Monkey and Cork

My last post here was three-two-ought-seven. After which followed a relaxing and liberating time off the computer, subsequently bringing down upon me, some thoughts and ponderings...

Garlic is one of God’s greatest gifts.

If someone bothers you, you will either try to change your perceptions and attitude; or you’ll try to change the other person’s. The latter is easy to attempt, the former tough to achieve.

I think almost all man-mad metallurgic objects are worth keeping.

The proportion of a man’s professed love to inanimate objects is directly opposite of the loved he receives from animate ones.

I wonder if it’s better to have 365 people love you only one day each for a year, or to have only one person love you each and every day of the year.

If you haven’t yet discovered the true healing powers of good tequila, well than you just haven’t drank enough of it.

I'd like to spend a little time with Greg Miller and a lot of time with Leo P. Love.

Most people don’t want to be controlled, so why do people controlling institutions aspire to control most people? I’m just wondering.

You’re too close to yourself to have any proper perspective of the view.

I think obsessing over your good health is bad for your health.

I believe music is one of the most important factors in the success of man on Earth.

I'd rather walk 12 hours a day than sit for six.

I believe human beings are a positive force in the universe. At least as long as human beings believe it.

People don’t ride bicycles enough.

Of the bicycles people do ride, not nearly enough are singlespeeds, cruisers and fixed gears.

Never underestimate the freedom of peeing off your deck, unseen, anytime after sundown.

Babes in Bocktown

I've work near Robinson Township a little over 4 years now. As I'm sure you're aware, it's essentially a big box, chain store hell. One nice thing about the Beaver area is that we've avoided this sprawl for the most part. Sure we have the Monaca Mall area, Chippewa and of course, Cranberry is not too far away, but you can still hang out and take a bike ride around our little river towns and find plenty of local businesses to patronize. Robinson Township? Not so much. Which is why Chris Dilla's little (for now) slice of heaven, called Bocktown Beer and Grill ("Beer"... it's in the name!) http://www.bocktown.com/ in Robinson is such an incredible inspiration to me.

Simply attempting to swim against the tidal waves of chain restaurants and big box stores is a noble undertaking, but when the vision and execution results in something as flawless as the Bocktown, it's hard not feel awe.

There are over 400 bottles of beer in the cooler, 16 fresh domestic beers on tap, a unique menu and some live music thrown in. But that's not what makes the Bocktown heavenly, because anyone can do that. What sets the Bocktown apart from all the others is the people. It starts with Chris and Chef Scotty and their vision. Read the story here... http://www.bocktown.com/story.shtml

Anyone that knows me know's I've seen the inside of a few bars in my years, and I have to say, the Bocktown, in just a few short months of being open, is one of my favorite bars ever. They've truly combined the best of what a locally-owned neighborhood bar should be. And in a strip mall, in Robinson Township. I think that makes it all the more special.

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I had started to type a lengthy rundown of an evening I had recently at the Bocktown, but I thought, perhaps the story is best told in pictures. I hope from these few images below, you can see, Bocktown has it all.

A huge beer selection...

Excellent live music... Special guest singers...

Exceptional bartenders...Fabulous Martini's...

Fun loving clientele...

And Chris, the person who made my dreams come true...

P.S. Even our bikes have special place to feel right at home... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Great beer, great food, great music and great people. Heaven indeed.

See you there!

Florida is for pansies

About 3 years ago, to encourage my Mom to get some good exercise here in flat Florida, I shipped her a beautiful cro-moly, lugged, women's 1991 Schwinn Crisscross. However, not before I swapped out the stock stem for one of those adjustable "swan neck" type stems, and the stock saddle for one of those, well, obscenely over-padded springed models. The bike didn't really fit her well and she quickly decided to buy a coaster-braked beach cruiser, complete with basket hanging off the handlebars. This has left the Crisscross for me. And what a joy to ride it is!

So tonight, my last night in the great no-state-tax state of Florida, and after a day of doing odd jobs around my Mom's house, I set out for a refreshing bike ride to take in the 70ish degree evening around my The Groves, http://www.floridaondisplay.com/groves/Location/location.html my Mother's retirement community. I flew out of the garage, posture perfect, into the pitch dark night. I had hoped to ride for a while and stop off for a mid-ride martini at the Florida Groves "bar" at the community center. I have in the past found some good beers and decent martini's there, but that idea quickly took a powder when I wizzed by and saw the bar lights out. Monday's in Florida finds many a bar closed. I don't really get that, but I know a lot of bars in the South do not open on Monday. Strange ritual that I don't quite understand. But I continued on at mach 20 around this quaint little community... frightening the old folks out for a quiet evening stroll. I had no light, no bells and no fear. It just felt good to be on a 16 year old bike, riding like the natives and smiling ear-to-ear like a kid. A few laps in the big-small ring combination, while sitting perfectly upright, left my body feeling quite refreshed. I came back to the crib, popped open a "craft" beer (not many choices in Florida) and settled in for an evening of packing and listing to tinty Split-Lip on my laptop. Life is pretty darn good.

A side note, I forgot to pack my cables, so I can't post the pictures I took until I get back home tomorrow. So, check back again to this post to check out the accompanying photos.

I'm looking forward to the wet, fertile ground of Beaver!

See ya all soon.

Kirk Rundstrom - RIP (center of pic below)

I'm in Florida right now, enjoying mid-70 degree tempuratures and plenty of sunshine. I rode a bike this morning and was feeling good. Then I came back to my Mom's place, jumped on the internet, stopped at www.goathork.com and saw that Kirk Rundstrom had died. I knew he was sick. In fact, I saw his band, Split Lip Rayfield, about a year ago at the Cleveland Beachland Ballroom. Lord's of the Highway opened up and Sugar was putting up the band at her house. She invited me to her house for an after party with Kirk and the band. I felt incredibly blessed. But after SLR finished, Kirk didn't look so good. Sugar came over and apologized and said Kirk wasn't feeling well and would just like some quiet time. I was disappointed, but surely understood. It was only a few weeks later he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. They gave him a few months to live. I believe he just played again at the Cleveland Beachland Ballroom a few weeks ago. Tough guy.

I took some pictures of the band that night and I'll post them on the web when I get home. I'm glad I got to hear them and see them. I'll take B Rose's advice, go over to my laptop right now and burn a copy to listen in the car today as I go to visit my Sister-in-law and my nephew. I knew there was a reason I brought that laptop.

I discovered Split Lip Rayfield through Bloodshot Records in 1998, just as their first CD was released.

I was blown away. They used a Ford f-150 gas tank with a single weed-wacker line, which played on the key of G, as a bass (you can see it in the first picture above). I have to leave right now, but if you're interested discover more here... GO... http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/artists/splitliprayfield/

Keying Up

Sometimes, you just find a photograph in your collection that sums up your feelings at the moment. That happened to me tonight.

Lewbowski Fist?

When I contacted the founders of the Lebowski Fest for advice and information on organizing such an event, I received the following email response...

Frank,

We have to ask that you do not use the name "Lebowski Fest" for your event. We've worked hard to establish our name and our event and don't want anyone to be confused as to who is doing what.

You can call it anything else, just not Lebowski Fest. That's our name, Dude.

Thanks
willl

That was it. The Dude abides, so we'll call our event something else. Any ideas? I have a few...

BABEkowski Fest
BIKEkowski Fest
Lebowski Bash
Lebowski Bowl
Lebowski Rama
Dude-A-Rama

A fun event by any name is still a fun event! Check back here for details.

2007 - a safer year for the BABES... perhaps...