Sea World - San Antonio, Texas

There I was sitting.........kicking back and relaxing......enjoying the views........and I am waiting for the rest of the gang to get their fill of assorted water rides and a wave pool.

We had taken the drive from Austin to San Antonio to visit Sea World. We spent the entire day there in the blistering sun.........damn it was hotter than hell.........but I would do my best to find a shady spot and wait while the rest of the gang had their fun. Me?.......well.....I do not participate in life-threatening, vomit inducing, masochistic shenanigans disguised as entertainment........no, not me........but I fully understand that the kids wanna have some "fun". I simply enjoyed absorbing the scenery and establishing a makeshift home base where everyone in the family knows where to meet up later.

Did I mention that I was relaxed?

Hehehe........you didn't think ole Signtopia was gonna be walking around a place as huge as Sea World.......in this hotter than hell sun.........and take the risk of collapsing so far away from home.....did you? I, of course, rented the forty dollar motorized cart..........and after I obtained mine there was only one more left.............whew! I would have been absolutely miserable if had to to hobble around this place..............hey, years ago.....no problem.......but these days, my leg and upper thigh start killing me within about fifteen minutes of walking. Oh well.......I suppose it is something I have to live with. Things could be far worse.

Try to figure out what this is.

I was looking up.

Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 and Supernurse had a pretty good time........and I know full well that both of them probably could have used a decent nap at least twice that day. When I think about it, why bother with getting all excited to see killer whales and sharks, when I can just sit there and experience moments like this.

Everybody loves dolphins.............I read somewhere that there is a list of things to do before people die...........at the top of that list, the people surveyed said that they would want to swim with the dolphins. Well........you can't swim with the dolphins here..........but you can get really close to them.

Signtopia Expansion Pack 2 (Noodle) and Princess Fartknocker tried to get the dophins to swim close enough so that they could touch them.

She would have shit herself if a dolphin would have popped its head right up at her.......but it didn't..........and she waited and waited.
Meanwhile.........the rest of us walked over to see some sharks.

Oh yeah.............sharks........and nobody wants to pet them.

Nobody wants to pet them because they have mouths like this when they smile. I see this kinda stuff and I lose all interest in swimming in the ocean. Okay......so enough of this......we go back to the dolphins.

You never know what you will see while watching others try to pet the dolphins. Smile for the camera!

This one got real close.......Princess Fartknocker was enjoying this.

My two grandsons...........they came close to touching a dolphin. I know they really enjoyed themselves here. Notice the other people that you see in these pictures.........now just imagine being the cheese on a giant taco........hehehe.

Gee.......20 years.......where has the time gone?

I can remember taking my kids, when they were knee high to a grasshopper, to Sea World in Orlando, Florida.........and I can remember when we went to Fort Lauderdale and petted the dolphins at the now defunct Ocean World. Twenty years ago, I never imagined one day that I would be at Sea World with my grandchildren........but here I am........it is like a deja vu all over again.

Sea World has this huge "stadium" that houses the Shamu show. It is impressive. At one end is a jumbotron and at the other end......

........this is where the whales enter the large pool.

The place was crowded and this was the last and final show of the evening. See these people?...........you know them...........there is Hector, Paco, Chico, Consuela, and the rest.........the Gonzales, Rodriguez, Lopez, Diaz, Cabrera, and Chavez families............it was like seeing the Orioles on vacation........hehehe............seriously though.........it was a nice crowd but I found myself wanting a taco.

I was a bit dissappointed with the Shamu show..............we sat through several minutes of what basically was some cheerleading by this girl and the character next to her.......and lots of loud music pumped over the sound system that they tried to get you clapping and dancing to.

It was filler.......it was boring for me........let's get the show on the road..................I don't wanna dance, I don't wanna sing.........I want to see Shamu. Oh no.......not yet......we have to have a dance competition and the winner will get a free stuffed Shamu toy............so I sat there as everyone watched the jumbotron as the camera zoomed in on the contestants in the crowd.........they even filled up the time with a "kiss cam" kinda thing like they do in between innings at a baseball game. Eventually..........the real show began and there were maybe five or six kiler whales.............Shamu must be one of them........I don't know......I don't believe I heard them mention any of their names. Okay.......so they come out and jump up into the air a few times and get fed by their handlers on the decks that are placed at the edge of the pools. Then......and I suppose this is the big deal for everyone...........each of the whales begin to use their tails to splash gallons and gallons of water into the crowd............I would have been more impressed if a whale jumped up out of the water and pissed on everyone...................but it seems the kids really enjoyed this show. After all is said and done.....it is all about the kids. As long as they enjoyed themselves, nothing else matters.

By the way...........

......here is a picture of a whale.....................the whale is on the left.

Texas Visit - Round Rock Express

As it was, we were in Texas visiting my second eldest, and we all went to see a minor league baseball game between the Round Rock Express and the Oklahoma Redhawks. Round Rock is the AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros and Oklahoma is the AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

The game was at Dell Diamond, in Round Rock. I had never been there before but I had heard of the team, especially since we have some Orioles back home that played here. The ballpark is done right and the locals here should be proud to have such a facility.

This was Family Night and kids would get to run the bases after the game. We had great seats near the field on the third base side, the home team side. The atmosphere was great.......this is a great place to see a game. These photos shown here are not in order so do not be confused that you see a night sky before a daytime shot.

No matter where you sit in this ballpark, you have a great view of the game.

Beyond the outfield fence is a slope where people could sit on bankets and watch the game........this was neat.

I was impressed at how well kept and clean the facility is.

This is a gem of a ballpark.

Just beyond the right field fence is where there is a picnic area, special events, and a pool with lots of playground equipment for kids.

This is a modern facility, yet it has an old time feel to it.........a bit reminiscent of Camden Yards in Baltimore. I was particularly struck by how there is a wealth of vendors strategically placed within easy distance from wherever you happen to be seated for the game. No need to walk halfway around the place for anything.

Decent sized scoreboard and jumbotron. I forgot to mention that this was also the night that every fan recieved a Round Round Express watch from Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper is very popular in Texas.............Texas is the only place I have ever been able to get a CAFFEINE FREE Dr. Pepper.
Imagine that!
It is interesting that while watching television during the previous visit to Texas, there was bull riding being broadcast from the Arena in Baltimore, of all places. On this night, I am in Round Rock at a baseball game and seeing two former Baltimore Orioles on the field playing for the Express. This was the first game for Val Majewski and most of the folks probably knew hardly anything about him. He was the designated hitter on this night and showed everyone why he is a good acquisition.........he smacked the ball harder and further than anyone else on the team...... which kind of made me proud in a way.

Also on the team is catcher J.R. House. I am still trying to figure out why the Orioles managed to let this guy go. The Orioles current catcher is Ramon Hernandez and he has gotta be the worst catcher I have ever seen.

Supernurse and Princess Fartknocker even enjoyed themselves................and THAT is icing on the cake, folks.

All in all, we had a good time on this night and I am glad I had the opportunity to have been there. Just another one of those things I have gotten to do that I had never imagined or planned on.

Did I mention how lucky I am?

Todd Rundgren In Texas

There I was. Me, Supernurse, and three of the grandkids........sitting at BWI-Marshall-O'Malley- Dixon-Rawlings-Blake-Mfume International Airport......waiting for our flight to Austin, Texas. Gee......it was not that long ago that we had gone to Texas.....but here we go again. Hmmmm, this trip was gonna be special. Not only that we got to spend more time with Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 (newest grandchild).......but we would be there for our 29th wedding anniversary. My daughter, Noodle and her husband Number Cruncher had already told me that they just so happened to have acquired tickets to a concert at a club called Antone's, in Austin, for Saturday, July 19th. Ooooooh yeah...............it just so happened that Todd Rundgren was gonna be in Austin while I was there.

Anyone that knows me or has ever known me, knows that Todd Rundgren is my favorite musician. He has pretty much written and performed the soundtrack to my life. I have pestered many people about his music to the extent that I probably should have gotten paid for promoting Rundgren's music..........nahhhh........I would do whatever I can for free. Well, you can imagine how excited I was in anticipation of the show in Austin. Rundgren is not scheduled to take this show into the Baltimore area, at least not yet, the nearest show would be at the Borgata in Atlantic City in August at the end of this particular tour in the states this summer. Have I mentioned that I am a lucky guy?

Rundgren's newest and yet to be released "album" is called "Arena" and it is his take on arena rock. Todd has this thing about him that you never fully know what to expect from him with each new record. He has done it all and this particular album would be his return to a more rocking, guitar oriented style of music. Now look at the photo shown above.........does that look like somebody who just turned 60 years old and has been on the road and cranking out the tunes for over 40 years?

It was Saturday and the time had come. I had never been here before and had no idea of what to expect in regards to the venue. I knew what to expect from Rundgren.............and I really wouldn't care if he was gonna be performing in the worst of places. As it turned out, Antone's wasn't all that bad, except that it isn't very big and it was hot as hell in there.......then again......this was in Austin.

Okay.......so we arrived at Antone's to find this line wrapping itself around the block. Holey Moley! But this is a good thing though.....it is great to see so many fans for Todd. Everyone in line was nice as could be......very friendly, well behaved, and............uh...........well.............pretty much all in my age group......hehehe.......well....there were a few younger people and even some kids. Did I mention how hot it was? We waited for quite some time in line.......the line wasn't moving and we were supposed to be able to get entry at 8 pm and the show was to start at 9 pm. For whatever reason.....that did not happen........we waited for over one hour in line and finally we got in.

The first thing we did was get something to drink and go purchase a couple of concert t-shirts. Then we situated ourselves as close as we could get to the stage. Unfortunately, the majority of the front of the stage was already crammed with people but I found a space at the side of the stage where the sound and guitar technicians were located. So I had a side view......I ain't complaining one bit.

At the back of the venue is this "balcony/skybox" exclusive area for special people. I noticed that Michele Rundgren was sitting up in there. Michele is Todd's wife and I saw Todd in that "room" heading down the steps to hit the stage. While he was doing that, his wife got up and hobbled from one end of the section to the other to give him what appeared to be a "break a leg" smooch......hehehe.........it just so happens that Michele was wearing some sort of cast for her own broken leg.

The show was starting.

And there he was.......Todd Rundgren! It was instant glorious nirvana for me. He picked up his guitar, said a few words about the heat and Austin, and proceeded to rock everybody's world.

There was Jesse Gress on guitar, Todd Rundgren on guitar, Matt Bolton on guitar and keyboard, Rachel Haden on bass guitar and Prairie Prince on drums.

Both Jesse Gress and Rundgren, were busting strings.........literally........and those strings were replaced right there next to me. I had a good look at their guitars........particularly the green P-Project guitar of Todd's known as "Foamy". In the photo above, that guitar at the bottom of the picture is one of Jesse's.

They started off with Love In Action, Open My Eyes (Nazz song), Lunatic Fringe, Walls Came Down, I Saw The Light, Black Maria............and then hit us with 13 songs from the new album. Wow!

Non-stop........2 hours worth of flawless rock and roll.

Todd was in great form.....looked very healthy for 60........his vocals were in top shape and his guitar playing was blistering..........and he sweated in the heat like Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon during a grand jury investigation.

Normally, Kasim Sulton would be playing the bass on most of Rundgren's tours, but this time Kasim was already committed as musical director and bassist for Meat Loaf. While it was a bit disappointing to not see him here, Rachel Haden was a pleasant surprise. She can hold her own on the bass and her backing vocals were good........and what the heck........she looks alot better than Kasim......hehehe.

There is one very noticeable thing that occurs onstage during this show.............every performer has a particular look on their faces throughout the performance. It is the look that they know they are doing something very special and very serious.

I apologize for some of the burred images.......it was difficult to get the proper settings on my camera............and hard to hold steady when I am experiencing something as wonderful and awesome as this show.

I must point out Prairie Prince on drums. At this show, I got the opportunity to be able to see him in action up close. I gotta say that he must be just about the best drummer I have ever seen, He beat the living crap out of those drums and it was a joy to watch. A few times he had some problems, I guess, with some of the sound equipment, and while keeping the beat I watched him still be able to communicate visually with his hands and sticks with the sound techs. Prairie Prince has been touring with Rundgren quite often and he was/is the drummer of The Tubes.

He also is an artist and just so happens to have a sense of humor. He was dressed up in a gladiator outfit..........well...........what else would one expect from the drummer from the Tubes?

The show went on and the band left the stage......the crowd was ecstatic and demanded more........we wanted an encore and an encore is what we got!

Todd dug deep into the earlier part of his career and cranked out "Couldn't I Just Tell You The Way I Feel" which featured the old Utopia kick line. And then.......it was time for the Utopian National Anthem which is the song "Just One Victory"...................the hair stands up on my neck when I hear this one done live and in person.

Prairie Prince tosses some drumsticks to a small kid at the front edge of the stage............

And then it was all over.................I was numb and in awe.

Over the years, I have always said.........."Good things happen with a new Todd Rundgren album".
I have also said............"Good things happen with a Todd Rundgren concert".

...........I never lied about it then, and I ain't lying about it now.

"Shining still......to give us the will."

Life Is No Longer Simple........As If It Ever Was

"My PopPop and MomMom took me and my brother and my cousin to Texas. We are having fun and so far we have been to Sea World in San Antonio and we have spent alot of time at the pool next to my aunt's house. It has been hotter than the salsa at The Oasis restaurant at Lake Travis. My skin is starting to get as red as my hair. Stay tuned because my PopPop will write all about this trip real soon."

Meanwhile.......here......chew on this:

This is a "plastic?" cup made from corn. Imagine that......I bet you didn't know that they can make a cup from corn...........hmmmmmmm..........now you gotta wonder about this...........you just have to wonder what a cup would look like if it was made from creamed corn..............

.............now you don't have to wonder anymore......hehehe.