Acoustic Alchemy at Iridium on my 35th birthday November 20, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Food, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Other Acoustic Alchemy recaps: June 2008, October 2010, June 2012
11/24 UPDATE: I forgot to note that this trip to see Acoustic Alchemy at the Iridium came ten years to the date after seeing Yellowjackets at Birdland on my 25th birthday. I referenced that trip back in April.
Thursday night, on my 35th birthday, I took a trip to the Iridium in Manhattan’s Theater District to see British contemporary jazz band Acoustic Alchemy perform. It was my first time back at the venue since October 2012, one week before Hurricane Sandy.
Following Chieli Minucci and Special EFX at the Long Beach Jazz Festival in September, I learned through fellow audience members that Acoustic Alchemy would be playing at the Iridium two months later, on November 17 and 18, to close out their U.S. tour. My birthday falls on the 17th, so I bought a ticket for that night. There were two shows each night, at 8:30 and 10:30. As usual, I chose the early show.
Since I would be on my own at the Iridium, birthday dinner and ice cream cake with my family was moved up to Wednesday night. My parents, sister, and I ate dinner at Margarita’s Cafe, a Mexican restaurant in North Wantagh:
Ice cream cake was waiting back at home:
We usually get Carvel cakes, but this one was from Friendly’s. It tasted just as good.
I spent much of my 35th birthday afternoon responding to “Happy Birthday” wishes on Facebook. One of my friends, radio personality Don Tandler, quipped in his wish that I’m no longer in the young demographic, which is 18 to 34. I got a chuckle out of that.
At about 4:10, I took an extended walk from my Wantagh Woods home, to make up for not running, to the Wantagh LIRR station and bought an off peak round trip ticket for Penn Station. I boarded the 4:59 train and arrived an hour later. I responded to more birthday wishes on the train.
I was told the Iridium door wasn’t opened until 7:30, which meant I had a lot of time to kill. Rather than take the 1 Subway train to West 50th Street, I walked all the way from Penn Station to the club.
The walk took twenty minutes. I stood outside for about ten minutes before figuring out I could wait inside at the bottom of the stairwell.
I was first in line.
Once staff began letting ticket holders in, a few minutes before 7:30, I chose a seat at a center table right by the stage.
While waiting for the set to start, I took a picture of the monitor as this upcoming event image was on screen:
8:30 arrived and the show began. The image below was posted to Acoustic Alchemy’s Facebook page a few minutes in:
You can see me, camera in hand, right by the stage. You’ll also notice the stage has been renovated since my last visit.
Acoustic Alchemy was made up of Miles Gilderdale on electric guitar:
…and acoustic guitar:
“The Detroit Shuffle” vocal medley:
Filling in for Greg Carmichael was Nate Najar – a native of St. Petersburg, Florida – on acoustic guitar:
Rounding out the band was Gary Grainger – out of Baltimore, Maryland – on bass:
Vocalizing on “One for Shorty”:
Gary’s brother Greg on drums:
…and Fred White on keyboards:
There were ten songs on the set list:
1. Homecoming
Originally heard on: Reference Point, 1990; Arcanum, 1996; Live in London, 2014
2. Overnight Sleeper
Originally heard on: Natural Elements, 1988; Live in London, 2014
3. Mr. Chow
Originally heard on: Red Dust & Spanish Lace, 1987; Arcanum, 1996
4. The Detroit Shuffle
Originally heard on: American/English, 2005
5. One for Shorty
Originally heard on: Roseland, 2011; Live in London, 2014
6. Clear Air for Miles
Originally heard on: Back on the Case, 1991
7. Ariane
Originally heard on: Blue Chip, 1989; Live in London, 2014
8. The Beautiful Game
Originally heard on: The Beautiful Game, 2000; Sounds of St. Lucia, 2003; Live in London, 2014
9. Catalina Kiss
Originally heard on: Blue Chip, 1989; Arcanum, 1996
10 (Finale). Kidstuff
Originally heard on: The Beautiful Game, 2000
Here are wide shots, starting with Miles’s high notes on “The Detroit Shuffle”:
The finale – “Kidstuff”:
The last note:
“Thanks so much, guys!”:
There was a meet-and-greet after the show. I let Fred White know on Facebook, in the days leading up to Thursday, that I was coming, so he was happy to see me. The feeling was mutual. It was also nice to see Gary Grainger, who I first discovered through his appearances – and Greg’s, as well – on many Ken Navarro albums. I had a female audience member take our picture:
My camera’s lens focused on the wall rather than us, which happened in a few attempts at a picture the night before at Margarita’s. Since time was short, I didn’t have that audience member take us again. I told Fred, “I’ll get it in editing.”
Thank you to Miles, Nate, Gary, Greg, and Fred for their musical 35th birthday present. I had a blast.
And thank you to everyone that passed along birthday wishes the day before, on, the day after, two days after, and even three days after my birthday.
Jeff Dunham at Carnegie Hall October 22, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Hockey, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Politics, Sports, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.Tags: Achmed, Bubba J, Carnegie Hall, Jeff Dunham, Peanut, Walter
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(10/26 UPDATE: I have censored the few curse words that were in the recap.)
(10/23 NOTE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Jeff’s show ran “about 70 minutes.” I have corrected that to read “2 hours and 13 minutes.”)
I was in Manhattan for the second night in a row yesterday. Thursday, I was down in Greenwich Village to see the Chick Corea Elektric Band. Yesterday, I was uptown at Carnegie Hall to see ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham. Pictures weren’t allowed during the show, which was part of Jeff’s Perfectly Unbalanced Tour, but I took my plenty before and after. I had to use my iPhone 6 because mobile devices were all that were allowed.
This was my fourth time at Carnegie Hall, but the first time in the Stern Auditorium. My previous three trips were to see pianist Lisa Hilton in the intimate Weill Recital Hall.
Jeff Dunham and his crew made their way to Carnegie at around 4:30. Jeff posted live video of the walk to Facebook:
About an hour after that streaming video, I left the house for the Wantagh LIRR station. It was the last day of a warm and humid air mass. Nonetheless, like Thursday night, I wore my green spring squall jacket in case of rain. There was nary a drop; only fog and mist when I returned six hours later. There had been rain earlier in the day, but while I waited for the 5:59 train for Penn Station, Wantagh was in between rain bands. The band to the east must have been intense because there were impressive cumulonimbus clouds:
Low cumulus clouds set in starting in Queens, appearing dark against the setting sun.
There were New York Islanders fans on the train through Jamaica. They changed there for the Atlantic Terminal train to Barclays Center where the Islanders went on to beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-2.
The train arrived at Penn Station at 6:55. From there, I took the E train to West 53rd Street and walked four blocks to Carnegie Hall.
Once there, the crowd had to wait until 7:30 for the Stern Auditorium doors to open. After getting a bottle of water, I got to my balcony seat. Trivia, social media posts, and pictures were shown on the monitor:
The ceiling:
There was a welcome announcement at 8:03 following by three intro videos at 8:06. Since they’re from Jeff’s YouTube channel, I’ve included them below:
After an auto-tune montage, the show officially began at 8:16. The voice of Achmed the Dead Terrorist announced Jeff and he walked on stage. I looked at him on the monitor most of the time since I was so high up.
I took ten pages of notes in a 7 x 5 notebook. Below are some of those notes. I’ll try not to give too much away.
Jeff’s opening act:
- Informal election vote: Hillary – cheers, Donald – more cheers
- Why he’s a ventriloquist
- Family – daughters, Audrey, twin boys
- How Jeff and Audrey found out they were having twins, Jack and James
- The twins’ birth
- Changing diapers in NICU
- Breastfeeding
- Baby pictures – meme photo (“I CAME OUT OF YOUR WHAT???”), then actual photos: their first birthday, Jeff holding them like dumbbells, at Disneyland
- Left stage, came back
- Videotaping show to include message to sons when they’re older
After the opening act, it was time to open the boxes and bring out the characters. Walter came first:
- “Oh, shut the hell up! (mocking laugh)”
- Joke about New Jersey
- How do you get to Carnegie Hall? “Uber.”
- Joke about auditorium appearance
- Sick of election garbage – doesn’t like either candidate – like going in for colonoscopy
- Cut to a video:
- Plug for Jeff’s YouTube channel – about to reach one million subscribers
- Another video:
- “You know, folks tell me that I should run for president”
- Wife
- Life after death
- “If Trump becomes president, José’ll be out of the show” (a reference to José Jalapeño on a Stick)
- Being an older parent
- “Say good night, Walter.” “Thanks, everybody!”
Before bringing out the next character, Jeff announced that his next special will be taped in Dublin, Ireland, in May for Netflix. It will debut in August. The theme will be family. Jeff found out he is of Irish descent. To that end, a new character he tried out at Carnegie Hall was an Irish baby he was trying to get adopted:
- Big head
- Adult voice with brogue
- Influenced by the other characters (“I keel you” from Achmed)
- Much smarter than apparent age
- Cursing (from Peanut)
- Mother gave him up for adoption
- Vaccination/shots – “Gin, rum, vodka”
- Can’t walk, but can pub crawl
- “All the drunks just think I’m a leprechaun”
- “And that’s the new baby!”
Bubba J:
- “I’m doin’ pretty good!”
- “…watchin’ NASCAR and drinkin’ beer”
- Twins
- Wife
- Running for president
- “Press the flesh”
- Debate/da bait, defense/da fence, Syria/Siri
- Fracking: “Me and the wife are down to once a month”
- “Say good night, Bubba J”
Peanut:
- “Dat’s goooooooooood!”
- (singing): “New York…..”
- “Two infants at your age, how the hell did that happen?!”
- Running gags (toward Jeff, into mic): “’cause you’re old”, “’cause you’re an a**h***”, “’cause I’m an a**h***”
- Porn riff (“chicka-chicka-wow-wow”) – baby-related dirty talk
- Caffeine zaniness – “It’s great!”, “Yes!”
- Coffee enema
- Lost a shoe – “No, dude, I found one”
- Peanut fell off and his mouth was stuck open – after a few minutes of incoherent speech (“ahh***”), Jeff closed it
- “Jeff-fa-fa”
- “Nnnnnnyeow!”
- Spoke to two men in the front row
- Hearing aid joke (pretending to cut out)
Achmed the Dead Terrorist:
- “Most beloved terrorist throughout the world”
- Achmed’s origin story – tried out Dead Osama a year after 9/11, six blocks from Ground Zero – crowd loved act – retooled as Achmed starting in Spark of Insanity
- “Greetings, American infidels!”
- Usama Bin Laden is “dead dead”
- “Do you know me, infidels?!” – cheers – “Thank you, I keel you (2x)”
- “Achhhhhmed”
- “It’s not funny!”
- “Silence! I keel you!” – cheers – “Thank you, I keel you”
- Achmed’s many kids: “…and Steve”
- Games
- Life story: “Once upon a time, (boom!). The end.”
- Presidential election
- “Oh! Bomb! Ah!”
- Questions: “Dear Achmed…” – by my count, 19 questions – Favorite breakfast cereal: “Life” – Hugh Jorgen (huge organ): “I can’t believe you fell for that!” – Legs fell off, then arms, then ribcage
After one last joke, that was it. Since it was over, I resumed photography. There was one last bit of business for Jeff: a crowd selfie with his wife Audrey.
Here’s how that selfie looked:
As you can see, balcony members weren’t in the picture, but I don’t mind.
In all, Jeff was on stage for 2 hours and 13 minutes, leaving the stage at 10:29.
I took a selfie of my own a few minutes later:
Then, I made my way down the stairs, through the lobby, and out the door. Merchandise was available in the lobby:
Rather than walk back to West 53rd Street to take the E train again, I walked to 59th Street-Columbus Circle station.
I took the 1 train back to Penn Station:
I would have taken the 11:08 LIRR train to Wantagh, but there happened to be an 11:01 express train that didn’t make local stops until Wantagh. So, I boarded that one. There were some passengers that didn’t realize it was an express and had to change at Jamaica for the later, entirely-local train. It only took 43 minutes to get to Wantagh! Now that’s what I call express! I wouldn’t have arrived until 20 minutes later had I taken 11:08 train.
Thus ended my six-hour adventure. Jeff was hilarious, as always. I wish the show was available on video so I could watch it again and again. My notes and memories will have to do until then.
While I slept, Jeff was live on Facebook as his YouTube channel surpassed one million subscribers!
Congratulations, Jeff, and thank you to fans like me for getting the channel to a million and beyond.
2016 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming, 2017 Hall of Fame Announcement October 10, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Comedy, Football, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Travel, Video, Weather.add a comment
Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Later in this recap, I share the aircheck from my pre-recorded Homecoming Weekend show that aired early yesterday morning. To see and hear my live show on Friday, click here.
After kicking off Homecoming Weekend on Friday, I returned to the campus of LIU Post for Homecoming itself.
On my way to campus, I put on WCWP, whose signal wasn’t entirely clear at first, and listened to the Post Pioneers‘ Homecoming game against the Saint Anselm Hawks. The game had begun moments earlier and it was already 14-0! As my mother turned toward the Abrams Communications Building, where WCWP is located, the Pioneers scored their third touchdown to go ahead 21-0.
When I made my way from WCWP to Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium, all part of my Homecoming Day routine, it was 35-14 with a minute to go in the first half.
Before standing by the gate adjacent to the field, I photographed the carnival rides in the parking lot:
Skies were cloudy and the air was mild and humid. There was spotty drizzle, but not enough to scare me away. (My camera isn’t weatherproof.)
Joe Szadok and Jeff Kroll, on the right end of the press box (their left), called the game for WCWP:
The series of pictures below are the touchdown to increase the Pioneers lead to 41-14, followed by the extra point that made the score 42-14:
The Pioneers would go on to rout the Hawks 63-20 (thanks to a missed extra point) and improved their record to 6-0.
On my way back to WCWP, I zoomed my camera lens to 300 mm lens as an Emirates airline jet flew low in its descent toward JFK International Airport:
The spotty drizzle intensified to a light rain shower, so I had to put my camera under my jacket for the rest of the walk back. Except for walks to and from Hillwood Commons for snacks from the vending machine, I didn’t leave WCWP until my dad picked me up an hour into Mike Riccio and Bobby G.’s radio show. More on that later.
I was pleasantly surprised to see faces from my early days at WCWP, especially Joe Manfredi, the former director of operations:
Also on hand were Billy Houst and Karen Fiorelli, who took this picture of Joe, him, me, and Jay Mirabile:
Jay is my biggest champion, always propping me up on Facebook, complimenting me and my talents.
John Zoni hosted the halftime and postgame shows:
Bernie Bernard, who once again had a show after the football game, spoke to Jeff and Joe, still in the press box, during the postgame show:
Here’s Bernie, moments into her show:
When she wasn’t playing music, she played host to a cavalcade of alumni, starting with Bobby Guthenberg, AKA Bobby G.:
Next were Jeff Kroll, fresh from the press box, and Pete Bellotti to announce the 2017 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame:
The 2017 inductees are Neil Marks, John LiBretto, and John March.
Jay Elzweig gathered by Jeff and Pete’s mic to discuss his history with WCWP and “The Original Hootenanny” show:
Jay resurrected “The Hootenanny” in a show that aired at 4AM yesterday following my show.
Bill Mozer, who had his camcorder and 4-channel portable recorder set up in Studio 2, also spoke briefly. I was diagonal from Bill’s setup and shot the pictures you’re seeing here from the same spot.
After a few songs, David Kaplan was next to speak:
He invited his daughter Alexa, a student at LIU Post, to join him at the mic.
David and Alexa gave way to more songs, then Roger Luce and Mike Schanzer (AKA Magick Mike Hendryx):
Mike had a solo segment, as well:
Unlike on Friday when he followed me, I followed him in the interview chair (via vidcaps):
Bernie’s last aircheck of the show included Jett Lightning and Wolf German, a former student of hers:
Wolf is enthusiastic and affable, and it was a pleasure to meet him. Jett agreed.
Jett stuck around for Mike Riccio and Bobby G., and Bill Mozer checked on his setup:
After the above picture, I packed up the camcorder and tripod and left Studio 2. I came back in for one final shot during Mike and Bobby’s phone interview with Chuck Taylor:
As you see, Jay Elzweig stopped by the studio before he left for the night.
When I got home, I edited pictures, selected which to post here and Facebook, and began mixing camcorder video with my recording from the FM tuner and studio board. All the while, I listened to the rest of Mike and Bobby’s show, and Bruce Leonard and John Commins after them. Here’s the final cut of the video, which I rendered and posted to YouTube yesterday afternoon:
While waiting in Studio 3 for my dad to pull into the parking lot, I had Jeff Kroll take pictures of me with Alana Leider:
…and John Zoni:
Then, I took pictures of Pat Kroll and Lew Scharfberg:
Alan Boritz and Pat Kroll:
Lew Scharfberg, Jeff Kroll, Bruce Leonard:
…and finally, Bill Mozer and Bernie Bernard:
Thus ended a busy day at LIU Post. It’s always great to catch up with alumni I know and meet alumni for the first time. It’s also great to hear the various shows throughout Homecoming Weekend. “I’m listening to the very end,” I wrote in the WCWP Alumni Association Facebook group during Jeff Kroll’s 10PM show last night. “You sound great, Jeff.”
Here’s how Jeff signed off just before midnight:
Until next year, I’ll leave you with the aircheck from the prerecorded Instrumental Invasion with Mike Chimeri that aired at 2AM yesterday:
…and the playlist.
As I noted last week, I recorded the show from home. It sounded great on the web stream, which I was awake to listen to.
Two days at The Barclays August 30, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Golf, Internet, Media, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.add a comment
I spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the third and final round of The Barclays, the first event of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs. This year, as in 2012, the host venue was Bethpage Black, the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Bethpage/Farmingdale.
One day after acquiring tickets to the second round of the PGA Championship, my dad Bill ordered tickets for the third round of The Barclays. About a week before we were to go, Dad won complimentary tickets to the final round. Our weekend was set.
This was the tournament’s 50th year. It began in 1967 as the Westchester Classic. This was also the last year it was sponsored by Barclays. Starting next year, when the tournament will be at nearby Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, it will be known as The Northern Trust. As a result, the tournament that was called the Northern Trust Open, held in February at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, will become the Genesis Open.
For the third round on Saturday, Dad and I left the house at 11:30 and drove to Nassau Coliseum for general parking. From there, a shuttle bus drove us to Bethpage Black.
All pictures both days were taken on my iPhone 6.
The practice green and media center:
The 1st tee:
The 1st fairway:
We stopped at the 18th fairway to watch Phil Mickelson and Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose finish their round:
This was back by the 1st tee:
The 1st green:
The 4th tee:
We stopped at the concession tent by the 5th green and 12th fairway, then watched the last seven pairings at the 5th green:
Those pairings were:
Jim Herman and Jhonattan Vegas
Ricky Barnes and J.B. Holmes
Martin Laird and Harold Varner III
Jason Day and Adam Hadwin
Jordan Spieth and Sean O’Hair
Rickie Fowler and Ryan Moore
Patrick Reed (36-hole leader) and Emiliano Grillo
The MetLife Blimp:
After watching Blayne Barber and Jason Kokrak at the 12th green, Dad and I made our way to the 13th green:
We stood in the sun at first, then moved to the shade (seen above). We watched Barber and Kokrak, Ryan Palmer and Kevin Chappell, and then the seven pairings I listed earlier. As the leader and challengers approached, we saw Billy Kratzert, Dottie Pepper, and Peter Kostis from CBS Sports. Also passing by were course reporters from PGA Tour Radio, NHK (Japan), and Sky Sports.
After Reed and Grillo, Dad and I walked back toward the clubhouse.
The jib by the 14th green:
A closer look:
The 15th tee:
We stopped at the crosswalk by the 17th tee as Jason Day and Adam Hadwin teed off.
We stopped in the shop to buy a shirt, then took the shuttle back to Nassau Coliseum.
Rickie Fowler (-9) took the lead from Patrick Reed (-8) going into the final round. Here are highlights of the third round, which concluded while we were in transit.
For the final round on Sunday, Dad and I left for the Coliseum at noon. The shuttle we took arrived at Bethpage Black before 1:00.
Our first stop after arriving was the practice range, which was adjacent to the Yellow Course:
At the range were Adam Scott, Patrick Reed, Kevin Streelman, Justin Thomas, Emiliano Grillo, and Rickie Fowler.
Then, we walked toward the 18th green.
Me and the infamous warning sign:
Our plan was to sit in the grandstand above the green until play concluded, but that didn’t pan out. I’m glad it didn’t.
We watched the four pairings start their rounds at the 1st tee:
The four pairings:
Kevin Streelman and Gary Woodland
Emiliano Grillo and Justin Thomas
Adam Scott and Martin Laird
Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed
Fowler and Reed waiting to tee off:
After a brief stop in the Mastercard Club, Dad and I walked to the concession area by the 14th hole. On the way there, we passed Brandt Snedeker and Brian Harman as they made their way to the 17th tee. People were high fiving Sneds, and I tried to get in on the action, but he didn’t see my hand. Oh, well.
After hot dogs and soda, we returned to our spot at the 13th green:
As you can see, the hole was moved.
We watched the last 14 pairings come through. In addition to the four I listed earlier, there were also:
Brian Stuard and Jim Furyk
Billy Horschel and Rory McIlroy
Brendan Steele and Chez Reavie
Sean O’Hair and Charl Schwartzel
Ricky Barnes and Jordan Spieth
Jason Dufner and Blayne Barber
Ryan Moore and Kevin Kisner
Jason Kokrak and Ryan Palmer
Dustin Johnson and Jamie Lovemark
Jason Day and Tony Finau
Occasionally, photographers and TV cameramen set up in front of us. On a personal note, my dad’s friend joined us at the green for a little while.
Day parred 13, but made a 71-foot putt for birdie at 15.
When Fowler and Reed came to the green, volunteers strictly enforced the no-camera-or-phone policy. I put my iPhone back in its holster and didn’t touch it until they holed out. By this time, Fowler had faltered and Reed regained the lead. That lead would grow to three shots, but he won by one (-9).
Dad and I made another stop at the concessions by 14. While there, we ran into my friend Mike and his wife Laurie.
The jib also made an appearance:
Then, we walked to the grandstand by the 17th green for the last two pairings:
The view was spectacular:
As we approached the 18th tee, we ran into Mike and Laurie again. After Reed and Fowler teed off, we walked adjacent to fairway.
We stayed until the last putt:
The 18th green at the moment Reed putt for bogey to win by one shot:
The moment Peter Kostis interviewed Reed:
We walked closer to the green for the trophy presentation (not televised), which came after Reed signed his scorecard.
Dottie Pepper hosted the presentation:
Reed’s win, the fifth of his career, earned him a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
On the way back to the shuttle, we passed by the 1st tee of the Red Course:
And we saw Rickie Fowler signing autographs by the practice green:
With that, we exited and boarded the shuttle:
I expect to do as the sign said and return next year at Glen Oaks for The Northern Trust.
I will update this post after the Tour Championship with the FedExCup Champion. Until then, I leave you with post-tournament links:
Final round highlights
Patrick Reed news conference
Shots of the week
Final round photo gallery
Associated Press story
Helen Ross: Teamwork leads to success
Winner’s Bag: Patrick Reed, The Barclays
9/25 UPDATE: Rory McIlory won.
8/15/21 UPDATE: The PGA Tour will be replacing this tournament, renamed The Northern Trust, with the FedEx Cup Championship. That means this year’s tournament, the 55th, will be the last.
A day at the 2016 PGA Championship July 30, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Audiobooks, Books, Golf, Health, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.2 comments
I spent my Friday with my father Bill at the second round of the PGA Championship, held this year at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. The championship was held two weeks earlier this year because of the Olympics. This is a photo recap of our day. Regular cameras weren’t allowed, so all pictures were taken on my iPhone 6.
A few months ago, I listened to the Audible version of Love That Boy, a book by National Journal senior political columnist Ron Fournier. (I ended up buying the book and then buying a copy for my dad for Father’s Day.) It’s mainly about his relationship with his son Tyler, before and after he was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age 12, about five years before I learned I had it. After the diagnosis, Ron began taking Tyler on trips to presidential museums and to meet a few living presidents, whom Ron covered while a reporter. My dad and I have also taken trips since my diagnosis: to golf tournaments, especially major championships. He used to go to golf tournaments with his friends and father, my grandpa Carmen. In particular, he attended the 1986 and 1995 U.S. Open Championships at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and the 1993 U.S. Open at Baltusrol. Since 2002, when the U.S. Open was first held at the Bethpage Black Course in Bethpage State Park, we have been to six majors and a handful of regular tournaments. The majors we’ve been to, counting the one that’s the subject of this post, are:
2002 U.S. Open, 3rd Round – Bethpage Black Course
2004 U.S. Open, Final Round – Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
2005 PGA Championship, Final Round – Baltusrol Golf Club
2006 U.S. Open, Final Round – Winged Foot Golf Club
2009 U.S. Open, 3rd/Final Round – Bethpage Black Course
2016 PGA Championship, 2nd Round – Baltursol Golf Club
In 2005 and 2009, play was suspended due to thunderstorms (PGA) and darkness (U.S. Open). I watched the rest of those two majors on TV the following day. In 2009, I also went to the course twice before the first round; once with my mother Lisa and once alone. Here’s how that went.
Dad and I didn’t plan on going to this year’s PGA Championship, even though it was in the tri-state area, but earlier this month, my uncle Jim gave us two grounds tickets to the second round. We would be going, after all.
Rain was in the forecast for Thursday night and yesterday, which I thought would mean no trip or a wasted trip. But play was only delayed 45 minutes and the rain subsided shortly before we left Wantagh around 10AM. General parking was about a half hour away from Baltusrol at Oak Ridge Park in Clark, New Jersey. We arrived there a little after noon.
Shuttles traveled to and from the park and Baltusrol around the clock.
We got to the grounds just before 1PM.
The 2019 PGA Championship will be at Bethpage Black:
We watched Soomin Lee, Joost Luiten, and William McGirt finish their second round starting at 16.
The 16th green:
The MetLife blimp:
The 17th green:
The 18th hole:
The clubhouse:
We reached the practice green just in time to see Phil Mickelson leave it and make his way to the 1st tee:
Phil won the last time we were at Baltusrol in 2005.
In his second round, he recovered from a triple bogey at the 1st to shot an even par 70, making the cut at +1.
Gregory Bourdy chipping off the green:
He went on to shoot a 68 after starting at the 10th tee. At -3 for the championship, he was six shots back of Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb (-9) after two rounds.
Brian Gaffney’s ball adjacent to the 6th fairway:
Gaffney reached the green and was able to save par, but he shot a 74 (+4) in the first round and 73 (+3) in this second, missing the cut by five shots.
The 7th fairway:
The 11th tee and 10th green:
From there, we watched two groups that started at the 10th:
1) Omar Uresti, Greg Chalmers (who had an autism awareness patch on his bag), Ross Fisher
2) David Muttitt, Smylie Kaufman, Zac Blair
The view from the grandstand by the 10th tee and 9th green:
Here, we watched a few groups:
1) J.B. Holmes, Brian Stuard, Hideki Matsuyama
2) Matt Dobyns, Tyrell Hatton, Harris English
3) Ernie Els (whose son is autistic), Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson
We left the grandstand before Jimmy Walker’s group reached the 9th green.
The 13th green:
The aforementioned Harris English’s ball adjacent to the 13th fairway:
He did make the cut and was five shots back (-4).
Walking through Patron Plaza…:
A misting fan:
After 4 1/2 hours, our day came to an end:
Since it was rush hour, the shuttle ride back to Oak Ridge Park took about 40 minutes. From there, Dad and I drove home, listening to the coverage of the rest of the second round on SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio. Heading up the coverage was the voice of the New York Giants, who play a half hour away at MetLife Stadium, Bob Papa. We arrived back at the house at about 8:30.
It was a memorable day at the PGA Championship. Thank you, Uncle Jim, for the tickets.
I will update this post after the final round.
7/31, 7:30 PM UPDATE: The rains came yesterday (Saturday) afternoon and suspended play until this (Sunday) morning. Jimmy Walker briefly trailed in the third round this morning, but regained the lead heading into the final round this afternoon. Moments ago, Walker held off defending PGA Champion Jason Day, and his own nerves, to win the 2016 PGA Championship. He won wire-to-wire, leading or tied for the lead after every round. Day showed class by congratulating Walker on the 18th green.
I’m glad to have been part of the tournament as a second round spectator.
7/31, 8:41 PM UPDATE: Post-championship links:
PGA/CBS Sports: Walker’s winning par putt
PGA/CBS Sports: Wanamaker Trophy presentation and interview
Nick Menta, Golf Channel: Walker bests Day by one to win PGA Championship
Kyle Porter & Robby Kalland, CBS Sports: PGA Championship 2016 leaderboard, highlights: Breaking down a wild ending
8/1 UPDATE: More links:
Matt Stypulkoski, The Star-Ledger: Jimmy Walker continues trend of first-time major winners
Steve Politi, The Star-Ledger: Jimmy Walker’s PGA Championship victory is a win for grinders everywhere
Hank Gola, The Star-Ledger: Is it still Jimmy Walker’s day if he had been paired with Jason Day?
Andy Vasquez, The Record: Walker holds off Day for first major
Tara Sullivan, The Record: Walker’s wire-to-wire act was dynamite (a reference to “dynomite!,” the catchphrase of J.J. Evans on Good Times, portrayed by namesake Jimmie Walker)
Michael Bamberger, Golf Magazine: Jimmy Walker Edges Jason Day, Wins 2016 PGA Championship
Art Stricklin, Golf Magazine: Party Awaits Jimmy Walker at His Home Club in Texas
8/2 UPDATE: Even more links:
PGA: Full Sunday Highlights
PGA: Full Tournament Highlights
PGA: Jimmy Walker’s Full PGA Champion Press Conference
PGA: Top 10 Shots of the 2016 PGA Championship (#9 spoiler: I saw John Senden on the practice green after he completed his second round.)
An afternoon at the Fire Island Lighthouse July 16, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in History, Jazz, Military, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.5 comments
Two weeks ago, Lori Downing, a co-worker of my mother and sister, invited me to visit the Fire Island Lighthouse. Her father, Bill Laghezza, is among its volunteers. I agreed, not knowing what to expect.
Lori’s original plan for yesterday – a hot and humid day, even by the ocean – was to pick me up at 10:30. That became 11:30. We took the Wantagh Parkway to Ocean Parkway, planning on getting on the Robert Moses Causeway, proceeding to Robert Moses State Park, and walking to the lighthouse. We knew there would be a Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride until 1:00, but we thought it stopped at the State Boat Channel Bridge. It actually ended on the Ocean Parkway, which meant eastbound traffic was diverted back west at the finish line. So, we had to reverse course, taking the Ocean Parkway west, Wantagh Parkway north to Exit W4E, the Southern State Parkway east to Exit 40, then take the Robert Moses Causeway south to the park. By this time, the Soldier Ride was over.
Lori and I parked in Field 5 and walked the path to the Fire Island Lighthouse. I brought my Nikon D5500 and snapped away. Below is our photographic journey. Enjoy.
The lighthouse’s 15th Annual Benefit Art Show was in its third-to-last day. Here are the exhibits:
Time to climb to the top:
It was tougher than using a stairmaster.
The view from the top deck:
It was jarring at first being up so high, but I adjusted.
Lori took my picture:
Then, Bill joined us and I took a picture of him and Lori:
Here are a couple of videos I shot while on the top deck while Bill was with us.
“C.I.” is Central Islip.
Time to head back down:
It was easier going down than it was going up.
All visitors that climb to the top and come back down get a certificate of accomplishment. Another lighthouse volunteer, Angela, took my picture after filling out my certificate:
Angela and I had a brief conversation about Earl Klugh and I told her about the show I went to a few nights earlier.
One last piece of business: signing the guest log:
As a privacy precaution, I blurred out last names, locations, e-mail addresses, and the file location of the log.
I’m so glad I decided to join Lori on her trip to the lighthouse. As I wrote in the guest log, it was worth waiting in traffic to get there. I will never forget the sights, the sounds, or the volunteers I met.
The rest of winter March 27, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
Other than that big blizzard on January 23, it was a relatively quiet winter. Thanks, El Niño.
Now that spring is upon us and the last wet snowflake has melted, let’s look at pictures from three of the last six snow events of the winter.
February 5, nearly a foot of wet snow:
9:05 AM:
10:20 AM:
11:30 AM:
1:31 PM, before shoveling:
2:26 PM, after shoveling:
Unfortunately, the wind shook the wet snow off the trees and bushes, undoing part of the shoveling my sister and I had done.
The last time I had to shovel in the winter was a few days later after an inch of snow fell. Mother nature did the work for me the following Monday night and Tuesday. A few inches of snow that had fallen on President’s Day afternoon was washed away by rain and mild temperatures.
March 4, a coating of wet snow:
9:26 AM:
March 21, two inches of wet snow:
7:42 AM:
All the snow in those two pictures melted away by afternoon. Until late fall…
Quiet February February 21, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Weather.add a comment
Since last month’s blizzard, there hasn’t been any major snowfall here on Long Island. There was 6 to 12 inches of wet snow on February 5, a few inches combined on February 8 and 9, and a couple of inches on February 17, but mild air, sunshine, and rain have done their part to melt away the snowfall. As a result, I haven’t had anything to write about for four weeks.
There’s still a month of winter left and I expect at least one more snowstorm, but no more than a foot of snow. When that storm comes, I’ll write about it here.
January 23 blizzard pictures & video January 25, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Technology, Video, Weather.add a comment
Last Monday, I hinted at the end of my Lisa Hilton post that there could be significant snowfall by the end of the week. And there was.
Whereas the first major storm of last winter was initially supposed to bring up to three feet of snow, then brought half that, this year’s appeared to be destined for six inches at most. But by Thursday night, the forecast began trending toward the worst case scenario. Strong winds were also in play, which brought the flooding fear to waterfront residents and the downed trees and power outages fear to me, an inland resident.
Luckily, the wind wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There were a few big gusts in the morning, but that was it.
Below is a photographic timeline of Saturday’s blizzard from eight hours after snow began through a few hours before it ended.
8:11 AM:
9:50 AM:
Every few hours, I shoveled the front porch to keep the snow from piling up. I chose to wait until after snow had ended to shovel the rest of the driveway.
1:18 PM:
4:14 PM:
6:28 PM:
9:26 PM, on my iPhone:
9:31 PM:
I tried to go to sleep around 11:30, but I was too eager to shovel. So, with snow still coming down, albeit lightly, I began to shovel the driveway. I made it to the center, the widest part, before giving up.
According to the National Weather Service, 25.1 inches of snow fell in Wantagh, but I measured a few inches less in my driveway.
When I woke up yesterday morning, at around 10:30 AM, I took some pictures:
Then, it was time to shovel. It took three long hours, with a few short breaks mixed in. But with help from my mom, the task was nearly complete. All that remained, following a shower, was to shovel snow that had been under my dad’s car at the edge of the driveway. That took ten minutes.
These pictures were taken at around 3PM, after that last bit of shoveling:
I usually shovel the sidewalk up to the property line, but there was so much snow that I didn’t bother.
Over the next few days, daytime high temperatures are forecast to be above freezing, perfect for melting. Good.
There are snow showers in the forecast for Thursday night into Friday with little accumulation expected. I hope that forecast stands.
I’ll leave you with the video timeline shot on my Panasonic HC-V770 and iPhone 6 (with an Otterbox Defender case):
Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall: 2016 edition January 18, 2016
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Previous Lisa Hilton recaps: June 2011, January 2014, January 2015
Later recaps: January 2018, January 2019
The second show I’ve attended in 2016 – the first was the Jeff Lorber Fusion, ten nights earlier – continued an annual tradition: Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Yesterday’s performance marked her third year in Weill and I’ve been in the audience every time.
Like last year, I got a ride to the Wantagh LIRR station at around noon. Once there, I bought a round trip off peak ticket and waited for the 12:18 train to Penn Station. The ride wasn’t as quiet as last year in either direction, but I didn’t mind.
When I got to Penn, I took the 1 train to 59th Street-Columbus Circle. I walked two blocks south and one block east to get to Carnegie Hall, taking pictures along the way:
It was a 2:00 show:
My seat was front row center again. I had the row all to myself. You’d think people would buy front row seats if they’re available, but not in this case.
I grabbed a few shots of the stage, and ceiling, before showtime:
Lisa Hilton and the band were fashionably late, starting at 2:03. Lisa played piano with Ben Williams on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. Except where noted by an asterisk*, J.D. Allen and Ingrid Jensen rounded out the band on tenor saxophone and trumpet, respectively.
1/27 UPDATE: Here’s a shot from further back in the audience during the show:
I’m to Ingrid’s left (screen right).
All but the last two songs in the set were from Lisa’s new album, Nocturnal, which comes out this Friday. Copies were on sale in the lobby and I bought one before entering the hall. Here is the set list:
1. Nocturnal (also on Horizons, 2015)
2. A Spark in the Night
3. Whirlwind
4. Seduction (also on Seduction, 1997; Cocktails at Eight, 2000; My Favorite Things, 2005; and The New York Sessions, 2007)
5. Willow Weep for Me (written by Ann Ronell)
Midnight Sonata:
6. Part I: Symphony of Blues
7. Part II: Desire (also on In the Mood for Jazz, 2003)
8. Part III: Midnight Stars
9. Twilight
10. An August Remembered (rewritten from “August 1999,” which was composed for Cocktails at Eight in 2000)
11. The Sky and the Ocean (from Horizons, 2015)
12. Stepping Into Paradise (from Getaway, 2013)
“A Spark in the Night” and “Midnight Stars” had a Latin feel to them. “Midnight Stars,” in particular, sounded like a bullfighter song at one point. “Nocturnal,” “Seduction,” and “Twilight” sounded as good as they did last year. “Whirlwind” was a whirlwind. I loved it. I remember August 1999: Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs achieved the 3,000th hits of their eventual Hall of Fame careers, I had two weeks of diagnostic vocational evaluation at Abilities, Inc., in Albertson, and I spent an afternoon at Splish Splash water park in Riverhead. I thought of all that as I listened to “An August Remembered.” Unlike on the Nocturnal album version, which was a solo performance, the band accompanied Lisa.
I caught up with Lisa after the show and we posed for this picture:
I was caught off guard when I looked out the window and saw snow falling. And it was accumulating. But the end result was merely a coating. As I type, there may be more significant snowfall at the end of the week.
“See you next year,” I said to Lisa after we said our goodbyes. Year 3 at Carnegie Hall was a success. Thanks to Lisa, Ben, Rudy, J.D., and Ingrid.
MikeChimeri.com 