I own my childhood dream car, a Chevy El Camino, and I love it with all my heart. It's the mullet of the automotive world, with business in the front and a party in the back! Though it is difficult to put into any one box, I have it registered as a pickup truck, and it definitely does some truck stuff - like hauling around my quad. Some people choose to call them "crucks." Personally, I think "ute" might be the most accurate description. 

Whatever you classify her as, Eleanor is a 1981 with an older 350 SBC paired to a 3 speed automatic with the stock one-wheel-peel rear end. A lot of work was put into this vehicle sometime around the turn of the century, and I would call it a mild custom. It has aftermarket race seats, a cool paint job, and a built motor. Future mods I'd like to do include an LS swap, big brakes, suspension/steering improvements, and maybe some fresh wheels. 

I baby Eleanor, but I'm not afraid to put the pedal to the metal and get a little squirrelly out there. She rips, and power is never the issue, but rather traction. All the weight in the front and a bed in the back makes for some smoky burnouts. It's a healthy mix between a practical classic Sunday driver and a muscle car, though it is far from immaculate show condition (nor is it a racecar). It's a driver as some may say, but I don't drive my Elky as much as I would like, primarily due to the price of gas and how thirsty the vehicle is for premium fuel. I spend at least three times as much driving anywhere in that as I would in my Civic, but that's the name of the game. 

I'm happy just being behind the wheel of this iconic American ride on any sunny day, but something that really gets a smile on my face is the sound of the exhaust opened up under an overpass. Oh baby! That dual exhaust off those headers is my favorite sound, bar none. I genuinely enjoy talking to strangers about my Elky, and can hardly go anywhere without starting a conversation about it. People either just give me a quick compliment on it, ask about the year and specifications, or tell me about their uncle/brother/friend/mom/etc. who owned one when they were in highschool. 

For as long as I can remember one of my favorite pasttimes has been attending car shows, and this weekend I'm excited for the cars and coffee event at Valley Motor City in the Falls on Saturday morning. It should be a cool event, and Cherise will be making an appearance there from 9-11am with lot's of prizes! I hope to see you there too; here's the link for more information, if you're interested: https://m.facebook.com/events/302996018909275?mibextid=Z0UBBX 

National Dog Day is Saturday...  Bring your pup out to The HARDY Send Me Backstage Ticket Stop during Zombie Powersports and Countryside Campgrounds End Of Summer Bash!!! Stop by for your free entry for HARDY, Lainey Wilson and Dylan Marlowe Tickets at Countryside Campgrounds 2687 State Route 43 in Mogadore from 1 to 2:30 this Saturday with 94.9 WQMX...

At 2:30 Sharp we'll draw the winner of the HARDY Tickets...plus if you have country concert tickets show them to me and get your Send Me Backstage T-shirts, while they last.

Afterwards since it is National Dog Day...  Look to these pet friendly establishments to enjoy the day with your pup(s) and pals.

If you are more of the at home pet owner Click Here for Pumpkin Spice Dog Brew... 

If it is more for your drink experience with your furry friend then there is a local list below.

Breweries

Missing Mountain Brewery: 2811 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls. Dogs permitted outside but must be on leash.

Missing Falls Brewery: 540 S. Main St. Suite 112, Akron. Dogs permitted inside and outside but must be on leash.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company: 587 Grant St., Akron. Dogs permitted outside on the patio. Leashing not required.

Akronym Brewing: 58 E. Market St., Akron. Dogs permitted outside on the patio but must be on leash.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery: 1680 E. Waterloo Road, Akron. Dogs permitted outside on the front patio but must be on leash and well behaved.

Ohio Brewing Company: 2250 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls. Dogs permitted outside on the patio but must be on leash.

Lock 15 Brewing Co.: 21 W. North Street Suite TL 1, Akron.

HiHO Brewing Co.: 1707 Front St, Cuyahoga Falls. Dogs permitted outside on the patio but must be on leash.

McArthur's Brew House: 2721 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls. Dogs permitted outside on the patio but must be on leash.

Mr. Zub's Deli & Bar: 795 W. Market St., Akron. Dogs permitted outside on the patio but must be on leash.

Ignite Brewing Company: 600 W. Tuscarawas Ave, Barberton. Dogs permitted outside on the patio. Leashing not required, but dogs must be friendly.

R. Shea Brewing: 1662 Merriman Road, Akron and 540 S. Main St. Suite 214, Akron. Dogs permitted outside on the back patio (Akron location). Leashing not required, but dogs must be friendly.

Well, pumpkin spice is back, so it must be fall? Calendar says no, but it certainly feels like it now! Between the PSL's and Back To School and Halloween already popping up in stores everywhere, I'm ready! I'm going to wait until after Labor Day to start getting my house decorated for Halloween, and I found this really cute DIY on Instagram that I can't wait to make!  

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Macy Blackwell (@macy.blackwell)

Storms are awesome, unless of course you're on the lawn of Blossom or another outdoor venue waiting for the performers to hit the stage, only to get stuck in monsoon-level rainfall resulting in the cancellation of the show. I personally had a really bad experience with this when I drove all the way to NYC, booked an Airbnb, and attempted to see one of my favorite acts play a music festival. 

It was on an island, and lineups were moved around earlier in the day to attempt to ensure that the headliners still went on. Well, in rearranging the schedule, the organizers actually did the opposite of this. I was front row, up against the crowd divider waiting for my most favorite band to begin, when a message appeared on the big screen announcing the cancellation of the festival for the evening. With this announcement, it was also requested that us concert-goers immediately evacuate the island. You can guess how well that went down, and alongside a mass of others I decided to stand my ground and not go anywhere. 

Oh, what a mistake that was. The rain hit fast and hard, and before I knew it I was amidst a mob of muddy and angry fans with no clear direction on where to go or what to do. It was raining buckets and the intensity of the situation in such an unfamiliar setting had me in fight-or-flight mode. People were flipping tables and borderline rioting. It's difficult to describe how crazy it really was at that time. 

I eventually pushed my way through the masses and made it on a Coast Guard ferry back to the mainland. From there, soaking wet, I walked about fifteen blocks back to where I was staying, in shock and disbelief as to what had just went down. I had originally intended to spend the following day in the Big Apple sightseeing, but after this unfortunate series of events, I packed up and left for home first thing in the morning. Let me tell you, that drive back was miserable, and I spent most of it in silence simply depressed at how my dream concert front row experience became a waking nightmare. Of course I was refunded for the ticket, but that was relatively insignificant in comparison to the money I spent to drive and stay there in Manhatten for the weekend. The worst part was knowing that I was front row and having that forever memory ripped out of my hands by mother nature and poor planning. 

As you can tell from me writing this blog to begin with, I'm far from over it. I can only assume that the festival organizers made the best decisions they could based on the information present at the time, but I still feel like they could have prepared for such a scenario better. There wasn't even any emergency lighting on the island, and I'd be shocked if no one was hurt that night. It was a bad time. 

Wednesday afternoon into the evening, we experienced some intense weather here in northeast Ohio, with lightning cracking throughout the sky and thunderstorms dumping cats and dogs worth of rainfall. It came in waves starting in the early afternoon, cooling things down and dimming the sky; there were some flash floods in the area and everything. I was happy as it made for some awesome pre-work sleeping weather, but it got me thinking back on this festival disaster I had a few years back. I minored in sociology in college, and after some reflection I realized this could be a good way to exemplify how our differences with one another are often fueled by a lack of understanding and compassion. 

It's no secret that our unique individual situations and circumstances influence our reactions and viewpoints. A farmer may need rain for his crops just as much as a house painter needs it to be dry for each to make a living. Without stretching too far, my takeaway that I'd like to extend to you is that when we disagree with others, it is important to take into account what they go through and how that influences their perspectives. Even if you go through what you think is the same thing, it may not be, like a rainy day- in the house opposed to at an outdoor concert venue. As you go through the day today, I ask that you keep this in mind, even if it's as simple as giving grace to someone who seems to have a bad attitude. There's an old saying that goes something like, "the same boiling water that softens the potato, hardens the egg."

You could get free admission to the Akron Zoo in September! The zoo will have a limited number of free tickets available per day. This is part of their Community Days promotion that has been celebrated since 2001.

If you live in Summit County and would like more information about how to reserve your tickets and other information, click here.

My son is a chip off the old block.  If you remember W-Boo-MX, I am a fan of Halloween. 

I have been investing in Duct Tape lately as he is diligently working on his Halloween Costume in August.  

Personally, I love it.  I want to help but he is diving in head and mask first.  The reason why I am happy... 

Last year on Halloween Eve... he decided against a costume we bought, so he could wear black jogging pants and a black hoodie...  

The first house is like, oh what are you hunny?  He replied "I'm a robber".   It really looked like there was no effort put into his costume.

So I'm hoping with all this effort sooo far out that he is going to stick with the idea and not change his mind at the last minute.

Now if I could just get him to do the rest of his summer reading that is due Monday...  Sheesh...   

This is a picture of him years ago, slaying me in my Dragon Mascot Costume.

Today is LeAnn Rimes birthday and somehow she is 41 years old now.  LOL - How did THAT happen?  Any how she is having a birthday this week and I thought we would look back and revisit her story.  I wrote this a year or so ago.

My Full Profile On LeAnn Rimes

Just WOW! If you're into powersports like me, then there's a good chance you may have seen some of the buzz online about Can-Am's new performance side by side, the 2024 Maverick R. It is an absolute monster of a machine with a 7 speed dual clutch automatic transmission paired to a 999cc turbocharged inline three cylinder engine, boasting a best in class 240 reported horsepower. I could go on and on about what makes this Polaris killer so special, from it's drivetrain to all of the bells and whistles inside, but I'd even get lost myself in all of the technical jargon. Just know that if you want a side by side and money is no issue, this is the one to get.

What led me to write this is not simply how cool and capable the Maverick R is, but rather the reactions and skepticism from the public (particularly from keyboard warriers in comments sections). The debate is over Can-Am's use of decisive suspension systems that just look weird. The company has dubbed it a heavy-duty-tall-knuckle design, a revolutionary new approach providing a plethora of advantages over traditional suspension setups.

There are 25 inches of front wheel travel and 26 on the rear, allowing for the Maverick R to conquer terrain that other offraders would shy away from. The knuckle is super heavy duty, and the way it is all designed allows for a substantial decrease in stress on surrounding componenets, like an 85% reduction in load on the front upper control arms. That's nuts! If you know anything about these types of rigs, you know they have a tendency to break, especially when it comes to the wheels, suspension, and steering. This pionering design should help alleviate that anxiety by decreasing the probability of breaking down and being stranded when you're out on the trails.

Additionally, this beast has nearly a foot and a half of ground clearance with a class leading 77 inch wheel base, which comes in handy when attempting all the ruts that the Jeeps and other road-goers have dug out.

What's most impressive to me is that the physics behind Can-Am's suspension have improved the center of gravity on the Maverick R, effectively reducing the vehicle's tendency to roll-over when cornering by half. That is just insane, and if all it takes is a goofy looking knuckle, then I am sold... Well, I would be if I had $35k lying around. The top of the line model fully optioned out goes for over $60k. Woah.

So why are people so disgruntled and divided about this sick new 'ffroader? Frankly, I don't really know. There are two main concerns I have encountered in comments sections on the topic, and I'd say only one is legitimate and fair. The first is that this design may be more prone to breaking, and I think that's simply untrue. The theory is that a tree branch or something else comparable would get stuck within this enlarged knuckle setup and cause a mechanical failure. I have no incentive to defend Can-Am, but based on my experiences with riding, if you take a tree to the front end on any machine bad things are bound to occur. If anything, it is more durable and capable of taking some abuse than the traditonal counterparts, with its beefy forged aluminum construction. I won't waste any more words entertaining such baloney, but I do understand the other concern.

It is over the wheel size restrictions, in that bigger wheels and tires cannot be installed without major suspension modifications. I get it; most everyone loves to customize their toy, and big expensive wheels and tires are a flex. They can provide increased traction, ground clearance, and top speed. Additionally, it's an easy way to modify the look of a side by side without any major fabrication. When it comes to the Maverick R, the amount of hours into research and developement would suggest that Can-Am has chosen the wheel size it sports by no accident. Unlike a Jeep or truck which has been intended for road use, this side by side does not need to be modified in any way to be ready to race through rough terrain. Besides, just as there is in any form of motorsports, there will certainly be an aftermarket community for this 4x4; I am all but certain there will be a big wheel kit made available at some point. On top of that, someone out there will definitely do some custom fabrications of their own design.

Everyone is ultimately going to have their own opinion on this thing, but if you ask me, it is totally gnar. I have never been huge on side by sides, as I prefer being out in the elements on a quad, but the 2024 Can-Am Maverick R might have me thinking twice about that. Imagine one out on the ice this winter, just tearing it up. I'm all for it, but I'll put a link for you to check it out and decide for yourself!

Information in this blog supplimented by: https://www.motortrend.com/news/2024-can-am-maverick-r-first-look-review/ <-Clink this link to see all the pictures!

I know there is a chart...  but like you sometimes those aren't my favorite cuts at this moment.  
You can always help us with the Music Panel... Click Here.  

But these are the 10 I can't help but singing right now in no certain order...

This Wednesday, many in the Country Music industry will gather at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for the ACM Honors. Being honored tomorrow night are Clint Black, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and K.T. Oslin. Also, Kane Brown will receive the ACM International Award and Tim McGraw will take home the ACM Icon Award.

So many artists will be there to pesent awards and perform. Chris Janson, Jordan Davis, Lady A, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Priscilla Block, Lee Brice, Hailey Whitters, and Brett Young will all be there. Carly Pearce is in charge of hosting duties for the evening.

While the event is tomorrow, you can catch it broadcast on Fox the evening of September 18th.