Animals!

Recent snaps of Petey and Elsa!

Jeep Spark Plug Project

Jack wanted to try and change the spark plugs in his 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The dealer quoted us $599 for the job so there was money to be saved if he could do it.

We ordered all 16! plugs and torque socket set. ~6 hours later he completed the job and did great!

2024 Vacation: Boston 1

Our hotel was right in the action.  Here are the girls at the site of the Boston Massacre.  

Faneuil Hall  in the background.

Chilling at the marina before dinner.

At the Samuel Adams statue by Faneuil Hall

The Halloween Stuff Has Arrived at Home Depot!

The pallets of Halloween stuff has arrived at our Home Depot store as of today (8/26).  Not too early really....

Concerts I've Been To...

Lots of updates from summer concerts :)   Big lull in 2020 and 2021.... Thanks COVID

ROBERT'S LIST
____________________
Garth Brooks - Show 2 of 6 in Sacramento '15)
Journey (Salt Lake City '15)
Information Society (Sacramento '15)
Book of Love (Sacramento '15)
Men Without Hats (Sacramento '13)
Berlin (Sacramento '13)
Andy Bell / Erasure (Sacramento '13)
Jessie Cook (Folsom '13)
Branford Marsalis (Folsom, '13)
Elton John - April 19, 2012 at Caesar's Palace
Eels
Smoosh - they opened for the Eels, lots of critical acclaim. We were not impressed - 1/10
The Cure (x2)
The Eagles (x2) - once in Lake Tahoe with full moon rising, April 21, 2012 at MGM/Vegas
Nitzer Ebb - Opened for DM
Depeche Mode - Atlanta, June 4, 1990
New Found Glory
The Go-Gos
The B-52s
Blink 182
Magnapop
Ingram Hill
Rick Springfield
Simple Minds
The Beach Boys (multiple times)
Jesus and Mary Chain
R.E.M.
Fleetwood Mac
U2
Gwen Stefani
James Taylor x 2
Howard Jones x 2 (once in Detroit in '98, once in Sacramento in '13)
Culture Club
Human League
Don Henley
Gin Blossoms x 2 (Reno and Folsom in October '14)
Cheap Trick
John Mayer
Counting Crows x 2
Third Eye Blind
Rob Thomas
Anna Nalick
The Goo Goo Dolls x 2
Eric Bibb
Etta James - at Montreal Jazz Festival with Bill
Buck 65 - at Montreal Jazz Festival with Bill
Gomez - at Montreal Jazz Festival with Bill
Sammy Hagar
REO Speedwagon
Train
The Rolling Stones
Dave Matthews Band
Bad Company
Daughtry
Madonna
Steven Tyler
Fall Out Boy

Rebelution - June 2, 2022 in St. Augustine - first post-COVID Show

Steel Pulse - opened for Rebelution

Counting Crows - August 8, 2023

Dashboard Confessional - opener for Counting Crows

Sister Hazel - in Gainesville, March 8, 2025 with Rick and Edwin below.  Went with Jack.

Rick Springfield

Edwin McCain

Coldplay - July 26, 2025, in Miami

Elyanna - Coldplay opening act

Ayra Starr - Coldplay opening act

Sister Hazel - August 7, 2025, in Ponte Vedra

Dorsten - 1/31/26 at ASU Kerr center in Scottsdale with Bill

Toto - 3/2/26 at St. Augustine Amphitheatre with Jack

Morgan Wallen - 5/15/26 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville

Thomas Rhett - Morgan Wallen Opener - 5/15/26 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Gavin Adcock - Thomas Rhett / Morgan Wallen Opener - 5/15/26 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Tim McGraw - 6/20/26 - U.S. Air Force Academy Stadium - Tim McGraw really wasn't very good

Chris Janson - 6/20/26 - USAFA Tim McGraw Opener,  PBR Space Cowboys event

BILL'S LIST
_________________
Don Henley
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Beach Boys
The Cure
The Indigo Girls
Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Vince Neil (of Motley Crue)
Van Halen (Sammy Hagar Days)
Cheap Trick
Def Leapord
James Taylor
Tracy Chapman
The Cranberrys
Pinback
Garth Brooks
Marty Stewart
The Gin Blossoms
Urge Overkill
Pearl Jam
Bonnie Raite
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Huey Lewis and The News
Matchbox 20
Fountains of Wayne
Britney Spears
Kelis (opened for Britney...sung that awful "Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" song)
Jim Brickman
Willie Nelson
Eric Bibb
Etta James
Buck 65
Gomez
Sammy Hagar
Stone Temple Pilots

New Kids on The Block - Mix Tape Tour with Below 3 in 2022

En Vogue

Rick Astley

Salt 'n Peppa

Dorsten with Robert

DAD'S LIST
__________
Don Henley
Linda Ronstadt
Cheap Trick
Rod Stewart
Bob Dylan
Philadelphia Orchestra (w/Ormandy)
Femme Fatale (Cheap Trick warmup)
Hank Snow
Donovan

Coffee with Pete!

Elsa and Peanut Butter

Elsa is not opposed to eating a little peanut butter!

Easter ‘24

A curious Easter Bunny

A wonderful family tradition

McDonald's Grandma McFlurry Review

We had a chance to try the Grandma McFlurry at McDonalds recently.  It didn't look nearly as nice as the picture in a small paper cup.  The consensus was you would be better off (taste and financially) with a caramel sundae.

The advertisement's photo far exceeds reality.

Gator Bullseye!

The moved Bullseye from the Target by UF that shut down to the only other Target in town.  I still convinced Elle to sit for a pic!

Spark Plug Change in the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee

We were due for new spark plugs in the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7L.  The big engine meant 16 plugs!  The dealership wanted $599 to do it but Jack wanted to try to do it himself.  The parts were $150.  $100 for the plugs and $50 for a torque socket set.  We went for it and Jack did it all himself with limited supervision and for sure did a better job than what we would have gotten at the dealer.

Cat Stole Mat!

Petey wasn't to keen that Elsa snuck in and laid on his mat in the office....

Monkey Quote!

Pup Cup!

Dual dogs!

Saw these dogs in a van waiting patiently!

Stories from Rick

Rick graduated from North Muskegon High School in 1964. Started college at a community college in 1965. His car of choice, at the time was a '55 Chevy.  There is a great framed 8" x 10" of him and the car that his brother Dave took around '65.  The other cool framed photo Rick has is of his Dad's Grand Haven intramural basketball team in 1935.  His Dad is seated on the bottom left in the photo.  He bought the car used and fairly souped up!  He was drafted in the Summer of  '66 after he dropped a class in college and was no longer considered a full-time student.  He put the Chevy in storage when he went to Vietnam and his Dad sold it for him while he was oversees.  Did ~6 months of basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky before heading to Colorado for AIT (Advanced Individual Training - related to being military police) before heading to Denver for a ~6 month stint. Then sent to Vietnam as part of the military police and served there from Summer of '67 until Summer of '68.  He was 22 when he was in Vietnam.  Shifts in Vietnam were 12 hours on, 12 hours off.  He only got a handful (4-5) of days off when deployed.  Barb's brother Bob was only 18 when he was there.  Was excited we he received notice he was to come home early (about 5 weeks early) because there happened to be space on a return flight. Flew into Traverse Air Force Base in Northern California. Hung out with his cousin in San Francisco (even visited Haight-Ashbury district) before his Mom insisted he come back to Michigan. One of his most-remembered songs from the era was "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)". The song was produced and released in May 1967. The song became one of the best-selling singles of the 1960s in the world, reaching the fourth position on the U.S. charts and the number one spot on the U.K. charts.

The other cool framed photo Rick has is of his Dad's Grand Haven intramural basketball team in 1935.  His Dad is seated on the bottom left in the photo.

Rick recalled the time he want to visit his grandparents in Grand Haven – they made him a grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar cheese, rye bread and real butter…. Instead of oleo and fake cheese which was the norm in his household.   He thought he had died and gone to heaven.

To this day, one of the most vivid memories in Rick's life was the morning he was woken up by a clerk and told he was going home - the orders had just arrived.  It was a nice surprise as they were about 8 days early.  The song has been called "the unofficial anthem of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, including the Hippie, Anti-Vietnam War and Flower power movements." Ironically, Rick said the summer had a double meaning to soldiers in Vietnam because if you were going to San Francisco it typically meant you were going home.

When he arrived home and walked up to his house his dog Oswald heard him approaching the door and started barking.  Rick told him "no barking" from the other side of the door and upon hearing his voice he started whimpering in excitement.

Upon arriving back in Michigan one of the first things he did was buy a '68 SS Chevelle 396 for ~$3050. It was matador red with a white racing stripe and a black top. That Fall he enjoyed going to visit his sister Sandy at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. He recalled it being like "candy land" with lots of girls his sister introduced him to.

He met Barb in a bar called Gomely's in Norton Shores. Barb got he her friends to go tell him she wanted to dance with him. Got engaged on November 14, 1969.  Rick popped the question in the house of one of Barb's friends but delivered the ring a bit later in a Burger Chef restaurant.

That morning was the kick-off of deer-hunting season and he went with his Dad and a friend at 5:30. This, after getting home from a night out with Barb 'til ~4:30! They tied the knot on June 12, 1970 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church.

In 1979 Rick and Barb bought a '79 Pontiac Grand Prix in Glacier Blue.  It was mainly Barb's car and they kept it for quite a while.  In fact, Jennifer learned on it when she was learning to drive and to Rick's dismay she had the bumper off within 2 weeks.  The family car was like the below.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Elle and a rat!

The Boy and His Dog!

Counting Crows in St. Augustine

We got to see the Counting Crows in St. Augustine earlier this Summer (August 8) and it was an excellent show.   They included their latest EP Butter Miracle, Suite One in its entirety.  Hard Candy and St. Robinson were excellent tunes to kick it off with.