Snow Fort, Lily, and more...

So 2 feet of snow makes for a ton of fun when you're a 3 year old. Saturday morning Josie was chomping at the bit to get out in it. It took us a long time to get to the point where we could REALLY enjoy it. In fact these pictures are from Sunday after the big clean up was complete. All that shoveling though made for perfect snow fort conditions and Josie just loved her little igloo.

She had a blast helping me shovel too. She like finding the big boulders of snow and throwing them at Daddy. What a laugh she would get when I acted surprised to be pummeled with snow! Truly great fun! And the best part? We got dug out if this 2 footer just in time for a another blast of snow coming tonight. Another foot it looks like!

And then of course there's our sweet,sweet Lily. She isn't quite ready for the snow yet but she's growing up so fast! She'll be turning 1 on Saturday and as you can see she just loves getting into just about everything. Looks like it won't be long before we have another one walking, and crashing and bumping into everything in sight. Can't wait to celebrate her big day with friends and family on Saturday. Thanks to both grandmothers there will be no shortage of food!!

The weather hasn't been very supportive of the "The Year of the Bike" lately but, thanks to my brother, my mountain bike has disk brakes that actually work again and the cross bike is freshly tuned. So, when the snow finally melts the bikes are ready to continue the journey. I just hope my legs will cooperate after this little hiatus!! 

Eddie Vedder Haiti Relief Single

Eddie Vedder Haiti Relief Single

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Ride # 6: Another Quick One

My Wednesday morning ride was a quick sprint to Spring Mountain and back. I just went at a strong pace the whole time to get as much as I could out of a short (1 hour) ride. About all I can manage to squeeze in during the week at least until we get more day light hours as we head towards Spring. As always... it was just great to be outside. I'm finally starting to get some endurance back too both with my legs and lungs which is nice. I was dying after the first couple rides. Just have to keep the momentum going!

As a wise man once said; "Create your own momentum."

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!!

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