This photo is of (from left) me, Stephen and Russell playing with some plastic cowboy figures on the floor of a motel room in Nags Head, N.C., in 1972. I was 6, Stephen had just turned 4 and Russell was 2. That may be the top of Brandon's head in the bed at right, but I'm not sure. He was just over 2-months-old at the time. We were on a vacation at the beach, This must have been taken shortly after bath time. The Cowboy figures often came with American Indian counterparts that were red. I'm not so certain pitching that idea to a toy company would go over today.
Stephen puts down flooring for a living -- carpet, wood, vinyl, tile -- but the tongue and groove flooring he does is usually not outdoors. But since my house was built in 1849, there are specific design and building issues that need to be followed .... including the way the front porch flooring was done. Staying with tongue and groove was historically correct for the house.
The previous homeowner had used pine boards and did not prime them .... that's why it cupped and did not last that long. The wood we are using this time is fir and we put primer on all sides. That should make it last a lot longer.
And one tiny little thing I forgot to mention ... It was effing hot Saturday. [Click on pic at right to read how hot.] It was so hot, this work really shouldn't have been done on that day. I don't know how Stephen did it. I cramped up when I went in to work later in the day and my body temp was way above what it should have been. After finishing the work on the porch, it was one of the first times I took a cold shower because I really wanted to take a cold shower.
When the porch is completely finished, I'll put up before and after pictures.
I loved Hillary's speech ... Go to the link below to watch it. It's 30 minutes but if you missed it, it's worth watching. I'll refrain from any other political statements on it beyond the fact that it was a great speech ...
Here's a video of a little office fun using a remote-controlled Fart Machine hidden beneath the seat of Sara, one of our page designers and graphic artists. The fart sound is a little tough to hear on the video because of the camera placement.
I'll post more details about how this was done later. For now, I need some sleep.
It's supposed to be 90+ degrees by the end of the weekend here. Seeing the forecast made me long for the days of backyard pools. This is me in 1968 in our backyard in Grifton, N.C. I'm the one to the left looking at the camera. The others are friends from the neighborhood.
I let my niece Emily use one of my camera's last weekend while we were at Russell and Wendy's house. This is one of the movies Emily made. I'll post some of the pictures she took soon. I need to upload them to flickr first.
This is my Uncle Tony, Mama's brother. She would want me to say he is her older brother. This is one of his favorite picture-taking poses. Camera came out, middle finger went up. Check out the sideburns.
This photo was probably taken in the late 70s or early 80s at Uncle Tony's house. He and Aunt Barbara still live in Roxboro, N.C., the town he and Mama and Daddy grew up in. He was a teacher and educator for years and years ... and in many ways, still is.
I mounted my camera to the bikes and a scooter while some of my nieces and a nephew rode around in front of Russell and Wendy's house this weekend. They talked some and sang, unfortunately the wind noise and a rattling sound drowned their voices out. So I just put music over it instead.
At right is a picture of Emily (from left), Trevor and Autumn. The picture was taken through a mailbox. Later in the day I let Emily use one of my cameras for a while. I'll upload some of the pictures and videos she took soon and share those with you.
So I tested my "grill rebuild job" a bit more today by cooking some ribs..... I wasn't a big fan of country music when I was younger, but it's grown on me as I got older and the genre has become a part of my very eclectic music selection. I guess country was also in my genes since Mama is a big country music fan. The song on this video is George Strait's "I Hate Everything."
And in the sad but true category, this video also came up in the search for the above video of Fat Bastard doing his Baby Back Ribs bit ... You'll need to be an over 18 YouTube member to see it. I'm feeling a bit queezy right now ...
I rebuilt my grill today (installed three new stainless steel burners) and these wings were the first thing to get cooked. I think I'll go out tonight and get some ribs to cook tomorrow.
I just got the grill last year and the burners shouldn't have gone bad that fast. Two out of the three of them went bad (split). But I didn't feel like dealing with the almighty warranty wait, so ... Yeah, I'm the kind of customer they must love.
This is a picture of my youngest brother, Brandon, when he worked as a chef at a hotel in Williamsport, Pa. Brandon is the tall skinny one in the middle. He's still tall.
While at Russell and Wendy's house on Sunday, Trevor decided it was warm enough to go swimming.
He may have thought so, but the pool water was still pretty chilly. Check out his reaction... and the reaction of my niece Autumn as she cheered him on. It's less than a minute in length if you're strapped for time.
This reminded me of the Seinfeld episode about shrinkage and swimming pools. It's probably the only Seinfeld episode I remember since I didn't watch it that often. Here's the first shrinkage clip. Here's the second clip.
I saw these horses and some of their young on my way back from Russell and Wendy's house Sunday. There are a lot of horse farms around the town. These photos are of horses on Winbak Farm. Click on the photo to go to a page where you can see each photo on its own by clicking on the names.
It's garden tour and car show day in Chesapeake City. From 11 this morning until four in the afternoon, people are free to walk around the gardens and yards of participating homes in town.
There are also antique and classic cars on display. I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to take pictures of them before I leave for work, but maybe I'll do a video drive-by.
UPDATE:[1:17 a.m. 5/18/08] Here's a video drive-by. It's pretty bad -- I wasn't holding the camera very steady and was paying more attention to all the activity around the truck so I didn't hit anyone -- but it gives you an idea of the town.
My effort continues. I was up early enough again to mow the yard before work. I also had a chance to mess around with Toby in the yard some. He wanted me to light a fire in the fire pit -- he's somewhat of a pyro -- but I didn't have time.
I did have time to have coffee, take some pictures, blog and watch news about the earthquake in China and the continuing trouble in Myanmar following the cyclone. I can't even imagine what it must be like in those countries right now.
This picture is from 1968 and was taken at Mammy and Granddaddy's house in Roxboro, N.C. Stephen is wearing his sailor suit -- he was such a little Village People wannabe -- I'm in a striped shirt and possibly a pair of Buster Brown shoes and Mama is wearing her "I just woke up from a nap and my hair is all messed up but I'm still going to smile for the camera" look.
My nephew Trevor just got an electric guitar and is learning how to play it. He's had one lesson so far. While I was up at Mama and Daddy's for Mama's Day, Trevor had set his guitar and amp up in the basement -- right in the midst of Mama's reorganization pile.
Mama keeps threatening just to throw everything away if her sons don't come get it, but that won't happen. She goes down in the basement to start sorting and always ends up looking through everything, reading old cards, remembering what this or that was from, and then saving it all again.
Anyway, back to Trevor and his guitar. So Trevor comes up with the bright idea of pretending to play a song while I make a video of him doing it. Then I'm supposed to become his co-conspirator in fraud by dubbing music over his fake playing of the song. Milli Vanilli ruined the music biz.
So here's Trevor and his new guitar ....
Trevor told me he will have a band and they will be playing songs within two years. He was emphatic about the time. He said he knows the other people he's going to have in his band. They just don't have instruments yet.
Oh to be young again and full of dreams.
Dreams
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. – by Langston Hughes
I spent part of the day up at Mama and Daddy's house. Pop cooked steaks on the grill and Mama made potatoes, asparagus, pea salad and a cake. Stephen (one of my brothers) and his two kids were there as well as Wendy (Russell's wife) and their daughter, Autumn. It was a good time.
Mama put on the apron at right for a short while. Pops looked at her and said he liked her sliced tomatoes.
I don't love them in a way that I want them crawling on me or in my house, but I sure like to watch how industrious they are. In the middle of the video, you even see one ant carry out another ant and move him way over to the side. I don't know if the other one was hurt or dying, but it must have been impeding progress on the hole in some way.
It's prom time and more limos are around than usual. Living in a town with a couple of destination restaurants in it, limos are not an unusual sight ... But this time of year, things really pick up between the weddings and proms.
For my senior prom, my parents rented my date and me a Buick Electra Park Avenue with a moon roof. We were styling -- despite my pink bow tie and cummerbund. The picture above was taken by her parents when I arrived to pick her up.
The prom was at the Hotel du Pont's Gold Ballroom, a little too fancy for my taste. But I guess it's supposed to be one of those memorable events in life. But to be honest, I don't remember much about the prom itself.
UPDATE: Check out these old prom photos from the St. Pete Times.
I put my camera down on the front porch Sunday and left it on record. Catty-corner from the house is a funeral home with a small parking lot. These two kids were using it to practice skateboarding. This is 25 minutes sped up and edited to just over 3 minutes. It's worth it just to listen to the song.
You know what's really odd ..... Even after watching all the antics and tricks of guys like Tony Hawk and Bam Margera over the past few years, I could still sit here and watch three minutes of these two guys doing basically nothing.
I have been stuck in a major rut for a while, part of which includes staying up until the sun rises and then trying to sleep a few hours before getting up for work. That rut has kept me in not the best of moods. So I've decided to try to break out of that routine and make some changes.
Today, I woke before 9, mowed the grass, trimmed the edges of the flowerbeds and sidewalks and took some pictures. I also drank my coffee, did some e-mailing, watched some CNN and am now leaving a blog post. All before going to work. Life is what you make of it, right?
This photo is from Stephen's second birthday -- Sept. 6, 1969. Stephen is at the right side of the photo in the chair. I'm across from him in the wooden chair. The other people are listed on the back of the photo (at right).
In the picture, we are all playing with Play-Doh. Back then, Play-Doh was all the rage. When the tops of the containers came off and the aroma hit the air ... ahhhhh. Nothing smelled like real Play-Doh.
In the picture at top, Brandon shows off his quick-draw while wearing his "six shooter" and holster. The picture is from 1977 and Brandon would have been around 5-years-old when it was taken. He loved wearing his cowboy outfit. I've seen five or six pictures where he had a similar cowboy-type outfit on, including the one at right. I think the guns were cap guns. Did anyone else have those? Remember using a rock to bang on the roll of caps to make the whole roll fire at once? Here's a great site to buy cap guns and other cowboy toys.
At top is a picture of Mama opening up presents at one of her birthday parties. I'm not sure if this puppy was a present or if it just decided to jump up with her at this moment. At right is a picture of Mama with all the guests at the party. Mama is the one a little to the left of center in the group. Her dress has the dark straps and dark border on the top of it. As always, you can click on the pictures and they will open up bigger in a new window.
As for the lyrics, they are up to interpretation and depend on whether you are listening to the censored or uncensored version of the song. A Google search found these.
These pictures are from the year Pops entered the Miss Gizzard Shad beauty contest. It was probably around 1979 or so. The contest featured men dressed as women and was a fundraiser during the Shad Festival in our hometown of Grifton, N.C. In the top picture Brandon (seated) doesn't quite know what to make of his cross-dressing dad while Russell is just rolling with the punches and trying to take Pops glasses out of his hand before he breaks them (notice the liquid courage in the other hand). In the picture at right, Pops is getting dressed before the contest and has obviously forgotten that those aren't real.
Pops did a strip tease for his talent. It was good enough to earn him the runner up title and a trophy. Considering the looks of some of his competition (at left), I'm not sure runner up is really that good of a thing. ... I checked out the schedule for this year's Shad Festival -- it's next week -- and couldn't find the Miss Gizzard Shad contest on it this year. I wonder if it fell victim to more politically correct times.
This is another piece of video from the trip my brothers, dad and I took to North Carolina. In this one, Pops can't get his seat belt to stop locking up on him. Brandon tries to help him get it situated. Although this is less than two minutes, the process and discussion about why Pops was having so much trouble with his seat belt took at least the first half hour to hour of our trip.
There are more posts to come about the trip and our reason for going – the passing of our Uncle Larry – I just wanted to give everyone a little time to deal with things in their own way first.
Thanks for sending me the link to this video, Uncle Tony. I agree with one of the YouTube commenters ... I like Emmylou Harris, but you don't really even need her as the backing vocal in this. Iris' voice is special enough.
The date on the photo says July 1955. There is nothing written on the back of it, but I think this is a photo of (from left in white bathing suit) Aunt Goldie, Mammy, Mama, and Aunt Betty. It's probably a North Carolina Beach but could be Virginia Beach. Mammy was being a bit risque with the strapless bathing suit. Who would've guessed ...
My rash came back with a vengeance. Almost my entire body is covered in a red, itchy sandpaper-like rash. The good news is that it wasn't the oozing mess on my face again. The doctor today said he thinks it's still an allergic reaction to the antibiotics and that the steroid I was on to fix that wasn't a long enough course of it. So he put me on a 10-day run on steroids. He said it should be better in a day or two and if not markedly better by Friday, then it's something else. Although he's pretty sure it is a reaction to the antibiotics, he did say it is possible it's a reaction to something else -- a detergent, a soap, a food. All I know is that it has been driving me crazy. I can't sleep because the itching is so bad at night. I resorted to drinking Nyquil to try to fall asleep a couple of nights. I'm miserable most of the time from the lack of sleep and the itching and stinging. And the stress of life in general just makes the reaction all that much worse. So I'm supposed to take these steroids, find ways to keep stress down and look for possible other things in my daily life that it could be I'm allergic to if it isn't a reaction to the drug.
In related news ... I've now been to see a doctor three times in the past month. That's more trips to a doctor in a month for me than in the past 15 years.
On Easter Sunday -- after taking a drive to the liquor store before it closed -- I decided to swing by Russell and Wendy's house since Stephen and the kids were there visiting. I never actually made it to their house. While pulling into their neighborhood, I came across Russell at the community park getting ready to trim up the plants in the flower bed. Actually, he was standing there with a rake waiting for Wendy and Stephen to walk over. So I stayed and helped a little -- and filmed a little -- including driving them out to the entrance in my truck to do that flower bed.
Since Mama and Pops decided to take off to Las Vegas for a week and didn't invite me, I checked my stockpile for a picture of them together having fun. This is what I came up with. This is from the late 70s, I believe, at the beach in North Carolina. Pops is showing off his almost naturally hairless chest -- except the five around each nipple -- and Mama is sporting her "come and give Mama some sugar" kissy lips. If Pops was just a tad bit whiter, you wouldn't be able to tell where his skin ended and the shorts started.
That should teach you guys about going to Vegas and not inviting me -- especially when Way Back When-sday is involved.
P.S. Pops called Monday night and Mama scored a pair of Elton John tickets from their casino host. Must be nice. Jealousy is rearing its ugly head.
This photo was with a bunch of photos I brought from Mama and Daddy's house. The trouble is, I don't know who the person in the photo is. I do know the photo scares me for some reason and I'm not really sure why. Maybe Mama, Pops or Uncle Tony will see it and can leave something in the comments saying more about this photo and the woman. Until then, let's have some fun with it -- let's do a caption contest. Write the best caption for the photo and you win a prize. Not sure what the prize will be yet.
This is a video from a drive my dad, brothers and I took together to North Carolina. This is only a scene video set to music -- FM by Steely Dan. I'll be posting more videos and photos from the trip soon. ON A PERSONAL NOTE: One final thank you among all the goodbyes and tears this week ... Uncle Larry.... Your passing and our trip to say goodbye brought our family together in a way it hasn't been in quite a while. Thank you and God bless.
The pictures at right from the mid-80s show why my parents never had a garage they could use for their cars. The garage was always full of motorcycles, ATVs and old cars being worked on -- sort of. Between all the bits and pieces of guy stuff collected by four sons, there wasn't any room to put anything else in there.
In the picture at top, my youngest brother rides a wheelie on the sidewalk. By the way. The three-wheeled style ATV in the top right photo is now pretty much obsolete. Too dangerous, they say.
While I've been dealing with this oozing, swelling, itching rash thing, my brother Russell sent me some sympathy pictures he took of himself with their iMac. Little did he know I'd use his attempt to make fun of my odd appearance to wish him a happy birthday. The other ones are even better.
Grandma (shown holding Pops) was born on Leap Day -- Feb. 29, 1916. Although she died Jan. 12, 2006, I'm sure she's still celebrating her 23rd birthday today up in heaven. She's probably sitting in a comfy chair with her feet up, tissues at the ready, and Bible at her side as she listens to the likes of Jimmy Swaggart and other evangelists on her radio. Grandma loved a good televangelist -- faults and all.
These are two of my mom's friends -- Connie (left) and Lynette -- sunning themselves in the backyard back in 1967 in Grifton, N.C. Knowing Aunt Connie (that's what my brothers and I called her) that wasn't plain lemonade in the pitcher. Aunt Connie passed away a number of years ago at a far too young of an age. She was a hoot and a half. If you ask any of my brothers about her, they'll tell you she sure could tell a mean ghost story.
This picture is from September 1970 and is of me (from left), Russell and Stephen in a pile of pine straw. The house we grew up in in Grifton, N.C., had all pine trees in the yard. We never had to rake leaves until we moved north, but we had plenty of pine needles to rake and pine cones to pick up. Pine straw is not as fun to play in as a pile of leaves -- they're called pine needles for a reason. They stick you.
These pictures are from one of my Papa's golfing trips to the mountains of North Carolina. Papa is the one on the far right in the top picture and is holding the guitar in the picture at right. Papa died of skin cancer when we were all pretty young. He was an avid golfer and played without a hat most of the time. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not.
I love these pictures for their sheer guyness, if there is such a word. The elements of boys weekend away are all there .... Old Milwaukee beer, cigarettes, a cabin, music, golfing and friends. Too often, people today find they don't have as much time for such getaways. And with our newfound chains of cellphones and laptops, the office often follows us to even the most faraway places we can find.
This is a picture of our parents' driveway sometime in the mid-to-late 80s. Most of the cars that would normally be there aren't even in the picture. That's my 76 Monte Carlo up on ramps. I used to spread a thin layer of motor oil on the paint to make it look like it wasn't cracked. I even had one of the wheels shoot off the car one time and pass me on the right as it bounded across a field.
The motorcycles are Stephen's. Stephen was always rebuilding some car or another and cranking up engines with open headers so he could set the timing. I'm sure some folks thought our parents were running a used car lot or mechanic's shop out of the house.
I was cute when I was little -- but those days are long gone. I'm married to a beautiful woman named Natalie with a Jack Russell and two cats.... No kids yet... I couldn't have asked for a better family or a better life growing up. You can learn more about me the hard way -- by reading my blog.
Bow Wow Meow: Natalie takes a crack at blogging to give you her take on life.
Parra Grafs: A somewhat disturbing peek into one man's life
Mara's Whole Lots o' Nothin': I love dancing, singing karaoke, merlots, margaritas, m&m's, and medium-rare ribeyes. And especially that guy named Brent.
Mierzwa Moments: Formerly known as Kathleen's Wacky Life ... Kathleen is newly married and she and Shaun share their new life together through this blog.
Royal Mom: Zoe in Oregon offers up some great photos and some interesting posts on her site
Our Life in Idaho: Kim and Victoria share their life -- and the life of their family -- through tales and pictures of living and gardening in Idaho.
Oyster Girl: A woman shares her unadulterated love of all things oyster.
This photo is of (from left) me, Stephen and Russell playing with some plastic cowboy figures on the floor of a motel room in Nags Head, N.C., in 1972. I was 6, Stephen had just turned 4 and Russell was 2. That may be the top of Brandon's head in the bed at right, but I'm not sure. He was just over 2-months-old at the time. We were on a vacation at the beach, This must have been taken shortly after bath time. The Cowboy figures often came with American Indian counterparts that were red. I'm not so certain pitching that idea to a toy company would go over today.
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