Girl Scouts Visit Dad's Studio

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:04:00 -0500

Seventeen young ladies from the Most Holy Redeemer Girl Scout Troop visited CRC55 to earn their Multimedia Badges.

Dad showed the girls how custom sound-effects can be created with just about any thing laying around the studio! After seeing how commercials are made and watching several examples, it was time for the Scouts to make their own! One by one they took turns in front of the microphone acting out lines which were cut together to make a fake commercial for McDonalds!

The girls did a great job. Click below on "Read More" to hear the completed spot!

Fall Camping 2009

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:16:44 -0500

Continuing a 32 year old tradition, the gang got together on Columbus Day weekend for the annual Fall Camping Trip. This year between the two camp sites there were 25 of us. The daytime temperatures hovered in the mid-forties and at night it plunged to almost 20 degrees! Fortunately, the skies were clear and dry which is the most you can hope for.

One new addition to this year's trip was the discovery of an old cemetery on the grounds of Governor Dodge State Park. I noticed this odd clearing on a Google Earth map of the park and a picture attached to the location revealed the gravestones. We hiked there several times, once at night!

As usual, we wrapped up the trip by spending Sunday night at the Spring Valley Inn. After 20 degree nights, the hot tub and steam couldn't have felt better!

Visit the Photo Gallery to view over 100 pictures from the weekend.

Ireland 2009

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:21:36 -0500

(Quick link to Ireland Photo Gallery)

When the invitation arrived in the mail, the Coyle Family was very excited. Ann Coyle, our cousin from Belmullet, Ireland, was getting married in August to Derek Brien! In addition to Michael's mother attending, his sister Anna and her boyfriend Jim McShane were also going. Unfortunately, Maria, Melissa and Michael John would be back in school by the end of August and couldn't attend.

Being the wonderful wife she is, Maria suggest Michael should go anyway.

Michael told his buddy about the trip and Marius asked if he could tag along. Sure, why not! He wouldn't attend the reception dinner, but in Ireland the tradition is for an Open Bar and Ann said he would be welcome. Then one evening after a few pints, another good buddy, Mike, said he wanted to go too! Sure, why not!

And that's how it came to be that the six of us were on a plane one Thursday evening heading to Dublin.

It was really three trips rolled into one vacation. First, there was the great wedding planned by Ann and Derek, plus seeing all her family: the Coyles from the village of Gladree. Second was the pub-time and fishing trip with my Father's side of the family: the Coyles of Tippe. Third, wrapped around the other two trips, was the adventure of three lifelong friends experiencing Ireland together.

Of course, the main reason the trip was the wedding and it was an outstanding event. The mass, at a packed Carne Church was beautiful. Later at the Broadhaven Bay Resort, the attention to detail at the reception was amazing. The live music was great, good food, plenty of pints and a visit by the Straw-boys!

Straw-boys are an ancient Irish wedding ritual that is making a comeback. Several people dress as scarecrows to mask their identity and perform some crazy dances and comic pratfalls. It was a hilarious way to get everyone on the dance floor clapping their hands.

When the reception wound down at 5:30 am, it was only a few short hours later that Uncle Frank dragged the three Yank boys to McDonnell's for the Mayo/Down Gaelic Football Semi-Final's game*. After a weak start, Mayo won!

Sunday evening, an after-wedding gathering was held at the Western Strands. While this event also ended as the sun rose, most of the jet-lagged Yanks were in bed by 1 am.

For more than ten years, Frank Coyle has been trying to take his nephew Michael out for an afternoon of fishing on the Atlantic. Some years it was the wind, others the rain, it seemed Mother Nature always forced a cancellation, but not this year.

Finally, the three Yanks fished one afternoon on the Atlantic Ocean. With the help of 13 year-old second cousin, Alissa O'Shea, and her friend Amanda, the group managed to catch several hundred mackerel.

Fishing for mackerel is fun, but also hard work. Fifty feet down into the water , you drop a line tipped with 5 hooks. No bait is needed. A moment later, pull up the thrashing fish, snap the hook from the mouth, and toss them into the bucket. Repeat process until buckets full.

It's messy too. After a couple of hours, you're covered with salt, scales and blood. Oh, and you smell really, really bad. And yet, it is so much fun, you feel like a 13 year-old (except Alissa and Amanda cause they already are thirteen!)

To wrap up the trip, Michael, Marius and Mike spent the night in Athlone with Mike's wife's family. We drank in the Oldest Bar in Ireland (a claim I've seen repeated in every Irish town), and had a great time talking with Rory & Sheila Byrne and her father, Con Buckley.

Wednesday afternoon, it was back on the plane to Chicago for some much needed sleep. More than 100 pictures are in the gallery.

* The rules for Gaelic Football were surely created on a dare by drunken Irishmen. I can hear them now, "Let's see how many sports we can roll into one game. It will be a little soccer, some American football. You can dribble like basketball, or even serve like volleyball. We'll have a soccer net AND some football goal posts". I was half expecting the goal tender to whip out a 3 Wood and drive the ball!

A Busy Week at Lake Carroll

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 10:19:19 -0500

The Coyles spent a week vacationing at the lake and lot of friends stopped by to visit!

First to arrive for three days was the Hayes family. Kevin hadn't been to the house in 15 years so he was certainly overdue! The last weekend, both the Littletoe and Corcoran Clans spent a few days at the house. All twelve of us managed to find beds, but meals were usually in two shifts with kids going first.

Using the beach area as a base of operations, we spent the days taking turns tubing and swimming off the boat. Everyone had a great time, but the local towns had to request emergency allocations of beer from their distributors!

At one point, shooting a flaming arrow into a gasoline-soaked campfire seemed like a good idea. Enjoy the video below and then stop by the Gallery for a few dozen pictures.

A Surprise from Ireland

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:42:58 -0500

What a surprise! Uncle Frank flew into Chicago for a quick vacation with two of his lovely daughters, Josie and Fiona! His timing was perfect because that weekend, Kevin and Kathy O'Shea hosted a big family party for their 30th wedding anniversary. It was great to see Frank and Josie again as well as meeting Fiona for the first time.

For bonus points, Michael will get to see his Uncle again in a few weeks when he travels back to Ireland for his cousin Ann's wedding.

Tip-of-the-hat to Kathy Kostecki Hickey for letting me add some of her pictures to ones I had taken at my Aunt Maureen's house.

Don and Polly Levy Visit from New Orleans

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:26:39 -0500

Only a week after seeing them in New Orleans while visiting Melissa, Don and Polly were in the Chicagoland area visiting family.

Even though is was a Monday night, the gang dropped by the house for a barbeque and a few (!) beers. While kids ran in the yard, the parents caught up on the latest news and finalized plans for the Fall Camping Trip.

The Levy's spent the night at the Coyle's house and the next morning, Michael made his famous blueberry pancakes. You know where to find pictures.

The Parents Head to Baton Rouge

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:20:26 -0500

Maria and Michael chose the hottest part of July to fly down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and visit daughter Melissa on the campus of LSU! Striving to experience "Total College Immersion", the parents opted to sleep on Melissa's living room futon rather than renting a hotel room. It seemed like a good idea at the time!

Melissa was an excellent tour guide. During our three day stay in Baton Rouge, she lined up a different music venue for each evening, and trips to historic local towns during the day.

Our favorite place was Teddy's Juke Joint located in the swamplands of Louisiana. Built sometime after the last ice age, Teddy never met a light/poster/stuffed animal that he didn't believe was worthy of a place on his wall. The place is the definition of 'Sensory Overload'. Still, the drinks are cold and cheap and the music is great! We had a blast there.

The last night of our adventure was spent in New Orleans just off of Bourbon Street! Melissa and a friend Kevin followed Maria and Michael on the 90 minute drive. Once in town, we met two great friends, Don and Polly Levy (more about then in the next post), and our old Naperville Neighbor, Chris, who was in town for a Microsoft Love-fest.

Thanks to Don and Polly, the seven of us had dinner at a great local restaurant and enjoyed a ton of live music. (Michael even earned himself a few sets of beads!).

Lots of embarrassing pictures are in the Photo Gallery. Remember, what happens in New Orleans stays in New Orleans!