debbiehoran

Jersey Shore and More

Posted on September 3, 2015September 12, 2015 by debbiehoran

Diego had his vacation pitch ready. “Picture this, Aunt Buddy! We’re driving down the road in New Jersey and it’s lunchtime. We’re hungry and need to stop and there’s a sign up ahead that says ‘Cheeburger Cheeburger’. We have to go! After lunch we get back on the road and keep driving. All of a sudden it’s dinnertime and we see another sign that says. ‘Quaker Steak and Lube’, then we have dinner. Doesn’t that sound great?”

I had no idea where or why we’re driving around in this scenario, but that wasn’t the point. He had a vision and I have never been able to say no to that kid. Both of these restaurants were faves of his and used to be local but had closed suddenly, leaving him in a lurch. A few weeks later Diego, his brother Nick, and I set off on our journey.

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Springsteen, Mackelmore, and Bonnie Raitt, Part 3

Posted on August 26, 2015September 12, 2015 by debbiehoran

Bonnie Raitt at the Ommegang Brewery? I’m in!! My friend Judy suggested that we go see Bonnie in concert and it was an easy sell. I had loved Cooperstown ever since I lived in Oneonta many years ago. And then of course I was all about checking out a new brewery, with this being my summer of beer and all.

It was a gorgeous drive down Route 28. A burger and a beer (Brooklyn Summer Ale) sitting outside the Lakefront Hotel restaurant in Cooperstown was the perfect pre-concert dinner. Here’s the view from the deck of the Lakefront:

Judy and I then ventured out to Ommegang Brewery and after a loooong time in the car (there is only one county road into the brewery), we got a parking spot, grabbed our camp chairs, and ventured out to find a great seat.

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Springsteen, Mackelmore, and Bonnie Raitt, Part 2

Posted on August 6, 2015September 12, 2015 by debbiehoran

Later that week, I wandered over to the Near West Side neighborhood here in Syracuse to find an underground punk rock space called “The Warehouse”. I couldn’t find it at first. I had the address, but there was no storefront or sign (I guess that’s where the underground part comes in). Finally, I parked on the street, wandered into an alley, and ended up in a parking area. Walking into the building through a truck sized garage door, I encountered a cavernous space with a couple of tables and overstuffed couches. At the end of the space there were three loading docks, where the bands were setting up, one on each dock. The word I was looking for when I walked in was sketchy, but I was game for an adventure. The women at the door were really nice, and I found a chair in a corner to sit down where I passed the time until the show started texting my friends so I didn’t feel like how I presented – a geriatric sore thumb!!

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Springsteen, Mackelmore, and Bonnie Raitt, Part 1

Posted on August 3, 2015September 12, 2015 by debbiehoran

What a great week for music! I caught three live performances last week. Each show was great in its own right and none of them include my usual bands. Sometimes I just love my life! There is so much to say, this will be a three part series. Here’s Part 1,

On a perfect summer night, I ventured out with my camp chair and bottle of water to Johnson Park in Liverpool, NY to see my friend Bryan perform with Jamie Notarthomas and Jungleland, a recently formed Bruce Springsteen tribute band. Jamie has been a part of the Syracuse music scene for around 30 years and I’ve never seen him perform. I was away for many of my formative music years, so only recently had I been able to check out people like Jamie Notarthomas, Dave Hanlon, Isreal Hagan, and Todd Hobin, just to name a few of Syracuse’s best.

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This Is Not My First Blueberry Rodeo

Posted on August 2, 2015September 12, 2015 by debbiehoran

On a gorgeous July morning, I ventured out to Stan’s Berry Patch near Constantia with friends John, Bridgette, and Tonia. The three of them are veteran blueberry pickers, often picking 100 pounds apiece every season! In my naivete, I invited myself to this particular session, thinking I would get a few berries to put in my oatmeal in the morning. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the giant soup pots packed up with the other equipment in the trunk.

First of all, I thought that blueberries came from small plants like strawberries. I was not prepared for the bushes that were taller than I was, with branches hitting me in the face as we were led to a prime spot not yet picked by human hands. Bridgette unpacked the trunk, handing me a sherbet bucket with a rope on it so it would hang around my neck, bringing it closer to the branches for more efficient picking.

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You Meet The Nicest People At Johnny’s

Posted on July 21, 2015July 23, 2015 by debbiehoran

We first met Jeff when he darted across the bar toward us as the band was singing California Dreamin ‘ and yelled, “Your table definitely win the audience singalong award!” I smiled and high-fived him, then he ran back to his group of friends. Lyn and jesse just shook their heads and laughed. Some people in my life wonder why I travel to Johnny’s whenever I can to see The Earthtones. It’s not just because I would go almost anywhere to see Michael Walker (the drummer) play. It’s because you meet the nicest people at Johnny’s.

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99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

Posted on June 22, 2015July 23, 2015 by debbiehoran

Beer is the mainstay of many vacations. including my most recent one to Cape Cod. When it comes to beer, people always seem to be interested in what the rest of their friends are asking the bartender for, but no one wants to commit to just any new flavor so they stick with their old favorites. I did take a chance on a few new beers while on the Cape.

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Top Ten James Taylor Songs (as decided by me, Debbie Horan)

Posted on June 20, 2015March 3, 2018 by debbiehoran

We have been chauffeured all over Cape Cod this week by Judy the Cruise Director. She is as crazy about James as I am about all my bands. The soundtrack to our travels has been the James Taylor Sirius radio channel. It exists only until June 22 and coincides with the release of his latest CD, “Before This World”. In honor of her, here are my top ten favorite songs by JT.

10) Mockingbird

JT recorded this song with his then-wife Carly Simon in 1973. She overcame her fear of performing live to sing this song with him when he was on tour in 1975. Since then, he has also sung it with their daughter Sally and Carly has performed it with their son Ben.

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It’s Been One Week (My vacation framed by the Barenaked Ladies song)

Posted on June 16, 2015July 23, 2015 by debbiehoran

It’s been 3 weeks since I have been away from the blogosphere. Now there is a lot of pressure staring at this blank post. How do I return with a big enough splash to warrant the empty pages left by my busy life? Even today, with all the time in the world to write, I am at a loss for something spectacular to discuss with my followers, so I will just sit here with my adult beverage and talk about what I have been up to on my vacation.

It’s been 5 days since I attended Greekfest with my favorite Greek family, the Plessas’.

We braved long lines for food (but no lines for drinks!) and enjoyed Greek food, Greek beer, Greek music, and traditional Greek dancing. My friend Nik danced with two of the groups and did an amazing job (go Nik!!). We ended up running into 4 of John’s siblings and had a really fun family celebration. The Greek coffee kept me awake much of the night, so I had a lot of time to reflect on how much fun it was! Pictured above: Bridgette, myself, John, and his sister Therese.

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Sagamore by the Numbers

Posted on May 27, 2015 by debbiehoran

I am offering a list of a different sort in this post. This weekend I went to Great Camp Sagamore to participate in a volunteer work weekend. My time there was full of fun and laughter. Here is my experience by the numbers….

0…..Number of black fly bites I bragged about receiving

1……Number of black fly bites I actually received

1……Number of long lost daughters I reconnected with (Hi Eva!)

1……Number of bloggers I met (Hi Michelle!)

2……Number of Bryans with a ‘y’

3……Number of Debbies

3……Number of times I reported for early morning kitchen duty

3……Number of tambourine songs Day Ja Voo played for me

4……Number of gorgeous days at Great Camp Sagamore

6……Number of times Charlie asked me “Haven’t we got ridden of you yet?

7……Number of fun people I worked with in the kitchen crew

9……Number of times my Mom told me she just knew I would love this place

13……Number of times I thanked Chick and Bryan for bringing me

17……Number of times I bragged about Day Ja Voo to anyone who would listen

18…..Number of days until I get to go back to Great Camp Sagamore

19……Number of times I lost a game of spoons

28……Number of times I heard the Burdick sisters laugh

Weekend volunteering at Great Camp Sagamore: PRICELESS