Summer 2026, Cruisin' for a Bruisin': Group Photo #1

     Some people think that summer is over once the 4th of July has passed, but I'm throwing a BS flag on the field.

   Time to climb into your car and cruise the loop! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    

    For 1983's Christine, Scott Baio and Brooke Shields were considered for the film's leads. Brooke would have been an easy fit for the role of Leigh Cabot, but it might have been strange to see Scott, as Arnie Cunningham, slowly become crazy and evil. I bet he could have pulled it off, though.

    Here's what I learned from 2011's Super Hybrid: if you are walking along a dark alley, and you come across a 1969 Chevy K-20 Pickup, or a 1069 Lincoln Continental, or a 1971 Dodge Charger, or a 1973 Mercury Colony Park, or a 1976 Chevy Nova, or a 1985 Chevy C-10 pickup, or a 2004 Chevy Corvette C5 and the vehicle is unlocked and the keys are in the ignition... run away as fast as you can. 

    1977's The Car is now touted as being inspired by Duel (which I will bring up later), but I remember when the first DVD of The Car came out (second from the right). The film was advertised as, "It's Jaws, but on dry land!" The original three cars used in filming The Car were Lincoln Continental Mark IIIs ('69 -'71 chassis) that were modified by Chuck Barris (a hero). The fourth car was loosely attached onto a Ford Thunderbird chassis and was shot out of a car cannon (that's a thing?) for the final shot.

    2019's surprise sequel, The Car: Road to Revenge, really has more in common with Christine, than The Car. "The Car" in question is a Chrysler 300 SRT8. Later in the movie, this "Car" is given parts from the original "Car", and in the end the vehicle looks kinda cheesy. Kinda like the artwork on the Blu-ray that's in the middle of this picture. Cartoon drawings... really?

    FYI: The Holiday Horror Shelf theme for today is, "Dude, that car is killer."

    Drive safe!

First Week of Summer 2026: Group Photo

 

    Happy end to the first week of summer! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    I'll let most of this shelf speak for itself. It's summer, and I'm feeling lazy.

    Slasher Summer came in the mail earlier this week, and I believe this will be my "vacation book." So, I can't say much about it, yet.

    Last week I found the DVD of I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer at Goodwill. I've decided that I won't say much about that movie, at all.

    Yes, I know the I Know What You Did Last Summer remake came out in 2025, but I haven't found a copy "in the wild," yet. 

    I fell confident that I will find one... hope your summer's going well.

Goodbye, Summer. Hello, Fall!

Last weekend was the last one for summer. We spent part of Saturday at Adventureland. 

It feels like it was just yesterday when we were there for our first day of summer.

We shopped at Costco, and the Queen of TP posed on her throne.

We've been doing this for four years...

Charlotte asked me, "Hey Dad, why did you take a picture of me wearing a costume and practicing the piano?"

I shrugged and replied, "Just because. Why are you wearing a costume and practicing the piano?"

She shrugged and replied, "Just because."

Summer is great, but I'm not sad to see it go. I'm not a summer-at-the-beach kind of guy. Shorts are fine, but I like it when the temperatures drops, and I can wear jackets and jeans.  I'd rather see breath puff from my mouth than have humidity blast me in my face. I don't like to shovel the driveway, but I also don't like to mow the yard. So that's a draw. Sure, I'd like to be home with my family, but we all need a break from each other. I'm fortunate that I have good friends who work at UHS, and I like the students in my classes. 

Fall is my favorite season. It runs from Sept. 23 to Dec. 21. During this time, we will have our anniversary dinner, Halloween candy, Thanksgiving turkey, and the cherry on top is that fall ends on the first day of winter break. Christmas will be hiding around the kitchen corner holding a plate of frosted cookies. There will be corn mazes, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches, too!

There is so much fun heading our way. 

Break's Over. Everybody Back in the Pool!

I have to earn some college credits in order to renew my teaching license by next July. I'm currently taking an online class to earn two hours, and the class is fine. But every time I open my laptop I feel guilty if I'm not doing the coursework.

The blog usually slows down in the summer, but only one post in July is a bit lazy. I think it's time to push through my guilt and get something on A Pocket for Charlotte.

Here's the tiny home that we rented in Keystone, SD. It was two stories tall, but only had 300 square feet.

The step leading upstairs were more like a ladder.

We have watched shows on TV about living in a tiny home, and I was curious what it would be like. If I was only allowed one word to describe the experience I would say, "cramped." It was fun to try for awhile, though.

I had a birthday on July 2nd. We had BBQ for lunch at Smoky D's. 

Char and Daphne made me a meat bouquet using origami and meat sticks. It's like they know me or something.

Then Daphne threw me a surprise birthday party at Flix. She's awesome.

Turning 50 doesn't bother me. Yes, I am getting older, and my body is creakier than it used to be. But I don't feel old, and I still laugh at fart jokes. The only physical evidence of my age is in the mirrors, so I avoid those. Getting older beats the alternative, and I'm just happy to be here with my girls. 

For the Fourth of July, the parents in our neighborhood all chipped in and rented a slip-n-slide for the kids. 

Here's Char finding out that water from the hose can be pretty cold.

We live near a country club, and we can watch their fireworks show from our driveway. 

Mini golf is still a good time.

So is the family programing at Flix. (Pop quiz: The antagonist in Matilda is Principal Truchbull. Can you name the character Pam Ferris played in the third Harry Potter film?)

In 2015 I bought Char a bicycle from the Des Moines Bike Collective. She refused to learn how to ride it.

This year I tried again. Same shop, older girl.

She started coasting with the seat all the way down and the pedals removed from the bike. Then she coasted with her feet on the pedals. We slightly raised the seat a bit each afternoon, and the rest is history. Now she rides around the neighborhood with her friends like a champ.

I'll pass along two quotes from Charlotte. 1) "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you told me biking is fun. It's the best thing ever!" 2) "Go for a walk with you? Why would I walk when I can sit here [points at her bike seat]  and go anywhere I want?"

Seemingly out of the blue, Char asked if she could start playing softball. We thought, Why not? Daphne found a skills clinic offered by the YMCA, and Char has been practicing for an hour and a half on Saturday mornings. It is very low key, and that's perfect for us. I think she likes everything about the clinic except for me taking pictures of her.

Oh well, her back is turned...

Since she's learning the ropes around the softball field, Char's more interested in watching the Iowa Cubs at Principal Park. It's a bit of work to get to an I Cubs game, but we have so much fun. Daphne and I always ask ourselves, "Why don't be do this more often?"

Another benefit of learning how to play softball is that Charlotte is now open to watching classic movies like The Sandlot, Rookie of the Year, and Little Big League. I said no to The Bench Warmers, though. 

Speaking of bench warmers, I built this bench for Daphne as a surprise gift (see what I did there?). 

The previous owners of our first house left this board under our deck. We've used it several times over the years for various projects, but I thought I could repurpose it. Neither of us grew up on farms, so this is the only wood we have that has a family history.

I still love lunch at Tasty Tacos. Dang.

Question: French Dip Pizza, where have you been my entire life? Answer: "I've been at Truman's waiting for you with my friends Au Jus and Bacon Cheese Burger Pizza."

Char also went bowling with some of her friends. (She didn't make that spare.)

When Maggie stopped eating and drinking last May, we knew we going to lose her. On a Monday we decided we would probably have to put her down before the end of the week. Mags loves riding in the car, and we thought she might enjoy a ride or two during her final days. I wrote a post about that, but I had to revert that to a draft. 

I'm not saying riding in the car fixed her. She might have stopped eating and drinking because she had a stomach bug. But after the second ride, her disposition picked up. She ate some and drank some. By that Friday she was cleaning her plate and looking at me expectantly when I'd walk to the garage. Our vet suggested that maybe the rides give her something to live for.

With the exception of our trip to South Dakota, I have taken Mags for a ride in the car every morning this summer.  Our route takes 35 minutes, and she sits up and is alert for the entire trip.

She takes it easy and hangs out with her friends during the rest of the day.

Since Maggie was too frail to make the trip to St. Louis, I stayed home with her while Charlotte and Daphne spent a few days with Grandpa and Grandma. Daphne sent me some pictures from the City Museum. Char hadn't been on their roof before, and she had a blast.

Clover Kids is the precursor to 4-H, and Char received her diploma in the 4-H building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Clover Kids won't continue at Char's school next year, so we're lucky Charlotte was in the pilot program. She really enjoyed CK, and I think she'll participate in 4-H.

Whew. I feel better. The blog is alive. 

I start jury duty next week, so we'll see what that's like...

Back from Girl Scout Camp!

We dropped Charlotte off at Camp Sacajawea last Sunday. She went by herself, and she was placed in Cabin 2. Char chose the "Ooey Gooey" camp experience, so she was gonna get dirty.

We were early enough that Charlotte had her pick of the bunks. She's always wanted to sleep on the top of a bunk bed, so this was an obvious choice.

She wasn't exactly alone. Pinky came, too.

The scouts were not allowed to bring any electronics, and the camp would only call if there was a grave problem. Char's only way of comunication with us was through postcards.

We picked her up on Friday.

She came home with a bag full of dirty clothes and new tricks. On the way home, she shared new stories, knock-knock jokes, campfire songs, and clapping games. Her voice was hoarse from shouting with her friends.

In short, she had a blast.

Her belongings were packed when we arrived, and she had no problem carrying her own stuff to the car. It felt like someone had pressed the time fast-forward button a few months ahead. She seemed more mature. When Char ran back to Cabin 2 to look for a letter she had forgotten, I said to Daphne, "She seem so much older."

"I know," Daphne replied.

Girl Scout Camp - it can change a person.

When in Rome... or at least in the Black Hills - a food post

We took a trip to the Black Hills as soon as this school year ended. One minute I was saying goodbye to friends at school, and the next we were saying hi to these guys.

Our first stop was a night at the AmericInn hotel in Hartford (they had a pool!). We had dinner next door at the Blue 42 Sports Grill. Since we were in south-eastern South Dakota, I ordered the chislic basket. I won't judge you if you haven't heard of chislic. It is definitely a South Dakota-thing; they even have a chislic festival.

I substituted tater tots for the fries, and I'm struggling to find words to describe how much I loved this dinner. Let's just say I wished I ordered two baskets. Bar food at its finest.

The next day we stopped at Al's Oasis for lunch. I can order a hamburger anywhere, so I went with a Buffalo Burger.

I'm not a food connoisseur, so I can't tell you exactly what a buffalo burger tastes like... except that it was really good. If I hadn't known that I was eating buffalo, I don't think I would have noticed that it was different from a burger back home.

That night we unpacked our car in Keystone where we had rented a tiny house for nine nights. The Big Thunder Bar & Grill was across the street. 

Daphne and I both ordered the special.

"Note: The Game Burger is a combination of Deer, Elk, Boar, Buffalo, and Antelope."

We both enjoyed our Game Burgers. There was no way that I could have identified the different types of animal ingredients. It just tasted good.

Did you know one of the founding fathers of the United States can be credited with the first known ice cream recipe recorded by an American? Jefferson also likely helped to popularize ice cream in this country when he served it at the President’s House in Washington.

It's vanilla, and we'd like to thank you, President Jefferson.

I don't know when I'll get another chance to eat Buffalo Ribs, so I ordered them at Red's Chicken House and BBQ. I hope I get another chance; these ribs were great.

We went back to Big Thunder to try their brats. Daphne had the Elk and Jalapeno brat, and I ordered the Rattle Snake and Pheasant sausage.

I'll be honest. I was a bit worried about eating snake. I thought it might be gamy or dry. It was neither, and I'd eat another one for sure. Daphne also enjoyed her Elk brat.

Char really liked eating at the Br Gr 61 (say "burger"). They have 61 different ways to top your burger, but that's not why Char liked the place.

The tables are house doors with plates of glass on top. Beneath the glass you can see the business cards, pictures, notes, and tickets that patrons have slid in over the years.

Let's zoom in:

It's fun to leave your mark on a place... legally.

Speaking of that, in Rapid City they have statutes of all the US presidents and other significant historical figures. I spotted this statue in the city park. Can you see the joke that someone left behind?

Let's zoom in:

I don't think that's disrespectful. I just think it is funny. Like this sign I saw in a gas station outside of Sioux City.

We didn't give Char $100 when we visited the Candyland store, but she made out alright.

Neither Daphne and I had heard of chocolate covered pickles, so we bought a spear to share. The taste was salty, sweet, pickely, and fun.

They served a pickle beer at last year's Iowa State Fair, so maybe pickles are becoming cool? I don't know. I do know I enjoyed eating in the Black Hills.