Thursday Thing-along

You must whip it ...

Here are some shots of a much older Devo in concert in 2006.
Here is the MySpace page for Devo.

Way Back When-sday

This picture is from nearly 20 years ago when I took a trip with Pops to Houston. This is from the Johnson Space Center and is one of those touristy things to make me look like I was floating in space. I can't remember if Pops did it also. If so, I could not find the picture.

Pops gets into the swing of things

Above is a clip of Pops hitting the ball yesterday during our golf outing. Pops has played golf most of his life but had not played in a few years until yesterday. It was his first time out on his two new knees. He had them both replaced over the last couple of years. To the right is a picture of Pops swinging a club in his younger days. More pictures and video of yesterday's outing to come, including at least one splashdown.

Gearing up for some golf

I'm going to play golf later today with my Pops and my youngest brother and a friend of my brother's. Although I grew up on a golf course and have played pretty much my whole life, I have not been able to play much lately. This is probably the first time I've gone out in two years. I had to go buy new shoes, socks, a glove and balls. When I got back home, I pulled my clubs out of the closet and cleaned them up. If I'm going to beat a ball around the course, I'm at least going to look like I know what I'm doing. This will also be the first time Pops has played since he had both of his knees replaced. We figure he's going to be using that excuse all day long. This should make for some good pictures and video.

mmmmmm ... beer

I used Sunday to go buy two new air conditioners, mow the grass and drink a few Smithwick's Irish Ale. Actually, I had quite a bit more than a few. That's the best part about drinking at home -- you can extend your limit and not worry about driving. My friend Mike came over and helped me polish some of them off. The last time any of you saw Mike was when I helped him move some things into his new home.

Remembering ....

Flag-draped coffins carrying U.S. troops are returned to the United States from Iraq and Afghanistan. I made this video last year by using pictures brought into the public realm thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request made by a University of Delaware professor and student. This is a good weekend to re-post the video and remember all the lives lost and being lost in our battles. Although this is about the lives of U.S. troops, multiply that number of dead many times over to get the true cost in lives.



I support the men and women of the armed forces but truly wish there was peace -- as sappy as that may sound.

Something funny for your Friday

You've already seen the David Blaine Street Magic 2..... Here's the first one.

Thursday Thing-along

Version 1 ...................................................... Version 2

That's where potatoes come from, right?

I've had a new Blog I Read link up for a few weeks now without introducing you to it. Our Life in Idaho from Kim and Victoria is a great blog to escape to when you just want to get away for a bit. Check out this post with a video of the stream and pond they built in their back yard. Scan through the archives. There are family vacation videos plus some recipe ideas and great wine and food choices.

As always, you can find the link to Kim and Victoria's Our Life in Idaho over to the right under Blogs I Read.

Way back When-sday

These are pictures of Daddy's daddy -- we called him Papa -- with Russell (from left), Stephen and me a week before Christmas, 1970. Papa, as the writing on the back of the picture says, had brought an old electric train of Daddy's to our house in Grifton, N.C. In these pictures he was putting it together for us and showing us how it worked. I can remember the humming sound and the smell of that track and the trains when we would turn the dial up on the power control.
Papa was our first grandparent to die. I was old enough to remember some things about him clearly, but not old enough to have gotten to know him very well. I do know he had a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer clock and a picture of a topless Marilyn Monroe hanging side-by-side on the wall of a TV repair shop he ran as a side business. I also know he loved golf, put salt in his beer and called Daddy 'Butch' for some reason. He also loved my Mama. Seeing these train pictures reminded me of some train video I shot a few weeks ago. This is of a maintenance crew dumping gravel along the tracks. If you watch it carefully, you can see the gravel spilling out of the railroad car.

A day down by the river

While at my brother's house on the Bohemia River, I snapped a few pictures and some video. At top is an osprey flying across the river with a fish he just snagged. At right is a view from the deck at the house looking toward the marina. While having some beers, we also saw quite a bit of other wildlife in his yard. Here's a little video of some squirrels and rabbits that were out and about.

Feeding at the feeder

I spotted this American goldfinch on one of the feeders in the back yard after I finished mowing the grass today. I was sitting at the back table with a drink and my camera and I saw it out of the corner of my eye. It's a pretty bird to watch.

Here's some video of it.

I feel awful about this ... I really do

I feel awful about killing a bat. I really do care.

Happy Birthday Mama

Mama (smiling with hands folded in front of her) and her friends wait patiently for the pictures to be taken before cutting into her cake in this picture from days past.


This is one of the original birth notices that were sent out by Mammy and Granddaddy when Mama was born. Someone scribbled on it trying to figure out Mama's age, it looks like. And there is also a grocery list in Mammy's handwriting on the back of it.

Nothing in particular

Just some recent clips about nothing in particular. I sped them up and put them to a song. It's just something to take a break from your day with, if you have two and a half minutes.

Something funny for your Friday

Thursday Thing-along

Although I doubt you'll be singing along to much of this, I love the way they used home videos from Eminem in this video for Mockingbird....

Way Back When-sday

Russell (from left), Stephen and I are sitting on the steps of the beach cottage as Brandon hugs Mammy and Granddaddy looks on. Daddy's secretary at DuPont owned the cottage. It's located in Emerald Isle, N,C.

Practice makes perfect....

I've been working on doing a cartwheel for a while.

Well, I've been saying that I've been working on doing a cartwheel. My niece Emily tried to give me some pointers the other day.

Obviously, I need more practice ........ or less beer.

Happy Mama's Day

Our mama is definitely not a mother. She's Mama. She tells us to this day she would never want to be known as 'Mother.' She is Mama or Ma to her sons and Mrs. G or Mama G to our friends. Mother has such a nasty sound to it because you're always waiting for the f-bomb to follow it. So Happy Mama's Day, Mama.

Here's a little video just for this day.

41 and counting

Read the rest of Eeyore's birthday story.



I'm not a big birthday person. I never have been. But I figure I may as well post something about it. I'm 41 as of today. A young 41. A very immature 41 at times. But still 41.
I'm OK with it until I think about it this way -- when my dad was 41, I turned 18. .... Holy shit.
I can't even imagine having an 18-year-old kid at this point in my life putting me through what I put my parents through. I couldn't do it. I'd be strangling the kid. Pops probably felt like doing that to me a couple of times. Once in particular that I can remember. But he never did.
Hell, Mama probably felt like doing it herself a few times. Especially the day they came back from a trip to North Carolina and walked into the house -- without any warning -- to see me with a Mohawk haircut. She looked at me, put her head down and walked on past. But she didn't yell or cuss or call me a frickin' idiot. At least not to my face. She didn't hug me at the moment either, but ....
Anyhow.


Here are a couple of pictures from past birthdays to share. This first one is from when I turned 5. That's me in the center behind the cake. The two things I want to know about this picture are 1) what in the hell is Laura G. (the red-headed girl in the front to the left) wearing and 2) is that blonde-haired girl to the right Cindy, Jan or Marsha Brady?


In this picture, I'm turning 6 and celebrating by declaring it wide white belt day. What the hell is that thing and why do my friend David and I both have one on?

Something funny for your Friday

If you've ever seen David Blaine, you'll understand this...

Rest in peace, Petey

Petey, one of Stephen and Susan's two dogs, passed away yesterday after a long illness. Petey was a great dog and was well loved by Stephen, Susan, Trevor, Emily and their other dog, Chelsea.

Thursday Thing-along

Here's Ellen's version

Balancing act

We now have these four big flat screens hanging in the middle of our newsroom. They are supposed to be showing our Web site -- for the most part -- to remind us to be vigilant about keeping it updated and fresh. Dave has been working on the system trying to get them to refresh automatically, etc. When he's doing it, he is directly behind me standing on this ladder. I'm glad he's got good balance, although I do wonder if he keeps his stash hidden up there and he's just having a party.

Way Back When-sday

Stephen and I are sitting in tubs filled with water. I love the way I somehow squeezed my ass, feet and hands into that tub. I'm not sure why we were doing that or what the tubs of water were doing there. Seeing the grill in the background, the water may have been for Pops to throw on the grill during one of the flame-ups he's famous for having happen to him when he stepped inside for "just a second."

Naked people make me smile ;-)

Around 18,000 people stripped to their naked nakedness and posed in Mexico City's main plaza to be photographed by American artist Spencer Tunick on Sunday. Tunick is known for shooting crowds of nudes. Tunick's previous record of 7,000 nudes was set in Barcelona, Spain, in 2003.

I'm not sure if I could do it. Maybe if I was a bit drunk like this guy ....

Here's how the L.A. Times covered it.
Here's the Web site for Tunick's HBO documentary -- Naked World.
More images from Spencer Tunick shoots.

Not really a Spencer Tunick photo shoot, but this is funny.

In the front yard ...

This bird was hanging around in a bush in the front yard. Its nest is built in the wisteria at the crook of a downspout and each year it gets rebuilt. There are babies tweeting away in it now. I think it's a female house finch, but I don't know that much about birds. I'll try to get video of the babies soon.

Must be in the front row

A former co-worker who is now a sports editor at the Baltimore Sun was spotted on TV sitting with his wife behind home plate at a Baltimore Orioles game.

Toby shows off

Toby the Jack Russell likes to pretend he's a much bigger dog than he is. He especially likes barking ferociously at other dogs as they pass by the house. He's really just a lovable sweetheart and probably only wants to sniff some dog butt.

Something funny for your Friday

WARNING: Adult content and language -- but hey, there's no nudity.

Thursday Thing-along

Sorry about this....



Listen twice and you'll find yourself singing it throughout the day.

Way back When-sday

These pictures are from the same day -- Sept. 10, 1972 -- during a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The main one at top is of Stephen (top), Russell and me sitting on the base of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. The lighthouse is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. In 1999, the lighthouse was moved 2,870 feet inland to protect it from ongoing beach erosion.

In the picture of us standing by our Ford Country Squire station wagon, we are leaving Hatteras and taking the ferry to Ocracoke Island. I know it sounds strange, but almost 35 years later, I can still remember what the ferry deck felt like beneath my bare feet. Our car with the faux wood trim and luggage carrier on top is like something out of National Lampoon's Vacation.