Gratuitous Trenton Shots

Putting the Labor in Labor Day Weekend

So Vicki's off in Fort Wayne, visiting her mom and starting the packing process for her move down here next spring. And about two Novembers ago, I bought tiles and materials to do our front porch and two bathrooms. Got the front porch and the guest bathroom done, but didn't get to our bathroom by Thanksgiving. And there was no way I was doing it over The Holidays.

So almost two years later, here's the perfect opportunity to do the tiles in our master bath, the bathroom we use every day. I took Friday off, figuring this would work best as a 4 day project. Demolition & backerboard. Tile sizing and cutting. Tile laying. And Grouting. 4 steps. 4 days.

Day 1 went as planned. Of course, I fantasized about getting the tile cut that day as well. But I had a hair cut appointment at 2:00. And Kristin invited me over to their house for dinner ... and I'll not pass up a chance to hang with Trenton. Or them, really. We had a nice time. Kristin made burritos. They were tasty. And we had some margaritas. Played with Trenton. Watched a little TV. And I went home.

Got up, did coffee and breakfast ... and had to do some planning. Mizzou's first football game of the season with Illinois started at 2:40, and I'd invited BriKri & Trenton over to watch it on the big TV. So I needed to make sure we had food. And get all the tile cut by 2:30. Went to the store and bought 4 slabs of beef ribs & some potato salad (hey, no time to make potato salad) ... made a rub, slathered, got the charcoal going in the Big Green Egg (well, mine's a "medium" green egg) and threw the ribs in the little dutch oven (to protect from the radiative heat... cast iron, you know) and poured in the hickory chips and shut-er down to 200.

And started cutting tile. You have to figure out what "square" is going to be... and I wanted to do the brick pattern ... for one thing it helps make the room look bigger, and for another it lessens the visibility of slight errors on the seams. But it increases the number of cuts you have to make.

It started raining!!! There was a slight chance in the forecast, but ... well, we got it. I moved the wet saw back under the eaves and kept going. I mean, it's a wet saw, right? And I literally cut the last tile right at 2:25. Took a quick shower and was changing when Kristin and Trenton showed up. Had the game on the 1941 Philco in the living room (I love that ... old tube set, Mizzou football... feels all traditional and stuff... I grew up listening to the Tigers & the Cardinals on the radio).

Anyway, Brian had called ... Ken had invited them over to watch the game, so he called and asked if it was OK if Ken came along. It was. He showed up, I got the game on the TV downstairs. And we had a good time. Mizzou dominated, eventually winning 37-9. The ribs turned out great. And of course Trenton was a lot of fun. He was having fun with Grandpa Ken and Papa Phil and he really, for a 19 month old ... entertained himself pretty well a lot of the time.

After the game Kristin took Trenton home ... he was sooooo sleepy but too wound up with all the commotion at our house. Brian stayed and we watched the first half of the Oklahoma BYU game.

I was pretty tired by that time. I cleaned up a little and turned in early.

Got up, did the coffee and breakfast. And then mixed up the thin-set mortar and started laying tile. Got done about noon.

I had had to cut the plumbing to the toilet ... there was not enough play to lift the ring up to meet the new height of the floor. So I hit Lowes and bought a new toilet ring and a coupler and another elbow and a wax ring so I can put the plumbing back. Plus I bought some mildew retardant paint and painted the duct-board ductwork under the house. The foil outside has corroded and I suspect it's entraining some moldy air into the house. Might need to do a second coat tommorrow. Pleah.

Had a beer and a pipe, and then came and did this.

Grout tomorrow. Vicki back Wednesday.

Blame it on Facebook

It has been pointed out that it has been a very long time since my last update.

I'm going to blame much of it on Facebook, which provides a way to give quick updates with little thought and the associated time investment put behind them. But there are others out there in my family and friends fold who are not on facebook ... plus, this makes a nice diary to go back to and see what was going on in my life.

Unfortunately, when you don't sit down soon after a seemingly trival event that is nonetheless the kind of thing life is all about, such as spending time with family and friends -- especially your grandchild :-) ....

you forget those poignant details .... which are really the only things that make this blog interesting at all in the first place. Which is really an argument for updating more often, then, isn't it?

And so here I sit, updating, lacking said details, but offering a summary.

As reported in my last post, or at least implied or suggested, or at the very least cooberatted... I've been riding my bicycle to work as often as reasonable for most of the summer.

The bad news, I haven't really lost any weight to speak of. The good news, I haven't gained any, either, and I've been able to drink higly caloric and tasty beer and eat good food. We've continued to be extremely lucky in getting to see our grandson far more often than probably most grandparents get to see theirs. And it is a joy each time. He's the smiliest little boy in the world.


One time we were babysitting over at their house this summer, and he had something in his eye. It looked a bit like mud to me... which would be bad. But his eye really wasn't red and he wasn't rubbing it ... it strangely didn't seem to be bothering him that much EXCEPT that he was uncharactaristically fussy. We suggested taking him to the doctor the next morning. But (and I can't blame them, if I were the parent I probably would have done the same thing) they couldn't stand it after they got home and ended up removing it ... it was a huge flying bug.

We went to the state fair a few weeks ago and putzed around like we usually do ... only Pam & Grandma Jean were there along with Brian, Kristin, and Trenton. We ran into them on purpose a few times, but mostly ended up on our own. I ended up buying some super glue type stuff and some "Sham Wow" type chamios' in the "Mr. Popeil" buildings, ate the requisite fair food, and had a nice time on an uncharactaristically not very hot day in August.

Thunderstorms moved in about the time we were ready to leave, and we drove Brian back to Columbia while Kristin and Trenton went back to spend another day with her parents.

Two weekends ago, Vicki's cousin Jim and his wife Carol (of Mt. Charleston and North Carolina fame) dropped by on their way from Mt. Charleston (Las Vegas) to Murphy, NC ... for a couple of days. We always have a great time with them. Carol, the pianist, was playing tunes on our little $3.00 Goodwill Special kiddie keyboard. We had our traditional happy hours, sat on the deck... we took them to the Rocheport Winery on saturday for another stunningly lovely August day with low humidity and temperatures in the 70's, where we sat at a table next to Kristin's brother Brian... had a couple of bottles of Norton, and went into Rocheport to look at the antique shops.

I wasn't planning on buying anything.

At Saunders, though, Jim and Carol sneakily bought us an espresso cup set, and I got Vicki a neclace she really liked ... but the most surprising thing was the ginormous clock.

We have had a huge blank wall on one end of our living room over the stairs. And at Saunders, above a fireplace was a huge, 50" iron clock.

Well you know me and clocks.

We have talked off and on over the years what to do with that wall, and just a couple of days before had been saying we need something really BIG.

Well there it was, and the price was pretty reasonable.

Budda bam! Ours.

I wish I would have been here the first time Trenton saw it. Clocks were the first objects he recognized and was able to articulate. I have multiple mechanical clocks in the house, which make the charactaristic "tick-tock" sound, and since he was about a year old, he would point to them, and pretty quickly anything with a "dial" on it and say "eh-ah!".

Well this is the world's largest eh-ah, as far as he's concerned, and he was duly impressed, apparently, according to Vicki. Ask him where the "big clock" is, and he points right to it.

No real words yet from him. "Nana" for Nana ... that's about the closest, and da-da for about any male authority figure. He used to mouth Ma-Ma a long time ago, but I think he's tormenting his mother by refraining from using that. It shouldn't be long now.

Last Sunday I went up north to the public rifle range with Brian and Brian and John. Sighted in my .22 at 100 yards, and John sighted in his 30.06. Those rounds are even bigger than the Monsin Nagant rounds. Big boom. And I found out I suck at 100 yards with the iron sights on the Mosin Nagant. Well... I wasn't hitting the 10" target, anyway.

This has been one of the coolest summers on record this year. The last weekend of August we had highs in the mid 60's, probably close to 25 degrees below normal and just freaking delightful weather.

Not complaining at all!

I Am Mr. McGreggor

Last week I stepped outside to load up my bicycle for my commute to work, and saw a rabbit in my garden boldly munching on some vegetation. Need to get a new battery for that electric fence.

Anyway, as I went to chase the rabbit off, it occured to me that as a kid, I rooted for Peter Rabbit.

Now I'm Mr. McGreggor.

(I wanted to get a picture to illustrate this post before posting, and I almost got one this morning ... but by the time I got back out with my camera, Peter Rabbit was gone.)

The Float That Wasn't

We'd been looking forward to Summer Float 2009 for quite some time. Made a facebook "event", discussed it with the attendees. Coordinated who was bringing what, and advised newer people what to bring and what to expect. Painstakingly packed. But I couldn't find my hand-held GPS. It was bugging me.

Kevin and Marken, as well as Brian and Kristin ... were coming down this year from our side, and John and Alli and Tomas and Deanna on the Williams' side. But then Brian had to drop out due to a business trip to the Carribean. And Kristin opted not to come by herself.

We went down with Ryan & Kristie, as usual. Met them at their house, and helped them load up their new trailer with our stuff and their stuff, which this year included kayaks and canoes. I've been especially excited about the kayaks, as I think they're more responsive and fun. I was still fretting about my GPS, but I kept telling myself it's not going to get any MORE lost while we're gone and I really don't NEED it. It's just a toy on a trip like this.

We made the traditional lunch stop at Steak & Shake in Rolla, headed down to Eminence, reserved campsites, met up with Kevin and Marken, set up tents, and headed for the river. It was HOT!

The swimming hole was pretty crowded, and we wandered downstream a ways into the shade. Had a beer and split another with Vicki. Floated on noodles, talked, and generally stayed cool until 5:30. Went back to the campsite.

I lit some charcoal and whipped up the Jiffy cornbread mix in the dutch oven. This was the dutch oven's virgin tryout. I followed the dutch oven instructions I read last month in the Missouri Conservationist, put the coals on top and below, and whipped out the other dutch oven and started the jambalaya.

Popped open a Sam Adams Blackberry Wit, and suddenly felt a little chilled. Well my shirt was still a little damp. But it was at least 90 degrees out, still. Sat in a chair and talked a while, tending to the food. And started to get queasy. Too much grease and milkshake for lunch? I felt pretty full, too. If I could just throw up, I'd probably feel better.

Kristie felt queasy, too. We'd both had hamburgers. So did Vicki. Ryan was fine.

I went and lay down for a while. And suddenly, it hit me. That tingle in your mouth with the slightly acidic and not at all pleasant taste. I popped out of the tent and went to the edge of the woods and emptied my stomach -- which still seemed quite full of what I'd had for lunch 7 or so hours before.

Did I mention how much I hate throwing up?

About 10 productive heaves and a couple of dry ones later, I was at least relieved that that would probably be the end of it. I went back and sat down.

And the chills hit, worse.

Dinner finished cooking with Kevin and Marken kind of watching it and I went to check on it a couple of times as well. The cornbread looked great, as did the jambalaya. But my stomach didn't think it looked all that great. I went and lay down again, this time with a blanket.

I got up a few times, but each time I was queasy, cold, and tired. So I gave up and went to bed.

Vicki came to bed a little later. Everyone turned in by 10.

And in the middle of the night, Vicki got up and dashed from the tent to throw up.

The next morning, we were both feeling lousy. Kristie was fine. And so we began to think... Kristin had the stomach flu Monday. Trenton got it Wednesday. We babysat Wednesday night. 2 days. 2 days. Probably the stomach flu, especially since Kristie feeling fine was casting doubt on the hamburger theory.

So Vicki and I stayed in camp and didn't go floating, much as I wanted to. But I knew I wouldn't have fun. Everyone else went.

I drank some gatorade -- which helped -- and went out mid morning to get some oyster crackers, ice, Mylanta, and a couple other things. We lay on the mattress together in the tent using Kevin and Marken's battery operated camp fan as the temperature rose into the mid 80's, and probably hotter in the tent.

I finally left the tent and sat outside where it was about 5 degrees cooler and there was a better breeze. But Vicki had it much worse than I did and couldn't bring herself to get off the mattress in the tent.

I took a shower in the shower house and came back and sat outside the tent. We talked and slept off and on the rest of the afternoon.

It was very much like having a hangover without the drunken stupor the night before. Bad headache. Nausea. No energy.

Everyone got back and said they had a good time and thought of us often. There were offers to take us home, but the thought of trying to break down the tent and pack our stuff in our condition was overwhelming. The night was going to be comfortable, and we'd feel better in the morning.

Couldn't even imagine eating dinner that night, either. All day I had a bottle of gatorade, water, and oyster crackers. I tried some coke, but it didn't sit well. So we went to bed early again.

I slept like a rock. Even thought I was home in our room at first the few times I briefly woke. Vicki, on the other hand, was not really any better AND had a migraine to boot.

I didn't feel as well as I had expected in the morning, but better for sure. Headache was gone at least, and not everything made me want to hurl. We moved slowly breaking everything down. Had lots of help packing up, and headed for the traditional pictures at Alley Mill.

It was very pretty -- I'd never seen it like this. There was more water from all the rain, but the neat thing was that because it was so hot and humid but the water was so cold, there was a dense mist a couple of feet thick over the water, and the light streaming through the trees gave the God Effect in a few places. Camera .... itch .... If I weren't with a group .... and Vicki weren't still pretty sick .... I got a couple of quick shots and had to settle for that before we did the group shot and left.

We headed in to Ruby's now Sharon's T&T Family Restaurant in Eminence -- they always have a great buffett, and it's a real neat small-town restaurant in an old building. Not a huge choice, but all of it is good, and heck... what do you need? Pancakes, french toast sticks, biscuits with optional gravy, sausage, bacon, scrambled egges, fried potato cubes and a few other things. All fresh and all good.

I was a little hungry, and I picked non-greasy, not-too-sweet or spicy fare. Vicki was surprisingly hungry as well. We both ate and everyone said their goodbyes as we took off with the Williams' back to Mid Missouri.

Unpacked the wet stuff. Vicki insisted on starting laundry. And my GPS was hanging on the coat tree in the hallway. Vicki was still feeling pretty lousy most of the time. I wasn't feeling that great, either. No energy at all. I did have to try to fix the phone... it's acting wierd ... so she could call her mom. I spent 30 minutes or so outside cleaning contacts and re-wiring it. It seemed ok for a while, then started acting up again.

Talked to Kristin. Brian came down with the stomach flu on the way to Honduras. And grandma Jean got it Thursday. So it was going around. I looked up "stomach flu" viruses on the internet out of curiosity.

Then we ended up watching a movie and going to bed.

Monday morning I just couldn't get up. I wasn't about to throw up, but the stomach wasn't at 100% yet, either. I'd read on the internet Sunday evening about the viruses that cause stomach flu. I figured it must've been the norovirus since adults didnt' seem to have any immunity to it like we seem to to the rotovirus. It had said the norovirus was highly contagious, and I decided to take an extra day away from other people.

So we got it from Trenton ... still... when all is said and done it's a fair trade. I wouldn't have had it any other way. He needed us :-)

Vicki was still a little queasy this morning. I went to work. I figure she had it worse and probably irritated her tissues more. I'd bet the virus is gone from her, she just needs to finish healing.

So now I want to go floating.

But I'm also Jonsin' for the Rockies.

Precious. And intelligent, too!

We were babysitting for Trenton on Brian & Kristin's date night. Vicki had changed her clothes and come into the kitchen. It was about 5:30 pm.

Trenton walked up to Vicki, grabbed her hand, and led her over to the kitchen table where his chair & booster seat are. He removed the tray, and handed it to me, and started pushing the chair away from the table. 14.5 months. He may not be able to talk yet, but THAT'S communication!!!

For the record, his normal dinner time is about 6 or 6:30. There was no fussing, no whining (not that he doesn't do that sometimes) but he was a hungry little guy, and he was hungry now. And he found a way to let us know outside of crying, screaming or pointing.

Smart little guy.

Gratutitous Baby Picture Post #4

Sizzlin' Sophie

While I was listening to Diana Krall's "Quiet Nights" on Rhapsody, it suggested another artist ... one I hadn't heard of.

Now THIS is the way to approach classic material. A little emotion, a little flair. Great voice, and great use of it. She has 3 albums to date. The latest one just went on sale (right).

It was all really good stuff. I remember hearing "Day In, Day Out" and thinking - "now that's a fresh approach, but still classic jazz." Bravo, Sophie!

Sighing Di (One Note Samba)

Several years ago after hearing her version of Nat Cole's "Frim Fram Sauce", I bought Diana Krall's "All For You" ... which is an excellent album I'd recommend for anyone's collection. So I got "Steppin' Out", "Only Trust Your Heart", "Love Scenes", and "When I Look In Your Eyes" ... all with some nice piano trio work that worked well with her vocals.

Since I liked all the others, when "The Look of Love" came ought I bought it, too. Besides, the cover of that album flat sizzles, ifyaknowhatimean. Ouch!

With this album more than any other to that point, though, she went more to orchestration and away from the piano trio format -- which is where she shines (with the later, not the former). But it'll hold a special place in my collection and get played with the first four, which is probably a tribute to the brilliant marketer who had her pose just so in that black dress and those heels.

Since then she's gone mainly to torch songs and Jobim sambas. Great material, to be sure. And I'm as big a Jobim fan as anyone. It worked well with the Christmas album, "Christmas Songs" which is a perennial in my collection. But even on that her vocals had a jazzier spark to them on several of the tracks even if she was away from piano central. Ok, and the green dress and heels didn't hurt, either. Same marketer, I presume.

But with each new album, Christmas album aside, I've been hoping she'd go back to the trio format. She's a good jazz musician. This arranged stuff boxes her in. And she has a pleasant voice ... I mean, I like it. It's better when she's belting a song than it is when she's sighing one. That works for Astrud Gilberto. But not everyone is Astrud. It's just not bringing anything interesting to the material in this format.

And so it was with "Quiet Nights", which just came out a couple of months ago. I was again hoping she'd be tickling the keys and leaning into the piano with some of the old gusto... but no. This has got to be the breathiest, most arranged album to date. Pleasant background dinner music, to be sure. But a far cry from her early work.

Maybe this is what's in demand and it's how she can rake in the big money, which is totally understandable. Or maybe this is really what she wants to do... which would be totally understandable as well. But it isn't lighting a fire under my rear to go out and buy any more Diana Krall. Me, personally. I've never been one of those fans who has the audacity to tell an artist what they should do. I'm just personally disappointed. Still, I have the early albums to listen to, and my collection is richer for it.

Pssst. Diana! Your piano chops are what sets you apart.

A Cousin Kinda Day

Today cousin Dawn and her youngest daughter Ciara came to putz around taking pictures. I thought I'd take them down where I took one of my all time favorite shots ... at Eagle Bluffs Conservation area by the Missouri river. Of course, when I took that shot, it was evening and later in the summer. Still, I thought there might be more wildlife around.

We saw a snake, a bunch of buzzards, a deer.... that was about it out there. Some snapping turtles, and a rusted out water heater in Perche Creek. Broke for lunch at Taco Bell.

After lunch went to campus and went around the Francis Quadrangle, where I discussed some finer Constitutional points with Thomas Jefferson (we were pretty much in agreement on most things, for sure). And Ciara shared a seat at the Shack with Beetle Bailey. You might even call it a hot seat, since the bronze had been sitting in the sun all morning and early afternoon.

Watching a lanky 13 year old girl turning cartwheels in the grass can make you feel a little old. But it was nice to see the energy all the same.

And then we wandered up to Shelter Gardens where there were flowers, trees, water features, and the old school house before heading back to the ranch. Nothing spectacular, shooting-wise, but some pretty pictures and a little camera-raderie. Nice day.

Ok. This is funny.

Gratuitous Baby Picture Post number .... I lost count

Mothers Day

Friday was Mother's birthday (Vicki's mom ... when I use the term "Mother" as a proper name, I'm typically referring to her. Mom refers to my mom, typically, unless it's clear by context.)

Anyway, Mother turned 90 Friday, and Vicki wanted to do something special so we went to Churchill's. Churchill's is probably the finest restaurant in Columbia. There may be one or two with as good food and service, but this all that with a traditional formal atmosphere.

Brian and Kristin and Kevin and his new girlfriend Marken were there. It was our first time meeting Marken.

Let me just say that she won't have any trouble keeping up. :-)

She and Brian were ribbing each other all through dinner in contrast to the live harp music in the background. It was a great dinner. I hope Mother enjoyed it. I think she did. We all had a good time.

Marken reminds me of the kind of friends our family had growing up. She's very cute, a real people person, a pitcher-inner, and a chronic joker. There aren't too many people I have to really pay attention to to keep up. And she slipped a few by me as well.

Kevin brought his Guitar Hero game with his Hendrix and Les Paul fake guitar controllers and set it up. I never was any good at that game. It's not really like playing the guitar at all. But it does look like fun. If you're not keeping up the instruments and the song start to go off key and get out of synch.... pretty funny.

Saturday Kristin, Brian, and I went out to Strawberry Hill Farms and bought a bunch of vegetable and flowering plants. Then Kristin had to work, and Brian went back to work. Nana Vicki babysat Trenton. And of course I couldn't let her have all the fun after I got back from Strawberry Hill. So when he wasn't napping I played with him. Actually, I was trying to get a few things done while he was napping and completely forgot he was in our room and woke him up. Bad me.

We headed over to Brian and Kristin's saturday evening for a visit and so everyone could see their new place. Kevin and Brian and I started putting their new grill together, but when we got to the part where you "punch" out the parts so you can attach the side smoker box... let's just say they wouldn't "punch". "Dent" would be a much better description. I ran home and got my drill, rubber mallett, and dremmel tool with cutter wheel. Drilled the holes, and started to cut the eye-shaped hole for the box with the dremmel, but the dremmel crapped out. I think the brushes wore out. It was their time, I guess. Couldn't have picked the next day, could it?

So we were stuck. Kevin and Marken went to meet Ken for dinner. Eventually we went home.

Because Mothers Day there were plans to go over there in the morning and do brunch. I mixed up the separate wet and dry waffle ingredients the night before. We got sausages. And eggs. And I got 3 dusty rose roses to represent each mother.

Only I didn't have a vase.

Fortunately, I happen to be Martha Stewart's red-necked cousin Marvin. Marvin Stewart, yessir. I got a clear beer bottle ... Landshark Lager ... and peeled the labels off and cleaned it. Then went to the closet and got some red cellophane-type wrapping "paper" ... kind of transparent, but not too transparent, and wrapped the beer bottle loosely in it with the edges frayed out near the top of the bottle and a red rubber band to hold it all in. I thought it looked pretty good, and nobody complained.

I'll have a new line at K-Mart by the end of the year.

We decended upon their house about 10:45 am and Brian and I took over the kitchen duties, occasionally shooing Kristin and Vicki away. Cooked the sausages, whipped up the scrambled eggs, mixed up the waffle stuff and started cranking waffles out. And we all got to sit down at pretty much the same time. It was a nice breakfast.

Marken and Kevin took to cleaning the kitchen afterwards, occasionally shooing Kristin and Vicki out. They couldn't help themselves.

Brian and I went out with my jigsaw and a metal-cutting blade and cut out the rest of the grill cut out, put the rest of it together, and started some charcoal to "cure" the iron grates and interior of the grill with vegetable oil and heat. The process was to take 4 hours, and they wanted to grill for Grandma Jean for dinner.

I ran around the yard playing airplane with Trenton (Trenton was the airplane), and we looked at leaves and wind chimes and flowers and then I took him for a stroll. After which it was pretty much nap time and Nana Vicki took him and got him to sleep. She's very good at that.

Then Kristin, Marken, and I planted vegetables, but Kevin and Marken needed to get back to St. Louis. So we didn't finish.

Uncharacteristically (and sadly), I didn't get a single picture taken. Too busy, I guess.

We went home, Kevin and Marken left. I suddenly realized I was completely beat. I didn't think I'd worked that hard, but my head and body disagreed. I slept for a couple of hours. Vicki was watching movies downstairs. Mother was checking her emails (She's 90. Checking emails. Cool!)

And I slept like a log that night.

Rode in Monday. Got home. Got the chainsaw out and cut up the tree that fell in Friday Night's storm into chimnea sized pieces.

Tonight Mother took us to dinner for her last night here. Brian's taking her back home tomorrow.

Rain Rain

Well, we certainly can't complain about not enough rain this spring. This latest bout started last night. The Williams' came over to drop off their little mini roto-tiller for me to use to dig up my little 8x8 garden... but that won't be happening for a while now. Anyway, we watched last night's episode of Supernatural ... a show we got into a while back. Not sure I like some of where it's going philosophy-wise. We'll see how they resolve it all next season

I heard something falling -- I thought something in the living room -- after we went to bed last night after it had been raining and hailing pretty hard. I almost got up to look. Almost. Well ... this morning I saw that what was left of the big dead locust tree in the back yard fell into the yard. looks like it fell on the electric fence (which isn't on yet) around the garden. I was going to tear it down when I go to dig out & replace the soil anyway. So I have a little chainsaw project now as well.

I did get some grass planted out front last week, and this rain ought to help seal the deal germination-wise.

And I plan on taking Kristin et al to Strawberry Hill Farms tomorrow to get some veggies for the raised beds in their yard.

Brian and Kristin moved in to a great new house, their first as homeowners ... while we were in North Carolina. We were back for enough time to help them finish up. We went over there for a little Cinco de Mayo (and why is it again we now celebrate Mexican Independence day here? Is it to remind Mexican illegal aliens that they do have their own soveriegn country they could patch up? Inquiring minds want to know). I suppose it's a good excuse to have a party. Who doesn't like margaritas and mariachi bands?

We did drop by there last night with the Williams' to show them the new house, and Brian was there with Trenton. It's so sad to see him cry when we leave. We weren't there long enough for him I guess. But the look on his face and the sad cry ... just breaks your heart. But I could see him through the door after we got into the car and he seemed happy being fed by daddy. It's probably harder on us than it really is on him.

Tonight we're going out to Churchills for mom-in-law's 90th birthday. Probably the nicest restaurant in Columbia. Kevin will be coming in for it as well. I think there will be 7 of us for dinner. Making it to 90 deserves a big too-doo.

I'm continuing to try to ride my bike in to work at least 3 days a week, weather and errands permitting. I got my three in Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday this week. Good thing, too, because the radar looks menacing today. I'd call that a wash.

Road Trip (Part II)

On the way down to North Carolina, we stopped at Berea, KY because Mom was reminiscing about going down with her sister Fern with their spouses to visit her sister Ruth down in Atlanta years ago. It's known for Berea College, geared toward low-income students. There are a lot of crafts in the area, and Mom remembered a nice dress shop at which she said she and Fern almost always bought something. Nice hotel and restaurant. The town had a lovely, quiet feel to it.

We went to the tourist center and to a nearby craft-type store, where I picked up a kalimba (thumb-harp) and some Mint Juleep Elixir (I guess you can sell drink mixes in a dry town even if you have to purchase your liquor elsewhere). Vicki and mom also bought a few things, but we headed on down the road to Mt. Vernon where we had overnight reservations.

We ended up eating at "Jean's" family restaurant. Talk about the local flavor. Very small building. Mostly locals inside. Plain tables. No music. No nonsense. It smelled like fried chicken and bacon ... the walls were probably permeated with it. But the food was good, and the price was right, and it was just a few miles down the highway from the motel. We slept and pushed on in the morning to Jim & Carol's (the trip I chronicled in the last post that went over Joe Brown Highway).

We got to Jim & Carol's about 2 in the afternoon. Their cabin is lovely. Not too big, but a couple of guest bedrooms, a large front deck, and a gazebo as a deck extension. It's on a walkout basement. Jim & Carol like to eat outside when the weather permits. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's nice. They do that in Nevada as well. That's what the gazebo is for.

I think they have 9 acres NW of Murphy, NC. We walked around and looked at all the spring flowers and the foliage leafing out.

They took us to some of their favorite haunts, including the Moose Hollow Trading Company in Murphy where they had all kinds of home decor tailored to cabins, from old fashioned signs to furniture to some pretty unique taxidermy. They also took us to a family style restaurant in Georgia they like (Smith's?) and to Mercier's Orchard & Restaurant ... where they have awesome individual fried pies. I used to get the ... Dolly Madison ones when I was in high school. I loved the blueberry ones, so naturally I had to try theirs. It was very good. As was their blackberry. We drove around quite a bit but mostly we were there for the visiting and the sight-seeing was extra.

I brough my guitar along this time and kinda plucked it while people played games and worked on puzzles. I've never been much into that, but I enjoy watching other people do it. I was sucked in to the puzzle eventually, but for the most part the rest of the crew put it together out on the deck over a couple of days. I think a very good time was had by all.

Carol was a concert pianist and still plays for pleasure, and she played us a few tunes. Mom was quite the pianist herself back in the day and she played some, too. Guess you can't get Vicki to do it anymore. I've heard she used to be pretty good, but it's been over 40 years.

Their place is beautiful, overlooking Hanging Dog Creek, and just up the road (like 300 yards) from a Cherokee Indian Reservation. You can hear the creek, which is about 150 yards away from the house, and the sunlight sparkles on it all morning as it ripples and bounces over the rocks at it's shallow depth. The cabin is at 1600 feet, but the nearby mountaintops peak out at over 2000 so there's plenty of drama in the landscape. They have some neighbors, a few of whom they know through their Nevada connections.

Jim told us the story of Hanging Dog Creek and how it got its name. There's a story of a Cherokee village that was facing starvation due to a crop failure. Only one hunter in the village was able to find game that year thanks to his faithful hunting dong. "Deer Killer" and his dog were hunting one day and had spent the entire winter day chasing the deer through the forest trying to get positioned for a clean shot. Finally, he took his shot but the shot failed to kill the deer. It ran through a creek and they gave chase, but the dog got stuck in a mass of debris in the creek. Deer Killer jumped into the icy creek and freed the dog, saving it from drowning, and the two continued their chase. They finally tracked the deer down, and when the deer meat was served, the dog was invited into the teepee to eat with the people, which was unusual. The villagers took to calling the creek Hanging Dog Creek. Neat story.

Road Trip (Part I)

Well, we just got back from our great adventure out east, where I grabbed another state for the list of States I've Been In (if just barely) ... North Carolina.

Everyone thinks "oh, the beach". Well ... no. We were about as far away from the beach as you could be and still be in North Carolina. Which was fine. The Smokey Mountains are pretty. Especially when you get to stay in a nice cabin with family. Who are also friends.

We went up to Fort Wayne on the 23rd to pick up Vicki's mom, then head down to North Carolina to visit Vicki's cousin Jim and his wife Carol in their new cabin for a few days, and head back here for Mothers Day and her birthday.

That's ... probably a 1600-1700 mile triangle. Maybe more.

It was the maiden voyage (significant voyage) for the Garmin Nuvi 260, and I programmed in our various destinations as "favorites" before we left. We took two days to get from Fort Wayne to Murphy, via Mt. Vernon KY. Later we would take another two to get from Murphy to home, mostly to keep from wearing mother out.

The trip was a pretty one, with the subtle variations in the shades of green in the new spring leaves on the trees. They were not yet thick enough to block out sunlight shining through them, lighting them up like fiber optic ornamentals, while framing the redbuds and dogwoods which were in full bloom the whole way.

I made on variation in our route to Murphy by getting off of I-75 about 15 miles early to get on the TN 68 scenic route. Vicki looked at the atlas map where there was a stretch of road on our route going off of 68 that was made up of two thin lines instead of one solid line (up to Unaka, NC)... and asked "Is that a road???? I figured if it was on such a non-detailed map at that scale, it must be fine. (Their cabin is around the Hanging Dog Mountain symbol. Click on the map for a larger view.)

"Serena" (that's the GPS - the name associated with the female british accented voice) directed me to bear left onto County Road 618, a gravel road... which I dutifly did. It had us driving something around 6 or10 miles and then turn right on Joe Brown Highway. So I wasn't too concerned as the road became less gravel and then more dirt ... and then more leaves than dirt. Still, there were a few vehicles coming the other way that didn't appear to be logging trucks. I grew up driving gravel roads. We pressed on. I could sense skepticism from my passengers, so I tried to keep the converstion light. It was pretty. We were literally driving through the woods, going over an Appalachian ridge. In a couple of places chunks of mountain protruded from the road, but it was nothing we couldn't handle in a Taurus at 20 mph. Plus the road got better once we crossed into North Carolina - though there was no marker on the road. Only the GPS clued me in on that event. And finally, after twisting and turning on what is easily the most twisty, turney road I've ever driven (or likely ever will -- I'm not sure how one could be more curvy) .... we got down to the place where we we were to turn right onto Joe Brown Highway.

It didn't look any different. Of course, with a monicre like "Highway" ... I assumed it would be paved. So, I had to riff for about another 10 miles at 25 mph to keep everything light. Turns out that whole road on the map above from where we left 68 down to Murphy is the "Joe Brown Highway" - or the Old Unico Turnpike.

Eventually we got to some paved roads and before we knew it we were dumped out right at our destination, Jim and Carol's cabin as promised.

And it did cut out quite a bit of time in the end. May have saved us an hour. Plus we got some pretty scenery and a story to tell.

And it's late so I'll finish this later.

Yeah. We stayed here.

More later.

I admit it.

I'm a sucker for stuff like this. For some reason it popped up when I hit the Google site. Ok, so mostly it was this lady to the left. Some of the other faces were a bit, uh... dramatic for me. But I've always been a sucker for women in hats, and women in styles of the 30's through 50's.

Wild Weekend, and Walking

Well.... not "college drunken stupor" wild. Just hectic and worldwindesque.

This was the long planned weekend The Groves were coming to visit. It was unsure until Friday afternoon if Cami was coming because of a work project she had. There was rain in the forecast for most of the weekend... but let's go back to Friday morning.

Friday morning we got a call from Kristin wondering if we could take Trenton for the day. She was pretty sure she had strep throat, was making a doctor appointment, and pretty much didn't want Trenton around her... hoping he could avoid getting it.

So I took off in the morning, but I had some stuff I needed to get done at work Friday afternoon, so Vicki took over for me at 1:00. We insisted on keeping Trenton all night so that Kristin could get a good night's sleep.

Brian and Kristin had told us that Trenton had taken "a" step every now and then around last weekend, and later in the week he was getting three or four in before falling on his butt. He did it for me in the morning a couple of times, and for Vicki in the afternoon. He's quite thrilled with this new ability.

Anyway, Friday night he woke us up a few times -- Vicki popped the binky in the first two times. I tried it at 2:30 am, but he was sitting up, and then he stood up in the crib, so I took him to the couch where we sat and both fell asleep for about an hour. Which of course I absolutely hated ;-) I plopped him back in bed at about 3:40 and went back to bed. He woke up at 5, and we fed and changed him and put him in our bed with us until after 8:00.

Kristin called and told me she was going to take a shower and come get him. Vicki called her right back and told her to go back to bed and get more rest, and we'd keep him as long as we needed to.

Not long after he got up, Trenton was now taking 6 to 8 steps before falling.

I made a quick run to the store to get stuff before the Groves arrived, and they showed up in the early afternoon. Brian and Kristin came over to see them and ostensibly to get Trenton ... Kristin took him home in the mid afternoon so they could both take a nap. Brian went about an hour later, and they all came back for dinner.

By afternoon, he was up to about 15 steps at a time.

He also loves our antique mechanical clock at the bottom of the stairs. He immitates the "Tick-Tock" sound, and the "Ding-Dong" sound by saying "Eh-Ah! Eh-Ah!" He'll stand at the top of the stairs and say "Eh-Ah!" over and over again while he watches it. He's fascinated by the pendulum, the sound, and especially when it chimes on the hour and half hour. Wherever he is he HAS to go see it when it starts.

The Groves brought brats and a tasty lemon-drop martini recipe. But the weekend was a blur, with moments of visiting between running interference with Trenton. Mark and I sat out on the deck during the warm evening ... it had stopped raining for several hours, and played guitars and talked ... smoked a pipe and a cigar, cooked the brats.

After dinner all of us except for Brian and Mark went for a walk, and when we got back after dark they had started a fire in the chiminea on the deck. We spent the rest of the evening out there. Brian, Kristin, and Trenton went home (Trenton had been put down to sleep long before) and Mark and I stayed up to make sure the fire died down enough to leave alone on the deck.... played some more on the guitars and talked. Hit the hay....

Got up to make the traditional Snoopy Waffles and whipped out the belgian waffle maker just so we could have three waffle irons cranking, as Brian and Kristin and Trenton came back over for breakfast. Breakfast for 9.

It is good to be surrounded by friends and family.

Cami and Cassie went to the mall to use a Penny's coupon for something for Cassie. Mark wanted to hit an antique mall, so we went out to The Market Place for a couple of hours while Vicki put Trenton down for a nap. Brian is studying for some military test for a promotion.

We got back, and Cami brought Sonic Burgers for everyone. Then they had to leave. Kristin had to work this afternoon. And Kevin was coming into town to have a birthday dinner with his dad (we did that a couple of weeks ago with him). His dad was coming to our house to meet him -- Ken got here as the Groves were leaving.

In the mean time, Trenton is coming down with a cold and just not feeling well at all, though he's now walking 15 feet at a time. He's getting tired easily, but not sleeping more than about an hour at a time. He woke up when Kevin got here. Ken, Brian, and Kevin went out for Kevin's birthday dinner. By the time they got back Trenton was tired again and I went and put him down around 6. He woke up a half hour later as I moved him to the crib, and Nana Vicki took over and got him back to sleep.

Cami called about an hour and a half after they left. They had just gotten past the bridge at Rocheport on I-70... about 15 minutes (normally) from here. Apparently a semi had gone off the bridge. Probably didn't bode well for the driver.

Ken left. Trenton woke up about 7:20. Needed to eat. Kevin left while he was eating. Brian finished his study book. Vicki and I took turns keeping Trenton entertained until Brian finally took him home about 8:45. And the house is now quiet, except for the "Eh-Ah!" of the clocks.

Gun Shows, Horse Shows

There was a gun show at the fairgrounds this weekend, which, of course, I went to. I just like hanging out at them. Looking at stuff. Talking to people. Maybe buying a thing or two. Oven frog. Forceps. Camp chair. Ammo. Sometimes even a gun.

It also seems like a lot of times when they're having a gun show, they're having a horse show at the same time, be it at Midway or the Fairgrounds. And there's one thing I've noticed over and over again.

Horse chicks are hot.

Unselfconscious, doing what they love. Which involves a bit of heavy lifting, getting dirty, cleaning out horse-hockey. Down to earth. Unassuming. Feminine, but strong. It's not for prissy girls. Just watch one packing a saddle over to her mount. Little bit of a swagger. But not a guy swagger. Definitely a girl swagger. So I never mind running across a horse show when I'm headed in to a gun show. Or just at the county or state fair. (note, this picture is not from today. I didn't have my camera with me. This is my friend Sarah, who is a horse chick as well. She sent me this picture recently, and I think it illustrates my point well. Hope she doesn't mind.)

Ran in to several people at the show ... a few I was surprised to see there, including my insurance agent and a coworker. The place was packed. For my part, I picked up some 9mm ammo which has been hard to find since the election. And I got Vicki a hand-held stun-gun. 850,000 volts of "get the f*ck away from me" that fits in her purse and has a wrist lanyard. (I know. This is a family blog. But I'm sorry, that's just the best way to describe it.) Designed to fit in a lady's hand. So any of you bleepholes lurking in a dark alley or parking garage or hiding behind a bush had just better steer clear.

And maybe I should be on my best behavior as well :-) Who wants to piss off a woman with that kind of power?



I also got some ammo for the Mosin-Nagant rifle ... a Russian WWII rifle I have. Made in 1943. Accurate little buggers, these are. And bolt-action, so all the powder pushes one way -- forward. It's old. It's simple. It works well. Ergo, I like it.

We're sans grandson for a week. Kristin went down to Texas with her parents and grandmother to visit her aunt, Trenton in tow. His birthday is coming up this week. Hard to believe it's been a year. He's ALMOST walking. So close. My bet was he'd be walking by his first birthday. He'd better be working hard down there in Texas.

Brother Tom gave me his bicycle this winter. A nice "Specialized" 21 speed with front shocks, fenders, and accurate "click" shifters. The bicycle I'd had before he also gave to me. It was probably 10 years old when he got it, and I've had it for 20. And he had it for 10 or so. It worked. But just.

But Tom's got this funky cardiovascular condition now that means basically he can't exercise without getting terrible headaches and passing out. Anyway ... how I (try) to keep in shape is by riding a bike to work 3 days a week outside of winter. And I started again a week ago friday. But it's still spring and the weather didn't cooperate much last week. Between the weather and my Thursday guitar lesson, we're talking two days last week. But I'll pedal in tomorrow, in the cold. I hate myself by the time I get to the top of Providence Hill, but I feel better later for having done it both physically and mentally. I'd like to try another 14er this summer. Even if I don't get to, Colorado is calling my name. I need a mountain fix.