We don't spend all our time on the Internet. Hey, we watch TV!! And we really enjoyed an episode of "Nash Bridges". Cheech Marin & Don Johnson had Philip Michael Thomas (who Don Johnson co-starred with on "Miami Vice") and Tommy Chong (who was part of the legendary Cheech & Chong comedy team)as guests on the show. Cheech & Chong, though playing different roles, were going after each other like the old days. Word is now that Cheech & Chong will be putting out a new movie in 2004 or 2005. Cheech & Chong back together man? Far out man!"
WOW THAT WAS FUN! This year's trip to Holland was one of our best trips ever and we've been there a lot! We want to thank Klaas, Tiny, Albert, Uncle Cees, Aunt Ria, Cees, Linda, Aunt Sara, Sonja, Jojan, Jose and Nicky the Cat for all their hospitality! We never lacked for coffee, cookies or cake and really isn't that all we want in life. Though I am annoyed that these Dutch people have such long memories! Whaddya mean I'm not a friendly dog? Just because I growled at some of you the whole time you visited us in New York. Hey, you did look at me in a funny and threatening way when we first met!
And in response to many e-mails, no, I am not Jack, the Cairn Terrier from David Spade's movie "Lost & Found." But you gotta admit, the resemblance is striking!

You are now well-informed. Enjoy the rest of this site!

BARRY'S STORY

"The odds of me getting married are about the same as The Beach Boys having another #1 single" - Barry, May 5, 1975.

I used to say that I was born in a log cabin in Oklahoma City. Upon seeing me, my grandmother said, “oh isn’t he cute” and since then I have been satisfying all the tough critics of the day. Of course that was not true except the Oklahoma City part. Somehow I was born there, lived there the first year of my life but since then have been in New York City.

I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. I loved pop/rock music, politics, pop culture and tried to laugh at things. I can read things I wrote in 1968 in my junior high school yearbook and would pretty much say the same thing today. Whether I should be proud of that or not is another story. And my favorites back then I am still proud of. I was a big Beach Boys’ fan going back to their mid 1960s heyday, saw every Woody Allen movie, and while normal 13 year old boys were reading Playboy, I was playing for my friends The Smothers Brothers’ album, “Mom Always Liked You Best.” The New York Yankees were my team. Everything else I have forgotten. My life was dull, boring, I never traveled, had no high school sweetheart, nothing happened. Fortunately things changed. If they didn’t, this would be the most boring home page in history.

Today with the Internet, there are thousands of groups with members of similar interest. In 1981 this was not quite as common. Still, at the time, there was a network of Beach Boys fans. At that time the original group was still together, recording and touring but well past its commercial peak so that their true fans felt a special bond. One organization called BBFUN, published a quarterly newsletter, I put my name on a pen pal listing. I always enjoyed getting (non e-)mail. Deep down I was hoping that some beautiful woman from New York City would write to me, we would fall in love, get married and live happily every after.

Instead a young woman, named Carla, from a town called Den Helder in Holland wrote to me on December 4, 1981. It was a sweet, simple letter, a page and a half long. She seemed nice, intelligent and had a dog named Snuffel. How could anyone with a dog named Snuffel not be a friendly person? So I wrote back to Carla to tell her about myself. By early 1982, I realized we had a lot in common and a great chemistry between us. But the idea of a relationship seemed so far-fetched, that I never really considered it. We kept sending letters. It took about 3 weeks between each correspondence. No e-mails back in the pre-historic 1980s! By June, 1982 I started sending Carla cassette tapes, in addition to my letters. I played songs and made lots of jokes (at least the jokes were funny to me at that time). On our birthdays we would call each other up. I took it as a positive sign that Carla had given me her correct telephone number, as opposed to other women I had met at the time.

In 1986, Carla came with her girlfriend Ellen on a six week North American vacation. They would begin and end their vacation in New York City. I did not specifically think this was my big chance with her and it was not love at first sight. But when I took them back to the airport on August 12th, I suddenly realized how much I was in love with Carla and that she was the one for me! It would be another ten months until I flew to Holland and met Carla’s family and friends. Carla would come back to stay with me for seven weeks in New York that year. We got engaged in late 1987. Thankfully, the immigration process went according to plan. Carla moved to New York and on August 25, 1988 we got married!! What seemed impossible had now happened-I was married to a wonderful woman! Maybe more incredible, my 1975 quote turned out to be true-2 months later The Beach Boys had the #1 single in America with “Kokomo!” We had our honeymoon in Las Vegas, saw The Smothers Brothers during the trip (I haven’t changed much) and began to live our lives together. But we realized something was missing.

Remember Snuffel? She was put to sleep in 1988 at age 13. Carla wanted another dog. At first I was hesitant. I had never had a dog and had been scared of them , just as I had never had traveled until I was older. Soon I warmed to the idea. But our landlord refused to let us have a dog. Most apartments in New York City do not allow pets. Finally, in 1994 we found an apartment that did. So on November 19th of that year, we got Duffy, a female Cairn Terrier puppy born on August 25th, our wedding anniversary! For the first five days, Duffy showed me what life would be like if she just bit my hands all day. It was NOT fun. But then we bonded together on Thanksgiving weekend. Duffy means the world to me and she is our baby! I wouldn’t give her up any more that I would give Carla up. She makes us laugh all the time. The three of us were meant for each other.

In December 1995, we went online for the first time and loved the freedom, information and fun of the Internet. In January 1997, we started this Home Page at Geocities. We were pioneers in this brand new online format. Only about 12 million people were here before us. At first we, (uh, I mean Duffy) were always updating the news reports and adding new links. Things are a bit quieter now. Duffy is in semi-retirement as a news reporter (though with The Spice Girls reunited, Duffy wants to get back to work!) and fortunately, 10 years later, the three of us are still together and in good health so our stories have not changed much. But we have kept this home page up. We still stop by, add links, favorites, concerts we have seen and cities we have visited. And the pictures here are new. So stop by any time you want to and visit us. We plan to be here for a long time to come.

BARRY'S FAVORITES

ALF, Alice Cooper, American Idol, Annie, Avengers, Barry Manilow, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Cheech & Chong, Chris Rock, CNN’S Capital Gang, Coupling (BBC), Dallas, David Peel, Derek Jeter, Desperate Housewives, The Dolly Dots, The Doobie Brothers, Doonesbury, Drudge Report, Ed, Emma Bunton, Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons, Frasier, Garry Shandling, Geri Halliwell, Gilbert Gottfried, Guess Who, Holland, The Honeys, Huffington Post, Hubert Humphrey, Jackson 5, Jan & Dean, Las Vegas, Lloyd Lindsey Young, Lynn Samuels, Martin Mull, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Meat Loaf, Michael Moore, Milton Berle, Mo Rocca, The Monkees, The New York Yankees, Robert Novak, The Office (US), Pat Paulsen, Paul McCartney, Rascals, The Rolling Stones, The Rutles, Sam Kinison, Scarborough Country, Shania Twain, The Smothers Brothers, Sonny & Cher, Spice Girls, Spiceworld-The Movie!, Super Dave Osborne, Taylor Hicks, The Temptations, Tom Bodett & The End of the Road Radio Show, The Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie, Uncle Floyd, The Village People, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Woody Allen

BARRY'S FAVORITE MOVIES

A Few Good Men, A Mighty Wind, Almost Famous, American Beauty, American Graffiti, American Pie, Analyze This, Anger Management, Annie Hall, Austin Powers, Bananas, Beavis & Butt-Head Do America,Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Blast From The Past, Born in East L.A., Bowfinger, Bowling for Columbine, Bridget Jones's Diaries, Bring It On, Catch Me If You Can, Clueless, Disclosure, Dreamgirls, EdTV, Election, Everyone Says I Love You, Farenheit 9/11, Field of Dreams, Forrest Gump, Frost/Nixon, Ghostbusters, Good Night And Good Luck, Groundhog Day, Hannah & Her Sisters, Hollywood Ending, Home Alone, Kate & Leopold, Kramer vs. Kramer, Lethal Weapon, Love & Death, Love Actually, Man on the Moon, Meet The Parents, Mr. Deeds, My Best Friend's Wedding, Ocean's Eleven, Private Parts, Radio Days, Rocky, Roger & Me, Sliding Doors, Spice World, Splash, Superman, Take The Money & Run, That Thing You Do, The Five Heartbeats, The Front, The Kids Are Alright, The Naked Gun, The Pink Panther, The Wedding Singer, To Sir With Love, UHF , Uncle Buck, Wayne's World While You Were Sleeping, Zelig

CARLA'S STORY

"When I grow up, I am going to have a dog and I'm going to America!" - Carla, age 6, Den Helder, The Netherlands.

After all these words from Barry, finally it's my turn.

I was born in the early 60's in Den Helder, a town in the northwest of Holland (about one hour north of Amsterdam). It was fun growing up in a peaceful small town near the North Sea and the beach only 15 minutes away. Lots of fresh air and always windy.

Even when I was young I loved animals (especially dogs) and music. When I was six years old, my favorite group was The Monkees. Being born in the sixties, I was just a little bit too young to fully realize what was going on in the world of pop music. But at home we always had the radio on and that's how I got to like what we call now "Classic Rock". I just love to listen to all these "golden oldies". However, don't think that I only listen to old stuff. One of my favorite kinds of music nowadays is progressive rock (prog rock), or symphonic rock, as it is called in Europe. I especially like groups like Pendragon, Marillion, Saga, Camel, Yes, etc. It seems that a lot of people have never heard of these groups so therefore I'll put in a link on this page to my favorite prog rock site soon.

Besides music, I have some other interests too. In Holland there are three things that almost every child learns early in life, namely: swimming, ice-skating and cycling. Maybe it's because the country is situated below sea-level and there is so much water around that it's only common sense to learn these things. Furthermore, I like soccer, Holland's national sport. My favorite team is Feijenoord from Rotterdam. Also, I used to play softball myself. My team was called the "DEN HELDER VIKINGS". Nowadays I'm mainly a spectator and after Barry I'm one of the Yankees' biggest fans!

In the mid-'70's, all of a sudden I "totally got into the music of The Beach Boys". I remembered their old songs and I also liked their new ones so a few years later I became a member of the "Beach Boys Freaks United", which is their official fanclub. They had a pen pal listing. As it happens, I like to write and I decided it was a good idea to improve on my English and get myself a pen pal. One of the people listed was Barry and I said to myself: "Let's write"! And the rest is history. (See also Barry's story).

In 1986, a dream of mine came true . . . . . I was going on vacation to the United States! My friend Ellen and I went on a six-week trip of the east coast of the U.S. and a very small part of Canada. We had such a great time and we saw lots of great places. It was an unforgettable experience. The best thing was of course that after several years of writing, I finally got to meet Barry. And it's kind of hard to believe but true; we fell in love. What were the odds of something like that happening? I didn't like going back to Holland at that time, but I wanted to finish college first before taking one of the biggest steps in my life.

Well, this is becoming a rather long story so I'll start to wrap it up. Duffy is getting impatient. Anyway, in many ways 1988 was a very emotional year for me. A lot of things happened. First of all, I had to put my dog Snuffel to sleep. It was one of the saddest things I've ever had to do. Snuffel was an Otterhound/ Terrier mix that I had gotten from the animal shelter when she was 10 weeks old. She lived to be 13 years and sometimes I think Duffy is her reincarnation. They're both so mischievous! Second, I graduated college with a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. Then on August of 1988, I moved to New York. And on August 25th, Barry and I were married!

I must say that living here has been an adventure with its many ups and downs. But overall I'm very happy. I'm working at a large brokerage firm in Manhattan as a Computer Operator (official title: Marine Documentation Specialist). Hey wait! You thought I was a nurse! Well, that's what I thought too but to explain my unexpected career change is another (long) story which I won't get into. So for now, enjoy the rest of this homepage and all the links we put in. :-)

HEY, CHECK IT OUT !

I now have my own home page ! CLICK HERE and you'll get the latest about me. Also, I put in my favorite links. So go see my page now !

Carla, Barry & Duffy's Tribute to Carl Wilson

We certainly don't want to compare it to the death of a personal family member or friend. Yet, we were saddened to hear of the death of Carl Wilson on February 6, 1998 of cancer at age 51. For those of you who were not fortunate enough to have been a fan of his, Carl Wilson was a founding member of The Beach Boys in 1961. He was their lead guitarist and also the featured vocalist on such Beach Boys classics as "God Only Knows," "Darlin'," "I Can Hear Music," "Good Vibrations," and "Kokomo." BB fans know him for other gems such as "All This Is That," "Heaven," "Long Promised Road," "Feel Flows," and many more. His voice was often described as "angelic" and everything we have heard about him is that he was as good a friend, father, husband and person as he was a talented performer. His dedication to The Beach Boys and his fans was in evidence in 1997 as he toured the USA one last time despite his deteriorating physical condition. We will miss Carl very much but feel fortunate that he were able to enjoy his talents for most of our lives.

HAVE WE VISITED YOUR HOME TOWN?

HAVE WE SEEN YOU IN CONCERT?

Alice Cooper, Annie, Arlo Guthrie, Barry Manilow, Beach Boys, Blue Man Group, Boogie Knights, Brian Wilson, Camel, Cher, Cheech & Chong, Chi-Lites, Chris Rock, Cyndi Lauper, David Cassidy, David Peel, Dionne Warwick & Burt Bacharach, Doobie Brothers, Dream Theater, Folksmen, 4 Tops, Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons, Genesis, George Burns, George Carlin, George Wallace, Gilbert Gottfried, Gladys Knight, Gloria Estefan, Go-Gos, Grass Roots, Jackson 5, Janet Jackson, Jay Leno, Jimmie "J.J." Walker, Joan Jett, Jonathan Schwartz, KC & the Sunshine Band, Marillion, Meat Loaf, Milton Berle, Mitch & Mickey, Moody Blues, Monkees, New Main Street Singers, O'Jays, Paul McCartney, Paul Rodriguez, Pendragon, Peter Noone, Petula Clark, Phil Collins, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Rodney Dangerfield, Rolling Stones, Ron Lucas, Rutlemania, Saga, Sam Kinison, Sheena Easton, Siegfried & Roy, Smothers Brothers, Spice Girls, Stylistics, Suzyn Waldman, Taylor Hicks, Temptations, Terry Cashman, Three Dog Night, Turtles, Uncle Floyd, Unknown Comic, Van Halen, Village People, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Who and Yes

TWO SPECIAL NIGHTS AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

THE BEACH BOYS ON NOVEMBER 26, 1993

California Girls, I Can Hear Music, Come Go With Me, Rock And Roll Music, Do You Wanna Dance, In My Room, Do It Again, Catch A Wave, Hawaii, Darlin', Be True To Your School, Under The Boardwalk, Little Deuce Coupe, 409, Shut Down, I Get Around, California Dreamin', Summer In Paradise, Heroes And Villains, Vegetables, Mama Says, Take A Load Off Your Feet, Little Saint Nick, Surfer Girl, Hushabye, Add Some Music To Your Day, Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring, All This Is That, Wonderful, Disney Girls, Caroline No, You Still Believe In Me, God Only Knows, Sloop John B, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, Kokomo, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Fun Fun Fun, Wipe Out, Surfin' Sufari, Surf City, Surfin' USA

THE SPICE GIRLS ON JULY 1, 1998

If U Can't Dance, Who Do You Think You Are, Do It, Denying, Too Much, Stop, Where Did Our Love Go, Move Over, The Lady Is A Vamp, Say You'll Be There, Naked, 2 Become 1, Walk Of Life, Sisters Are Doin' It, Wannabe, Spice Up Your Life, Mama, Viva Forever, Never Give Up On The Good Times, We Are Family

THE BEST SEATS WE EVER HAD AT THE CONCERT WE WANTED IT MOST FOR!

THE SPICE GIRLS ON FEBRUARY 10, 2008 AT THE PRUDENTIAL CENTER

Spice Up Your Life, Stop, Say You'll Be There, Headlines, Lady Is A Vamp , Too Much ,2 Become 1, Who Do You Think You Are, Are You Gonna Go My Way (Mel B), Maybe (Emma), Viva Forever, Holler , It's Raining Men (Geri), I Turn To You (Melanie C), Let Love Lead The Way, Mama, Celebration/Shake Your Body Down To The Ground/That’s The Way I Like It/We Are Family, Goodbye, If U Can't, Dance, Wannabe, Spice Up Your Life (Reprise)

A CONCERT 37 YEARS IN THE MAKING AT CARNEGIE HALL!

BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS SMILE ON OCTOBER 12, 2004

And Your Dreams Come True, Surfer Girl, Hawaii, Wendy, Add Some Music to Your Day, Good to My Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Drive-In, You're Welcome, Sloop John B, Dance Dance Dance, Desert Drive, California Girls, Your Imagination, Gettin' In Over My Head, God Only Knows, Good Timin', Forever, Soul Searchin', Sail On Sailor, Marcella, Smile, Do It Again, I Get Around, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Surfin' USA, Fun Fun Fun, Love & Mercy

WE'RE TOGETHER AGAIN AT THE BEACON THEATRE!

BRIAN WILSON & AL JARDINE PRESENT PET SOUNDS ON NOVEMBER 21,2006

Surfer Girl, Hawaii, Add Some Music, Row, Row Row Your Boat, Please Let Me Wonder, Drive-In, Then I Kissed Her, Breakaway, Dance Dance Dance, The Little Girl I Once Knew, Do It Again, In My Room, California, Do You Wanna Dance, When I Grow Up, I Get Around, California Girls, Sail On Sailor, Marcella, Good Vibrations, Pet Sounds, Johnny B. Goode, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Surfin' U.S.A., Fun Fun Fun, Love & Mercy

STILL CRUSIN' AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS!

THE BEACH BOYS AT B.B. KING BLUES CLUB ON DECEMBER 29, 2000

California Girls, Do It Again, Catch A Wave, Little Honda, Hawaii, Surfer Girl, Don't Worry Baby, Darlin', I Can Hear Music, Duke of Earl, Come Go With Me, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Do You Wanna Dance, Little Deuce Coupe, 409, The Little Old Lady from Pasadena, Shut Down, I Get Around, In My Room, California Dreamin' God Only Knows, Sloop John B, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, Kokomo, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Surfin' Safari, Surfin' USA, Little Saint Nick, Fun Fun Fun

MAYBE THE BEST CONCERT EVER!

THE ROLLING STONES AT SHEA STADIUM ON OCTOBER 28, 1989

Start Me Up, Bitch, Sad Sad Sad, Undercover of the Night, One Hit to the Body, Tumbling Dice, Miss You, Ruby Tuesday, Rock And A Hard Place, Mixed Emotions, Honey Tonk Women, Midnight Rambler, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Little Red Rooster, Can't Be Seen, Happy, Paint It Black, 2000 Light Years From Home, Sympathy For the Devil, Gimme Shelter, It's Only Rock &Roll, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, Jumpin' Jack Flash

BASEBALL'S GREATEST TEAMS

THE START OF THE DYNASTY-THE 1996 WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK YANKEES!

Andy Fox, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Brian Boehringer, Cecil Fielder, Charlie Hayes, Darryl Strawberry, David Cone, David Weathers, Derek Jeter, Dwight Gooden, George Steinbrenner, Graeme Lloyd, Jeff Nelson, Jim Leyritz, Jimmy Key, Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, John Sterling, John Wetteland, Kenny Rogers, Luis Sojo, Mariano Duncan, Mariano Rivera, Michael Kay, Mike Aldrete, Paul O, Neill, Tino Martinez, Tim Raines,Wade Boggs

THE GREATEST TEAM EVER-THE 1998 WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK YANKEES!

Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Chad Curtis, Chili Davis, Chuck Knoblauch, Darren Holmes, Darryl Strawberry, David Cone, David Wells, Derek Jeter, George Steinbrenner, Graeme Lloyd, Hideki Irabu, Homer Bush, Jeff Nelson, Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, John Sterling, Jorge Posada, Luis Sojo, Mariano Rivera, Michael Kay, Mike Stanton, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, Paul O' Neill, Ramiro Mendoza, Ricky Ledee, Scott Brosius, Shane Spencer, Tim Raines, Tino Martinez

AND THE 1999 WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK YANKEES!

Andy Pettitte, Allen Watson, Bernie Williams, Chad Curtis, Chili Davis, Chuck Knoblauch, Clay Bellinger, Dan Naulty, Darryl Strawberry, David Cone, Derek Jeter, Don Zimmer, George Steinbrenner, Hideki Irabu, Jason Grimsley, Jeff Nelson, Jim Leyritz, Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, John Sterling, Jorge Posada, Luis Sojo, Mariano Rivera, Michael Kay, Mike Stanton, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, Paul O' Neill, Ramiro Mendoza, Ricky Ledee, Roger Clemens, Scott Brosius, Shane Spencer, Tino Martinez

THREEPEAT! THE 2000 WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK YANKEES!

Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Chris Turner, Chuck Knoblauch, Clay Bellinger, David Cone, David Justice, Denny Neagle, Derek Jeter, Don Zimmer, Dwight Gooden, George Steinbrenner, Glenallen Hill, Jason Grimsley, Jeff Nelson, Joe Torre, John Sterling, Jorge Posada, Jose Canseco, Jose Vizcaino, Luis Polonia, Luis Sojo, Mariano Rivera, Michael Kay, Mike Stanton, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, Paul O' Neill, Ramiro Mendoza, Randy Choate, Roger Clemens, Scott Brosius, Shane Spencer, Tino Martinez

Memory Lane

Links to other sites on the Web

Netherlands Board of Tourism
Den Helder Home Page
Dutch Progressive Rock Site
De Telegraaf-Leading Dutch Newspaper
The Terrier Club!

We Hope You Have Enjoyed The Show, Carla, Barry & Duffy in July, 1997

Graphics courtesy of:

Last updated on January 31, 2009

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