Sunflower Field (Cuteness Alert)

My youngest was about to get braces when she started seeing the post's on social media that the sunflower field was open and ready for those Instagram picture opportunities. So she quickly planned out our trip so she could get her photo's done before the big day. On our way out the rain started to roll in and tears started to form. I kept letting her know it will be fine and she would be so much happier with her pictures in the end. Well, I think they turned out pretty good with just the iPhone. So here are a few of those pictures to brighten your day.

My whole world right here in one cute little photo. Not going to lie and not trying to brag but I'm truly blessed. These girls can bring light to a cloudy day.

You have to love that sky with all that yellow. You also have to look close because Ella is hidden rather well.

Saved the best for last. Look at these two!! They might give me a headache from time to time, keep me busy running from rehearsals to basketball games but man it's worth it.

Oh, and my wife spotted this creepy faced Sunflower. Kind of looks like a charter from a comic book.

Also, this week was to be Camp week, so we had a little surprise visit with Steve!! So much fun that day sharing old camp stories learning that Alexa can fart... no really go ahead and ask her right now and defiantly ask her for the juicy fart. I also kind of feel bad for Steve as a few "Adult" items may have made it to the Amazon shopping list as well. 

Ok, I hope this helped put a little smile on your face, I did watch a movie this week that I just have to talk about so watch for that review next week!

Until then stay safe, wear your mask, and smile we will get back to normal soon!!

Crip Camp

                                                                               

Crip Camp

2020 | R | 1 Hr 46 Min | Documenty | Netflix

Directors: 
James Lebrecht

Nicole Newnham

Writers: 

James Lebrecht

Nicole Newnham

Stars: 

Larry Allison

Dennis Billups

HolLynn D'Lil

Synopsis:

In the early 1970s, teenagers with disabilities faced a future shaped by isolation, discrimination, and institutionalization. Camp Jened, a ramshackle camp "for the handicapped" in the Catskills, exploded those confines. Jened was their freewheeling Utopia, a place with summertime sports, smoking and makeout sessions awaiting everyone, and campers who felt fulfilled as human beings. Their bonds endured as they migrated West to Berkeley, California - a promised land for a growing and diverse disability community - were friends from Camp Jened realized that disruption and unity might secure life-changing accessibility for millions. Co-directed by Emmy®-winning filmmaker Nicole Newnham and film mixer and former camper Jim LeBrecht, this joyous and exuberant documentary arrives the same year as the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, at a time when the country's largest minority group still battles daily for the freedom to exist.

If I was ever to tell you to watch something this would be the one I would hope you all watch. Such a warm-hearted look at the fight many fought to get rights for the handicap world. Without these brave souls, we would not have ramps on the streets or kids in school let alone transportation around town. 

I do wish there was more about the camp and a little less about the fight but let's face it I'm a camp guy at heart so of course, I wanted more. But still, a fun look at camp life way back in the 70s even if I was cringing of the fact they were running with chairs and did not always have an attendant. We changed the no run rule in around 1987 as it was deemed unsafe so to see it again made me squirm a little. The biggest take away from Crip Camp has to be Friendship! And simply how friendship can change the world! Honestly check out Crip Camp it is such a fun look back and a moving tribute to those who helped make a change for many lives.

4 out of 5 Stars

Camp Food Is Good!

Oh, camp food how much I miss you already, NOT! Sure we give camp food a bunch of crap all the time but this year it was not as bad as you would think. Sure the portions are small in fact too small for adults but in my eyes, it's the best diet plan ever. The food, for the most part, is so gross that we all eat salad every meal and crave the ranch dressing that they use but not this year we actually ate so here is a look back on the five best meals of the week.

Number 5

Teriyaki chicken was not bad in fact it was tender and juicy it did come with a side but I can not remember for the life of me what it was but we did not grab it. I think Steve went with the salad this day. Well, I liked it anyway.

Number 4

Now, this was one heck of a meal! The coleslaw was not bad pulled pork was really good and heck even vanilla pudding with cookie crumbles on top hell to the yes! Yeah looking good baby.

Number 3

When we had a bad meal come up I stuck to Hardboiled eggs, cheese, and yes a drizzle of that wonderful Ranch dressing. It might look gross but it kept me alive for the week. 

Number 2

It's hard to screw up a hamburger right? This burger was cooked well and still juicy! Pretty sure I grabbed two of these and that brownie was not bad too. The fries tho mmmm nope they were hard as a rock!

Number 1

Ok going to cheat here, on Friday one of the mom's sent our cabin homemade lasagna to die for! This was so good I was full from eating it the rest of the day! So as you can see camp food was not so bad, we did have so really gross meals as well like pork chops (Steve and I went back for more lasagna that night) a really gross spaghetti and some kind of brisket that was well heartburn city that day. 

Bonus feature:

What was this? Let me know your guesses in the comments below. My girls claim its burnt mash potatoes. 

The Time Warp Horizon Camp Style!

Rocky Horror Picture Show
1975 | Color | 1 Hr 40 Min | Musical | R | 20th Century Fox

Director:

Jim Sharman

Writers:

Richard O'Brien

Jim Sharman

Stars: 

Tim Curry

Susan Sarandon

Barry Bostwick

Synopsis:

A newly engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

So instead of reviewing a movie that I'm sure 80% of my readers have seen, I'm going to talk about how awesome it was to watch this at camp under the star's complete with props and yes virgins! Yep, this year's movie night was The Rocky Horror Picture Show and it was a blast! For those of you at camp that watched Dumb and Dumber, I'm truly sorry.

Yeah, We Have Prop's Baby.

Oh and yeah we had all the necessities needed bird seed, newspapers, water guns, party hats and so on. The guys putting on the show did a knock out job. It was an absolute blast hearing people yell Asshole and Slut as well as singing along. Being an adult camp I would have to say I was blindsided by how many sitting among us had never seen this classic. Isn't there some kind of law that states you can not turn 20 without watching this movie??

Brandon setting up Drive-Ine In

I do feel kind of bad as the group in front of us had no clue what to expect, when it was time to throw the rice (Birdseed) everybody in front of us ducked for cover having no clue what was going on as the rain shower from us was leashed upon them. I mean I felt bad but still could not stop laughing as the had no clue what was happing.

Katy and Gerry in the back of the pickup truck

The cool brisk air defiantly helped with the vibe giving us the true feel of being at a drive-in or in our case a roll in. This little drive in came complete with a makeshift concession stand to supply our needs with hot dogs, pizza, chips, and more. I know you're super jealous right now, that's ok we missed you.

Jacob and I parting down!

As the night went on the party slowly shifted as you could tell the newbies were totally getting into the flick and us veterans kind of sat back and enjoyed it with them. Needless to say, the movie was a hit and many people were still talking about it the next day. It made me really happy to hear people talk about watching it again just to catch all the things they missed.

Steve and Geri having a good time.

A huge thank you to Brandon and Geoff for putting on one heck of a fun show the crowd really enjoyed it. The dynamic duo also gave us another activity I will cover next week lets just say it was a blast as well. Thanks again, guys.


For me, this movie will always have a high rating of:

4 Bloody Brains out of 5

And for Steve he gives this staple a solid:

3 Bloody Brains out of 5

For more information on the Association of Horizon just click here :)

Camp Wish List

 If you are feeling little generous and would like the help out there is still time just follow this link for our wish list https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2F2XFNF524L0F?type=wishlist&filter=unpurchased&sort=default all items will then be sent directly to camp! As always thank you for supporting Steve and I and well over 200 campers and volunteers make a difference one week per year.

20 Question's With Steve

It's been almost a year now and I'm still trying to get Steve to do some blogging sure it's not the easiest thing for him to do so let us get started with 20 Questions for Steve.

What’s your Favourite Book?

My favorite book of all time would have to be the Hobbit.


What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

Wow! This is a very difficult question to answer, there's so many to choose from. I guess if someone put a gun to my head, I would have to say Mint Chocolate Chip.

What’s your most embarrassing childhood memory?

I don't remember where we were but a stranger called my Mom a lady, and I said "That's no lady. That's my Mom!"

What are your 3 Favourite Movies?

1. Evil Dead

2. Star Wars

3. Goodfellas

What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?

The most beautiful place I ever been definitely has to be Hawaii. My family and I had the opportunity to go for my Make A Wish, we spent a week on the Big Island. I was able to swim with some dolphins and fly in a helicopter over the volcanoes.

You lived in Florida and Illinois so which one do you prefer?

Well, both places are so different, it makes it a really hard choice. They both have advantages and disadvantages. Florida is great because of the weather and being close to extended family, but it kept me way to far from my Mom and friends. Illinois is great because my Mom and Brother are here and it's where I've met so many amazing friends. So it's way to hard to choose which I prefer.


Who would you like to live like for a day?

I would like to live as Bill Gates for a day because I would have more money than I would know what to do with.


When you’re having a bad day, what do you do to make yourself feel better?

I watch a good movie and eat my favorite junk food. 

Using one word, how would you describe your family?

Entertaining.

Miller or Bud?

I don't like either so I would choose Angry Orchard.

What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?

The Exorcist scared the crap out of me as a kid.

Who’s your celebrity crush?

Mila Kunis.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a pro wrestler.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

Ryan Gosling

What’s the one food you could never bring yourself to eat?

Squid and Octopus.

Ok, how about some MDA Summer camp questions, 

Favorite Camp Food?

Wait... Camp had good food? The best thing I ever ate at camp was the turkey we cooked on the grill at our cabin. Best turkey I've ever had in my life.

The turkey was good but come on dude California Dog's all the way!

What is the one Camp activity you wish you could still do?

I definitely would like to be able to swim. I used to be a great fish reenactor.

Over the past 25 plus years, what was your favorite Camp Theme?

Another hard ass question... geez. There's been a lot of great themes over the years. I would have to say Horizon's 25th Anniversary year was my favorite out of both camps. Favorite MDA Camp theme would have a be the Pirates. 

Heck Yeah, who else builds a huge Pirate ship that is handicap accessible!

What cabin was better our new one Shagbark or our old one Cedar? 

No comparison! It's obviously Cedar, hands down! Don't get me wrong though, Shagbark is awesome as a cabin, but Cedar was where I met some friends that have since become my big brothers.

Once a C-Men always a C-men!

What is your favorite camp activity? And what is your least favorite?

My least favorite would have to be Arts and Crafts, only because I would've rather been outside. My favorite activities would definitely be Skit Night at MDA Camp and Carnival Night at Horizon.

Thanks, Steve for playing along! We look forward to hearing from you with Comic book news and Movie reviews and what ever else your little heart wants to tell us! If you have a question for Steve leave a comment below.

Love ya Little Brother.

Happiest Place on Earth...Horizon Camp

Ok, so I have not had much time write about camp but let's just say this year was fantastic. Steve and I had a blast. All through the heat kept us indoors in the after noon we sure kept our self's busy.

Time to Smile

Oh man, this blog has been on such a low this week and I'm sorry about that. So in light of everything that has gone one I do want to share with you what has to be my favorite video of camp so far. Tuesday was Hero day and some of my heroes came out to see us.

First, let's meet a few of them in the back is my little Brother Eric, My Brother In Law Craig (who brought his K-9 Unit Dessel with him) and Nate. That is Michael and Steve in the front! Other fireman did show up along with a few from the military this was a very cool day. So check out the video and let me know what you think.

Also, I finally have all the camp video's up on my youtube channel makes sure to give them a thumbs up! And I promise it's back to blogging I go! No more sadness time to smile. 

Saying good bye hurts so much!

I understand it comes with the territory but losing a camper after camp is hard but to lose another just a few days after is downright unfair!  On Tuesday we lost another Hero in Dan who was the brain behind this year's Superhero theme. He was also the host of the podcast Across the Airwaves and this past week we talked about sponsoring each other. Dan, you will be missed!!

Reach For the Sky.

Starting to get back into the groove today. One more day off before I head back to work and the real world. Camp was so amazing this year going all out to make the 25th Anniversary special for everyone. Not many summer camps have Hot Air Balloons, Catered dinners, a live band, a DJ spinning the top dance tunes, and of course fireworks! I'm working on getting the videos uploaded to youtube today and I will post a few of them here just not all of them so please check out the channel for more camp fun later this week. For now, tho here is Steve and I reaching for the sky!

With over 112 campers this year we set a  record number for a week at Horizon Camp. Every cabin was packed. Add in the support staff, nurses and attendant volunteers, and we were 256 strong at camp this past week that is a lot of  Super Hero's!  And we aim to get bigger.

You will be missed Trimpe

With one of the greatest camp weeks in my life comes some sad news. Yesterday on the way home Mike Trimpe lost his battle with Muscular Dystrophy. Mike has been a staple for Horizon well over 25 years and has been there from the start. He is the face of the association in so many ways from fundraisers to the loveable man he was for so many at camp. I have only known him for a few short years but I will never forget that he was the first person I saw on my first day. I know in the next few days I will be sharing more memories from the past week but today my heart is heavy.

Last night of camp

Just a quick post as its 2 am and we have to get people up and out by 8am. Tonight was a wonderful dinner to celebrate 25 years for this organization! Food was catered in a rock band jammed well into the night along with a firework show! It was a wonderful way to close out the week. When I get home and I'm not doing this on an iPhone I will write up a much better post. 

Good night for now

Bob 

Camp Day 5

Wow, what a crazy day this has been! First the uncomfortable heat wave that kept us in side for movies and games. 

Tonight's activity was dualing   pianos that was a ton of fun. Now at 10 o'clock the camp has a cook out every night and tonight we where about to get in line when I receive a text about storms. Upon looking at a weather map I could tell we only had a few minutes to head up to the cabin. And boy did we make it just in time!

 

But that is when the fun begins. The storm knocked out the power and the camp was running on a generator for only two hours. The problem is Steves bed he has an air mattress that does not have any battery backup. So here it is 2:30 in the morning and he just went to bed. Fingers crossed the power does not go out again. 

Day 4 at camp

I did something today that I have never done at camp and that comes with 25 years of experience. Today Steve and I went up in a hot air balloon! It was incredible and for Steve amazing! Steve does not like to be out of his comfort zone at all so day was so cool!

Days like today are why I volunteer for camp. Tomorrow should be interesting with temperatures hitting 100!