Our 49th Wedding Anniversary-- Part 12: Filming for a TV Pilot Show

AUGUST 26, 2022

Back to Grant Hills Motel and it was getting quite crowded with people walking all over the place.  There was even a movie crew there setting things up and testing a drone for aerial shots.  We knew that we couldn't get the room for tomorrow night because of a big wedding taking place nearby, so thought they must be there to film it.  With a twenty-person film crew, what kind of big deal wedding was that going to be?

We went inside, got our drinks and back outside to sit and watch the goings on.  Again, this is why we like mom and pop motels.  That sitting outside on a pleasant night is just the ticket.

We later learned that the film crew (and actors) were there to film a pilot for a new TV series or possibly a film about clowns.  There was one guy in a particularly striking (and a little scary) clown outfit.  They had already filmed some exterior shots around the motel.

And, they even filmed a segment in the room next to ours where a bad cop went in and killed two people.  The two people in the room were not actors but motel guests who had been asked to do the honors.  We had even talked to them a bit when we arrived back at the motel.

The cop had a fake gun (probably because of the accidental killing of a cast member in a big Hollywood film shoot earlier this year).

Watch Out for the Clowns and Cop.  --RoadDog

About Last Week: A Breakfast, Cheaper Gas, No Blue Nun, Snow Showers and a Shrimp Fry

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12

Met the Magee teachers at Bristol 45 Diner in Bristol, Wisconsin.  It is on US Highway 45 and features some of the best breakfasts anywhere around.  I'm especially fond of the Mediterranean omelet loaded with gyro meat and feta cheese.  I end up with two breakfasts at home afterwards.  Always good to get together with friends I have known since the 1970s.

Got gas on Wisconsin Highway 83, just north of Antioch, Illinois, for $3.08 ($3.07.9) after quite a bit of maneuvering because of long lines of Illinois folks.  Gas in northern Illinois now goes for between $3.50 and $3,60, so this is quite a savings.

Went to Antioch Wine and Liquor store to look for Blue Nun wine.  The owner told me they no longer carry it because of lack of demand, but at one time they could hardly keep it in stock it sold so fast.  This is a special wine for Liz and me as her dad, Amby, a World War II vet, gave us a bottle of it on our wedding day back in August 1973, as we left the reception, in DeKalb, Illinois, and told us to have a drink on him when we got to Galena.  Ever after that, this was or "drink" on our anniversaries.

When soldiers returned from WW II, they started drinking Blue Nun wine from Germany and it became  very popular.

The store did have several other Riesling wines, so I bought one.  Blue Nun is a Riesling wine, so those will have to take the place.  Very close to the Blue Nun taste.

We had snow showers all day and kind of a blustery cold. No accumulation, though.

Met Kevin and Kelly at the Wilmot Riverside in Wilmot, Wisconsin, for a fish fry.  Well, actually a shrimp fry as we all got shrimp dinners.  I usually don't order shrimp because it is of the popcorn shrimp variety which means a really small shrimp covered with a WHOLE LOT of breading.  Their fried shrimp is medium-sized and with a Calabash, N.C., style of breading, which means lightly breaded.

--RoadDog

THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO SAY (From the Orange Peel Gazette):  "I can see your point, but I still think you're strong."

WLS Top 30 for Week of September 13, 1971-- Part 5: 'All Day Music'

The top 30 songs in Chicago fifty years ago.  That long?

*  Means the song is climbing the charts.  The number after the artist is how high the song got in the Billboard National Hot 100 chart.

10.  I WOKE UP IN LOVE THIS MORNING--   Partridge Family    That Susan Dey, ow!!

9.  UNCLE ALBERT/ADMIRAL HALSEY--  Paul and Linda McCartney

8.  STICK UP--  Honey Cone

7.  TAKE ME GIRL, I'M READY--  Jr. Walker & the All Stars

6.  WEDDING SONG--  Paul Stookey   We played this song at our wedding August 25, 1973.

5.  THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN--  Joan Baez

4.  ALL DAYMUSIC--  War

3.  SPANISH HARLEM--  Aretha Franklin

2.  AIN'T NO SUNSHINE--  Bill Withers     I Know, I know, I Know.

1.  GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL--  Donny Osmond   Do you think Bob Stroud played this song as Chicago's #1 song back when he did Part 4 of his Summer of '71 Roots Salute?

Name That Tune (from the above  songs):  "It's Not Warm When She's Away."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Ain't No Sunshine"

Last Week: Our 48th Wedding Anniversary and Living High Off the Hog-- Part 1

TUESDAY. AUGUST 24

We were thinking  what was going on with ourselves 48 years ago.  I signed my contract to teach my first year in Round Lake, Illinois, and we had the rehearsal dinner for our wedding the next day.

We had planned to go to Galena, Illinois, this week (where we went on our honeymoon), but decided to stay home because of the return of the virus (even though we are both vaccinated).

I went to the McHenry Count Civil War Round Table Board of Directors meeting instead.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25   LIZ AND MY 48TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Forty-eight years ago, Liz and I got married at the Newman Center in DeKalb, Illinois (NIU) and had our reception at the Holiday Inn on Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

No expense was spared for our anniversary breakfast with a trip to McDonald's for their breakfast sandwiches.  (Buy one get another for $1.)

Met friends at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, for trivia and an anniversary toast.  Then to Sunnyside in Johnsburg, Illinois.

Lots of Memories.   --RoadDog

WLS Top 10 for Week of August 30, 1971: 'Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey'

Fifty years ago in Chicago.

1.  SMILING FACES SOMETIMES--  Undisputed Truth

2.  SIGNS--  Five Man Electric Band

3.  UNCLE ALBERT / ADMIRAL HALSEY--  Paul McCartney

4.  SPANISH HARLEM--  Aretha Franklin

5.  RESURRECTION SHUFFLE--  Ashton,  Gardner & Dyke

6.  AIN'T NO SUNSHINE--  Bill Withers

7.  WEDDING SONG--  Paul Stookey  Played this song at our wedding as well as "Sunrise, Sunset"

8.  I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE--  Rare Earth

9.  GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL--  Donny Osmond

10.  WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET--  Dramatics

**************************************

DEBUTS

26.  STAGGER LEE--  Tommy Roe

27.  MAGGIE MAE / REASON TO BELIEVE--  Rod Stewart   This song always reminds me of the Sig Ep House at UGA.

28.  THE STORY IN YOUR EYES--  Moody Blues

29.  ANABELLA--  Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

30.  SWEET CITY WOMAN--  Stampeders

**************************************

ALL HIT BOUND

SOLO--  Billy Sans

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "It's Not Warm When She's Away."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Ain't No Sunshine"

About Last Week-- Part 2: Fish Fry, $1 Pints, and a Wedding Anniversary

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13

Me Kevin, Kelly, Barb and Glen at 'Cuda's on Grasslake Road for the fish fry, then went to Lake View Place on Grasslake for that inspiring view of the lake and $1 pints sitting out on the deck.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 14

We went to the McHenry VFW to see Aging Teen Idols with John Piet, but it was too crowded outside so sat inside for awhile before going over to Stucky's for the $1 drafts.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 15

We went to Cindy and Jerry's 15th wedding anniversary at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.

--RoadDog

LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE, DOCTOR'S LAW:  If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there, you will feel better.  But, don't make an appointment, and you will stay sick.

Going All Out for the 47th Anniversary-- Part 1

Today marks the 47th anniversary of our wedding back on August 25, 1973.  That makes 47 years for those of you counting.

We got married at the Newman Center at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and then  had our wedding reception at the DeKalb Holiday Inn on Illinois Highway 39, the Lincoln Highway and then that night, drove all the way out to the Mississippi River where we went to the Palace Motel.  We arrived about 2 am and our room had been left open for us.

I had just signed my contract to teach in Round Lake, Illinois, the day before and we had our rehearsal dinner at a Algauers in Mount Prospect on Milwaukee avenue.

To say this was a busy few days for me is a bit of an understatement.

Our honeymoon was cut short and I had to start teaching three days later.

Bust Times.  --RoadDog

The Last Three Weekends-- Part 1

APRIL 24-26:

 In Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia

FRIDAY, 24th-- was my niece's wedding rehearsal dinner at the Chart Room on the Savannah River and barhopping along Bay Street and, of course, Savannah's Ultimate Dive Bar, Pinkie Master's.

SATURDAY, 25th--  River Street, the wedding at the Isle of Hope Methodist Church and wedding reception, then barhopping.

SUNDAY, 26TH--  Huge traffic jams out to Tybee Island and back.  Toured Fort Pulaski.  Went to another dive bar, Hick-A-Poos on Tybee Island.  Traffic going nowhere on way back, so stuck on the island.  Got a room and did some barhopping.

--RoadDog

A Wedding in Savannah

AUGUST 25TH:  I had breakfast with the family, starting with Andy, Andrea and kids, then Bob, Mom,Mary and Vicki.  Hard to beat those Holiday Inn Express hot breakfasts.  It was a real family reunion and one of the rare times everyone was together during the wedding.

It started raining and raining so we were stuck in the room and started catching up with blogs and watching huge container ships go by.

Drove out to the Isle of Hope Methodist Church for the wedding, which featured a black choir which was very impressive.

Back to the hotel and then caught a private trolley to the wedding reception near the famous Pirates's House.  They had an excellent band. but it started as soon as the wedding party arrived and played throughout the whole time, making it fairly impossible to talk.   We ended up outside with Andy, Andrea  and kids and eventually Bob.

Another, much worse, thunder storm that just about blew the auxiliary tent over came through.

When the band stopped, we went back to the hotel, changed and then went to Churchill's again.

--RoadDog

Going Back to 1973-- Part 2: Signed A Contract and Got Married

I went in and signed my teaching contract on Friday, August 24th and then  hurried back home to the apartment in Des Plaines (first apartment and place that I "owned."  We had just signed the contract for it in July and moved in August 1st.  Well, I did, Liz still stayed at her parents' house in Palatine.

I should mention that in June, I traded the 1963 Rambler station wagon (that my parents had given me) in for a brand new Ford Pinto that I was quite proud of.  I believe it cost $2200, a whole lot of money for me back then.

I ended up teaching in the Round Lake School District for all 33 years of teaching (31 at the same building).  I guess you'd call that longevity.

The reason I hurried back from signing my teaching contract was that I had the rehearsal dinner that night at Algauers.  That's right, I was getting married the next day.  If there ever was a pivotal two days in my life, August 24-25 would be them.

We got married at the Newman Center in DeKalb (NIU) and had the reception at the Holiday Inn on Lincoln Highway (now Best Western).  The honeymoon was in Galena, but cut short as I had to start teaching on Tuesday.

Pretty Busy Time.  --RoadDog



THE LAST TOO PUNNY:  If you jumped off a bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine.

Road Trip- 34th Wedding Anniversary Part 1

In honor of our 34th wedding anniversary, Liz and I took a road trip, essentially reversing what we did all those many, many, many, many years ago. Back in 1973, we got married in DeKalb, Illinois, and went to Galena, Illinois, for our honeymoon. This year, we went to Galena first then to DeKalb on the actual same day of the week, Saturday. We drove by the current Best Western (Holiday Inn in 1973), where we had the reception. We also went inside NIU's Newman Center where the marriage took place.

Along the way, we encountered floods, forded flooded roads, played NTN, crossed the Mississippi River in a downpour, went to two festivals, visited a Japanese garden, drove some absolutely beautiful roads, saw lots of corn, ate lots of corn, dripped butter on myself, did some Lincoln Highway stuff, DID NOT buy any souvenirs, and went to a museum/aquarium.

I'll be highlighting the trip here, but will go into greater detail on the roaddogsroadlog blog.

More to Come Later. --RoadDog

NTNing Down the Road- NTN and Dubuque Part 1

We just got back from a five day mini-vacation in honor of our 34th wedding anniversary. Anytime we're out there on the road, we like to visit places with our favorite game called NTN/Buzztime. This is where you get boards called playmakers and answer questions off a TV. This is interactive and you're competing with people from the same place, and all over the US and Canada.

We added five new places to our list of sites that we have played at in the past ten years. We now have visited a total of 598 places in many states, but mostly Illinois and Wisconsin. So far this year, we've stopped at 42 new sites (we don't count places we've gone to before). Besides Il and Wi, we've been in Indiana and Kentucky. Usually, there would have been more, but we've stayed close to home in these days of gas gouging.

Last Wednesday, we visited Buffalo Wild Wings in Dubuque, Iowa. We still call this chain BW3 as it was originally called Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck (hence the three w's). They started in Columbus, Ohio, by some transplanted Buffalo people who wanted wings like in their hometown. These places are popping up everywhere. We even got one in Round Lake Beach, which really surprised us since they used to only build by colleges or tourist spots. One great thing about BW3s is that they all have NTN. Many NTNers refer to the chain as B-Dubs. This BW3 is located way out west of Dubuque and just recently opened. We were still in the Midwest's monsoon season that we're having this year, and the rain was washing lots of dirt into the parking lot.

Spending Too Much Time at the Game. --RoadDog