Sabres Gift Birthday Present Shootout Win Over Hurricanes
2/25/2024 - Buffalo, New York - Today we headed West into downtown Buffalo, New York to watch our Buffalo Sabres take on the visiting Carolina Hurricanes at the KeyBank Center. Dom's buddy came thru with awesome freebie tickets in the Club Level. We were celebrating my birthday having a nice steak and crab leg dinner prepared by Deb and then we headed to the arena making it just in time for the anthems and puck drop. The Sabres did not disappoint on my birthday and played a great game beating the Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout victory for their third straight win. The Sabres were down by one at the end of the first period but in the second period hard working Jeff Skinner tied it at one. Carolina took the lead in the third period on a Martin Necas power play goal on a questionable roughing the goalie penalty on Rasmus Dahlin, but soon after Owen Power scored the equalizer sending the game into overtime. There were plenty of opportunities in the OT for both teams but no goals were scored so into the shootout we went. In the shootout, Sabre's goalie, Ukko-Pekka Luukkanen, was perfect stopping all four shooters and in the forth round Casey Mittlestadt scored the game winner for the Sabres. An excellent home ice win for the Sabres and great birthday present win for me, thanks Dom and Sabres !Slideshow[]
Italy Travel Log - Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy
Las Vegas Trip Starts A Day Late Due To Travel Delays
8/25/2022 - Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy - Slideshow[]
8/29/2021 - Las Vegas, Nevada - Today, we celebrated our 29th Anniversary arriving at our beautiful villa just off the strip in Las Vegas at Marriott's Grand Chateau Resort. Our arrival was a day late as the journey to get there started the early afternoon the prior day as we drove to Buffalo Niagara International Airport to catch a flight to Chicago but we were delayed and arrived late in Chicago missing the last connecting flight to Vegas. We ended up staying at the Ohare Hilton for a quick sleep to get up and catch the early flight to finally arrive in Vegas. The villa at the Grand Chateau was excellent two bedrooms. living room, full kitchen and the rooftop pool offered tremendous views of the strip which was only steps from the property. We did some touristy stuff including visiting the Welcome To Las Vegas sign, stopping at Pawn Stars shop, watching the fountains at the Bellagio, seeing the Flamingos at the Flamingo, hitting Planet 13 and even getting down to Fremont Street for some old style Vegas action. We spent time gambling and took a few days trips to the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon to break up the action. We did some different things like visiting the weird Area 15 and even found the Kush Gallery tucked away in the Caesars Palace shops. We did plenty of gambling and I even made a couple hundred and enjoyed a nice dinner at Caesars Trevi. Even though we lost a day we managed to have a good time and will definitely be back to the Grand Chateau.Slideshow[]
Marathon Day Two Of Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival
9/21/2019 - Dallas, Texas - Today, we slept in at our hotel, the Lorenzo, after a long day one at the Crossroads Guitar Festival. We headed down and had a nice breakfast at the hotel before heading to full day of blues at day two at the Guitar Festival. We took an Uber to American Airlines Center at about one in the afternoon where the outdoor concerts and guitar vendor displays were in full swing. The outdoor sets included a nice set by Andy Timmons. John Mayer also came out and plugged his signature guitars and did a small jam session. After playing some guitars and listening to some tunage, we headed into the arena for day two which started at 4pm and did not end until after midnight. Again, emcee Bill Murray opened the show of nonstop music promptly at 4. The opener today was Robert Randolph Band. This would be the true blues day that had sets from Doyle Bramhall II, James Bay, Gary Clark Jr, Robert Cray Band, Buddy Guy with Johnny Lang, and an excellent set from Tedeschi Trucks Band with nice jams on Keep On Growing and How Blue Can You Get? The night also included side jam sessions from the likes of Keb' Mo', Tom Misch also joined by Mayer and John Mayer solo. The second to last set was Vince Gill who did a nice set being joined by special guests Albert Lee with a different version of Hey Joe and Joe Walsh with a nice jam on Life In The Fast Lane. The final set of the evening was Eric Clapton and his band starting with a big cake and rendition of Happy Birthday sung by Clapton honoring Bill Murray's 69th birthday. Clapton set opened with Pretending , Badge, and then was joined by John Mayer for a fantastic jam on Layla and Cross Road Blues. Clapton closed the set with a cover of Prince's Purple Rain and then was joined by everybody for an extended jam on Joe Cocker's High Time We Went. A just amazing evening of tunage, we will be back if it happens again !Slideshow[]
Skynyrd Rocks Sold-Out CMAC Crowd On Farewell Tour
7/13/2019 - Canandaigua, New York - Today, I headed East to CMAC in Canandaigua, New York to see what was a great night of rock featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd on their Last Of The Street Survivors Farewell Tour. I was not planning to go but to this show but Deb once again won some good tickets. The evening started with the legendary blues man, Buddy Guy and his band opening the show. Buddy's typical set whaling on a few blues classics, he was just okay on this evening. The next act was Warren Haynes' Gov't Mule. They did a great set that included some excellent Allman Brothers covers including Mountain Jam and Dreams. They closed their set with a nice jam on Soulshine, a good opener for Skynyrd. Lynyrd Skynyrd came out soon after opening their hit filled set with Workin' For MCA. The set included something for any and all Skynyrd fans including The Needle And The Spoon, Don't Ask Me No Questions and JJ Cale's Call Me The Breeze. They finished the set with Sweet Home Alabama. They came out one encore of what else but Free Bird that included a partial vocal of Ronnie Van Zant and guitar filled jam that made the sellout CMAC crowd go wild. An excellent evening of entertainment and it was free again, thanks Deb !Slideshow[]
Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel Tour More Rome By Foot
Mayer Brings Search For Everything To Lakeview Amphitheater
9/4/2017 - Vatican City - Another start of the day in Rome and another top notch breakfast from the Hotel Artemide, we will definitely stay here the next time we are in Rome. The adventure today was to head back to the Vatican to take a half day tour of the Vatican Museum. A beautiful day and we caught a taxi to the museum where there were pretty large crowds. Our tour guide was excellent and she took us through the magnificent sculptures, tapestries and paintings of the Vatican. The highlight included the Raphael rooms and the grand finale of Michealangelo's Sistine Chapel. We managed to sneak a few good photos of the chapel as photography was not allowed. We then headed back to St Peter's Basilica and toured the church in more detail taking in it's unbelievable beauty of art and history. We finished up and decided to walk back to the hotel taking in our favorite sites of Rome along the way. We stopped at Castel Sant'Angelo and Trevi Fountain for some photo ops. We ended up having dinner at nice little street café a couple blocks down from the Hotel. Afterwards we walked down and ended the day at the Piazza della Repubblica and touring the pretty basilica church Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. Rome is a nice city.Slideshow[]
8/22/2017 - Syracuse, New York - This Tuesday instead of heading west to Artpark for the usual show, I headed east to Syracuse's Lakeview Amphitheater to see one of my favorite newer guitarists John Mayer on his The Search for Everything tour. I left work early in the pouring rain and missed my exit on the thruway but made it to the venue a couple hours before the show start. The show start time was delayed by an hour due to heavy rains and flooding near the venue. I parked at the State Fair grounds and was bussed to the venue. The band Dawes opened the show and were just okay. Soon after John Mayer came out and did a good set. He opened with the full band playing Helpless, Queen of California and Why Georgia to name a few. He then came out for an acoustic set that included Your Body Is A Wonderland. After the acoustic set, he was joined by drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Pino Palladino better known as the John Mayer Trio for the next set. They rocked a nice set that included Who Did You Think I Was and Cross Road Blues the definite highlight of the show. He finished the set with the full band playing classics like Slow Dancing In A Burning Room and Waiting On The World To Change. He came out for an encore of Gravity. He finished at the piano with You're Gonna Live Forever In Me. A good show that almost did not happen due to the severe weather.Slideshow[]
McDonald And Toto Close Artpark Tuesday In Park Series
The Machine Brings The Floyd Back To Tuesday In The Park
8/26/2014 - Lewiston, New York - Today was the final concert of the year for the Artpark Tuesday In The Park Concert series, today two large rock artists Toto and Michael McDonald. We left early today anticipating a large crowd like the prior week, due to it being the final show and the perfect weather for a show. We made the usual Reids stop and hit Artpark early to find a smaller than usual line. The entry was delayed an extra half hour due to a meet and greet for some fans with Toto. The crowd was small initially but did fill in and Toto hit the stage on time. They played a good set of their hits. Steve Lukather played guitar with the band and we had just seen him here a couple weeks earlier jamming with Ringo And His All Starrs. Toto played their classics like Rosanna, 99, Africa and were joined by Michael McDonald helping with I'll Be Over You. They closed the set with their classic Hold The Line. The crowd enjoyed Toto's set and it was a good opener for McDonald. Michael McDonald came out soon after and did a good set of original songs, some Doobie Brothers songs and some covers. He played hits like Minute By Minute, I Keep Forgettin', This Is It, Sweet Freedom and It Keep's You Running. They completed the set with What A Fool Believes. They came out for a three song encore that included a Clapton cover of Change The World and a Stevie Wonder cover of Superstition. He finished with the Doobie's classic Takin' To The Streets. A good show to finish a very good Artpark season, can't wait til next year.Slideshow[]
7/30/2013 - Lewiston, New York - Today for the forth year in a row we attended the Artpark Tuesday In The Park performance of the Pink Floyd cover band The Machine. It was another perfect night and The Machine played again with no opening band. This was the first time seeing them since the key band members left and were replaced at bass and guitar. The crowd was late arriving but filled up Artpark when they came on stage for thier first set. They opened the first set with In The Flesh and played many classics such as Have A Cigar, Another Brick In The Wall and finishing the first set with Pigs (Three Different Ones). The new band was a little tentative to start and struggled but got better as they played. The second set brought the dark and the excellent light show accompanied by an even better second set, opening with Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The farther into the set the more awesome lasers and lights they used. They played well for the second set and did a good job playing the likes of Breathe, Time, Echoes and finishing the second set with their laser light filled Comfortably Numb. They came out and played three encores closing with Brain Damage and Eclipse. A fantastic light show and some great Pink Floyd covers just has not gotten old for me yet, see ya next year!Slideshow[]
Dolphins, Beaches, and Fun And Were Done - Part III
Seneca Park Zoo Invaded By Third Graders
4/22/2011 - Marco Island, Florida - Our final days on Marco Island included an excellent Dolphin / Shelling tour, more beach fun, food, and just relaxing in the pool. The Dolphin Study Eco Tour and Cruise left from Marco River Marina just 2 minutes from our house. We got on board the Dolphin Explorer boat and left the marina and instantly found a large school of bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins were all around the boat and were close enough to touch, they put on an excellent show playing and jumping in the wake of the boat. The tour then went to one of the Ten Thousand Islands for some sun and shelling. An excellent tour that was both fun and educational and enjoyed by everyone. After the tour back to the house and pool for more swimming and rest and relaxation. We also journeyed back to Bonita Beach Park for more beach fun which included renting jet skis again for some more fun motoring around. During the last days we continued the daily ritual of walking on the beach and enjoying sunsets from South Marco Beach. This also included another dinner at our favorite eating spot there the Sunset Grill. The last night the kids decided to treat us with tremendous ice cream concoctions at the Cold Stone Creamery with their dog track winnings. It was expensive but very good. We finished the final day watching the end of the Sabres game 5 playoff victory over the Flyers. We then got everthing packed up and the next day back to the Fort Myers airport for the direct flight back to Buffalo. Another great vacation in the books.12Slideshow[]
6/12/2008 - Rochester, New York - Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester was the scene of literally hundreds of third graders, including Dominic and pals from Hilton Village Elementary, ascending upon the zoo. The kids were bused in early and enjoyed an absolute perfect day. The top attraction at the zoo for Dom and pals had to be Cougar exhibit with the tunnel allowing kids to go into the cage and view them up close. Other top highlights included the penguin, elephant, and polar bear exhibits. The playground was a zoo within the zoo for all the kids there to release some energy. A fun and educational experience for all.Slideshow[]
Adam Sam Stafford Celebrates The Big One !
9/4/2005 - Lockport, New York - Family and friends were on hand at the new Stafford residence to celebrate a party for Adam Stafford's landmark first birthday. Adam celebrated in style having fun destroying his Pooh cake, giving him a sugar high that could last a week. Adam raked in plenty of gifts and had a great time playing and celebrating his first with sisters and cousins.Slideshow[]
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