Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a Great Christmas. I also hope everyone received all the gifts they were asking for, I especially enjoyed all the gifts I received including the new cowboy outfit, Now I can really hit the bars and score some cool chicks...Next year I'm asking for an Indian costume,

43 years ago..........

Here is a survey from the Detroit Radio Station WKNR. Most stations, at that time tended to play pretty much the same songs. Music sure has changed over the years. In fact, I don't think they even have surveys/charts anymore. With the exception of the Billboard or Itunes National charts

Christmas Sock Problems !!!!!!!!!!!!

A few years ago MJ upgraded the Christmas Sock's. Notice in the picture there are no names on any of the socks...No way to identify who's sock is who's. In Fact, Two socks are exactly the same. This causes a major problem for me. The only way to tell which is which is to see whats inside but then I run the risk of seeing whats in mine. I guess I'll just have to wait and see when the socks are handed out, then put my stuff in. Seems like a lotta work......Oh by the way I used the spell check on this post to check a word. I spelled it differently three times and all three times it said there were no spelling mistakes.............Why does my life seem so hard ????

Vacation .....Baby

Well, I started vacation Tuesday. One of my projects is finish a picture of the old Bond Street neighborhood. I took a photo on my last visit. I also plan to relax as well. Rob came home for the holidays on Saturday working his way up from Jacksonville to Nashville stopping off in Chicago and finally arriving in Grand Rapids. In fact Rob, Kellie and I hit Spectrum Lanes for our annual bowling bash. I started out with a sizzling 259 game but limped in with a three game total of 582 Kellie crashed the hundred pin barrier all three games with 122, 123 and 103. Kellie decided to quit and Rob and I bowled three more, The first game Rob & I tied at 200 a piece. The next game I shot 203 not bad, but Rob demolished me with a 233. Thirty pins down going into the last game ......could the old man do it. Robs arthritic fingers finally gave out and I beat him 220 to .....well, I'm not sure...Anyway, a wins a win, for the day, I averaged one pin short of 201. Not too bad for bowling once or twice a year. I think everyone was happy with their scores. Could a league be in my future.........I doubt it.

Christmas Party Video

Don't ask me to explain this video. I can't.... Anyway, if I can remember how to post the pictures they will be in my photos later.

Art Work

Many people have been asking me if I am still drawing. Well, up until a couple months ago I hadn't done too much. But a friend of Rob's asked if I could draw a picture of him and his girlfriend ...He wanted to give it to her for her 21st birthday. So, I said I'd give it a shot. no guarantee's and he better have another gift ready just in case. Anyway, he took a look at it when it was nearing completion and seemed to like it. I guess his girl friend did too. The cool thing is he gave me 65.00 and a six pack ....So now, I'm a professional artist.... My price just went up.. Oh,By the way, the picture on the blog is not his girlfriend just something I'm messing around with.....

Final Preparations

Its 1:00 and house is clean,the snacks and treats are done, the new shower head installed. I think its time to relax. Hopefully it won't snow as the snowblower will not run in either the off or the on position. I wonder if this is another frozen version of the Water Curse

The Water Curse

Maybe none of you have heard of the Family Water Curse. It seems like every year when we plan a party or get together, something involving Plumbing seems to go haywire. Last year, the sink clogged up and we had to call a plumber the day after our Christmas Party to fix the mess. When our friends from Kawkawlin came to visit last summer it rained so hard the sump pump couldn't keep up, and we spent most the night monitoring the sump hole. Finally adding a second pump to help move the water out quickly.The worst year was when we lived in Kawkawlin, We had a New Years Party and the pipe running from the well to our house broke. Needless to say on Jan 1st I was out digging in the front yard looking for the broken pipe located 6 foot underground. In those days I had more time than money so I dug it myself. Hmmm, I guess nothings really changed'
This morning the Shower head broke...So I'm off to buy and replace it. I'm also praying this is our only Water curse this year..............

Snowblower Blues

Yeah.......Well we got our first big blast of snow this week. I dutifully headed out to get the gas and the 2 cycle oil. I mixed the two up and began the process of snowblowing. Halfway down the drive the snowblower stalled out. After pulling on the cord to restart it for about twenty minutes I gave up. Thinking, with the Christmas party Saturday I need to get this fixed and fast. But as anyone knows this is the worst time of year to get a snowblower fixed .....What to do ????. Well I turned the ignition key to off and tried one more tug.. Low and behold it started up in the off position and I was able to complete the drive. Who'd have thunk it...........

The Other Uncle Jim

While Having dinner and drinks with some friends the other night. Uncle Jim came in and sat at the bar........But wait this couldn't be Uncle Jim. He lives in Bay City....... After further investigation, we found out This was Phillipe, from France. It turns out he will soon be deported. So that should end the confusion for all of us and we can continue to drink to excess without worrying we have exceeded our limits. They say that everyone has a twin....It looks like Uncle Jim's will live in Leone, France.

SOLD

My Hero's................

While surfing the NET the other night I ran across this photo. I remember going to the Old Saginaw Auditorium back in the sixties........Actually I only remember going once.... But anyone who lived in Saginaw during that time should remember Leaping Larry Chene, The Sheik, Dick the Bruiser and Bobo Brazil. The people that attended these events were the strangest I ever encountered...Probably why I only went once.

Yep...... I'm Headin to the Races

It's time to get the earplugs out..........

Saturday......For What It's Worth

I plan on heading to the Funny Car Nationals at Martin on Saturday, Then on Saturday Night ...I will be celebrating my 60th Birthday..... Maybe, celebrating is the wrong word. Anyway, So far we have ten people attending the the party, which will take place at Reds on the River in Rockford. To all my friends, and you know who you are. stop in and have a drink to another year...........I'll probably start out in the bar at 6/6:30

28th St Cruise

This was the big 28th St. Cruise weekend, But the weather wasn't to great. I took Kellie to work and thought I'd check out the cars at Woodland ....But there wasn't any. So I went across the street to Centerpoint. I had to buy some guitar picks at Best Buy anyway. There were cars parked there, but not many, I took two pictures and headed for home. Still dreamin of my 1968 Firebird...........

3 R Group...East Bound & Down!!!!!!

People ask me all the time whats Rob doing right now. I tell them he's driving a truck for my old buddy Mike. They ask where and I say all over the country. Well, this weekend Rob stopped in after calling on Spatz Bread in Saginaw and Zhenders in Frankenmuth.So I thought I would post a picture of the Big Rig. So if anybody wonders what kind of truck now they can see for themselves. Robs headed to NC on Monday....10-4..Good Buddy......

Grandview August 2009

After a rough night with a neck & backache and loads of Advil. I pronouced myself healthy for golf. MJ & I headed up to New Era for the annual golf extravaganza. The weather was surprising good and the windbreaker & sweatshirt came off on the second hole. I finished with a respectable 47/48 while MJ came in with a 50. After a few beers at the course we headed back to the cottage for more beer and food. We missed "baines" this year with his bluegills and venison. But I still managed to eat and drink to much.... I'm sure MJ enjoyed the long drive home again while I slept..... Pictures at eleven

Whitehall.....Benona Shores Yeah

Well.. We made our yearly visit to our old neighbors boat up in Whitehall....When I say old neighbors I don't mean age wise because they are actually younger than us... If you get my drift...This years visit included a round of golf at Benona Shores and dinner at Hobo's in North Muskegon. The golfing was great Pat lead the way with 37/35 I shot 41/39, MJ came in with 48/46 and Sue quit after nine holes posting a 58. After golf we retired to Hobo's Bar & Grill, where I consumed two large India Pale Ales (IPA )
along with dinner. Needless to say MJ enjoyed the long ride home while I slept....
If you haven't tried it give India Pale Ale a try it's really different. Check out the golf photo's in picture section... Fore

Fifth Third

We spent another lovely summer night watching Kellie & her team play at Fifth Third Park before the Whitecaps game. I enjoyed a Oberon while MJ found her favorite the Bacardi Limon. Kellies team won 7-1. The White Caps were leading 9-0 in the fourth inning ....And that's when we left........ End of story.....Check out all the pictures in the photo section

Where is Batman......................

Katie's Wedding

I know your all interested in the wedding..... Everthing was great, I hope to post the pictures later. It was a beautiful venue. The reception was a blast. The drive was nice. The weather perfect

Hey Whats Happinen.............

Well, my friends its been awhile.......... First as you know... Those that have been following this blog from the begining. This blog started out as a bowling blog, Well I have good news to report. Before the trip to NC for Katie's wedding Me & Rob hit the lanes at Spectrum (A tough House) Well, the the first game I started with the first nine strikes but screwed up the 10th and ended up with a 276 I follwed that up with a 182 then two more 200 games which I can't remember the scores. Overall for four games a 219 average. At the wedding I met Mike's wife's nephew who used to bowl for SVSU. He tells me he's had twelve 300 games and 6 this year alone not to mention all the 800 series 299 games Blah Blah Blah, Any way we got back and hit the lanes again averaged about 180 for 5 games and then yesterday we did it again ...I bowled 535 for the first 3 then made some adjustment's and shot 650 the next 3 for right round a 200 average for the day. Not too bad, I'm starting to feel more comfortable with my new ball and for the last fifteen games I'm averaging right around 200. Now I'm looking forward to the next match I will keep you posted on my progress, can a league be in my future who knows .....I wish I still lived in Saginaw.........

Muscle Car Drags

Just got back from the Muscle Car Drags at Martin. I posted the photos in the my photos section of the Roller. It was just like the old days when I was a kid........Most of the cars were in the 1965/1972 era. Top ET was a 1969 Corvette that ran 10.50 the worst was a 1961 Vette which ran 15.28. Mr T from Saginaw would have enjoyed all the Mopars there especially all the Roadrunners although they were all Hemi or 440's no 383's. There was one 1968 Firebird 400 Ram Air that ran in the 11's all in all a really great day. I most likely won't be going back again this year except for maybe the Funny Car Nationals in September. Time will tell. Enjoy the photos............All you old car Guys and Gal's

Reeds Lake

Okay......Our neighbors from Kawkawlin came over last weekend and your probably wondering How Did It Go.......First the good News, They forgot the Dominoes game, I think thats a plus for me, Dave brought Steelhead from Manistee and we cooked it on the grill. For some reason, Kellie & I ended up with all the pieces with bones. We made great use of the new bumper pool game....All the games were competitive. The bad news, no card games which Dave & I excel.Most of the weekend was spent at shopping malls with a brief trip to the Reeds Lake Art Fair. The weather was great all weekend, perfect for shopping at the mall. Oh Well, I guess I'm heading to the Dragstrip to see the old cars race..........

The Schedule.........

Summer is being booked up fast. This weekend I'm looking forward to a visit from our old neighbors in Kawkawlin, It should be full of drinkin, grillin, card games and the dreaded Dominoes.....The following weekend I'm heading to the Muscle Car Drags at Martin........I hope to revisit my youth, and maybe see at 1968 Firebird or two. After that I plan to take another week off prior to the fourth of July weekend....Nothing happening that week just plan to relax ....The follwing weekend I will be heading back to North Carolina with MJ & Kel for my old friend Mike's Daughters wedding. From there on it will be life as usual for the rest of the summer.....Although, I'm sure something else will pop up. Cheerio..........

Train Bridge

Many people have commented on the photo of the railroad bridge at the top of The Roller. Here is another version for your viewing pleasure..........Enjoy

Vacation

Yep,,,, You read that right I'm on Vacation all next week MJ is heading up north and I'm just gonna take it easy and work on some projects around the house. Maybe even have an occasional beer, if the mood hits me.

Back to the Drag Strip.............

This is what I've been looking for. Muscle Cars drag racing, this is what I used to see at the strip in the old day's. The FAST series are car muscle cars from the past, Basically, a car show and drag race, Maybe I'll get lucky and see a 1968 Firebird 400. I'm already charging he batteries in my camera. The event takes place June 26/27.........So look for the pictures to post after that..The web sight is www.fastraces.org and yes they do show a 1968 Firebird Ram Air.....

30 years and counting

Who would have believed it,30 years..... MJ & I went out and celebrated our BIG 30th Anniversary tonight. We went downtown to Leo's Voted the Best Restaurant in GR the last few years. We got lost on the way down, but still made it in time, MJ liked the place.... I didn't think it was that great... But the service and the food was good. We were able to park very close to the door Parking was only 2.00 You can't beat that with a stick !!!!!!!.www.Leosrestaurant.com .........Check it out

Neighbor Cuts Grass For The First Time This Year !!!!!!!

Well, Miracles do happen. Our neighbor in back of us started cutting his grass for the first time this year. Thanks in part to the Township Government. Most likely he will not cut the entire yard. He never does. But this time lo & behold he actually found one of his kids, Yes.... Miracles do happen.

Drag Strip

I went to get a haircut this morning and they had free tickets to the Drag Strip. Since MJ & Kellie were working and Rob was......Well, Who the heck knows where Rob is. I thought I would take advantage of his tremendous offer. Plus, It was a nice day to take a cruise in the vette. When I got to the strip the ticket got me in free but the Parking was 10.00...Huh, Oh well. I guess I can't complain. This event was sponsored by the ADRA not the NHRA or the IHRA. The cars were great but every race the winners elasped time was in the four second range Bike's, Pro Stocks Funny Cars......It didn't matter. Very Strange.. Anyway I took some video & pictures which I will post in my Photo's. Check them out. It was a fun afternoon after all. I never saw so many women covered with tatoos in my life............

Sarasota Golf.......... Beer........ Food

I'm so sorry I didn't take to many pictures on the trip . I left the camera in my golf bag, so this is all I've got. Maybe that's a good thing....Anyway, Three consecutive days of golf for me is way way way too much, if you've seen me play you know why, I did shoot 94 the first day. After that I was in Survival mode, Rob shot 81 the first day and 67 on the last...not bad for not pulling out a wood in any round, The food was great. We went to 15 South on St Armand's Circle the first night, I ordered something with mussels shrimp and linguine. It musta been good our bill was 172.00 Wow. The next night I had an excellent Steak at Stonewood. I do remember this meal as I paced myself on drinking that day. The last night we headed to Leroy Selmons Sports Bar. I ordered wings and we watched the Wings on TV. We also hit a number of other bars around Sarasota before and after dinner, way to numerous to list here. They were all great as well. The highlight of the trip was, while eating & drinking lunch at some seaside Tiki Bar, Paul Azinger walked in and sat at a table near our's. For you non-golfers Paul was the Captain of The US Ryder Cup Team that won last year and a top golf annoucer on TV. The flights went well and our luggage arrived at the same time we did........So No Complaints. Check the entire photo collection in my photo's

Final Countdown................

I'm beginning the final countdown for the trip. It seems like every five minutes I think of another thing I will need to take.... But I want to keep my luggage to two bags, One being my golf clubs. One thing I won't be taking is my cell phone. If anyone needs to contact me call me on Robs 616-890-9658 or I will be checking email on my ipod, if I can find a hotspot. We will be staying and playing at the Meadows Country Club, 3101 Longmeadow, Sarasota, FL or www.meadowscc.org I hope to take many pictures & maybe videos and will post all edited copies on the Roller when I return........Stay Tuned

Headin South..........

Rob & I are flying down to Sarasota for a liitle golf and relaxation at the Robert's Condo. Mike will be meeting us at the airport on Thursday afternoon. Golf is planned for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday. I just hope the old body can take it not to mention the drinking. Oh well time will tell. We played in a golf outing yesterday at LE Kaufmann celebrating Jim R's 60th birthday. The went to Woody's to watch the Wings have a few beers and payoff the winners. When I got home I was totally exhausted. It was a "3 Advil Night".

Back By Popular Demand..................

Well, due to the many complaints about my closing down the Roller, I will continue to post Whats going on in BC's Life. Many people liked the photo sections and many just liked the music. Although, it may not seem like it, these Blog's get to be a full time job. Anyway, I guess I'm back..........For What it's worth

Goodbye ..........So Long

This will be my last post ..I am shutting down The Roller.

There's A Voice In My Head.........

Yes, There's a voice in my head telling me to get back to my artwork....Which has been put on hold since the Great Basement Flood.... I have been distracted by the Basement Remodel ...which is basically finished except for the new bar countertops....The furniture still has not arrived, making watching the big screen not so optimal. I cut the grass for the first time yesterday ....The garage has been cleaned out. The corvette is on the road again. A number of friends have commented what a shame it was to lose so much of my past art work, But I see it as an opportunity to improve upon the old works. In fact, I have a number of new ideas I have been contemplating. Some... If sucessful.... will make some nice surprise gifts for friends. But for now I need to complete this drawing of a current pop star..... If you can tell who it is ...I am Happy ..If not.....Then you are most likely too old or I am a bad artist.

Places from the Past...............

 

I wonder how many of you will remember this place, I sure do..... It holds a lot of fond if not interesting memories for me. Things are surely not the same here anymore.

Robs Baseball Daze......................

Rob, your baseball pic's have been posted to my photo albums..........I will be posting some additional misc. photos but not til later in the week.....Hope you enjoy these.

For My Son .....Rob

As requested, I have uploaded all your soccer photo's I have placed the entire album in my photo albums....I hope you enjoy viewing these I know I did......

Nothing Could Be Finer.....................

Well,
It's over and "who'd a thunk it", I picked North Carolina to win it all on March 26th. I wish it would have been more of a game, but I went to bed at Halftime. Maybe next year for State. I only wish I had backed up my pick with some cash......Oh well.
I've been thinkin back to 1973.....Don't ask me why...Anyway, I posted my CarWreck and put some music from "73" in the player. It seems like yesterday but really only 36 years ago............Arf Arf

State Finals

Well, The 2009 Special Olympics are over and Kellies team took second place in their division. Kellie scored quite a few baskets and hauled down many rebounds ...But to no avail, as the Kentwood Hawks won the championship. A large contingent of the GVSU womens team were their to cheer Kellie and her team on. Additional photo's will be added later.....Actually they are online now.........

March Madness Update

Ok.. Ok.. Maybe I'm not an expert at Basketball and maybe the only guy I could beat wore a cardigan sweater. Maybe I didn't even beat him. Who knows ....Who can remember anyway. Well I'm out of the Basketball Prediction Business. I guess I was in over my head... Anyway good luck to all... May the best team win. I don't have a dog in the fight anyway.................

Oh by the way, You may have noticed I changed the Music, The first song is called Shannon by Henry Gross It's a sweet song about his old girlfriend......WRONG... It's actually written about Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys dog named Shannon....I guess Henry used to play in the band when they went on tour. It was a small hit back in the Mid Seventies.......Notice the Beach Boys influence in the background vocals.. Hope you like it.... All you Dog Lovers out there...Arf Arf.

March Madness

Who say's I'm not into basketball as you can see I played a mean style of street ball back in the hood. The girls were all amazed at my one on one moves. Anyway, My pick this year is going to be North Carolina.......No not Pittsburgh.....and of course not MSU....Memphis State that is. Whats not to like about the state of NC

Just Reminising...........

Here is what was playing on the Radio 42 years ago. I know many of you were not born or may be to young to remember. In my case, I was tooling around town in my parents Red 1961 4 door Chevy Impala, ( When I could get it ). Working weekends at the Royal Palm Restaurant busing tables for basically pocket change, and getting ready for the Prom & High School Graduation. Life was good back then.....................

Basement Remodel 3

Update Number 3 on the basement. The pool table has been bought, set up and enjoyed by all. The TV is now hung on the wall and all wires buried. Next up is shelving in the old TV cubby hole and new counter top's for the bar. Also a new blind was hung to provide privacy from our neighbors. Today we will be switching to Comcast Phone service saving about thirty dollas a month for the next year. Who knows we may even be able to afford a new HD box for the basement TV. Additional pictures have been added to the basement remodel album........... Signing off.

Basement Remodel 2

Well, Its been two weeks and all the walls are painted except for my office. The big screen has arrived and is semi wired........Actually I only need one HDMI cable to hook up to cable box. DVD, VCR, and Audio all set up and working Great. Fished all wires in wall and put up TV bracket. I also hid subwoofer wire in wall. The black leather furniture has been ordered and will arrive in about five weeks or sooner. MJ will be making new drapes for both rooms, again fabric has been ordered. Next week Rob will be home and we will be picking up mini fridge and pool table for the bar. Today I will be finishing all the white trim. New coutertops set for later date. I may also put a sink in the bar area. Oh, By the way, my weight continues it's downward spiral. 178 at last count. The 160's are in sight.

Basement Remodel

  Well, Rob has moved out and relocated to Chicago.......Joliet to be exact. Last weekend was spent moving all of the old furniture in the basement thats why it's been so long since I posted anything...In case your wondering. Anyway with all the extra space it seemed like a good time for a makeover. Although I am not feeling to good this week end with a headcold , I decided to start the process. Today I began cutting in all the outside corners Hopefully I be able to do the rollers on the walls next weekend. The place I needed to get the trim paint was closed yesterday & today. I also rewired the stereo systembut still working out the bugs out this. Eventually we hope to add a big screen new furniture and possibly a pool table....Bumper that is..... Very little room. I plan to take pictures along the way to let you see the progress. Stay tuned !!!!!!!!!!!!

Pound For Pound Challenge

As I stated earlier....I have joined the Pound For Pound Challenge at work. General Mills will make a donation to somebody for every pound I lose. Thats not that important to me as is the fact that they gave me an extra fifty dollars in my check when I joined. Based on my BMI I should weight in the range of 130/160 LBS. On January 5th I was at 198.5 This morning I was at 183.5 still along way to go but I've got til May. I pledged to lose 34.5 LBS but actually I hope to lose 40 LBS. I keep you posted as I go.Also, I plan to buy my new wardrobe in May so until then my clothes may look a little tattered.

Tax Time

I'm sorry I haven't updated the Blog recently........ I have been busy doing taxes for not only MJ & Me but Kellie and Rob as well. Rob's returns also included filing taxes in No. Carolina....I've never done taxes from another state, quite a treat. I also have been bogged down trying to get Kellie's application for Medicaid filled out. This application is a nightmare and way above my pay scale as Obama might phrase it. On to the good news yesterday it reached 52 degreees, it was the highest temp since 1925, we lost a lot of snow and I spent most of the day monitoring the back yard drain so the baement won't flood again. Tonight were heading to the Bonefish Grill for an excellent meal with 3 other couples. Hopefully I will not gain to much weight as one of my resolutions for the year was to drop 40 lbs. only 25 more to go.............

Weed

To all my Friends and Followers there has been some confusion concerning the Roller. The Roller is all about bowling not marijuana. Although if I ever get sick and feel the need for this drug you will see me first in line..... Peace Out !!!!!!!!!!

Computer Blues

Best Buy called me to come pick up my computer on Sunday. I assumed it was fixed and was happy to get it back so quick..........But that was not the case...Actually they wanted approval to fix it to the tune of 697.00.....Whoa Nelly, I can buy a new one for that kinda bread, so I did. Then they told they could transfer all my files for 159.00. Nope, Thanks, I'll do it myself. After two days I'm getting close to it working like my old one although Vista drives me nut's. But there's still a lot of stuff on he old one I haven't figured out how to move yet.. Like my new book I'm working on. Oh well hopefully the old computer will hold up long enough for me to finish it.

Kellies BB Game

 

Another packed house at the Lincoln Gym saw the Cobras run their pre-season record to 2-0.
Kellie Cronin led the way scoring 10 points despite injuring her hand late in the contest. Next up on the agenda are the Kentwood Hawk's at Legacy Middle on Feb 2nd. This game should be a barn-burner. A number of famous GVSU women athletes were seen at this game taking in the sights.