Last Pic of Gramma Bauer?

This picture is accompanied by a note which reads:

To Chiz and Kitty,
I think this was
the last picture mother
had made in 1941, I think.

Love Eileen

Gramma Bauer is pictured with John Lee McClain

Three Little Bauers Sitting In A Row

I am not sure who is who in this picture.

Update from Mom: Alice on the left, Frances in the middle and Eileen on the right.

Catherine and Johnny Merrill

Edward and John Bauer

Two of my uncles, on my father's side, died on Valentines Day (not sure of the year) when their sled went under an ice truck... at least that's the story as I remember it. Mom, feel free to correct me.

Their funeral.

As usual, click on all pics for bigger images.

The Benefits of Family

So my wife and I were taking our daughter to a local Catholic high school for an open house. Once my wife and I got past the idea that our daughter was entering high school, we scoped out the school for a certain teacher... a very very smart lad... my nephew Phil.

The weird part of getting older is that all of the little kids in your family, the nieces and nephews, grow up. Whenever I think of Phil I think of this little boy who had trouble saying "truck!" It's hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that he is a college graduate, incredibly smart and now a teacher at his high school alma mater. Time flies once you pass thirty!

So, during the open house we eventually spied Phil, his back to us working on a computer. My wife walked up to him, put her hands over his eyes and asked him to guess who it was. Phil's mind was swimming... recognizing the voice slightly, thinking it was family, but certain that no family would be stopping by his school that day. Much to his surprise (or disappointment) it was us.

We had a nice chat as he juggled catching up with us and keeping up with his duties during the open house. It was great to see him and left us even more impressed by his accomplishments.

On the drive home my daughter confided that entering high school is a scary proposition, but knowing her cousin would be there in case of an emergency gave her a lot of comfort.

The perks of being part of a large family.

At this point, we're not sure where our daughter will go to high school, but that Catholic school certainly has an edge... we hear one of their teachers is pretty dang good!

Virgin Birth

My wife and I have been going to a bible study over the last few months and, when studying the Old Testament, there are numerous examples of God intervening to allow women previously barren to produce off spring.

It occurred to me that, for Jews raised with that understanding of God's participation in such events, that the idea of a Virgin Birth, with Jesus being conceived in Mary, would not be that dramatic of an event, or that unique. Where for New Testament focused Christians, we may not understand that God has allowed or brought life into the wombs of women throughout history, this may be a singular event, for old school Jews, this is just another example where God stepped in to allow his covenants to continue.

Just a thought.

UK's Christ-less Christmas

The UK Postal Service releases it's Christmas stamps... none of which have Christ on them! I guess offending Christians on one of the holiest of holidays is okay.

Ah, hypocrisy still runs strong.

You can read more here: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06111001.html

Quick Takes

Poseidon (2006) - The remake of the 1970s disaster flick, the film is enjoyable, but unbelievable in a Hollywood sort of way. The cast is solid, but unspectacular. Worth the time if you're looking to burn two hours on an above average action flick.





The Family Stone (2005) - This film is awful. It's supposed to be one of those quirky holiday films about a normal person entering the weird world of a wacky family. The problem? The family is full of people you actively dislike. The only person you identify with is the normal person who is the butt of all of their shallow, mean jokes. It's a film with conflicting messages and a horrid script. Avoid this film at all cost. I wish I did.



Silverado (1985) - Silverado is one of those great films that just never caught on upon its release. It's the ultimate homage to the classic Western, brought up to today's sensibilities without losing the texture of the original classics. The film holds up exceptionally well and is just good fun. Especially good is Kevin Costner as the excitable Jake. It's his best acting performance ever... unfortunately it was his first big film (excluding his cutting room floor performance in Big Chill). He's never been this good since.


Mean Girls (2004) - A clever, well written mature teen film about high school politics, bad parenting and the struggles of well meaning teachers. The film is written by Saturday Night Live writer Tina Fey, who also portrays one of the main teachers, and her script is inventive and very funny. We follow a new student (Lindsay Lohan) who comes from being home-schooled in Africa by her parents to the uber-important politics of today's high school arena. Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Lizzy Caplan play the popular girls who teach Lohan the ropes. Also nice was to see other SNL alum Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler in roles larger than their SNL skits, showing they can really act. It's PG-13 and earns it, so its not for some younger teens, but its a very funny flick.

War Games (1983) - War Games is interesting because it holds up well, especially considering the dramatic changes in both technology and global politics (fall of Soviet Union, growth of radical Islam). I watched this with my thirteen year old daughter and, despite the obvious technological differences (no cell phones, no internet, slow DOS-based computers, big-big floppy disks, etc.) and she was in it from the first time he typed "Let's play Global Thermonuclear War." A great jaunt back to my high school days and still a good time on the movie screen.

Vote Today

Don't forget to VOTE today! We can't complain about our politics if we don't vote for our politicians.


God bless America!

John Bauer, Sr. and Charles Bauer, Sr.

Here's a pic of my Dad during WWII with my late grandfather, John Bauer.

Mike Rieser, Nana's Cousin

This picture states that Mike Rieser is my grandmother's cousin and is in the middle of the picture.

Grampa Buckley

This picture only says Grampa Buckley. I'm assuming that it's the older gentleman to the left. Mom, any more info you can add?

Funny Agenda for the 2008 Democratic National Convention

This was sent in an email and I found it funny enough to post:

Agenda for the Democratic National Convention for 2008

7:00 P.M. Opening flag burning.

7:15 P.M. Pledge of allegiance to U.N.

7:30 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

7:30 till 8:00 P.M. Nonreligious prayer and worship. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton.

8:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:05 P.M. Ceremonial tree hugging.

8:15- 8:30 P.M. Gay Wedding-- Barney Frank Presiding.

8:30 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:35 P.M. Free Saddam Rally. Cindy Sheehan-- Susan Sarandon.

9:00 P.M. Keynote speech. The proper etiquette for surrender--French President Jacques Chirac

9:15 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:20 P.M. Collection to benefit Osama Bin Laden kidney transplant fund

9:30 P.M. Unveiling of plan to free freedom fighters from Guantanamo Bay .. Sean Penn

9:40 P.M. Why I hate the Military, A short talk by William Jefferson Clinton

9:45 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

9:50 P.M. Dan Rather presented Truth in Broadcasting award, presented by Michael Moore

9:55 P.M., Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

10:00 P.M. How George bush and Donald Rumsfeld brought down the World Trade Center Towers-- Howard Dean

10:30 P.M. Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Mahmud Ahnadinejad

11:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

11:05 P.M. Al Gore reinvents Internet

11:15 P.M. Our Troops are War criminals-- John Kerry

11:30 P.M. Coronation Of Mrs. Rodham Clinton

12:00 A.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

12:05 A.M. Bill asks Ted to drive Hillary home

Grampa John Bauer

I believe this is a picture of my father's Dad as a child.

(Click on picture for larger image)

Gramma Merrill's Brother

This is a picture of Joseph Buckley, my Grandma Merrill's brother.


So THAT'S where the unibrow in the family comes from! Thanks Nana! My son is especially grateful!

Gramma Merrill and Friend

The title of the picture is Nana and friend. I believe my grandmother is the young lady to the right , but she could be the baby. I'm not sure. On the original picture, some child appears to have used pen or pencil to scratch over the young woman's face and hat. I did my best to clean it up.

Mom, can you shed some light?

UPDATE FROM MOM: Okay, apparently the picture is my great-grandmother (my Mother's father's mother) who is holding the baby. The great-grandmother apparently died in 1929 when my Mom was three years old. The baby is guessed to by my Mom's cousin Patsy Lynch, but the woman beside her doesn't look like Patsy's mother, so we're not sure. The one thing we do know is that my original guess was completely wrong! :)

John Merrill, Sr

Here's another old family pic. I think this is my grandfather as child.

Mom and Family

I've been scanning pics from our family and cleaning them up in Photoshop.

Here we have my Mom's family, including Left to Right,
John Jr., my Mom (Catherine), Paul, Mary, Lorenzo,
Louise and in the front, my grandparents Da and Nana.

Click on Picture for larger image.

Update from my Mom - My Mom emailed me to say that this picture was taken on Nana and Da's 30th Wedding Anniversary in Tewksbury, MA. In this picture my Mom was pregnant with my sister Mary, which means that Joe and John were running around somewhere.

Fall Ball Ends...

Well, our Fall Ball Little League experience ended last night. My son's team, which was the only team that had more than one quality pitcher, ended up being 11-1. Most pitchers in the league walked most everyone and the teams would quickly reach their five run maximum per inning. We were fortunate to have five quality pitchers (Gabe, Jonathan, David, Noah and Mitchell).

Gabe up to bat in the last game.

Gabe and I had some very specific goals this fall ball, to make consistent solid contact when hitting and to throw consistent strikes as a pitcher. He was able to get better with each game and we ended up achieving both.

One of the hardest things to teach a young batter is to wait on slow pitches. What usually happens is the batter's bat speed matches the incoming pitch speed. If the pitch is slow, the bat swing is slow. If the pitch is fast, the bat speed is fast.

Teaching a kid to wait on the slow pitch and then swing fast is difficult. Gabe still hasn't mastered it yet, but he has improved. During the game the best player on the other team, Andrew, waited on a slow pitch and knocked it into center field.

After the hit, in between innings, Gabe and I talked and I asked him if he was capable of doing the same. Gabe is extremely competitive and he always seeks out the best player on the other team and wants to do better. He said he could hit it as far.

So, his next at bat Andrew is pitching and Gabe is hitting. The pitch count goes to 3-0 and Gabe steps out of the batters box and yells out to Andrew (who had hit Gabe twice in two previous games and walked him almost every time before as well) and said "you're not going to hit me again or walk me, are you?" Gabe's tactic worked and Andrew's next pitch was right over the plate, which Gabe knocked it to the base of the center field fence. After sliding safely into third, Gabe popped up and gave me a thumbs up.

He's better than I ever imagined and he's only ten. Granted, he's still just a kid and has a lot to learn, but his approach and talent compared to others of his age is pretty amazing to me. I take very little credit for it. He works hard, loves to play and is always thinking ahead. When I was his age I was the kid in right field wondering if I could convince my Mom to buy me bubble gum from the concession stand after the game.

Despite all that, the greatest compliment he gets from his coaches is that he's a very good leader and a very good sportsman. I feel very blessed.

Gabe ended up closing the game, walking one, striking out three. We're anxiously looking forward to moving up to the next level where he'll be pushed by kids much better than he is and where we can set higher goals.

There's talk about throwing together a tournament next week between the four teams, but we're kind of burnt out and could use a few weeks just focusing on football. If they have the tournament, I'll take pics and let you know how it turns out.

Memorable Bucs Game

For my son's birthday we went to the Eagles/Bucs game at Raymond James Stadium this past Sunday. It ended up being a very memorable 23-21 win for the Bucs. From Ronde Barber's two interceptions returned for touchdowns to Donovan McNabb having to call timeout because he was puking on the field from the heat to Matt Bryant's historic game-winning 62 yard field goal and the delerium that followed... it was certainly a memorable game on many levels.

Here my son and I snack at the Burger King before the game,
saving ourselves about $2 billion from
buying food in the stadium.

(This picture is warped because my cellphone
sometimes saves the pic all screwed up... like this one.)
The heat was oppressive. We were handed bandanas as we entered
the stadium. We stuffed them under our hats and used them
the keep the sun from baking our necks and shoulders.

Our vantage point at the game. High, but not a bad seat.
It was especially good when watching the winning field goal.

The most absurd moment of the day? The Buccaneer cheerleaders in the sweaty and skimpy outfits shaking their groove things in the End Zones to Aretha Franklin's song about respecting women. The juxtaposition was humorous to just about everyone in our section.

Nothing spells R-E-S-P-E-C-T like cleavage.