Buffalo gets "Mossed" by the Pats

Ahh, New England....

The mountains, the lakes, the scenic beauty of the Berkshires, historic Boston, the fishing communities - oh, and of course, the home of the New England Patriots, who, despite the rabid villainy tossed on us by our jealous neighbors in New York and beyond, continue to heap victory on top of victory for the local masses to enjoy. On Sunday (Sept. 23), we were entertained with yet another wipe out as our Boys delivered the sword to the staggering Buffalo Bills.

I was there, live, to take in the game, along with three friends. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon - finally, since we had not so much good fortune in the past. This day gave us everything we hoped for - warm weather, a victory for the team, and no car accidents. The traffic was unusually heavy due primarily to construction going on near the stadium - the Patriots organization is building a sprawling new complex, called "Patriots Place", next to Gillette Stadium - but we had left early in anticipation of this, so it wasn't a problem.

Below are some photos I took with my phone camera. Click on photos for larger views.


This sign warns unsuspecting travellers that a football game is being played today...

Walking along the overpass on our approach to Gillette Stadium, I snapped this photo.

Okay, in this photo, I am on a ramp going up to our grandstand seats. The stadium itself is directly to the right (out of view). On the left is the Patriots' outdoor practice field, and just beyond that you can see the large, enclosed building that is the Dana-Farber indoor practice facility. Beyond those facilities is the major construction site of the shopping mall portion of "Patriot Place". There is also construction going on directly next to the stadium, to the right of the water tower seen in the photo.

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Just before the game, the players are not the first folks introduced to the crowd. The Patriots Cheerleaders are the first ones given the introduction. (They also had the best looking uniforms! ) Their introduction was followed by that of the Buffalo Bills, who received a less-then enthusiatic welcome - boos, of course.

The first quarter of the game was the most tense, for me. We were behind, 3 to 7, and I was beginning to think I was cursing the Pats (since they had lost the last time I attended a game, last November against the Jets). But things started to straighten out in the second quarter, and by the third quarter, the rout was underway!

All-in-all, it was a fine day to be a Patriots fan. The view was actually pretty good, even though we were so high up - our seats were just one row from the very top of the stadium.

Final outcome: Patriots 38, Buffalo 7.



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"Killer" Starts Patrolling

Saturday, September 1st, marked the MSPCA's "Kitten Kaboodle" adoption day for kittens and cats. To help record the event, I walked on over and snapped a few photos and shot a short video - which you can see here at the Springfield Intruder.

As fate would have it, I have also been having recurring problems with mice running around my house. Mouse traps were inneffective, and gassing the place was not something I wanted to undertake. Hence, the only viable alternative came down to acquiring the most effective mouse deterent in nature: the house cat.

The cat I selected is a one-year-old whose name was Tessa, but in recognition of her duty here in the Dusty household, I have re-named her "Killer". Below is a photo I took while she was still at the shelter.