Monday, June 30, 2008

A Blog With No Title!

If you read the Columbus Journal's Letters To The Editor you will know that a lot of people (maybe only a couple) think our Mayor, Nancy Osterhaus, is a power hungry politician that is intent on doing things her way and if you get in the way you will find yourself out of work OR WORSE, the dreaded LEAVE WITH PAY! (man - THAT would suck).

Anybody in their right mind reads all of those cranky letters which are probably written by one person and file their thoughts under "angry person" and move on.

However - imagine my surprise when I take Blake out to poop and look across the street and see, A SCUD MISSILE LAUNCHER and it is aimed due south, directly at Sun Prairie.

YOU GO GIRL. That's what I'm talk'n about!!

That is what I like about Nancy. She understands the problem.

You see OUR house is the tip of the Columbus spear looking south. When the hordes of Sun Prairieytes crest the hill looking to finally conquer Columbus it is OUR house in the cross hairs.

Of course one quarter will fall ill from stepping on garbage in the Columbus dump/"quarry" and one quarter will be driven off by mosquitoes but some will drag themselves across the sharp blades of grass called "fairway" to reach our house.

It is up to my family to hold at all costs to save the rest of you and I am PROUD that our mayor has decided to back us up with a tactical ballistic missile.

On a side point I would have to think that the Letters to the Editor will have less "attacking" knowing that there could be more Scuds in the area. What else does she have up her sleeve???

She is so gnarly!
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From: PE productions LLC "Public Enemies"

To: all vendors

RE: production wrap

Please be advised that our production is wrapping principal photography on Monday, June 30, 2008.
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Blast from the past.

Remember March 17th? Day One? It seems like so long ago. Here is one of the very first videos from that day.

We learned so much on how to be good fanboys and fangirls. Seriously, that first day no one knew how. How many of you guys had actually participated in "Standing the Line" for a major motion picture before. No one knew that base camp was what it was all about if you want to see an actor.

I'm sure other places in the country laugh but hey, it was a learning experience.

Even the videos got better throughout the shoot as people learned the bast places and best settings on their camera's. I wonder how many camera's were used for the first time.?




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Speaking of Sweeny Todd. Jenny was watching some of the extras from the movie and gave me an idea to blog about.

What's up with The Barber's Pole.

First - picture it on your mind. When I did all I saw was a red and white stripe, yet when I see some photos they also have black stripes and some have blue stripes.

But in the beginning the barber's pole is associated with the wonderful invention of bloodletting. During medieval times, barbers were not only hair cutters but dentists and surgeons. The original pole had a brass basin at the top where leeches were kept and bottom where blood would be received. The pole itself represents the staff that the patient gripped during the procedure to encourage blood flow.

The red and white stripes on a pole symbolize the bandages that were used during a procedure. Red for the blood-stained cloths and white for the clean bandages.

Originally, these bandages were hung out on the pole to dry after washing. As the bandages blew in the wind, they would twist together to form the spiral pattern similar to the stripes on the modern day barber pole. The barber pole became emblematic of the barber/surgeon's profession. Later the cloths were replaced by a painted wooden pole of red and white stripes.

If you want to see a gnarly Barber Pole Illusion go here.
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And a reminder - one of the many wonderful things about Columbus are the Fireworks (not the city Hall fireworks - the kind that fly in the air). Make sure you check them out this year.

We were told Columbus had great fireworks and we went last year (being civic minded) and were totally floored at how good they were.
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Rod - off to work.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Wind Gust of 84 mph Hits Columbus

SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT!!

Public Enemies? It ain't over till it's over!! - More on that later.
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That's right. And if I was not in the front yard and witnessed it I would not have believed it. All I saw was a wall of dirt and construction debris coming towards us. I ran for cover between houses and watched in disbelief.

It was about 10 minutes later I decided to take a look to see how fast that gust was.

One flower suffered catastrophic damage as it was snapped off at the base.

Yesterday was a test day for the Butterfly garden. The one worry was that since Columbus is a VERY windy little town (we are on the great plains that are between Sun Prairie and C-bus) and all of my Butterfly Garden plants are rather tall, I was, and am worried about perennial structural failure.

So far so good. It being close to July 1st I'll have to take some photos of the garden the next non-windy day.
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Public Enemies - Filming Resumes Monday but in LA

From Dharma

preparations are underway at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia (north of LA near Pasadena) for shooting. When? Monday the 30th has been rumored, but not confirmed. Santa Anita will be standing in for a dog track in Florida.

Shooting will most likely be entirely inside the park as nothing has been done to modify or prepare the exterior. In fact, part of the park was open today for satellite wagering, although they are out of season for live horse racing.

The grandstand building is like an island surrounded by miles of surface parking lots, and the parking lots are surrounded by tall chain link AND thick hedges. Base camp is inside one the many secure lots. It's not Statesville prison, but it's close.




In Johnny Depp news you MUST read Vix's account of his exit which I will steal,

The BEST part of the night, was when Johnny and Jerry jumped up on to the running board of the SUV, and waved to everyone. Then they DROVE OFF hanging onto the side of the car still waving. I don't know how far down the road they went like that since I lost sight of them once they turned the corner. I have NEVER seen Johnny do that before, and it was so touching! The crowd erupted in cheers, and applause as he drove away! WHAT AN AMAZING EXIT ON THE FINAL DAY!!! I have to admit, even I screamed "GOODBYE JOHNNY!" as he drove away. I have never screamed at him before, and I don't know why I did then. I was just so happy that he had done that for his fans!
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On a personal golf note, I played a round yesterday that was one of my most consistent ever.

All my golfing life I have struggled to get off the tee. Pretty good short game but on the tee I was a hack. Middle of last year I had found my swing and my last 7 or 8 rounds I was feeling pretty good hitting 230 yard drives NEAR the middle.

This year I had renewed hope that THAT swing was still there. DJ purchased a G5 driver for me and every round this year I was tweaking my swing getting better, fixing this little thing and that little thing getting closer and closer.

This time last year I was happy with 200-210 yard drives on the fairway. Yesterday I hit 5 of 7 fairways with my SHORTEST drive about 250 and longest 278. YEA - can you understand WHY I am PUMPED??
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After golf I went to pick up my buddy Elweed and bring him back to Columbus to talk landscaping for 8 hours. He had forgotten that we were coming back here and when I said we were he said "OH - I better pack my overnight bag".

You see he has always been stranded in Columbus with blizzards (which landed him in the C-bus hospital for a week) and floods where we are stranded on our island.

THEN at 3:00 we get this hellashious storm and he says "WHAT IS IT ABOUT COLUMBUS". I then told him that the Madison cement create a heat bubble (it's not the lakes) and divert the worst parts of storms north which is where Columbus is. Plus we are in the wide open spaces so there are no blocking hills and trees to slow things down.

On a side note - Brennan's is a great place for shopping - especially for Micro Brews. It's the only place I can find Ellie's Brown Ale which I consider one of the best Brown Ales I have ever drunken. I WISH they would get a stored in Columbus . . . . or Sun Prairie. West side of MadCity is way to far.

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Do not forget - Columbus has the best 4th of July Fireworks around. I don't count Rhythm and Booms as actual fireworks. It is more of a mass gathering of a hundred thousand human to feed the mosquitoes.

But seriously - I was amazed at the fireworks here in Columbus. I guess the guy that makes the bangers is from Columbus and it is a "hobby". He has traveled all over the world perfecting the craft. Big city fireworks show in a small town. ON the 4th of July.
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HEY - did you guys see out photo in the Columbus Journal AND an article by little about it on page 5 or 6 or whatever?? YEA BABY!!
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And finally - we received The THUNDER CAP (also called boring Storm Defender).

Mixed reviews so far - he was doing GREAT until one CLAP of thunder sent him running to the tub.

I have to think it was working on the electrical part but now we need Thunder ear muffs.

It has a silver back side that rubs against his fur.

He does enjoy wearing it though. No problems at all putting it on and I feel he thought it was a pretty cool thing.

OK - have a great Sunday

Rod

Friday, June 27, 2008

The End is Nigh

FIRST - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN MICHAEL BOLGER!!!

In your honor I submit this - John is the guy sitting down for the uninformed.



John - you have an open invitation to come to The Kurth (well, only Wednesdays and Fridays). We will hoist a beer to you and sing songs of your village.
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say it ain't so - what started is ending? We will always have memories of the Spring of 2008. Friendships made, the beginnings of the rejuvenation of Columbus, whether the business owners want it or not (don't get me started . . . . I have a "Letter to the Editor" just itching to get published). OH . . . I HAVE THOUGHTS!!

It was a great way to get out of the ROTTEN Winter of '07/08.
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This was in the Beaver Dam Newspaper Tuesday. I hope there is a bigger piece in the Columbus Journal tomorrow!


What I'm real curious about is how many of YOU guys will stick around. I'm still surprised I have 1000 unique readers a day. WHAT UP!! I was looking at where people are coming from, 81% are from the U.S but a few people from Swindon England (birthplace of the original band XTC), Santiago Chili, Taipei Taiwan, São Paulo Brazil, Tehran Iran . . . (well - I can thank Mary for that one, in a comment on March 31st she was talking about the "Say It With Me" dude and shortened it to SIWM - some guy from Tehran Googled "siwm women film" - this blog is #1 for siwm women film on Google.

BUT - I Digress.

Marcella will have (I think) the last big blurb from Standing The Line in ILL.

WELL - I guess this is actually about Tuesday and NOT from Marcella . . . and probably a different movie.

Good afternoon:

I've posted this statement before, but here again, Johnny and I just weren't meant to meet:(

Drove to Chicago Tuesday (from Madison), heading to Jefferson Park. Had never been to that neighborhood, but was easy to find. Sign for base camp was right on the main drag, along with a sign for the PE Shuttle. No one was around base camp, so drove around for awhile until I found Gale St., which is where the post on Hollywoodchicago pointed me.

Strange shoot, as Gale St. was an extremely busy short street - bus route. No barricades, either. VERY noisy, what with constant traffic and jets directly overhead. Spoke with a resident who said this building being used for shoot had been the old police station, and had a jail that hadn't been used for years. Truck with huge pipes pumping air conditioning inside. No other PE "fans" hanging around, that I noted. Lots of locals, asking ME what was going on! Told 'em what I knew.

Spent most of my time jawing with a couple of crew members from Chicago, who handed out a bit of info. This was to be an interior shoot with Marion. Ladies prison (or jail). Mann was there, but didn't see either the actress or director. Quite a few female extras, which I assume were other inmates.

The crew members weren't exactly enamored with Mann. In fact, were a bit brutal! Won't state exactly what was said, but let's just say it has to do with his perfectionist nature. One of the guys was with a special effects crew and felt that Mann took too many chances with the gun shots. Like, blasts going off too close to actors!

(I can attest to that from Oshkosh)

Also mentioned the night shoot downtown was a closed set. Johnny and Marion in the bathroom. Hmmmmm. Said they didn't know where the shoot was (they're actually with the 2nd unit, but since Mann was directing they'd taken base camp to Jefferson Park). I'd read a post earlier in the day that it would be around Lincoln and Wells.

Found Lincoln and Wells FINALLY around 8:00 pm. 3 Universal trucks were unloading furniture. No one else around, so I decided to head out. Being night blind, the drive back home would be a challenge.

Wish I'd known that some of you guys were there and I'd have stayed. I'd even brought my Jack Sparrow doll along for Mr. Depp to sign. Ah well.

Jack Sparrow is a nice addition to my doll collection. Don't go for out of the ordinary dolls, and he isn't! If you want to see photos, email me @ jmsylvester@peoplepc.com. There are also Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner dolls, and the details are amazing. Were created by Robert Tonner, a well known fashion doll sculptor in the doll world. Demi Moore is a big fan of his.

Will keep checking in on this Friday shoot deal. Only way I'm driving anywhere else is if they show up in Columbus.

Thanks Marcella
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Today's weather could get dicey - I'm looking at a total rain event of up to 4 inches in the next 24 hours! Could be hail and high winds tonight just before sundown. I have to assume at some point we will be in a tornado watch. Oddly we could use some rain with only 0.08 inches falling in the last 2 weeks. Remember a garden needs an inch of water every week and most new trees need 15 gallons of water every week.

Speaking of trees - did you know that studies have shown that patients with views of trees out their windows heal faster and with less complications and that children with ADHD show fewer symptoms. Exposure to trees and nature aids concentration by reducing mental fatigue.

Also studies show that the more trees and landscaping a business district has, the more business will flow in. A tree-lined street will also slow traffic – enough to allow the drivers to look at the store fronts instead of whizzing by . . . . IF THEY ARE OPEN!!!!

I have heard that Columbus is going to plant a lot of Ginkos and Linden trees in the near future.

I contacted the City of Madison about what kind of tree they were planing on East Wash. A few days later I received the entire plans all the way down to perennials!! I love their choices.
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Dogs see beauty - there was some study about dogs and scenic views (in Scientific America in think) and somehow they determined that a dog does appreciate his view.
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OH - I went to the DR yesterday and all is well. You guys must think I'm falling apart . . . . and I was starting to think that also. But all is well.

HOWEVER - I almost had to bust one nurse that was scheduling a follow up appointment in the chops. She was treating me like her pet dog. I though at one point she was going to start scratching behind my ears.

She has this sing songy kind of voice. "Hi Rodney, I hear you had a little tummy ache" F U. "OH, Mr. Computer is being very slow today, good thing we have Handy Dandy Papers to fill out!" MY GOD WOMAN!!!!

And it went on and on, I felt a hair ball starting to pile up with gag reflex. AND, she did not give me a sucker OR treat of any kind!!! I wanted to take my blood pressure again, it was 98 over 75 when I went in, probably in the 150s leaving.
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No blog tomorrow - I golf early

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Are They? Arn't They?

Lost and lots of rumors flying around about Friday. I have people telling me both ways. I know there is still a farm house scene that has not been shot and a "dust bowl" scene and a few others but . . . . . things change.

Hereonotthere said no way and I tend to trust him even though he has been out of the loop several times, still, he is the most official person to say anything so far.

All I do know is that IF they do come here there will be no need for extras and so forth.
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Speaking of rain and what is approaching. We could actually use a little. My birch trees are feeling a little stressed. However - some are saying 3 inches in the next few days. Normally 1 inch per week is what you need for healthy gardens and trees.

Here is a map that was compiled with the total rain fall June1 through 15th. I participated in this study.

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DJ was having a problem with Yahoo the other night with AVAST (the BEST anti virus software out there AND it's free). She kept getting a warning about the VBS:malware-gen virus.

Seems to be a false positive. i think only users of AVAST are getting it. When I installed the newer version of Firefox (way faster the Firefox 2) it went away.

ANYWAY - if you are tired of paying for anti virus - you should really get AVAST - it's free and better then Norton or the other one.

Of course Mac user will laugh because their machines don't need anti virus. . . yet. Funny - there are now contests to create viruses for Mac's because their users are becoming arrogant and bragging that they have no problems.

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If you want to see what kind of friends I have check out Adubys blog - here is a teaser - ""Did you just slap me???"." "This is where I'm grateful for Showtime Boxing on the Nintendo Wii where I've honed my boxing skills".

And all this action after he hits a double eagle at Door Creek.

Gotta run
Rod

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Revitalization of Columbus

Today - a busy day

Cubs should be very afraid
The Revitalization of Columbus
Public Enemies
Where is my Economic Stimulus Check
The Battle of Greasy Grass
Live TV

Remember when I said the other day the Cubs were looking a lot like the Brewers from last year? I commented that their starting pitching was not making it through the 6th inning and the bullpen was getting tired, exactly the problem the Crew had last year.

Last night the Cub starter went 4.2 innings and they needed four relievers to finish the game! Meanwhile the Brewers won their eighth game in the last nine. Don't look behind you Cubbies!!
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I attended a meeting titled "Revitalize Downtown Columbus" last night and you would think that more then three business owners and building owners would actually care about making Columbus better. WTF??

The PROBLEM with this town is that the people who run the downtown business's for the most part just don't care! OR, is it they did not know about the meeting? I did see a tiny 1 inch article in the Columbus paper on Saturday. We need some way to inform Columborians of news, we need our own newspaper. (no I'm not volunteering).

I read all the time the whiners in the Columbus Journal's (once a week inside the BD newspaper) Letters to the Editor about people being unhappy, yet, when there is a meeting where are they????? Sitting at home in front of TV eating bon bons, shaking their fingers at the kids telling them to get off their lawns??? I think I'll have to submit my own letter and rattle some business cages!

Did you know that 75% of the buildings in downtown Columbus are occupied? I had guessed 40%. Here is ANOTHER problem. No one is ever OPEN!! When DJ and I moved to Columbus we made an effort to do all of our shopping downtown. What did we find? Closed signs. 5:00, roll up the streets. There will be no gift or antique buying today.

There are a lot of opportunities here for small businesses such as a taxi service. When someone get's off the train and wants to go somewhere they are out of luck. I have had people contact ME to ask how they can go places once they get off the train. Heck, if I have people asking me because they read the blog, think how many that DON'T read this blog are lost.

I sat next to Steven Sobiek, the new Director of Economic Development, nice guy even though he lives in Fall River (I won't hold it against him unless the Capri moves to FR) and I wanted to say "what this town needs is a way to walk people through the puzzle of starting a business". But I didn't. I know several people (again through the blog) that are interested but don't know where to start (they want to buy/rent the "ebay" store on the corner).

There is a bubble of enthusiasm in Columbus right now and we have to figure out how to get others involved. If I can get seventeen people to give up a Saturday to paint a train station why can't we get people that are financially involved in Columbus to give up an hour of their time for a meeting that directly involves them. Are they afraid of success??

Boyd Kraemer (City Administrator) and Steven Sobiek have a tough job but I do like their enthusiasm. Boyd scared me at first (I think he was a teacher, I was not a big fan of teachers 40 years ago . . long story . . . does everyone have dreams of high school - not finding a locker or a room?) but he seems OK. I'm here to help guys!

OH - I was talking to Boyd and he mentioned that the Train Gang was in the Beaver Dam Newspaper yesterday. If anyone has that copy or wants to take a photo of the article I'd love to post it.

ALSO - to Boyd or Steven or Nancy. I'd love to have a digital of the reconstruction of that area next to the City Hall. We need to get people excited about improvements and the best way is to show them what things will look like.
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Public Enemies - from Marcella

I headed down around 4... caught some traffic and therefor decided to go to the Jefferson Park area first. We found basecamp, it was where we thought it would be. However, Johnny's trailer was not there, Michael Mann's bus was, but the entire area looked rather deserted and I didn't have a good feeling about it. We followed a few yellow PE signs to the set. From what we gathered, it was an interior scene that would be a women's jail. By the time we had gotten there they had already finished filming in this location. We decided to head over to Surf.

The scene being shot on Surf was completely interior as well, the sign saying "set 3rd floor" confirmed this as well. The question remained however, now where was basecamp? All the trailers had been cleared out of the location in the Jefferson Park area. Becky and Sarah were walking around looking, as was Terry. My mom, friend, and I decided to head back to the car and search that way. With little effort our mission was accomplished.

We staked out a spot in a nearby parking lot and waited. Our original impression was that it would be a late night, and we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. A quick phone call changed this plan when we found out that Johnny had wrapped. Dinner was taken to go and we darted back to Basecamp. We ended up having a picnic on the blanket while waiting for him to come out.

Becky and I were first in line, and completely unprepared when Johnny suddenly appeared in front of us. He signed autographs for people and it would have been the perfect evening and time (seeing that we were first and Jerry hadn't quite come around yet) to get a picture with him. Did get a hug, and the Sweeney DVD signed for my cousin. She's a big musical fan while I'm a big JD fan. We definitely have Sweeney in common ;) It was nicer then last night, and the area was more secluded. I would guess maybe 25 people? We started heading home close to 11.

Thanks Marcella
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Where is my Economic Stimulus Check???

Well - I did a bonehead blunder when I did Turbo Tax. LESSON LEARNED.

I paid my TurboTax fees with my tax refund you made 2 mistakes. First you paid $29.95 for a "refund processing fee." dumb dumb dumb idea. I paid $30 for the privilege of paying TurboTax to take my money out of your tax rebate.

I paid $30 to Santa Barbara Bank & Trust to "loan" me the money for the TurboTax payment. My tax refund then went to the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and then they send me what's left over.

THEN

Because Santa Barbara Bank & Trust is technically getting my tax refund direct deposit from the IRS, I won't get my stimulus payment by direct deposit. That's because the US Treasury doesn't have my bank information because TurboTax didn't send it to them.

Because of the timing of the Economic Stimulus Payment Package most tax preparation companies didn't have a chance to prepare for it. So in TurboTax's defense, they probably just didn't have time to make it work.

As luck would have it my last two digits are above 88 so I will get my paper check LAST, about July 4th.

On a side note President Bush said that 130 million households will receive a check. In the last U.S. census the U.S. only had 105,480,101 households. I hope we get one of the extra 25 million checks floating around.
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Today in 1876 was The Battle of Greasy Grass . . . . . sorry, being an American Indian I forget you guys changed the name to Big Horn.

Here is an actual photograph that Michelle took at the battle - she is AWESOME!!


Anyone interested in ghosts should check out this site which talks about theGhosts of the Little . . . Bighorn ( gag).
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AND FINALLY - There is NOTHING like live TV. Check out some of these live news clips.


Have a wonderful Wednesday.

HEY - I'm looking for a nice Chicken BBQ recipe for this weekend, something Caribbean. ANYONE???

Rod Out!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Storm Defender Cape

I wonder if I can order a Storm Defender Cape that is 25 square miles large for Columbus.

Actually I just ordered a Storm Defender Cape for Blake our dog. You see every time there is a thunderstorm within 50 miles Blake will run to the bathtub. We always thought this was an odd thing and then I found this little bit of information.

"Research shows that dogs sense the static charge buildup before a thunderstorm. This same charge, if it gets big enough, produces lightning. Knowing that, it makes sense for dogs to be afraid and seek shelter. It is an "early warning" system for lightning."

"Dogs naturally try to escape the static charge by moving toward items that are electrically grounded. Many thunderstorm-phobic dogs seek shelter in the basement, around the toilet, shower, tub or near pipes. Favorite spots are often the bathtub (if made of porcelain coated cast iron) or the car."


RIGHT ON!! Every time Blake would go to the garage trying to get to the car or sit in the tub hyperventilating.

MSNBC had an article about this phobia and mentioned the Storm Defender Cape. I did some due diligence and found that many people said it worked AND there is a three storm money back guarantee. So I ordered one. Cost $64 but that is not a bad price for calming him.

I will let you know how it works. Now I must find a Fireworks Defending Cape.
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Anonymous said...

Is there any truth to this or is this just some outloud wishing or thinking :) It would bring the project full circle but isn't the clock ticking for this to happen.

At least we know you will keep us updated on things. Would Columbus be able to handle filming after the flooding or is everything semi back to normal?

He was referring to Columbus and getting one last blast of PE.

Well . . . . . It was out loud thinking. A scene that was originally meant to Columbus has not been shot yet and there was a wink wink from a person that COULD know when I mentioned it. It would not take the entire operation to set up camp and it would not take up any streets IN Columbus.

So I'm just putting it out there.
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World Series of Poker.

Remember a long long time ago when a reader (Tiffany) mentioned that her boyfriend was in a WSOP event? Well - he ended in 390th place out of 2500. Tiffany broke even and shopped a lot in LV. 390th is not bad at all for the first time in the event. Congrats!!!
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Marcella update

As planned my friend and I took the 5:55 train down, caught a cab and headed towards Wrigley field.

Basecamp happened to be across the street from where the cab had let us out. After talking to Becky (who was already where they were filming) we made our way to the set. Becky got a chance to actually see him act out the scene several times... we had just missed it. They wrapped soon after and of course Becky was much more on top of things then we were.

After contemplating her sudden disappearance, we ran off in the direction of base camp. As usual, Becky knew what she was doing ;) Thank God we had literally ran. We arrived just as Jerry was collecting things to be signed. I was able to get both the Rolling Stones (with him on the cover) signed as well as the article printed a few months back comparing both John Dillinger and Johnny Depp.

After about an hour or so off socializing, Johnny came out a little before ten (correct me if I am wrong on this). My goal was to get a picture with him, and I succeeded. Of course I was looking at the wrong camera in the picture, but hey take what we can get right? Johnny seemed much less tired then Friday/Saturday in my opinion, although I know he still had a long day. Someone said they started at 6 this morning. Fun night and I know Becky was especially excited about getting back to Milwaukee at a decent time.
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KrisX - we could use your expertise in how to put stuff up at Amtrak in the best way.
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Brewers. A lot of people got down on the Brewers early in the year, they seemed to forget that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

With that said the Brew Crew have the best record in the Majors since May 20th going 22-10 and are only one game away from St. Louis in the loss column for Wild Card.

The Cubs are in for a tough stretch of games in July while the Brewers have it MUCH easier. I would not be surprised to see a real race near the end of July as the Cubs pitching staff is suffering what the Brewers went through last year. There starters are not getting to the 6th inning and their bull pen is getting tired.

As for the Brewers. Their Starters are awesome. In the last 26 games Starters have a 2.92 ERA with 20 quality starts.

In the last 20 games

Fielder is hitting .324
Weeks has a .370 On Base Percentage
Branyon has a .870 Slugging
Counsell has a .390 OBA

And the rest are hitting above what they had down the first few months.

it's going to be a real interesting rest of the year.
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Pain basically gone in shoulder! Bring on the paint!!!

Rod Out!

Monday, June 23, 2008

The End is Near

What a wild ride. When did Public Enemies start? March 3rd was my first blog post. It's been 110 days? With only six to go. Word is Johnny is finished with only one more day in LA perhaps. There is one important scene still to be shot and it was SUPPOSE to be in Columbus (actually near the town, not IN town). Not sure what is going down with that.

I'll be interested to see what the IMDB board will look like in a couple weeks. If there will be cobwebs or if it will continue. I'm sure there have been friends made over there just like here. But unlike over there this is not 100% about the movie.
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Before I forget I want to thank the Columbus Journal for coming to the Amtrak Station for a look see, was that Paul the reporter??
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Any bird people out there??

This little guy was at our feeder this morning. He was a first timer and I hope he liked the food. Anybody know WHAT he is??? A Yellow Headed Red Winged Blackbird??

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Man I'm getting old. Play 27 holes of golf in less then 24 hours and then spend 8 hours painting the Train Station and I'm a basket case. The demon bursitis has reared it's ugly head. I had it last year and it was just an annoyance but this time I was crippled with pain. WOW! Where did THAT come from.

For any of you wondering what it is, bursitis is the inflammation or irritation of the bursa. The bursa is a sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone.
This condition is most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the area, or from a sudden, more serious injury. PERHAPS if I was a better golfer the "repetitive" would have been lessoned a little. I actually had a good round Friday at Door Creek, 94. hmmmmmmm

Examples of high-risk activities include gardening, raking, carpentry, shoveling, painting, scrubbing, tennis, golf, skiing, throwing, and pitching. WELL - there are three right there.

Bursitis is more common in adults, especially in those over 40 years of age. F U!!

How Is Bursitis Treated?

Avoiding activities that aggravate the problem. I think computer programming is responsible and a week off is needed!

Oh well.
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Any VISTA users out there?? I purchased a laptop with VISTA and I can't find a dang thing? Is there really no "Explorer". Is there an easy way to move one file from a folder to a disk? There has to be a better way then how I did it. Any good cheat sheets out there on how to use VISTA in a responsible and intelligent way?
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Michael Shaara, author of The Killer Angels, was born on this date in 1929. The Killer Angels is the best Civil War book ever written and paved the way for people like Stephan Ambrose (who's father was my moms dentist) to write 1st person accounts of their experiences.

A very short time after he finished writing the Pulitzer Prize winning book he was in an automobile accident that left him in a coma for five weeks. With lingering dyslexia and disorientation (welcome to my world) he never wrote another book.

His kids found his last manuscript about an aging baseball pitcher who pitches one last perfect game. For the Love of the Game was adapted into a movie in 1999 starring Keven Costner.

His son Jeffery wrote Gods and Generals the sequel to The Killer Angels.
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And as if the Columbus Countryside Vet Clinic has not done enough already. The are providing a home to a family of barn swallows (I believe). Here is mom and pop providing some yummy food.


OK - now I have work to do!

OH - the recipe to Chicken & Noodles in Sesame Ginger Dressing.

All quantity's are approx - I just dump in what I feel like.

Here is the default
quantity's and you can go from there.

3 large skinless chicken breasts
1 can of sliced water chestnuts
24 oz of Chinese thin egg noodles
6 cloves of garlic (I might have forgotten them in my last batch . . .it was after the Kurth Friday)
2 tablespoons of minced ginger
1/2 cup of sesame paste. I get this at Asian Food Mart. It is NOW called Chinese Salad Dressing(??????) Not a clue why that is now on the side. You can use Peanut paste as a substitute but Sesame paste is always the best!
5.5 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar . . . . . hmmmm I think I missed that one also LOL
1 tablespoon of HOT chili oil (or whatever hot stuff you prefer)
3 tablespoons of sesame oil
3 tablespoons of rice vinegar

With the chicken and water chestnuts I stir fry them and put soy sauce, powered ginger, powered garlic, hot stuff and molasses in the wok and cook it all up.

Then put the above ingredients into a bowl and mix it all together. Half batches of noodles is easier to get a good mix.

That's it.

Rod

Sunday, June 22, 2008

The Ghost at the Train Station is Smiling

Today in this blog

Two worlds collide at the Kurth
PublicEnemiesChicago
The Train Station Gets A New Look
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I'll start with The Train Station.

First I MUST get all the thank yous out of the way and I'll do it in chronological order.

Kim and Sharon were the advanced guard and cleaned the waiting room to prep for the Train Gang and it really helped not having to clean before splashing on paint.

Thank you to the Osterhaus's for providing most of the white paint (all but 2 gallons).

A HUGE thanks to Home Expressions for providing color tint for the paint - GREAT job!!

A very very special thank you to Kris Hardesty for providing Color Consultation - GREAT choices (Kris does Painting, Wallpapering & Design 920-988-1271 and has a great eye for color) and Terry (Left Hand Louie), both did a HELL of a lot of work yesterday and they get a gold star.

Thanks to the Rod who is not me, the wonderful Amtrak train station dude who provided free pizza and drinks for lunch.

Thanks to The Pizza Shack for hand-tossing in a pizza or two - awesome pizza -Grazie.

Thanks to the weather Gods for giving us perfect weather AND in a small bizarre way for creating a flood on the tracks between Columbus and Reeseville which prevented the Milwaukee 261 or ANY trains to stop in Columbus. The Rod who is not me said IF this would had been a normal June 21st there would have been 200+ people using the waiting area on that day.

And lastly thank you to the Train Gang, Kris, Terry, Rianna, Betty, Suz, Sue, John, Cassie, Jordy, Jenny, Robbi, Caralea, Mary, Michelle,Sabra & Chelsea.
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In a perfect example of American efficiency it took seventeen people from four different towns eight hours to complete the task.

Here are the first photos - you can see DJ already starting to stress out. Notice the wonderful colors we were about to change. I think WHITE was the theme the last time the place was painted.

Here you see Michelle and Kris applying the new paint to the walls and Left Hand Louie talking to his agent.
Here is Caralea on her way to becoming a giant paint ball as she becomes one with the paint. She had awesome energy.

And a couple photos I stole from Michelle's blog showing how it looked. For more/better photos of the event make sure you check out Michelle's blog.



Looks way way better doesn't it. BRAVO!!!!!

Stage two will now be collecting STUFF for the walls. The first will be Public Enemies memorabilia. If you have something you would like to have on the walls contact Kim at the Visitor Center. (920) 623-5325

We are looking for framed photos, montages or anything else. 11x14 or larger in a black frame. If you wish to sell the piece you can put a card on it with info. Kim will have details.
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Two Worlds Colliding at The Kurth.

Sounds ominous but all went well. There were two birthday parties. One for Shakenbis and one for Ed. The fun thing was both parties would look at each other and whisper "who are they".

Then we would mingle and both sides got to know the other - it was great to meet new people. We had an outstanding lightning display which many people watched and then calls were made to Chicago to see where Public Enemies were filming and for how long!

BAM - all of a sudden there is a road trip forming and Blaze and Crew drive to Chicago and arrive about 1AM.

First from Marcella

Just got back from the filming tonight... I came down on Congress and saw all the filming to the left at the Auditorium building. Base camp was right across the street. Because of this Johnny walked to the set instead of being driven. We were able to watch him come and go, escorted by police and of course Jerry, from across the yellow line. It was never that crowded from there, and it was a nice view. Marion Cotillard was also there...

A block away on Michigan Ave the old cars were lined up. After watching JD's stand-in in the drivers seat, JD himself appeared. We had a nice view as he got into the car, and drove off with the rest of the cars following. Although we are not sure exactly where they went, the chain of cars passed by base camp twice, the second time stopped there. We watched Michael Mann and Johnny talk for a few minutes, exchange a hug, and them walk into base camp.

Becky has a GREAT video of this... Around 2:45 (I think?) Johnny reemerged from his trailer. Somehow we had completely missed them putting up yellow tape at the other entrance to base camp. Following others rushing towards the corner, we found ourselves feet away Johnny Depp.

I was FINALLY able to get my hug (actually 2 :) ) As well as an autograph. I met a bunch of you guys, in addition to some people whom I had met yesterday hanging around basecamp. Was wonderful to meet you all. Becky and I walking down the street, "Are YOU Marcella and Becky?" Lol


This is JD's Aunt and Uncle - very nice people that drove up from Kentucky!

Here is mail from Blaze and there adventure to Chicago.

Just thought I would write you a little note to say that we had a great time at the Kurth last night, and we finally made it down to Chicago around 1am. It took us a while to get to base camp (go to Osh's blog, or my blog to read that part).

Johnny was there, as well as Marion (although I did not see her). They filmed some scenes prior to us arriving, and then when Johnny exited his trailer at around 2:45am ish, he went off to do some street scenes in his car. He went around the block a couple of times, being pulled by a trailer, and followed by a few more 1930's style cars. Then he returned to his trailer. He came out to meet his fans about 1/2 hour after he returned to base camp, and signed autographs. Osh, and Evan, did a great job making sure that Mary's daughter (Caralea?) got her purse signed by Johnny. I got to briefly utter a few words, but I just left it at that. I had hoped for a photograph, but I think everyone else there was after that as well. Oh well, it's life, and it has been a great ride!

Chicago is no Columbus, that's for sure, but all in all it was a great time. There was some pushing, and shoving by the crowds, and a lot of screaming. In fact, at one point, dozens and dozens of people started screaming, and chasing Johnny's car down the road. I couldn't believe it! I guess I have just never been in a place where this has happened before.

Caralea with signed purse


And one last thing that many many people have commented on and I'd like to share. You are not the only ones to feel this way. In a comment from Becky.

Also... I wanted to share this with all of you.. I'm sure it doesn't make much sense as I am exhausted but there is someone on the IMDB message boards who works on the crew and I don't know if it's just me but he rubs me the wrong way, (a lot of people Becky) he's always making it seem like we are so stupid for trying to see Johnny or any filming of the movie and today I just had it, he left some snide remark to me. Here's just one of his remarks and here is the reply I left....

Him.... told you so... hows that $4.50/ gallon gas treating you? Where in the heck are we? Just wait for the movie to come out...

Me.....Yes... it sucks to pay $4.00 a gallon for gas (it's a bit cheaper in WI) but you know what..... it doesn't matter to me... maybe some people on this board (IMDB) have never truly been a "fan" of someone or appreciated their work so much that they would do just about anything to let that person know how much they affected their lives but Johnny has done that for me...

I am 33 years old and have loved Johnny's work since the first time I saw him in 1984... that is a LONG time to admire someone and to get that chance to let him know that... I'd pay just about anything, all it really cost me was $ for gas, tolls and my time... he has given me far more then that! Johnny is nothing but gracious and humble and he works so hard all day but still takes the time to meet all his fans and when I see him meeting all of us he really looks like he couldn't be happier. It was amazing and I hope everyone who wants to meet him gets a chance.

(BRAVO!!!! well said)

Also.. I have to say that John Michael Bolger is one of the nicest people I have EVER met... he gave us an amazing speech about following your dreams, I got home last night about 4:30am and had to be to work by 9am so I haven't had a chance to put my pics or the video of JMB up yet... but I will and I hope you all enjoy it!
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And now I must go water my flowers and have some breakfast!

Thanks again everyone!!!

OH - the ghost!

It seems a well known Columbus person (who shall remain nameless) was driving past the train station about 10:00 at night and noticed a shadowy figure standing next to the station. He had an old brimmed hat and was looking at what LOOKED like a pocket watch. Like he was waiting for a train or something.

The Columbus person thought this was rather odd and decided to investigate to make sure there was nothing going on.

The stranger just . . . . . vanished not to be seen again. This is hard to do if you know the train station. It's on it's own little island. A person can not just disappear.

hmmmmmmm!


Rod and DJ

Friday, June 20, 2008

Mr. Depp I Presume?

DJ is sleeping quietly dreaming of puppy dog tails and lollipops and I and sleeping quietly dreaming of DJ and all of a sudden the house starts to rock and roll.

Sierra is FREAKING out and running back and forth.

So much for sleeping anymore.
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John Michael Bolger sends you and Jenny his love
and tells everyone on the blog hello.


From Marcella

We left about 30 min before JD came out... one of my friends had to get going and I didn't have a choice, really disappointing. Met up with Becky from the blog for most of the time, she should have pictures from when he came out.

Johnny's Dad
I'm not sure even where to start with that shirt!
I'll let it speak for itself LOL


Our hero Mr. Bolger and the actress formally known as Anne Sage


The gas station shots yesterday were shot somewhere between Arizona and Tucson. It looks like they are filling in the little things.
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Amtrak - Remember to TRY to BYOPB - No that is not Bring Your Own Peanut Butter, that would make no sense, come on people wake up.

Bring Your Own Paint Brush if you have them. We can provide SOME rollers. Not sure about the tray things that hold the paint. Drop Clothes?? I've never seen the need for them in the past, but then again I'm never invited to paint anymore.

We will have water but Julies Java House is right next door so we can caffeine up to the max!
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Mary - did you purchase cards online? Has not come through yet. I'm taking more card to East James Gallery today and will sell Sharrow's 6 more LOL Also Julies Java House has a new batch so you can get them there.

Contact me if you want some at Kurth's tonight. Just wake me up. I'm walking 18 holes and should be done about 5:30. It'll be nap time!
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John Bolger's friend - contact me of just steal the JMB photos from the blog.

OK - gotta run - have to make my Chicken & Noodles in Sesame Ginger Dressing for tomorrow.

Rod M




Thursday, June 19, 2008

Marcella Comes to Bat

Thanks to Marcella we have PE news!!

This was in the comments last night. Many people don't get around to "comments" so I'm reprinting this.

I was just in Joliet a few hours ago. There wasn't much at the Joliet Prison that we could see so we attempted to turn on the road (with all the security). As expected they asked us to turn around. However they allowed 3 or 4 trucks/cars out of the prison first. We followed them and ended up at what I believe was the Statesville prison. We continued acting like we knew where we were doing, and ended up on some set of a gas station. It was a very neat set (and we were definitely not supposed to be there). I attempted to inconspicuously snap some pics, and I will send Rod the best of them later.

After talking to Becky and hearing about the Lockport scene I'm thinking I may drive back there soon. Mapquest is saying it should only be 30 min.







Great photos Marcella - thanks - SOMEBODY cares!!! :-)
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Lots of stuff going on here today. Appliance dude is coming to see why our refrig is leaking AGAIN! And got an email from our builder saying he is RIPPING up our driveway and pouring a new one Monday. No cars for a week in the garage.

The top of the cement is chipping and there are cracks so he is taking a mulligan and redoing the driveway. I GUESS it's a good thing.
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So I was looking up how Egg Harbor got it's name in Door County. I had visions of Spanish egg boats having a war with natives and egg throwing followed my a great egg feast.

But - sadly I found it was slightly different.

Egg Harbor was named by Mr. Increase Claflin. He named it Egg Harbor because in the process of retreiving a horse shoe out of the harbor, he found a nest full of duck's eggs. Once called Hat Island, and also once called Horseshoe Bay.

BLAH!!!!

There is a golf course just south of Egg Harbor called . . . . . . something that I can not remember this early in the morning (Check back). I played a round a few years ago and here is a nice little par three hole.

It's only about 180 yards long and pretty straight. What could be so hard???

Once my knees stopped shaking and I found a ball I could lose I took a mighty swing with a 7 wood and put the ball 4 feet from the green. Feeling pretty cocky I then chipped the ball 4 feet and three putted! DAMN!!!

That's it - busy day today!

Rod M

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A Call To Arms (literally) for Amtrak

As you might think I'm getting a little worried that only me, DJ and and shakenbsis will be painting the Amtrak Station Saturday at 10:30. If you are coming it would ease my pain to know we will not be alone.

Anybody coming from Oshkosh? I received an email from
he/she is a regular blog reader.

PLUS - someone call the press about painting Amtrak. it's newsworthy - Columbus Citizens Take Matters Into Their Own Hands.
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The parents of Jack Taylor should be ashamed! "Taylor's parents tracked down his agent to make sure he'd get the hat". Good Grief. Nothing like begging right? So many more deserving kids would like that hat (and would wear it correctly).

I wonder if they did the work and stood in line for 14 hours like the rest of the parents with kids?
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OK - As we all know shakenbsis's birthday is Saturday and I found the greatest present for her.

This is an outstanding find. Betty - I called the place and said "I would love to have your 40 pound barn cat. Can you deliver it?" They said "SURE!! where to." I gave them the address and they asked "should we leave it in the driveway." I thought this was odd but I said "do you think it will get away?" They said "no, it's not going no where".

"SWEET" I said and they said "Yes it is". AND GET THIS!!! They have MORE! I don't know what they are feeding these cats but perhaps I'll start sending them to all of you. Maybe to everyone that orders postcards! HECK! Only $14.99!!! Can't beat that!!
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Remember that photo in the last blog with Blake under the steering wheel? We'll, small story about that. We had just gotten done with some really good pizza at Diggers and had decided to go see a sunset. However both DJ and I felt a little . . . . . growley in the bowley and a little rumbly in the tumbly. But we both knew where we were going was a convenient place to . . . . . go if things started to move (so to speak).

So I was out taking photos and there was thunder and the rain started and . . . . . things started to move . . . . . FAST!!! It's raining now and I go to hop in the car and there is Blake and HE WON'T MOVE!!! BLAKE - COME ON - I pull and push but he is unmoving! - BLAKE! I GOTTA GO. He would not budge. BLAKE NOW - THE CLOCK IS TICKING. AAAAGGHHHHHH!!!!!

Man that dog can be a pain sometimes.

We almost had to pick him up and move him manually!

The story had a happy ending.

I did get this photo.


The couple is unknown and I went up to them afterward and introduced myself and showed them what I took. I hope they contact me to get a copy. They had never been in Door before.

The next photo is behind where Blake had his ice cream cone. Funny thing is that after his ice cream cone he found a dead fish and thought he was now in heaven. Ice cream and dead fish! WOW - paradise.


This photo was from one of the many lookouts in Peninsula State Park. They is Green Bay on the left (the water part).


And before I forget. Michelle Martin Photography. It is not often you can watch a photographers career take off and I look forward to seeing her do outstanding things in the coming years. She is a budding photo star and I can't wait to see what happens next!
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What's all this stuff I'm hearing about Columbus and it's Firemen. Someone want to give me the low down from both sides??
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Off to Menard's to get garage shelving.
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I am SO out of touch with Public Enemies!!

Rod M

Monday, June 16, 2008

Julie's Park Cafe & Motel

Hi Guys

All day I have been worried about yesterdays blog. I never had a chance to proof read it and YOU KNOW ME AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. I was feeling a little guilty for taking up space in the restaurant so I closed down a tad early.

SO!

We're having a great time. Weather was thunder stormy today and Blake was a little nervous all day.

As I mentioned before I have been coming to Door County every year for perhaps the last 45 years but this is the first time staying at Julie's Park Cafe & Motel so as I normally do, I give a review.

We picked Julie's first and foremost because they are dog friendly. Why don't more places allow dogs, just makes sense to me. A dog is part of the family right? As a bonus Julie's is on the Green Bay, warmer side of the bay. If you ever come to Door if it is to warm go to the Bailey's Harbor/Lake Michigan side, if it's cold go to the Fish Creek/Green Bay side.

The place is right next to Peninsula State Park, the best Park in Door so you would think it would be expensive, right?. Nope. It is actually one of the least expensive places in the Fish Creek Area. The trick is you get what you pay for. The rooms are bare bones, no extras EXCEPT for dog friendly which for us is a BIG bonus. Anybody that is dog friendly gets a few extra stars in my book.

Free Wireless is NOT in your room but basically just next to the restaurant. They have no problem with using the restaurant for laptops, right now I am one of three. Heck, I remember when you could not even get any television in Door so ANY wireless is great.

I THINK our room is a special "dog" room as Josh and Jenny next door have a much cleaner room as far as carpeting. Again - no big deal, dogs don't wipe their feet.

Free HBO . . .well . . .it's free but not real clear, you have "charter" floating across the screen the entire movie. But the rest of the channels are clear. But really, are you here in Door Country to watch TV? It's the perfect place for making basecamp while doing all the other things up here.


I totally recommend the place for a clean, affordable base camp

That is the Motel, the Cafe is very very friendly and we are made to feel right at home. Free coffee and the staff is wonderful, EVEN after the staff has been working for 12+ hours. Speaking of the staff. Most are from Europe and other far off countries for the summer and we love that aspect. I call them Julie's cast of characters and they really add uniqueness.

Below is Jairo from Columbia, Donatas, who's first plane ride was a 10 hour trip from Lithuania and Mario from Mexico.

The pastry is great, prices are typical Door County but maybe a little cheaper, more normal. There are cheaper places but I have to think Julie's is in line with 80% of all the other places in Door. Plus as Josh said at breakfast, this is fantastic as he took his first bite into his stack of Kamikaze Cakes (2 Buckwheat cakes with blueberries, bananas and pecans cooked into the center of each cake). If fact the look on Josh and Jennies eyes as they tried their first piece was sort of like Blake's ice cream cone (see below).

It's a cozy place and from what I can tell a crowd favorite. Highly Recommended.

One bonus with staying here is you are near everything. We will come here again as long as they are dog friendly.

Flashback first.

It's weird. I feel so out of touch with what Johnny Depp and Michael Mann and company are doing. How long as it been since DJ, and Jenny got a hug from Johnny? Seems like ages(great blog Betty about your experience). One tiny bit of Public Enemies news - Before I came up here I had heard rumors that IF there is no actors strike the June 30th deadline might me passed with more filming.

HEY - we JUST saw Evan on TV!!!! Seriously!! They had a piece about a kid getting a Johnny Depp hat in Oshkosh and they had some scenes and BAM - there is Evan.

Anybody notice that the two main places Universial filmed Public Enemies in Wisconsin were flooded? If I was Little Bohemia I would be buying sandbags.

As for our day.

Yesterday the four of played a little mini golf, then went to Wilson's to eat lunch. Wilson's has been serving food since 1904 I believe. Then Josh talked us into paddle boat rides but get this.

To settle the bill I said we would pay for lunch and they could pay for the paddle boats. LITTLE did I know there was a storm coming. We get in the water and start paddeling. The boats are not really made for anybody over 4 feet tall. My knee keeps hitting my chin and after 20 minutes of peddeling like mad we look back and are like 25 feet from the pier. This is a good thing because a storm is moving in so we turn around make it back just in time. Josh gets 67% of his $$ back.

Then drove into Peninsula State Park and took some photos on overlooks.



A trip to Egg Harbor for a little shopping for hoodies and as the sun came out we went to an Ice Cream Stand. Story time.

The guy asks DJ, "would your dog like a doggie ice cream cone?" "Of course" DJ says and Blake licks his lips. He disappears and returns with what looks like a kids cone and Blake gets a huge grin. DJ puts it in front of him and Blake is in heaven. His very first ice cream cone. He does not really understand the licking part of an ice cream cone though and CHOMP, GONE!


We can't figure out why Blake is gaining weight.

SO much for THAT diet. Whenever we go on a vacation with Blake he never eats his DOG food. He will shove his dish around the room all night trying to tip it over.

The rest of the day is non eventful, we eat in Baileys Harbor at a Green Bay Packer enhanced bar and that is about it.

Today is get away day for J and J (sad). For us we are taking Blake hiking and a Fish Boil tonight. Captain Anne Bonny, you got married outside Baileys? cool. We love that little place, our favorite quite place if you have to get away from.

OK - gotta run and do things - talk to you tomorrow

Rod and DJ

Sunday, June 15, 2008

From Up Here

Good morning from Fish Creek.

Hope all is well down south. We woke up this morning to thunder and Blake can not understand how a human can build a house with no bath tub. Where is a poor dog to go and hide.

The weather has been pretty good for the most part. Mosquitoes are every where. I'm not sure I have ever been in Door when there have been those little varmints, I guess we are normally up here in the fall.

Our bike ride was a success. A short 25K but with both of us having colds for a month and bad weather we only trained for . . . .1 block. Last night a couple saw us and ask if we were on the ride. "How far did you go" they asked. Only 25K, " we went the 100K, testing my new knee that was replaced a month ago" the guy said. "Then afterward we took some kayaks out to test them" WELL LA DEE DAA!

We did have one little altercation on the ride :-)

DJ and I are riding side by side on an empty road. I'm pretty experienced with biking havign gone on five 500 mile week long ride in my life, so we were not a problem.

Then we hear. ON YOUR LEFT, meaning faster bikers are approaching on our left.

ZOOOM a recumbent build for two flashes past us. The guy the says "Taking up the whole God Damn Road". We are both surprised and mutter sorry, then I realize we were NOT taking up the whole God Damn road. I yell ASS HOLE!!

Not sure I have ever yelled ass hole to another biker (a few cars but no bikers).

I took pictures but this laptop has no photoshop and I don't want to upload 6 meg photos.

Lots of Lithuanians up here manning tables in restaurants. I'll have a photo of Donatas at some point - a pretty cool guy from Lithuania. They hire people from that area of the world every year. Seems to be a thing to do. It's something I have noticed is a lot of Gelato stands and I have heard many Italians. This is something new that has started in the last few years.

Right now they are explaining about toast to some waitress from Slovakia.

My parents purchased property in Baileys Harbor 40 years ago but sold it so I have been coming up here almost all my life. I have seen many changes but it's still the same old Door, a little busier an more trinket shops. Also I have seen prices rise in restaurants.

SO - today - some hiking in the woods perhaps.

That's it. Restaurant is filling up - better pack it up.

Cheers

Check out Jenny's blog - she is taking photos of every meal LOL.

Rod and DJ

Friday, June 13, 2008

Heading North

Don't be fooled by the term "dust bunnies." They're not cuddly . . .they're vicious little bitches and if they get in your disk drives, God help you, they can bring your computer to its knees. They live their whole lives in corners hatching, defecating, and laying eggs.
-Dwight
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The three CoCoRahas reporting stations in Oshkosh all were in the 5.5 inch of rain area. Columbus had about 2.25 inches of rain. Waukesha a little over 2 inches.

If we can find any highways open going north we will be on the road today.

So - with that said we're off to the vet to take the kittahs to there little vacation spot. We use to keep them at home but they were bad kittahs last time!

BUT - that is the past!

We're heading north for fun and laughter and no one can stop us (insert evil laugh).

talk to you later today from up nort!
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EXTRA EXTRA

Well it is 7am, and I just got home from the PE filming. It was a closed set, all indoors last night into this morning. It took place in the penthouse apartment on Prospect. I arrived at 9:30pm, after battling torrential rain and lightning, and raced around to find some parking. The rain was blowing sideways when I got there, but it did not stop people from gathering across the street. I arrived just a little bit too late to see Johnny pull in, but I knew he was there since Jerry was hanging out by the road. Betty (my little shakes), and Tiffany met me down there just shortly after I arrived. It stopped raining at about 9:45, and stayed dry till 1:30am. The crew was busy bringing in lighting, and props. Michael Mann was just barely visible in the doorway, then disappeared for the rest of the filming. At about 1:15am, crew members came out to warn the crowd of an approaching severe thunderstorm, and said we should seek shelter. A HUGE thanks to Zack, and Jenny (whom we met last night) for leading us to an old Irish Pub just down the street. We rode out the storm till bar close, then headed back to the PE film site. It continued to rain for the next 4 hours, with no signs of life within the building.

Michael Mann reappeared at around 4:45am, and stood in front of us talking to some producers.
At about 5am, Jerry came out and told us the Johnny would come out and sign autographs shortly, and by 6am...there he was. It was at that moment that the rain suddenly stopped!! Johnny took his time going down the line and shaking hands, giving hugs, and signing autographs. Betty FINALLY got her machete cover autographed, and Jerry recognized her from Columbus. She got such a big grin on her face! Congrats Betty! (YEA BETTY rm)

We had a great time, met some great friends, and enjoyed the last night of PE filming in Milwaukee!!!

Sad to see them go, but it was a great ride!

Vicky
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Rod, DJ and Blake!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act

Public Enemies - Milwaukee from Cub Reporter
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Arriving at the filming site on Prospect Ave at around 5pm I waited with about 100 other people to see what was going to happen. It was rumored that Johnny was filming a few blocks away, but I could not see anything. The crew was very nice to us, and a few of them came over to talk to the crowd as we waited to see Johnny, and the other actors pull in. They were filming some inside scenes in an apartment building on Prospect....night scenes/indoor scenes only. The scenes were being filmed on the pent house floor in the apartment building. Michael Mann arrived at about 8:30pm, but then left about 15 minutes later. He did come back around 10pm, and the crowd said hello to him. Someone screamed "Last of the Mohican's ruled!" (Something to that extent) to which Michael raised his hand in appreciation.

(I guess his last five movies DIDN'T rule LOL - rm)

Everything was pretty quiet tonight, until Johnny arrived. He pulled up in his SUV just after 10pm. However, he did not roll down his window, but went directly inside with a group of people. Jerry came out to inspect the barricades that had been set up. Perhaps for a later meet and greet? I had to leave as it was getting late, so I left Peg with her sister down by the set. It was also rumored that Marion was on set tonight as well, although we never saw her.

We did however see some extras, and what some believe were Johnny and Marion's "stand-ins".

The crowd tonight seemed a little restless waiting for Johnny, but all in all it was fun to hang out with the crew. Their job is much harder than I would have ever imagined, and I am glad that some of them took their time to speak with us.

I'll be down there tomorrow, and hopefully we will get to see some action!

Thanks Vicky!!
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Let me say right off that I am NOT blaming anybody for the mess up. I am only writing so in the future things will be handled correctly.

I also want to thank and give a standing ovation to the Columbus Countryside Veterinary Clinic for taking it upon themselves to save our pets. We are taking Milo and Sierra there tomorrow and I will personally thank them. If anybody wants to give thanks and support send an email to me and I'll forward it to them tomorrow.

On May 22, 2006 the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS)was passed and signed into law by George W Bush. The Bill is Public Law 109-308.

NO PET SHALL BE LEFT BEHIND!

The bill requires that local and state emergency preparedness authorities include plans for pets and service animals in their disaster plans to qualify for grants from FEMA.

It grants FEMA the authority to assist states and local communities in developing disaster plans to accommodate people with pets and service animals.

It authorizes federal funds to help create pet-friendly emergency shelter facilities and it allows FEMA to provide assistance for individuals with pets and service animals, and the animals themselves, following a major disaster.

People victimized by disasters should not suffer needless additional injury by having to abandon their household pets or service animals to their fate.

If you have a pet in need of evacuation contact your local Human(e) Society. FINE - I'll change it!
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Well, Thursday, the day of reckoning is here. The fields can hold about 1/3 of an inch of water and I figure we should get about 1.5 to 2 inches of rain today. Cross your fingers!!

Dew points will be rising and the cold front is coming at us!! Every degree we warm up the air will become less stable!
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Speaking of pets.

Here you see our Cardigan Corgi Blake. Why is he smiling? It is because he see's me and I will free him from being stuck on wet lamby.

You see he is constantly getting his leash wrapped around pretty much anything from rocks to plants and he knows that once there is a tug on the leash he is pretty much doomed.

So yesterday I'm taking photos of the yard and I look and there he is. Stuck on wet lamby. He has felt the pull of doom and and understands that resistance is futile. There is no way he will become unstuck from THIS insurmountable obstacle. He just prays high water does not come his way.

I saved him.
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Painting the Train Station. The real news is that I will be making a batch of Sesame Ginger Chicken with Noodles to pass around after painting. That's right, my one recipe that is in a bona fide cookbook sensation will be making it's 1st Columbus appearance. YUMMO!!

So June 21st 2008 about 10:30 we will be painting the inside of the Train Station. BYOPB (Bring Your Own Paint Brush) we will have almost everything else. If you want to bring food and or drink - bring it on down!! Let's party.

PLUS - I have personally scheduled the Milwaukee 261 to make an appearance (not sure if it is stopping and I personally had nothing to do with it).

Also on Wednesday June18th and Monday the 23rd the Milwaukee 261 will be making a stop in Columbus. This is a seriously awesome train and you should make it a point to check it out.
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Starting tomorrow (or tomorrow night) I will be coming to you from Fish Creek (Crick) Wisconsin.

Door County has more lighthouses than any other in the country.

Join us in our adventure.
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Be on the look out for Fire Fox 3.0 - awesome upgrade with many new and great features.
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Talk to Josh and Jenny and ask them how HAPPY they are with State Farm Insurance. What a crock of BS. They have been calling them since Saturday and STILL no one has talked to them about insurance. They are getting the total run around.

I guess they have never had to pay out before???

Rod