Thursday Thing-along

Here's one you may not have heard in a while ...
And for some of you, probably never heard ...

Way Back When-sday

Russell and Stephen (standing directly under the water) play in the rain during a heavy shower in the mid to late 1970s. This photo was taken at our Uncle Tony's and Aunt Barbara's home in Roxboro, N.C., when they were adding on a family room. The water was pouring off the corner of the then gutterless roof of what I think was a carport before it was turned into part of the house.

That looks so refreshing. ... Somehow I think Stephen would still do the same thing today.

I hear laughter in the rain.....

We've been having some wicked thunderstorms over the past couple of days. I shot this Tuesday night/Wednesday morning while driving home from work.

And yes... Neil Sedaka rocks....

Thursday Thing-along

If you were alive in the early 80's, there's no doubt you heard this a few times...





Click on the picture at right to see the lyrics and sing along.

Here's the wikipedia site for Billy Squier.

Way Back When-sday

This is one of the few photos Mama and Daddy didn't write anything on the back of for the future. So I'm guessing it's from around 1967 or 1968 and is of Granddaddy and me. Check out the giraffe on my outfit ...

I'll add more about some memories of things in this picture later. Gotta run for now.

I pledge allegiance, to the flag ...

Pops (above) went all out with his attire for July 4th. There aren't many days you can wear a shirt like that one and get away with it.

While I was searching my files for those photos, I decided to string together some extra video snippets from the afternoon of July 4th at Russell and Wendy's – one of my brothers and sister-in-law's – house. It's mainly of horseshoe tossing.

I got this e-mail today...

Dear Good Friend,

I assumed you are in good health with your family.

I am Dr. JOSEF ZAMBO, I work as the Foreign Operations Manager with the African Development Bank Group here in Burkina Faso. Although the world is very small place and hard place to meet people, but as I have developed the trust on you after my a week fasting and praying, i made up my mind to confide this confidential business suggestion to you.

There is an over due unclaimed sum of SIXTEEN MILLION U.S DOLLARS ($16,000,000.00) in my bank, belonging to one of our dead foreign customers. There were no beneficiaries stated concerning these funds. Therefore, your request as a foreigner is necessary to apply for the claim and release of the fund smoothly into your reliable bank account as the as the Foreign Business Partner to the deceased.

On the transfer of this fund in your account, you will take 35% {$5,600,000.00} as your share from the total fund and 5% {$800,000.00} will be used to set up motherless babaies and charity organistaion home in your country for the purpose of assisting the helpless to meet up with their stars and talents in the mordern world race today.

Please if you are really sure of your trustworthy, integerity, accountability and confidentiality on this deal, contact me with your profiles inclusing private telephone (Mobile) number for easy communication.

I am looking forward to read from you soonest.


Yours faithfully,


Dr. JOSEF ZAMBO
Operations Manager

Wow.

I'm so eksided bye mie exstreem luk. Can yue beleeve it? I soon will thusly be a serdified rich persun of well beeing.

Damn... it was a hoax. Who would have thunk it?

Thursday Thing-along

I was Jonesing for some Bee Gees ...

Way Back When-sday .... 38 years later

The photo at top is from October 1970 and was taken near Cherokee, N.C., and Grandfather Mountain. I'm on the left, my brother Stephen is in the middle and our friend David is on the right. We are each holding toy tomahawks made for tourists. I used this photo on a previous blog I was doing, so some of you may remember it. What is different this time is that it's been updated. A co-worker of mine went on a trip to Cherokee and brought me back two toy tomahawks that were almost identical to the ones from 38 years ago.

-------- MOVING THROUGH TIME --------

At right is a picture of Stephen (right) and me with the new tomahawks and the old picture. It looks like I haven't changed clothes in 38 years (I did that on purpose. I really don't wear only striped shirts that make me look rounder than I am.)
At bottom right is the original photo cropped to just Stephen and I paired in one picture with a current photo. As always, you can click on them to see them bigger.

Thanks for the tomahawks Rick.

It's amazing how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Here comes the fridge ...

I learned something last week.
Almost nothing sparks complaints at work more than a refrigerator. If it's not being used improperly, or stinky food being left in it, then people are using it who aren't supposed to and spills aren't being cleaned up.
But the tipping point was when the semi-new hand-me-down fridge didn't seem to be working. It would come on and the light would work, but the food would not get cold. This was discovered after we had already handed down the other refrigerator.
So after listening for about a week, I decided to get a new one for the night crew.

And the complaints will start again soon ....

Here's a previous post of Kevin cleaning out one of the old fridges.

Here's another earlier post about the work fridge.

Does your workplace have refrigerator rules?

Good night sweet dogs, good night ...

My mom sent me a link to this video.

Got this in an e-mail tonight

Got this in an e-mail from my boss.



You can click on it at the end to create your own.

'I can give you four minutes'

A different kind of thing-along

Way Back When-sday

This picture is of Pops in 1944 when he was a year old. It's sort of funny to see him with these dogs because I never thought of Pops as much of a dog person. It looks like he's about ready to grab the tail of the smaller dog and give it a good yank ... and from the look of the the bigger dog's eyes, he may have already done that to the bigger dog. That dog doesn't look happy.

I'm not sure where the photo was taken but based on the unpainted and aged wood, galvanized tubs and the sagging hinges of the screen door, I'd bet it was at one of the relatives homesteads in Virginia or North Carolina.

And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't compliment Pops on his headwear. Cute.

Fireworks

This video is around 17 and a half minutes. It's the fireworks show in Middletown, Del., as seen from Russell and Wendy's back yard. I posted the whole thing in case some of you didn't get a chance to see any fireworks.

I'll post some more photos and video from Friday night's party later.

Guilty pleasure

TLC is showing a "What Not to Wear" marathon today. I had to force myself to turn the TV off and come upstairs to get ready for the rest of my day. I don't know what it is about the show, but I can't help stopping on it if I'm flicking through the channels. And don't get me started on Bravo's "Project Runway". I know. I have issues.

The official TLC "What Not to Wear" site.

Check out the MySpace for "What Not to Wear". Includes a good Kate Nash song, "Foundations."

The original BBC's "What Not to Wear" site.

Happy Fourth of July

Thursday Thing-along

Playing some golf

I played golf today with Pops and Russell. My nephew Trevor rode along with us. Brandon was supposed to play but he broke his collar bone Sunday and is out of action.

Since Trevor has never played golf, Pops taught him how to drive a golf cart and fill divots. Trevor also got to putt some, but we didn't have any clubs short enough for him to hit any on the course we were playing. After our round, we had lunch in the clubhouse -- it was part of the green fee special -- and Trevor added up our scores.

Way Back When-sday

This Way Back When-sday photo from the late 60s of Pops and his golf clubs is also a clue to what I'm doing today. I'll post more about it later. Right now I have a tee time to make.

And down come the tents

Canal Day was Saturday but it took me until today to get the tents down. I can't party all day and then get right up and break it all down the next day like I used to be able to do. I guess that's one of the signs of getting older. Now I just need to get a bit wiser.

All-in-all, it didn't take that long to get them down. Russell and Autumn came over to help me. The video above is of the newest tent I bought. I picked it up on sale at Lowes for $149. I like it better than the ones I bought a few years back because there are no openings along the top of the sides on the new one for rain to come in. Instead, the top has an extra piece attached which hangs over the sides by about a foot to keep water from running down the top and into part of the tent. I may order the full sides for it also.

That feature came in handy when a thunderstorm hit Friday after I had set it up and started slow-cooking some of the pork shoulders and ribs (at right). Another storm hit Saturday at the end of the festivities.

Emily's Birthday

We had a birthday cake for Emily's ninth birthday during our Canal Day festivities. In the picture at top, Emily is peering beneath the arms of her dad (Stephen, at right) and her Uncle Russell as they light the candles on her Hannah Montana cake. In the picture at right, Emily is trying to lick off some of the icing she got on her elbow when it bumped the edge of the cake.