How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Wow it's been a busy summer just with the girls' music & dance lessons, camps & celebrity events (not to mention their required reading for the new school year) but I did manage to take a few short trips myself this summer.

Original Idols Live!
In June, a friend and I went up to Pleasanton, CA to see The Original Idols Live! at the Alameda Country Fair. Why would I drive for hours to see this you ask? Well, one of the acts on the Original Idols bill is The Cowsills and I've wanted to see this show since they started doing it and this one just worked out.

Barry Williams is the MC for the show and introduces each act. He starts out the show doing a parody about The Real Greg Brady. It's very funny. During casino shows Barry also does Johnny Bravo stuff but there isn't time during the fair shows.

The first act on the bill is Bo Donaldson. Bo is very nice but just isn't the "rock star" type at all and he's just in the background on keyboards and doesn't sing at all. The Heywoods aren't any of the original Heywoods and they guy that sings lead is an okay singer but not super impressive. Really they're the "house band" for the other acts more than anything.

The Cowsills are 2nd on the bill and they do a great job - we saw quite a few people giving them a standing ovation at the end and from the emails I've gotten there were some people there to see one of the other acts who now LOVE The Cowsills. The first show was short - it absolutely had to be an hour long and no more - so The Cowsills only did 3 songs: The Rain, The Park & Other Things, Indian Lake & Hair. The 2nd show had 4 Cowsill songs - the 3 from the first show plus We Can Fly.

In the first show after The Cowsills Barry Williams & Susan did a duet on a BeeGee's tune. I really like this and Susan sounded great - she is so cute and she loves to tease Barry! At the end of the number she says "OMG I'm singing with Greg Brady". lol In the 2nd show Barry did a solo number - very musical theater.

Next up was Leif Garrett. Leif did a decent job though seemed to somewhat lose his place during one song. He definitely had fans there. I really liked his original number and he invites fans up to dance during I Was Made For Dancing. The first show there were way too many people on stage so during the 2nd show they cut off the number of people they let on stage. Susan came out and danced with Leif in the 2nd show. I tried to get a picture but she was right behind a mic stand.

The Bay City Rollers close the show and they definitely still have fans out there. They were fun and I especially like Saturday Night since The Cowsills come back out and join them. The Cowsills have a lot of fun on this number with Paul dancing across the stage and Bob playing cowbell.

This was very fun and I'd love to see the casino version someday since it's a longer show. If you'd like to see more photos from this trip, you can see them at Original Idols Live!: Pleasanton, CA - June 22, 2007 6pm & Original Idols Live!: Pleasanton, CA - June 22, 2007 8pm

Catalina
At the end of July, Paul & I took a weekend trip to Catalina. I had never been and Paul hadn't been to Avalon in more than 20 years. We spent the weekend sight-seeing (don't bother doing a night glass bottom boat tour) and hiking (okay I will admit that I only made it 1/2 way on one of our hikes - note to self get in shape!) and just hanging out in Avalon. It was a very relaxing weekend and we plan to go back sometime and do some things we just saw and didn't have time to do this time around. I didn't take any pictures until just before we got ready to head back to the mainland but here are a few of Avalon Harbor:

Osmonds 50th Anniversary
I have been an Osmond fan since the early 1970s and have made some really good friends as a result. When The Osmonds announced that they were having an event to celebrate their 50th Anniversary in show business I knew I had to be there. Having seen The Cowsills lose two brothers, I realized that this could be the last opportunity to see all of The Osmonds on stage together plus I knew that I would get to spend some time with friends I hadn't seen in person in quite awhile. So, last Sunday, a friend and I headed over to Las Vegas and The Orleans hotel for this event.

The action started on Monday with a Meet & Greet at 1pm. Okay I wouldn't have called this a meet & greet since there wasn't really any meeting & greeting happening. It was, as dubbed by some Osmond fans, more a Sit & Stare. All 9 Omsonds were on stage at the Orleans showroom doing a question & answer session, singing a few songs, doing a few promo bits, etc. My friends and I sat near the back because we refused to join the insanity in trying to get a good seat. The lines were ridiculous; people started lining up as early as 7am and even before the doors opened people were pushing. We sat on the stairs near the showroom and just watched and took a few pictures. The photo below does not do justice to the size of the crowd - there were lines going both directions and they were really long.

Even though we were in the 2nd to last row and a little off to the side we could see fine since there are only 20 rows in the showroom. I did take photos during the Meet & Greet and here are a few. You can see all of my Meet & Greet photos at Osmonds 50th Anniversary: M&G.

On Monday night was the first of three concerts. It was amazing to see all of The Osmonds on stage together again. I really enjoyed the show but felt Marie's section could have been shortened or maybe just changed up a bit for each show. I was happy to see that Alan was playing the piano and even performing without his cane some of the time. Here's the set list from that show - thanks to an Osmond fan who wrote it down and posted it:

• Down By The Lazy River
• Havin' A Party
  (Andy Williams came out after this to wish the Osmonds his best)
• The Proud One
• At the Rainbow's End
• I Can't Live a Dream
• Rainin'
• Rock & Roll Music (with a Jay drum solo)
• I'm Still Gonna Need You
• Going Home
• Marie:
  
  • My Favorite Things
  • Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
  • Paper Roses
  • Medley of:
    
  • You're Still New To Me
  • Read My Lips
  • Meet Me In Montana
  • No Stopping Your Heart
  • King & I Medley
  • Sound of Music Medley
• Donny
• Soldier of Love
• Breeze On By
• Will It Go Round In Circles
• Puppy Love
• Donny & Marie Medley
  
  • Morning Side of the Mountain
  • Make The World Go Away
  • I'm Leaving It Up To You
  • Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing
  • Deep Purple
  • It Takes Two
  • I'm a Little Bit Country/Rock and Roll
• Through The Years (All 7 Osmonds with Alan on piano)
• Medley
  
  • One Bad Apple
  • Double Lovin'
  • Yo-Yo
  • Let Me In
  • Love Me For A Reason
• Crazy Horses
• He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
• Are You Up There/I Believe

After the show on Monday night was another free for all aka the after show party/reception. Other than Osmond kids the only Osmonds that came to this were Merrill, Jay & Jimmy and they were literally mobbed the minute they stepped into the room. I didn't even try to get close to them or to the area at the front where they were cutting the cake. The cake was good though.

Tuesday brought Jay's Film Fest or as it was dubbed by Jimmy Jay's Snooze Fest. We wandered up but really didn't watch much of this. It was hosted by Jay's wife, Kandilyn, and it was fun to see her since I hadn't seen her for years.

Tuesday night there were two shows but we only went to the last one. At the show on Monday night most everyone stayed in their seats - standing once in awhile to applaud, etc. but not rushing the stage or anything. We had heard that there was a stage rush during the first show on Tuesday night so it was no great surprise when it happened again at the show we went to. We were in the 5th row on the side and could still see as long as the people right in front of us didn't stand but I felt sorry for those who had gotten the front few rows of seats in the middle sections because they couldn't see unless they stood for the entire show. I had one friend who can't stand for that long and she ended up getting her money back since there was no way she could have seen anything. The good part of this for her was the Orleans people then found her another seat right in the midst of the Osmond families - so she got to see the rest of the show and she got to hang out with the Osmond family. The set list for the last show was similar to the first show with the following exceptions:

• Marie's son, Stephen Craig, sang 100 Days/100 Nights with Merrill, Wayne, Jay & Jimmy
  
• Donny didn't sing Puppy Love
• Jimmy did a medley of some of his old songs
• Knock On Your Door
• Tweedle Dee
• Long Haired Lover From Liverpool
• The Osmond Brothers medley was mostly covers of 70s tunes rather than their own:
• Yesterday
• September
• Take a Chance On Me
• Crocodile Rock
• That's The Way (I Like It)
• Superstition
• Too Much Heaven
• Tragedy
• ABC
• I Want You Back
• One Bad Apple
  
• The finale did not include Are You Up There/I Believe

By the third show the Orleans staff was no longer attempting to keep people from taking pictures so I pulled my camera out during this show. Here are a few of the photos I got:

Jay, Merrill, Wayne & Jimmy Osmond

Marie's son, Stephen Craig

Marie doing King & I Medley

Donny Osmond

Singing Through The Years

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

You can see all of my 3rd show photos at Osmonds 50th Anniversary: 3rd Show.

And, oh yeah, I did say how I spent my summer vacation - that's because not only are the girls going back to school soon so am I! I'm going to be teaching computers at Hannah's school this year.

50 & Still Partying!

Welcome to my second half century - yep I made it 50 and I celebrated with a lots of friends and family at Pickwick's Pub. I certainly hope that everyone who came had a fun time because I sure did. I recommend embracing 50 since it's going to happen anyway so why not celebrate it!

Entertainment provided by Bob & Susan Cowsill


Me with Bob & Susan


Blowing out my candles - luckily NOT 50 of them!

It doesn't feel like home just yet but ...

Not quite a year ago, Pickwick's Pub, the pub that we called home, was set on fire by an arsonist. Pickwick's was the pub where I first met a Cowsill back in 1990 and more importantly where Paul and I met and where we got engaged on Valentine's Day in 1992. Our friends all teased us that we'd have to hold the wedding at Pickwick's too but even we drew the line there. We did invite some of our close friends from the pub, including the owners at the time, to the wedding but we didn't hold it at the pub.

After the fire it was like a part of our lives was missing. We still went out to see Bob Cowsill play at other pubs but they just weren't Pickwick's. We didn't know if the pub would reopen or not but last Saturday, not quite a year after the fire closed Pickwick's, the pub quietly re-opened. Then, on St. Patrick's Day, Bob Cowsill along with Robby Scharf & Dan McNamara provided entertainment for the first time in the newly reopened Pickwick's Pub!

It's going to take some getting used to before the new Pickwick's Pub is as much home as the old Pickwick's was but I'm sure we'll get there. One thing that will certainly help with that homey feeling is that Bob Cowsill is back to singing at Pickwick's every Friday night just like he was when I first started going to the pub. I'm thrilled that Pickwick's is back in business and am already planning to hold my 50th birthday party there!

Where DOES the time go?

I remember as a kid when days would just drag and weeks would seem to take forever. I just want to know who sped up the world? Now, days just literally fly by and weeks seem to be over before I can even catch my breath.

Part of this has been a whirlwind I seem to have been caught in since the beginning of the year. Soon after Barry Cowsill's death was announced, Cowsill.com was taken down by our web host (I'm the webmaster there) so I had to scramble to get the site transferred to another host almost overnight. I'm still not caught up with all of that since there are things that used to be on Cowsill.com that I still haven't gotten back up online.

Why is that? Well, it's a little thing called life and trying to do it all - and sometimes seeming to fail miserably at everything. In addition to Cowsill.com and traveling to Newport for Barry's Memorial there and then updating Cowsill.com again with the news of Billy Cowsill's death, I've been busy with all of the girls many social and extra-curricular activities and with trying to update my own web sites which really need some attention and trying to help some with the gala that we just held for the girls' school but mostly I've been immersed in working on the yearbook for the girls' school.

Somehow, over the years, I've ended up in charge of the yearbook including taking almost all the pictures that go into it. It's something I really enjoy at times and that I find a tremendous source of stress at other times. I'm still in the midst of it and am frantically trying to get pictures from things I didn't attend and trying to take other pictures to fill in the rest of the yearbook pages which are due to the publisher in less than a month. Foolishly, this year, I decided that it would be fun if the 8th grade helped with the yearbook during computer class since we decided to go with a web designed yearbook for the first time ever. Since I don't really know the program we're using in depth yet, it's been a series of trials and errors trying to get it done but we did make the deadline for the first half and we're starting page designs for the second half next week. But before I can start to work on it with the kids I have to get all of the photos that are complete onto my computer and uploaded to the yearbook site. Oh, but did I forget to mention, first I have to clear some things off of my computer to make room for the photos since we're running out of disk space - uh oh. This weekend I need to get all the photo stuff accomplished so wish me luck. I know that I'll need it!

But, it's not all work and no play, we did go to the gala for the girls' school last weekend which was a lot of fun and more importantly raised quite a bit of money for the school and we even managed to catch Bob & the band's last set at the Fox & Hounds Pub too. And, last night, I went and saw Sid 'n' Susie (aka: Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs) at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. The show was a great fun especially when John (Cowsill) & Vicki (Peterson) got up and sang with them though I have to say I felt The Warmth of the Sun was the weakest song of the night even though John did sing backup on it. I'm really looking forward to the release of Under The Covers Vol. 1. But, more than that release, I'm going to be stalking the mailman soon for my copy of Sorrow Bound: Hank Williams Re-Examined!

Barry Cowsill Memorial and a Sucker Punch

Bob Cowsill at Kings Park

Last weekend I flew to RI for Barry Cowsill's Memorial Services. No one would have blamed The Cowsills had they decided to conduct a private service or just invite family and close friends especially after the months long search for Barry. But Barry wanted everyone to party when he died and so The Cowsills threw a party and invited anyone who wanted to be there to come. Before the party, on a very cold and windy RI afternoon, The Cowsills conducted a short service at King's Park in Newport, RI in honor of Barry. Even though it was as Paul Cowsill put it "frickin' cold" the weather somehow seemed fitting to what was happening that afternoon - saying good-bye to Barry and bringing him back to Newport. Barry wanted a party and so later that evening, a party was held in Barry's honor at the Hotel Viking. It was amazing to watch the Cowsill family during these events and see the love and generosity that they showed to all of those who were able to make it to Newport - friends, family and fans alike. The Cowsills are truly amazing people and I am proud to know them and humbled to have been invited to share this with them. If you're interested, you can view the photos that I took at both the Kings Park service and the party at the Hotel Viking.

And now to the sucker punch ... after the event at King's Park, The Cowsills received a phone call from Canada and were informed that their older brother Billy had passed away the night before. When I heard the news my stomach literally knotted up. I cannot imagine how each of The Cowsills must have felt. To lose two brothers in such a short time would be devastating to anyone yet The Cowsills continued to hold the planned party for Barry and will hold additional memorial services for Barry in New Orleans, LA this weekend before they can turn their attention to the north and to Billy.

Billy was an enigma to me and I have to admit I was rather intimidated by him. I only met him twice. The first time was in the early 1990s when he came down to southern California and was at Pickwicks Pub one night. That night The Cowsills at Pickwicks included Billy, Bob, Susan & John and it was the first time that I had heard The Rain, The Park & Other Things live and in person with Billy on the lead and it just sent chills down my spine. It truly was a night that I will never forget. The second time I met Billy was in 2000, at A Taste of RI, when the entire Cowsill clan reunited on stage and off. There are not words to describe that experience; to see all of The Cowsills on stage together definitely brought out my inner pre-teen again. Both times I had the privilege of seeing Billy, he just amazed me with his presence on stage. He simply belonged there. And to see Billy and Bob together on stage was a true treat that I am so glad I didn't miss. It was just right and now it can never happen again. It still seems unbelievable to me and just so sad.

Cowsill.com has Memorial Books for both Barry and Billy if you want to post your condolences and/or memories.

Barry I hardly knew you

For four long months we'd been searching for Barry Cowsill. Barry had been missing since just after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Four months of hoping that Barry would just miraculously show up. Then, on January 4th, the Cowsill family received confirmation that a body that was found in New Orleans was Barry. The search was over and Barry was dead. A piece of my childhood died on that day.

Back in the late 1960s, I was sure that I knew Barry and all of the Cowsills. After all, I read every teen magazine and memorized all the facts about The Cowsills - their favorite colors, what they were looking for in a girl, how they spent their spare time, their heights, weights, hair colors, eye colors, birthdays. You name it and I knew it.

And most of all I knew that I wanted to be a Cowsill. It's not that my family was bad but The Cowsills seemed perfect and happy all the time and man all those cute boys.

Time went by and The Cowsills disappeared off the radar and then in 1990 I found them again. I walked into a pub in the San Fernando Valley and there were Bob & Susan Cowsill. It was rather surreal to see my childhood idols are grown-up. Since that time I have had the opportunity to get to know some of The Cowsills and meet all of them. I learned that you can't always believe what you read. The facade of what was in the teen magazines was far from the reality of The Cowsills. But it wasn't all a facade, The Cowsills were still tremendously talented. And, the adult Cowsills were all intelligent, articulate, funny, amazing people.

Barry passed through my life probably less than a dozen times. The first time I met him was in 1990. My first impression was that I never, ever would have recognized him. He seemed to be hiding behind the beard and the glasses and the hat. He introduced himself and even autographed an album for me with the pseudonym of Elvis Franklin. But hiding or not, Barry was very charasmatic and funny and like all of The Cowsills still extremely talented.

I didn't really ever spend a lot of time with Barry. Part of that was because of me. Barry reminded me very much of my brother, Michael. Like Barry, Mike was diagnosed as bi-polar and like Barry, Mike had substance abuse problems. My brother committed suicide at a time in his life when we all thought he was finally getting it together. Everyone had been telling him how good he was doing and I think he just thought if that was good then life wasn't worth it. I saw in Barry so many of the same demons that seemed to plague my brother and it scared me. So, even though I met Barry and could have spent more time getting to know him, I didn't take that opportunity. I was afraid for Barry. And, now, Barry is dead. We may never know what really happened to Barry after his frantic phone calls to his sister Susan immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Officially, Barry drowned. I believe that Barry, like my brother, is now in a place where the demons no longer haunt him.

Rest in peace, Barry. Sadly, I hardly really knew you.