Happy Anniversary to ME!

Today marks a special occasion for me. It’s the fifth anniversary of my blog! On June 30, 2010 I forced myself to update my blog every day. It started out as an effort to be more productive and STAY productive. It was also a way to force me write something, ANYTHING, once a day. Well, that didn’t pan out. By December 2010 I was running out of steam. By the end of the first year, I was running out of stuff to post. I ended the year with videos from the Penn Productions Vault (a tradition I’ve kept up with ever since. ) After July 2011, I’ve steadily been posting every other day. (Some days I miss and have to put a “squat post” which I then go back and fill after the fact.) I did this strictly for me and only me but now I’m inviting you guys to check it out. Laugh at the typos, wonder why I don’t use tumblr or instagram, scratch you head at the little numbers at the bottom of some of the posts, but most of all enjoy!

Bandito Leader (and the village he terrorizes)

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Banditos

 Here are the banditos that Flash Trotter will find himself up against in Flash Trotter #4. I've never been so thorough for a silly little 24 page comic book. I'm confident that it will all be worth it. I need to give a special thanks to Kylie for the paper. She also named these dudes.

The Family Secret...REVEALED!

                                                       I got this in the mail yesterday.

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Happy Father's Day!

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Flash Trotter #4, Page 24 (thumbnails)

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet!

Father's Day Portrait

Day 7 (Tuesday)

Nothing too eventful today. Drove for five hours. Lunch at Cracker Barrel. Happy to be home!

Home Sweet Home

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Day 6 (Monday)

Lots and lots of driving (seven hours.) Kirchoff’s in Paducah for lunch (again) followed by ice cream. Stopped at a rest stop in Alabama and called hotels. Made a reservation and after a meltdown and much drama, we found our hotel. We ate dinner at Jack’s. Big D’s coloring page included a picture of a football jersey he created: The Alabama Death Rays!

St. Louis Vacation (Days 4 & 5)

Day 4 (Saturday)

We drove for three hours to St. Louis Missouri (the real reason for the trip!) We parked in the parking lot for City Museum and ate lunch at a local place close by. Across the street was a brand new comic shop. It is extremely rare to see a comic shop downtown in any city. I’m in love. We hiked down to the Arch and bought tickets for the next day. We spent the rest of the day climbing around City Museum. AAA said to allot at least two hours in the museum. We stayed for about six!

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Day 5 (Sunday)

Went to the top of the Arch. Big D recognized another vacationer as one of the competitors from the Jello-eating contest two days before. It started to rain as we trekked to Calico’s for lunch. Little P threw a fit before we ate and, surprising only himself, was fine once he got some food in his tummy. After lunch, we drove to Ted Drewe’s for frozen custard. Not my favorite side of town. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the St. Louis Zoo getting rained on, on and off. We parked waaay far away. We followed up with dinner at Cunetto House of Pasta.

Metropolis Vacation (Days 2&3)

 

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Day 2 (Thursday)

Drove to and stayed in Paducah, Kentucky. It is right under the bridge to Metropolis, IL. We knew we were in the right place when we see more and more people wearing superhero t-shirts. We at lunch at a local place called Kirchoffs. We made it to Metropolis for the Opening Ceremonies and took a bunch of pictures. Little P and I hoofed it over to the theater to see some of the other fan films. Our movie screened in an actual theater (I wouldn’t go so far as to call in a movie theater but it was close enough) on the big screen at 7:50. It looked great. There were less than ten other people in attendance but that didn’t bother me. The sound cut out for a few seconds but came back in time for the grand finale. Dinner came from Fat Ed’s.

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Day 3 (Friday)

We spent the morning buying souvenirs in the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce Gift Shop. The boys and I toured the Superman Museum (not easy.) The Missus was looking for a quiet spot to record herself reflecting on teaching for the Florida Teacher of the Year Banquet. Little P competed in a Jello eating contest. Little P and I also attended a mini comic con. He bought a $45 bag G.I Joes for $30. Proud Papa. Little P and I toured the Hollywood Museum on our way to the Fan Film screening. To our (especially Little P’s) disappointment, Boy of Steel was not in any Top 10.

Metropolis Vacation (part1)

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I HATE the idea being the center of the Big Family Summer Vacation. I submitted the “Boy of Steel” movie we made last year into the Superman Fan Film Contest in Metropolis Illinois. It was accepted and I was given the screening schedule for the movies. The Missus decided to make this our Big Family Summer Vacation. I can’t stand the idea of driving more than ten hours to see a seven-minute movie in a small town the same size as Thomasville, Ga. (twenty minute drive north.) So I consider this the Big Family Summer Vacation to St. Louis with a cute little detour to Metropolis Illinois.

Day 1 (Wednesday)

We took two cars and kept the boys separated as much as possible. We drove seven hours to Athens, Alabama. The Missus did most (99%) of the driving. We ate lunch at a Wendy’s in Ozark, AL. We ended the day at a hotel in Birmingham and ate dinner at a local joint called 306 BBQ.

Another Universal Vacation

Moderately pleasant trip. Started with a tiny toy and comic convention. Free tickets from Ned (Thanks, Ned)! Crowded park. Best times to hit it are 9:00am and pm. Had some Fuddruckers one night and surprised the ol' Father-in-law for his birthday. Dinner the following night at Bongos with most of the Missus's cousins from "New York."

Behind the Scenes (Stunt Driver)

Mural 2015 (dismount)

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Flash Trotter #4, Page 9 (thumbnails)