Category: Music

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Food History Holidays Life Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

My first ever trip to New England this past week reminded me of some of the fun times that I enjoyed as a kid growing up in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs  surrounding Washington D.C. That vibe – that feeling – that weather this past week up in Western Massachusetts – or as the natives refer to it – ‘West Mass’. It reminded me of a simpler time from an era not so long forgotten. It was a long time ago, but the vivid memories are still there for me to cherish in their own special way. We spent several Summers for a few days or a week at a time over at the popular seaside resort of Ocean City Maryland. I remember the sights of the town, the smells of the sea, and the tastes of the food permeating all up and down the boardwalk. I haven’t been there in about 30 years, but I think that I will check out the place sometime soon on a future vacation. I can easily spend a bunch of days and nights having a lot of fun along that three-mile stretch of boardwalk, so what am I waiting for ?

Here’s a cool tune from that fun era that’s all about a sun-drenched seaside place such as Ocean City Maryland. Musician Jay Ferguson fondly looks back at his “Thunder Island”. He recorded the track right here in our own seaside resort of Miami Florida back in 1977. Enjoy the ‘Retro’ !

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God Life Music

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

It’s the 13TH of June, and Summer is here. It’s hot and humid outside in most parts of the free nation, and the days are long while the nights are short. It’s time to get things done, and it’s time to relax at home or in an exotic land far far away. In whatever you do and whereever you go this Summer be safe and have a lot of fun. Take care of each other out there. Spread Love – not hate. There’s enough hate out there to go around, but there’s not nearly enough Love for all. You and I are the cure for that epidemic.

Make this a memorable Summer for all of the right reasons. Make this a Summer that you can fondly look back on 5 years from now – or 25 years from now. Make this a Summer that you can talk to your children and grandchildren about. Make this a Summer to remember.

For me it’s gonna be real hard topping the Summer of 2006. That’s when I accepted Jesus Christ as my ultimate Lord and Saviour. Talk about a Summer to remember (and I will always do so) !  46 months and 4 Summers later – this ‘Fantastic Journey’ continues to progress forward closer and closer to the ultimate destination, and I am totally on-board.

I Love You Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
O my soul rejoice !
Take joy my King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet sweet sound in Your ear

It’s in the lyrics:

Categories
Career Driving History Life Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

On this exact date I’m celebrating my remarkable 25TH silver anniversary in the United States Air Force. Back on the 12TH of June of 1985 – a mere 6 days after my high school graduation and just a week removed from my 18TH birthday – I made my way via cars, buses, planes, trains, and shuttles from Northern Virginia (Fairfax County) to San Antonio Texas (Lackland Air Force Base) to enter Air Force Basic Military Training. It was the most grueling six-and-a-half-weeks of my entire life – then and now. I arrived as a boy. I departed as a man.

I’d do it all over again. It was the very start of a long and rewarding military and civilian career, and I am most greatful.

Fast forward 5 years later … 20 years ago this Summer I enjoyed the greatest, the wildest, and the craziest time of my life. I drove up to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City for two weeks of Aircraft Maintenance Systems Database Management school. I remember next to nothing about the actual school, but I remember a LOT about the fun that I enjoyed after school. Me and a buddy from class totally rocked our faces off on the beach at neighbouring Spinnaker Beach Club and Club LaVela. We partied hard – every night. We agreed that it was our own personal Woodstock Music Festival – 21 years later. It was the mother-of-all college spring breaks big and small all rolled up into one giant blur. Of course all of this occurred several years before Panama City Beach was eventually discovered as the North American continental mecca for Spring Break.

What a total blast it was. It was the greatest most outrageous two weeks of my entire military career exploring Tyndall AFB, Parker, Callaway, Springfield, Cedar Grove, Panama City, Panama City Beach, and the scenic U.S. Highway 98 corridor through the region in my red 1989 Geo Spectrum. If I could do it all over again – I would NOT. I simply could not survive another two weeks like that again, and it’s quite simply incompatible with my current new Life. I just have the memories to look back on, and sometimes that’s more than enough.

Here’s a hard rockin’ smash that took the free nation by storm back during that memorable Summer of 1990. It’s laughed upon today as cheesy sugar-coated hair-metal-pop, but back then it was the signature rock song of my two weeks on the white hot sandy beaches of Panama City. It’s twin bros Matthew and Gunnar Nelson with their megasmash “(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection”. It’s ‘Retro’ from my ‘Summer Of Fun’ in 1990. You know it !

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History Life Music People Radio Travel Weather

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

This week on the ‘Grab Bag’ I’ve got something old – something new – nothing borrowed – and something blue. It’s all for you – on this Tuesday night !

Old School – I’m currently experiencing a major 1970s hit music revival. I’m not really talking about the classic rock of the decade or even the disco revolution of the last few years of the decade. I’m talking about those cheesy pop nuggets – those moldie goldie oldies on 45 RPM vinyl. The songs that even sounded good amongst the AM radio static. I’m talking about great tracks from such forgotten artists as Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds, Albert Hammond, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Climax, Reunion, Andy Kim, Neil Sedaka, Electric Light Orchestra, Dr. Hook, Andrew Gold, Jay Ferguson, and countless others. One of my iPod Shuffles is currently being stocked with a bunch of these timeless classics from yesteryear when my life as a 2-year-old to a 12-year-old kid was so much more simpler. Long live the cheese from my youth !

New England – Next week at this time I’ll be in New England for the first time ever. In my 43 years of life I’ve never been further east than Pennsylvania and New York along the eastern seaboard although I’ve lived on the east coast for 39 out of my 43 years. Next Monday I can claim two new states that I’ll be setting foot in for the first time – Connecticut and Massachusetts. I was actually wondering if my destination next week would be the furthest north that I’ve ever been in North America. The answer is NO. I’ve been to Syracuse (43.1° north latitude), Milwaukee (43.1°), and Detroit (42.3°). All three of these cities are a little further north than Chicopee Massachusetts (42.2°). I’ve also been to Chicago (41.8°) and Cleveland (41.5°) – a little further south. Incidentally Syracuse was where I spent a few freezing cold and snowy days and nights before heading off to war in the Saudi Arabian desert at the start of 1991.

Blue Seas – I’m now just 89 days away from embarking on my next Carnival cruise – and my first as a Platinum V.I.P. cruiser. It’ll be my 10TH cruise with Carnival (since 1999), so I’ll get all of the perks that go along with such a status. It’s expected to be an extremely active hurricane season, and my cruise is scheduled for the absolute peak of the season – the week of Labor Day. Cruises rarely get cancelled because of hurricanes, but could my cruise be out on the high seas at the same exact time as a Hurricane Igor or a Hurricane Julia or a Hurricane Karl ?  Those are the ‘I’, ‘J’, and ‘K’ named storms that could be out there during that second week of September this year. Igor and Karl simply sound vicious. Julia – not so much. I’m hoping for a lull in the hurricane season while I’m out there during that week. I’m hoping for peaceful and quiet blue seas.