Songs of 1970-- Part 2: Breaking Up and Arriving on Stage

"Given so much unrest, everyone was exhausted," says author David Browne.  "It is no coincidence that the top songs of then year were as much hymns as pop songs."

But, if such anthems brought people together, the bands that created them were, at the time, falling apart.  Both Simon & Garfunkel and the Beatles broke up in 1970, as did Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Meanwhile, great new musicians and groups rose to take their place, including Elton John, the Jackson Five, the Carpenters and James Taylor, all of whom released breakthrough songs that same year.

Whole new genres emerged as well, making 1970 a unique year that will live forever in musical history and in our memories.

Of course, 1970, was a college year for me, so these songs really strike up the old memories.  I pledge Delta Sigma Phi at NIU and moved out to the frat house in the fall after living freshman year at Lincoln Hall dormitory freshman year.  That spring was also the Kent State Riots when I really thought I was seeing the end of the United States.  Those were some scary times, I tell you.

I was looking out my dorm window when the rioting came to DeKalb and NIU as a confrontation between students and police took place right below me.  With all the police lights flashing, the campus radio station, WNIU played "Lay Down (Candles in the Wind)" by Melanie and any time I hear that song anymore it takes me right back.

1970 Was Quite a Time.  --RoadMusic

Uncertainty for Chain of Lakes Boating This Year-- Part 1

From the April 22, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Uncertainty for Lake County boating season" by Karie Angell Luc.

For the Lake County boating community, COVID-19 is having a ripple effect.

"We're all in the same boat, no pun intended," said Joseph S. Keller, executive director of the Fox Waterway Agency (FWA).  "There is certainly a lot of anxiety out there."

May and especially Memorial Day Weekend typically launch the boating season.  "People are itching to get outside to enjoy the system."

But,he warns:  "The Fox Waterway Agency has kept the waterways open during the state's stay-at-home order.  But that could change quickly if users don't abide by safe social distancing rules.  The FWA and law enforcement are keeping a close eye on the waterway."

Of course, April's weather so far has been a bust.  Way cold, overcast and lots of rain.  Not exactly prime boating weather.

--RoadDog

LAUGHTER TO DEAL WITH THE "V":  We have gone from Miles Per Gallon to Weeks Per Gallon.   But, sadly, now we also have the cheapest gas prices I've seen around here in a long time.  Most places are around $1.60.

Good Thing We Got Out of Boating Last Year

From the April 22, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Uncertainty for Lake County boating season" by Karie Angell Luc.

Looks like we times getting out of boating very well, having sold our third and last boat just this past June.  We were boating fanatics for many years, buying our first boat in 1985 because I was deejaying at Neptune's Cove and the Puppet Bar on the Chain of Lakes every weekend and those folks coming in off those boats were having just too much fun.  Thirty-three years of boating fun.

But, in the last eight years,it seemed like we were getting the boat our later and later each year and we weren't having as much fun as before.  Between fewer bars on the Chain of Lakes, bigger and faster boats and the water cop presence, the good times were waning.  And, of course we were getting older, so getting in and out of the boat and covering it up was becoming more of a problem.

And, then, the weather has been horrible the last several seasons.  The Chain was closed for much of 2017 and in 2018, we were late getting the boat out in July and then had one mechanical issue after another, so much in fact that we didn't get out at all.  That's when we decided the time for boating had passed us by.

Plus, it was funny to all watching me trying to back the boat up to launch it since I only did that once a year.  Once in the water, it stayed in the water.

So, we sold it.

Now this year, the weather has been absolutely horrible all spring with the exception of maybe there days.  Plus, now we have the "V" thing going on.  The few bars and restaurants left on the Chain can't open until the end of May, so the big Memorial Day weekend party is gone.  And, of course, boating is a social thing and this be the age of social you-know-whating.

So, Looking Like a less Than Fun Boating Season Coming.  --RoadDog

LAUGHTER HELPS WITH THE "V":  If you're having trouble with locating toilet paper, here's a life hack.  When you return a book to the library, they almost never count the pages.  (But, wait!!  libraries are all closed now, so where does that get you?)

Woodstock Willie "The Groundhog" Arrested for Making A False Forecast

From 13 WREX Rockford, Illinois,  NBC " 'Woodstock Willie'  questioned by police after predicting  early Spring"

Make sure you view the video for pictures of the arrest and booking.

They said it better than I could so this is the text of the message:

"Woodstock (where the famous movie was filmed), Illinois.   After three days  of searching, Woodstock police  finally have a suspect in custody, but released him without charges.

"Woodstock Willie was taken in for questioning on Thursday.  He is suspected in a false forecast.

"Willie predicted  an early Spring on Groundhog Day on February 2.  (I saw him wandering around the Woodstock Square on several occasions that day, but didn't suspect anything.)

Police said a sergeant spotted him today, he was cooperative but was released until police see what the weather  will be like on the first day of Spring."

Temperature here in Spring Grove is at a high of 17 degrees right now with a strong wind.  It is COLD!!

This morning the temperature was 4 degrees.  Right now at 1 pm, it is a "balmy 26 degrees.  We forget what it is like to be above freezing.

Was He Just Being Mean?  Not Funny, Oversized Rodent!!!  --RoadDog

I'd Celebrate That!! January 7 to 13: Today Is Bobblehead Day

JANUARY 7--  Bobblehead Day**  Hit it and it bounces.  Try to follow the bounce with your own head.

JANUARY 8--  Bubble Bath Day   Don't Think I've Ever Had One.  How do you get all those bubbles off?  Shower I reckon.

JANUARY 9--  Law Enforcement Appreciation**  Without them, we'd be in deep trouble.

JANUARY 10--  Save the Eagles Day**  Magnificent creatures.  We enjoy watching the eaglets on the internet.

JANUARY 11--  Milk Day**  Got it?

JANUARY 12--  Pharmacist Day**  need those pills.

JANUARY 13--  Rubber Ducky Day**  You're so fine, you make the bathtub so much fun.

--RoadDog

We Have Our Blue Light On: Blue Lives Matter Too

Our driveway light has been blue since last September.  We do it in honor of our brave men and women in blue.  The police.  The ones that protect us from the undesirables who would do us harm given the chance.  Ladies and gentlemen, it is a very thin blue line.

We keep it on now to honor the five white police officers murdered in Dallas (as well as the several wounded) while protecting a Black Lives Matter parade directed against them.  They were murdered by a black man who was out to kill white policemen because of the incidents that occurred this past week where two black men were killed by white police.  I can understand why blacks are so upset about this, especially in the killing of the man in Minnesota. But the one in Louisiana was resisting arrest.

But police must learn to show more restraint whenever possible.  Do not shoot unless absolutely necessary.

Since then, police have been attacked, often by blacks, in other places.  It seems that some blacks have declared war on the police who are the internal protection of the United States.  And, even in their shame, blacks (and  some whites) still are marching for Black Lives Matter.

To my way of thinking, Blue Lives Matter.  Without them we would be at the mercy of the certain undesirable blacks.

A Truly Sad State of Affairs.  Shame On Black Lives Matter for Bringing This On..  --RoadDog

The Sad Case of Joe Gliniewicz

I must say that the revelations of this past week concerning this police officer whom everyone believed to be a hero who died in the line of duty in Fox Lake, Illinois, have been more than a little upsetting.

At first, it was hard to believe he had committed suicide which was bad enough, but then to learn that the suicide was committed to avoid the fall out from his stealing money from the Explorer Post he ran, well that was a real knockout punch.

His death caused much fear and worry here in the Fox Lake area (we live five miles from the village).  Plus, the amount of grief and public outpouring toward his family was unprecedented.  I doubt that any police officer had received more recognition from his town.

We attended two fund raisers as well as spent hours out on US-12 when they had the two+-hour procession from his funeral to the cemetery.

I sure wish we had known about the stealing and myriad of other things he did that were not square before we went trough all of that.

However, I'm just going to think we also did it to honor other police officers who have fallen in the line of duty and will continue to keep my blue light on.

Local Policeman Killed in Fox Lake, Illinois-- Part 4: Blue Lives Matter, Too

SEPTEMBER 2ND, WEDNESDAY

This was the first thing I checked online when I got on the computer.  Sadly, by 10 a.m., the murderers had not been caught,  The police are still searching the big area south of Fox Lake from Sayton Road along US-12, Rollins Road and Ill. Highway 59.

Personally, I believe the killers must be a long way away from here.  I know if i had done what they did, my first thing to do would be to get as far away as possible.

The authorities are keeping pretty much mum on any evidence they have and rightfully so.  There is some question as to Joe Gliniewicz's gun.  yesterday we heard that they had taken it.  This morning the Tribune said the gun had been found.

A big fathering is planned for late afternoon at the Fox Lake Lake Front Park on Nippersink Lake.  Several thousand are expected.  We at first planned on going until we heard how many people were going to be there until we heard how many were expected.  Lake Front Park can only hold so many cars, so parking would be a huge problem not to mention sitting and standing.

We went to Donovan's and watched the ceremony.  At first, there did not appear to be many people there and we thought that we should have gone, but by the time it started, it was standing room only.  We watched it at Donovan's.  Everybody in the place was also watching and conversation mostly ceased.  One of out buddies there is Jerry who is a retired Chicago policeman.  He was livid over the whole thing and understandably so.  All you hear nowadays is cop brutality to blacks, but they have a really dangerous job.  I'd hate to think what would happen to good people if the cops weren't there.

Not only did Joe Gliniewicz, "G.I. Joe" as he was called, have Fox Lake connections, but also he grew up in nearby Antioch, Illinois, and graduated from that high school.  This is also where he lives with his wife and four sons, two of whom are active duty military.

Two Villages Mourn Their Own.

Local Policeman Killed in Fox Lake-- Part 3: Joe Gliniewicz

SEPTEMBER 1ST, TUESDAY

As I drove north on US-12 (Rand Road) the short distance, about two miles, to Fox lake, I began seeing lot of police and emergency vehicles.  The area starting where Ill-59 breaks off of US-12 had cop cars about every 150 feet, all facing he heavy undergrowth where they thought the three murderers were hiding.

By the time I got to South Sayton it was wall-to-wall police with several tents.  Evidently this was the headquarters of the manhunt.

Needless to say, Liz was watching all the breaking news on TV and following it on Face Book  Not only were there many policemen from the local area, but FBI and ATF.  It was the main topic of conversation at several places we went to afterwards. Later we met our friends Sue and Paul at Half-Times in Johnsburg.  This morning they had been in northern part of the Lower Michigan Peninsula at their cabin and had heard about it within an hour after 8 a.m. when the murder took place.

Sue bicycles with a woman from near the where the murder took place and when she had gone out for a ride, a policeman said this would not be a good day to do it and told her why.  She went on Face Book and told Sue.  Like I said, we didn't know anything until after 1 p.m..  They listened to the events unfolding on their drive home.

Sadly, at the end of the day, the murderers had not been caught.

Local Policeman Killed in Fox Lake-- Part 2: Joe Gliniewicz

September 1, 2015

Murders are a rare thing in this area of northeast Illinois and this one, of a policeman, was particularly unnerving.  After I found out what had happened on Tuesday, I went to several businesses in Round Lake and overheard clerks and patrons talking about it.  I drove Il-134 to US-12 south of where the police were searching for the three men who killed "GI Joe" as he was called.

I went to the Menard's and the people there told me that there were a lot of heavily armed law enforcement people behind the store.  The clerk out in the nursery section said today was her birthday and she was worried about being outside all by herself.  She said she would now be like her mother, whose birthday is on September 11th.

About this time, we started hearing all sorts of emergency vehicle sirens and looked out to the road and saw lots of them driving very fast and heading in our general area.  I figured this would be a good time to get out of there and left.

I went to Bay Road and had to wait a real long time to turn onto US-12 heading north toward Fox Lake.  It seemed that every time our turn light would go green, another cop car would come roaring through, causing us to miss several lights.

Heading for North Carolina: Part 10-- Ohio

September 6th, Labor Day, I left Goldsboro for home. I hadn't been on interstates during a holiday in many years. Near Raleigh-Durham Airport on I-40 I passed about six state troopers who had cars pulled over in one short stretch. That was enough to make me be very aware of my speed the rest of that day.

Took I-40 to Winston-Salem and then US-52 north past the very interesting Pilot Mountain to Mt. Airy, NC, Andy Griffith's hometown and basis for Mayberry, with visions of one of those great Snappy Lunch pork chop sandwiches (and, I was even there before their 1:30 closing time) but they were closed for the holiday (even though there were a lot of people on the streets).

I had to go to Plan B and had a Wilber's bbq dinner in the parking lot of the local McDonald's.


THE REST OF THE WAY

I got on I-77 and took it through the Virginia panhandle, getting gas at Wytheville (always one of the cheapest places to get gas (and definitely before you get to the super expensive West Virginia.

I stopped at the last rest area in West Virginia before you get to Ohio and found a stand giving out free hot dogs and coffee for Labor Day travelers. I've heard of free coffee along the interstates on holidays, but had never been to one. Mighty nice of the volunteers.

I continued into Ohio and to Cambridge where I got off and drove the National Road/US-40 to Zanesville, one of my favorite old road drives anywhere past those two S-Bridges and the Y-Bridge in Zanesville. I checked into the Super 8 on the west end of town. I've stayed there two other times. A good place to stay on this area.

Last Day Coming Up. --RoadDog


NO PUN INTENDED: Condoms should be used in every conceivable occasion.