Back to Christmas

So I never got to finishing off my Christmas post but couldn't let any more time go by without mentioning what a great night Christmas night was. We went to my brother's place and he and his wife (Beck, Beck, Beck) made everyone a great meal! Most of the credit goes to Becky I'm sure :) Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, etc,etc.... and everything was awesome! The kids had a great time together and it was great to see all of the family.

Was nice to get a few pics of all the kids with Nanny, their great grandmother, who is an amazing woman at the age of 92(?)!! I can't imagine being in the same place as my children, grand children, and great grand children. It's must be quite a feeling!

Another great Christmas in the books! What an amazing an magical time of year...

Ride # 5: 50

Ride # 5 was great! It was 50 degrees in January... what more could you ask for really? I hit the trail from behind my house (part of the Evansburg loop) and headed down to the main Perkiomen Trail. Normally when I hit the main trail I make a right and head toward Spring Mountain and Green Lane Park. It's just such a nice ride because it's all gravel (well 99% of it anyway) and it's slightly more challenging. Saturday I decided to change it up and head toward Collegeville and Oaks. I hadn't been down that way in long, long time so I figured I'd check it out.

The parts that were gravel, which is basically all the way to Oaks, were pretty muddy and tacky. Felt like you were riding in sand half the time but it gave the legs a good burn. Once you hit Oaks it's paved and that was a welcome sight at the time. Found out that there is a new split off of the trail that heads to Phoenxiville and decided to take that and see what it was like. It's a nice little portion of paved trail that hugs the Schuylkill River and actually ends maybe a mile or so before you get into Phoenixville.

I took the road the rest of the way into Phoenixville and ended up at the Produce Junction. Decided taking a right up Rt. 29 and a massive hill was not an option my legs wanted to take and turned around to head back to the trail :) What can I say? My legs aren't ready for hills like that yet.

Overall a good ride. Again with weather like this in January it's hard to have a bad ride!!

Ride # 4: Better

I hit the trail again for ride # 4 on Wednesday and felt much better than the previous ride. It was a fairly short ride, 1 hour round trip, but just went strong the whole way. It definitely feels good to out there again and just getting the legs moving. I don't have any pics to share from this little ride. Just decided to leave the camera at home this time and focus on the ride and the music.

I always need a little motivation to get me on the bike especially in the colder weather so on Wednesday morning I selected Pearl Jam's 4/3/1994 performance to give me that little push out the door. From the opening notes of "Release" to the closing notes of "Indifference" this is a stellar show. The sound quality of this bootleg is exceptional because it was broadcast on the radio which of course, for a pre-official bootleg release, only adds to it's greatness. It made for a great ride as well!

If you want the music you can visit the vault to the right. This show is available in FLAC and MP3.

Looking forward to another ride on Saturday. Looks like temps will be in the low 40's with the sun shining so should be a perfect day to get out and ride.

Ride # 3: Sluggish

This was my 3rd ride of "The Year of the Bike" and I had to MAKE myself go! It was cold. I was tired. (I work nights and went in the morning.) The first half of the ride I wanted to trade my legs in for new ones they felt so heavy!

I stopped at my halfway point and ate a couple Oreo's to give me a quick boost and the ride home was much better! Also had Pearl Jam's "Backspacer" going on the "Pearl Pod" which always helps me make it through a tough ride. There's a line in "Unthought Known" that goes "nothin' left, nothin' left, nothin' there, nothin' left"... Well I felt like I had nothin' left but I just had to say FU and throw down on the peddles. By the end I was "ridin high amongst the waves"!

Looking forward to a better ride next time!

Green bridge below Spring Mountain

View from Bridge above

The "Yield Tree"


















"Do you see the way that tree bends? Does it inspire?

Christmas Morning 2009

Christmas morning was a ton of fun this year! Josie is three now so Santa is a big deal. The look on her face in the morning was really priceless. I almost caught her but I think I was about a second or so early but you get the idea.

Lily of course has no idea what day it is but she had a blast playing with the boxes and the paper more than anything else.

We had Josie and Lily do the stockings first and then we actually managed to have breakfast without a fight before opening the gifts under the tree.

Santa was pretty thrifty this year. Many of the things he brought were certified pre-owned. Hey, it's all new to the kids!

A few of Josie's favorite things were her new bath robe, her Dr. Josie kit and jacket from Nana and Pa, and the little house that Santa left in the basement.

And Lil'... well she just loves everything!

It was a nice morning. It didn't feel rushed and the kids got to enjoy their new things for a while. Later in the morning Uncle Matty and Nana and Pa came over for brunch and more gift giving.

Christmas is so packed with fun and family I have to break the day down into two parts. Later in the afternoon we went to my brother's for Christmas dinner. To be continued...

Christmas Eve 2009: A Tradition Continues

Christmas Eve has been a very special day for my family for as long as I can remember. When I was a young boy we'd go to my Mommom and Poppop's for the traditional celebration. Today, Mommom and Poppop are both gone but the tradition lives on.

Some things of course have changed. I have a family of my own now with a wonderful wife and two little girls that I adore. Our Christmas Eve now begins with church at about 1:00 PM while prior to having children we used to hit the midnight service and still sip some Bailey's when we got home. Now, with children, just surviving the service is a win. After church we head to my in-laws so the kids can have naps. God, thank you for naps!

Here we are after naps prior to heading to my parents.

This is Lily. Happy time with Nana before we depart.

Then it's off to my parents where the old tradition kicks in. This is the same mouse on the same grandfather clock that I remember from my childhood. It's one of those little things that still, for some reason, makes Christmas special for me.

Then there is the traditional spread of homemade perogies (a recipe passed down from my Mommom to my mom) which Cara and Becky now help to prepare, fish, rice, bread, and a few other simple delights. The smells when you first walk into the house just bring me right back to my grandparents place. It's a feeling you really can't put into words. It's just special.

Josie and Meg enjoying some grub. It was really great to see the new generation, all at one table together, and sharing in the old food tradition.

Of course there are gifts. My nephew look (5) is into BMX racing and Santa brought him a vrey cool new helmet. He was just a little thrilled!

The deserts are also traditional with the exception of the cake. It's all about the cookies. My mom has been making THE best butter cookies and chocolate chips for many moons. Also there are those pecan thingies that are oh so good (can't remember what they're called). Yum and more yum!

Santa makes a visit as well :)

Once the celebration at moms is over we head home and get things ready for Santa. The rice crispy treats and carrots (for the reindeer) are put out by Josie.

Then the children go to bed and Santa gets to work!

He didn't forget the stocking...

...and he didn't forget to eat the treats either!

Another fantastic Christmas Eve in the books. More great memories and good times with family. It's difficult with all the running around and it's hard to enjoy while you're in the moment of hustling the kids around. But, when the dust settles and you have a few moments to reflect you realize you were, once again, part of something very, very special.

And I haven't even gotten to Christmas yet :)

2010: The Year of the Bike

This year will be the year of the bike for me. I've started off the year with two decent rides already and they were both great in their own way. Ride # 1 was a 42 degree day and the trail was very soft and soggy. Made for a difficult ride for on as out of shape as I. This ride was capped off with a Bald Eagle sighting!! Picture below...

The Eagle has landed!

Ride # 2 was extreme wind and cold as all hell. 21 degrees with a nice 20 to 30 mph wind. Riding downhill into the wind was like riding up the side of a cliff! If I stopped peddling I wouldn't have made it down the hill. I went a bit too far on this ride and my feet we're absolutely frozen. Everything else was pretty warm. Made the mistake of stopping for a few minutes in Green Lane and the sweat really started to get cold. Overall a great beginning to... The Year of the Bike!!

Thanks for the push Larry! I wouldn't be on the bike without your influence!

Me at frozen cliff.

The ice covered Perkiomen Creek.

Me. Cold.

Honoring The Boss!

30 Year Old Logs

Once in a while you get a gift from the past and it's just so special. My mom recently stumbled upon my old Lincoln Logs from what has to be 30 years ago, wrapped them, and gave them to me to open.

Some of the pieces are pretty beat up and things aren't quite straight when you get something built but it's brought back a lot of really cool memories. And the best part... now I get to build new memories with my daughters and some 30 year old Lincoln Logs!

Thanks Mom! Josie is already have a blast with them and I know Lily will too.

Utah '95

Finally, a freakin' bootleg update!! While it's been quite some time since we've seen some bootleg action around this joint I can pretty much guarantee this one was worth the wait. This is one of the Monkey Wrench broadcasts from 1995 so the sound quality is what you call... pretty fookin' good!

Enjoy the boot! You can find it in the 1995 bootleg section of The Vault! Salt Lake City, Utah 11/1/1995. This show is available in FLAC only at this time. If you want MP3s please visit Spreading The Jam. He's got lots of shows in MP3 format and I just don't see the point of putting them up here any longer when they are available in several other places.

Godammit Larry!!

One day we'll get this at a show we go to together..

Ocean City 2009 Memories

So this is my first attempt at an iMovie with my Macbook. Basically just pictures set to "Your Hand In Mine" by Explosions In The Sky. I would have like to have done a bit more with this but 5 to 10 minutes is all I have time for these days! Kids!!

Wave to all my friends...

Once again I've gone far too without a post on this blog-o-mine! Life has just been tough to keep up with lately. Lily just turned 9 months and is now crawling all over the place! Josie turns 3 yrs next month and is just so amazing, and funny, and absolutely crazy sometimes.

Finally getting around to getting some of my bootlegs in order again and just getting organized. I hope to get some updates going again for the bootleg vault really soon!

I had the pleasure of seeing two of the four PJ shows at the Spectrum last month! Such a great experience as always when Pearl Jam performs. Couldn't believe I got to see some songs like "Rival", "No Way", "1/2 Full", "Push Me, Pull Me", and "Bee Girl"! They really did pull some shit out of their hat! Went to both shows with my brother and just had a blast. The crowd singing during "Garden" was simply amazing! The roof nearly blew off with "I willllll waaaaalk wiithh my hands bound..." parts. Hope they make it back to the Philly area in 2010 although I wouldn't mind trying to get a road trip in to see them either. Looks like they continue to tear shit up on the Oz tour at the current time.

Here's a couple pics of me inside and outside the Spectrum. I'll miss this old building!!

Happy Birthday Brother!

It's a wave... building before it breaks

It's the excitement that can come only from the pending release of a new Pearl Jam album. It's the anticipation of cracking open that CD (pre-ordered from the 10 club weeks and weeks ago) and swiftly slipping it into the CD player for the first listen. It's trying desperately NOT to listen to all the little snippets of the songs available on Youtube as only the full tracks will quench the thirst now being endured by this Pearl Jam junky. It's waiting ever so patiently to find the vinyl version at my door step (yes they still make those round black things and yes people DO still listen to them) and seeing the artwork in all its gigantic glory. It's just pure child like excitement that I don't expect anyone else to really understand.

This has added to my excitement...


Hearing that little piece of "Just Breathe" in that video just about does me in. I need to hear that really, really soon!! This just seems like it's going to so different from their previous few releases. Just based on the first single "The Fixer" and some of this video footage they just seem much more optimistic and well... happy.

Also, that footage of them throwing axes is just priceless. When we went to the Vedder show back in June at the Tower he told a little story about how he was teaching his daughters to throw axes. I thought he was kidding... guess not :)

"The Fixer" video:


So for me the waiting is driving me mad but, I have a feeling this one will be worth the wait. And then of course the anticipation for the Philly shows in October will begin to build. And then there will be the bootlegs to listen too. The later part of '09 certainly looks good for a Pearl Jam fan. Here's to having things to look forward to!

New Song Debut 8/18/2009 London England!!

Backspacer Promo

FW: Additional Tour Dates Added!

Great news ... Pearl Jam has added some dates onto their North American
tour, on both coasts.

DATE CITY VENUE 10C PRESALE

Oct 31 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum Arena* Aug-12 @9am PDT
Oct 27 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum Arena* Aug-12 @11am PDT
Sep 28 Salt Lake, UT E Center Aug-12 @1pm PDT
Sep 26 Portland, OR Amphitheater Aug-12 @3pm PDT
Sep 25 Vancouver, BC GM Place Aug-12 @5pm PDT

General sale tickets for the Philly shows will start August 14th through
www.comcasttix.com. The Portland general ticket sale will also start
August 14th through www.ticketmaster.com. The remaining west coast dates
will go on-sale to the general public through www.ticketmaster.com on
August 15th.

Ten Club will be hosting a swift pre-sale for these shows beginning
August 12th and ending August 13th at 5pm PDT. Coordinated dates and
times are listed above.

You must be an active member as of August 9, 2009 to qualify for the
ticket pre-sale. Tickets will be sold online only at
https://www.pearljam.com/max with a Visa or Mastercard only. Two (2)
tickets per show. No single tickets.

For wheelchair accessible or disabled seating, please contact the Ten
Club at 1-800-724-8038 before making a ticket purchase.

*The Philly Spectrum has graciously provided Ten Club with a
more-than-usual allotment of tickets for our eligible members. However,
after our usual allotment, seat allocation (for these additional shows
only) will be comparable to general public sale tickets, but still
assigned by membership seniority.

Ten Club tickets are sold on a first come, first serve basis and
available only while supplies last. Seat allocation for the additional
west coast shows will be distributed by membership seniority, with the
exception of rows 1-2 and 9-10 which are randomly assigned regardless of
seniority.

Tickets are not mailed in advance. Tickets are distributed at the venue
on the day of the show. The Ten Club member must collect the tickets
with a valid photo identification.

By opting to purchase tickets, you agree to all Ten Club policies. All
ticket sales are final. No refunds, exchanges or transfers. Please visit
here http://www.pearljam.com/ten-club/tickets for a full description of
the Ten Club ticketing policy and procedure.


~10club
http://www.pearljam.com

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Josie's first experience on a real bike...

Josie borrowed her cousin Meg's bike and took a few loops around Nana and Papa's driveway. She did really well. It may be time to give her the bike that's been sitting in the garage for a few weeks now :) Thanks for the use of your bike Meg and thanks Luke for helping Josie get started and for riding with her.

The Art

8/1/09 Ride & Punxsutawney "Phil"

My ride on Saturday was interesting for a variety of reasons. First, it was early as hell (up at 5:45 am) and I drank nearly a full bottom of wine the night before. Not the best thing to do for the legs in the morning but damn did that Zin taste good?! So with my legs feeling like cinder blocks I saddle up and hit the trail shortly after 6:00 am. Not far down the trail I come upon a slew of deer, which is not uncommon by any means, and stop to snap a few pics. You may be able to tell from the pic that they didn't stick around very long to see what I was up to.

Anyway, as I was stowing my camera back in my jersey pocket on my back, out of no where, comes along another rider from behind me. He was an older gentlemen, maybe 65ish, and he instantly struck up conversation with me as he noticed I had taken an interest in the deer. It wasn't long before I found myself riding side-by-side with this fella and having quite a pleasant discussion about a variety of non-sense including hunting, children, our bike routes, and on and on for 20 minutes or so. It wasn't really what we were talking about that stuck with me about this man but, more his mild manner and seemingly stellar outlook on life. He had recently moved to the area from Western PA to be closer to his children and grand children. He loved to get up early and either go for a ride or take a walk to begin his day. Just an extremely genuine person it seemed.

As quickly as he came into my life he was gone. We ended our time together at the bottom of Spring Mountain where we exchanged goodbyes and "enjoy the rest of your ride!". I never did catch my new friends name but I decided I shall remember him as Punxsutawney "Phil" since he came from that small town across this long state. He still owns a 50 acre farm out there with a fly fishing creek that runs through it. I hope to ride with you again "Phil". Be sound.

I wish I would have snapped a photo of "Phil"...