My best friend & his family

My best friend is Nati, aka Nate. I have known Nati and his family for about five years and as far as I am concerned they are now close family. Nati, Masha, "Babooshka" (grandmother), Rayisa, and Borys are the BEST! So are all their friends.

They love coming up to our family cottage in Gravenhurst, Ont. They are the most wonderful people you could ever meet. Nati and family hail from Kharkov, Kharkiv Oblast Ukraine. Almost all of them are now Canadian citizens, and Canada is now a better place because of them.

"Dutch Dreams" - Toronto's BEST ice cream parlour

Got a hankering for Ice Cream? Well, look no further. Dutch Dreams is THE place to go. Located on Vaughan Rd near St. Clair and Bathurst, I think it is the bestof the best. The waffle cones are handmade and if you are lucky, you might visit when they are making them. The smell wafts down the street inviting all to enter. Mmmmmm... just look at an example of one of their regular size cones. Awesome eh?

Here is my friend Rafa digging into his cone.

They are open from 3pm-11pm Tues-Sun (closed Mondays). In the summer expect a lineup, but it is part of the anticipation. As you can see, the place is very narrow and packed with Dutch memorabilia. There is seating at the back.

Tammy Faye Bakker dead at 62

Tammy Faye died Friday July 20, 2007. She was 62.
Her final interview was done less than 24 hours before her death from colon cancer.
Often imitated and made fun of, she will be remembered for her spirit and eternal optimism.



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First there was Fanny ~ Then came Barbra

Fanny Brice was the inspiration for "Funny Girl". Here she is in a thick Yiddish accent...



Now compare her to Barbra Streisand playing Fanny Brice... Hard to believe it was her very first movie! Reminds me... Down the road I should buy the DVD on Blu-Ray. ;) Oy! How gay can you get? lol



Click here for a bonus video. Barbra Streisand Sings Hatikvah and Talks to Golda Meir

Shalom

Jim Bailey as Phyllis Diller

His impression of Phyllis is uncanny. Dead-on is more like it. Here is a pic of Jim as Jim and Phyllis as Phyllis (backstage).

Audio is a bit low.




Click here to see more of Jim's work

Remember When?: Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Diller (now 90 and still a hoot). My favourite comedienne of all time. Here are a couple of her routines.

To this day I still roar when I hear the two original records I have of hers. Phyllis was best with her own writing. It seems that no one was better at coming up with those lines than the master herself. I went with my family to see her at the Imperial Room in the Royal York Hotel, here in Toronto. She was incredible! I almost got to meet her backstage, but due to a mix-up, I missed out. But I did get a call from the Maitre-d the next day. He said Miss Diller had waited for me backstage, but carelessly nobody told me that! Grrrr.

Click here for video

Click here for an audio bio with many excerpts from Phyllis' first two albums, "Are you Ready?" and "Phyllis Diller Laughs". 29 min - I have these, but they are very scratched due to many years of use. Guaranteed to make you laugh!

Enjoy...

Remember When?: Totie Fields

Here is Totie, at her peak on the Ed Sullivan Show. She was the first woman comedienne I ever saw. Soon after her came Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller. Unfortunately Totie died very young, so we never got to see how brilliant her career would have been.