Not a BAD-looking bunch, when we're all cleaned-up!!!---

As I stated at the kick-off of this here little bloggy-a-wingy-ding-thing--- I WILL occasionally pop in pics of the 'Loydster-family-unit'!!! So, it's NOT like you haven't been warned,folks!!

First off, let's have a look-see at just how this little group of mine cleans-up / get's all spiffy for this Easter just past!! Not a bad-looking bunch, if I don't say so my own self!!!---EXCEPT for that SHIFTY-looking character all the way to the LEFT!! Him, I'm NOT too sure about!!!---

'Daddy-Loyd', daughter Shelby, son Wade, and of course---'Mama-Deb' (my BEAUTIFUL,ever-SO-patient wife!)

The same group of  Ferrells!!

Next, let's have a look-see at two of my most-favorite-females in the whole-wide-world!!!---This pic was snapped before heading off to this just-past 'Mother's day' church-services!!---

My two-most-FAVORITE-girls!!

 Now I'm gonna get a little sentimental here!!--- It's hard to believe that, number ONE---my WONDERFUL wifey, Deb and I, have been together 28 years!!! Number TWO--- that my two children..... well, that they're NOT children anymore!! 21 year-old Shelby and 19 year-old Wade are still living at home at the moment.... but Deb and I both know we'll be 'empty-nesters' soon enough!!! That's going to be a strange time for us!!

Has it been all 'fun and games' being parents / raising a family???--- OF COURSE NOT!! There has been PLENTY of bumps in the road, rough-patches, and LOTS of moments of DRAMA!!! But--- through it ALL --- the good Lord has blessed the Ferrell family with MORE good times, laughter, and GREAT memories, than what few troubles we've had!! PLUS-- we're ALL in good health!! I know for a FACT that we've been BLESSED!! I've had a BALL being a dad, and I'd GLADLY do all of this OVER AGAIN!! I state ALL of the above with NO shame!!! If that makes me a sentimental  GOOFBALL---- SO WHAT!!!


                                                 See you next time, gang!!!---

Loyd's BONUS video-clip!!! # 3---

MORE music!!! This time around it's the TRULY multi-talented Mr. Jeff  Lynne----front-man, main song writer / producer of one of my ALL-TIME favorite bands, Electric Light Orchestra--- and his then-current (circa 2002) E.LO. line-up.This was a concert featuring stuff from the album:'Zoom', a VERY cool album that went ignored by a LOT of folks, sadly!! The clip also just so happens to feature one of my ALL-TIME favorite E.L.O. tunes!!! By the way, this live performance turned out to be a rare one, since NO tour followed this concert!!! (a story for another post, not too far in the future!!!) If you can find the DVD of this concert, 'E.L.O.:Zoom live!'---BUY IT!! You WILL enjoy it!!!

Oh, and ANOTHER by the way---- if you weren't bobbing your head and tapping your feet by the end of this clip---- you simply HAVE to be DEAD!!! See you next time, gang!!!

Fond memories of 'The CAPED CRUSADERS'!!!

As I promised / threatened a while back, this post concerns my LIFE-LONG ,first love, then hate, then love again relationship---with the (what I now consider CLASSIC) 1966- 1968 'Batman' TV show!!

Take a spin with me, if you will, in the 'ol way-back / time machine. To a time when the Loydster was a wee little tot! The first run of this show, was when I was only not quite 3 years old. No doubt, from what my parents have told me, seeing Batman and Robin 'live', zooming out of the Batcave, roaring toward Gotham city, probably blew my little toddler-sized mind!!

'Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed!', Robin would say in the earliest episodes, just before flame would shoot-out the back of the Batmobile, and the 'Dynamic duo' would rocket toward another adventure with that week's 'special guest villain'!! The 'wee little me' was hooked, right then and there, into a LIFETIME of 'caped crusader fandom'!!!

Unlike older kids (especially high schoolers, AND college-aged-types), and adults (of course!!) the wide-eyed 'little Loydster' took EVERYTHING in the TV adventures of Bats & Robin DEADLY-serious!!! Even a few years later, when the series was in CONSTANT, daily reruns on weekday afternoons--- I was 8-9 years old then--- It was STILL a serious adventure program to me!!!

Fast-forward in our time-machine journey, to encounter the now late-teen-aged Loydster---MAN, I sure was in a LOT better shape, and had a LOT more hair!!! Anyhoo, at that point.... I had grown to become more of a 'Dark knight detective'-type of Bat-fanatic!!

By my late teens / early 20s, I'd become a fan of the Batman comics, and by that point (in the comics, that is!)---- the character had been developed into a LOT more serious-type guy!! Robin grew up and went off to college, and for a time, 'ol Bats even moved OUT of the Batcave, and set-up his hide-out in the basement of  a swanky office building in downtown Gotham!!

THIS was the Batman I enjoyed as a young adult. A serious, brooding character. Like a LOT of fans of my same age-bracket... the old TV show was something that I was almost embarrassed about!! It was looked at as something to ridicule and even condemn--- 'the 60s show 'ruined' the character for YEARS'!!--- is what MANY fans, myself included for quite a while, constantly moaned & groaned about!!!

So---- for a good CHUNK of my adult life, I had 'mixed feelings' about the 'TV-caped crusaders' from my childhood!! Finally---- one more ride in our time machine--- back to the 'here and now'!! Loyd has reached his middle-aged years (GASP!!), seen NUMEROUS versions of his old friends Bats and Robin--- in comics (of course!), several movies, the also CLASSIC animated series of the early 90s, on and on!!

AND--- the middle-aged me has come to realize something.... a character like Batman is the type of character that, according to LONG-time Bat-comics-writer / editor, Denny O'Neil, does NOT have a 'wrong' version!!! He's SO durable a character....so extremely simple and straight-forward in not ONLY his visual-design, but in his character, that no one version of him can EVER permanently 'ruin' or destroy him! He's pretty much indestructible!!

The other thing I can do now, in these more mellow, thoughtful middle-aged years of mine, is watch the old show--- and place my mind into the state I was in at 8 or 9 years old!!! Watch the adventures of the dynamic duo from my childhood, JUST like I did then!!! Enjoy all the WAY-COOL 'Bat-gadgets', boo & hiss the bad-guys,yell-out with all the comics-type 'sound-effects' plastered over the fight-scenes!!! But, along with all of that, this time don't worry about laughing out loud once in a while!!

I received the 'complete series' on DVD last year from my daughter for Christmas---and found that I was able do EXACTLY like I just described above!! Just sit back, and have a nostalgic, all-around GOOD TIME--- episode after episode!!

Oh---- and ONE MORE thing!!! Along with the ABSOLUTELY most FUN and just out-right COOL opening credits sequence of ANY classic TV show, PERIOD----- the OTHER thing that is STILL, no contest, a factor in making 'Batman' the CLASSIC that it indeed is--- probably THE most famous custom car in the history of TV and movies!!!!---- THE BATMOBILE!!! Hands down, just about one of my FAVORITE vehicles, period!!

See you next time, gang----'Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel'!!!

(This post is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Adam West!!)

Loyd's BONUS video-clip,# 2!!!---

As I've always said--- my musical tastes are ALL OVER the place!! SO--- it should be NO surprise that some of my favorite artists are from the era that produced the 'Nashville sound'. A period from the early-to-mid 50s, on up to the late 60s. Producers like the legendary Owen Bradley (who was behind Patsy Cline's biggest hits!),and a number of others--- made smooth, well-produced, and just generally well-crafted 2 to 3 minute MASTERPIECES!!! 

My personal favorite 'smooth-country-crooners' of this period, include Marty Robbins, the previously mentioned Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and the ' Southern Gentleman' himself, Mr. Sonny James!!  Back in my early high school days, I borrowed Sonny's 'Best of...' album from my mom's record collection. Sonny's soulful, 'all the way from DEEP-down in his heart' style of singing, whether it was about happiness OR heartache,REALLY spoke to the somewhat awkward, kinda lonely kid I was back then!!

I ended up holding on to that record all the way 'til after I joined the Air Force, at 21, in 1986--- when my mom FINALLY gave up on EVER getting it back, and just let me HAVE it!! It remains in my collection today, (as well as in a digital version too, of course!!) and it STILL remains without a scratch!! Just shows what Sonny and his music / tremendous talent meant and STILL means to me!! 

Here's the man himself, around 1965--along with his back-up vocalists, 'The Southern Gentlemen'---doing his biggest hit, 'Young Love'!! The AMAZING thing about this video---- It's JUST Sonny, his guitar, the back-up group, along with one of the guys playing bass!!! That's IT!! No lip-sync / pantomiming to a pre-recorded track!!! COOL!!!

                                                   


                                                             See you next time, gang!!!

Vacation - time GEEK-OUTS!!!

 Ok---- it's time to break-out what most folks usually DREAD!!  The (usually) boring family vacation pics!! This blog being what it is, though--- all about the things that 'ol Loydster digs to the uppermost and foremost, I figured I'd cut right to the heart,and sorted out the pics of what I've ALWAYS went GOONIE for in vacations past!! Let's kick this little 'Uncle Loyd's slide-show' off with our trip to Six Flags over Texas, back in 2015---- Six Flags, I've GOT to say,is a comic book-freaky-fan's paradise!!! With DC comics-based stuff ALL over the park!! The absolute BIGGEST thing probably being----

 That's right--- a real, LIFE-SIZED replica of the HALL OF JUSTICE!!! This fronts the 'Justice League 3D' ride, of course (an AWESOMELY WICKED-COOL ride, by the way!)!! My son and I both said the REQUIRED phrase when we first saw it!!!! 'Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice.....'

Then,the ABSOLUTELY required pic of this self-described SUPREME 'Bat-geek-a-zoid' with his 'other car'!!---- Yeah, I know it's just a giant non-working prop..... but,STILL--- just HOW cool is it to be photographed with something like this???? Especially if you ARE a 'Bat-geek-a-zoid'!!!

This Giant Ape Sculpture----made ENTIRELY from old automotive parts(!!!) is one of the MANY oddball items in front of the 'Ripley's Believe it or not' museum---not far from Six Flags. Being a King Kong fan since I was a wee lad---- Getting a pic standing in front of this thing was a MUST!! The wifey doesn't look NEARLY as excited as me!!

Our vacation the following year---2016-- was a LOT closer to home!!! This time, we spent a couple days in Oklahoma City.One full day at Frontier City amusement park, the second wandering around 'Bricktown' (VERY cool!!), and finished the trip off at the Oklahoma science museum, just south of the downtown area. Being a big fan of the 'space -race' / efforts to reach the moon-era--- posing for THIS pic was a NATURAL!!!

Last year---it was off to Branson, Missouri!! Believe it or not, though we've lived here in the mid-west for close to 25 years(!!!!)---- it was our FIRST trip there!! We spent a day at Silver Dollar City--- a FANTASTIC amusement park--- and the next day,a couple of hours at one of the SUPREME geeky-nerd-oid destinations in ALL of Branson (and there are SEVERAL of them there!!)--- The Hollywood Wax Museum!!! THIS is what the main entrance is like!!!----

-----Then there's this 'Hollywood Mount Rushmore',overlooking the parking lot!!!---

----Once inside, there's a 'LIFE-SIZED' King Kong to greet all visitors!!

Just me and 'Dr. Jones', hanging out!!! Doesn't it kinda look like he'd rather be with someone else??

The ABSOLUTE high-light of the trip to this museum, was the almost 'goose-bump'-inducing, LIFE-LIKE figure of 'The King' himself!!!--- 'Elvis' seemed to be just a split-second away from suddenly blinking his eyes and breaking out into 'Guitar man', or another song from the '68 Comeback special!!

Another, closer look at the AMAZING Elvis figure!! Doesn't he look like he's about to start performing a 'greatest hits' medley or something??? Like I said, this one gave me goose-bumps!!

That's the 'Geeky-riffic' highlights from vacations past, gang!! I've ALWAYS believed, if you can't stay in touch with that 'inner-12-year-old', especially on vacation---- well, then.... your'e just a BORING old GROWN-UP, that's all!!! See you next time, kids!!