DRAT! The ugly face of commercialization has even reached my site. I recently ordered a big stack of business cards, cheerily directing people to this relatively obscure corner of cyberspace. Note the graphic of the mighty GG-1 (the greatest locomotive ever made) now gracing the top of this page and my cards. If you ever feel the pressing need to harass me please call 484-368-9745.
or email me at
2020 UPDATE: I have a new website of dubious value:
feel free to email me at robert@middlepawproductions.com
First off, lets get ONE thing straight. We Morbecks are proud "Keystoners"
who have the privilege of living in the great state of Pennsyltoonya
("Pennsylvania" to you heathen)
You have been listening to (or have just muted) Frog Hollow's stirring tribute to our own beloved Keystone State.
Click HERE to listen to the entire track, used without permission from Gene Shay's "Folk Show" on WXPN
Welcome
to............
(snazzy animated "gif" courtesy Preston Tyrell)
Currently........
MORBECK-O-RAMA!
a.k.a. www.morbeckorama.net
Twenty Five Years of "3 guy" cards ends with a retrospective:
2022
And now back to our regularly scheduled program: Meet the Men (2024)
Benjamin (26), Bradford (28), Gabriel (26)
2021
2020
2019
2016 2015
2014 2013
2012 2011
2010 2009
2008 2007
2006 2005
2004 2003
2002 2001
2000 1999
1998 1997
Holiday Picture Notes:
2023:We had all three home for Thanksgiving (Bradford from Berlin, Germany, Gabriel from Atlanta, GA, Benjamin from Mountain View, CA. Took an excellent "three guy" picture at the Erie Railroad Cut a.k.a "The Bergen Arches in Jersey City, NJ. But it only made the BACK of the card. Meanwhile, 28 President Avenue in all its bee lit glory!
2022: Tough to produce a "three guy" picture when all three are never on the same continent. Besides, 25 years was enough. Instead we did a retrospective (along with pictures of elder Morbeck's fabulous trip to Germany and Poland in April). The verdict on this card, courtesy of our Berlin Correspondent: "MUCH TOO BUSY, DAD!"
2017:
Our
Rutledge Family of Five finds itself in the charming village of Franklin, NC to
witness the Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017! The morning of August 21st
has us returning to Western North Carolina’s Nantahala Outdoor Center to
repeat our Nantahala River rafting excursion of 2007; the afternoon takes us
(not by accident) smack beneath the Predicted Path of Totality. We all
agree…IT IS PHENOMENAL! The next day we read in our Comfort Inn’s
copy of US Today that not everyone on the path is so lucky: One of my fellow
Garden Staters who was “clouded out” in
nearby South Carolina told McPaper: "We want to punch the clouds right
in the face," Mix in a return to Great Smokies
National Park and the first time in months we’ve all been together and
you’ve gathered all the fixins’ for a
fantastic time!
2016: First Festive
Holiday Picture which I didn’t click the shutter release! The younger
Morbeck Men took a fabulous automobile trip Out West last summer and ended up
meeting Denver bound air travelers Rob and Sally up in Yellowstone. Here they are at Harney Peak, the
highest point both in South Dakota AND east of the Rockies. They got in
“just under the wire” as far as the name; on August 11, 2016 the peak
was renamed for Black Elk, a Lakota Sioux Medicine Man. The Lakota have been
petitioning the Federal Government for years to change the name, as Harney was
a military general who massacred warriors, women, and children in what we white
folk refer to as the Battle of Blue Creek.
2015: I turned the ripe old age of 60 on May 16th and Sally conscripted my all three of my sons to spend the day in celebration with me. We make what has now turned out to be our annual pilgrimage to the "Day in Old New Castle" event down in Delaware, followed by watching the Philadelphia Phillies tussle with the Arizona Diamondbacks up in South Philadelphia. We sat through an hour and half rain delay between the third and fourth innings but in the end our heroes prevailed 7-5.
2014: Our Christmas card recipients who might not be "scoring at home" could conceivably be rather confused by our holiday card offering this year. While it's true that oldest son Brad is indeed a Graduate, a photo of this sort might imply that he has recently matriculated from Haverford College, rather than from Strath Haven High School. After a ceremony held at Villanova University, we stopped by Haverford College for a photo opportunity as we knew that this fall Brad was soon to be enrolled as a freshman.
2013: For years it's been Sally's dream to vacation in New York State's Finger Lakes Region. While she shops for glass curios in downtown Corning our lads embark on a canoe trip down the adjacent Chemung River. Note our handsome new vacation hats, purchased at the local Rite Aid shortly after we arrived. Only seconds after this picture was snapped we accidentally left two of our beloved canoe paddles on the beach, never to be seen again.......
2012: Another year, another GREAT National Park. We journey to Key West, Florida, visiting the wonderful Dry Tortugas National Park a 70 mile boat ride to the west. Here we are at historic Fort Jefferson, a large masonry monstrosity built in the late 19th century "waiting for the invasion that never happened."
2011: We are MEAN parents! Our poor lads have never been to Disney Land, Disney World, Disney Galaxy, or Disney Universe! We like NATIONAL parks, not Theme Parks. Here's everyone about to witness a cloudy sunset up on Cadillac Mountain in the stunningly beautiful Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine.
2010: Fifty two years of attending professional baseball games (I went to my first ML game at the age of 3, Yanks vs. White Sox) without seeing a no-hitter live and my boys get to see one before they're even shaving. All three lads (and Sally) witness Roy Halliday's first round playoff gem vs. the Reds, the first post season no hitter since Don Larsen's Perfecto for the Yankees in 1956 (I wasn't present for THAT one, either!).
2009: A fabulous trip to the West Coast in August includes a day heading south along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Somewhere near Big Sur we snap this year's holiday picture, Brad wearing a handsome $5 Oakland A's tee shirt we snagged on the ramp to the BART train outside the Oakland Alameda Coliseum the night before.
2008: We take a whirlwind trip to NYC in March and find ourselves in Times Square at 11 o'clock at night. A large EMPTY white billboard tweaks my interest and synergy is reached this fall when our beloved Philadelphia Phillies storm their way to World Series victory. True baseball purists will notice that Ben is actually wearing a Swarthmore Recreation Association Phillies cap.
2007: The (digitally altered) sign is a leftover from Sally's ill-fated run for Borough Council. We drive all around creation (mostly just over to the "Ambulance" Park) and when all is said and done we end up in our own back yard (actually Margaret's) somewhere round about the proverbial "golden time"...
2006: Love Park, Philadelphia. It's the second year in a row I've taken care of this wintry errand while it's still warm out! Halleluiah!
2005: We take a fabulous vacation in the summer of 2005 to Arizona. On our way back to Tucson after watching the D-Backs beat the Rockies we pass through the small metropolis of Florence, home of the State Correctional Facility. If you see this motley crew on the shoulder, DON'T even THINK of picking them up! They're a trio of BAD HOMBRES!
2004: Our backyard. Some members of my family (notably my sister Karen) believe my boys will become emotionally scarred by being posed in such a macho-less manner
2003: Mercer Museum, Doylestown. (We've all been nuts about the Cosmos since we joined the Franklin Institute in 2002)
2002: Our backyard (actually the Drakes next door). Lightning strikes TWICE! Morbeck Christmas Pictures which are NOT composites! That's right, three live boys standing (or sitting) next to each other, all smiling at the SAME time. It might not seem that amazing to you but you didn't spend two years burning countless rolls of film trying to accomplish this small achievement. Brad looks like he just came off an ice hockey rink.
2001: Tyler Arboretum: All three boys, no scissors involved!
2000: This was our last Christmas Card from that tired old Millennium we mankind folks just completed. Living so near sea level as we do our hearts yearn for a piece of large scale topography to call our own. If it was up to me I would conduct my life in goofy fonts I've found on the Web but luckily Sally limits their day to day usage.
1999: This was our Christmas card in 1999. After investigating various software solutions to produce this composite photo, I finally settled on a plan involving real scissors and real glue rather than any of that fancy digital "cut and paste" stuff. The only problem is that Gabe's head looks to be about the size of a bowling ball (Incidentally, our family IS known for our large round heads.)
1998: Tribute to the ball playing denizens of the Bronx. I had to meticulously trace the graphic of the old facade.....
1997: Our boys posed as the entire outfield of the 2025 A.D. Chicago Cubs in
1997. The Alou brothers (Felipe, Matty, and Jesus)
populated an all brother outfield for the Giants sometime in the '60's.Check
out the 2007 Michael Avenue ivy masquerading as Wrigley Field. Interesting
Tidbit: Previous to the Arizona Diamondback's thrilling win in 2001
nobody EXCEPT the New York Yankees had won the World Series in B&G's
existence.
STOP THE (VIRTUAL) PRESSES!
THE GREATEST FILM IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN CINEMA
HAS BEEN
FOUND AND RESTORED!
SAM PRODUCTIONS INVITES YOU TO VIEW THE 1971 EPIC
THE REVENGE OF
THE MAFIA (1971)
or
We reside in the charming Borough of Rutledge, Pennsylvania!
A complete Historically inaccurate sign cast in iron! Now this is my kind of Town! Apparently our town was really named after a pulp fiction novel popular in the late 19th century. Find out more at the Borough of Rutledge official website located at http://www.rutledgepa.org/
Last year I did a "Yellow Pages" proximity search on the web and
found that there are no fewer than EIGHT Presbyterian churches CLOSER to our
house than one we belong to, the Wallingford
Presbyterian Church
Other places to visit on a higher Spiritual Plane:
Olivet-Covenant Presbyterian Church
Dr. Bob's Home (Akron, Ohio)
OUR EMAIL
ADDRESSES:
Sally(alternate): SallyMorbeck(at)gmail.com
MorbeckRob(at)gmail.com
Ben & Gabe: Squeakboys(at)aol.com
NOW BenMo28(at)gmail.com and GSMorbeck28(at)gmail.com
Brad: Noodleboy7(at)aol.com NOW MorbeckBrad(at)gmail.com
and the rest (borrowing a phrase from the "Gilligan's Island" theme,
before they changed it to "the Professor and Mary Ann": SallyMorbeck@gmail.com or MorbeckRob(at)gmail.com
AND A SLEW OF OTHERS, many of which lead to MorbeckRob(at)aol.com
I'm the only one who ever checks my mail, out of 5 people and 3 cats. Draw your
own conclusions as to where to send stuff.
7/7/07: CRAZY ABOUT YOUTUBE! visit our YouTube page at
including 2013 updates!
CHECK
OUT THESE SHMS GEOGRAPHY BEE
YOUTUBE VIDEOS!
2012 (Ben & Gabe)
2011 (Ben)
2010 (Ben, Gabe & Brad)
Spoiler Alert: Ben wins all three years, earning himself THREE trips to the State Bee held
out in State College. He even finished THIRD in 2011! Here's the video:
Gallop back to the thrilling years of Yesteryear, when Mips roamed the Earth:
It's mostly over now, but our household used to be infatuated by stuffed snakes and a certain race of mythical (??) creatures known as "Mips". One Christmas we even bought the domain "MipNation.Com" (since expired) as a gift for mankind's two leading "Meepiologists", Benjamin and Gabriel Morbeck. Click here to view the former homepage of www.MipNation.com!
Places to go,
People to see...........
Here is a list of various Morbeck related Web sites to visit. Yo, Yall Come back Now, Y'hear:
My sites: an
electronic monument to various levels of silliness:
Most of my sites are located in AOL's member web space:
What We Used to be like........
2008 Note: New locations!!! With little warning AOL has thrown all our sites off the web space they've resided at for more than a decade. If I had a cyber fist I'd be shaking it at them right now........
PHILADELPHIA MORBECK
HOMEPAGE
I think this was my first homepage, with intentions of making a separate one
for each of us. Note the dear departed Houdini, currently living in a place
called Manyunk (a.k.a. "The Yunk")
You can also find this page at: http://www.morbeckorama.net/MorbeckRob1996/
GREETINGS FROM THE NOODLEBOY!
A stirring tribute to Brad Morbeck , a.k.a. The Noodleboy in his very early childhood. There's not a
lot of direct quotes from him as he wasn't much of a public speaker during this
period of his existence (Not like now, when he's gearing up for the turn of the
Century).
You can find this page at: http://www.morbeckorama.net/Noodleboy1996/
SQUEAK BOYS
These were the first pictures on the web of the fabulous twosome, Benjamin
& Gabriel Morbeck( born Oct 27, 1997). When I was
making a new screen name for them I was surprised to find that "squeakboys" and "turtleboys"
had the same number of letters (AOL likes 10 letter screen names).
This site is located at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/SqueakBoys1997/
AMIMALS!
I think the production of this page really marks my descent into madness. In
this page, a 2 year old Brad Morbeck mimics the sounds of various barnyard (and
suburban yard) friends. Make sure that you're windows wave file compliant!
You can find this site at : http://www.morbeckorama.net/Amimals1998/
TWO GUYS FROM FLUFFIA
This page was either before or after the "AMIMALS!",
it's hard to say. Pictures of the little boys early on in their existence.
You can find this site at :
http://www.morbeckorama.net/TwoGuys1998/
ALL THE GRISLY DETAILS
This page chronicles the births of Ben and Gabe down to the smallest mundane
detail. Make sure you have your finger close to the "page down"
button, it's a long ride.
You can find this site at: http://www.morbeckorama.net/Babies1997/
THIS JUST IN!
OUR "FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME":
We gullible Morbecks actually believed in the 2005
Phillies enough to buy play-off tickets for a game that (needless to say) never
happened. All's Well that Ends Well, however: a photographer from the Inquirer
caught Brad and I as we were leaving the window, and the rest is now (current)
History! Read all about it (and see a good version of the picture!) at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/15_Minutes_of_Fame
THIS JUST IN (A WHILE AGO):
The Vet is NO MORE, our beautiful concrete OctoRad replaced by a spindly steel and artificial brickface structure of dubious value. Brad and I woke up early to personally witness the awesome event. Watch the Video and read all about it at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/VetImplosion04
If that's not enough for you, my disjointed memories of the old yard are chronicled at:
ROBERT MORBECK'S COMPENDIUM OF VET MEMORIES page located at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/VetImplosion04/VetMemories04.htm
Hey Sports Fans! More Baseball News:
ROBERT MORBECK'S PENNSYLVANIA ROAD WARRIORS TRIBUTE PAGE:
Come drink in the excitement of hapless losing with the Morbeck Family and the Pennsylvania team which never plays in Pennsylvania!
http://www.morbeckorama.net/PAroadWarriors
COME ON VACATION WITH US!
100 MILES BEFORE
BREAKFAST
Hey, like the world really needed this. Our family has a long and noble
tradition of traveling "100 Miles before Breakfast".
Stop on by and share some scrapple with us at: http://www.morbeckorama.net/100milesB4Breakfast
OUR TRIP TO THE BEACH, 1966
A Detailed Account of the Fabulous Vacation Certain Shaws,
MacLeods, and Morbecks Took
in the Summer of 1966.
Travel back with us to the thrilling days of yesteryear: the 60's. None of us
wore seatbelts, we all smoked cigarettes (except for those of us who were only 11),
and we went on great vacations in the family station wagon. Gas was only 35
cents a gallon and none of us could imagine ever PAYING for television, except
maybe in a hospital room.
Roll all the windows down, it's going to be a long ride at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/Vacation1966
SUMMER VACATION '97
3 Weary Travelers left the "City of Brotherly Love" in July of 1997,
bound for the endless charms of scenic Irwin, PA. Brad wasn't quite 2 and the
babies were in utero, so to speak.
This site is located at: http://www.morbeckorama.net/Vacation1997
VACATION 2000
We strapped our newish yard sale canoe on the top of the van and journeyed down deep into the Pinelands in search of the "Jersey Devil". We found him demonically selling bubblegum flavored ice cream cones in Tuckerton, N.J. The second portion of our trip took us northward to force my unfortunate progeny to try to relive my New England heritage. We had an awful lot of fun when all was said and done. Grill some marshmallows with us at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/Vacation2000
Call her "Baaka", call her "Mother", call her "Jinny", call her "Mrs Big".......just don't call her "late" for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the most fabulous resort in the world! Virginia Amelia Shaw Morbeck ascended to the lofty perch of octogenarian this year and her family celebrated robustly. Hike with us into a hidden valley of our nation's most peculiar state and help VSM celebrate THE BIG EIGHT-OH:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/Capon2002
As mentioned earlier, we live in the somewhat bucolic community of Rutledge, Pennsylvania. The BIGGEST day of the year is undoubtedly July 4th! Read about our various shenanigans........
INDEPENDENCE DAY 1999
It must be strange growing up in such a small town that when you hear the
word "parade" you just assume you're going to be in it. Such is the
case for our small boys embarking on their life's journey here in beautiful
Rutledge, Pennsylvania. 1999 was the first year we caught on to the seriousness
with which Independence Day in Rutledge is taken, and we reacted suitably. To
wade through a blow by blow description of the Parade and ensuing
"Rutledge Games", click on
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay1999
You might even find out who "Rutledge's Fastest Three Year Old" was
at that moment in time.
INDEPENDENCE DAY 2000
We had high hopes for Utter and Complete Victory this year, but they were
squashed liked rotted vegetables rolled over by a big canoe with wheels on it.
I spent a few weeks being bitter that we only finished third, but then I
decided that the eventual winners were worthy after all. By the way, take a
wild guess as to who "Rutledge's Fastest Four Year Old" might
be...........
click on:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay2000
INDEPENDENCE DAY 2001
What could be worse than finishing second or third, you might ask? NOT FINISHING IN THE MONEY AT ALL. We're going to have to reconfigure our financial outlook this year due to not winning any float prize money. Mitigating factor #1 -Bob Sokoloff and I won 4 pizzas by expertly tossing eggs incredibly long distances. Mitigating factor #2 - I know "Rutledge's Fastest Five Year Old" quite intimately. Come celebrate America's 225th with us at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay2001
A bevy of New Englanders come to visit us as we honor Rutledge's most notable citizen: OREO! If you're not the type who feels squeamish when confronted with photos of 10 foot high wooden cats feel free to join us as well! A website packed full with banal commentary, paranoid delusions, and a REALLY silly chart comparing OREO the Float with OREO the Cat. Believe it or not, you can even click on a VIDEO!!!! ( a Morbeck.com FIRST). By the way..........OUR YOUNG SPEEDSTER (BHM) WINS AGAIN! That's right, he's Rutledge's Fastest 6 year old. WOW!
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay2002
He WINS (again)! We LOSE (again)! After spending the year determined NOT to enter the "Family Float" Competition we break down at the last moment and enroll. There are only two entries this year and we still lose! HOWEVER.......Brad manages to keep his "Rutledge Race" skein unbroken, narrowly defeating a tight field of really fast fellow 7 year olds. And there's a VIDEO to prove it! We all had a great time despite losing almost every other event we were entered in. For a complete account (and to meet newest Morbeck family member "Snappy") click on:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay2003
SIX-FO-SIX! Hard to believe, Harry! Brad wins again despite getting a late start. Meanwhile, Our friendly, docile family mounts an exciting salute to the glorious art of........LOSING! Goodness knows we have enough experience at it. From the page:
Just as most "How-To" books about writing fiction urge would-be novelists to "write about what you know" a tremendous revelation concerning my annual battle with the Rutledge Independence Day Parade visited the dusty reaches of my brain sometime in Mid June. For five long years I've been creeping dangerously close to insanity in my zeal to win the coveted First Prize (3$!) in the Parade's "Family Float" Division. During this period I have repeatedly subjugated my wonderful family to a tiresome treadmill of wearing all sorts of silly costumes, bringing them shame and humiliation in the process. In my paranoia I honestly began to believe that somehow the JUDGES were at fault, they not recognizing the true measure of my Creative Genius. But this year the TRUTH HAS SET ME FREE!
Why try so hard to win when I can so much more easily set my sights on LOSING? EUREKA! Free At Last, Free at Last, Thank God Almighty I'm Free at Last!
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay2004
INDEPENDENCE DAY 2005 (a.k.a It's an Outrage!)
I normally pride myself on being a "mild mannered" Clark Kent-kind-of-guy but some things in this life really steam my clams! We get together with our neighbors the Sentivans and make a beautiful rolling tribute to the Westbound Morton Trainshed (topically interesting due to a grassroots preservation effort currently underway). Snubbed! The other two floats are SOOOOO good that they TIE for FIRST while our erstwhile offering is awarded the coveted (to me, at least) LAST PLACE award. Not only that, Brad's (previously) unbroken skein in the Rutledge Race is officially over! But what about UNOFFICIALLY? You be the judge! Click on the video link to see John "Zapruder" Williamson's film possibly PROVING that Brad actually finishes in FIRST, not FOURTH place!
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay2005
In which the UNTHINKABLE happens! UNTHINKABLE when our family in the personage of Mr. Ben Morbeck single handedly captures our FIRST major Rutledge Parade Award; UNTHINKABLE in the afternoon when Brad CLEARLY loses the Rutledge 9 and 10 year old race. It's the End of an Era in our family's history....Oh well, we all still have a whale of a timel......
http://www.morbeckorama.net/IndependenceDay2006
DUSTY OLD EMAIL
OFFERINGS MASQUERADING AS WEBSITES:
BEARSPEAK DICTIONARY
As many readers of this might already know, Robert C. Morbeck SR (alias Mr.
Big, Bear, Moose) used a vocabulary peculiar and
sometimes known only to himself. Here is an attempt by his emailing offspring
(and offspring's offspring) to catalog a portion of it.
You can find this site at :http://www.morbeckorama.net/BearSpeakDictionary
A PERSON OF MANY NAMES
I've been called many things throughout my life, but usually not late for
supper. Bring a #2 Pencil and take the "Person of Many Names" Quiz!
(TEXT ONLY)
Take the quiz (and read the answers)
at: http://www.morbeckorama.net/ManyNames
CAT BIOGRAPHIES
Presented here are short, thumbnail descriptions of each of my mother's cats
through the years. My recurring nightmare (which haunts me regularly) is being
introduced on some late night talk show as "a noted Cat Biographer."
(TEXT ONLY)
Meow, Meow. Find us at http://www.morbeckorama.net/CatBiographies
HOME OF THE "LAZY BOY"
One offhand comment whilst making pleasant conversation, and I make a "Federal
Case" out of it. My mother mentioned in passing that I might have had a
bit of the dog in me as a child.
If it's not too much trouble, find us at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/LazyBoy
WORLD'S MEANEST KITTY CLAWS
WORLD'S NICEST GRANDMOTHER!
He's attacked everyone I hold near and dear. He's a mean old kitty. Call him Mee-mo, Call him Dee-do, Call him "The Mingolator": watch out for him at:
http://www.morbeckorama.net/CatScratch
VOTING SCANDAL ROCKS
RUTLEDGE!
Bush? Gore? Tweedle-Dum? Tweedle-Dee? A mysterious ballot was cast for Rutledge's Favorite Son: The Nicest Cat in Rutledge, OREO! Explore the skullduggery at:
http://members.aol.com/MorbeckORama/electoreo.htm
WE'LL SEE YOU (CU) IN THE YEAR 2022!
Brad Morbeck has become very interested in all issues concerning the number "100" lately. He has learned to count to "100". He's also decided that his grandmother is right around the corner from being a centenarian, while his march to the age of 27 has just begun. Coincidence! both events will happen in the year 2022. Useless charts and graphs explain why.
http://members.aol.com/MorbeckRob/CUin2022.htm
Once again, we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to email us with any
advice, contradictions, or notification of gross factual inaccuracies.
send mail to: MorbeckRob(at)aol.com