Mike Kraus

Football Season's Over. So, Now What Do I Do?

2012-02-07T18:36:00.000-05:00

Amerks vs. the Abbottsford Heat. Rochester lost 3-2 in overtime. A very, very short overtime... At least Moose was there.

Faceoff which was immediately followed by a fight.

Geez Louise making Gertie nervous at the office.

She may be a cat; not a dog...

After a rough day at the office with all the cats and big dogs, she likes to steal my snuggie and curl up on the top of our couch. Stop stealing my stuff...

So, this manure spreader at work is on its last legs. It needs to be replaced and we have no money in the budget. Any suggestions? There's a lifetime supply of cookies on the line!

Random Randomness

2012-02-01T17:36:00.000-05:00

Gertie is back for more adventures with Megan and Mike. Just look at those eyes. They say "I will wake you up all night and steal your pillow!"

Snowman with a dog food rainbow. Hmmm...

Megan came home with Stinky Gringo Margarita's to celebrate our upcoming trip to Florida. 36 proof and 18% alcohol... That will do it...

Geez Louise looking like she had a few Stinky Gringo's herself.

Some really funny kittens at Lollypop Farm.

And... Done...

Diary of the Real Prince Charming

2012-01-24T17:46:00.001-05:00

Megan and Rachel at Bill Gray's having a fine meal before we head over to Roberts Wesleyan College to see their production of Cinderella.

Rachel with her friend, Squirmy the Wormy.

Close up of Rachel and Squirmy

Us at the Andrews B. Hale Auditorium.

Rachel had the opportunity to take some "candid shots" with the camera.

Oh Aunt Meg!

Handsome...

At least she got everyone! Good job Rachel! Too bad I didn't have a pic of when she met the Fairy Godmother and told her how beautiful she was and that she was a good singer. Oh when she told Cinderella that both of their real names is Rachel. Merry Christmas Rachel (Dudette)!

PETEY! Why are you so big? How come you are so squirmy?

This is Buzz. He's the newest visitor to my office. Right now, he's wondering why I'm working on the computer instead of petting him. I don't know, Buzz...

This is a on temporary exhibition in my office. It's called Rainbowl by William Kenneth Daw and was featured at the Memorial Art Gallery in their "Extreme Materials" show. This is his bio from the show:

In the summer of 2004, Ken Daw challenged himself “to find a creative way to feed as many of my four-legged friends as possible, while inspiring the public to see the rainbow of beauty in the everyday objects that surround us.” Consequently, he founded Pawlick Studios, through which he sells his dog food mosaics to raise funds for animal shelters and promote pet adoption awareness.

and a link to his website if you want to see more: http://dogfoodart.blogspot.com/

Special shout out to Karen's daughter for the Oreo cupcakes with M&M ladybugs. THANK YOU!!!

Blades Of Steel

2012-01-18T17:35:00.000-05:00

My wife showing off her skills she learned from the Ice Capades.

A delightful Upstate New York winter day and Martin Luther King Day spent hiking and ice skating in Ellison Park

I posed for ten minutes to get this hockey stop shot. Don't let it fool you. All I forgot to do was photoshop a spray of snow that looks like it came from a snowplow.

Geez Louise is still at the office with a little bit of a winter cold. Great cat and discovered how much fun it is to hit the "test print" button on the printer...

That's about it from the tundra of Rochester.

The Monster Jam! It Was A Grave Digger Smash!

2012-01-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

MONSTER JAM THUNDER NATIONALS FEATURING GRAVE DIGGER AT THE BLUE CROSS ARENA IN ROCHESTER, NY!
You have to admit that my wife gets me some pretty awesome xmas gifts...

STONE CRUSHER!

Who will win? Eradicator or Grave Digger?

GRAVE DIGGER!!!

This is a truck line up out of my 8 year old dreams...

The Grave Digger pennant/the tattoo I'm going to get...

Monster Jam is really good at coming up with products. Products like the Digger Disc boomerang

Or the Grave Digger hat that came with cotton candy for only $15...

CANNONLADY! The ceiling of the Blue Cross Arena is so low that they had to fire her from the minimum trajectory, which was still really close to the ceiling. We found out that her entire family does this for a living and her husband blew himself up earlier as "the Human Bomb."

Spiderman would have been much cooler if it didn't stall every time the drive hit the accelerator...

GRAVE DIGGER!

Just doing a few donuts...

Maximum Destruction was the true master of donuts. I have to admit, I was genuinely impressed with this performance.

BACKDRAFT right before that rear tire went flat and he had to leave the show.

Evidence of a hard days work...

Teaching Rachel how to ice skate! The facilities at Monroe Community College are really, really impressive.

My strange ice skating still life...

This dog is so cute that in the time it will take you to read this sentence, 15 people have already emailed me about adopting her.

And yes, my job is so awesome that this puppy is considered "job related."

That's it for now. I have a string of weird blogs that will probably continue next week. All I can really tell you is I'm changing my name to "Andy Warthog" for an evening in Buffalo. Even I don't know what that means...

New Years Eve With the Razorsharks

2012-01-03T18:12:00.000-05:00

As part of my xmas present, Megan brought me to my first Rochester Razorshark minor league basketball game at the Blue Cross Arena. Please let me introduce you to Finley, the Razorshark.

warming up

More Finley

Oh man! My first Razorshark game is also a banner raising ceremony! Now I can tell my kids that I was there when it all happened!

The banner!

Mayor Tom Richards throwing the highest tip off in the history of basketball.

Unfortunately, this ladie's half-court shot for $10,000 barely made it to the free throw line.

The Razorsharks beat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Steamers 107-98 in the 2012 championship banner raising home opener. Megan and I had a great time. Lots of great people watching. For some reason, the pictures didn't turn out very good. Hopefully, my next Blue Cross Arena event will look much better next week...

Well, winter started about three months later than it did last year. Hopefully, this doesn't mean that it will ending in August to make up for lost time.

That's about it for now. Very, very busy at work right now catching up on everything with the holiday season. So, nothing too exciting to report...

Meer Meer Me Meer... MEEER!

2011-12-28T17:49:00.000-05:00

Finally... Something to wear around the apartment... For those of you who want to know why I am married to Megan; this is your answer. For those of you who want to know why Megan married me; get in line...

Oh no! Now she's getting into line...

Short and sweet this week. Had a three days off of work and now have about six days worth of work to catch up on... So it goes... Xmas was good. Got spoiled rotten. Plenty of sweaters. A snowbrush came just in the nick of time. Played lots of Wii. Now reading Adam Smith's Weath of Nations. Hope everyone had a great holiday and see you after new years!

Geez Louise! Ewoks Must Live Here!

2011-12-20T18:18:00.000-05:00

Megan and I went to the Mushroom House for a holiday party thrown by The Children's Agenda. Stolen pic from wikipedia. More on the house at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom_House

Another stolen pic. But, the house is for sale for only $799,900. Price reduced $300,100 since October.

What it looked like in the dark when I rolled up after work...

The mosaic fireplace

Now that's a bathroom

The hallway connecting the "pods." So, if you needed to have something repaired, who would you call; a hobbit?

Tree support

Here's a bedroom. Now, this house has to come with the furniture because you would never be able to buy furniture for this place because there are no 90 degree angles and the furniture could never fit into another house that isn't a mushroom.

Fountain in the livingroom

Back to the fireplace

This is in the "lounge pod." This is a giant cherry wood sculpture thing.

The Hobbit entrance. It was a crazy house. I left having way more questions than I had going into it. Questions about plumbing, heating, and other maintenance.

Thanks to Julie, I have some new paperwork for my projects...

This is Louise. She looks freaked out because she is freaked out. You would be too if you sat on a desk that has a nerf missile launcher on it.

Cat playing with the mouse

Cat in the box

I think she's trying to escape by using FedEX

After a long day, it's time to crash on my paperwork.

That's it until xmas. So, hope everyone has a good one.

Good Ship Lollypop (NOW WITH A MISSILE LAUNCHER!)

2011-12-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

Cats love christmas too!

We had a big fundraiser last week and Lollypop Farm grossed $37,000! YEAH! Sounds like a lot until I found out that the care of the animals from one of our cruelty cases has run up a tab of about $86,000. It amazes me the things we can do though!

This inkind donation from Perkins. It is wonderful chauffeuring a platter of browies, cookies, brownies and other goodies that take up my entire backseat in the morning.

So... It begins...

Rachel and Erin boxing each other on the Kinect

The best part of watching these two box is they keep getting closer to the TV as if they are going to start boxing the characters on the screen.

Lollypop Farm Holiday Party at the Green Lantern (restaurant; not the superhero) in the village of Fairport. A good time was had by all and, as this pic shows, lots of hats that move and play music.

Look at what I got at the White Elephant Gift Exchange! It's a missile launcher for my desk. It has a full range of motion, has desktop controls for my computer, and another way for me to threaten my volunteers to do more data entry just in time for the giving season!

The Tale of Mark Klaus

2011-12-06T17:33:00.000-05:00

Santa with Spaz the Iguana. There's something special about having this happen in the office right next to me

This is Petey in the office on the other side of me.

PETEY! KEEP BATCHING GIFTS! WHAT ABOUT THE AUDIT!

Look who got adopted today! A 3 month old Pug/Jack Russell Terrier

Tailgating at Conklin's Bar and Grill before the Bills/Titans game this past weekend, which is the best part of the game when they are losing...

Look at all of them empty seats... Talking about teams that self-destruct, it's nice to see the Detroit Lions are going to personal foul their way out of a wild card playoff spot. It's a new twist on an old disappointment.

That's all from Rochester.

2-for-1 Holiday Special

2011-11-29T17:44:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I think Megan and I broke a new land speed record between Rochester, NY and Muskegon, MI with a drive time under 8 hours. I'm glad we got to see a lot of people back home and sorry that we didn't get to see everyone.

DON'T FEED HER AFTER MIDNIGHT!

And, in honor of the new Muppet movie, I say, "meer meer meer meer!"

Seems that x-mas and t-day combined forces this year. And yes Virginia, that is a Superman snuggie. It looks even better when I become "Lazy Superman" watching football on the couch.

This is Brother Thou Shalt Not Get Fat. Of course, it only contains grenola...

The sweetest breed of dog; Cupcake Yorkie.

Please check out Lollypop Farm, Humane Society of Greater Rochester's new website at:

www.Lollypop.org

Play around with the pages and all and tell me what you think. Thanks!

A Week In the Life of a Lollypop Farm Employee

2011-11-22T17:59:00.000-05:00

I believe this sign should be made available to all employees having a rough day. Perhaps in t-shirt form for those without an office.

My getting to work wheels and my at work wheels. Compare and contrast.

THE BRICKS ARE IN! YEAH!!!! Thanks to Zaretsky and Associates landscaping for the installation. Thanks to my team for all the work they've put into it. Most of all, to all our donors for participating!!!

So many good bricks. They look better now that they've been swept and it has rained

Lots of new birds at Lollypop Farm after a surrender. These guys captivate my attention every time I walk by.

Thanks to Dee for my new desk ornament. It's Squash Beetlejuice! Michael Keaton has never looked so good.

Thanks to Karen for my new creepy Puss In Boots clock.

OH MAN! The set is going up for getting your Holiday Pet Photos. At the very least, you should check out the pics of Santa with the animals. But, it would be even better to sign up and have a picture taken with you furry friend at:

HOLIDAY PET PHOTO AT LOLLYPOP FARM

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"W... Hat... What? Oh, What! Are You Serious Right Now?

2011-11-15T17:46:00.000-05:00

Meet Dave Jr. Not Really... Again... This is Rocky! The newest addition to the family from Lollypop Farm and Stella's newest roommate.

Here's Rachel and Rocky. Why Rachel is traveling at the speed of light is unknown...

Fishing for salmon at Linear Park in Penfield. Looks like a beer commercial...

The world's littlest hamster. He's only 7 days old...

RABBITS ON THE LOOSE!

How can anyone have a bad day at work when the last thing they see is a dozen rabbits bouncing around? They don't...

Time for some pizza and Biggest Loser. Two things that go together beautifully...

Cat On a Hot Tin Ceiling

2011-11-08T17:53:00.000-05:00

CAT ESCAPES INTO THE CEILING!

Poor thing. I had to stay late after work to help set a trap to catch her.

Certainly not afraid of heights

Tailgating at Conklin's Bar and Grill/Illegal Motion before the Buffalo Bill's game.

Panorama of Ralph Wilson Stadium

THAT'S A LOT OF WHITE PEOPLE! It was a "whiteout" for the Jets game. The only white shirts I have are a dress shirt and a tshirt with a cartoon Bavarian pickle yodeling. It seems that was the case with many people. Probably would have been more successful if they would have gone with red or blue...

We've been looking for houses with a nice porch. I never thought to look for a car with one...

How depressing is it that it is this dark when I leave work now? How about this for a hot button election day issue: Daylight Savings Time 365 days a year?

That's it.

Things On Other People's Walls

2011-11-01T17:42:00.000-04:00

Found this fella outside my door this morning.

Poster from the Barktober Fest Poster Contest. I don't know if I like "Make me your pet" or "Love me" more. Perhaps we should have a vote...

A gem found in the basement of another open house. I think Santa and the doll may have had a little egg nog...

Saved the best for last. Who doesn't love a monkey in the toilet? That is a funny job. Whoever lives in this house would probably be my best friend if I ever met them...

That was quick and easy. I guess no Rachel or Gertie means no photos. This is what moving to Rochester has done to me. At least I have toilet monkey...

Salmon or Sal Bass? He just substituted one fish for another!

2011-10-25T17:51:00.000-04:00

Looking for Salmon in the Irondequoit Creek at Corbett's Glen in Brighton

Here's Rachel in her impromptu straightjacket.

Tops Grocery isn't know for their exotic food. Kiwano Melon? It tastes like cucumber, banana and lime? Jelly texture?

Finally got to see the salmon spawning. It was really awesome. Giant fish swimming upstream and jumping up the waterfalls. It was just like those nature shows except for the grizzly bears trying to catch them. That's Rich in one of the many "Hudson River School" photos I've taken since moving to Rochester.

Somewhere in there is a giant salmon...

And, a salmon is about to jump or already jumped. What lame photos for such a cool event...

Rachel with a couple of boys trying to see how close they can get to the salmon

Megan!

Me...

Three Bells. The littlest one's hip hip name is Lil' Arby

WhatchaGotCookin? Eats! on the Erie Canal in Fairport. We had a donor event there last Saturday that was a lot of fun with lots of great food. Megan and I walked by last summer (on our epic walk from Pittsford-Fairport and back) and thought it would be good. We were right

Setting up on what turned out to be a perfect day

Donors!

Yesterday was an epic "Cleaning Day." So, we cleaned everything and rearranged the whole office. Now, I can see everyone instead of starring at the wall. It really has changed my worldview

Gertie with my new desk ornament I found in the cabinet I cleaned out.

That's about it.

Wii Love Birthdays!

2011-10-19T17:38:00.000-04:00

THANKS TO MY WIFE it is 1988 again and I have the original Nintendo! So, when she had to go to Ithaca for a conference that weekend, I had to perfect Mario Kart, Goldeneye, Sports, and MLB2011. Megan must either really love me or really hate herself because she knows I get addicted to beating these games.

Then again, maybe it's her Mario Kart addiction I should be worried about...

Birthday dinner at Dinosaur BBQ! THANKS TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR EVERYTHING! YOU ARE AWESOME AND I'M LUCKY TO KNOW YOU!

Sarah (Lee) the cat. You should adopt her because she's super easygoing

Petey's first bath. You could hear him wimper a mile away.

Our friend Amanda volunteers with Junior League and they had their holiday sale at the Dome Arena in Henrietta. I've never been to this place, but I want to know a lot more about it. There has to be a wikipedia page about it or something. Maybe we should live here instead of getting some suburban single family home...

Not only was there a holiday sale, but an RV show! Ok, if the owners of the Dome Arena won't sell to us, we'll get an RV instead.

That's about it. I'm hungry.

Upstate Living

2011-10-11T18:01:00.000-04:00

TAILGATING AT RALPH WILSON! Your choice of ribs, Philly Cheesesteak, pork tenderloin, a variety of brats and hot dogs, chicken, hamburgers, Buffalo Wings, and so much more.

Illegal Motion

When we made this walk last year for the Bills vs. Lions (a.k.a. Loser Bowl 2010 where they both tried to lose) we made this walk alone. Amazing what a few wins can do!

I am now aware of breast cancer because I have seen so much pink.

Skydivers! I think they jumped about 5 minutes early because he had the flag and all, but there was no national anthem. They were talking about fan conduct or something on the PA and then he came onto the field.

The skydiver with the Bills flag missed the mark and crash landed. Still, no national anthem...

Michael Vick about to have a really bad game. Or as one sign read, "Awaiting a con-Vick-tion."

I'm not only a member of the Rochester Chapter of the Ruvell Martin Fan Club, but I'm also the president. If you don't know who he is, he's the 5th wide receiver for the Bills and we went to the same high school in Muskegon, MI. The last player I championed was Kyle Orton who later went on to QB both the Bears and Broncos until last weekend.

It's not the first soldout Bills game I've been to, but it is the first one where people were actually in their seats watching the game and cheering. Also, the first one I've attended that wasn't during a snow/rain mixture.

I hope it wasn't a long drive

Apple picking in Victor at The Apple Farm on 444

Where's the camera stick!

Fall in Upstate New York.

Macoun or Cortland? What am I, the scarecrow from Wizard of Oz?

Eve in Paradise picking apples. Luckily for me, this Eve is really afraid of snakes. We saw two this weekend and she almost had a heart attack.

Apples by the bunches!

It's like living in a painting sometimes

Some kind of amazing tree.

So many apple trees.

This tree is struggling to hold all of them apples!

Bernardo's Pizza and Subs for lunch in Victor. The pizza was really good and I'll have to get a sub the next time we're there because they looked awesome. A great deal with huge portions. The retro decor is amazing and I could look at all the old radios for hours.

Still no salmon in the Irondequoit Creek. None in Corbett's Glen either. Last year, I missed seeing all the salmon coming up to spawn. Now, it appears I'm too early. If you see them jumping, let me know ASAP. I can be at the creek in a matter of minutes!

Mike Kraus' Animal Adventures!

2011-10-05T17:53:00.000-04:00

Here's one of the pit bull pups from a cruelty case. When they first came in you could fit a few of couple of them in your hand. Now look at them! It's funny that they like to snuggle like babies until they reach about 70 lbs.

Here they are again at our meeting. It's hard to focus on the creation of a new website for the organization when there are puppies.

I like the orange kitten's ear flopping out.

Okay... I'm sorry... No more taking pictures of fuzzy kitten ball...

The wildest animal of them all. Rachel and I playing pirates where I was Capt'n Blonde Beard and she was "just a regular girl pirate."

Oh Dock. It's been a long road. You were found near death on a dry dock starving and ill. You came in my office in July with an upper respiratory infection. You've destroyed so many office supplies and documents. Been on more medication than I can remember. Had a scope put up your nose to see what is going on with you and NOW YOU ARE FINALLY ABLE TO BE ADOPTED!!!

Just one of the deer in my backyard. There were four other deer that hid behind a bush when I walked up on them.

That's all from here. Awaiting the results of the Tigers/Yankees series tomorrow night. Going to the Bills/Eagles game this weekend. Things at Lollypop Farm have been really, really good lately. So, yeah all around!

Barktober Fest!

2011-09-27T18:06:00.000-04:00

Barktober Fest 2011 5-mile race about to begin!

assembling the finish line in Egypt Park, which is right next to Lollypop Farm.

Runners warming up next to the "Barking Lot," which is where runners can leave their dogs while they race.

Lollypup and Kitty O'Cat entertaining the runners before we start.

Paul from PCR Timing giving final instructions for the timing chips at the start line.

On your mark, get set, GO!

Lollypup and Kitty O'Cat practicing for the winner

Karen Blodgett is the overall winner with a time of 30:18.9!!!

After the 200+ person race, time to go to the festival portion of Barktober Fest and the award ceremony

You can't have any event without a bounce house in Rochester. I have to say that these are some pretty impressive bounce houses.

MERCY THE MINI HORSE!!! (For those who watch Parks & Recreation, our love affair of Mercy is very similar to Lil' Sebastian)

Dog agility demonstration!

The band rockin' out.

It was a great day for the animals as we were able to raise $122,600. A big, awesome "thumbs up" to Karen for pulling this off. THANK YOU to all the volunteers who poured countless hours into creating Barktober Fest. GREAT JOB to all our vendors and sponsors that made the race possible by providing materials. THANK YOU to all my co-workers for assisting with volunteers, getting volunteers to the right places, accounting, troubleshooting, and so very much more. And THANK YOU to my friends and family for your generosity and support. THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

The Adventures of Petey and _____

2011-09-20T17:50:00.000-04:00

Megan on the "buttflower" at Cobbles Elementary School. We went over to there with Tachel last weekend and all of us agreed that many kids must get injured on this playground. And the thing Megan is riding is a physics experiment gone mad!

Judy as Vanna White showing off the copy machine. Rumors of this copier ran rampant throughout the organization. Unfortunately, this is just a loaner at this point. We still get to keep the old Toshiba with over a million copies. What will the future hold?

Dock and Neville. Neville has a clean bill of health and a family. YEAH! Dock has neither. BOO!

If only this wasn't blurry. Maybe I'll have to do something like this to the ol' Nissan Versa.

The newest member of the Lollypop family is Petey! He's been adopted by Dee (and apparently the rest of the staff) and he could be any breed you could imagine. Maybe even part Panda...

This is not a real dog. It's just a stuffed animal...

FINAL WEEK! I'm helping organize the run/walk at Barktober Fest, which is this SATURDAY! Lots of food, activities, and stuff if you want to come out to Egypt Park (next to Lollypop Farm). And, if you like to donate to help homeless and abused animals, please visit: http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike

Wedding Libre

2011-09-13T18:16:00.001-04:00

Who I was meant to be!

This about sums it up. The Bell family wedding that is...

St. Mary's church in downtown Rochester. A lot like the St. Mary's church in downtown Muskegon. Too bad they whitewashed the whole inside because it looks like it has an incredible paint job underneath.

Geva Theatre. No photos allowed inside of On Golden Pond. May I say "THE LOONS! THE LOONS!!!" I've never seen the movie before so I can't compare. The theater was a lot nicer than I expected and it was well performed. I'm no expert on these things, but luckily my wife is and you can ask her opinion about it.

PLEASE SUPPORT THESE PUPPIES and other animals of Lollypop Farm by donating to my page for Barktober Fest 2011 at: http://lollypop.kintera.org/ba
rktoberfest/mike I'm helping organize the run/walk and will be running around with a bullhorn, air horn, and a starter pistol. So, fun for the whole family!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T17:51:00.000-04:00

Labor Day Weekend with Tachel!

The best way to babysit is to put the child in a burrito. She had her first day of school without sparkle pants today

Burritos are only fun until the babysitter ends up in one

LET ME OUT!!!

Here's the other kid we had to babysit this weekend...

Jordan, James, Kraus...

The Aquahoop was tested out and next summer it will be amazing!

Oh yeah! Puppy time!

So much calmer when they get spayed...

I don't know what happened to Dock. He just seemed to pass out in the cat condo.

I'll leave you to ponder the wolf hat.

As always, I'm asking for your support at Barktober Fest 2011. I'll be organizing the runners and walkers this year. I may shoot the pistol to start the race. So, help me help homeless and abused animals at: http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike

Working Like A Dog

2011-08-30T17:37:00.002-04:00

DON'T FORGET TO SUPPORT ME AT BARKTOBER FEST 2011 at Egypt Park (right next to Lollypop Farm. I'll be working the race. Please visit: http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike

Megan and I got to watch Gertie this past weekend and it was apparently the only thing of interest. Therefore, this blog is dedicated to a Yorkie that took over my life for a few days.

Try as you might, you will never shake free from Megan's grip!

Acceptance

The cover of my next album.

KISS!

Gertie visits Lollypop Farm. I don't think Gertie has ever seen a cat before. At least, she didn't act like she knew what a cat was. This was about as close as she would get. Otherwise, she would hide under my desk.

Gertie and Neville. It's not often that Gertie is the big dog in the room

"Stop playing and pee! I have 'giving season' to prepare for!"

Neville and Gertie's floating head.

Rough day at work. Friday couldn't come soon enough. Good thing it's 5:30...

5:32...

That's it until Labor Day! Again, if you want to help the animals of the Greater Rochester area, please support me at Barktober Fest 2011 at: http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike

Apparently, the Only One In America Not To Feel the Earthquake

2011-08-23T18:18:00.000-04:00

PUPPY-MANIA!!!!

The Old Rifle Range Trail in Ellison Park. In 1933, it was a classy gun club that turned into a nice nature preserve in 1994

The old gazebo overlooking the old, overgrown ranges

Megan trying to see the old grounds.

The wetlands between the Irondequoit creek and bay

Kayak in the wetlands

MEGAN!

ME!

Crazy mushroom

My new favorite lawn ornament; South Park-ish Uncle Sam

These used cars were not available when I was shopping for a new car...

The Summer Red Wings

Frontier Field

It was military/fireman (or something like that) appreciation night. Lots of uniforms!

Rachel is the biggest baseball fan in the world!

Saw this in Topps. I like that the lemon finds itself sour.

THE FOSTER PUPPIES ARE HERE! They had to come in to get their checkup with the vet and took over the office. Poor Dock (the cat).

Poor Dock getting whacked in the face with a tail

The puppy riot was contained and brought back home.

Dock and Neville can return to normal levels of trouble.

BARKTOBER FEST 2011 is on September 24th in Egypt Park (next to Lollypop Farm) and I'm on The Dirty Dogs team. So, please support me (and the homeless and abused animals of Lollypop Farm) by going to http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike to make a donation!

Billy the Bill Will Take Over For Maybin At Linebacker And Already Has More Sacks

2011-08-16T18:28:00.000-04:00

At first, you laugh because why would anyone want Billy the Bill mascot's autograph. Then you realize, he was their best draft pick since 1983...

The Buffalo Bills have their training camp at St. John Fisher College, which is just down the road from us.

So, how bad are the Bills going to be this year? Improving, but still Detroit Lions bad.

Panorama of players that will soon be on the practice squad

Sadly, the special teams are the highlight. Important, but still sad...

Neville! Get better and find a home. I guess he has a throat problem, which is why he got sick in surgery and then got pneumonia. That doesn't explain why he likes to poop under my desk...

This is in my job description...

East End Fest in downtown Rochester. "Haven't heard a Sponge song in a while. Another cover? Who sings this song; 3-11? I don't know, it might be Creed. I'll look it up on my phone. It's Sponge... These guys must really like Sponge... (time passes) Wait, these guys are Sponge."

"The Push-Up Girls and one buff dude." I thought girls in camouflage bikinis were the National Guards latest attempt to get kids to sign up for the military since they were by their tent. But, I guess they were for some gym. I wish it were the National Guard...

The local cover band Sponge opened up for. Seriously, who is their manager?

Thousand Acre Swamp nature preserve in Penfield

This is a pretty weird little swamp. All sorts of interesting plants, bugs, animals, and all.

The boardwalk through the reeds and cattails

great trail names

Eery woods with creepy trees. As local lore states, a hermit use to live in these woods. Probably still does...

Red dragonfly

This is from the part of the woods where many trees looked like this. It was a pretty interesting place and the photos do not do it justice.

BARKTOBER FEST 2011 is on September 24th in Egypt Park (next to Lollypop Farm) and I'm on The Dirty Dogs team. So, please support me (and the homeless and abused animals of Lollypop Farm) by going to http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike to make a donation!

Puppies, Renaissance, and Bob Dylan; Oh My!

2011-08-10T18:04:00.000-04:00

Oh Neville, when will you get better? Almost died getting neutered. Got pneumonia. Now he has to fight off Dock...

Good sniffin'

All work and no play

B-day cake for Papa

Ohhhh!!! Nice use of the golf ball

The Sterling Renaissance Festival. Right now, I'm going to tell you this is way more than I expected...

I didn't even know they would have permanent structures. I just expected some jousting and a turkey leg. Not theater. It's essentially the Medieval Times restaurant outside!

Oh, and you get to use old weapons, like a bow and arrow.

Here's the midday public execution.

Chop off that head! The kid brought up was very disappointed that he didn't get to catch a real human head...

It was "Scottish Days," so some Highland Games were in order

THROW THAT TELEPHONE POLL!!!

Ping Pong Crossbow

Tomato throwing at Tomato Justice. You may get hit in the face with tomatoes, but you also get to insult everyone and get paid. So...

Nothing could illustrate America's health crisis more than this...

TO THE WATER DUNK!

Misery

FINALLY! Some jousting. WWE style

Megan's dad got tickets to the Leon Russell/Bob Dylan concert last night at CMAC in Canandaigua. Pretty swanky place.

"Do you think he smokes?" Yaba Doba Gabba Do.

Off to see the Buffalo Bills practice. They need so much practice...

BARKTOBER FEST 2011 is on September 24th in Egypt Park (next to Lollypop Farm) and I'm on The Dirty Dogs team. So, please support me (and the homeless and abused animals of Lollypop Farm) by going to http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike to make a donation!

The Classy Kraus' of Rochester

2011-08-02T19:35:00.000-04:00

This is Air Bud. Who's Air Bud? We didn't know either. We just tried to play basketball at Cobbles Elementary and he'd steal the ball...

Genesee Waterways Center in Genesee Valley Park in Rochester. Megan's work helped fund a regatta called the Diversity Invitational.

While we were waiting for the regatta to start, I saw this crazy tree in the park. A bit tropical looking for this area.

Crew racing!

Here's my crew boat.

I believe this is the boat Megan's work bought. I could be wrong though...

First of all, there's a "Professional Disc Golf Association." Second, the "World Championship" was going on. Third, this guy had a disc golf cart. If I were in Buffalo I'd say "For Realz?"

We're still celebrating our first wedding anniversary. This time, we had a free night stay at the Hyatt Rochester because that's where our reception was (if you remember). We didn't get the Presidential Suite this time, but we still managed to have a good time...

It's amazingly difficult to take a picture of downtown Rochester without getting it full of empty parking spaces. It's the difficult position many mid-sized cities have. People won't come downtown unless there is more parking than in the suburbs. But, people don't want to come downtown because it is boring since they bulldozed all the retail space to make parking lots.

Thanks Lindsay! If you ever get the opportunity to work with her, you are very lucky!

Champagne and chocolat covered strawberries. Oh la la!

Take note, to the Hyatt Corporation this is our official name.

Goodbye Midtown Plaza. This was a urban renewal project in the 60s that closed off a bunch of streets and made a huge, windowless superblock indoor mall. For my Michigan folk, think the old malls in downtown Muskegon and Grand Rapids which met the same fate.

Despite the whole Paetec situation, I think downtown is still heading in a much more stable and sustainable direction.

Goodbye Robocop Architecture.

The old Sibley Department Store. This reminds me of the Merchandise Mart building in Chicago. Under the right management, this place could be the crown jewel of Rochester.

Dinner at Scene on Main in the Hyatt. Since we got married, they renovated the first few floors of the Hyatt and it's pretty swanky (and "IT'S OUR WEDDING COLORS!" as Megan pointed out immediately). I believe this was called "Scene Snax"

This is the flatbread

The filet and fingerling fries. I know it's in a hotel, but it is really super good food and you should go to it. And, we happened to be there when the Tall Club had their convention, which meant that Megan and I were the shortest people there.

NOW FOR SOME BUSINESS:
BARKTOBER FEST 2011 is on September 24th in Egypt Park (next to Lollypop Farm) and I'm on The Dirty Dogs team. So, please support me (and the homeless and abused animals of Lollypop Farm) by going to http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike to make a donation!

That's it for now. Megan's trying to make a cake with Rachel...

Chalk Mike In Moon Boots!

2011-07-26T18:08:00.000-04:00

An original chalk on papa driveway piece by Tachel. Note: It is near the "Poopie" graffiti, which will never wash away. That will boost the re-sale value of the house.

Self-portrait

MOON BOOTS!!! Marianne had quite the $3 find at a garage sale. A find that almost killed the entire family (or at least put them in the E.R.). Unfortunately, I am too big to use them and I really can't lose more weight without jeopardizing my health...

I can't wait until she uses them to jump off the diving board...

Here's Dock playing with his favorite toy. He is 2 hours of sleepy peace and 15 minutes of chaos. That you can count on. We'll see how he does after he gets neutered tomorrow...

BARKTOBER FEST 2011 is on September 24th in Egypt Park (next to Lollypop Farm) and I'm on The Dirty Dogs team. So, please support me (and the homeless and abused animals of Lollypop Farm) by going to http://lollypop.kintera.org/barktoberfest/mike to make a donation!

The Summer Red Wings

2011-07-19T18:12:00.000-04:00

Who's that dog with Megan? It's Barbie! Who's Barbie? Just another lap dog that loves Megan. It must be a sign...

Rachel and I ruining papa's driveway with chalk paint that doesn't come off with water even though it said it did. Oh well...

"Poopie." Real nice work...

Stella (aka Sasha to those at Lollypop Farm) enjoying all the other dogs at Ellison Park

She's a bit big for a lap dog.

Frontier Field, home of the Rochester Red Wings. So, now I can have my "Winter Red Wings" hockey and my "Summer Red Wings" baseball.

Baseball glove horse sculpture.

Why was I at a baseball game? FREE TICKETS, FREE FOOD, FREE DRINKS! FREE BEER! FREE STOMACH ACHE AFTER THE GAME!!! So very worth it!

If there's one thing I've learned about Rochester, it is that they love bounce houses!

Tire race gets a little dangerous and almost takes out a third base coach

The Legends of the Red Wings. One is Cal Ripken, Jr. and I don't remember the other two. And, I couldn't find it on their website. So...

HERE THEY COME AROUND THE BEND!

OH NO! NOW THEY ARE COMING AFTER US!

Panoramic shot of Frontier Field. Thanks to Dee for organizing this. It was a good time and I expect to see the awesome new glasses at work soon.

I'm done. Need to find a way to get out of the heat...

Meet Dave Jr...

2011-07-12T17:49:00.000-04:00

This is my most recent office buddy. His name is Dock and he has a cold. Named Dock because he was found on a loading Dock or something like that.

He also does not appreciate when I wake him up for this nonsense

Also, meet Dave's new dog Stella. She's a pit bull mix that is about 7 months old. Pretty laid back. Likes to sleep.

At the Corn Hill Art Festival in downtown Rochester. Pretty cool art fair. It reminded me a lot of the art fair in Old Town Chicago.

"Got Ghosts?" is probably my favorite vendor. Probably because I hope we buy a haunted house where the spirit does the dishes...

The strawberry "smoothie" was more of a "slurpee" since it was all ice. But, it was so hot that I think I preferred the ice.

Megan is incognito so she doesn't get swarmed from all her adoring fans.

Music at the gazebo. It never ceases to amaze me that people say they prefer to live in the suburbs to the city. A nice park with a gazebo. Activities. Walkable. So on and so forth. You can tell I was spoiled by Chicago...

Finally, Rochester native Abby Wambach. Well, maybe in a few years. Rachel had her first soccer game and I have to say that she plays a really aggressive defense. Go Cougars!

Not too much planned for the next week. Just going to the final installment of Harry Potter on IMAX. It's been pretty much the only movies I've seen on the big screen for the last decade. Anyway...

Our Weekend in Skane-A-Teles!

2011-07-06T17:58:00.001-04:00

July 4th Weekend in Skaneateles, New York. For those outside of western New York, it's pronounced "skinny-atlas," but I prefer to call it how it is spelled which is "Skane-a-teles."

First stop, the William Seward House in Auburn, New York. For those who don't know, he was the Secretary of State under Abe Lincoln and was expected to get the Republican nomination for president instead of Lincoln. Interesting guy and the book Team of Rivals will tell you that.

Seward in his park.

C-SPAN telling us that Alexis de Tocqueville was in Auburn. Thank you C-SPAN

Sad lion at the entrance of the Seward House. Perhaps he is sad because his master never became president?

I don't want to ruin the Rivals book, but this is the wagon that Seward fell out of and broke his face. The face that was later stabbed during the assassination attempt of him and VP Johnson when Lincoln was killed.

I did get to "Meat the Bull" at Johnny Angel's in Skane-a-teles!

HERE'S THE BULL! Fries just the way Meg likes 'em!

Skaneateles Lake, which is apparently so pure that they don't have to filter it for human consumption.

A view of the town from the lake

Folks from Michigan will appreciate this. This is the "beach" and people are expected to pay to swim here. $2 for residents. $3 for non-residents. And, they have more lifeguards and life saving equipment than that state of Michigan at this spot.

Here is the one guy who paid to swim

THE JUDGE IS COMING!

Nothing like a little Razzle Dazzle!

Once again, the city

And, here's what everyone wants to really see. Notice the light from heaven to comes from inside...

Surprisingly, this is not in southern France.

A view of our cottage

The place where suicidal Coy fish jump.

It's a painting by Monet.

Took a break from all the beauty to eat all the deliciousness at Rosalie's Cucina. Super good food. Bill Clinton and Billy "Huuuuuuge" Fuccillo agree with me on that. And so much that I was kicked out of the "Clean Plate Club" for one night only.

More beauty!

Charles Burrows Memorial. I think he's a local artist, but too lazy to look it up right now.

For future reference, my gravestone should be carved into something awesome like this.

Oh yeah, it was our belated anniversary weekend since we couldn't properly celebrate last weekend. How do I know? The chef told me at Mirbeau by writing it in chocolate. Apparently, the restaurant use to be terrible. I am here to tell you that it is now awesome!

Megan loving the room and view

The view Megan loves!

Do you know what's awesome? Wearing bathrobes everywhere! Here's Megan on Sunday morning at the Bloody Mary bar.

And here I am being alluring...

This is more like it...

Oh Mirbeau! How we love you and could never afford to see you again. The massages, the spa, the food, the relaxation were all awesome.

But, I will give one serious review: The weddings were really obnoxious. If I had paid that much money to find peace and relaxation I would have been very upset at the many screaming kids tearing apart thousands of dollars worth of landscaping at the pond, hearing the Black Eye Peas repeatedly blasting, and drunk groomsmen running around with beer coolers yelling obscenities. It's pretty much the exact opposite of everything you want at a spa. Now, I know that they probably make a killing from weddings, but maybe they should consider things like: no minors allowed, ceremonies, or building a separate complex for people to celebrate at instead of trying to relax. But, again, it really didn't take away things from me since I'm usually the baffoon at these places and I probably could never afford to go back...

Carpenter Falls just off of Skaneateles Lake. Again, there are more waterfalls around here than you can imagine...

That's a 90-foot drop

WHERE'S OUR CAMARA STICK?!?!

Just an old bus in the woods...

Just when you thought you saw all the waterfalls; there's more! Well, probably about 20 more that we didn't see if we continued down the path. The "path with ropes" (without ropes) was on about a 85 degree incline. Worth it though

Why do all of our waterfall shots look like we're photoshopped into them on this camera?

For all you art majors that wasted all that money at college, here's a scene from a Hudson Valley School of painters (which there is a nice example of at the Seward House).

These falls also double as a white trash pool

These are only 60-foot falls...

On another note: MY BRICKS ARE FINALLY IN AT LOLLYPOP FARM!!!

Happy donors will make a very happy Mike!

BILL CLINTON! WHY MUST YOU FOLLOW ME EVERYWHERE? Not a brick from Lollypop, but he and Hillary certainly made the people of Skane-a-teles very happy in 1999.

That's it for now. I'm hungry.

Our First Anniversary With Bubby...

2011-06-29T17:40:00.000-04:00

I got Megan a dog for our first anniversary!!!! Not really. I was going to Megan's theater party and almost hit him with my car. In honor of the show she was in, Company, we named him after the main character Bobby. His real name was Joyous and had quite an exciting day with us.

We decided to head to Turning Point Park in Rochester. It's a pretty cool park and wish we could have spent more time there. But, we had to return Bubby Joyous to his real home, which he was very happy to get to...

Megan and Bubby

At the Genesee River

More Megan and Bubby

a boat

Our Official First Anniversary Photo. They are available for sale along with those of Prince Harry and Kate...

Talking about weddings, CONGRATS TO THE BRAMBLEWOODS! Looks like it was a fun time in Michigan at Katie and Andrew's wedding. Wish we could have been there to share!

What's in these boxes? Bricks! AND I'M SO EXCITED I AM GETTING TO INSTALL THEM TOMORROW!!! We've had so many issues with weather and all that I thought that they'd never get in the ground. Thanks to Zaretsky Landscaping, I'll have many, many happy donors soon! YEAH!!!!!!!!!

LOST DOG FOUND!

2011-06-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

FOUND DOG

He was playing in the road at 12am 6/25/2011 at Pinnacle and Caukins Roads in Henrietta.

May be a Shih Tzu Mix.

Looks very well groomed (possibly groomed day he ran away)

Still puppy-ish

Male

If you are the owner or know the owner, please contact me at:
773.241.4599 or
HFIpublishing@aol.com

She Has To Love Me. It's In the Contract

2011-06-24T18:37:00.001-04:00

Photo by Jon Purington & Erin Schmidtmann

Final weekend to see Pittsford Musical's Company. There's a show tonight (in a few minutes actually, so hurry), a matinee tomorrrow and the closing show. Bobby...
Bobby... Bobby baby... Bobby bubbi... Robby... Good stuff!

Framing kids art at work. Good to see my art degree is really paying off!

Linear Park in Penfield. Just taking a little walk on one of the few nice days we've had lately.

Mustache Pony. Classic

Megan scaring off the ducks in the Irondequoit Creek

Twala helping me with donor relations at work.

That's about it for now. Again, if you need tickets to Megan's show, go to:

www.pittsfordmusicals.org/tickets.cfm

Gots me some errands to run!

Stephen Sondheim's "Company" Starts Tonight!

2011-06-17T08:08:00.000-04:00

Megan's in a play by Pittsford Musicals this weekend and next. For more information, go to: http://www.pittsfordmusicals.org/ or get tickets at: http://www.pittsfordmusicals.org/tickets.cfm

GREAT CAKES OF FIRE!

2011-06-14T18:04:00.000-04:00

It was niece Tachel's birthday and I'm surprised her ice cream cake didn't melt with that rocket in it!

Bella is the new cat in the office. She's 3 years old, good with other dogs, cats, and ferrets. She was turned in because her owner passed away. She purrs are everything and anything. Very well behaved and good at hiding in an office with no hiding spaces.

Sondheim's Company starring Megan Bell will be performing for the next couple of weekends by Pittsford Musicals. It's at the Caukins Road Middle School in Pittsford, NY and if you want times, tickets, or other information, go to: http://www.pittsfordmusicals.org/

It's a Hot One Tonight

2011-06-08T17:40:00.000-04:00

See this cow? It's outside the Red Osier Restaurant in Stafford, New York (outside of LeRoy). I had a piece of meat the size of this cow and it was the "petite portion." They have a cut of meat that is 5 lbs. and it comes with a t-shirt. Where's John Candy from the Great Outdoors when you need him?

The McGuiness Pub, Ronan Carroll's favorite Irish pub if he ever visits it, now has "Cruise Night" ever Wednesday. Something I discovered on the way to getting ice cream.

Kid's art hanging up at Lollypop Farm. These were some of my favorites. But, after I saw these I saw a bunch of others I like. One has a talking fish I find humorous.

God, I wish we adopted out penguins. I'd keep them in my office!

A donor breakfast even expertly pulled off by Jenny and Julie.

The Owl House in downtown Rochester!

Edamame, fish tacos, and pulled pork sandwich. All very good and fresh. Not too hardy though since we had to have a post-dinner snack when we got home. Quickest service ever too. Megan and I were out on a date night and it took us longer to get there driving than to get seated, order, eat, and pay the bill. Oh, the drinks were on the small side as well. But, other than that, good stuff!

MEAT!

PETE AND MEAT! They cart out the meat and carve it at your table. They do the same with ice cream and a few other dishes. I'm completely sold on this place and my grandpa's would have loved it.

That's it other than being crazy busy at work these days. Lots of events, meetings, installations, reports, budgeting, calls, and on and on and on. It's all great though and I'm excited about the stuff I'm working to improve.

PS-this blog is now available to view in a mobile version. Let me know what you think since I don't have a smart phone.

A Much Needed Three Day Weekend

2011-06-01T19:03:00.000-04:00

Look at this tired little girl! Megan suggested a nice little walk along the Erie Canal. You know, just from Pittsford to Fairport. I'm always up for a walk, but she didn't realized it is an eight mile journey (one-way). And, unlike Chicago, there's no El train back to the car. So, we took 31F and some back roads back home and we took a break on the front lawn of the Monroe Golf Club.

The Pittsford Regatta. Just a few crew boats out that day.

I didn't ever see this growing up in western Michigan. Jet ski racing, maybe...

A tribute to the book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh, who is from Fairport, New York. Never read the book, but now I feel I have to since she's a neighbor.

Pier at Webster Park on Lake Ontario

Webster Park from the pier. Don't let the picture fool you, this is during a very severe thunderstorm. In fact, the whole weekend pretty much looked like this with dire predictions of heavy rain. So much for plans...

Candid Megan!

MORE WATERFALLS!

Hank's Ice Cream in Webster. Megan's favorite ice cream and for good reason!

MORE WATERFALLS! This time in Corbett's Glen

Did you know there are a lot of waterfalls in Rochester?

The sand dune

MINNIE FOUND A HOME! Apparently, her new home is her old home. I don't understand the whole story, but she's got a place to live.

One cat leaves and two takes its place. Please adopt him!

She's available too. And, this one needs to be watched because she likes to chew cords. So...

That's it for now!

Ask Me Why You Should NEVER go to Schoen Place Auto in East Rochester, New York

2011-05-26T17:38:00.000-04:00

Surprisingly, there isn't enough room in a blog to explain how after a couple of weeks, over $1,000 the car has just as many problems as when it went in...

A Night of the Unexpected!!!

2011-05-25T19:50:00.000-04:00

Le B.A.R.C. (Bohemian Arts Revival Cabaret), Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester's fundraising gala. It was amazing! Sword swallowing, baudy women, contortionists and so much more.

The entrance. If only I had a pic of the guest as they walked in. I think we really lived up to the motto of "a night of the unexpected."

before opening

So red!

I wish I had more time to fiddle with my camera to take better pictures of the evening. Sorry...

Here I am with Joanna, who's all over the news today for our rescue of eleven more horses from Riga, New York

VIP cocktail event before Le BARC in the main lobby of the Memorial Art Gallery

Juggling.

All the lights in the chandelier. Details in everything. It was like going to the theater for a show and ending up on stage

Aerialist on those ribbon things on the boulevard

Contortionist!

Escape artist with baudy woman!

People actually had to leave the room when he dislocated his shoulder to get out of the straight jacket.

The whole time this was going on I was thinking "oh no, what is she going to do to our donor?" It only got worse when the whip came out.

Making final adjustment to the rose before she whips the bud off

Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

I forget what was going on here. I'm thinking magic.

Sword swallowing!

The live auction by Pam Sherman, the Suburban Outlaw.

Norma and Andrea Holland. Norma is a local news anchor and Andrea is a comedian/video producer. They were hilarious and I guess they got their outfits from a theater in Chicago. Norma and I also share a love of coffee.

Here's where the real work gets done. Checking out all the auction items and everything else at the end of the night.

This is what was happening outside the window during check-out. At the end of the night, people were already asking "how are you going to top this?" Good question...

All good things must come to an end and here are some of the guys lugging out the trees...

It was a great night. Thanks to all of our guests, sponsors, volunteers, artists, staff, and anyone else that made this such a wonderful night.

The Lilac Festival in Highland Park. It has seriously rained in Rochester for about a month and a half straight. It's rained so much that they had to cancel several days of the Lilac Festival, which is about 10 days long. We finally made it out on the last day and it even rained then...

Megan and I went back to the scene of the crime for the first time. This is the sunken garden at Warner Castle in Highland Park, which is maintained by the Rochester Civic Garden Center. This is wear we took our wedding photos almost a year ago.

The art fair portion of the Lilac Festival

handsome carriage

Tomorrow afternoon, I will be saying "I knew her when..." This is Minnie and she's going to be Lollypop Farm's "Pet of the Week," which means she'll be on TV tomorrow and on all sorts of things. She's 15-24 lbs (depending on your source of information and easy going, friendly, loves dogs, and food. And, I like her too much to keep her in our office any longer. Hopefully, she'll get a forever home tomorrow!

Ok, Minnie is done with the photo op. Whoever gets her will be very lucky!