Roll & Rock:

High School: She's Gone

This vid is posted in honor of my upcoming 30th high school reunion.

Let it be noted that I once had hair like Daryl's...

Military Timing: R.I.P.

In the military…things tend to take a little bit longer.

My Dad finally got to join his fellow veterans at Riverside National Cemetery.

R.I.P. Pop!

Life...Death: The In-Between

Mourning is an unusual experience.

You think you are ready for it…but you never are.

My mom died when I was 21.

My dad died when I was 47.

Losing your parents is a normal part of life but grief is an unescapable feeling.

The Bible says sadness has a refining influence on us.

 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all everyone dies – so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time. (Ecclesiastes 7:3,4)

I guess this makes me half wise and half foolish.

True dat!

Here’s a few pics from my Dad’s funeral

My big sis Betsy with my sons.

A very cool and unexpected moment was when the presiding officer over the service asked my son Joshua to lead the procession. Being in the military has it's perks. My Dad would have been thrilled!

My son Tyler with my step-mom, Sallie.

The newest family entry...Zac...was a hit with all the cousins!

As one life ends...another begins

By the end of the day, I was emotionally fried. I am very vain and hate bad pics of myself but when my wife told me I looked like Keith Richards here...I found it very fitting.

Master and Commander: R.I.P.

Many of my friends who read this blog already know that my father passed away on January 13. He was 86 years old and had been battling failing health.

I am preparing to fly out to L.A. in the morning for his military burial on Feb. 6^th.

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I can chatter on a great deal on most any subject but writing his eulogy has been a challenge. I am still not done.

I have also been in the process of putting together a slide show presentation of family pics. When I have been to other funerals, I always enjoyed these pic collages a lot.

Every picture tells a story…don’t it?

Indeed!

In my Dad’s honor, enjoy a few choice vintage family pics!

There are also some great military shots from an earlier blog post I did here:

http://rollandrock.typepad.com/davidbach/2007/07/big-sister-navy.html

My siblings and I with my Pop. Never pose with a beer.

No booze here. Josh is now 24! Check the leather pants.

My Dad and my surviving brother Bruce. His twin brother Brian passed from cancer several years ago. Hopefully, he and my Dad are having a chuckle right now.

 

My Dad and my siblings before I came along.

My Dad and I on the S.S. Lurline

Here is my Dad's obituary from the Orange County Register:

Commander Herbert E. Biededach, U. S. Navy (Retired) passed away on January 13, 2009, after a long illness. He served his country as a naval officer and naval aviator for 27 years in a variety of demanding assignments during World War II and the Cold War. Following retirement in 1967 he became an investment executive for Paine Webber in the Santa Ana office until 1996.

 

Born January 24, 1922 in Pasadena, California, Commander Biedebach entered the Navy, was commissioned, and became a Lighter-Than-Air Airship Commander flying convoy anti-submarine patrols in the protection of Atlantic coastal merchant shipping. In 1949 he entered flight training at Pensacola, Florida, going on to serve in aviation squadrons and aboard aircraft carriers. As a senior naval aviator he directed the combat information center aboard the USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt (CV-42), then became a principal operations officer and briefer for the Commander-in-Chief U. S. Pacific Fleet and the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon. Upon retirement he joined the Paine Webber Investment Company.

 

Commander Biedebach remained an active participant in military and community organizations and became President of the Naval Airship Association. In that capacity he was instrumental in establishing the Lighter-Than-Air Airship exhibit at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. He dedicated his later life to the interests of naval aviation and the proper recognition of all those who served in its squadrons.

 

Commander Biedebach is survived by his wife Sallie Coles Biedebach, his sister Betsy Behny, his children Bruce, Betsy, David, Cindy Coles Sullivan, and Melissa Coles and their spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Brian.

 

Military Services for Commander Biedebach will be held Friday, February 6th at Riverside National Cemetery at 11 AM.

 

Donations in his memory can be made to the following association or to a charity of your choice: 

Naval Airship Association, Inc.

c/o Peter F. Brouwer

1950 SW Cycle Street

Port St. Lucie, Florida 34952-1778

Thanks for letting me share!

Happy Birthday: Jackson!

My son Jackson turned 13 today.

It's hard having a birthday so close to Christmas, but this year...we went all out!

Happy Birthday Jack!

Strange Days: Blog Ness

Thanks for reading this blog.

I too, read many blogs.

In fact, I get a daily digest of about 12 blogs every morning.

There are always interesting viewpoints out there in cyberspace.

But, you know what they say about opinions…

Some things are better left unsaid.

Amidst my daily blog digest yesterday, these 3 pics jumped out at me.

Again…posted without comment.

Football Blues: Cowboy Down

It’s no secret that I love youth football.

My exploits as a coach on my son Jackson’s football team last year was something I blogged about incessantly—much to the nausea of many folks in cyberspace.

This year is Jackson’s last year with the Franklin Cowboys. He will go on to play in middle school next year.

We were off to a great start this season. Our team was looking good!

 

Even though the Special Teams coach was desperately in need of a haircut on picture day.

Jackson has been in prime shape.

QB’ing his team to the State Championship last year was a great experience for him.

In my life, I’ve always had to learn the lesson that…once you think you’re in a great spot…calamity can strike.

It was just a basic tackling drill during practice.

Jackson said he heard and felt a loud pop in his knee.

Turns out he broke his distal femur right at the growth plate in his knee.

A season ending injury!

One of life’s strange twists…pun intended.

To his credit, he still goes to practice and is honorary team captain at the coin toss before every game.

It kills him to stand on the sidelines in crutches.

But he has a good attitude...and that makes me proud.

We are doing pretty well on Special Teams so far.

Although I sure do miss Jackson’s speed on the outside.

One of the good things about getting older is that I’ve learned to deal with disappointment better.

I hope that will be true for some after the upcoming election…

School’s In: Football Zen

Summer is over.

My younger sons are going to have to get use to waking up early again, come Monday morning.

Starting school on August 11th? Total rip-off if you are a kid!

But many a mom is smiling...

Back to school also means one big thing:

Football days are here again!

This will be my last year to coach my son Jackson in youth sports (sniffle).

After this year, he will enter the middle school system and hopefully move on to some great coaches.

It’s too early in the season to tell if we have a great team yet.

For those of you who read this blog last year, you may recall that our Cinderella team went all the way to the state championship.

This year, I just want to enjoy the ride—regardless of the outcome.

However, it will be impossible for me to remain silent here if there are some proud dad moments. Consider yourself warned.

A lack of blog posts from me usually denotes busyness. I don’t have time to run my mouth when in start-up mode.

I am thoroughly enjoying being a part of the Franktown Rocks team.

Start-ups can be a bit of a hair-raising ride but fortunately; I’ve been to this Bar-B-Que before.

You can say I have my start-up calluses.

Either way, I feel fortunate that I love what I am working on.

I’m reminded of one of my favorite passages from the 5^th chapter of Ecclesiastes:

“To enjoy your work and to accept your lot in life--that is indeed a gift from God. The person who does that will not need to look back with sorrow on his past, for God gives him joy.”

We hit a great milestone today on the website: 60,000 user accounts!

What does that mean?

It means that 60,000 kids from all around the world signed up to play on our website!

We have been rolling out new features every few days—and at long last, we opened our movie theater.

I was able to contribute a clip from one of my favorite underground movies: Hellzapoppin.

When I attended the Sorbonne in Paris as a young starving college student, my friends and I would frequent the many revival theaters that still exist in Paris.

There was one in particular that had shown the same two films for the past 10 years: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and…Hellzapoppin.

My friends and I must have watched Hellzapoppin at least 20 times.

It’s definitely an acquired film taste but one that is permanently etched in my memory.

This clip has some of the most intense swing dancing I have ever seen.

Me, personally? I can fall around onstage with a bass strapped on—in front of thousands of people—and not think twice about it.

But, put me on the dance floor…and I have two left feet.

I guess we'll see what new dance steps the coming fall will bring...

Cali Dreaming: Baseball Streaming

I’ve been out of town recently. 

Back to my home turf…Southern California! 

I try to eat healthy but there are a few fast-food diversions that can only be enjoyed in SoCal. 

1. In-N-Out Burger: Their standard Double-Double is still the best burger in the world. There is one right on Sepulveda by LAX and as soon as I land and get my rental car…I’m there! I can take or leave their fries and their shakes are downright terrible…but biting into a fresh Double-Double is a religious experience.  

2. Del Taco: My craving is a Del Beef Burrito with two packs of their Mild Sauce. (I love hotter sauce but their mild sauce has a unique nuance). This may be a nostalgia moment for me as I flashback to high school when I bite into one of these.  

3. El Pollo Loco: Fresh rotisserie Chicken served no-frills. I am shocked they have not yet made their way to Nashville 

And of course, my favorite little Indian joint in Orange County: 

Niki’s Tandoori Express: 2031 E 1st St.- Ste A2 - Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 542-2969 

When I searched it online…I found a review site that had posted some poor reviews. 

I was outraged and posted my own review to rebut these palateless goofs.  

If you are ever in Santa Ana, CA and like Indian food…Niki's is a must-visit!

OK – Rant over! 

Thanks to those who have written and told me that its not uncool to boast about your kids. 

Thus…an encore performance from baseball season…which just ended. 

Travis’ team made it far in the tournament but was knocked out in the semi’s. 

This last bit of footage from the season shows Travis striking out the batter and then tagging out a runner stealing home for an inning-ending double play! 

 

Ya gotta love that! 

Youth Football season starts July 21st. 

I can’t wait...

Switch Hit!: Father's Day!

This is what it’s all about.

A great Father’s Day gift!

In our local baseball league—if a team only has 8 players present at game time—they can call up a player from the next younger league to fill in.

They do this to prevent team’s from bringing in “ringers”  of the same age to help them win games.

Thus…when Jackson’s 11-12 year-old team was short one man—we were allowed to call up a kid from the 9-10 year-old league.

Guess who stepped up to play with 12 year-old Jackson’s team?

That’s right! 9 year-old Travis!

He played a great game!

A walk – a base hit – a run scored.

He even got the game ball!

I am always hesitant to post endlessly about my kids.

But with the music biz still firmly entrenched in the toilet…

…Youth sports always bring a smile to my face.

Special thanks to my friend, Doug Van Pelt—editor of HM Magazine.

Who encouraged me by saying “Boasting about yourself is not cool…”

 ...“But boasting about your kids is OK”

Thanks Doug!

Happy Father’s Day to all!