MichaelErb.net

Wow, 2008!

I am excited about the beginnings of this new year and all that it will bring. I look forward to working with all my clients this year and am thankful that I have such a wonderful job that lets me share in the joy of the weddings that I participate in.

I’m thankful for my wife who is so full of love and compassion for everyone in her life and I look forward to spending this year (and every year thereafter) with her.

We can take so much for granted on a daily basis. The beginning of a new year is a time to stop and reflect on all that we have, the people that surround us and what we can do to help another person who is struggling in this life. It can take just such a small gesture to make such a huge difference in someone’s life. Contemplate what difference doing a bit more than a small gesture could make in someone’s life. Small acts can have profound effects.

I hope you have a very Happy New Year!

Weddings surrounding Christmas are always a bit more special. You’ve got the excitement of a wedding added together with the festivity of the Christmas season. It all adds up to a very incredible experience.

I had just an experience this past Friday as I had the honor of presiding over the wedding reception of Tom and Kelly, two of the nicest people. I knew the night would be great when I approached Kelly soon after her arrival at the reception hall to welcome her. As I extended my hand to shake hers, she gave me a big hug and said that she was a hug kind of person. If that isn’t a great way to start off the evening, I don’t know what is.

Justin’s Grill, in East Syracuse near Carrier Circle, was the reception site. What a beautiful facility it is. Not only is it a fine restaurant, but the banquet hall is gorgeous, with incredible crystal chandeliers, a wonderfully large dance floor and a great ambience overall. The staff and service is impeccable. Thanks to Mary and Heather from Justin’s Grill for making me feel right at home.

Tom and Kelly had their first dance to “My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man” by Vince Gill & Patty Loveless. The Father/Daughter and Mother/Groom dance was to “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle and the Wedding Party dance was to “At Last” by Etta James.

It was so much fun to be able to work for Tom and Kelly. The guests were very appreciative and egged me on to play “one more song” after the last dance. I was only too happy to accommodate them!

Congratulations Tom and Kelly… I hope your honeymoon in the Greek Islands is fabulous. Enjoy a few of the photos I took at your reception.

Yesterday it snowed about 12-14 inches. Overnight we got around another 2 inches of the fluffiest snow you’ve ever seen. All that new snow made me want to XC Ski somewhere so I headed out to one of my favorite spots, Bear Swamp at the south end of Skaneateles Lake.

Bear Swamp is a New York State Forest and has miles of trails, for skiing and snowmobiling. Most are segregated, so you don’t have to worry about getting plowed over by a snowmobiler, but today none of the machines were out, and it was a skiing paradise.

Since this was new snow, and since there hadn’t been many other skiers out there today, most of the trails were completely unbroken which made things a little more challenging. There was so much snow hanging from the trees and covering the trail markers, it made navigation a bit difficult. But it was beautiful nonetheless.

The weather guy says more snow for the next several days so it looks like more skiing is in my future… how about you?

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! My thoughts were focused on the son (David Seaman) of a friend of mine who is serving our country in Iraq. I could not help but to reflect on the significance of his sacrifice while I am my family were enjoying a bountiful feast in the comfort of our home. The reality of what David was experiencing was in such stark contrast to what I was experiencing. I pray for him daily. Our troops need our support.

This Thanksgiving was spent at my In-Laws. It’s sort of become tradition that I am the one responsible for cooking the turkey. This year I decided to try something completely radical and chose to deep-fry the turkey. This was not a decision that was made without a serious amount of consideration because if I were to fail at my task and deliver a less than perfect turkey to the table, I’d have 30 really hungry people to deal with. So yes, I was a bit nervous about this undertaking. I put in my due diligence and researched as best I could the process by which you deep-fry a turkey.

You’ve probably seen the contraptions that are sold just for this purpose. A large aluminum pot sits on top of a propane burner/stand. You put in the proper amount of vegetable oil, heat it to 375 degrees, gently lower the turkey into the oil then reduce the oil temperature to 325 and let it fry away for about an hour. Technically you let it cook for 3 minutes per pound up to 15 pounds, or 3.5 minutes per pound for a turkey over 15 pounds. Our turkey was 19.5 pounds and it took about 70 minutes to cook. Very little preparation was done except for rubbing the cavity and the outside of the turkey with a poultry seasoning. Other than that nothing else was done.

The end result was a complete success. It was one of the tastiest turkeys I’ve ever eaten. Everyone agreed that it was really moist and extremely flavorful. You might think that it would leave some kind of greasy taste in your mouth, but there was none of that whatsoever. I think I’ll have to do that again and can heartily suggest if you’re looking for a different way to cook your next turkey, give deep-frying a go. It’s well worth the effort.

Here’s most of the group that got to enjoy the feast…

It had to happen sooner or later I guess. Last night was it. Our first significant snow of the season. Not too much but enough to make everything quite wintry. And unfortunately, snowy enough for me to have to snow-blow the driveway. Ha! It’s supposed to be 50 degrees tomorrow though so maybe if I procrastinate long enough it’ll just melt away!

Am I just imagining it or did we get our first snow the third week of January last year? I’m hoping we get a great year of snow (please don’t curse and throw things at me) because I love to X-C ski and can’t wait to get out on the trails. Bear Swamp, here I come!

I’ve been loving my “new” bike and to prove that love, I’ve been taking advantage of the beautiful weather we’ve been having and riding as much as I can. Oh sure, it’s rained some here and there, but not today. Nope, today was incredible with blue skies, just a hint of wispy clouds and a gentle breeze with temps in the 60’s. Really about as perfect a day for biking as you could ask for. So when my Sister-in-law called this morning asking if I would like to join her and a few others for a ride, I jumped at the opportunity.

A small group of us hit the road around 1:00pm and took about a 30mile ride. We started in Marcellus and cruised around some beautiful and hilly countryside. The colors of the leaves were spectacular although it is now clear that the peak of Autumn is behind us. Lot’s of leaves are off the trees now but still, there is a lot of color left and it was great to be able to experience it today. The weather for this weekend is not looking too good at this point because rain is in the forecast. That makes me even happier that I got out there today. I’d love to have a year like 2006 where biking was possible even in late December…remember the 70 degree days in the third week of December last year? Realistically I think we’ll have a more “normal” winter this year and days like today are probably not going to be too plentiful moving forward.

Live, Love, Cycle!

A couple of weeks ago I was lamenting the fact that the leaves were kind of bland this year. The lack of rain had left most of the trees just kind of brown with not that much color. Well all that changed last week. I’m not sure if it was the rain we’ve gotten lately or maybe it just would have ended up this way given a little more time. Whatever the reason, the leaves “popped” last week and the colors have been stunningly beautiful.
What I really love to see in the Autumn is a dark, cloudy sky against a foreground of colorful leaves with a blast of sun hitting the trees. That’s exactly the setting that presented itself to me as I drove to the Fontainebleau Inn for the wedding reception of Kirt and Jennifer. It was just beautiful… until I got 4 miles away from the Fontainebleau at which point it began raining. I was so sad because I knew that it meant that the guests and wedding party would have to be rained on as they were making their way to the Chapel next door for the ceremony. However as the ceremony was taking place, an amazing transformation was occurring outside. The rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun began to shine and it was just spectacular. Even the crescent moon made an appearance. I mean, what can you say? It was just perfect for Kirt and Jennifer who deserved just this sort of day.

In my dealings with couples leading up to the wedding reception, I always solicit their input as to what specific music they would like to hear. I’m a huge music aficionado and have over 8,000 CD’s in my library. You read that correctly…over 8,000. It’s crazy I know. I just love music and it’s a real thrill to have a couple give me a list of music that has artists or song versions that I am not familiar with. Such was the case with Kirt and Jenn. The music they chose was great and I was introduced to a few new artists and songs that I had not heard before. One song in particular that I loved on their list was a cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by R.E.M. I cannot find this song anywhere and it was great to hear it on Kirt’s disc. Time to buy a few more CD’s to add to my collection…oh boy!

Word of Mouth was the caterer and as always, they did a fantastic job. The room looked beautiful and the food was delicious. Kate and Tina, you’re the best!

The Bride and Groom’s First Dance was - The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel , The Father/Daughter dance was sung live by a friend of the Bride’s, Stacie Snyder. Stacie had a voice that was incredible and it was a very special way to have the Father Daughter dance.

This day turned out to be such a great one. I’m really happy that I was able to be part of a families most special day. Thank you Kirt, Jennifer and to Jennifer’s Mother, Marion. Enjoy a few more of the photos that I took…and hey, check out the beautiful Bride standing in the doorway!

The Autumn of 2007 has been quite wonderful compared to some others. The weather has remained, up to this point, quite summer-like with warm temperatures and little rain (more about that in a minute). One thing I noticed though was the more muted colors of the leaves this year. I’ve heard that dry weather can cause this phenomenon as the leaves just sort of fall off the trees before really changing color much. As I was driving to the Ginny Lee Cafe at Wagner Vineyards for this wedding reception, I was looking forward to observing the Autumn colors, but there just wasn’t that much color to observe. What there was however, was one heck of a thunderstorm. It rained so hard during the drive, that I had to reduce my speed to about 15 miles per hour at one point. Fortunately the rain stopped before guests started to arrive which was a real blessing.

I was really looking forward to this wedding reception. One reason was the venue. The Ginny Lee Cafe is just a gorgeous setting to have a wedding reception. It’s part of Wagner Vineyard and is located on a hill up the East side of Seneca Lake. It’s surrounded by vineyards, has a commanding view of Seneca Lake and because of this, sunsets are an event to behold. They can steal the show, so to speak.

The guests had arrived and were enjoying appetizers. When the Bride and Groom, along with the Wedding Party, made their entry into the Cafe, the entire place erupted with cheers and clapping. It was awesome. Katie had the biggest smile on her face.

“Smile and the whole world smiles with you.”

Speaking of smiles, I don’t recall ever seeing a Bride with such an infectious and sincere smile. Katie was beaming every time I saw her. I took over 112 photos during the reception and every single photo that Katie appeared in, whether intentionally or not, displayed her beautiful smile.

Andy and Katie both were obviously so much in love with each other. It was plain to see by the way they look at each other. You just can’t help but to feel good when you’re around people like that. So maybe that’s what explains the vibe of the guests…

Katie and Andy had their first dance to a beautiful song by Chantal Kreviazuk, “Feels Like Home”. The Father Daugher dance was to a song by Jack Kapanka, “Angel in my Arms”. The Mother Groom dance was “A Song For My Son”. Here are photos of the Best Man’s Toast, and the Formal Dances.

I’ve had the honor and pleasure to DJ/MC at many hundreds of weddings since my beginnings in 1985. As a matter of fact, I’d wager that I’ve worked at nearly 1,000 wedding receptions during the last 22 years (has it really been that long?). Of all those weddings, inevitably there were some that rose above the rest in terms of energy level and the unmeasurable but tangible “vibe” of the guests. But the bar just got set a mighty bit higher with this wedding reception. I don’t know if it was the uncommon warmth of this early October day, or some sort of astrological juxtaposition of planets but whatever the reason, THiS PARTY ROCKED. It was a non-stop celebration that left everyone leaving with a smile on their face.

All my best to you, Katie and Andy. Thank you for letting me share in your special day.

I love to ride. I bought a Fuji Roubaix road bike in 2001 and log about 1200 miles a year on the thing. I should say “logged”, past tense, because three weeks ago I discovered a crack in one of the chain stay tubes, the one closest to the chainrings near the bottom bracket. This came as a complete shock to me and I immediately stopped riding the bike since to continue riding it would have been to court disaster.

As I began to mull over my options, it occurred to me that maybe the frame was still under warranty. I went to the Fuji website and was elated to discover that their frames have a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Don’t even get me started on legal mumbo jumbo that let’s something like a “limited” “lifetime” warranty even exist. But I was psyched. My elation soon turned to dismay when I discovered that -my- frame, in 2001, only had a 3-year warranty on the frame. Bummer.

Well, I’m a huge Fuji fan and just loved my Roubaix. It was in excellent condition, other than the cracked frame, and I decided that it could do no harm to call Fuji and speak to the warranty department and tell them my story of woe. I figured that since the bike had obviously not been abused and since the crack occurred right along the weld at the bottom bracket, perhaps they would view this as a manufacture defect even though it was technically out of warranty. The person I spoke to at Fuji told me that the bike dealer where I purchased the bike would have to call for an RMA and send the frame in so it could be evaluated. I called the dealer where I originally bought the bike, Swan Cycles, and spoke to Glenn Swan about my predicament. He called Fuji and after discussing the situation with them, Fuji decided that Glenn might only have to email them a photo of the crack rather than ship the entire frame back to them. Things were starting to look up.

So I don’t quite know what the result of all this will be yet, but in the meantime I had bought a new frame on eBay. I don’t know much about frames, especially road bike frames. I had been told that I should look at a Soma Smoothie or Surly Pacer frame. I wanted to get a steel frame as they typically are a bit more forgiving and consequently have a smoother ride than an Aluminum frame such as I had in the Roubaix. I visited eBay to see what was up for sale and stumbled upon a Jamis Eclipse frame up for auction. I swooped in at the last second and put in my bid for $325 and won! It was a frame value at about $950. What a sweet deal!

There was a problem when the frame was received. The all carbon fork that came with the frame was not the correct fork for the frame. So several frantic calls and emails between the seller (who was in Mexico on vacation), Jamis, and my bike mechanic ultimately resulted on a positive note. Jamis sold my dealer the appropriate fork (still carbon) and my dealer kept the old fork for his stock. The old fork was technically a better fork since it was 100% carbon whereas the replaced fork did not have a carbon steerer tube, but otherwise was carbon.

I had my mechanic move all the components from the Roubaix over to the new Jamis Eclipse frame. It’s an awesome fram, with carbon seat and chain stays, and the carbon fork. The bike is built and I picked it up last night from the shop. This morning I took it out on it’s inagural voyage and was just blown away by the difference in handling and the smoothness of ride. Like night and day. The weather today is fantastic, about as perfect a fall day as you could hope for and the ride was great.

By the way, I can’t say enough positive things about Swan Cycles. Glenn is a legend in cycling circles and he is one of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to discussing bikes. You can’t beat his prices either. If you’re in the market for a bike or just looking for a good mechanic to fix your bike, give Glenn a call: (607) 277-0495.

Here’s my new bike in all it’s glory.

Last weekend, Sept 28-30, was the weekend of the Grape Festival in Naples, NY. This is a really fun event to attend and it is well attended, believe me. Someone told me that the crowd on Saturday was estimated to be 80,000. That’s pretty remarkable especially when you consider that the New York State Fair, on a good day, will get about the same number of attendees.

My in-laws live nearby in Wayland, NY and so my wife and I hopped in the car to visit them and attend the Grape Festival. As those of you who saw me on Bridge Street a couple months ago know, my Mother-in-law makes an awesome Grape Pie. A Grape Pie is largely unheard of outside of grape growing regions such as the Finger Lakes, so for many people, it’s a very unique taste sensation. It was a lot of work but we finally convinced my Mother-in-law to enter one of her pies in the Grape Pie contest. Here is her entry form and pie.

Here are some photos of the whole clan and the judging of the pies.

I need to point out that the dog, Owen, had nothing to do with the judging or eating of the Grape Pie. He was there for entertainment purposes only. Owen is what is called a “designer dog.” I believe a cross between a poodle and a schnauzer. Maybe a “schnoodle”? Are you chuckling right now? Weren’t mixed breeds called “mutts” or something before this “designer dog” business started? Whatever… Owen is one of the cutest dogs around no matter what he is. We love Owen! How can you not just adore this cute face?

An exciting thing that happened while the family was at the festival. A television crew from a Rochester New York Public television station was there. They followed my Mother-in-law through the process of entering her pie, to her reactions throughout the judging process. It was really fun and will be part of special series to be aired on public television in the Early Spring of 2008.

There are a lot of other things going on at the Grape Festival… a great variety of arts and crafts, grape stomping, food vendors, live music at a number of stages throughout Naples and lots and lots of fun. The weather this year could not have been better.

Oh and by the way, the judging did not go as well as we had hoped… my Mother-in-laws pie did not win the contest. Obviously the judges were off their game and being distracted by the crowd because there was absolutely no question whatsoever, as far as the family was concerned, that my Mother-in-laws pie was absolutely the best pie in the competition. Seriously. I would not lie or exaggerate about something as serious as a grape pie. She does make the best grape pie I have ever tasted. I hope she makes me another pie soon. Please mother-in-law, please make me another grape pie? MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm.