Cutie Patootie
OK, I'll admit it, as his Uncle I am somewhat bias when it comes to seeing pictures of my nephew Graham Storie-Clark. But all favouritism aside, I just LOVE this adorable pix of him posing with his Auntie Kim's watering can. This wee lad is very photogenic, which explains why his mommy Jane keeps posting so many wonderful photos of him on her facebook page. Keep them coming Sis!
Hats Off...in More Ways Than One
Little Graham looks so cute in his big brimmed sun hat, but look what happened when my mom and I decided to try it on for size. Not so cute, eh? In fact, on me, it's down-right scary. Never fear little guy, your hat is safe with you, Grandma and Uncle Ken won't make THAT silly fashion statement again, anytime soon!
Reluctantly Taking a Dip
While visiting my sister Kim on Canada Day, my other sister Jane, her son Graham and I took time to enjoy a dip in the Papple's pool. Anyone who knows me, knows I do not swim and usually take a pass on even bopping around in the shallow end. But on this occasion it was a hot day, I wanted to lean against the water jets for back pain relief and I wished to show my 6 year old nephew how "brave" Uncle Ken can be, I was the first person to take the pool plunge. Well perhaps "plunge" is a slight exaggeration, I barely made a ripple in the water and as you can see above, didn't even get my hair wet -but hey, I DID go in the pool. After initially dipping his toes in the seemingly cool water, Graham was a bit reluctant to get in the pool, but with a little persuasion from Jane, Kim and I, he not only enjoyed himself, but wanted to go back in again later (and again and again..LOL)
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The Way it Was
Things sure looked different in the good old days. Take for example this photo taken of East Main Street in Welland, ON in 1954. The movie theatre is still around, but not the attraction it once was. And although there's still plenty of cars that travel the busy city street each day, none of them look quite as cool as what we see above. Thanks to Rob Proulx for taking this photo of an old picture, it sure looks awesome.
SPECIAL TRIBUTE SECTION:
The Legacy of "Dallas"
It first hit the airwaves on April 2, 1978 as a 5 part mini-series and within no time at all became the most popular TV show of its time. That show was Dallas and 33 years later, it remains a favourite of fans worldwide.
You'd have to have been living under a rock (or not born yet) not to remember the prime time "soap opera". Revolving around the wealthy Ewing family, whose business was oil and home was a massive ranch called Southfork, Dallas riveted viewers with stories of greed, adultery, murders and dirty little secrets (LOTS of them.)
The prime character on Dallas was J.R. Ewing (played by Larry Hagman). Although there were plenty of other characters over the show's 14 year run, J.R. was the one we loved to hate and most of the storylines revolved around him in one way or another. J.R. was pure evil. He slept with his wife's sister, had his wife Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) committed to a sanitarium and did everything within his power to destroy anyone who got in his way -including his own brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) Bobby's wife Pam (Victoria Principal) and his arch rival Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval).
Dallas was the first show to feature "cliffhangers" at the end of each season. A melodramatic season finale that would keep viewers guessing all Summer, as to what the outcome would be when the show would return in the Fall. In 1980 the biggest cliffhanger of all time hit the air with the shot heard around the world. Someone pulled the trigger, putting two bullets in J.R. leaving everyone asking "Who Shot J.R.?" 90 million Americans tuned in the next season to find out the answer and worldwide that episode remains the most watched show ever, with a staggering 360 million viewers! For the record, it was Sue Ellen's gold-digging sister Kristin (Mary Crosby) who had tried to kill the slippery oilman. 
After Patrick Duffy decided to leave the show in the mid 80's, his character Bobby was killed off. A year later, Duffy decided to return to the show. To explain his sudden return, the writers came up with the themost absurd storyline in the series history...the entire past season was all a dream that Bobby's wife Pam had. Viewers were outraged and ratings for the once top-rated show declined.
The show remained on the air until May 3, 1991, with many of the prime characters leaving throughout the final years and ratings hitting an all time low.
Two Dallas TV movies and a reunion show would follow in the years to come. Time magazine listed Dallas as one of the top 100 TV Show of All Time in 2007. The series aired in syndication on CMT and the Soap Net and will be seen in its entirety starting in September in the U.K. on the CBS Drama network.
We Still Love Dallas
I'll admit it, I was and still am a major Dallas fan. I have the entire series on DVD including the TV movies and specials. During my sick leave, I have reacquainted myself with the Ewing clan and their over-the-top lives. The suspense may be gone but the magic remains, after all these years. In retrospect, it is amusing to re-view what was once so ahead of its time. The large cars, the outrageous fashion and hairstyles, the huge "car phones" and computers...all look like dinosaurs by today's standards.
And I'm not alone! Our friend Nick Mehta is also a Dallas junkie. In a recent message, Nick told us "I remember at 9pm on Friday nights I used to get into my pj's and my aunt and I used to sit in front of the TV and watch Dallas together. I personally had a huge crush on Bobby and also Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly).. I used to get so jealous of Lucy (Charlene Tilton) because she was always making out with cute boys... I honestly thought that this is how people lived in America.
My sister visited the set of Dallas and she said that the house that we saw at the beginning credits is actually quite small. She also said that half of it is a faux front, meaning that it is only the front with nothing behind the structure...Well, here I am many moons later and I still love Dallas and can watch it over and over again."
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How I Ended Up Naming My Cat J.R.
On Dallas, J.R. Ewing was a tyrant, he was hated by most of the other characters and even the devil disliked him. So why in the world would I name a cute, cuddly kitten after him?
A month before adopting J.R. I had said goodbye to my beloved cat Emerson (named that because it's my middle name.) Because the new kitten looked a bit like Emerson, I was going to call him Emerson Junior, or Jr. for short. That became J.R. Ewing-Leavoy, the name he has answered to ever since.
My J.R. is equal to TV's J.R. by being demanding and vocal and insisting upon getting his own way. Fortunately, that's where the similarities end, as my J.R. is the most loving, intuitive and caring cat I've ever met and if anyone were to sneak into his office and shoot him, well I'd certainly not be cheering.
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Hamming it Up on Grad Night
While I was singing along with Tim McGraw in Hamilton on June 27th, back in St Catharines, my family were gathered for another cause to celebrate. My nephew Patrick Papple (12) graduated from Grade 6 to Grade 7 and even wore a tie for the special occasion (although he insisted his shirt remained untucked -as is the style these days.)
Patrick's family were surprised and pleased when Patrick was presented with the Citizenship award. What made the award evne more special was the fact that it was Patrick's fellow students who voted for him...how cool is that?
As is customary in our family, there were lots of photos taken during and after the ceremony. The paparazzi have nothing on my family, even William and Kate aren't photographed as much as we are...LOL!
Sorry I missed it Patrick, blame it on Tim McGraw for holding his concert on the same night, something I had planned for since February.
Trailer for Sale or Rent:
"Cheep, cheep, cheep"
It's official, this year, scribbles readers have gone to the birds. More accurately, the birds have gone to them. This Spring we shared the story of our friends Rhonda King and Sharon Jansen, whose lovely new outdoor light fixture was taken over by a momma robin, who built her nest on top of it and had several hungry chirping babies.
Now we have another bird-brained story to tell you about, but because we didn't require their permission, we'll just say, it's happened to very good friends of mine. My friends own a trailer, located on a popular local campground. On the side of the trailer are hook-ups for water, hydro, etc. Somehow the flap door where the hydro cords connect the trailer to the power source outside, was left open. Seems the opening was just the right size for a bird to get inside and build her nest. As a result there's a family of birds living within the space between the outside of the couple's trailer and the inside walls.
The uninvited guest's nest is located on the other side of the bathroom wall. Whenever I'd go in there to use the facilities, the baby birds would chirp up a storm. As with our pals Rhonda and Sharon's robin situation, our trailer pals will wait it out, allowing the birds to continue residing there until it's time for the little ones to fly the nest. We're pretty certain that flap will be closed at all times in the future.
An Artist is Born
Our friend Pat Fenerty of Welland once again proves to us that even when you're retired, you can always learn something new. Recently Pat (or "Pat-casso" as her clever sister Darlene dubbed her) took a painted class and in only 3 hours came up with the masterpiece we see here.
Fenerty will return to her easel this Fall, as she is enrolled in more art classes. Great job Pat, remember us "little guys" when you become a rich and famous artist!
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Derek's Heading to High School
Rob Proulx's nephew Derek was all smiles when he was joined by his family for his graduation on June 27th, in his hometown of Welland. Derek will enjoy his Summer break, before going to High School this Fall. Congratulations Derek, looks like you had a lot of fun.
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Kent Kildow
Wedding bells were ringing on July 3rd as our New Jersey friend Joanne Bonadies wed her true love Kent Kildow. The couple's wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton,
The lovestruck twosome are on their honeymoon, but the new Mrs. Kildow has promised scribbles lots of pix and the whole story of their memorable day.
and see what an ideal location it must be for a wedding.
