A Life Gone to the Dogs

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Location: Buffalo, New York, United States

My wife and I share our home with 3 greyhounds, 3 cats, occasional foster dogs, and devote much of our free time to finding homes for retired racing greyhounds.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Don't Close the Drive-In!!

After nearly 60 years, the Buffalo Drive-In on Harlem Road in Cheektowaga will be closing at the end of the season. Apparently there is a burning need for another medical campus and there are no undeveloped parcels of land or vacant buildings in Buffalo.

Okay, admittedly the land is too valuable to sit unused for most of the year, and the drive-in has seen better days but still - how sad is that?

It was only last year when we re-discovered the drive-in. Taking part in a summer tradition known as "Greyhound Night at the Movies". Friends of ours had been doing this for a couple years and we never knew that dogs were allowed in. After all, Cheektowaga bans them from the park so why not here too? Well, pulling in you discover why it doesn't really matter if animals are in attendance - but that's not the point!

We loaded 2 hounds in the back of the truck, grabbed human and dog snacks and joined 4 other vehicles full of dogs to see "Pirates II". Nice to be out in the open air, passing snacks between trucks. The dogs got a nice nap and we got an escape from the hot confines of our non-air conditioned house.

I say we all go to the last movie of the year and chain ourselves to the rusty marque and refuse to leave! Then again, we'd likely have to sit through the winter until anyone cared. Or maybe they'd simply snap the rusty marque supports to free us. I'm accepting any ideas anyone may have to keep this travesty from occuring. Log them into my comments section and together we can make a difference!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Lazy, rainy days of Spring are here!


Well Spring has finally arrived. Saturday afternoon, rainy and cool outside. Nothing like sitting around with a book (short stories by Clive Barker today), some coffee and no real plan for the day. In fact, the hounds seem to have the right idea.















Monday, March 19, 2007

St. Patrick's Day Weekend with The Goat

Wow - busiest weekend playing I've ever had. Played Saturday night from 5 - 10 at the Niagara Falls Conference Center across from the Seneca Casino. Home by 12:30 and up at 7 to play at 9 o'clock Mass and then over to the Buffalo Irish Center to play from 3 - 7. My arms are killing me!

Both went well and we may have lined up a great gig in the Fall at a black tie event. Who could have imagined that I'd spend my whole life playing drum set in rock bands, and would end up getting the most (and some of the best) shows playing percussion with an Irish band?!

The Conference Center was the largest crowd I've ever played in front of. They told us they expected 3000 people and I couldn't even estimate how many were actually there. The venue was enormous and it was packed. A few pics:

This place can't possibly fill up...










































Saturday, March 03, 2007

Autograph

Some of the artists I've been fortunate to have seen and met:

Planet X (Initiation actually got to open for them)

























Tony Levin Band














Adrian Belew














Steve Smith and Vital Information














The California Guitar Trio














Allan Holdsworth














Al DiMeola