Polar Plunge

OK, so the pool was heated, but it was still 40 degrees outside. Elsa stayed in for about ten minutes. Henry and I were out there for half an hour.

Swim Goggles

Elsa at Letchworth 2009

Henry at Letchworth 2012

Two separate camping trips, picture taken in same exact spot only three years apart. Time really flies.

Bear Down, Henry

Henry came home Friday afternoon, after the latest debacle in Green Bay, and asked me, "Dad, who is Aaron Rodgers, and why does everybody like him so much? I thought you said he was a poopy-pants!"

Evidently, Henry's peers did not consider Rodgers a "poopy-pants" and perhaps pointed that out to him. They also probably pointed out the fact that he had worn his new Cutler jersey to school twice that week.

Sorry little buddy.

So Good to See You

At Rick's Picks - a Rick Nielsen/Cheap Trick Exhibit, in Rockford, IL.

He stopped by as they were closing up, and I got this shot. I was literally speechless. For me, it's like meeting John Lennon or Ray Davies or Pete Townshend.

A bunch of his guitars, all of his classic sweaters, picks, pins, photos, and short documentaries about his life and music. It was almost like digging through his stuff, and he saved a lot. Early lyrics written on cocktail napkins. You could literally track the genesis of a song. For example, "So Good to See You" started as "I'm a Surprise" from this kernel of a lyric:

Home in one month
Couldn't feel better if I tried
Won't even write
It's better then I'll be a surprise

Nielsen presented himself as a nerdish cartoon character, in sharp contrast to the lead singer/heart throb Robin Zander. It was the ultimate display of unselfishness in a band. They each had their own individuality, and came together to make something great. And he has stayed true to his hometown of Rockford. If you're not a Cheap trick believer, pick up any of their first four albums, or start with At Budokan. Power pop melodies with riffs that are unforgettable. People that pass them off as a one hit wonder are missing so much.

But the thing that most impressed me was, while listening to his early demos at the exhibit, was a 1977 cassette recording he mailed to his kids while he was recording Cheap Trick's first album.

"OK, Aaron and Miles. When you come out to LA we're gonna go see KISS! And you're going to meet GENE SIMMONS! And it's going to be so fun! Aaron, I can't believe what big words you're using, you're such a big boy! We recorded ELO Kiddies today and it sounded great. Let's sing it together! ELO Kiddies ELO Kiddies! Come on Aaron! Whatcha gonna do when... Come on Miles! I can't hear ya!"

Not only a super genius as songwriter and guitar player, but also as a Dad.

My Special Mets Friend

My special Mets friend
Loves to wear nylon
And cheer for the Mets
And give me a shoulder to cry on.

My special Mets friend
Needs clarification
On innings and walks
and player substitutions.

My special Mets friend
Buys $9 beers
And sits in the nosebleeds
Listening to goombahs cheer.

Yes, my special Mets friend
Will return on the 7 train
And listen to me talk
About the next Mets game.

Raised Beds

5 Cubic Yards

6 5x8 Beds

Hazel inspired me to build these raised beds. Here are some pics from when we put them in over Memorial Day weekend. Soil/compost delivered in rain, had to wait a while for it to dry out. Many many wheelbarrows full.

We planted potatoes, lettuce, beets, onions, green and chile peppers, peas, beans, tomatoes, garlic (last fall), chard, radishes, and cabbage. Should keep us going for awhile. This is what it looks like now, a month later:

Brad and family at the Maison

"In WWII the average age of the combat veteran was twenty-six. In Vietnam he was nineteen. N-n-n-n-n-n Nineteen!"

(Name that song Chris...)


Go #19!

YOUR...LINCOLN...STAAAHHHHHRS!

Gray Line Grinder!

I still don't understand what icing means.

Good luck Brad!

Food and lodging this weekend provided by The Maison de la Page. A 4-star bed and breakfast located in the near suburbs of Minneapolis. Fresh honey and horseradish always available, perfectly grilled meats at every meal, and cats that puke and crap all over the place.

Testimonials:

I was especially pleased with the Maison's Zinnia collection. Absolutely beautiful, the owner has a real "gay" flair for his flowers.

It was hard to get a word in edge-wise, but the grilled meats at every meal were divine. 

I was a little unsettled at the fact that the sole proprietor had a bee costume that only fit 5-7 year-olds, but I looked past that and had a wonderful stay.

Henry the Friendly Ghost

Most days, this is Henry's morning entrance. At the bottom of the stairs he puts his sheet over his head and, without a word, "floats" into the kitchen and waits for breakfast. Elsa doesn't even look up from her book. Often he will whack his head on the wall, bump into the dishwasher, or walk into the table.

Date Night Chronicle

Pasta with Butter

Calamari, Salad, and Veal Parmigiana

Kissing Bridge Up Ahead...

She's a Good Sport

MOVIE! (The Pirates: Band of Misfits)

Rochester Food and Drink: What I Like

Martusciello’s Rolls

This is what Scott’s II serves at the Farmer’s Market. They don’t sell them anywhere in town, so I have to drive out to Greece (on Lyell, just west of 390) to get them. Chewy, with a crusty crust.

Polska Chata in Irodequoit

It’s the best Polish restaurant in the area, because it’s the only Polish restaurant in the area. Split pea soup, kielbasa, and potato pancakes.

Fava Beans from G and S Orchards

They take hours to pick and prep, but are so worth it. They are ready late June, early July, out on Atlantic Avenue. We get our apples out there, too.

Colter’s

My local. It’s “The Place to Be”.

Fried Calamari at The Food Bar

They toss it with roasted red peppers and capers. It’s delicious, briny, and cheap ($6).

Don’s Original Cheeseburger

Rochesterians do not realize how lucky they have it when it comes to Burger Joints. I’ve never been to a city with such a diverse array (Charlie’s, Bill Grey’s, the list goes on).

…and Don’s Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

So good.

Food at Fisher's Station
This little restaurant-in-a-house has great yeast rolls, ceasar salad, fish sandwiches, burgers, and more. Pancakes and their frittata are amazing, too. Great service. Straight ahead, no nonsense, fresh food.

Rohrbach’s Next Door Ale

My favorite local brew. The other is Golden Pale Ale from Roc City Brewing.

Both of these breweries have great new spots to hang out in- Rohrbach’s on Railroad Street and Roc City off the inner loop on Union Street.

Bee Sting Buffalo Wings at Jeremiah’s

Sweet and spicy, so good.

Spicy Gyro at Olives

This is a cool little spot, nice place for lunch.

Hartmann’s Chicken Sausage

(…and anything else for that matter).Yes, they are now in Canandaigua. They moved from the city about two years ago- I used to visit them up on N. Goodman I think.  It’s a shame, I heard that the city didn’t help them to stay here in Roc. Their stuff is all available at Wegman’s.

Good Luck Restaurant

Best atmosphere in town, (Osteria Rocco is second) and the menu is right up my alley: charcuterie, good beer, tasty salads.

Potato Pancakes at The Coal Tower

I always order these when we go there.

Chicago Style Hot Dog at DogTown

It isn’t quite authentic, but it’s close enough.

Starbucks Coffee

I have tried to love Joe Bean. I have tried to love Java’s, Spot, Boulder, and Canal Town… Why do none of them come even close to a normal, dark roast coffee from Starbucks? I eat local as much as I can, but I can’t do the coffee. Village Bakery in Pittsford has good coffee (and kick ass bread and breakfasts). But really, they are the ONLY other place in town where I will get coffee.

Pain Levain from Flour City Bread

This bread is totally killer- airy and crusty.

Wegmans

OK. I love Starbucks. And I love Wegmans.

Swan’s Market on Parsells Ave.

It’s where I get my bacon, and the Cajun brats are really good. Fun to eat lunch there

on weekends, but they need to work on the décor (too much clutter) and the service.

Baguette from Ravioli Shop

Best baguette in town.

Chuck roast from Seven Bridges Beef

We bought a quarter cow last year, and it changed our approach to eating red meat. Now our “approach” is to eat more red meat.

Man Book Club

"The first rule of Man Book Club is: You do not talk about Man Book Club. The second rule of Man Book Club is: You do not talk about Man Book Club!"

Mike and I are the sole members of Man Book Club. Here is our progress so far, with my personal  ratings based on a five star scale:

The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes 5/5
The Devil all the Time Donald Ray Pollock 5/5 
Lost Memory of Skin Russell Banks  4/5
The Art of Fielding Chad Harbach 4/5
The Unnamed Joshua Ferris 4/5
Little Children Tom Perrotta 4/5
City of Thieves David Benioff 4/5
11/22/63 Stephen King 3/5
The 25th Hour David Benioff 3/5
The Help  Kathryn Stockett 3/5
Clemente David Maraniss 2/5

and beyond the club...

Barbarian Nurseries Hector Tobar 5/5
Townie Andre Dubus 5/5
Father and Son Larry Brown 5/5
Cutting for Stone Abraham Verghese 5/5
Garden of Last Days  Andre Dubus 4/5
Just Kids Patti Smith 4/5
Savages Don Winslow 3/5
South of Broad Pat Conroy 3/5
The White Devil Justin Evans 2/5
Bad Things Happen Harry Dolan 2/5
Snow Child Eowyn Ivey 2/5

Easter Dress

Elsie picked this little number out with Grandma Judy. Matching shoes and lip gloss as well. She made it through 75% of the church service. Better than Henry and I, we were out of there before the first hymn was sung.

Schwabl's

Dear God,

I know we don't talk often, and, when we do, it is usually when I need something, but I'd like to take this time to thank you for inventing the people that invented Schwabl's. First of all, it's such a beautiful word- Schwabl's- and secondly, there is a man inside whose sole job is to roast beef and serve it on Kimmelweck rolls. And thirdly, there is another man whose sole job is to serve Genesee beer.
So thanks God, and also thanks for the Santorum campaign "suspension"...You're the man.
Love,
Jeremy

He iz uh preddy good Hawkey player, eh!

Found myself perusing pics of Brad last night, here is a sweet one of him maintaining sweeeeet balance on the ice. Look at those guys next to him, they look like me trying to skate.

Was in Lincoln last weekend and saw two games. SO proud of him. Ben, Chris, Page and I were out there for three days of eating, drinking, and watching hockey. Brad's host Dad had an amazing mancave, an arsenal of motorcycles, and a slow smoker (IN THE MANCAVE!) The weekend inspired me to smoke more meat. I need less musical theater in my life and more smoked meat. And more hockey.

The Biltmore garage wants a grand!

...but we ain't got a grand on hand!

Guys and Dolls opened last night. Great crowd, and the student actors really rose to the occasion. It's amazing how talented these kids are (I know I say it over and over) but it's a real pleasure to see their hard work pay off.

Best moment of the night, though, was seeing Elsa running through the audience with flowers for me. I pretended I hadn't seen her, and she ran up with a huge smile and hug, so proud of her flowers. Moment in time!

Hey Kids, Let's Put on a Show!

No one is dancing where I am POINTING!

Guys and Dolls at Victor High School March 8-10!

Snow Cone

Very odd winter this year- a lot of sunshine, and no snow. Here we are in the backyard after one of our three snowfalls.

Pond Hockey, Eh?

The perfect storm of weather events left us with an ice rink in the backyard this weekend. Rain to flood the entire backyard, freezing weather, and limited snow. I feel like Wayne Gretzky's dad.

Here, Henry is "foilin' up for the game, Coach!"

Another Rose Bowl Loss

Even Beast Mode couldn't help Bucky beat the Duckies.

Henry is a little confused with all of my favorite sports teams. I think he has Wisconsin, the Bears, and the Brewers down. But the Mets, and now Syracuse (orange?) are giving him trouble.

"Who are da bad guys, daddy? Are da good guys the guys dressed in orange? Which one are da ducks?"

Last time he visited, Page was reading a book about wolverines. On the phone, Page reminded him about that, and how it was now his favorite animal.

Henry looked at me and asked, "aren't those the bad guys, Daddy?"

Where's Leo?

He's either taking a nap or up at Eagle Provisions picking up some Kielbasa.

Where'd all these kids come from?

Happy New Year!

Enjoyed a beautiful day at the Brooklyn Bridge Park over the new year. Tons of new fantastically-fun-family-friendly playgrounds with a great view of the city.

Meltdown on Flatbush Avenue

Henry! There's the original Junior's Restaurant!

I don't wanna walk anymoooooooore Daaaaaaadd-yyyyyy!

Henry, this is where Duke Snider and Andy Pafko were cheered after the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series!

I WANT MY PANDA!