It's Them, Not Me: Fox Lake Gas Bump Strikes Again

Gas around here jumped from $3.56 to a low of $3.70 and high of $3.85 Sunday.  And, for no reason that I know of.  That is a 14 cent to 29 cent jump in the matter of a few minutes.  To drop that amount takes at least a month.  Funny how gas can go up so fast, but drop so slow.  Must be a GRB thing.

This is the fourth Fox Lake gas bump we've had this summer.  The first times it was pretty much a standard 20 cent spike.

Like I Firmly believe, Upon Entering Illinois, the Welcome Signs Should Read, "Welcome to Illinois, Expect To PAY MORE."

It's Them, Not Me: Thanks to the GRBs

Received news from my bank that starting this month, the interest rate for my debit card account goes from two-and-a-half percent to one-and-a-half percent for the first $15,000.  I'm not happy at all about this.  This is the only place us regular folk can earn anything even approaching a decent interest rate any more.

The only reason I got a debit card was for the interest.  If it drops another one percent, I'm going to drop it altogether.

The government sticks it to us so that the GRBs can have plenty of money to invest so they can get 20-30% return on their investments.  After all, it was the GRBs that got us into this economic funk in the first place, now, we have to give them the chance to get the money back.  Supposedly, they will reinvest and make jobs for regular folk, but mostly, they just keep it.

Come On, At Some Time the Government Needs to Do Something for the Regular Folks.  --RoadDog

Dad Gets Hurt Very Badly Thirty Years Ago Today

I have been reading in my 1982 journal and this date, thirty years ago, the Atlantic Ocean got the better of Dad.  We were at Carlina Beach, North Carolina, back then, just wrapping up a week at the beach.

In the morning, Dad and I went out to look at the lake and Sugar Loaf to look at the old Confederate positions from the Civil War.  When we got back, we went swimming one last time in the ocean.  This is where I pick up that day:

"We all went swimming one more time this morning.  The ocean has been very rough ever since we got here and it nearly claimed "Surfer Bud."  Dad had gotten out further than he deemed safe and decided to ride a wave back in.  Unfortunately, he picked the wrong wave.  I had been going over the top of waves, but decided to go under this one as it looked particularly violent.  It grabbed Dad and threw him with the awesome forse it possessed headfirst into the bottom.  This gave him a concussion and hurt his back badly.

At first, I thought he was just kidding, but soon noticed the pain was real.  He scared me badly.  At first, he couldn't see anything, but gradually the sight came back.  I was more worried about the pain in his back.  He refused to let us call an ambulance and walked back to the cottage.  After he took a shower, we took him to the Federal Point Medical Center, but it was closed so we went back to the cottage, finished packing , and Mom drove Dad, Andy and Chris back to Goldsboro.  (The Prince Reunion was the next day.)"

I Sure Remember This Event.  --RoadDog

Come On, Enough's Enough!!

And, I'm afraid we're just getting started.  Read an article recently in the Chicago Tribune about Norfolk, Virgina, which is getting swamped with political ads from Obama and Romney.  While I was in North Carolina earlier this month, they were getting swamped as well.

If these political ads concentrated on what the candidate wanted to do, that would be one thing, but all these are amount to personal attacks.  The way I'm viewing them, even if they are only remotely true, is that the two men running for the top position in the country should probably best be considered as candidates for long jail terms.

I don't know what their "advisors" are saying to them, but, at this point I will probably have to vote for which ever one offends me the least, meaning, whoever has the fewest attack ads.  Even better, perhaps a viable Third Party can come together and give us an actual choice.

We are just now getting some of the negative ads here in Illinois.  No doubt, we've been spared till now because Illinois is not considered a swing state as the Land of Lincoln, once a Republican bastion (well, weren't the Southern states once "The Yellow Dog Democrats?), is expected to go for Obama.

It Is Going to be a Long Haul to November.  --RoadDog

Movie Scratches: Shadows-- Black-- Prometheus-- Huntsman

A dog's-eye view of some recent movies I've seen.

25.  5-30--  DARK SHADOWS--  FOX LAKE--  $4--  A vampire from 1792 adopts to life in 1972.  A perfect role for Depp.


26.  6-15--  MEN IN BLACK--  FOX LAKE--  FREE--  So, "K" knew "J" from before.


27.  6-18--  PROMETHEUS--  FOX LAKE--  $6--  So, that's where that pesky Alien came from.


28.  6-25--  SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN--  FOX LAKE--  $6--  A great re-telling of an old story.


Ouch, Matinees Raised form $5.50 to $6.  --RoadDog


YOU CAN RETIRE TO CALIFORNIA WHERE you drive your rented Mercedes to the neighborhood block party.

I Feel for You, Dag

As I have oft-mentioned, I am more than a little bit behind the times when it comes to new technology.

More than a little, little, little, little as it were or is.

I had to chuckle at the July 6th Blondie comic strip in the Chicago Tribune.

Dagwood is walking into his house and the young boy, Elmo, comes up to him at the door.

FRAME 1: 
Elmo:  "Poor Emory got grounded, Mr. B."
Dagwood:  "That's too bad, Elmo...so are you looking for another friend to play with?

FRAME 2:
Elmo:  "Nah...That's so 20th century!  I've got Emory on Skype video from his room!"
Emory from the laptop: "Hi, Mr. B.!!"

FRAME 3:
Dagwood is inside and turns to the viewer and says, "It's amazing how outta the loop I am."

I Feel For Ya, Dag.  --RoadDog

Aye, 'Tis a Beach Life for Me-- Part 6

And, speaking of beaches, we then took a walk around the Carolina Beach boardwalk area, which to me refers to all the pedestrian-only streets down by where the old wooden boardwalk used to be.  Parking on the streets and in some lots is available all the time AND FREE!!  Hard to believe there would be free parking at the beach like that.  Try to get that at a big beach in FLA.

Sad to see that the old bumper cars are now gone as is the old Landmark restaurant right at what is considered to be the heart of CB.  We need to bring those back.  I used to inflict a lot of pain to others in those bumper cars, especially on my brother Bob and sister Julie.  However, my students paid me back in full at Great America in Gurnee in Illinois, when I made the mistake of going out and immediately became the target of everyone of the little imps.  I was actually sore when I got off.

I  had bought an Arcadia book at Fort Fisher featuring postcards of Carolina Beach from the early 1900s to 1960s with a lot of history.  This beach has been important to my family dating all the way back to when my grandparents had that pre-Hazel cottage and then, we still spent a lot of weeks there during summers in rented cottages and even camped out several times at a campground at Snow's Cut (which connects the Cape Fear River with the sounds along the coast as part of the Intercoastal waterway).

More to Come.  --RoadDog


YOU CAN RETIRE TO CALIFORNIA WHERE you will know how to eat an artichoke.

The Fratellos ' "Chelsea Dagger"

And, speaking of music, WXRT is playing "Chelsea Dagger" by the Fratellos at this moment, 7:32 AM.  I just played it last night at the Fox Lake Legion.  I'd never heard the song before until the Blackhawks made that great run to the Stanley Cup in 2010.  This was the song they played after every goal.

I went looking for the album, well, CD, and couldn't find it anywhere.  However, right before they won the Cup, we did find it in a used record/CD store in Columbia, Missouri, and played it all the way to the Lake of the Ozarks where we were nearly the only ones cheering the Hawks on to that final win, but we were heard, believe me.

Played it almost all the next day (the rest of the album is great as well).  It was a magic time for Chicago fans.

We later joined the Illinois Route 66 Tour and after the Saturday Hall of Fame Induction and dinner, I sang it at the karaoke show in the lounge.  Now, I knew I would have no problem with the "Duh, duhda, duh, duudah, duh" part, but knew the rest would be bad. It was.  That guys sings real fast and I don't read so fast.

Didn't Stop Me None.  --RoadDog

July 16th a Rough Day for Music

I was just looking at obituaries and saw that quite a few musicians of note, especially to me, died on this one day.

Kitty Wells, 92, country music "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"

Jon Lord, 71, organist with Deep Purple and Whitesnake.

Bob Babbitt, 74, Motown house band Funk Brothers.  Played on 200 Top 40 hits.

I'll go into more detail on my Cooter's History Blog, but since this blog is based so much on music, I felt it necessary to mention. 

Sad to Lose These People.  --RoadDog

Aye, 'Tis a Beach Life for Me-- Part 5

I devoured two Britt's Donuts at Carolina Beach and feeling sorry for the two guys working behind the window where you see them making those great morsels because it was fairly warm at the long counter and had to be really hot back there.

Love Them Britt's.  On my Roadlog Blog, I have just finished 100 North Carolina Icons and one was Krispy Kreme, which are great, BUT NOT COMPARED TO A BRITT'S!!!  I'd also have included Britt's on the list.  That's how much of a fan I am.

They are open 8 AM to 10 PM until Labor Day, seven days a week.

I wanted to eat more, but cut myself off at two.  Hey, I don't get there that often.  You enjoy when you can.

What Would Homer Say?  --RoadDog


YOU CAN RETIRE TO CALIFORNIA WHERE the fastest part of your commute to work is backing down your driveway.

Top 15 Fast Food Restaurants 2011

From Yahoo! News

Ranked by sales.  The graphic also gave the number of locations which was also of interest.  Sales in billions of dollars.

You'll never guess #1.

First number sales, second is locations.

1.  McDonald's   $34.2 // 14,098
2.  Subway $11.4 // 24,722
3.  Starbucks  9.75 // 10,787
4.  Wendy's 8.5 // 5,876
5.  Burger King  8.4// 7,231

6.  Taco Bell 6.8 // 5,674
7.  Dunkin' Donuts  5.92 // 7,015
8.  Pizza Hut  5.4 // 7,595
9.  KFC  4.5 // 4,793
10.  Chick-Fil-A  4.05 // 1,600

11.  Sonic Drive In  3.68 // 3,531
12.  Domino's Pizza  3.4 //  4.907
13.  Panera Bread  3.30 //  1480
14.  Arby's  3.03 //  3,484
15.  Jack in the Box  3.01 //  2,221

Now You Know.  --RoadDog


YOU CAN RETIRE TO CALIFORNIA WHERE  you make over $250,000 a year and you still cannot afford to buy a house.

Every Blooming THing-- End of July

I was definitely figuring that most everything in the yard would be dead when I finally for back from my two week trip, July 10th to 24th, or, at the very least, all the flowers in containers.  I mean, I really watered them heavily every day the last three before I left and even put the containers together in the front and back of the house so Liz could water them.

I found out she never watered them once as she is paranoid about how much water we have left in the well, although at almost 300 feet, I think we'll be ok, even if neighbors continue to water their grass.  Hey, grass will come back after a drought, except maybe that located over the septic lines (I found out this the hard way).

Other than the three container vegetable plants, everything survived.  Fortunately, we did have a little rain on several occasions while gone.

Sure Glad the Yard Pulled Through.  --RoadDog

Got Home

After eight states and over 2700 miles, I got home earlier rthis evening.  Sure enjoyed myself visiting with family, enjoying the beach, and doing up Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.

I'll be reporting on it.

Blogging All the Way.  --RoadDog

So, What Happened to the Ferrets?

The last contest for the animal shelters here in Illinois, we, at Save-A-Pet were wiped out by the ferrets.  However, for some reason, I see thart they are not trying here in the new contest.  I guess because they can't win under the rules.

However, I would like to point out, that even though we couldn't win last contest, we still played.

Come On Ferrets, Get a Backbone!!  --RoadDog

Congratulations to Ron Santo

It is about time he got into the Hall of Fame.  Should have been in many years ago.

Unfortunately, he had to die before the voters realized it.

Definitely one of the two Mr. Cubs in my book.

Why, I even wore my Cubs hat for the first time when he died and will have to wear it again in honor of his acceptance at long last.

And, I Don't Take Wearing a Cubs Hat Lightly.  I Had Said I'd never Wear It Until They Finally Get Into the World Series.  --RoadDog

Aye, 'Tis a Beach Life for Me-- Part 4

Next, we parked by the old Mack's store by US-421 near the boardwalk area of Carolina Beach.  I was somewhat surprised to see they didn't charge for parking.  Most beaches seem to do that.

It was a short walk past the gazebo where concerts are held Thursdays during the summer to the main boardwalk.  After years of decline, Carolina Beach has certainly turned the corner but still has some spots that are a bit rough.  It still has the old honky tonk feel to it with quite a few beach bars, including my all-time favorite, the Silver Dollar Saloon which first opened in the 50s.

Of course, first target was Britt's Donuts which has been there since the 20s or 30s.  Nothing fancy, just some of the best glazed donuts you'll ever eat.  The long counter and method of making the morsels hasn't changed at all as far back as I remember.  It being a warm day, I felt kind of sorry for the two guys in back making the donuts.

What has changed is the price, which now is 90 cents apiece.  I got six for $5 for the three of us and then did some time travel back to when I was a young boy in the 50s.  As I finished the second one, I saw that the best deal was a dozen for $7.  I was about to ask if we could get six more for the two bucks when my mom beat me to it. 

So, we had doughnuts for tomorrow!!!  The only problem with a Britt's donut is that it is only good when eaten right at the place or within a couple hours.  But that was back in the days before microwaves, so we'll see how that does it. 

The Oven Sure Didn't Work.  --RoadDog

Aye, 'Tis a Beach Life for Me-- Part 3

Drove back past Fort Fisher to Kure Beach and took a ride along the ocean to a cottage that was built in the 1930s and looks just like the one my grandparents had on Carolina Beach's Southern Extension that was destroyed by Hurricane Hazel in 1954.  I mean, there was not a trace left of it.  It is a rental and we've thought of renting it or looking at it to see if the interior is the same, not that I would remember because I was just three when Hazel came a-knockin', well, slammin'..

Next, we drove by where the old cottage was in Carolina Beach.  A cottage has since been built on the site, which is oceanfront.  There is a bit of Civil War history in front of the cottage.  The Civil War blockade-runner Beauregard was run aground and destroyed in 1863.  The upperworks of it can be still seen at low tide.

My Great Aunt Annie Mae had a cottage directly across the street that her family has since sold.  We used to stay there a lot after Hurricane Hazel.  The downstairs was enclosed and was part sand where we used a shower head to clean off the salt and sand when returning from the beach.  Sand that has not had sunlight is not pleasant, let me tell you.  That old "Under the Boardwalk" song is so wrong.  I can't imagine a worse place to be.

A Walk On the Boardwalk and Britt's Next.  --RoadDog

Aye, 'Tis a Beach Life for Me-- Part 2

Every day, I go for a walk along the beach, wading in the water and collecting shells, especially the rounded ones I call "lima beans."  Some days you find them, some days you don't.


SATURDAY, JULY 14TH

The day of the stoplights and traffic as we drove to Fort Fisher, south of Wilmington about fifty miles away.  Wilmington is a horrible place to drive any time because of its traffic, but especially bad on the weekends when you have people going to and returning to the beach.

Heard a talk on Fort Fisher's Major James Reilly, "Old Taratula" and took a guided tour around the fort.  Saw the 32-pounder coastal cannons fired. 

Then went to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and that place is quite impressive and big.  Enjoyed watching the seahorses and say their #1 attraction, the albino alligator.

Then drove down to the end of Federal Point, by the "Rocks" which were built to close off New Inlet.  We used to do a lot of crabbing and sand fiddler-chasing there.  This is also the southern terminus of US Highway 421.  Enjoy the signage for the beginning and end.

More to Come.  --RoadDog