Lunchtime with Scooby & Bill

Sometimes I plan out my videos days in advance. Other days, ideas just pop into my head and I shoot. This was one of those days:

So I'm sitting at the kitchen table eating my lunch, and there's this meddling dog just sitting there, staring at me.....





*

Optimistic Malcontents

High hopes and low expectations. Acknowledging good things while lamenting the bad. Hollywood, rock 'n roll, and clips from original videos highlight this short take on cynical optimism...





*
Also, I whipped up a podcast over at the Springfield Intruder, which you can check out HERE

*
And finally, here's a video I found on YouTube that was done by visitors to Springfield. Includes a lunch at The 99 and trips to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Springfield Armory.




* *

Walking Maple Street - Springfield, MA

From The Springfield Intruder, take a photo & video tour of historic Maple Street, in Springfield, MA. This area of the City has a large number of critics, and it is true that, unfortunately, Maple Street lies smack in between two of the poorest and most troubled neighborhoods in Springfield. But the street is still attractive, and I've always enjoyed my afternoon strolls there.

SEE THE STORY HERE


* *

Make me a Dusty Bill

Every once in a while, I do a Google search of my name (hey, nothing wrong with a little ego check). My intent is to check out who has linked to my various websites. But on rare occasions I sometimes find things such as this drink recipe, below. Now, I'm not a liquor drinker, so I'll probably never make it. But I just might print out several thousand of these recipes and pass them out to a bunch of bartenders. You never know, if the drink catches on, that could be my side door to local fame! Then again, people are confused enough by my name, already (Dusty is my last name, folks). This might just make matters even more difficult!

Dusty Bill Drink Recipe Ingredients 2 tsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Brandy 1/2 oz Apple Brandy 1 1/2 oz Canadian Whiskey 1/2 tsp Superfine Sugar
Directions Combine whisky, Applejack brandy, brandy, lemon juice and sugar in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well, and strain into an old-fashioned glass almost filled with ice cubes. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, and serve.

The Deer Hunter

Reader Deborah Wilson has tipped me off to this terrific video, below, of a golden eagle taking down a deer. Yes, that's right: An EAGLE attacking and taking down a DEER.





Also, check out a cool birdwatching blog at birdchick.com for more bird-of-prey stories.

~ ~

Level Up, or Feed The Kids?

This story at first sounded strange. But as I read it, it came to me that this kind of neglect may just be more common then we want to realize.

AP

RENO, Nev. (July 15) - A couple who authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.

READ THE ENTIRE STORY HERE

*

Springfield's CityBlock Concerts

Summer is here, and it’s time for downtown Springfield to liven things up again this year with outdoor activities. Many folks know about the Thursday night concerts at Stearns Square by now, but probably less folks are aware of the daytime goings-on just across the street from Towers Square on Fridays.

SEE THE SPRINGFIELD INTRUDER STORY HERE



* *

VIDEO: Life After Death

You never know when your number's going to be called...

Taking some time for little reflection on life, I dreamed up this video. Shots taken from various parts of Springfield and East Longmeadow.





~ ~

In Other News...

I am currently developing a rather large zit on the right-center of my forehead. The hot, humid summer is prime growing season for these things - they seem to grow in little nurseries along my forehead and the bridge of my nose. I've got some Noxema that I pat on to try and clean things up. But it's a routine ordeal that I've become accustomed to.

In other news, I recently went to the "Hoop City Jazz & Art Festival" at Riverfront Park, in Springfield, MA. You can check out my photos and short video here at my newest local weblog, The Springfield Intruder.

And then there's the Intruder's News Roundup for this past week that you can check out right here. The big news: Springfield, MA, did not win the Simpsons Video Contest. We came in 4th.

*

Springfield Fireworks Videos

Check out the Springfield fireworks videos over at my other website, The Springfield Intruder. CLICK HERE for the afternoon preparation video, and CLICK HERE for the fireworks video.

*

The Dusty Pre-4th Party

For the 28th year in a row, my brother, Bryan, has hosted his annual "Pre-Fourth of July" party at his house in Somers, CT. He calls it the "pre-4th" because it is always held on the weekend prior to any 4th of July weekend that comes along, thus helping folks to avoid the usual holiday planning conflicts.

This year, the weather was perfect - not too hot, and sunny all day long. The food was a-plenty and the beer flowed freely (although responsibly!). And for the 28th year going, we were entertained by the talented Berry Brothers Band, led by brothers Chris and Kevin Berry - two long, long, long, longtime friends of Bryan's.

I took a bunch of photographs of the event (only a select few of which are shown in this post), and I also got some video, which I divided into two parts. The first video starts with short clip of my sister-in-law Lydia, who sang a Janis Ian song in tribute to my sister Patty, who passed away this past January after a long battle with cancer. Lydia did a fine job, and I'm real proud of her performance. (NOTE: To any relatives who would like a full version of Lydia's song to Patty, e-mail me and I'll e-mail it over to you.) Also, I learned just how small a world we live in when Bryan's friend, Rick Martinez walked up to me and mentioned that he went to high school with none other than Tommy Devine. In fact, Rick says that it was he who first introduced Tommy to the writings of author Ayn Rand. Is that true, Tommy?

Rick says "Hi" to Tommy toward the end of the first video.

In the second clip, I go hunting around for folks to howl for me. I nick-named this video "The Howling" video.

Unfortunately, my sister Debbie and her family showed up after my camcorder had ran out of battery life (and sharp thinker that I am, I didn't think to bring the charger cord with me). But I did get a couple of photographs of them, anyway. The video clips follow the photos, below (click on images for larger versions).






The Dusty siblings: Gerry, Deb, Bryan, and me.

Al, Bonnie, and Rick.

The Berry Brothers Band



The Republican party-goers.

My sister-n-law's parents & friends.

Did I mention there was alcohol at the party?

The Clarke family. I had just called out to my sister, Debbie, so hence the "what the heck?" expression as she turned to me. Debbie actually ended up with the lions share of the brains in the family. All I got was this cheap digital camera.



The evening came to a close with the traditional bonfire after nightfall.

And on to the VIDEOS....

Part One




Part Two ("The Howling")




~ ~