports tailgating, and I was a Patriots season ticket holder for 3 years. I know of no other sport attended where folks with RV’s spend days camped out and even day-trippers show up with enough food and comforts of home that you’d think the only thing they didn’t bring was the house foundation itself. And even though you see many folks, me included, having some beers before or during a race, I can honestly say my experience has shown crowds at NASCAR races to be more friendly and less rowdy towards one another than other sporting events I’ve attended. I’ve never seen rows of police lined up at stairways at a race like I always saw at football games.
Are we there yet? Yes, we’re just outside the main gates
Post-breakfast, we proceeded to make our way to the track. While the race wasn’t scheduled to start until just after 2:00, it’s essentially law that you get there early to start soaking up the atmosphere. Most of the drivers have one or even several souvenir trucks, which are always fun to check out. Sometimes drivers will appear before a race and sign autographs, but I didn’t see any scheduled appearances posted.
Also, while in the grandstands (“grand” is the keyword…this place holds about 100,000 people and it’s by far not the largest venue on the circuit), you can watch the activity on pit road, which is where the cars come in for service during the race. Before the race, you often see the teams lining up their driver’s car in qualifying order, and they also busily ready tires, gas and other components needed during the race. To this day I marvel at the prowess and awesome potential of a stock car. They may look stylishly similar to that Monte Carlo or Taurus you see on the streets, but that’s where the resemblance ends. These sleek, 3400lb, 800+ horsepower machines are there for one reason…to race. Oh, and the prominent sponsor whose name adorns the hood and sides ponied up $15 - $20 million this season for the joyride with the hopes of landing in Victory Lane. No pressure.
The race was about 45 minutes delayed due to rain, but after it cleared and the track was dried, drivers were ordered to their cars, the national anthem was sung, and then the command to start engines was given. The roaring sound of 43 stock cars being fired up with the flick of some dashboard toggle switches (no keys in these puppies) will give you goosebumps. After the mandatory slow pace laps, it was literally pedal to the metal as the green flag was waved!
The race proceeded in its fast-paced, organized-chaotic fashion as professional “wheelmen” drove their cars around the oval-shaped, 1 mile track inches from the bumpers and sides of their competitors’ cars. Don’t try this tailgating maneuver on a highway near you…at close to 160mph. Yeah, these guys are that good.
Steve and Bill enjoying the race with a cold beer and no, Steve is not leaning on Bill’s shoulder!
So did anyone crash? Yup…expect it at a race. The drivers are human after all, and I admit, a crash adds to the excitement. You have 43 drivers hanging on the edge of almost complete driving insanity and you’re bound to have someone’s car spin on its own or come into contact with someone else’s and in seconds, bumpers, side panels, and egos get bruised in a flash. While none of the accidents were dramatic enough to make “agony of defeat” highlight reels, it’s a wonder that the car can sometimes be driven back to pit road for repairs or that the driver often escapes without an injury. But with an accident comes the caution flag (yellow in color), which means all cars slow to the pace speed, usually about 60mph, and halt racing for position until the track is considered clear and safe for racing. All cars line up in the last racing order they were in and they follow the pace vehicle around the track.
So what does a driver and team do during the caution laps while waiting for the race to be started again? Damaged cars come in for repairs and other cars may come down pit road for a variety of services, such as 4 new tires and 22 gallons of fuel in under 15 seconds. Doesn’t quite sound like your local Jiffy Lube, does it? Even the pit crew members who perform these quick-fast duties have to be well-trained, well-rehearsed players in what looks like a frantic tango. Driving the car fast and turning left in the corners is not the only strategy…when and what to come to pit road for play into the strategy of winning as well. Again, no pressure.
Once the green flag waved, the floodgates opened and high speed organized mayhem resumed on the pavement. Driver Tony Stewart, who drives the #20 Home Depot-sponsored Monte Carlo, dominated the race by leading the most laps, although there were other competitors who gave him a good run. Tony was making some solid moves on the competition which proved his car was setup just right for racing at this track. Since NHIS is relatively flat, versus Daytona and its high-banked corners, drivers have a harder time getting through the corners. The delicate balance that teams try to strike in order to make their car “stick” that much better to the track and not have it lose control is what makes the competition so fierce. It was apparent that Tony Stewart and his team had done their homework (as had some other teams), as he seemed to drive around the track as if his car was on rails.
In the end, Tony Stewart won by crossing the start/finish line first under the checkered flag (I bet you knew that). As has become his custom this season, he drove his car right up to the start/finish line (all other cars have since parked on pit road), got out, climbed the safety fencing surrounding the track, and scaled his way to the flagstand to wave to the crowd. He then walked down the flagstand steps, back onto the track and drove his winning car into Victory Lane to begin the celebration.
It was a great day. We all enjoyed the race and the excitement that comes with it. Off we headed to drive our way back home…at a much slower pace than we had witnessed.
So maybe now you’ve gotten an idea of what race day is like, and if you want to learn more, check out the official NASCAR website at www.nascar.com.
OK, you’re thinking this post will only be about a phenomenon found only in the South, for beer-drinking good ole boys, who want to watch guys drive fast and turn left all day. Maybe, as most racetracks allow you to bring in your own food and beverages, and that does include beer, but there’s WAY more to NASCAR racing than the above stereotype would suggest. Believe me, I know. I’ve attended over a dozen NASCAR-sanctioned events…oh, and I live in Massachusetts and my last name is not Petty or Earnhardt either (even if you know nothing of NASCAR, you know these names).
First of all, what is NASCAR? It’s not a car. No racecar is a “NASCAR” (commonly heard misnomer). NASCAR is an organization that essentially sanctions or is the ruling body over its various stock car racing series, with the premier series being the Nextel Cup Series. The name stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and it was founded in 1948. While the history of stock car auto racing is born from the southern roots of moonshiners “suping” up their cars to outrun the local police, it soon became a pastime to pit such cars against one another in races to earn bragging rights. A man by the name of Bill France, Sr. took it upon himself to organize rules-based races on the sands of Daytona Beach back in the 40’s and from these humble beginnings, NASCAR formed and has become a corporate magnet (think UPS, Budweiser, Dupont, Lowes, Home Depot, and Cingular, to name a fraction) and the fastest growing spectator sport for years. Many fans pull for their favorite driver, like you would for your favorite sports team. This explains the number decals I imagine you have seen on cars and trucks, such as 3, 8, 24, etc. and perhaps you had wondered what these meant.
So with a quick history lesson out of the way, it is my intent to share the experience of attending a NASCAR race. While I can’t give you a taste of it (ever tasted burnt rubber or 110 octane fuel? Me either), I can provide some of the sights and sounds…
On Sunday 7/17, I attended yet another race at the New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) in Loudon, NH. This time I was joined by my wife, Erin, her sister-in-law Jen, and my buddy, Bill. The race was called the New England 300 and was one of 36 races in this year’s Nextel Cup racing series season. We got an early start, heading north by 6:45am. Once parked in a lot, we proceeded to grill some breakfast…oh yes, tailgating is a staple. Jimmy Buffett apparently reigns king for concert tailgating. In my opinion, NASCAR is superior for sports tailgating, and I was a Patriots season ticket holder for 3 years. I know of no other sport attended where folks with RV’s spend days camped out and even day-trippers show up with enough food and comforts of home that you’d think the only thing they didn’t bring was the house foundation itself. And even though you see many folks, me included, having some beers before or during a race, I can honestly say my experience has shown crowds at NASCAR races to be more friendly and less rowdy towards one another than other sporting events I’ve attended. I’ve never seen rows of police lined up at stairways at a race like I always saw at football games.
Are we there yet? Yes, we’re just outside the main gates
Post-breakfast, we proceeded to make our way to the track. While the race wasn’t scheduled to start until just after 2:00, it’s essentially law that you get there early to start soaking up the atmosphere. Most of the drivers have one or even several souvenir trucks, which are always fun to check out. Sometimes drivers will appear before a race and sign autographs, but I didn’t see any scheduled appearances posted.
Also, while in the grandstands (“grand” is the keyword…this place holds about 100,000 people and it’s by far not the largest venue on the circuit), you can watch the activity on pit road, which is where the cars come in for service during the race. Before the race, you often see the teams lining up their driver’s car in qualifying order, and they also busily ready tires, gas and other components needed during the race. To this day I marvel at the prowess and awesome potential of a stock car. They may look stylishly similar to that Monte Carlo or Taurus you see on the streets, but that’s where the resemblance ends. These sleek, 3400lb, 800+ horsepower machines are there for one reason…to race. Oh, and the prominent sponsor whose name adorns the hood and sides ponied up $15 - $20 million this season for the joyride with the hopes of landing in Victory Lane. No pressure.
The race was about 45 minutes delayed due to rain, but after it cleared and the track was dried, drivers were ordered to their cars, the national anthem was sung, and then the command to start engines was given. The roaring sound of 43 stock cars being fired up with the flick of some dashboard toggle switches (no keys in these puppies) will give you goosebumps. After the mandatory slow pace laps, it was literally pedal to the metal as the green flag was waved!
Racing begins… -quicktime movie-
The race proceeded in its fast-paced, organized-chaotic fashion as professional “wheelmen” drove their cars around the oval-shaped, 1 mile track inches from the bumpers and sides of their competitors’ cars. Don’t try this tailgating maneuver on a highway near you…at close to 160mph. Yeah, these guys are that good.
Steve and Bill enjoying the race with a cold beer and no, Steve is not leaning on Bill’s shoulder!
So did anyone crash? Yup…expect it at a race. The drivers are human after all, and I admit, a crash adds to the excitement. You have 43 drivers hanging on the edge of almost complete driving insanity and you’re bound to have someone’s car spin on its own or come into contact with someone else’s and in seconds, bumpers, side panels, and egos get bruised in a flash. While none of the accidents were dramatic enough to make “agony of defeat” highlight reels, it’s a wonder that the car can sometimes be driven back to pit road for repairs or that the driver often escapes without an injury. But with an accident comes the caution flag (yellow in color), which means all cars slow to the pace speed, usually about 60mph, and halt racing for position until the track is considered clear and safe for racing. All cars line up in the last racing order they were in and they follow the pace vehicle around the track.
So what does a driver and team do during the caution laps while waiting for the race to be started again? Damaged cars come in for repairs and other cars may come down pit road for a variety of services, such as 4 new tires and 22 gallons of fuel in under 15 seconds. Doesn’t quite sound like your local Jiffy Lube, does it? Even the pit crew members who perform these quick-fast duties have to be well-trained, well-rehearsed players in what looks like a frantic tango. Driving the car fast and turning left in the corners is not the only strategy…when and what to come to pit road for play into the strategy of winning as well. Again, no pressure.
What a pace lap looks like from trackside. - quicktime movie -
Once the green flag waved, the floodgates opened and high speed organized mayhem resumed on the pavement. Driver Tony Stewart, who drives the #20 Home Depot-sponsored Monte Carlo, dominated the race by leading the most laps, although there were other competitors who gave him a good run. Tony was making some solid moves on the competition which proved his car was setup just right for racing at this track. Since NHIS is relatively flat, versus Daytona and its high-banked corners, drivers have a harder time getting through the corners. The delicate balance that teams try to strike in order to make their car “stick” that much better to the track and not have it lose control is what makes the competition so fierce. It was apparent that Tony Stewart and his team had done their homework (as had some other teams), as he seemed to drive around the track as if his car was on rails.
In the end, Tony Stewart won by crossing the start/finish line first under the checkered flag (I bet you knew that). As has become his custom this season, he drove his car right up to the start/finish line (all other cars have since parked on pit road), got out, climbed the safety fencing surrounding the track, and scaled his way to the flagstand to wave to the crowd. He then walked down the flagstand steps, back onto the track and drove his winning car into Victory Lane to begin the celebration.
It was a great day. We all enjoyed the race and the excitement that comes with it. Off we headed to drive our way back home…at a much slower pace than we had witnessed.
So maybe now you’ve gotten an idea of what race day is like, and if you want to learn more, check out the official NASCAR website at www.nascar.com.
Around the web...
Things I have found around the web lately.
Matt Milligan's Strip called Lost and Found has added a new little feature called: "Reality TV Murderizes the English Language" Each installment will explore a made up word or phrase that a reality TV contestant has said that is supposed to make them appear smart but in effect makes them sound like idiots. Check out Lost and Found. The new feature is on the right hand side.
Daily Dancer. Have you gone to this site yet. It is scary how many hits this guy gets for dancing each day. And he is not a good dancer. He kinda hops all around the screen. He gives my friend Joanne nightmares about prom dates of years past.
New Web Comic - Theater Hopper, a web comic about movies. Pretty funny.
Matt Milligan's Strip called Lost and Found has added a new little feature called: "Reality TV Murderizes the English Language" Each installment will explore a made up word or phrase that a reality TV contestant has said that is supposed to make them appear smart but in effect makes them sound like idiots. Check out Lost and Found. The new feature is on the right hand side.
Daily Dancer. Have you gone to this site yet. It is scary how many hits this guy gets for dancing each day. And he is not a good dancer. He kinda hops all around the screen. He gives my friend Joanne nightmares about prom dates of years past.
New Web Comic - Theater Hopper, a web comic about movies. Pretty funny.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrived yesterday. I read the first chapter before heading over to Box seats and then read chapters 2-7 before going to bed. So far I am enjoying the book, hope to get alot of reading done tomorrow at the beach. We are finally getting back to the Cape. Got alot to do today, going to meet with the Holiday Inn to select meals for the wedding so we can then work on invitations. Meeting with my Uncle Rich to look at the wedding rings. And I have to remember to pick up my suit at the cleaners.
Allison and I may also be taking a step towards home ownership. I've got to make some calls to get the ball rolling. Nothing concrete yet but a possible opportunity may have popped up that we would like to check out and prepare for.
Last night I was joined my Allison, my Aunt Millie, Aunt Candy, Dad, Tara, Erik, Jenn, and Cousin Bill and his wife Jen for a free dinner at Box Seats in North Attleboro. I like that place alot. They keep going through different owners and things change a bit from time to time but the place feels the same and we like it. I won a business card in a fishbowl lunch or appetizers from American Express Financial Advisors, again. They would pay for $10.00 a person for the ten people we had $100.00 of the meal paid for and only had to come up with $40.00 to pay the rest off. We had a good time.
Off to Fayetteville North Carolina on Sunday for a demo on Monday. Should be interesting. At Fran's funeral I met up with her grandson Matthew who lives in Fayetteville. Strange coincidence.
Allison and I may also be taking a step towards home ownership. I've got to make some calls to get the ball rolling. Nothing concrete yet but a possible opportunity may have popped up that we would like to check out and prepare for.
Last night I was joined my Allison, my Aunt Millie, Aunt Candy, Dad, Tara, Erik, Jenn, and Cousin Bill and his wife Jen for a free dinner at Box Seats in North Attleboro. I like that place alot. They keep going through different owners and things change a bit from time to time but the place feels the same and we like it. I won a business card in a fishbowl lunch or appetizers from American Express Financial Advisors, again. They would pay for $10.00 a person for the ten people we had $100.00 of the meal paid for and only had to come up with $40.00 to pay the rest off. We had a good time.
Off to Fayetteville North Carolina on Sunday for a demo on Monday. Should be interesting. At Fran's funeral I met up with her grandson Matthew who lives in Fayetteville. Strange coincidence.
Photo-A-Day #104 07/21/05
This is out front of one of my companies buildings. No we are not going to be sold to Merrill Lynch, yeah still not that funny. But rather this was from one of the more recent art shows. Not sure what it is titled, Bull would be too obvious. Maybe Rusty Bull since it has gotten rusty since being outside. But I like the sculpture and that is why I stopped to take a photo today.
It is Smurftacular!
I think that imood should have all the moods smurf ones.
Official Smurf Website
News I just heard.
The Smurfs head for the big screen
Paramount Pictures has acquired rights to create a movie based on cartoon characters The Smurfs.
Variety reports that Paramount wants to make a trilogy, with the first film coming out in 2008, the 50th anniversary of The Smurfs.
The film would be made in 3-D CGI in association with Nickelodeon Movies. Writer Herb Ratner will script the project.
'The Smurfs' originated as a comic strip in Belgium in 1958. The television version was launched in 1981. There were 256 episodes of the show and it won a number of Emmy awards.
Official Smurf Website
News I just heard.
The Smurfs head for the big screen
Paramount Pictures has acquired rights to create a movie based on cartoon characters The Smurfs.
Variety reports that Paramount wants to make a trilogy, with the first film coming out in 2008, the 50th anniversary of The Smurfs.
The film would be made in 3-D CGI in association with Nickelodeon Movies. Writer Herb Ratner will script the project.
'The Smurfs' originated as a comic strip in Belgium in 1958. The television version was launched in 1981. There were 256 episodes of the show and it won a number of Emmy awards.
Guest Photographer....
Last Friday when Allison and I went to see Steve and Erin, I wasn't the only one with a camera. Steve got his camera out to take a few shots too.
Picture of me taking the Photo-A-Day. By Steve
Picture of me taking the Photo-A-Day. By Steve
The Ladies. By Steve
Picture of me taking Steve's picture of Steve Taking my picture. By Steve
Steve's Scary Self-Portrait. By Steve
Couldn't sleep...
So I finished Beach Music this morning from 4-7am. What a fantastic book. It takes you through tragedy, joy, pain, terror and hope. I was glad I finished it this morning. Not thrilled with the fitful sleep I had last night.
Today was Fran's funeral. Allison and I took Tara over to the church with us for the ceremony. It was a simple eloquent ceremony. A couple of times I was taken over with emotion. I was lucky to be home this week, it would have killed me to be on the road and not to have been able to be there for my family and friends this week.
Today was Fran's funeral. Allison and I took Tara over to the church with us for the ceremony. It was a simple eloquent ceremony. A couple of times I was taken over with emotion. I was lucky to be home this week, it would have killed me to be on the road and not to have been able to be there for my family and friends this week.
Photo-A-Day #102 07/19/05
Still on the theme of flowers and new life. What with two very special people in our lives passing within a day of each other, smiles have not been commonplace except when speaking of the days when they were with us. Both Fran and Great-Uncle Richard loved flowers and the beauty I see in the flowers is a reflection of the beauty found within each of them.
It is tuesday
and I am melting. It is really hot and humid here. Which has meant multiple showers because of all the formal clothes we've been wearing.
This week has been a tough one. Thanks for coming by and reading the tributes to Fran and Great-Uncle Richard, we are going to miss them very much.
Today I took all the photos from Great-Uncle Richard's wake and scanned them into the computer and added keywords for easy searching later. Then I made an online gallery of those images for anyone who may have missed the ceremonies. So when you see Great-Uncle Richard in the past posts you can click and go to the gallery.
This week has been a tough one. Thanks for coming by and reading the tributes to Fran and Great-Uncle Richard, we are going to miss them very much.
Today I took all the photos from Great-Uncle Richard's wake and scanned them into the computer and added keywords for easy searching later. Then I made an online gallery of those images for anyone who may have missed the ceremonies. So when you see Great-Uncle Richard in the past posts you can click and go to the gallery.
Photo-A-Day #101 07/18/05
This morning the day lilies were wet and open. They look very beautiful in their many colors. Great-Uncle Richard was a gardening enthusiast and would have loved the flowers that Tara and Dad have planted all around the house. Look at something beautiful today and really appreciate it.
Eulogy for Richard Belanger
We are here at Saint Joseph Church today to give honor and respect to a gentle person who has touched all of our lives and lived his faith-filled life to the fullest. It is here in this church that my uncle, Richard Belanger, began his Catholic faith through Baptism, First Penance, Holy Communion, Confirmation and graduation after the 8th grade from French school. It is only fitting that we celebrate his life here, in this holy place.
Matthew Chapter 7, verse 12 tells us:
“Therefore all that you wish men to do to you, even so do you also to them for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
His home on South Main Street is where the Golden Rule was taught first, lived quietly and modeled by his parents, Ernest and Mary Rose (Dusablon) Belanger. The qualities and characteristics that Uncle Richard possessed were reinforced first through his family, which included my mother, Theresa, and his brother, Ernest, and his extended family who were so much a part of his life. People like the Cloutiers, the Dubucs and Laferriers were household names and he was “Pitou” to them.
In 1996, Uncle Richard had the pleasure of attending my son Drew’s graduation from St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH. The bishop who delivered the commencement address began by announcing that “Loyalty is dead!” I looked at Uncle Richard and said, “What does that mean?” At that very moment the school’s clock tower responded with a loud gong – Certainly not planned. The bishop looked toward the clock and chided that it was merely a coincidence. I think not. I think it was a wake up call! It was a warning to people of what was going on in the world between people, relationships, businesses and global matters. This statement, “Loyalty is dead,” is the opposite of how Uncle Richard lived his life.
Uncle Richard was loyal, kind, humble, honest, understanding, trustworthy and generous beyond anyone I’ve ever known. But his greatest characteristic was loyalty. He was loyal to his church, family, friends, country and place of employment. He was a role model to all of us as he never complained or spoke unkindly of others.
Uncle Richard was true to his God, his faith and to his church. He attended St. Joseph’s Church his whole life until he was unable to walk up the stairs due to his arthritis. His contributions never stopped when he attended TV Mass at home. He supported the missions, especially the Missionaries of La Salette, probably because of their ties to Attleboro and because of his dear friend, Donald Pelletier – now Bishop Donald, who has served as a La Salette Missionary in Madagascar for over forty years. He has supported his friend financially and through letters and more recently by emailing him. Bishop Pelletier recently wrote me, after hearing of Uncle Richard's illness and said, “Richard is a very good man, worked well and very faithful to all his friends. I don’t think he has an enemy in this world as he is so kind.” Truer words could not be spoken.
Family was also important to Uncle Richard. He was a wonderful son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and great-uncle. He was proud of all of his nieces and nephews and was always a quiet cheerleader to encourage us in our endeavors. He also rewarded us generously as we accomplished our goals, especially encouraging continued education. Family seemed to extend beyond blood relatives. He was Uncle to many that I don’t even know because he was Godfather to so many children of not only his family, but many friends, as well. I think he holds the record for being Godfather.
When my brother Jim asked Uncle Richard recently what he was thinking of while he was lying in his hospital bed he said, “I’m thinking of all the wonderful friends I have.” His loyalty to friends extended back to his childhood, as I mentioned, Bishop Donald. As a young girl, I would always see friends, such as Roger Poirier, who couldn’t be here today, visiting him at home. Having lived on the second floor of the family home, and not wanting to miss anything, I often slipped downstairs as an “uninvited guest,” but I always felt invited. He didn’t shoo me away because he had company. He had many neighborhood friends, like the Gustafsons and the Zarrellas, who became like blood-relatives and the friendships have extended to the third or fourth generations.
Many of his friends that I have talked to over these past ten weeks have spoken so highly of Uncle Richard. He may have gone to school with them or worked with them, they may have been his bowling or golfing buddies or his telephone buddies, but he was loyal to that friendship no matter what. He was a true brother-in-law to my dad, Rick, who formed a best friendship with Uncle Richard.
Uncle Richard was also extremely loyal to his employer of over 55 years, an accomplishment which is virtually unheard of in today’s business world. He was a loyal and trustworthy member of the Leach and Garner family working first in Attleboro, then in their North Attleboro plant. Uncle Richard started working right out of high school. He left to serve in the US Army from 1951 to 1953. Upon his return to Attleboro, he resumed work at Leach and Garner, General Findings Division, working his way up to Superintendent for a time, then later as Supervisor of Inventory Control.
I remember working with him in the old shop, in the vault where they kept the gold. His co-workers respected and admired him. I can speak from experience having sometimes worked with him; he was a dedicated employee who strove for perfectionism. Uncle Richard was a man of honor; strong-willed, determined and courageous.
Proverbs Chapter 16, verse 9 says, “In his mind a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.” Uncle Richard planned his course and accepted the Lord’s guidance along the way. If we could learn from Uncle Richard's recipe for living, there would be more peacemakers, fewer broken relationships and far more loyal servants of the Lord. He was always a good and loyal servant and a role model for living a Christian life.
And so dear Uncle, we will miss you. May you find peace in paradise with the family, friends and neighbors that you join at the banquet table of the Lord. May you enjoy as much golf, WebTV and ponies as you well deserve. May God Bless you and God bless us, his family, friends and neighbors to continue living in your spirit of loyalty.
My mother wrote this and read it today at Great-Uncle Richard's funeral where my Father, Eric and I were among the pall bearers, Tara did the first reading and Shelby placed the pall on the casket. It was an emotional day, and when my mom read the eulogy for Great-Uncle Richard (which Allison typed out for her) the emotions ran very high and there were many teary eyes. But my mother read so very well and the strong conviction of her words conveyed what we all knew today and throughout Great-Uncle Richard's life. There was a quiet greatness in this humble man among us. He will most certainly be missed.
Great-Uncle Richard also enjoyed reading this blog and enjoyed seeing the photos I took all over the country. He'd look at it now and wonder what the fuss was all about. Sorry to embarass you Uncle Rich but we loved you very much and this is my way of showing it.
Matthew Chapter 7, verse 12 tells us:
“Therefore all that you wish men to do to you, even so do you also to them for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
His home on South Main Street is where the Golden Rule was taught first, lived quietly and modeled by his parents, Ernest and Mary Rose (Dusablon) Belanger. The qualities and characteristics that Uncle Richard possessed were reinforced first through his family, which included my mother, Theresa, and his brother, Ernest, and his extended family who were so much a part of his life. People like the Cloutiers, the Dubucs and Laferriers were household names and he was “Pitou” to them.
In 1996, Uncle Richard had the pleasure of attending my son Drew’s graduation from St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH. The bishop who delivered the commencement address began by announcing that “Loyalty is dead!” I looked at Uncle Richard and said, “What does that mean?” At that very moment the school’s clock tower responded with a loud gong – Certainly not planned. The bishop looked toward the clock and chided that it was merely a coincidence. I think not. I think it was a wake up call! It was a warning to people of what was going on in the world between people, relationships, businesses and global matters. This statement, “Loyalty is dead,” is the opposite of how Uncle Richard lived his life.
Uncle Richard was loyal, kind, humble, honest, understanding, trustworthy and generous beyond anyone I’ve ever known. But his greatest characteristic was loyalty. He was loyal to his church, family, friends, country and place of employment. He was a role model to all of us as he never complained or spoke unkindly of others.
Uncle Richard was true to his God, his faith and to his church. He attended St. Joseph’s Church his whole life until he was unable to walk up the stairs due to his arthritis. His contributions never stopped when he attended TV Mass at home. He supported the missions, especially the Missionaries of La Salette, probably because of their ties to Attleboro and because of his dear friend, Donald Pelletier – now Bishop Donald, who has served as a La Salette Missionary in Madagascar for over forty years. He has supported his friend financially and through letters and more recently by emailing him. Bishop Pelletier recently wrote me, after hearing of Uncle Richard's illness and said, “Richard is a very good man, worked well and very faithful to all his friends. I don’t think he has an enemy in this world as he is so kind.” Truer words could not be spoken.
Family was also important to Uncle Richard. He was a wonderful son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and great-uncle. He was proud of all of his nieces and nephews and was always a quiet cheerleader to encourage us in our endeavors. He also rewarded us generously as we accomplished our goals, especially encouraging continued education. Family seemed to extend beyond blood relatives. He was Uncle to many that I don’t even know because he was Godfather to so many children of not only his family, but many friends, as well. I think he holds the record for being Godfather.
When my brother Jim asked Uncle Richard recently what he was thinking of while he was lying in his hospital bed he said, “I’m thinking of all the wonderful friends I have.” His loyalty to friends extended back to his childhood, as I mentioned, Bishop Donald. As a young girl, I would always see friends, such as Roger Poirier, who couldn’t be here today, visiting him at home. Having lived on the second floor of the family home, and not wanting to miss anything, I often slipped downstairs as an “uninvited guest,” but I always felt invited. He didn’t shoo me away because he had company. He had many neighborhood friends, like the Gustafsons and the Zarrellas, who became like blood-relatives and the friendships have extended to the third or fourth generations.
Many of his friends that I have talked to over these past ten weeks have spoken so highly of Uncle Richard. He may have gone to school with them or worked with them, they may have been his bowling or golfing buddies or his telephone buddies, but he was loyal to that friendship no matter what. He was a true brother-in-law to my dad, Rick, who formed a best friendship with Uncle Richard.
Uncle Richard was also extremely loyal to his employer of over 55 years, an accomplishment which is virtually unheard of in today’s business world. He was a loyal and trustworthy member of the Leach and Garner family working first in Attleboro, then in their North Attleboro plant. Uncle Richard started working right out of high school. He left to serve in the US Army from 1951 to 1953. Upon his return to Attleboro, he resumed work at Leach and Garner, General Findings Division, working his way up to Superintendent for a time, then later as Supervisor of Inventory Control.
I remember working with him in the old shop, in the vault where they kept the gold. His co-workers respected and admired him. I can speak from experience having sometimes worked with him; he was a dedicated employee who strove for perfectionism. Uncle Richard was a man of honor; strong-willed, determined and courageous.
Proverbs Chapter 16, verse 9 says, “In his mind a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.” Uncle Richard planned his course and accepted the Lord’s guidance along the way. If we could learn from Uncle Richard's recipe for living, there would be more peacemakers, fewer broken relationships and far more loyal servants of the Lord. He was always a good and loyal servant and a role model for living a Christian life.
And so dear Uncle, we will miss you. May you find peace in paradise with the family, friends and neighbors that you join at the banquet table of the Lord. May you enjoy as much golf, WebTV and ponies as you well deserve. May God Bless you and God bless us, his family, friends and neighbors to continue living in your spirit of loyalty.
My mother wrote this and read it today at Great-Uncle Richard's funeral where my Father, Eric and I were among the pall bearers, Tara did the first reading and Shelby placed the pall on the casket. It was an emotional day, and when my mom read the eulogy for Great-Uncle Richard (which Allison typed out for her) the emotions ran very high and there were many teary eyes. But my mother read so very well and the strong conviction of her words conveyed what we all knew today and throughout Great-Uncle Richard's life. There was a quiet greatness in this humble man among us. He will most certainly be missed.
Great-Uncle Richard also enjoyed reading this blog and enjoyed seeing the photos I took all over the country. He'd look at it now and wonder what the fuss was all about. Sorry to embarass you Uncle Rich but we loved you very much and this is my way of showing it.
Wake...
Today was Great-Uncle Richard's wake. Thank you to everyone who came to pay their respects. It was a very emotional afternoon. Thank you all for your sympathies. We're all pretty wiped out tonight.
Photo-A-Day #100 07/17/05
Wow 100 photos. Yikes. Can't believe I kept this up so long. Took no real pictures today. It was the day of my Great-Uncle Richard's wake and I didn't take the camera along, obviously.
This is the front hall of our house. And I took this picture because as I went up and down these stairs all day. (Wakes and funerals mean lots of running around.) Anyway I noticed that the temperature here is always disproportionate to the temp in the rest of the house. Unfortunately it was very cold in the front hall, which means that I am sweating like crazy outside and all around the house. Oh well. And it is a mess, because Allison and I have too much stuff and not enough space for it.
Photo-A-Day #99 07/16/05
One of the 4 Praying Mantis that I found today. They were all safely relocated to the trees in the yard. There were also two very small toads.
More Back yard Work.
Today Dad and Tara and I worked on the backyard. We planted trees, laid down mulch and dug lots and lots of holes. At one point in the day I was walking by the truck and I saw a green bug on the truck, upon closer inspection I noticed that it was a Praying Mantis. A very small one. So I got my camera and went up for a close up shot. It jumped onto the lens of the camera and began to walk up my arm. I gently brought it over to some daisies that we were going to plant. And it hopped off my arm and onto the Daisies.A while later when all the trees were out of the truck we found three more, they were all brown and about an inch long. The three ones we found later were all in the truck, they must have come from the trees that my Dad bought. So I rescued each one and put them on the trees. And we found two small toads as well. These hopped off the truck and are running around the backyard somewhere.
Some hard work today did us all some good. It was a really good feeling once we were all done.
I need a happy post...
Because this weekend is going to be filled with funerals and a time of mourning.Last night however, Allison and I spent the evening with our friends Steve and Erin. We brought over some great pizza and played the game Scene It. We played as individuals and the game took longer than when we play as couples. The game flies as couples, so we really get a full game playing as individuals. I hadn't taken my Photo-A-Day yet and got out the camera. Steve got out his camera to make sure he got a photo of me taking the Photo-A-Day. Then I took a photo of him taking a photo of me.
We really had a great time visiting with Steve and Erin and the laughter and joy of their two beautiful children, Shaun and Katie. The laughter and good times we shared last night was exactly what we needed yesterday. We certainly are blessed to have such wonderful friends.
Also I would like to thank everyone who has sent condolences on for Great-Uncle Richard. The wake is tomorrow at Dyer-Lake Funeral Home and the funeral is on Monday. The obituary is out today and I am trying to grab it off the Sun Chronicle's website, but it doesn't seem to be cooperating. I'll post once I can get it. Great-Uncle Richard had a great love of Photography that I share. From the obit "He enjoyed photography, preferring to take the pictures rather than being in the object within them." Sounds alot like how I feel about pictures.
More Sad News...
Today when I got home from work I talked to my Dad who informed me that Fran passed away today. Fran and her husband Edmund (cousin to my Grandmother Theresa and Great-Uncle Richard) hosted a great Christmas party every year, as far back as I can remember, that my family would attend. I really looked forward to that party every Christmas. I enjoyed talking to Fran and Edmund and being in their home. I always felt welcome there. I remember one of the last partys in their old house in Attleboro where Grandpa Rick brought his Karaoke equipment and everyone got a chance to sing. Great-Uncle Richard sang Jambolaya(sp) and we all had a great time.
Fran was a very beautiful, kind, funny and caring woman, she made everyone feel at home. She was especially nice to Allison and her passing was a great shock to us. Every time we saw Fran she was very excited for, and asked about, our upcoming wedding. We are both very sad that Fran will not be there. We will certainly miss you Fran. You touched our lives with your kindness. Our prayers are with you and Great-Uncle Richard and our family during this time of loss.
This is the obituary that was in The Sun Chronicle on Sunday July 17, 2005
Frances Dusablon of South Attleboro
ATTLEBORO -- Frances Mary Dusablon, 73, of 500 Mendon Road, South Attleboro, a homemaker and a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister, died Friday, July 15, 2005 at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro. She was the beloved wife of Edmond J. Dusablon. They were married on Sept. 24, 1949.
Born in Sayesville, R.I., on Aug. 26, 1931, Mrs. Dusablon was a daughter of the late Caldwell and Catherine (Geary) Greenier.
In addition to her beloved husband, Edmond, Mrs. Dusablon is survived by two daughters and one son, Christine A. Medeiros of Norton and Pamela J. Dias of South Attleboro and Ned Dusablon of California; two sisters, Joan Cooper of Attleboro and Ruth Yaghoobian of Pawtucket; four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
She was the sister of the late James Greenier.
A funeral will be conducted on Wednesday, July 20, 2005, at 8 a.m. from the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, 20 Peck St., Attleboro followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 133 North Main St., Attleboro, celebrated by the Rev. Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye, pastor. Burial will follow in Mount St. Mary's Cemetery, Pawtucket.
Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, July 19 from 4 p.m. -- 8 p.m. in the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, 20 Peck St., Attleboro.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her memory may be made to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Fran was a very beautiful, kind, funny and caring woman, she made everyone feel at home. She was especially nice to Allison and her passing was a great shock to us. Every time we saw Fran she was very excited for, and asked about, our upcoming wedding. We are both very sad that Fran will not be there. We will certainly miss you Fran. You touched our lives with your kindness. Our prayers are with you and Great-Uncle Richard and our family during this time of loss.
This is the obituary that was in The Sun Chronicle on Sunday July 17, 2005
Frances Dusablon of South Attleboro
ATTLEBORO -- Frances Mary Dusablon, 73, of 500 Mendon Road, South Attleboro, a homemaker and a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister, died Friday, July 15, 2005 at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro. She was the beloved wife of Edmond J. Dusablon. They were married on Sept. 24, 1949.
Born in Sayesville, R.I., on Aug. 26, 1931, Mrs. Dusablon was a daughter of the late Caldwell and Catherine (Geary) Greenier.
In addition to her beloved husband, Edmond, Mrs. Dusablon is survived by two daughters and one son, Christine A. Medeiros of Norton and Pamela J. Dias of South Attleboro and Ned Dusablon of California; two sisters, Joan Cooper of Attleboro and Ruth Yaghoobian of Pawtucket; four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
She was the sister of the late James Greenier.
A funeral will be conducted on Wednesday, July 20, 2005, at 8 a.m. from the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, 20 Peck St., Attleboro followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 133 North Main St., Attleboro, celebrated by the Rev. Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye, pastor. Burial will follow in Mount St. Mary's Cemetery, Pawtucket.
Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, July 19 from 4 p.m. -- 8 p.m. in the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, 20 Peck St., Attleboro.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her memory may be made to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Photo-A-Day #98 07/15/05
Tonight Allison and I went to see Steve and Erin and their two beautiful children Shaun and Katie. We brought over some Pizza and Scene It and had a great evening. It was nice to get out of the house especially with all the recent sadness that has befallen the family. Thanks guys for taking our minds off everything and having us over.
Photo-A-Day #97 07/14/05
The Transformer out of the box was the first one I ever got. The one in the box was given to me by my Great-Uncle Richard, a few years ago for Christmas. He found it in his closet. Great-Uncle Richard passed away today at 4:30pm. I will miss him very much, but always treasure his generosity.
Great-Uncle Richard
If you noticed my imood, you know that I am sad today. Great-Uncle Richard passed away today at 4:30pm. I appreciate all the prayers that people have said for him. He is finally at peace and no longer in pain. I was lucky because I was able to say goodbye to him today at 3:55pm. I started my morning in Iowa and landed in Providence at 1:20pm, by the time I got to New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Center it was 3:30pm. I was in fear the whole day that I would not be able to get there in time to tell Great-Uncle Richard what I had to and say goodbye properly. My prayers were heard and he held on till I was able to say goodbye.My Great-Uncle Richard was the kindest most generous person I ever met in my life. He's also a very unselfish and hardworking person. He never forgot a birthday or holiday and took care of all his nieces and nephews and many other people besides. He was a huge fan of the Red Sox, Horse Racing and Golf. And when I was a kid he bought me many of my transformers. He gave me one of my most cherished transformers ever. Wheeljack. Wheeljack was the first Transformer I ever got, from my Grandparents, but I guess Great-Uncle Richard had bought me one too. Anyway it got put in his closet and 15 years later he gave it to me one Christmas, mint condition in the box. My favorite character and in perfect condition. I will always cherish the memories of Great-Uncle Richard's generosity and gentle spirit. I never heard him raise his voice or say anything bad about anyone. And that is how I will always remember him.
God Bless you Great-Uncle Richard, you will be missed. You touched our lives and made us better people by knowing you.
This is the obituary that was in The Sun Chronicle on Saturday July 16, 2005
Richard A. Belanger, 76
ATTLEBORO -- Richard A. Belanger, 76, of South Main Street, Attleboro, died peacefully on July 14, 2005 at the New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Stoughton surrounded by the love of his family following a brief illness.
Mr. Belanger was born on June 26, 1929 in Attleboro, and was the son of the late Ernest and Mary Rose (Dusablon) Belanger. He was a graduate of the St. Joseph School in Attleboro and attended Assumption Preparatory School in Worcester for a short time. He was a 1948 graduate of Attleboro High School, having been bestowed the honor of salutatorian.
Immediately after high school graduation, Mr. Belanger began his career at the former General Findings in Attleboro. After three years of employment, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 30, 1951 and served until his honorable discharge on March 29, 1953, having achieved the rank of private first class (T).
Following his military discharge, he returned to work at General Findings, which had become Leach and Garner, and worked until the age of 71, following almost 55 years of service, when he retired as the supervisor of inventory control.
He was a life member of the B.P.O.E. Attleboro Elks Lodge No. 1014.
Mr. Belanger was a lifelong communicant of St. Joseph Church, Attleboro, where he enjoyed volunteering for the church fair for many decades.
An avid golfer and bowler, he had served as the secretary of the General Findings bowling league and golf teams for nearly 30 years.
He enjoyed photography, preferring to take the pictures, rather than being in the object within them. He enjoyed making photograph albums from his pictures after attending weddings and other family celebrations.
Mr. Belanger had several hobbies, but one most notable was his love for thoroughbred horse racing, having had attended the Kentucky Derby on several occasions.
He loved spending time in his vegetable and flower gardens.
He was a very humble, generous man who was dedicated to his loving family.
Mr. Belanger was the proud godfather of many children over the years.
He leaves a sister, Theresa Williams and her husband, Richard F. Williams Sr., of Falmouth and Attleboro; a sister-in-law, Louise Belanger of Naples, Fla., who was married to Ernest Belanger Jr., now deceased; two cousins, Edmond Dusablon of South Attleboro and Myles Dusablon of North Attleboro; three nieces, Denise Bennett and her husband Andrew E. Bennett, Jr. of North Attleboro, Luann Vinson of Falmouth and Darlene Belanger of Attleboro; four nephews, Richard F. Williams Jr. of Attleboro, James A. Williams of Redondo Beach, Calif., Donald Belanger and his wife, Jill Belanger, of South Attleboro and Douglas Belanger and his wife, Krista Belanger, of Naples, Fla.; five great nieces: Tara Bennett-Bristow of North Attleboro, Shelby Bennett of Falmouth; Carissa Williams of Attleboro, Lindsey Vinson of Falmouth and Holly Belanger of South Attleboro; and eight great nephews: Andrew "Drew" Bennett, III of North Attleboro, Shaun Williams of Attleboro, Nicholas Vinson of Falmouth, Adam Belanger and Nathan Belanger, both of South Attleboro, Michael Donlevy of Attleboro and Douglas Belanger and Matthew Belanger, both of Naples, Fla.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visitation with veteran's honors on Sunday, July 19, 2005 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the "Commonwealth Chapel" of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Ave., Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro.
A ritual service conducted by the Attleboro Lodge of Elks will be held on Sunday, July 17, 2005 at 4:45 p.m. during visitation.
Children's room is available during visitation.
Those in need of a ride to visitation may call the funeral home at 508-695-0200 to make an advance reservation for such free transportation.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend the funeral service with veteran's honors on Monday, July 18, 2005 at 10:45 a.m. from the "Commonwealth Chapel" of Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial with military honors at noon at St. Joseph Church, South Main Street, Attleboro, with the Rev. Michael Carvill, pastor, officiating.
A graveside service will be held at St. Stephen's Cemetery, Attleboro at a later date.
Following services an invitation will be extended to join the family for a time of refreshment and fellowship at the Attleboro Elks Lodge, 887 South Main St., Attleboro.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mr. Belanger's name may be made to the LaSalette Missionaries, Attention: Mr. Michael O'Brien, 947 Park St., Attleboro, MA 02703 or to the St. Joseph Church Food Cellar, 208 South Main St., Attleboro, MA 02703.
To send the family an expression of sympathy, please visit our on-line guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com. cs175
Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro. 508-695-0200.
Transformers Movie
So I now have to wait two years for the Transformers Movie. A Press release came out today that the big July 4th movie for 2007 will be The Transformers. Can't wait.
Here's The Official Transformers Movie Site and The Official Transformers Movie Blog. And here is an article about the Transformers Movie.
I will own those Blogshares of the The Official Transformers Movie Blog.
Here's The Official Transformers Movie Site and The Official Transformers Movie Blog. And here is an article about the Transformers Movie.
I will own those Blogshares of the The Official Transformers Movie Blog.
Photo-A-Day #96 07/13/05
Today I got to go to probably the best Harley shop ever. It is called Zooks and it is in Des Moines, Iowa. The place is a giant barn complete with silo.
The Fantastic 4
I just got in from seeing the Fantastic 4 out here in Iowa. First off, what a great movie theatre. The theatre was brand new and huge. There were very few people seeing the 4:45 show so it was not packed at all.
Trailers. Okay, so I can't wait to see the The Transporter 2. I never saw The Transporter but the trailer for The Transporter 2 is incredible. The actions, the stuff blowing up, the fight scenes so well choreographed. The movie is going to be awesome. It is coming out in theatres on September 2, 2005. There was also a trailer for King Kong and The New World but neither was as good as the transporter. You know, edge of your seat leaning forward getting all into the action good.
So, the movie I went to see, Fantastic 4. A very good origin movie that establishes the characters, their motivations and their inner demons. There is even the obligatory cameo by Stan Lee. I love those. There are also some jabs at other super hero movies and that is fun too. What I didn't like was that they tried to pass off Vancouver BC as New York. It is not and will not be New York. For one thing the Lions Gate Bridge is in a pivotal part of the movie, there is no bridge like that in New York. But hey, the comic takes place in New York so why change it. Because they changed many other things, why not the location. For one thing, Johnny Storm goes for a helicopter ride to a mountain to ski, a big mountain, not one that we would have on the east coast. So I found that distracting. Not to mention that I was in Vancouver when they were filming the movie, so I'm going to be thinking Vancouver the whole time anyways.
But I digress. The actors who played the various roles were very well cast. Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, the Thing, was perfect. He really captured the angst of the character and his lament at being so out of place and his torment for his extreme change. Chris Evans as Johnny Storm was also good, he had that perfect cocky attitude about him and carried it well. Jessica Alba as Sue Storm was also a good choice. She was not only beautiful but played the part very well. Ioan Gruffudd who plays Reed Richards looked the part and also gave a good performance. It is no wonder that the movie did well despite the rantings of the extreme fanboys. I was not expecting a great movie when I went but there really is a good story there and a perfect set up for a sequel.
Keep those comic book movies coming.
Trailers. Okay, so I can't wait to see the The Transporter 2. I never saw The Transporter but the trailer for The Transporter 2 is incredible. The actions, the stuff blowing up, the fight scenes so well choreographed. The movie is going to be awesome. It is coming out in theatres on September 2, 2005. There was also a trailer for King Kong and The New World but neither was as good as the transporter. You know, edge of your seat leaning forward getting all into the action good.
So, the movie I went to see, Fantastic 4. A very good origin movie that establishes the characters, their motivations and their inner demons. There is even the obligatory cameo by Stan Lee. I love those. There are also some jabs at other super hero movies and that is fun too. What I didn't like was that they tried to pass off Vancouver BC as New York. It is not and will not be New York. For one thing the Lions Gate Bridge is in a pivotal part of the movie, there is no bridge like that in New York. But hey, the comic takes place in New York so why change it. Because they changed many other things, why not the location. For one thing, Johnny Storm goes for a helicopter ride to a mountain to ski, a big mountain, not one that we would have on the east coast. So I found that distracting. Not to mention that I was in Vancouver when they were filming the movie, so I'm going to be thinking Vancouver the whole time anyways.
But I digress. The actors who played the various roles were very well cast. Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, the Thing, was perfect. He really captured the angst of the character and his lament at being so out of place and his torment for his extreme change. Chris Evans as Johnny Storm was also good, he had that perfect cocky attitude about him and carried it well. Jessica Alba as Sue Storm was also a good choice. She was not only beautiful but played the part very well. Ioan Gruffudd who plays Reed Richards looked the part and also gave a good performance. It is no wonder that the movie did well despite the rantings of the extreme fanboys. I was not expecting a great movie when I went but there really is a good story there and a perfect set up for a sequel.
Keep those comic book movies coming.
I love Iowa...
and I'll tell you why. The people here are so very nice. The folks I demonstrated for today were all so nice and I had a good time there. After the demonstration I stopped at the Cedar River Harley Davidson Shop. It looks like a horse ranch. The woman behind the counter was very nice to talk to, and told me about the shop and I commented that their shop was one of the most unique ones I had been in. "It looks like a ranch", I said.
She told me that they actually own a ranch down the road called the Harley Davidson ranch. I though that was pretty cool. On my drive back to Des Moines I noticed that the rest area's had wireless internet access. That's a good idea, especially for business people who may need to send a document back to work or something. I stopped at a McDonalds for lunch and went to use the credit card machine but the machine didn't work. The woman asked if I had a check, I said no and that all I had were the credit cards. She said she would just promo it and gave me my lunch for free. How sweet is that!
The ride from Charles City (America's Hometown) to Des Moines was over 150 miles and as I finally got to Rt. 80 I spotted the grand-daddy of Harley Davidson shops, Zooks! The place is enormous and it looks like a giant barn. I picked up a custom shop pin from them and they also gave me one of their pens. See, the folks here are very nice. Zooks had one of the best layouts of a Harely Davidson shops I have ever seen. The showroom was so clean and there were about 50 bikes. They have a great custom pin too. Outside there is the barn motif complete with a silo. And on the ground there is some brickwork with the name Zooks spelled out in grey bricks. I, of course, took a couple of pictures.So this trip was very good for my pin collection. I got to visit three great shops, Mason City Harley Davidson of Mason City Iowa, Cedar River Harley Davidson of Charles City, Iowa and Zooks Harley Davidson of Des Moines, Iowa. And that was all without consulting the Harley Davidson dealer locator. Which I just did to get the websites, and I see that there were about two or three more shops I could have hit today on the ride to Des Moines.
I also took pictures of my three new pins. They have been added to my Harley Davidson Custom Shop Pin gallery on Buzznet.
Also Mo sent me a link to a Harry Potter quiz that might be slightly easier than the trivia game. Harry Potter Quiz. I got only 2 wrong. The same ones as Mo #'s 3 & 9.
Is it me....
Or is the web a bit messed up today. I tried to go to many of my favorite sites, even this one and things are all messed up. Photo a day is screwed up and not displaying, blogshares isn't accessible, and neither is imood. I don't know what is up and I don't know if it is just my connection here at the Holiday Inn. I'll get to the bottom of it as soon as I can.
Photo-A-Day #95 07/12/05
The Mason City Harley Davidson shop has this great mural on the wall. It is Iowa's biggest Harley shop. I got a great new pin from this shop.
Mustangs and Mason City....
I am in Mason City Iowa. It is about 110 miles norht of Des Moines. I have a black 2005 mustang to drive. It is awesome! The car is impossible to keep under 75 mph. And since the roads are so sparcely travelled and totally straight. So cruising along at upwards of 90mph was commonplace. Needless to say I made the trip in no time. The demo this morning in Chicago went well. I was done and out of there by 9:30am. So I was able to get an earlier flight to Des Moines, so no really late drive into Mason City for me. I got here about 3:00pm and checked in and then headed over to the Mason City Harley Davidson shop. Today's Photo-A-Day is of a mural that was on the side of the building. They had a pretty nice dealer pin too.
I'm continuing to read Beach Music and it is really a great book. I forgot that Allison has the book on tapes, not that it will do me any good having only a CD player in the car. Oh well.
Beach Music...
I started reading Beach Music by Pat Conroy. So far so good. I really like the book alot. I'll keep you informed about how things progress. Anybody else read this book. Post your thoughts, no spoilers please.
Photo-A-Day #94 07/11/05
Somebody left their cart in the hallway across from my room. Little soaps for everyone for Christmas. My shopping is done.
Dinner with Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred..
Last night Allison and I went for dinner at the Moose Lodge in Attleboro with Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred. We had a fantastic meal there. The Moose Lodge is a new family restaurant that is in Attleboro over near Sturdy Memorial Hospital. It is also the future location of our Rehearsal dinner. Allison and I spoke with al Monte, the owner of the Moose Lodge and he showed us around the function room. He can basically come up with a meal for our 40+ guests that will be both delicious and inexpensive. Since they are new they are going to really try very hard to please us. Last night while we had dinner the staff (Al's family) was very attentive and hardworking. There weren't alot of people there, but I think in time this place will get alot more business. They've only been open for 3 weeks. I had the 1/3 rack of ribs and Allison had he 1/2 chicken, both meals were so large that we brought the rest home. We also sampled some rice mozambique and Uncle Freddie's Portuguese Pork and Potatoes. All the meals were very good. We are looking forward to having our rehearsal dinner there.
Photo-A-Day #93 07/10/05
Back to the backyard. Dad and I moved the shed back near the fence. This time it is on the other side of the tree. Lots of fun moving that to the other side of the tree, but it is all moved back and we are steps closer to completing the backyard project.
Photo-A-Day #92 07/09/05
Allison has a new car. She purchased a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. She also traded here 1993 Volvo 850 in towards payment for the car. She ended up with a pretty good deal at Volkswagen of North Attleboro.
At the car lot....
buying a car at the car lot. Yep, today Allison made a very grown up purchase and got herself a new car. Well, a used car but it is new to her. She purchased a 2002 Volkswagen Passat from VW of North Attleboro. The photo of Allison with her new car is here. We started the morning intending to go to the Volkswagen dealership to purchase a Jetta. We went over on Friday to look at Jettas and Jettas were all that we had talked about prior to this. But when we got to the dealership we took a Jetta out for a ride, and when we got back our salesman asked us if we had ever considered a Passat. We hadn't really but hey what the heck, we are here let's take a look. So we looked at the Passats and found one about $1,000.00 more than the Jetta Allison just test drove. The Passat had 6,000 less miles on it, it was also a 2002, so there was the remainder of the factory warranty plus the 2 year warranty for buying certified used. Then the car also had more room, and a 6 CD changer in the trunk. So we took this car out for a spin on the highway and Allison fell in love with it.
When we got back we asked the salesman to run the numbers with both cars and factor in Allison's Volvo as a trade. They looked at the car and offered us $300.00 in trade for the car. That was a little disappointing, but as we negotiated we got the them to take that car in trade for $500.00. And when all was said and done the difference in payments for the two cars was $20.00 and for $20.00 we're going to go with more car, no doubt about it.
So Allison is now a proud owner of a Volkswagen Passat that she will pick up on Monday.
Today we also went to my cousin Jenn and her husband Chris's house for a housewarming party/potluck BBQ. Many of my aunts and uncles were there. We got to see Uncle Wayne and Aunt Cindy, and Aunt Connie and Uncle Murph and Aunt Chris and Uncle Dave. I picked up Aunt Candy in my Aunt Carol's VW Beetle. It was a Volkswagen day all around, and I think today I spent more time on Kelly Blvd than I ever have in my entire life. Aunt Corrine and cousins Madison and Haley were there (The two of them are pictured here, they were hamming it up when they found out the camera took video too.), as well as, Grandma and Grandpa. My parents came later. They had been at the hospital to see Great Uncle Richard. Keep the prayers coming but now for his comfort please. Let's see, oh yeah Cousin Bill and his wife Jen were there as well as cousins Paige and Nick were also there. And Great Aunt Millie and Great Uncle Fred. Grandma and Grandpa went with Mom and Dad to visit Great Uncle Richard after the party.
I have to say that Great Uncle Richard is one of the most generous men I have ever met in my life. A confirmed bachelor his whole life, he always remembered everyone's birthdays and major holidays and major life milestones. He was always there with a card and a generous gift. Very soft spoken, but never ever missed a trick. It is so unfortunate to see him hospitalized and in so much pain. So please send prayers for his comfort and an ease to his suffering. Thanks.
We picked up a fantastic cake from a pastry shop on Kelly Blvd. This was an oreo cake, the outside looked like cookies and cream ice cream. It had the same color plus chocolate and vanilla icing and oreo cookies sticking out of it, the inside was layered chocolate cake with the oreo frosting on each layer. That cake put Allison and I in a food coma for the past two hours. I think we will now watch Hitch. Aunt Carol lent it to us.
When we got back we asked the salesman to run the numbers with both cars and factor in Allison's Volvo as a trade. They looked at the car and offered us $300.00 in trade for the car. That was a little disappointing, but as we negotiated we got the them to take that car in trade for $500.00. And when all was said and done the difference in payments for the two cars was $20.00 and for $20.00 we're going to go with more car, no doubt about it.
So Allison is now a proud owner of a Volkswagen Passat that she will pick up on Monday.
Today we also went to my cousin Jenn and her husband Chris's house for a housewarming party/potluck BBQ. Many of my aunts and uncles were there. We got to see Uncle Wayne and Aunt Cindy, and Aunt Connie and Uncle Murph and Aunt Chris and Uncle Dave. I picked up Aunt Candy in my Aunt Carol's VW Beetle. It was a Volkswagen day all around, and I think today I spent more time on Kelly Blvd than I ever have in my entire life. Aunt Corrine and cousins Madison and Haley were there (The two of them are pictured here, they were hamming it up when they found out the camera took video too.), as well as, Grandma and Grandpa. My parents came later. They had been at the hospital to see Great Uncle Richard. Keep the prayers coming but now for his comfort please. Let's see, oh yeah Cousin Bill and his wife Jen were there as well as cousins Paige and Nick were also there. And Great Aunt Millie and Great Uncle Fred. Grandma and Grandpa went with Mom and Dad to visit Great Uncle Richard after the party.I have to say that Great Uncle Richard is one of the most generous men I have ever met in my life. A confirmed bachelor his whole life, he always remembered everyone's birthdays and major holidays and major life milestones. He was always there with a card and a generous gift. Very soft spoken, but never ever missed a trick. It is so unfortunate to see him hospitalized and in so much pain. So please send prayers for his comfort and an ease to his suffering. Thanks.
We picked up a fantastic cake from a pastry shop on Kelly Blvd. This was an oreo cake, the outside looked like cookies and cream ice cream. It had the same color plus chocolate and vanilla icing and oreo cookies sticking out of it, the inside was layered chocolate cake with the oreo frosting on each layer. That cake put Allison and I in a food coma for the past two hours. I think we will now watch Hitch. Aunt Carol lent it to us.
Dinner with Stephen...
.. and Andy and Rondi of course. Stephen is Andy and Rondi's Golden Doodle. A Golden Doodle is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. Stephen is a very cute puppy, he is 10 weeks old and is very smart. He already understand the command to sit. Andy and Rondi are smart folks too because they are working really hard to train Stephen to do a number of things, one thing they are training him to do is ring a bell when he needs to go outside. So each time they take Stephen outside now, they kick little bell by the door and this is to let Stephen associate the sound to going out so then eventually he can alert Andy and Rondi that he needs to go outside.
We had a great meal of chicken on the grill, Thanks for braving the elements Andy, corn on the cob, always a treat with dinner, and a fresh salad with blue cheese crumbles and walnuts. Then for dessert we had brownies a la mode with walnuts and hot fudge.
After dinner we played a couple of board games, first up was Scene It. Allison and I took the win for that game and then we played Catch Phrase. And for two out of three the guys came out the winners. After having out hats handed to us in game one we came back to virtually sweep games two and three.
We had a great time visiting Andy and Rondi and Stephen. Stephen even became Photo-A-Day for yesterday. I took pictures of Stephen and hopped on Andy's wireless network to upload the photo and get it in by the midnight deadline. It is great having friends who are as techno-friendly as I am.
We had a great meal of chicken on the grill, Thanks for braving the elements Andy, corn on the cob, always a treat with dinner, and a fresh salad with blue cheese crumbles and walnuts. Then for dessert we had brownies a la mode with walnuts and hot fudge.
After dinner we played a couple of board games, first up was Scene It. Allison and I took the win for that game and then we played Catch Phrase. And for two out of three the guys came out the winners. After having out hats handed to us in game one we came back to virtually sweep games two and three.
We had a great time visiting Andy and Rondi and Stephen. Stephen even became Photo-A-Day for yesterday. I took pictures of Stephen and hopped on Andy's wireless network to upload the photo and get it in by the midnight deadline. It is great having friends who are as techno-friendly as I am.
Photo-A-Day #91 07/08/05
Tonight Allison and I went over to Andy and Rondi's house. They have a new Puppy! His name is Stephen. He already knows how to sit and he's ten weeks old. He is a Golden Doodle. And he is very cute.
Yahoo/Google Keyword Searches.
I am connected to a free service called Stat Counter that tracks how many visitors come by this site. From time to time I like to check out how many first time visitors and how many returning visitors are coming to the site. What this service also does is check out online searches and how often The BenSpark comes up on searches. It is very interesting what we get hits for. Here are some examples from today.
13:28:13 www.google.com chris cotton blues
12:02:14 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
12:01:50 search.yahoo.com pictures of rex quan-do from napoleon dynamite
11:29:01 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
10:54:03 search.yahoo.com dane cook quotes
10:43:48 search.yahoo.com dukes of hazzard movie
10:34:25 www.google.com transformers energon treadshot in stock
10:33:27 www.google.com transformers energon treadshot in stock
09:21:47 search.yahoo.com allison williams video free
09:05:02 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
08:53:11 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
And these are just the searches where people clicked the link to come to the BenSpark. Apparently if I want to boost the traffic to this site I need to put the words Robot Chicken in every single post. It is very interesting to see what people are looking for and how they arrived at this site. It is also interesting to see how the search is certainly not for something on this site but someone got here anyway. What one blows my mind is the search for Allison Williams video free. That search intention was for a porn video but because the post I put up had the words video (for my new camera), free (for Free Popcorn) and Williams (because Robin Williams is listed under my comedians section) and Allison (because the blog title uses to say Drew and Allison's Blog). What I don't get is why did someone who was looking for a porn video end up choosing search result #58 that had a description that was totally not what they were looking for. It is very odd that they would still come to this site. And strange that porn was the first thing that the person went to look for at 9:21am. Great I said porn about five times in this post, guess how many hits I'm gonna get with this one.
13:28:13 www.google.com chris cotton blues
12:02:14 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
12:01:50 search.yahoo.com pictures of rex quan-do from napoleon dynamite
11:29:01 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
10:54:03 search.yahoo.com dane cook quotes
10:43:48 search.yahoo.com dukes of hazzard movie
10:34:25 www.google.com transformers energon treadshot in stock
10:33:27 www.google.com transformers energon treadshot in stock
09:21:47 search.yahoo.com allison williams video free
09:05:02 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
08:53:11 search.yahoo.com robot chicken clips
And these are just the searches where people clicked the link to come to the BenSpark. Apparently if I want to boost the traffic to this site I need to put the words Robot Chicken in every single post. It is very interesting to see what people are looking for and how they arrived at this site. It is also interesting to see how the search is certainly not for something on this site but someone got here anyway. What one blows my mind is the search for Allison Williams video free. That search intention was for a porn video but because the post I put up had the words video (for my new camera), free (for Free Popcorn) and Williams (because Robin Williams is listed under my comedians section) and Allison (because the blog title uses to say Drew and Allison's Blog). What I don't get is why did someone who was looking for a porn video end up choosing search result #58 that had a description that was totally not what they were looking for. It is very odd that they would still come to this site. And strange that porn was the first thing that the person went to look for at 9:21am. Great I said porn about five times in this post, guess how many hits I'm gonna get with this one.
Calling all friends of the Benspark...
Hi everyone. Allison had an idea. We are interested in what our friends think they look like as south park characters. So please send us your South Park Character and I will put it up on the site. It will be a new feature, I'll add it to the sidebar.Here's what you need to do.
1. Go to the South Park Character Generator. (If you get an error try the link again, it does work.)
2. Create your Character
3. When you are done push the Print Screen button on your keyboard.
4. Open Paint
5. Under Edit choose Paste
6. Save the file and send it to either me or allison. abennett96 @ gmail . com or alsparky @ hotmail . com (obviously remove the spaces.)
CDub at Live 8....
I have posted about Christopher Williams before. He is a singer songwriter that Allison and I love to go and see. He is also the inspiration behind Photo-A-Day. We were very fortunate to see him in Norton about 6 months ago and get a chance to talk to him. At that time he mentioned that he was going to begin opening for Jars of Clay. Well at Live 8 this past weekend he played with the band during their set in Philly. You can see the other artists too at AOL. Live 8 videos.
How did we hear about this? Well, Allison is signed up for the CDub newsletter and got it in her e-mail yesterday with links to the videos. (Video Links Here) The two songs are Flood and Show your Love. Christopher is the guy in the back playing a bongo type instrument (it has a name I can never remember or spell), His head is shaved and he has a goatee. And we can see him from time to time when the lead singer moves out of the way.
Christopher is coming back this way to play Soulfest with Jars of Clay. Soulfest is a 5 day 5 stage Christian music concert. It looks like Christopher is playing with them but not playing his own set. I hope that he's playing some other places as well.
Christopher has been touring with Jars of Clay for a while now. And Jars of Clay have their own foundation set up called Blood:Water Mission (from the website) "The Blood:Water Mission is a non-profit organization founded by the members of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning band, Jars of Clay, to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.
How did we hear about this? Well, Allison is signed up for the CDub newsletter and got it in her e-mail yesterday with links to the videos. (Video Links Here) The two songs are Flood and Show your Love. Christopher is the guy in the back playing a bongo type instrument (it has a name I can never remember or spell), His head is shaved and he has a goatee. And we can see him from time to time when the lead singer moves out of the way.
Christopher is coming back this way to play Soulfest with Jars of Clay. Soulfest is a 5 day 5 stage Christian music concert. It looks like Christopher is playing with them but not playing his own set. I hope that he's playing some other places as well.
Christopher has been touring with Jars of Clay for a while now. And Jars of Clay have their own foundation set up called Blood:Water Mission (from the website) "The Blood:Water Mission is a non-profit organization founded by the members of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning band, Jars of Clay, to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.
Blood:Water Mission exists to promote clean blood and clean water efforts in Africa, tangibly reducing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic while addressing the underlying issues of poverty, injustice and oppression. Blood:Water is building clean water wells, supporting medical facilities, and focusing on community and worldview transformation, both here in America and in Africa."
Check out these artists and support their music.
Photo-A-Day #90 07/07/05
Chupa Chups Tongue Painter Lollipops. They are to blame for this blue tongued disaster. Again playing with the macro lens and found I could swivel the LCD view screen around to take a picture of my own tongue. I guess I'll be putting the 360's tongue scraper to the test when I get home.
Adsense by Google....
Okay I've just about had it with Google Adsense. I added it to the sidebar to see if anyone click on the links. People do click the links, however I am not getting any revenue from the clicks. Well sometimes I do and sometimes I do not. It is weird. Another thing that is weird is that it almost always has ads for other blogs. Like the only keyword that the ads pick up is that of blog. It is annoying. Adsense is supposed to pick up on the content of your website. This website is not about blogs! I have links for Beer, Transformers, Musicians. And all google picks out is the word blog. I am trying another experiment and adding the ads to the bottom of each post. Just some small text stuff to see if that makes a difference in the content of the ads.
Since the google ads seemed to be only showing up for the first post of the page. I figured that the Amazon.com ads would work the same way, nope. Amazon.com ads ended up afixing themselves to each post. But you know what that is fine. I beleive in Amazon.com. I think it is one of the best websites ever. I own stock in the company and I think that their affiliate program is just about the best around. I set up Flatwater Bookstore through them and it gets hits from time to time. I think I've had 8 books purchased through the site. So I'll stick with Amazon.com.
I am going to clean up the sidebar and take off the non specific ads. I'm leaving the Firefly DVD's and Harry Potter VI ads because I think everyone should own their own copies of these items. They will give you much enjoyment.
Since the google ads seemed to be only showing up for the first post of the page. I figured that the Amazon.com ads would work the same way, nope. Amazon.com ads ended up afixing themselves to each post. But you know what that is fine. I beleive in Amazon.com. I think it is one of the best websites ever. I own stock in the company and I think that their affiliate program is just about the best around. I set up Flatwater Bookstore through them and it gets hits from time to time. I think I've had 8 books purchased through the site. So I'll stick with Amazon.com.
I am going to clean up the sidebar and take off the non specific ads. I'm leaving the Firefly DVD's and Harry Potter VI ads because I think everyone should own their own copies of these items. They will give you much enjoyment.
Photo-A-Day #89 07/06/05
This is the view from our upstairs window. It rained today. No great photo, sorry.
Retiring the License Plates
The license Plates that you see on the sidebar are being retired and in place of the plates will be our new avatars. We made them using the South Park Character Generator. We would like you to help us choose our new avatars. Leave a comment here or the tagboard with your favorite one. Or if you think you have a better one make one with the South Park Character Generator, and send it to me. Voting continues till Friday.
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Allison | Drew |
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Allison | Drew |
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Drew | |
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Drew |
Harry Potter is coming...
Have you bought your copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yet? Buy it today!
We'll be getting ours when it arrives. No preiorder this year with the book buying ban, but I have a gift card for Target that I can use. Because Gift cards are okay to use for books or movies. I can't wait to ready this one.
We'll be getting ours when it arrives. No preiorder this year with the book buying ban, but I have a gift card for Target that I can use. Because Gift cards are okay to use for books or movies. I can't wait to ready this one.
What would you look like....
as a South Park Character? Here's what I would look like.
Make your own.
*For some strange reason you have to try and go to this site twice for it to work.
Make your own.
*For some strange reason you have to try and go to this site twice for it to work.
Photo-A-Day #87 07/04/05
Happy 4th of July. Here are some Red, white and Blue kids. Our neighborhood on the Cape does a parade each 4th of July. It is a great time for the neighborhood. The parade goes right by the house. So we often watch the opening ceremonies and then head back to the house to catch the parade. Because If no one watches a parade it is basically a group of people walking down the street.
On a Pale Horse....
This book was really good. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, but if it is as good as book one I am sure I will not be disappointed. On a Pale Horse is about Death, the personification of Death in this fantasy world which is like our reality but magic exists and it has evolved along with science. They co-exist and Death is a job that is taken on by a mortal being only after they have killed the previous incarnation of death. The series is called the Incarnations of Immortality and their are five of them Death, War, Time, Fate, and Nature. There is also God and the Devil, some very interesting concepts are explored in this book. Go out and buy it or get it from your local library and read it.
The trivia topic did not change this morning. I wanted to go kayaking rather than dial in at 6:00am. Topic is changing tonight.
Happy 4th of July everyone!
The trivia topic did not change this morning. I wanted to go kayaking rather than dial in at 6:00am. Topic is changing tonight.
Happy 4th of July everyone!
Photo-A-Day #86 07/03/05
Look at how nice and straight those hedges are. This is the view from the front yard. I did the hedges this morning. Hope I did a good job.
Lazy Sunday on the Cape...
Today I trimmed the hedges in the front of the house and along the side. Allison did some more cleaning inside. Then we both weeded the back patio. We were done by 10:00 so we showered and got ready to go to the annual neighborhood parade. Shelby came over and we found out that the parade was tomorrow not today. So we got changed for the beach and spent a couple of hours over there. We read our book and went swimming. We spent a pretty lazy day, got some sun, took a nap. It was very relaxing. We're going to fire up the grill soon to have dinner. Mom and Dad aren't going to be down and neither will Tara and Erik. Uncle Richard is still in the hospital, please keep the prayers coming for his comfort. Thanks.
I am the Viper...
... I come to vipe the vindows.
So today Allison and I were down the Cape. We did some cleaning up around the house. Allison tackled the sun porch and the fridge in the garage. I tackled the outside windows and the patio. The weather was very nice down here. We got to the beach for a little while and got to do some reading. I am now reading On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. So far it is very interesting. The concept that things like, Fate, War, Time, Death and Nature are jobs that are held by people or personifications is complex but simple in a way. The writing is very engrossing and this book as sucked me in big time. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. The incarnations of immortality series.
And tonight we had Paul's Pizza for dinner. Such a great pizza place.
So today Allison and I were down the Cape. We did some cleaning up around the house. Allison tackled the sun porch and the fridge in the garage. I tackled the outside windows and the patio. The weather was very nice down here. We got to the beach for a little while and got to do some reading. I am now reading On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. So far it is very interesting. The concept that things like, Fate, War, Time, Death and Nature are jobs that are held by people or personifications is complex but simple in a way. The writing is very engrossing and this book as sucked me in big time. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. The incarnations of immortality series.
And tonight we had Paul's Pizza for dinner. Such a great pizza place.
Photo-A-Day #84 07/01/05
My Uncle gave me a fiber optic statue of a motorcycle that sits on a light up base. I need to get me some batteries for that thing. Anyway I was messing around with the macro setting of my camera. Thought it would make a good photo to kick off July.
It's July...
And I just got my 250 photo allotment from Buzznet. I added 48 photos from my recent trip to Mobile Alabama. Enjoy
Mobile Alabama 2005
Mobile Alabama 2005
Another poke at Bloggers
This is a funny one...
I find myself thinking, why am I talking about this, I just blogged it.
I find myself thinking, why am I talking about this, I just blogged it.
I won again...
I just got a voicemail that informed me that I won another lunch, this time at Box Seats in North Attleboro. Those business card fishbowls are great.
The streak is over...
Smartgirl takes top honors in June's trivia challenge.
Jun 05
65 players played during the month.
1. smartgirl (355 points, 4 wins)
2. abennett48 (320 points, 4 wins)
3. Chappy (305 points, 2 wins)
4. triviamonkey (279 points, 1 wins)
5. dbarryzzz (262 points, 2 wins)
6. ahami (258 points, 1 wins)
7. laurenfabulous (233 points, 0 wins)
8. Gilly71 (228 points, 0 wins)
9. ekstaron (222 points, 0 wins)
10. Ratboy (222 points, 2 wins)
Thanks to everyone who has been playing, keep the topic suggestions coming.
Jun 05
65 players played during the month.
1. smartgirl (355 points, 4 wins)
2. abennett48 (320 points, 4 wins)
3. Chappy (305 points, 2 wins)
4. triviamonkey (279 points, 1 wins)
5. dbarryzzz (262 points, 2 wins)
6. ahami (258 points, 1 wins)
7. laurenfabulous (233 points, 0 wins)
8. Gilly71 (228 points, 0 wins)
9. ekstaron (222 points, 0 wins)
10. Ratboy (222 points, 2 wins)
Thanks to everyone who has been playing, keep the topic suggestions coming.
