Some vacation photos....

Below is a flickr slideshow of some of the photos from the family vacation to Emerald Isle, N.C. There are more I need to download off another media card. To see the slideshow in full screen, click on the four arrow thingy in the right bottom corner.
If you want a little music to listen to while you watch the slideshow, I've put a song in a player below it ... just hit play.

To get a better look at the pictures, check them out here on my flickr account. You can click on the individual photos to see them bigger.

Did I ever mention I <3 ribs?

... and I love doing the guy thing and cooking them outside on a charcoal grill with a few beers on a weekend afternoon. There's something about the process that makes me want to make grunting noises and walk around with my knuckles dragging.

This is from a couple of weekends ago. FYI -- weekend for me means Sunday or Monday.

Reading is Fundamental

Read, write, dream ....

Thursday Thing-along

Pure Madness at their best ...

Way Back When-sday

The photo quality in this one is not that good but it's a striking photo if only for the wardrobes. This is a photo of all the Gentry brothers and the two Wiggins brothers waiting for our bus one day before school in 1978. At this point, we were all going to Grifton Elementary School, which was K-8 at that time.
Pictured is (from left) Stephen, David Wiggins, me, Brandon (in front), Billy Wiggins and Russell. Striped shirts must have been all the rage and I think my pants are folded over a good six inches to keep me from tripping over them.

Monday Night Football

Getting the wings ready for a little football watching.

Going in

Heading in to the Linc!!!!

Tailgate continues

Eagles play at 4 so the tailgate goes on ......

Urban horseshoes

.... Or hillbilly horseshoes or washers. Whatever you call it, we're
playing it right now.

Eagles game

This morning the tailgating before the Eagles/Steelers game started
with pancakes cooked on the grill.

Thursday Thing-along

I can remember this song from one of my parents' K-Tel albums. It was a perfect song for those first awkward junior high slow dances.

I wonder if kids nowadays even have those awkward slow-dance moments? Anyway, enjoy the song and sing along if you'd like. The lyrics are below....



The ballad "I Go Crazy" was featured on Paul Davis' 1977 album "Singer of Songs -- Teller of Tales." The song slowly climbed the charts, peaking at No. 7 eight months after its release, according to Billboard's Web site, and stayed in the Top 100 for 40 weeks. Davis died April 22 of this year. He was just 60-years-old.

Here are the lyrics in case you feel like crooning...

Hello girl it's been awhile
Guess you'll be glad to know
That I've learned how to laugh and smile

Getting over you was slow
They say old lovers can be good friends
But I never thought I'd really see you,
I'd really see you again

I go crazy
When I look in your eyes I still go crazy
No my heart just can't hide that old feelin' inside
Way deep down inside
Oh baby, you know when I look in your eyes I go crazy

You say he satifies your mind
Tells you all of his dreams
I know how much that means to you

I realize that I was blind
Just when I thought I was over you
I see your face and it just ain't true
No it just ain't true

I go crazy
When I look in your eyes I still go crazy
That old flame comes alive, it starts burning inside
Way deep down inside
Oh baby, you know when I look in your eyes I go crazy

Oooh, Oh Oooh, Oh
I go crazy
You know when I look in your eyes I go crazy
No my heart just can't hide that old feelin' inside
Way deep down inside
I go crazy

Way Back When-sday

This is a picture of Aunt Betsy -- Mama's cousin -- that was taken around 1962 or so, I'm guessing. Aunt Betsy, who now lives in Georgia, is visiting my parents now in Delaware. I wish I had a picture of her daughter to post so I could show you how much they would look alike. Maybe Mama or Aunt Betsy can e-mail me one.

Parker the kitty

This kittycat likes to make herself at home on my chest and stomach.

If the birds and the bees can do it ...

... so can these things. At least I guess that's what is going on here. I'm afraid to look too close at it. When I took the picture I just thought it was one strange looking bug.

Still a somber day ...

Click here for photo source.

Below is a player containing the Fire Department of New York's radio dispatches from the morning and early afternoon of 9/11. They are haunting ....



For a better way of understanding the dispatches, here's a link to the N.Y. Times version of some of the recordings with transcripts. It's powerful stuff.

Quick clip from vacation

This is a short video from vacation.




I still have not gotten around to all the photos and other video, but I will soon ...

Thursday Thing-along

Darius Rucker (Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish) has a country hit ...

Way Back When-sday

This photo of Granddaddy holding me is from June 1966. I was 3 weeks old at the time. Not having any kids, I still find myself amazed at how tiny babies can be. I was struck in this picture by my foot and toes as compared to Granddaddy's hands and fingers.

And it's Monday Night Football

So I had to add some burgers :-)

Mmmmmm

Looking good.

Chicken is on

Just put the chicken on the grill. Results to follow.

Charcoal grill

I bought a charcoal grill after years of using only gas. I still have
the gas grill for quick cooking, but this charcoal makes for some
delicious food. I'm getting ready to do some chicken on it now.

Strange but true

This just moved over the Associated Press wire ...

Man in wheelchair robs 7-Eleven of condoms
DALLAS — A robber who rolled into a Dallas convenience store came armed with a bat and a knife. He left with a lot of condoms and an energy drink.
Dallas police Cpl. Kevin Janse said Friday that a man in a wheelchair entered a Dallas 7-Eleven Wednesday afternoon, rolled straight toward the cash register and beat it with a baseball bat until it opened.
But he didn’t grab any cash. Instead, police say he stole 10 boxes of condoms and an energy drink before making his getaway Wednesday afternoon.
Janse says the suspect may have been homeless and was likely intoxicated at the time of the robbery.
———
Information from: The Dallas Morning News, www.dallasnews.com

Thursday Thing-along

I'm digging me some Duffy ....

Like what you hear? Want to get a Duffy mp3 of the song Warwick Avenue?
Click here to download. Hurry while the link is still active.

Here's the original post with Duffy pictures at The Music Slut.

Way Back When-sday ... on Thursday

Sorry for the delay .....




This is a picture of Pops from March 1971. As the back of the picture says, it is a picture of Pops "sporting his new mustache."

Maybe he needed the mustache to look older so he could buy beer and get into the drive-in to see the X-rated movies. I don't really know why he grew it. But no matter why he did it, the newly mustachioed Pops looks kind of insanely creepy in this photo.

Here are some other funny and creepy mustaches.