tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27551744046212721762024-11-01T03:10:01.339-04:00Random thoughts on random subjects in a random orderMark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-44072202716484077852019-03-15T09:40:00.000-04:002019-03-15T09:40:59.224-04:00

I have been a baseball fan all my life. The first team I rooted for was the Dodgers ... the Brooklyn Dodgers! I remember two distinct 8 team leagues, the best team in each league going directly to the World Series. I am old school! All sports have changed over the years, but baseball fans tend to be very conservative and resist change more than fans of the other sports. But that's not to say

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-9478716814496015502017-04-24T23:16:00.000-04:002017-04-24T23:16:33.001-04:00

(Trip report begins here) Just because I got into bed at 8:30 PM doesn't mean I fell asleep then ... or at all! Well, I do think I got some sleep, maybe about 20 minutes around 1:30 AM. By 2:30 I was already considering getting up and starting to get ready. By 2:45 there was no reason to wait for the wake up call or my phone alarm, so I got out of bed, cancelled the wake up call, and turned off

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-30511497482928022212017-04-24T11:57:00.000-04:002017-04-24T11:57:41.849-04:00

Wednesday, April 19, 2017 came with a mixture of excitement and quite a few nerves - this was the day that I check in to All Star Sports which will be my home throughout race weekend. It meant that all of the preparation was just about done and for better or worse, race day was almost here. Was I fully where I wanted to be? No. Did I feel that I was prepared for finishing my first ever 5K? Yes.

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-50331353130640550972017-04-23T22:18:00.001-04:002017-04-23T22:18:30.318-04:00

It all started on a dark and stormy night ...  Wait, wrong story ... It actually started during the RADP XX (a longtime usenet group get together ... rec.arts.disney.parks) weekend. On a Sunday evening - December 6, 2015 to be precise. Fellow RADPer Jenny Drake and I were at Disney's Hollywood Studios watching the Osborne Lights for the last time when she mentioned that she would walk a

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-48071741479830275802017-02-11T19:15:00.000-05:002020-01-18T21:34:18.375-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Peaceful Pastures in Hickman (Smith County), Tennessee. Owned and operated by Darrin and Jenny Drake, Peaceful Pastures raises all natural, pastured, grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and turkey. As a resident of the Tampa Bay area in Florida, I am lucky that a number of times a year, Peaceful Pastures makes a delivery trip through select locations in

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com3Lancaster, TN, USA36.1278556 -85.85528929999998136.0765591 -85.93597029999998 36.179152099999996 -85.774608299999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-53398021651619916902017-01-28T12:09:00.000-05:002017-01-28T14:59:20.346-05:00

After 146 years, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows is ending its run. Ironically, on a day I was in Ellenton, Florida, home of Feld Entertainment, Kenneth Feld announced that the circus his family had bought from the Ringling family in 1967 would be closing in just 4 months, ending its 146 year run. Founded by the seven Ringling Brothers in 1884, they slowly grew

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-86959104762941756602016-09-10T19:29:00.000-04:002016-09-11T19:05:35.225-04:00

Me (with camera) at the WTC in 1977 10 15 years ... Whenever I returned to college from a visit home I would pass by the construction site where the World Trade Center was being built. As a child I thought that the Empire State Building would always be the tallest building in the world, but here they were building two (!) which would be taller. When complete, the twin towers of the

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-4071861631179742882014-06-06T10:09:00.000-04:002014-06-06T10:09:27.879-04:00

As many of you already know, I have just purchased a new car - a procedure that strikes fear in the heart of mortal men and women. When you buy almost anything else, you know what the price will be before you go to buy it, and that is the price you pay. With a car ... not happening! Two identical cars sold in the same showroom on the same day can vary by as much as $10,000 depending on the

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-71195697883217690512013-12-08T11:21:00.000-05:002013-12-15T09:15:59.184-05:00

There was a time - within my lifetime - that LIVE was synonymous with TELEVISION. Names such as Playhouse 90, Studio One, Omnibus, and others bring back images of live drama in the early days of television. Soap operas, the staple of daytime TV, were performed live well after all the others went to film or tape. Actors found ways to adapt and although you might have found chaos on the set,

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-35259627351280418052013-11-11T11:58:00.000-05:002013-11-11T12:02:10.396-05:00

Yesterday, I created this video for a group in which I participate. Each day we share a song - occasionally with a theme. The theme was "A Memory" and I immediately thought of this song - many of you will recognize it as part of a long gone pre-show at the Kodak sponsored Imagination attraction at EPCOT in Walt Disney World. I couldn't find it on You Tube or Vimeo, so I made my own. I thought

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-90709311709778422392013-09-22T11:51:00.000-04:002013-09-22T12:30:46.973-04:00

It was Thanksgiving and the family - filled with turkey and all of the fixin's - was sitting in front of the small black and white TV about to continue an annual ritual ... watching the once a year broadcast of The Wizard of Oz. There was no home video so this was the only chance to see it during the year, and we looked forward to it from the moment it ended the year before. This was a truly

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-71658330183839035152013-09-07T20:28:00.000-04:002013-09-07T20:28:22.960-04:00

As we approach the end of another summer, I look back at the last weekend before Labor Day when, my son, my wife and myself brought the grandtwins down to an amusement park down at the Jersey shore. It couldn't have been a more perfect day. Gotta love the whip! Daddy keeping an eye on things Who doesn't like an arcade? Checking out the carousel art Road rage? Just out for a

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0Keansburg Amusement Park, Keansburg, NJ 40.4549769 -74.13676599999996640.4519564 -74.141808499999968 40.457997399999996 -74.131723499999964tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-49737840322931010792013-09-02T12:06:00.000-04:002013-09-02T12:06:41.294-04:00

It's Labor Day weekend - teachers are getting ready to go back to school, kids still have another week - summer vacations are over - and it's time for the Richmond County Fair! This year we were there on Saturday of the long weekend - it appeared to have the least chance of rain coming in to spoil the day. It was hot and humid, but we did avoid any rainfall. While it did seem as if there

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0Historic Richmond Town Staten Island, NY, USA40.5702275 -74.145265816.114433000000002 -115.4538598 65.026022 -32.836671800000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-60327075439506918812013-08-17T12:52:00.000-04:002013-08-17T13:02:13.134-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful summer day here on Staten Island. I decided to visit a location where I have taken some photos in the past. Last October, it was in the path of greatest destruction when Superstorm Sandy came our way, but now it has been put back as it was, and I was happy to see it providing a place to gather on such a nice day. Beach Patrol was out doing its thing

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0South Beach, Staten Island, NY, USA40.582902399999988 -74.07386309999998340.558785399999991 -74.114203599999982 40.607019399999984 -74.033522599999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-33754421525241761752013-08-10T12:29:00.001-04:002013-09-01T09:47:57.622-04:00

Lately, I have seen - and sometimes been a part of - discussions as to how photos should be treated. Should they be simply taken and left that way? Should there be some general post processing? How much manipulation should be done in programs like Photoshop? In fact, the process has become known as "photoshopping." When I first started taking photos, there were basically two types of

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-73811504811167287832013-06-28T15:11:00.001-04:002013-12-27T10:21:45.434-05:00

This is part 4 of 4 posts about our recent trip to Williamsburg, Virginia - the restored colonial capitol of the Virginia colony. The most spectacular part of being here is simply the colonial ambiance ... The Governor's Palace Gardens The Courthouse

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0Williamsburg, VA, USA37.2707022 -76.707457137.169625200000006 -76.8688186 37.3717792 -76.5460956tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-53139565119096660532013-06-23T10:41:00.000-04:002013-12-27T10:22:27.460-05:00

This is part 3 of 4 posts about our recent trip to Williamsburg, Virginia - the restored colonial capitol of the Virginia colony. Of course no visit to Williamsburg would be complete without eating in at least one of the 4 colonial taverns ... we ate in all 4. (Not pictured here is Christiana Campbell's ... a favorite of George Washington.) To be

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0Williamsburg, VA, USA37.2707022 -76.707457137.169625200000006 -76.8688186 37.3717792 -76.5460956tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-24480766332082360022013-06-23T10:27:00.000-04:002013-12-27T10:22:57.820-05:00

This is part 2 of 4 posts about our recent trip to Williamsburg, Virginia - the restored colonial capitol of the Virginia colony. One of the things that I have always enjoyed here in Williamsburg, is seeing all of the tradesfolk going about their daily routines as it would have been in the 18th century. These are not just actors, but actually skilled craftsmen representing their trades. Here are

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0Williamsburg, VA, USA37.2707022 -76.707457137.169625200000006 -76.8688186 37.3717792 -76.5460956tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-84881851465671484822013-06-23T10:12:00.000-04:002013-12-27T10:23:26.046-05:00

This is part 1 of  4 posts about our recent trip to Williamsburg, Virginia - the restored colonial capitol of the Virginia colony. It's a place I have been going to since I was a youngster. I enjoy it so much that I honeymooned here. My kids have been here when they were young - and we hadn't been back since then. The former Motor House has now been replaced by the Woodlands Hotel and that

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0Williamsburg, VA, USA37.2707022 -76.707457137.169625200000006 -76.8688186 37.3717792 -76.5460956tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-50396762675983387612013-06-21T11:11:00.000-04:002013-06-21T11:11:25.775-04:00

It happened just after 1:00 AM this morning ... summer arrived! In honor of that event, I present a few classic summer songs! Enjoy!

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-22800951984077696172013-06-15T14:27:00.000-04:002013-06-15T14:27:26.251-04:00

A few weeks ago I read a friend's blog in which she was experiencing the rituals of graduation in her new part of the world for the first time. I was thinking about her yesterday as I attended a "graduation" of another type myself. My grandtwins were moving up from their class of 3 year olds! Naturally it was important to have a proper ceremony to mark this auspicious occasion. As is

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com1Staten Island, NY, USA40.5795317 -74.15020070000002840.386530199999996 -74.472924200000023 40.7725332 -73.827477200000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-14644131732151468402013-05-20T17:25:00.000-04:002013-05-20T17:40:25.388-04:00

SPOILER ALERT *** SPOLER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT If you have not seen the movie Star Trek Into Darkness and do not want to know anything about it, please click here and leave this page now.  Okay, I admit it, I am a huge Star Trek fan. No, I have never donned (nor owned) a Star Fleet uniform, never owned a phaser, a comm badge or even a tribble, but I was there in front of

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-17091514629811307932013-05-06T20:52:00.001-04:002013-05-06T20:52:47.496-04:00

It's been a while since I have bored shared with you photos of my grandtwins. Like every grandparent and parent I like to take pictures at birthday (and other) parties. Though I have been taking all sorts of photos for about 50 years, when it comes to parties, I tend to revert to pure snapshot mode - and there really is nothing wrong with that except I know I can (and should) make the most

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0Manalapan Township, NJ, USA40.2969444 -74.32999999999998440.1031124 -74.652723499999979 40.4907764 -74.007276499999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-18249795738954832622013-05-01T09:30:00.000-04:002013-05-01T10:01:39.048-04:00

I must have passed it thousands of time from when I first moved to Staten Island. After all it was just a 5 minute stroll (maybe 6 blocks) from my house. I drove my car down Rossville Avenue and faced it countless times - but I never registered its presence. But then a few years ago when I got my first digital SLR camera and was searching for photo ops, I decided to check out the small burial

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com1Arthur Kill, Staten Island, NY, USA40.500939 -74.258756516.045141500000003 -115.5673505 64.9567365 -32.950162500000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755174404621272176.post-33695845860348361682013-04-01T12:32:00.000-04:002013-04-01T14:19:43.687-04:00

Spring has indeed arrived. The weather is where it should be finally, the sun is out - but that's not the most obvious sign that life has returned to the United States ... it's Opening Day of the Major League Baseball Championship Season! (Yeah, yeah, I know that the Astros and the Rangers played last night but ... well they are the Astros and the Rangers.) When I was very young, Opening Day

Mark L. Fendrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939805218711968317noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7143528 -74.005973140.3291728 -74.65142010000001 41.0995328 -73.3605261