Pictures/Concert Review of the Week

Last night I attended the Van Halen concert at the Allstate Arena. Van Halen has united for a grand tour that did not disappoint. As a four member band, they played incredible music. As the king of camp, lead singer David Lee Roth put it, the band is now "3 quarters original and 1 quarter inevitable".

Along with Roth, original guitarist and founder Eddie Van Halen was joined on stage with his drummer brother Alex. The new bassist is none other then Eddie's 16 year old son Wolfgang, who was looking a lot like his mom, Valerie Bertinelli. (He replaces original bassist Michael Anthony).

They played all of their classics and rocked the house! One downside was the sometimes poor sound quality on vocals. Also, the highly anticipated "Jump" finale wasn't as fire charged as it could have been. But the rest of the show was great. Highlighted songs that I enjoyed tremendiously were "Jamie's Crying" ,"Running with the Devil" and "Panama".

The best part was watching (thanks to the huge TV screen behind the stage because our seats were waaaay far from the stage) and listening to Eddie Van Halen play the guitar. He is a legend and I am so glad I finally got to see him play. The sounds he made were fantastic, and his extended solo was one that I'll never forget. He said he wrote it for his son before he was even born, and told how amazed he is that his son was in the band, and how he felt "blessed".

Oh sure, they're getting older like the the rest of us. Diamond Dave's kicks aren't as high as they used to be and he no longer has his long blond hair, the band has been through a lot of ups and down, and Eddie is out of rehab for hopefully the last time. But a new generation of fans were certainly present at the concert, more youngsters than I expected with their parents, sharing together the enjoyment of classic rock that will live on through the ages.

Riddle....Part 2

Kathy got today's way too fast, so I will post another one for you riddle enthusiasts.

Pronounced as one letter,
And written with three,
Two letters there are,
And two only in me.
I'm double, I'm single,
I'm black, blue, and gray,
I'm read from both ends,
And the same either way.
What am I?

Ready for a Riddle?

I come in different shapes and sizes. Part of me are curves, others are straight. You can put me anywhere you like, but there is only one right place for me.

What am I?

Quote of the Week

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal: Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

- Thomas Jefferson

Word of the Week

This week's word is

MITOSIS

mi·to·sis /maɪˈtoʊsɪs/

–noun Cell Biology. the usual method of cell division, characterized typically by the resolving of the chromatin of the nucleus into a threadlike form, which condenses into chromosomes, each of which separates longitudinally into two parts, one part of each chromosome being retained in each of two new cells resulting from the original cell.



[Origin: 1885–90; < Gk mít(os) a thread + -osis]

—Related forms
mi·tot·ic /maɪˈtɒtɪk/

Trip to the Dells

For the last four summers I've taken a trip up to the Wisconsin Dells. This year my parents, nieces and I added a bonus trip and went there last weekend. The fall weather cooperated and we had a great time. We stayed in good old condo #5 again. The complex has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a play ground, exercise room, activity center and all the comforts of home. It's so close to all the attractions too.

We were able to do many new things, such as a speed boat ride on the upper dells. Dad, E and I were the brave souls that ventured onto a boat that held about 30 people and had a daredevil driver who did crazy 360 degree turns and quick stops. Needless to say, we got very wet. Emma had a death grip on me for a while, but started to have fun with it all and screamed that fun "roller coaster" type scream whenever we would experience treacherous maneuvers. Dad had a seat in the back and got drenched, I mean totally soaked. I have to say he was a good sport about it all and meticulously removed the drenched contents of his wallet upon our return and let them dry out overnight. I have no pictures of this adventure, the camera stayed dry within the protective bag they provided. The ride was a lot of fun, since the driver gave a good tour of the area in between all the splishing and splashing.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy from a short but fun trip.

Both girls have taken to the water quite well.


Fun at the park.


Word of caution: After spinning a child on one of these crazy things, look before you back up, because you may just trip on the ridge going up and fall upon your butt!


Whatever you do, don't call her CHIPS!

Contrary to what certain people thought, DUCKS DO FLY!


The fishing was high in quantity, but as you can see, low in quality. There are
goldfish bigger than some of these bluegills. E and K can now cast independently. E has almost gotten taking a fish off the hook down, and next year, K will give it a try. They are becoming quite the fishergirls.





We took a horse drawn cart ride through the LOST CANYON. It had very narrow passageways and was quite the scenic trip.




Our horse guides, Pat and Dan. Whoa!

We went to a broadway style dinner/theater to see an AMERICAN MUSICAL REVIEW. Both the food and show were great. Everyone had a good time there. Here is a picture of myself and a couple of little future performers.


Here are some photos from an old time train museum located in the middle of nowhere, about a half hour south of the dells and just west of good old Baraboo. (Someday, I'll be settling down there, but that's a story for another day). We took a ride on a train from 1903. It went through the country side, passed through a little town, and then they uncoupled the engine, put it on the other side of the train, and brought us back. The place had a small museum with restored train cars from the olden days.



BillyJo, BobbyJo, BettyJo, is that you swimmin in there??

Some old time trains to look at.



The park had nice fall decorations.

Waiting for the ride to start.



Look, flying ducks!

Keep your hands and heads inside at all times...oops.

This was our conductor, whose name is Jim Connor, I kid you not.

Nothing says Wisconsin like a stop at the HOME OF THE COW PIE.

I say MOOOOOOO to you!

On the trip home Monday we stopped in Madison to see the state capitol building.

The Dome.


Lounging in the Supreme Court.


Mom and Dad looking at the replica Liberty Bell.


And the trip was completed with a stop at Culvers. Niece K had vanilla.


And E with chocolate!


And a good time was had by all!

Picture of the week

Coming soon, pictures from a recent trip to Wisconsin Dells. I have to do some editing and downloading. But in the meantime, enjoy this picture: