Christopher Duffley singing the National Anthem

Everyday at the Teamsters International Convention our meetings opened with the 3 National Anthems Ours, The Canadian and Puerto Rican. On Tuesday Christopher Duffley sang the National anthem.

Atlanta Rhythm Section

Saw the band Atlanta Rhythm Section this evening at The Suncoast Showroom in North Las Vegas NV. They've been part of the Southern Rock scene for more than 30 years. Their biggest hits include So Into You, Champagne Jam, Imaginary Lover, and Spooky. But there's so much more...
With 15 albums of outstanding songwriting and performances, The Atlanta Rhythm Section represents all the good things the phrase "classic rock" implies.
The show was set in a an intimate setting with seating for maybe 500 with only about half the seats filled.
The show was a good mix off new songs with hits like Spooky, Champagne Jam, So into You and I'm not Gonna Let it Bother me mixed in.
I really enjoy seeing these classic rock, southern rock bands from my youth. It's real get down good music to me. I meet a nice couple from San Antonio Texas who wear sitting at the next table.

Rory McIlroy US Open Champion interviewed at nine years

Prodigies come and go, often without making much of a splash at all.

But when they do, it's often interesting, if not entertaining, to note the parallels in the trajectories of the ones who made the climb.

Witness Rory McIlroy.

Like Tiger Woods, he was identified at a very young age as a can't-miss kid and began appearing on television shows in Ireland as a lad, just as Woods did on the Mike Douglas Show over 30 years ago.

Here's an unbelievably charming clip of McIlroy appearing on the Kelly Show, shortly after he won a huge under-10 event in South Florida against international competition, while trying to chip golf balls into his mom's washing machine, like he did at home to hone his wedge game.

When world No. 1 Luke Donald saw the clip on Tuesday morning, he tweeted, "Classic! He still has that same chipping motion."

At the end of the clip, the impressed show host says, with an arm wrapped around McIlroy, "The Americans have Tiger Woods, and we have young Rory. And believe you me, this kid can hit a ball. I've seen it."

Hey, so have we. He just won the U.S. Open by eight shots and set or tied 12 scoring records.

Here's the link: http://youtu.be/6D7ReWQMGho

That's not all. Here's a terrific BBC clip from the Wee Mac archives as well: http://t.co/sftUJW8

Uncle Tommy Brent Passing

By Arline A. Fleming/Special to the Independent
Thursday, June 9, 2011 12:07 PM EDT

SOUTH KINGSTOWN - Tommy Brent, longtime producer of Theatre By The Sea, had been feeling ill, and so the 88-year-old Matunuck resident apparently drove himself to a Providence hospital last week to meet with doctors who had treated him in the past.

Though he returned to his colonial-era Matunuck home after being checked out at the hospital, Brent died there sometime between Friday and Saturday, when he was discovered by longtime friends who had been attempting to reach him. He was scheduled to attend the season opener post-show party at Theater By The Sea with South Kingstown resident Gloria Jobin on Friday night, as well as a surprise party for the pastor of his Wakefield church, the Rev. Nicholas Smith of St. Francis of Assisi.

Jobin said Brent left a message on her answering machine Thursday saying he would be unable to attend either of these events with her, that he felt too sick and would be going to the hospital.

"It's a tremendous loss," said Jobin, who said she was shocked to hear the news.

Actor, press agent, director and producer, Brent took over the aging barn theater on Card's Pond Road in 1966, saying in an interview with the South County Living magazine last spring that he saved the theater not once, but twice.

"I saved that theater two times," he said, "that's the story nobody knows," and it's a story that was almost not told. Brent didn't want to have his photo taken and cancelled the interview - only to later reschedule, reluctantly agreeing to a photographer, who in the end got along famously with him, and he with her.

During that interview, he told the story of his long life in show business, producing a photo of a much younger Tommy in a movie scene with Harpo Marx.

"I had hair then," Brent said, laughing at himself.

But when it came to his beloved Theatre By The Sea, the barn theater located a few miles from his home, he was all business, predicting that the beach house-like shingled building would not have survived had he not come to its defense first in the 1960s, and again in recent years.

Brent said that the first time he saved the theater was when he stopped what appeared to be impending demolition in the 1960s. Agreeing to produce there, he cleaned the closed-up, crumbling building, replacing "165 windows. There was garbage all over the place. It was terrible, yet I did it," he recalled last spring in a porch-side interview.

He produced more than 100 musicals, plays and children's shows during the ensuing years until 1988, when his lease was not renewed and the theater was taken over by FourQuest Entertainment, a group that included the niece of the property's owners.

On his last day as producer that September, he still answered the telephone himself, working at a desk overflowing with papers. When the final curtain came down on that 1988 version of the musical "42nd Street," he told the audience wistfully that he would miss the young, aspiring actors cast in the many musicals he brought to the tight stage.

"I see your faces shining out here every day and night," he told the cast. That night, he was given a proclamation by the South Kingstown Town Council, presented by Barbara Hackey, who told him he was "a Matunuck institution" and declared it Tommy Brent Day. After 22 years, his life at Theatre By The Sea closed.

Though the new producers spent 15 years operating the landmark straw-hat operation, they, too, closed the place in 2004 and it remained dark.

Brent said he saved the theater a second time when, worried that the property would become derelict or turned into house lots, he contacted today's owner Bill Hanney to encourage him to buy it.

"Yes, he did call me personally and basically said the theater was closed," recalled Hanney on Monday. "That started the whole thing going." Hanney credits Brent for bringing it to his attention, and in recent years, the theater owner made sure complimentary theater tickets awaited Brent for each opening.

"There's no one who loved Theater By The Sea like Tommy Brent did. We've lost an institution," said Hanney, adding that Brent's death is a reminder that "we often say 'Let's get together' with someone but time has a way of escaping us. I'm sorry that I didn't get together with Tommy, but I did spend a wonderful day with him last summer," Hanney said, recalling how Brent showed him his lifetime of theater artifacts.

Hanney said he does not want Brent's legacy to be forgotten and he hopes to arrange at some point a celebration of his life.

Though he worked there only during the summer of 1980, Broadway press agent Peter Cromarty maintained contact with Brent, talking to him as recently as 10 days ago "and he certainly seemed to be himself." Cromarty described Brent as being "an astute producer and a marketing genius. At Matunuck, he created a special formula, where he fought very hard to be the first theater to acquire the producing rights of shows directly from Broadway. This was not only a magnet at the box office but also an enticement for the best young talent who wanted to perform roles, design sets, create costumes, and orchestrate music for these recent hits and add the impressive credits to their resume."

Former Providence Journal Arts Writer Jim Seavor, who knew Brent for many years, said as a theater producer, "Tommy knew what would sell." Seavor said in an interview last year that Brent "kept the place alive for years." On Monday, after learning of Brent's death, he wondered if after years of fighting for the Theatre By The Sea, if Brent "had finally let go. But the old barn will never let go of Tommy. His presence has become part of the building; as much a part as any seat, rope, curtain or wagon wheel chandelier."

Thomas Brent Cheseldine, who turned 88 last October - hosting a party for himself at a Wakefield restaurant - was one of six children who grew up in the Washington, D.C., area during the Great Depression. He would skip school to attend vaudeville shows on Fridays.

"That's how I fell in love with the theater," Brent said.

He would go on to board a Greyhound bus for New York with $6 in  his pocket, two cardboard suitcases in his hands, and one big plan in mind: Broadway.

Many jobs followed, from work as a typist to being cast as an extra in the 1943 movie "Stage Door Canteen." He followed theater work throughout the East Coast, finding himself in Matunuck for one night in the late 1940s as an assistant director for a movie that documented "star theaters" throughout New England. Ten years would pass before he returned to Matunuck, working in many places in the meantime, including as a press agent in Boston, handling publicity for The Beatles, he said last year, grasping a yellow piece of paper listing every job he could recall ever having. By the time he read to the end of that paper, his voice was raspy.

New York actor Gary Lynch, who says he got his start at Theatre By The Sea when Brent cast him in several shows right out of college, called Brent "an icon and a mentor. He had a knack for casting," said Lynch, who is still acting in the New York area, as well as in various tours and in Hanney's North Shore theater, where last summer Brent traveled to see him appear in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which he also appeared in at Matunuck.

"Tommy told me 'You were good, Gary, but I think our production was better,'" Lynch recalled.

Not one to mince words, Brent was known to walk out of theater productions he deemed dreadful, but on the other hand, was so impressed by several shows at Hanney's Theater By The Sea that he telephoned people and advised them not to miss out, and with his trademark theatrical voice identifying himself as Tommy Brent, never Tom or Thomas.

In addition to his love of theater, he held a fondness for books and newspapers, and for his garden, which was cared for in earlier years by JoAnn Woods of Wickford, who became such close friends with Brent that she invited him to her home for the holidays when he didn't spend them with his Maryland family. He was always a wonderful guest, she said.

"He just cared for people, he really did. He really wanted to know what was going on in your life." Woods said he never arrived empty-handed, often bringing presents for young children. Without a family of his own in Rhode Island, he created one, staying connected to a cherished core of people. She said Brent had undergone medical tests during the previous weeks, visiting the hospital several times.

Debra Hinson-Joyner, granddaughter of Brent's sister Edna, said her Uncle Tommy "always looked forward to his family tradition of spending Christmas Day at my parents' home in Fairfax Station, Va." She said he would converse with all the young offspring, asking questions about their interests. She said he would be buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Maryland. Arrangements were still being made Tuesday.

"He was a classic eccentric," said Sam Stowell of South Kingstown, who was a caretaker at one of Brent's properties and guided him through learning how to use a computer. "He was a father figure to me. We had a symbiotic relationship. He helped me and I helped him." In the end, it was Stowell who found Brent on Saturday and called 911, he said.

In an interview for South County Living magazine last year, Brent said he had more than 45 nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and -nephews, was continuing to improve his computer skills, and had donated much of his Theatre By The Sea memorabilia to the University of Rhode Island Special Collections room, happy to know it would be cared for after he was gone.

Brent maintained a New York apartment up until recently, traveling into Manhattan to see Broadway shows. Contacted in early spring at his Matunuck home, Brent said the weather was especially tough on him this past year, and that he intended to spend future winters in Florida.

Tommy Brent was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Lewis Cheseldine and William Dent Cheseline and five sisters and brothers, Evelyn Cheseldine, Joe Cheseldine, Madeline Florence, Edna Sesso and Theresa Saylor. He is survived by more than 45 nieces and nephews. He will be buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Maryland in his family plot.

US Open 2011 Have To Be Impressed With Rory

I could have swore Rory McIlroy threw up all over himself Sunday at the Masters and suffered potentially irreparable damage to his dome with that catastrophic 80 . I could have swore I saw it, but I must not have because there’s no way a 22 year old guy suffers through something like that only to show up and murder Congressional the way he is at the U.S. Open. With Tiger Woods at home, telling lame jokes on Twitter, someone had to step up and do something to give the tourney a little juice…and McIlroy is the man.

You can’t be anything but impressed with this cat. Last we saw he was knocking on cabin doors at Augusta, but today was back to burning up Congressional. He’s obviously a witch with his bats, but I can’t say enough about how he carries himself off the track.

From the way he handled his trainwreck back 9 at Augusta, to going on a goodwill mission to Haiti right before this tourney, McIlroy is all class. Granted, he’s started brilliantly in the past, only to flame in horrific fashion…and there is a ton of golf still to be played…but there’s no doubt this guy is going to win Majors…plural…and it’s just a matter of when. And if he stays aggressive, and keeps a clear dome, it’s going to happen this weekend.

Memorial day in Ocean City

We went to Ocean City Md this past weekend. Jenna brought along her friends Maddie and Oliva from Flying Gull Aquatic club. The weather was spectacular for this time of the year. On the beach we were easily into the 80's. Saturday we stayed by ourselves on the beach ant 133rd street. Saturday evening Maureen and I we visited with my friend Mitchel Wielert and later that evening Marty Crossed arrived and we hung with Mitch until around midnight. Sunday we went down to were the Rubino's stay on 52nd so the girls could with Marissa Rubino. There is lot's to do in the 52nd street area but the parking is maddening. I wound up just risking it and parking in a condo lot and hoped the people weren't there. It worked out but it was a little stressful. The water temperatures were like it is every May, somewhat on the chilly side. It was way to cold for me to go in. The four girls did. We have some pictures of them charging the beach as we say.
We had a nice day hanging out and visiting with Martin.
Later that evening we all had dinner at Bahama Mama Crabs on and then went to the Boardwalk. The girls had lots of money burning holes in their pockets so they shopped for awhile. I had an awesome chocolate peanut butter covered caramel apple. I had it cut into numerous pieces and planned on sharing but they t6ook so long in the store it was gone by the time they returned.
The big drag of the weekend was the 5 hour return trip Monday. Someone broke down on the Bay Bridge and there was a 12 mile backup. Fortunately, Maureen was nice enough to drive and just put the headphones on and tuned everything out. Marty made the right call leaving later Sunday evening.

Jenna's Piano Recital

Here's Jenna Sminkey's Spring Piano Recital.

The Case of the Missing Sermon

Maureen, Jenna and I traveled to New Jersey today to see our nephew Zachery perform in a dinner theater performance, "The case of the missing Sermon" at the Aldine United Methodist church. The drive wasn't bad at all. It was 109 miles and took about 2 hours. We arrived early, paid for our tickets and were seated at our table. We were joined by Robin who used to work with Zachary at Ranch hope and his girlfriend Niteesha.
The show was basically a who dun it with the audience guessing who stole the reverends sermon. Zachary played a want a be preacher Will Reed who wound up being the culprit for this evenings show. I was really impressed with Zachary's performance. He took pride in his acting and really put himself into the role. He projected his voice in a thunderous tone when needed and was able to keep himself in character throughout. Will had fallen for the choir director and it was quite comical when those 2 were falling all over one another.
Afterward we all went to a bowling alley about 10 miles away and bowled 3 games. That was fun and gave us a chance to visit Zack and his friends Niteesha and David.
We had a couple minor hiccups on the ride home not being able to get a decent gps signal but we did managed and arrived home around 1:30AM.

Teamsters 639 Golf Tournament

Local 67 sponsored 2 foursomes to play in the Local 639 scholarship fund golf tournament held at Potomac Ridge on Friday May 20.
This is a wonderful cause that our Local supports every year. The money raised is used to help Local Teamster families with college tuition.
After 5 days of rain Friday finally brought as break in the weather and we were provided a beautiful day. My foursome was Brian, Stevie and my son Jack arrived after 7 holes to take the place of a retired member who backed out at the last minute. The pace of play in these events is brutal the round took almost 6 hours to complete but we were provided with beer and refreshments throughout. Or team played a pretty consistent round with 3 birdies on the front and 3 on the back for a score of 67 which was good for 2nd place in the 2nd flight. We all were awarded a little trophy along with a dozen nice Callaway golf balls.
We also each won $50 gift card to Potomac ridge as door prizes.
Our other foursome consisted of the Locals Secretary Nikia, an absent Frank, Mike and Mark from Pepsi Cola. They too finished in the money and were awarded gifts from the third flight pool of prizes.
Afterward the food was awesome BBQ provided by a local caterer.

Hot Tuna at the Birchmere

Went to see Hot Tuna last night at the Birchmere in Alexandria VA. It was the release party for their first studio album in 21 years. What a fantastic place to see a show. We were seated maybe 40 feet from the stage. Probably the best Tuna show I've ever been to. Jorma commented during the show, "These days the audiences are older adn sober." They expect solid performances. Tuna didn't disappoint.

If you are uncertain about which of the many older acts is worth seeing (and I know I am), I am happy to report that Hot Tuna is one of the better choices you can make. And it really looks like it may stay that way for a while. And it's nice to see the DC duo from the SF scene play back on their homefront, which they enjoy as well. For as Jorma said... "A lot of those (SF) people didn't really get our DC humor, as one guy said to him back in the day...Wow, man. Like I thought you were beautiful people, but you're just regular guys!" Yes, two regular guys that have been playing great music together for 52 years.

Quote of the Night: Another one from Jorma while tuning... "Sometimes people who don't play guitar say 'don't those things (whammy or tremolo bars) throw the guitar out of tune?' Of course they throw it out of tune, it's what they are supposed to do!"

I was very pleased to pick up one of the few available signed CD's.

First Set: 1. Been So Long 2. Hesitation Blues 3. Angel Of Darkness 4. Children Of Zion 5. Bowlegged Woman 6. Second Chances 7. Goodbye To The Blues 8. Rock Me Baby 9. A Little Faster 10. Mourning Interrupted 11. Hit Single #1

Second Set: 1. I See The Light 2. 99 Year Blues 3. Easy Now Revisited 4. Smokerise Journey 5. Good Shepherd 6. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning 7. Things That Might Have Been 8. Vicksburg Stomp 9. If This Is Love 10. Funky # 7 11. Encore: Preaching On The Old Campground

HOT TUNA
Album review: "Steady as She Goes"
In 1959, Washington had a teenage rock-and-roll band called the Triumphs. Then, in 1965, two former Triumphs, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, joined a new San Francisco band called the Jefferson Airplane, experimenting with ways to electrify the blues.
The Airplane has come and gone, but Hot Tuna, a spinoff band formed by Kaukonen and Casady in 1969, has never stopped gigging, releasing its first studio album in 21 years — and its best since 1972 — with “Steady as She Goes.” Hot Tuna — Kaukonen, Casady, mandolinist Barry Mitterhoff and drummer Skoota Warner — is joined by producer Larry Campbell, who clarifies the band’s often cluttered sound, allowing Kaukonen’s sparkling guitar lines and Casady’s surprisingly melodic bass lines to shine through.
Hot Tuna nods to its roots with a version of “Goodbye to the Blues” by Marshall Wilborn of the Johnson Mountain Boys, while Kaukonen and Campbell’s co-written “Angel of Darkness” contemplates sin and mortality with stomping blues-rock. By contrast, Kaukonen’s “Things That Might Have Been” is a lovely folk ballad about familial trauma during his teen years in D.C. And, fittingly, the band’s take on Mark Markham & the Jesters’ “If This Is Love” is the kind of garage-rock gem that might have been played by the Triumphs.
--Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post April 29, 2011

Easter Basketball

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday beginning with Scrambled Egg wraps and candy for breakfast. Then off to Church at Our Lady of the Fields. We arrive at my Mother-in-Law's place around 2pm and were joined by the Stowell and Maddox family.
After dinner Steve and I challenged our 2 boys to a basketball 2 on 2 game. Jack went out and bought a new ball for the event and we proceeded to Crofton Elementary School for the game. Before there was even a score in the game I managed to trip chasing a ball out of bounds and must have hit a pebble or something and torn a bunch of skin off my palm. very painful but I taped it up and continued to play. The boys took the first game handily but Steve and I came roaring back and won the second. Then in final game of the best of three, it started pouring rain and the match was declared at tie. The boys were up 5-2 at the time and think they won. We've agreed to have a rematch on mother's day in a couple of weeks.

Snorkling in Cancun

About 2pm Wednesday we decided it was time for our first adventure. So we jumped on the bus and headed to Aqua World where we purchased tickets for the Jungle tour. It was a 2 1/2 hour tour on jet ski's for snorkeling. There were like 10 in our group with a Mexican who called himself Tarzan leading the tour. It took about 40 minutes to ride out to the reef were we would snorkel. Jamie had a great time driving. When we arrived at the snorkel area. Tarzan tied all the jet ski's together and distributed the snorkeling gear. As everyone enters the water not 6 inches from Jamie's face swims about a 36 inch barracuda. Poor girl was petrified. The fish then swam under the jet ski's and the whole group was checking him out. You could see his big teeth. It was kind of scary. We snorkeled around the reef for about half an hour, saw many beautiful schools of fish along with the gorgeous reef formations. Then we all loaded back onto the jet ski's for the return trip to Aqua World. We hadn't even been on them for 2 minutes when Jamie hits a big wave and throws me from the back. I had a kill switch on and the boat stopped and I was able to get back on. Bad thing was I lost my nice sunglasses. They had taken some pictures of us on the way out. These are the photos.

We hit happy hour again, had a couple drinks and then caught the bus to Margaretville for dinner. We got a couple salads and then shared some skewers that were chicken, shrimp and beef served with a  bed of rice. We hung there for a couple hours dancing a little and people watching. It was fun. We got back to the room around 10:30. I was really feeling the most sunburned I have all week. Only had 4 hours in the sun but had only used 15 SPF. The sunscreen is so expensive I'm having a hard time buying it. I think I will have to splurge on Thursday and pick up some more 30 SPF sunscreen.

Hot Tuna at George Mason

Went to see the legendary band Hot Tuna with friends last night at George Mason University in Northern VA. Arrived a little late and missed about half the first set. The second set really rocked.

First Set Acoustic:

1. River Of Time
2. Hesitation Blues
3. Second Chances
4. Uncle Sam Blues
5. Nine Pound Hammer
6. Trashcan Tomcat with Jim, Jack, and Barry
7. Good Together with Jim Lauderdale, GE Smith and the Tuna Boys
8. Alligator Alley
9. Headed For The Hills with Jim, Charlie Musselwhite, GE Smith and the Tuna Boys
10. Sad And Beautiful World with Charlie, Jim, GE, Skoota Warner and the boys
11. Red River Blues
Second Set Electric:
1. I Wish You Would
2. Children Of Zion
3. Eyesight To The Blind With GE
4. Goodbye To The Blues
5. If This Is Love, I Want My Money Back
6. If I Should Have Bad Luck with Charlie Musselwhite
7. Where Highway 61 Runs with CM
8. Cristo Redentor with CM
9. Jawbone with Jim Lauderdale and Charlie Musselwhite
10. Come Back Baby with all
11. Encore: Baby What You Want Me To Do?

G.E Smith of Saturday Night Live fame played with the Band. He stole the show at a couple points during the second set. This guy can work that Fender Telecaster better than most.

Mellencamp Concert in DC

Took Maureen to see John Mellencamp on Tuesday at DAR Constitution hall. We had a nice dinner beforehand at McCormick and Schmick's on 12th Street.

No Better Than This Tour.
Authority Song, No One Cares About me, Death Letter, John Cockers, Walk Tall, The West End, Check it Out, Save Some Time to dream, Cherry Bomb, Don't Need This Body, Right Behind Me, Jackie Brown, Longest Days, Easter Eve, Jack and Diane, Small Town, New Hymn, Rain on the Scarecrow, Paper in Fire, The Real Life, What if I Came Knocking, If I Die Sudden, No Better Than This, Pink Houses, R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.

30 Ways to Make Today a Good Day

Yesterday is history and tomorrow is merely a figment of your imagination.  So if you think about it, today is the only day you’re truly alive.  Here’s how to make it a good one:

1. Get started a few minutes early.
2. Work on something that’s meaningful to you.
3. Complete an important piece of unfinished business.
4. Spend time with positive, friendly people.
5. Do something nice for someone else.
6. Be present. Focus on where you are, what you’re doing and who you’re with right now.
7. Do one thing at a time.
8. Listen to your self-talk.  When you hear negative thoughts, think about the positive side of things.
9. Smile, even when there’s no pressing reason to do so.
10. Unplug.  Entertain yourself with real-world experiences.
11. Go somewhere new.  See something new.  Meet someone new.
12. Do something that makes you laugh.
13. Challenge your mind. Learn a new skill
14. Challenge your body.  Exercise for 30 minutes.
15. Let someone help you.
16. Clear a little clutter by getting rid of something you don’t need.
17. Be honest with yourself and those around you.
18. Don’t compare yourself to others.  Instead, let them inspire you.
19. Spend a few minutes alone in silence, just thinking.
20. Focus on solutions.
21. Keep an open mind to new ideas and information.
22. Handle important two-minute tasks immediately.
23. Stay out of other people’s drama.  And don’t needlessly create your own.
24. Say, “Please,” “Thank you,” “I’m sorry” and “I love you,” when you should.
25. Don’t try to please everyone.  Just do what you know is right.
26. Eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.
27. Savor the natural joy of simple pleasures.
28. Notice what’s right with the world.
29. Focus on all the things you already have, think about them and appreciate them.
30. Get to sleep a little earlier tonight so you’re well rested tomorrow.

And remember, a smile is the most beautiful curve on the human body.  So go now and strut your stuff.

Bill Murray Wins at Pebble Beach

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

D.A. Points, left, poses after winning his first PGA Tour title with pro-am partner Bill Murray, who played iconic greenskeeper Carl Spackler in the comedy classic "Caddyshack."

 

My brother Mark and I went to this event in 2000.  I got Bill Murray and Scott Simpson autographs on my ticket. We enjoyed following Bill Murray who cuts it up great with the crowds. People think he's there as a goofball. HE takes his game more serious than folks think. Congrats Bill

A Christmas Wish

Thanksgiving Family Portrait

This is a family picture Dan Maddox took of us on Thanksgiving day at Joyce Buswell's home.

Navy vs Maryland Football Game

Took my brother Paul and his wife Yoko along with Maureen, Jenna and Nephew Zachary to the Navy vs Maryland football game today.
It was a great back and forth game. Navy really outplayed Maryland and pretty much gave the game away with 2 fumbles inside the 5 yard line.
Here's the recap:


BALTIMORE -- Navy dominated the time of possession, outgained Maryland by nearly 200 yards and made 15 more first downs.
None of this lessened the enjoyment the Terrapins derived from their 17-14 victory Monday.
Kenny Tate stopped Ricky Dobbs at the goal line with 34 seconds left, and Maryland stunned their in-state rivals to break a seven-game losing streak that began last October.

"Perseverance. That's all we've been preaching all summer," Terrapins linebacker Alex Wujciak said. "We knew we were going to face adversity in a game like this, we knew there would be plays when they gained a lot of yards. We just had to overcome it."

The Midshipmen (0-1) held the ball for nearly 19 minutes longer than Maryland (1-0), amassed 485 yards and collected 26 first downs. But in a game influenced by untimely turnovers and huge penalties, the outcome was decided by a gritty goal-line stand.
Trailing 17-14 with a fourth down at the 1, Navy decided to go for the win. Dobbs took the snap, went to his left and was met by Tate, who would not relent to the momentum Dobbs brought to the line.
"We should have kicked the field goal to send it into overtime," coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "In hindsight, we should have just kicked the ball."
Earlier in the drive, Dobbs was stopped on a third-and-8. But Maryland's Adrian Moten was flagged for grabbing the facemask on the play, and the Midshipmen advanced until Tate's big play.
"I thought I was going to be able to get it outside," Dobbs said. "I felt 100 percent confident that we were going to be able to punch it in."
Coming off a 2-10 season, the Terrapins came in as underdogs against a Navy team that went 10-4 and beat Missouri in the Texas Bowl.
But Maryland raced to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and then held on behind a defense that repeatedly excelled after Navy got inside the 20.
The Midshipmen had a 7 1/2-minute edge in time of possession in the first half, yet trailed 14-7 after coming up empty on drives of 52, 63 and 66 yards.
In the second half, Dobbs lost a fumble at the Maryland 1 and was stuffed by Tate on the game's pivotal play.
"We had a lot of opportunities," Niumatalolo said. "We left 31 points on the field."
Dobbs ran for 63 yards and a touchdown, but the senior quarterback fumbled three times -- losing two of them at the Maryland 1.
"I take sole responsibility for the occurrences here today," Dobbs said. "I didn't get the job done."
Niumatalolo said, "He's human. He's done some great things for us and won a lot of games for us. We all make mistakes. I made one at the end of the game."
There were plenty by both teams.
"Both of us turned the ball over when we wouldn't want to," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "Last year, we probably wouldn't have won this game. We found a way to hang in there. Hopefully, this will build confidence and be a positive experience for them."
Maryland never trailed despite allowing the Midshipmen to amass 429 yards rushing.
"I can't remember a time when we rushed for 400 yards and lost," Niumatalolo said. "There's no consolation in moving the ball."
Navy didn't punt until early in the fourth quarter, and the short kick was returned 57 yards by Tony Logan to the Navy 16.
Maryland promptly fumbled the ball away on a missed exchange involving backup quarterback Danny O'Brien -- his only play of the game.
"We wanted to get Danny in the game," Friedgen said.
The Midshipmen pulled even at 14 with 1:52 left in the third quarter when Dobbs scored from the 1 on a drive that began with wide receiver Greg Jones running 53 yards on a reverse.
A crowd of 69,348 showed up for the second meeting between the teams since 1965. There's no telling when the next matchup between the two will be held.

Jimmy Buffett 2010

Went to see Jimmy Buffett this past Saturday at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow Virginia.
We invited Jamie and her friend Jackie along with us.We left Crofton around 11am an spent the day at the pool of the Quality Inn near the venue with a bunch of friends. Had lots of fun and meet some interesting people. A charter bus picked us all up around 6pm and drove us over to the show. Jamie and her friend sat on the lawn while Maureen and I had a couple nice pavilion seats. Show was great. Here is the Set List:

1  Nobody From Nowhere (with Sonny Landreth)
2  Piece Of Work (with Sonny Landreth)
3  Knees Of My Heart
4  Wings
5  It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
6  Bama Breeze (with Sonny Landreth)
7  Window On The World (with Sonny Landreth)
8  Volcano
9  Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes
10  Where The Boat Leaves From
11  One Particular Harbour
12  Brown Eyed Girl
13  Brahma Fear (Jimmy acoustic)
14  Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw (Jimmy and Mac acoustic)
15  It's My Job (Jimmy and Mac acoustic)
16  Mexico
17  Creola (featuring Nadirah Shakoor)
18  Gypsies In The Palace (with the poem)
19  Son Of A Son Of A Sailor
20  Come Monday
21  Cheeseburger In Paradise
22  A Pirate Looks At Forty
23  Back Where I Come From (featuring Mac McAnally)
24  Woman Goin’ Crazy On Caroline Street
25  Southern Cross
26  Margaritaville (with the Lost Verse)
  
   First Encore
  
   Band Intros: Tina Gullickson, Nadirah Shakoor, Ralph MacDonald, Peter Mayer, Sonny Landreth, Doyle Grisham, Mac McAnally, Roger Guth, Jim Mayer, Robert Greenidge, Johnny Lovell, Michael Utley
  
27  Scarlet Begonias (with Sonny Landreth)
28  Fins
  
   Second Encore
29  He Went To Paris