posted: August 2, 2008

Another belated posting, this time about Ronnie and his band sharing the stage with the Marshall Tucker Band. Yes, the Marshall Tucker Band. He sent me info about it last month but I didn't get to it until now. Fortunately, these things go out with plenty of advance notice, so the concert hasn't happened yet. It's on August 22, in Windham, upstate New York. Here's the press release:



FOR RELEASE

Falcon Productions proudly presents “Field of Dreams Concert,” featuring the Marshall Tucker Band at Cuomo’s Cove, Windham, NY, on Friday, August 22. Also appearing will be JB Kline of Lambertville, NJ, as well as the Chase Brothers, Brad Berk, Blue Ice (Ron Gutierrez & friends), and the Full Circle Band.

This day-long concert beginning at 2:00 PM will celebrate the fulfillment of Nick Cuomo’s lifetime dream of creating a beautiful outdoor concert venue in the heart of the Catskills.

Please contact Joseph DeJessa for further information and to arrange interviews with Marshall Tucker Band members, Nick Cuomo and others.



And here's a link to the site publicizing it. Once you get in through all the Flash intro's, there's an audio clip that will start playing, keep listening to it (through the thunder and lightning effects) and you'll here Ronnie mentioned by name. Cool. Even Way Cool!

WWW.FALCONPRODUCTIONS.BIZ

posted: August 2, 2008

More Ronnie news. Ronnie got a sharp new short last month! (remember from the old Cheech and Chong records, "Hey man, that's a charp chort!" - meaning a very cool vehicle. I think. At least that's what I always thought they meant) (OK, so I just googled it and it's from Cheech and Chong's "Santa Claus And His Old Lady" bit, a short excerpt:

Chong: Oh, yeah?
Cheech: Yeah, a really good time there, man.
Chong: That sounds heavy, man.
Cheech: Yeah, they eat da brownies, man, and they drink da tea, man...and what they did most of da time, though, was make a lotta goodies, y'know? And they had everything they needed...they only needed to come into town maybe once year or something like that...
Chong: To pick up the welfare check and the food stamps, right.
Cheech: Yeah, man. No, no, what they did, man, is that, once a year, when they made all the goodies, y'know, they used ta put 'em in a big chopping bag and, then, they used ta take da chopping bag and give 'em to all the boys and girls all da way around da world, man!
Chong: Hey, well, that's hip, man! That sounds real nice, man.
Cheech: Oh, yeah, they were really nice people man. And so much class, man... they had so much class, y'know. Like, give or take da way they used ta deliver da toys, y'know. It's, like, Santa Claus used ta have this really charp chort, man, y'know? It was lower to da ground, had twice- pipes, candy-apple red and button top. Ooh, clean!
Chong: Hey, that sounds like a hip snowmobile, man.
Cheech: No, no, it wasn't a snowmobile...it was a sled, y'know. One of those big sleds, y'know? And he used ta have it pulled by some reindeers, y'know, like, reindeers?
Chong: Some WHAT, man?
Cheech: Some reindeers, y'know. He used ta hook them onto da sled, and then he used ta stand up inside da sled and hold on to da reins, and then call out their names, like, On, Donner! On, Blitzen! On, Chewy! On, Tavo! C'mon, Beto! And then, the reindeers used ta take off into da sky and fly across da sky, man!
Chong: Wow, man! That's far out, man!


Ah, but I digress ... as usual.

Back to Ronnie's sharp short. It's a vintage (or is it classic?) 1954 Chevrolet Pickup. Here are some pics. Click to enlarge.

posted: August 2, 2008

Jessica finally got a computer (laptop) and high speed internet access via a cell phone card (no cable or dsl out in the boondocks where they live). So now she joins our growing family of family that can browse the Derry Hill site. Maybe not major news, but it is exciting to me! Now she doesn't have to drive all the way in to the Library (about 30 miles) to check her email. And they only let you use it for an hour. Now she can sit outside in her backyard and check her email or browse the internet, and for as long as she wants. It has a built-in webcam, so I went out and got a webcam for mine so we can video conference now and I get to see my granddaughter. A 21st century grandpa/grandbaby relationship. Only thing is, the phone card speed varies and so far the feed has been pretty choppy, so she is going to try it at a wifi spot next time she is in town on a weekend (like the library). Hopefully it will be fast enough for a smooth transmission. In the mean time, we are sending recorded videos back and forth. Here's the first one I sent her (I didn't have the levels set right, so it's a little distorted in places). And the "Gabook!" is an inside joke between Tayelor and Grandpa:

posted: June 25, 2008

A very belated posting on Lindsey's new baby girl Rindy, born 2:45 AM May 15, 2008, I think around 8 lbs. Here are some pics. Click to enlarge.

posted: May 14, 2008

Dan came across this Copperhead snake in his backyard last weekend in Olivebridge. Here's his short but sweet description of the encounter:

"The only good snake is a dead snake. Copper head pit viper 3ft 2 inches long, shot in the back yard. Jean was trying to make friends with it."

Click to enlarge.

posted: May 13, 2008

Update on Aunt Nick. She seems to be recovering well. I called her up on Saturday (May 10th) to see how she was doing. She sounded great. Spirits were up, mind very sharp, she spoke clearly, with only a slight slurring of her words. We had a great conversation. I've only spoken to her once in the last 15 years or so. That was about 4 years ago when Janice was sick. This time we had a nice conversation about a bunch of things. The old days, the Cabin, Grandma and Grandpa Auletta, her family (Aunt Patsy, Aunt Toni and her big dog, her mom and dad), cell phones (we both hate them), etc. It was a real nice chat. I'm sure she'd like to hear from everyone - give her a call. Contact Judy, Ricky, or Jeanne for the number (I don't want to post it here. You never know).

posted: May 4, 2008

The second post falls under the "sad news" category - Aunt Nicki had a stroke last Saturday (April 26, 2008). I don't have much info on it, but she is supposed to be recovering fairly well. Ricky flew down from Idaho, and Judy drove over from Tampa (Aunt Nick lives on the Atlantic side, near Boca Raton, I believe). Keep her in your hearts and prayers. I'll post more info as I get it.

posted: May 4, 2008

The first post is Judy is planning a combination Family Reunion/New Business One Year Anniversary Party/Aunt Nicki's 80th Birthday Party in November of 2008. It will be in south Florida, Gulf Coast side, near Naples (NOT Tampa, like I originally posted - if anyone flew into Tampa they would be driving 5 hours to get to it!). Exact dates will be posted soon. The airport for this trip would be Ft. Myers, Florida, or Ft. Lauderdale.