The Last Big Adventure

Mini Blizzard in Guntersville, Alabama

2011-02-05T17:38:00.010-06:00

Before I get into the snow story I thought I would show you a photo of Brynne and her 80 pound lap dog (Buddy) when she was here last.

On February 3rd the weather people called for a possibility of some light snow. They really blew it as we had a mini Blizzard and it dumped 3 to 4 inches of snow in just a few hours. Buddy and Max seemed to enjoy it. Here is a photo:

They also had fun playing and here is a short video:

Dogs - Snow - Milk Container

It's all melted now.

Comments Welcome!

BYE.

Snow Storm

2011-01-10T18:40:00.003-06:00

Sunday evening Alabama got hit with a major snow storm. When I woke up Monday AM there was 6 inches on the ground and some places got as much as 12 inches. The entire County shut down and all roads were closed.

The dogs actually seemed to enjoy the snow.

Here is a short video to watch.

By noon it was 32 degrees and the snow on the road was getting slushy but it would freeze tonight and then would be ice. I needed to pick up some prescriptions so I headed out around 2 pm. On the way the Durango did a 90 degree fishtail but due to my experience with driving up north, I easily made the appropriate correction and got her going straight again. The only snow plow I saw on a major 4-lane highway was some guy in a farm tractor with a bucket on the front trying to clear the road. These folks just aren't prepared for this kind of weather.

The drive-up window at the pharmacy was the only thing open in town, so I got my Meds and went back home.

I sure hope things are cleared up by Wednesday.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T08:41:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T08:31:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to All.

December is Here

2010-12-05T14:36:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe we are already in December. I am really on top of it this year. I have 95% of my Christmas shopping done already and many gifts are on the way to my family.

I was in Target yesterday (Saturday) and purchased gifts, animal treats, etc. I checked out and went to the car. As I was loading the car I noticed several items were in the cart under the child seat and they were not it bags. I looked at my receipt and realized I must not have seen the items and did not put them on the counter and the check out girl did not notice them either. Wow, I got about $20 worth of stuff free. Whoopee!

I got in the car to leave and then I thought for a moment. Along time ago I made a commitment to myself that I would try to be the best person I could be. One of those commitments was to be truthful and honest. I thought for another moment and decided to take the items back in the store and pay for them. The check out girl was very surprised that I came back in to pay for them. She said most people would not have done that and she was very happy that I did. She said that it "made her day". It made my day too and I felt very good about doing the right thing. I'm not a perfect person but every little bit counts.

I went to a Coast Guard Christmas party Saturday evening and had a great time. If anyone knows about the party from last year, I got stuck with a goofy nutcracker. It has been going back and forth every year and I was able to get rid of it this year. It was very funny how I disguised the box and everyone had a great laugh.

Today one of my Coast Guard friends called me and they woke up to their house on fire. There was a fireplace chimney fire and major damage. I went over to video tape it so he could have a record for the insurance company. A lot of personal items such as photo albums, video tapes and family heirlooms were destroyed. It was very sad.

Everyone enjoy the fun of shopping for and receiving gifts this Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Our Federal Government at Work!

2010-11-14T09:42:00.005-06:00

I don't like to talk "Politics" but I need to voice my opinion.

I remember hearing many-many times about people who make less than $250K will not see any tax increases. Well the first thing that happened in 2008 with the new Administratrion and Congress was a $1.00 tax added on each pack of cigarettes. Hey, wait a minute, I don't earn over $250K!

I know; you say, well then just quit smoking. I can't because I would feel guilty not wanting to help the "Children" as that is what this tax money supports, according to the Administration.

I always buy my cigarettes via the Internet from the Senca Indian Nation, therefore supporting the American Indians that were originally screwed by the US government. The cigarettes are sent to me via the US Postal Service. Recently the Administration and Congress passed a bill to stop all cigarettes from being sent via the US postal service. The reason again is to Save the Children. That is to say, to prevent minors from buying cigarettes. I guess they don't know how difficult it is to set up an account to buy cigarettes on line to prove your age. It takes about 2-weeks for the process.

My research shows that cigarettes sent in the mail provides $30-$40 million dollars to the US Postal Service. The Postal Service just reported last year they were in the hole by $8.5 billion dollars even after eliminating over 105,000 jobs. Now I know $40 million is a drop in the bucket compared to 8.5 billion but does it make any sense to "bite the hand that is feeding you"??

This effectively is another new tax for me!

Even if I didn't smoke I am seeing hidden taxes popping up all of the time. For example, after the massive health care bill passed, my heath insurance cost went up considerably and my co-pay doubled. I also notice new taxes appearing on my utility and other bills.

The current Administration and Congress also want to end the Bush Tax reduction. If they do that, our taxes will increase in January 2011. Sounds like another tax increase to me and I still don't make over $250K!

Now if my salary was like the Speaker of the House (Approx. $224K) or Congress (Approx. $170K) plus a great health and retirement plan, then maybe I wouldn't be complaining so much.

I sure hope the new January 2011 Congress takes another word that I heard many times (CHANGE) and does something about this out of control Government!

It's November

2010-11-07T08:23:00.002-06:00

Nothing new to report.

A Video Post Today

2010-10-23T19:17:00.001-05:00

Today, this post is more about videos but first a recap from my previous "Hamburger Event" Blog post.

I made a complaint on the Krystal Website and gave them my Order number. Last week I got a call from the owner of the Krystal's in Troy, AL where the poor service took place. He told me they looked at their video archive and saw me on that day and the situation I experienced. He was very apologetic and told me they were sending a training team in and getting rid of a few "Slackers". He is also sending me some free coupons for some burgers. Maybe I will finally get to try their Double-Bacon Cheeseburger!

My Range/Stove went belly up so I got a new one from Lowe's. I like the one I had in my new home in Tally so I got the same kind. Here are a couple of photos.

Last week I had to demo my software online to a group of engineers in Costa Rica. They all spoke Spanish so I had to learn some Spanish pretty fast. Here is a clip of me at the beginning of the demo. In the future, I may have to fly there to do some on-site training.

Turn up the volume to hear it.

On another note, the Kittens have now become part of the "Pack". I gave the dogs and kittens a "licky plate" to share. Most dogs are very possessive about their food but Buddy and Max seem to be OK sharing with the kittens.

The next video is a tour of the RV which I'm sure everyone saw on the Buck's Pocket video. I'm putting it here so Debbie can review it as I am planning a trip in November for a visit and she wants to see the interior again in case she wants to visit the campsite and possibly stay overnight in the RV.

That's All Folks.

THE HAMBURGER

2010-10-10T15:05:00.002-05:00

I usually don't eat fast foods but when I travel I enjoy a burger on the road. Last week I went to Panama City Beach to visit family. I like to stop at Hardy's because their burgers are very good. I couldn't find one so I thought I would try a Krystal burger in Troy, Alabama.

There was no one at the counter and only two people in the back. There were two other employees in the dining room chit-chatting and one outside smoking. I assumed they were on break. Finally after 8 or 9 minutes someone from the back came out and took my order. I ordered a double bacon cheese burger. The counter person disappeared again and I saw my order come up to be bagged. Another 5 or 6 minutes went by and I finally flagged the drive up person to get my order. What an ordeal.

When I got back to my RV to eat it, I found it was just a plain hamburger. The order was wrong and I was so mad but I didn't want to go back in so I just ate it. Krystal HQ will hear about this one!

On the way back from Florida I again wanted a Hardy's burger but again could not find one easily accessible with my 31 foot RV. I saw a Burger King on my side of the road, and I did like the Whopper so I stopped there. When I got to the counter they told me their grill was down and they could only offer two types of Chicken sandwiches. Jeez, I just want a burger!!! Not wanting to stop again I got a chicken sandwich.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I saw a Hardy's next Door. Man, I just can't WIN! What's a guy got to do to get a decent hamburger?

I better start marking the Hardy's with my GPS unit so I can find them the next time.

FOOT NOTE: When I was in Florida I had a fantastic burger and the best fries I ever had at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I wish there was one of them around here.

Kitty Laser Tag

2010-09-26T19:13:00.001-05:00

Been busy this weekend getting ready for FL trip next week. I had to clean the HVAC pump filter on Lights Out again as it was clogged up and the AC kept blowing breakers. I also washed her and since there was no wind, decided to take her out for a little run as she hadn't been out of the dock since April.

Did some stuff on RV to get it ready for trip as well.

Here are a few photos of Dakota sneaking up on Buddy.

Now speaking of Kitty Laser Tag, I have been playing with the kittens with a laser light. Max also chases it but Buddy figured it out the first time and ignores it. I took a video and toward the end I replayed some of the sequences in slow motion. It really shows how agile cats are and how they always land on their feet. Click the link below.

Kitty Laser Tag

That's about it for now.

September 19 and Still HOT

2010-09-19T15:15:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is still hot. Had one cooling off period on Labor Day weekend but it has been hot ever since then. Come on Fall, please arrive.

Not much going on since my last post but this weekend my primary project was to redo the dog confinement area in the camper. I have been using a stretchy cord thing that came with the camper to keep someone from rolling out of the bunk bed. It was always involved and it took me 10 to 15 minutes each time to set it up or put it down to let the dogs in or out of the bunk area.

I decided to take one of my dog kennels apart and use the door and some other parts so I could simply open and close a door for the dogs. I thought it would be simple to do but I had to engineer things as I went. After a couple runs to the local hardware store I finally got it assembled. Here are a couple of pictures.

This should make life a lot simpler when I go camping. Next is to figure out how to make an area for the kittens in the upper bunk. I have a carrier but I need an area where they can be confined but still have room to move around and play.

In just two more weeks I will be going camping in Florida and meeting up with Pamella and family, Phillip, Andrew and Brynne for a couple of days camping at St Andrews State Park in Panama City. When the children were young, we used to do a lot of camping there. It will be kind of a Camping Family Reunion. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

The End.

Back On Line

2010-09-12T13:39:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone. I had my blog turned off for a while for several reasons. Primarily it was the crummy editor and difficult to edit, especially with photos so I was looking into other methods to share my experiences.. The other reason was to get an idea of who actually reads the blog.

A few family members did notice the blog was down so that was sort of good news. The point of the blog is to share my experiences with my family and to keep them informed of my activities. So I am going to try it again, especially since the blog has a better editor.

Yesterday I lost power for a few hours as a storm blew through and knocked down some trees in the neighborhood.

I spent Labor Day weekend at Monte Sano State Park. It was a test run for going to Florida in October with the Dogs and Kittens. It was the first camping trip for the kittens and they did very well. Here is a photo of me and the dogs in my "Toy" car. I got out at one spot and a lady couldn't believe I had the dogs in such a little car. I told her it was my "Clown" car. If you have ever been to a circus, you know what I mean.

I have posted two new videos on YouTube and they are listed on the right hand video panel. Click on them to view. To get a larger image (HD full Screen) go to YouTube by clicking the following links.

Sunrise:

Sunrise on Monte Sano Mountain

Camping:

Camping at Monte Sano State Park

One other thing. last week I cashed in my coin can (I never carry change anymore) and just threw it in a can when I got some at a store. It was probably a year or two worth of coins and it amounted to $174.28. Wow, that was a lot of coins!

That's it for now.

Another Birthday Gone Past

2010-08-17T09:24:00.007-05:00

Birthdays at my age are basically just another day except I do enjoy hearing from my children and of course receiving gifts.

I decided on a gift from me to me as expained below.

I have been looking for some kind of transportation to have with the RV and looked at Scooters, motor bikes, etc. but I wanted to be able to take the dogs with so I could leave a campground without having to unhook the RV to go shopping or take dogs to beach etc. Also it is safer on 4-wheels with a roof over my head.

I ended up with a Hyundai Accent. it is a 3-door (hatchback) and the rear seats fold down allowing room for the dogs. It's white with black interior and there was a factory deal with $2K rebate and 4.5% financing. I went new because the used market pricing was about the same. It has a 10 year/100K mile warranty. I never thought I would buy a foreign car but I am helping Alabama as they are now built here.

It has 6 airbags so pretty safe unless a semi rolls over it. It weighs about 2500 pounds so pretty light to tow.

Most of them are automatics but I needed a manual transmission for towing with all 4 wheels on the ground. They found one at another dealer and I will pick it up Wednesday the 18th. It has an upgrade package (#3 GS) that includes anti-lock brakes, power windows, wireless key entry, AC, 3 month free XM, etc.

I'm keeping the Durango as my primary vehicle. Just going to use the Accent primarily for camping but it does have great gas mileage so may use it around here for quick trips.

Surprisingly, it has great leg/head room and very comfortable to drive.

Here are a few pictures but remember, it is white.

To find more info about the car Click Here. Play the video it has cool music!

August Heat

2010-08-08T12:13:00.014-05:00

It's been in the 100's going on two weeks now. Very hot but I'm sure it is making Al Gore very happy supporting his "Global Warming" theory.

This AM I washed Lights Out, ran the engines, walked the dogs, did some house work and showered before Noon. Going to take it easy the rest of the day.

As I was working on the boat and hearing those engines purr, I got to thinking about all of the boating trips I have made since 2006. Since the for sale market is dead right now, due to the economy, I thought I might as well keep using it rather than just letting it sit and collect spider webs.

So, I'm thinking about another trip to Chattanooga in September. I don't want to do it alone. Therefore, I am looking for a crew to go with me and help with going through the Nicajack lock as well as possibly sharing some of the expenses (optional). It would be one day to get there, 2 days there and another day to return or a total of 4 days plus any time needed to get to Guntersville and return. ANYBODY INTERESTED?

The dogs and kittens are getting along better as every day passes. Here are a few photos:

All four of them eating together.

After dinner Dakota likes to sit in the dog dish.

Max is thinking "Hey, there is more food in my bowl!

The Kittens new play tower.

After playing, they jump in the bed to rest.

They are snuggling and still trying to nurse. I don't think they realize they are both males.

Buddy is resting near by.

So is Max.

Now it's my turn to rest. Bye!

End of July

2010-07-31T12:34:00.011-05:00

I had oral surgery on the 29th (root amputation) and Brynne came to help me. She brought me a Papa John's Pizza and I was so happy since I have not had one since I left Tallahassee in 2005.

All went well with the surgery. The surgeon instructed me to only eat soft foods and preferably cold foods. We bought some jello and ice cream and the ice cream didn't last very long!

I mostly rested on Friday and here is a photo of me and the kitties.

Brynne and Max fell asleep.

Brynne took some photos of the "Animals"

Brynne brought my birthday gift that Andrew and Brynne got me.

She had to assemble the chairs and tables and put a protective oil sealer on them. I was very impressed with her mechanical abilities. She did a great job.

As usual, family visits are too short and she had to leave on Saturday since she had to go to work at noon.

That's it for now. Bye!

HAPPY 4TH

2010-07-05T10:08:00.003-05:00

Happy fourth of July and lets be thankful for this great country we live in, even though there are many issues for the USA right now.

I've been busy this weekend still catching up on things as well as making DVDs for the Dalton and Kokomo trips. I made standard and Blu-ray versions and the Blu-rays are awesome with my HD camcorder. I also made one for the Florida trip I took in September 2009 that I promised Pamella.

I serviced and ran the two engines on the RV, three engines on Lights Out, one engine on bass boat as well as my standby generator. I've been taking advantage of the cooler mornings but it is still hot.

Absolutely no sales leads on Lights Out other than one person wanting to trade a twin engine Cesna for it. Also, some things are starting to wear out with the boat so I hope I can sell it before any major repairs are needed.

That's about it for now.

Back Home

2010-06-26T07:49:00.018-05:00

I'm back from the Minnesota trip and catching up on things. I had a great time and got to visit with Don and Dell and family. We did some fishing but Clear lake had been overrun with pelicans and the fish population has declined. I only caught two Pike and the size was very small.

On Father's Day Don caught a 5.75 pound Walleye. It was returned to the water after picture taking.

I got to meet "Rocky" and he is sure one cute pup!

While I was there, I got a call from my neighbor in Bama and he said a storm came through and tore off the roof at the boat dock. I took some pictures when I got home.

The wind was so strong it actually blew one roof section into the trees.

Some boats were damaged.

For some lucky reason, the roof over "Lights Out" was spared. However, the wind blowing on the boat did rip one of the roof support poles loose where the dock line was tied.

The marina is waiting for the insurance company so who knows how long the docks will be messed up.

Catch Up Time

2010-06-13T13:25:00.008-05:00

I can't believe it has been a month since my last Blog update.

This weekend I washed the Durango and the RV. I was going to wash Lights Out but just ran out of steam so I will have to do that another time.

As everyone probably knows my mail was stolen so I got a locking mail box and installed it today.

I didn't realize it was so big and it height (door) exceeds the USPS standard. I'm sure the postman will complain on Monday and I will have to lower it. That will be a big project as I will need to pull up the pole, cut 5 or 6 inches off and put it back in the ground with cement.

Publix, PLEASE COME TO GUNTERSVILLE. I am so tired of buying produce and when I get it home it is old or spoiled, especially lettuce. I bought some at Wal-Mart yesterday and even asked the clerk how fresh it was. She said it was just put out. Later that day when I went to prepare it for salad, it was totally brown inside. I know it wasn't worth the return trip (21 mile round trip) but I was so irritated I took it back for a refund as well as a crappy cucumber.
I miss my old garden in Florida.

It seems some family members misunderstood my email concerning not responding to emails. I was just talking in general and complaining a little bit. I guess I am from a generation that did not have email growing up. When we wanted to communicate with someone we either talked face-to-face or over the telephone. It was a two-way conversation. One person would say something and then the other person would say something. The conversation went back and forth and it was polite and it made sense most of the time.

Now a days, the conversations are primarily emails and/or text messages. I still look at these correspondence's as two-way conversations. When I don't hear back, I wonder if the person(s) got the email, overlooked it or actually read it. Case in point: My mail was stolen. I thought that was a noteworthy conversation; at least it was for me considering the identity theft that's going on. I didn't hear back from anyone about it except for one family member.

I understand some folks don't read their email on a daily basis and it may take a few days or a week before they read it. That's OK. But I would still like to hear from them eventually.

I'm sorry if I upset anyone with my complaint about emails.

I am not mad at anyone. I just want to have a two-way conversation once-in-a-while.

Sorry this Blog update is full of complaints.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T14:12:00.014-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there.

Saturday I did a day trip to Debbie's for a visit. While there, we did a web video with Doug and the kids and had a good time. We ate our standard "Saturday Visit" locally made pizza for dinner. I left in the early evening so I could get home by sunset due to my eye issue with headlight glare at night.

The time flew by so fast we didn't get to do all the things we had planned so next time I will do an over-nighter.

I left the dogs at home since they could now go in and out of the house with their new "Doggie Door" and when I got back home in the evening they seemed to have done well.

I received my new 55" HDTV and Blu-Ray DVD player Friday so I was excited about that. Somehow I managed to move the old TV off the stand but could not get the new TV on it since it weighs 83 pounds and my right shoulder still doesn't have the strength. Luckily my neighbor helped me get it up on the stand.

It took me quite a while to get everything reconnected and I had a few issues. First, I could not get the High Definition from the cable box to the TV as the existing one is coaxial and the new TV requires HDMI. Cable company coming out Monday to swap out the box for the HDMI connector.

Next while playing a DVD the audio going to my Home Theater amplifier was real muffled (character voices) and sounded terrible. I spent hours trying all the different audio options and still couldn't resolve it. Finally I did an audio test on my 7 speakers plus bass speaker and found no audio coming from the center channel which is the predominate voice channel. I check the speaker and the wire came unconnected while I was moving everything around. DUH! Fixed that and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound now works great.

Let me tell you right now, once you watch a Blu-Ray DVD on a LED Plus LCD 55 inch screen, you will never go back. The video quality is amazing. I used the movie Avatar as a test since I had a DVD version and Blu-Ray version. Words cannot describe it.

My new setup also allows me to connect to the Internet and stream Netflix Movies, Since I am already a member there is no Extra charge for it. I can also go to You Tube and watch mine and other videos, Plus many other services. I was also able to update my Blu-Ray player on line for the latest firmware version. I can even access my computer in the office and view my photos and videos.

Plus I don't have to turn off the lights to see the TV. The picture is very bright and self-adjusts based on the ambient room lighting.

There are many additional features to numerous to mention here.

IT IS AWESOME!!!!

Some of the services I can access:

I watched my You Tube video of the HD camera test.

I tested the NetFlix streaming video. Guess what movie this is??

And here is a shot from Avatar.

Of course the photos shown here on the blog do not have the quality as seeing it live but it will give you an idea.

I guess when I retire, I could easily become a real couch potato.

Next I will be installing a snack machine, beverage server and popcorn machine right next to my viewing chair!

Rain - Rain...

2010-05-03T18:30:00.010-05:00

...Go Away and Come Back Another Day!

In the last 24-hours I had over 3.5 inches of rain. The ground is just bubbling with water and my sump pump is working overtime. From that extreme now it is supposed to get into the 90's in the next few days. Wow, crazy weather.

I decided to stop being a doorman for the dogs and also for emergency reasons. I replaced my back door from a full glass to 1/2 glass and installed a "Doggie Door". If you remember, when I was admitted to the ER with my blood clots, the dog's were locked in the house and had no way to go out and do their "business". Now they can.

They learned to use it pretty quick and Max is a pro. Buddy sometimes forgets he can go in and out on his own but he is following Max's lead and doing OK. Here are a few photos.

"COME ON BUDDY, YOU CAN DO IT - SAYS MAX.

Fishing Week - April 17 throught 22nd

2010-04-24T08:32:00.027-05:00

Andrew, Brynne and Sean arrived on Saturday. The first thing on the list was to get the dogs to calm down with the guests. As you can see, Andrew seemed to have over excited the dogs and they are "playing" on his lap.

He finally gets them calmed down by holding Buddy in a headlock and not sure what he is doing to Max but Max's eyes seem to be telling me something!

Brynne had a much more calming effect.

Since there was four of us we went out on the pontoon boat to have more room for fishing.

Let's fish now.

The weather was very cold and windy the first few days but eventually it started to warm up. We really had to work hard to find Bass and it was very slow at times. We mostly caught one to two pund bass except Andrew caught a 4 pounder (photo above) and Brynne caught a 3 pound catfish while bobber fishing with a minnow (Photo above).

Our totals for the week were 30 Bass with a total weight of 48 pounds.

Brynne did some time exposure photography one night and it turned out pretty cool.

We also went to the gun range and did some target practicing.

There are too many photos and videos to post here so I will create a YouTube video later and post it.

All in all, we had a great time visiting, fishing, shooting and playing with the dogs.

Spring has Sprung

2010-04-05T18:20:00.004-05:00

Finally, the long awaited Spring is here in Alabama. The weather is great; lots of sunshine and 70-80 degree days. Today it almost got up to 90 degrees.

However, this spring is unusual. Normally at this time I would have seen a multitude of Golden Finches at the feeder, but have only seen one or two. Also, by now I would have had Blue birds nesting in my bird houses but I haven't seen any yet. Hummers are usually at the nectar feeder but none so far. Very puzzling.

I have increased my activities but carefully due to current medical situation. On the weekend, I planted some more onions and cherry tomatoes (sweet 100's) in my garden. Last year the tomato plants did not grow to well and I did not get any fruit due to insufficient sunlight from all the trees (I think). I thought I would try it one more time.

I also fired up the bass boat and got it ready for the upcoming fishing derby with some of my children. It was so nice out Sunday evening I even tried a little fishing. It has been months since I have been out. Luckily, my right arm is not my casting arm. I put on a life vest because I knew I couldn't swim very good with only one arm. Then I put on the right shoulder sling over the vest. What a sight! I bet people wondered what the heck was going on.

Anyway, I caught a nice 2.5 pound bass in one of my favorite fishing spots. It was a little challenging to get the bass in the boat and un-hooked with only one hand but I managed. That topped off the evening for me.

I forgot to mention in a previous blog that my company sent me a big lunch box full of fruit and tasty crackers when I was seriously ill. Here is a picture of it.

Looking forward to visits from my family and more fishing.

Move'n On

2010-03-29T18:46:00.008-05:00

A lot has happened since my last update. All medical stuff but everyone should be familiar with that so I'm going to skip it here. Last Thursday it was time for the Lights Out marine survey to be done for the buyer. Due to the rain we, did not go out on the water for the sea trial tests which check all of the engine and mechanical components as well as stress testing the motor mounts, etc. Friday we did the sea trial tests and the surveyor took some photos of LO away from the dock.

It was really hard to run the boat with just one hand and due to the strong wind, it was very difficult to put back in the slip with just one hand. It took me 6 attempts but I finally got her in. I was very exhausted as I wasn't back to normal due to medical issues. Here are a few photos.

It was very cold also. During the sea trial, I donated another hat (the one in above photo) to Lake Guntersville as the wind blew it off my head and it now resides in 44 feet of water. It was my Thunderbirds hat and one of my special hats as I got it at an air show at Doug's air base many years ago.

I finally emptied the dishwasher Sunday. The dishes were from when Brynne and Pamella visited more than a week ago!

I took both dog's out for a short walk today holding them both with one hand. They behaved well and really enjoyed the walk.

That's it for now.

Camping 2010

2010-03-04T13:56:00.017-06:00

After reviewing my retirement travel plans, I decided to upgrade my camper and change to an RV (Motor Home) which is self-contained, additional inside space and drivable. The camper was always a struggle to hook up, tow and set up as well as being very cramped, especially with the Buddy and Max.

I traded the camper for a 2009 model Fleetwood Tioga Ranger. It is 31 feet long and has two slide-outs for expanded living space. What I really liked about it is it has two bunks where the grand children can sleep as well as the dogs! It will sleep 8 adults and two children.

It has a Ford E450 truck chassis with a V10 engine at 305 HP. It will have about the same gas mileage as when I was towing the camper with the Durango. The engine has very good torque and going up hills and mountains is easy. It will cruise at 70 mph without a struggle and with the overdrive, the engine RPMs are the same as a car so very fuel efficient.

View inside looking toward the cab.

Close up of Cab

Galley area with sofa

Bunks

A Monitor in each bunk for video games and movies (for Grandchildren)

Last weekend I took an overnight trip to a nearby State Park (Buck's Pocket) to test everything. All went well and I created a video of the trip (click link below). It will show more detail inside the RV as well as some of the things I did while there.

I had some trouble creating the video in HD so for now it is in a standard format.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Alf7_0oXXc

I have found several Alabama State Parks here in the Northeast which offer stream fishing for Trout, Walleye and of course Bluegill and Bass. I will be exploring these parks this year. Who knows, in 2011 I may head for Alaska!

Kaitlin has been wanting to go camping for over a year now so I expect that will be coming up soon.

Let's go camping!

Snow Day

2010-02-20T07:22:00.006-06:00

I'm a little behind with the blog but on February 13th Guntersville had some snow.

The dogs like it and I made soft snowballs and threw them. The dogs would catch them and eat the snow. I even saw some "yellow" snow which I hadn't seen since I lived up north!

Other than that I have been busy as usual.

BRRRRRRR....

2010-01-09T17:30:00.017-06:00

It's been very cold this last week and temperatures have been below freezing for the last three days. My lowest temperature was 13.6 degrees. There was some snow but not very much. The biggest problem has been black ice on the roads. Many roads have been shut down including a major Interstate in Huntsville (I-565). They probably won't reopen until warmer weather which is supposed to move in the first of the week. This has been very unusual weather for this area but I guess it is everywhere. There was even snow reported in Orlando, FL.

This is the big weekend for Brynne to move to Birmingham. I'm sure she will update her blog when she gets setup so I won't say much about it here.

According to her manager, she is the youngest (24 years old) General Manager out of 300 World Market stores. We should all be very proud of her achievement.

Below are some photos around the docks and the ice on the water. Lights Out is docked in deeper water so there was no ice out there. These photos are in shallower water.

Ice below my Bass boat.

Ice at My Pontoon boat

It's iced in but not enough to hurt her!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-01T07:20:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year everyone.

I hope you ate your black eyed peas and turnip greens on New Years Eve.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T14:19:00.006-06:00

Hello and Merry Christmas to everyone. I stayed home this year but did communicate with everyone in the family on Christmas day. I even did a web video with Kaitlin and Anna on their new Netbook computer. It was a lot of fun.

I wasn’t much for decorations this year. Here are a couple of pictures of my Christmas wreath and lights. Yes, I never put the wreath on the door and only 25 lights on the deck. It’s not that I don’t like Christmas but I guess I have become lazy!

Anyway, I do love Christmas and I believe Christmas is all about children. What a joyful time for them believing in the “Magic” of Christmas and anticipating all those wonderful gifts.

But I also believe Christmas has a much deeper meaning for us adults. Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Agnostic, Atheist or other belief, Christmas is about redemption and forgiveness. I never thought about Christmas this way before but recently I heard someone talk about it in these terms.

For the believers, Christ was put on earth to redeem and offer forgiveness for people. For the non-believers, you could still look at it in the same non-religious terms. To release, let go and forgive.

I thought about my life with all of the setbacks, knock-downs, hurts and challenges I had to face. How did I overcome them and move forward? After thinking about this for a while I realized a large part of it had to do with forgiveness. The other major part was removing negative thoughts and feelings from my thought processes.

No matter where a person is in life, each day offers a new beginning to move forward towards their dreams. But to take advantage of that new beginning, a person needs to do a few simple things.

First, you have to forgive others who did something to you that caused hurt or bad feelings. Do not give them the "PRIVILEGE" to continue the hurt, by you thinking about it on and on. It is like a sore that never heals. You have to release it so you can move on.

Next, forgive yourself of any hurt you have caused other people. Again you have to release it so you can move on.

Whether you think about these things consciously or not the thoughts and feelings are “burned” into your brain at a subconscious level. The human brain is a powerful “machine”, especially the subconscious part. It runs 24/7 and gives you instructions constantly. These instructions should always be positive and never negative. Negative thoughts hold you back. Negative thoughts can actually cause illness over time.

When my Florida children were young I would not let them use the word “Can’t”. Saying or thinking that you can’t do something programs the subconscious mind and prevents you from doing it. It’s that simple. So, always think positive. When you say or think of something negative such as “I can’t do that or I can’t change my life situation”, imagine yourself as a little person sitting on your shoulder and say “Is that what you want”? Then answer “No”. Then the little person will say, “Then don’t say it”! Remember, if you say or think something often enough whether it is positive or negative, your subconscious mind will program itself for that belief and keep providing those “instructions” to you. If the thoughts are negative, you will be kept in a place in life you don’t deserve to be at.

So, no matter what, if you don’t like your situation or where you are in life, you and only you have the power to change it. Start thinking differently tomorrow as it is a new day and new beginning for you.

Merry Christmas

Time to Catch Up

2009-12-13T13:45:00.002-06:00

It's been quite a while since I updated the blog. I'm sure everyone has been waiting to see what's happening in my exciting life. NOT MUCH.

I did attend a Coast Guard Auxiliary Christmas social last Saturday and created a YouTube video of it with my new HD Camcorder. I think a few family members watched it but others have not responded about it.

Speaking of YouTube videos, my HD Camcorder review has had 438 views with 2 comments. I also received a 4 out of 5 Star rating. Not sure what that means.

Two other videos have received a 4 Star rating. Two Brothers Reunited with 178 views and Destroyed in Seconds with 168 views and one comment.

Interesting, is the Two Brothers Reunited has a YouTube warning that I am using copyrighted music (Yani). I guess I need to remove the video or redo it. Not sure what to do.

The next popular one is Deer Swimming in Lake Guntersville with 146 views. No star rating though.

Yesterday (Saturday) I was supposed to be in a Guntersville Parade representing the Coast Guard auxiliary with Buddy and Max but the Parade was cancelled due to weather.

I have finished all Christmas shopping and cards and everything will go out tomorrow (Monday).

Finally, my Micron Computer I bought in 2003 is on its last leg so I am replacing it with a new Dell Studio XPS 9000 with a 24 inch monitor. That ought to help with my eye site. I'm supposed to receive it the first week in January 2010.

Gosh, this year has gone by too fast.

Later Gator!

One of Those Days

2009-11-22T18:21:00.005-06:00

I'm sure everyone has had a day that they wished they just stayed in bed. Well, today was it for me.

First it was raining and cold and the dogs don't like to go out in the rain so it is always a challenge for me.

Next, I had turned off my old PC for cleaning and when I turned it back on it would not boot up. I tried everything. there was a message screen that only showed for 1/2 a second and I could not read it. I finally took a video of the attempt to boot up in hopes that I would be able to stop the video and read the message. I put that aside and decided to have breakfast.

I haven't had "Sunny Side Up Eggs" for almost a year so I thought I would treat myself for having a bad start of the day.

Cooked em' and had a side of toast and sausage. I already had my OJ earlier so I decided to just drink some green tea with the breakfast. Well, for some reason unknown to me, I dropped the tea glass on my breakfast plate. The eggs, sausage and toast got soaked with tea. I thought I could still eat it but it was awful and in the garbage it went.

Next, I wanted to finish a video I was making to put on YouTube for all of you to watch. I kept having problems (My work Computer) and realized my 165 GB hard drive was almost full. I have a lot of "Stuff" on this computer that is work related and also personal things like photos, videos, and other software.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I was thinking about getting a HD camcorder. I did and took lots of test videos. The HD format creates huge video files and that has brought my hard drive down. So, I thought I would off load a 2007 and 2008 photos to a CD and remove some other things to get more storage capacity.

When I started my data CD copy program it kept crashing. Dang!, another problem. I had to reinstall it. Then I moved about 20 GBs off the computer. Things are looking better now.

Now to finish the HD video for YouTube. I kept trying to render the video into a final file and kept having issues with the output format. Finally, I finished it and uploaded it to YouTube (1.9 GB). The upload took a long time and when it was finished YouTube gave me an error indicating it did not recognize the format. #!&@%.

I tried other formats and back and forth. Finally I got it done, whew, there goes this day.

Anyway, here are a couple of links to view it in HD rather than the mini-player in the blog:

My review

I didn't have time for a nighttime test but here is a good demo of that:

Nighttime Test

I'm going to bed now, GOOD NIGHT!

Exciting News

2009-11-08T12:14:00.013-06:00

I have some exciting news but first let me update you on the boring stuff.

This weekend I washed my Durango which needed it bad as well as Lights Out.

My Sony 50-inch wide screen TV has been getting dimmer and dimmer over the last year and I have been debating on whether to replace the projection bulb or just get a new TV. I was interested in a Vizio 55-inch for around $1500 at Wal-Mart but decided to just get a new bulb for the Sony at $150. This should give me a few more years of viewing before I replace it.

Now for the exciting news.

Brynne is being transferred temporarily to a World Market store in Birmingham which is only a few hours from me. It appears she will be there through December as the company wants her to turn the store around (It's in bad shape). I'm very proud of Brynne that she is such a good manager and her company has confidence in her to do a good but difficult job. Anyway, it looks like we will get to see each other a little more often. Also, I can provide the laundromat facility for her!

The next exciting thing is I started a new business. Actually, it started with my increasing concern about germs, especially H1N1 (Swine flu). I wash my hands a lot but the major body entry points for H1N1 is the nose and mouth. These areas are hard to wash with soap and water.

I did some research on the Internet and found Dr. Fresh Daily tooth brush packs. I ordered my first month supply as shown below.

The idea is you use one toothbrush for one day, then you throw it away (and all those nasty germs) and start with a new one the next day. Each toothbrush has a tongue scrubber on the other side of the bristles but I find it also works good for the nose to keep that entry point clean from germs. Each toothbrush pack includes a child brush that plays music when brushing. It also helps the child learn to keep the planet green. Turn up the volume as it has a cool beat.

Click here to listen to the Music. Music courtesy of Dr. Fresh

The retail cost runs $88 per month. I found out they also have a business opportunity. The way that works is you recruit people to join the opportunity and my cost for the brushes is reduce to $78 per month. Plus, for everyone I recruit to join the opportunity, the company sends me a free 6-pack of brushes. So, I decided to join and I will be setting up a website soon to help stamp out H1Ni and other germs we humans have to deal with.

If any of you want to join let me know so you can receive your toothbrushes quickly before the Flu season is over with.

That's about it for now.

Goodbye October

2009-11-01T13:35:00.019-06:00

I can't believe it's November. October seemed to come and go in a "blink" of an eye. However the fall colors are great to see again.

As usual, I had no trick or treater's again. I buy a bag of Snickers every year since 2005 and no one ever comes. I end up eating all of them myself. Am I BAD!

Prepared the 3 boats and camper for winter this weekend just in case I get an early freeze.

Buddy and Max are doing good. Buddy decided to take over Max's bed for a few weeks and Max slept on Buddy's bed. Now they have switched back to their own beds. Weird.

I'm thinking of switching over my camera to HD wide screen so all future videos I create are in 1080i HD. I have been doing some research and instead of a primary photo camera with the capability to shoot standard video like I have now; I have an inclination toward a HD video Camcorder with 8 megapixle photo capability. I'm leaning towards a Canon as I have been very satisfied with my Canon photo camera.

It has many cool features plus it has an internal memory of 64 GB (Flash Memory). It can record up to 24 hours of HD video at Standard Play (SP) and up to 6 hours at the highest quality. If you want to learn more about it click on the link:

CamCorder

So if you all want an idea for Christmas, here it is. Ha-Ha, just kidding. If I get it it will be my Christmas present to Me.

My photo camera may be up for sale so if anyone needs a good high quality camera, let me know as I have a real deal for you.

Later Gator!

New Jersey Trip

2009-10-24T18:08:00.013-05:00

I left last Sunday (18th) at 7am and headed to New Jersey for a business trip. The Huntsville to Atlanta flight was on time and here is an aerial shot of Atlanta.

The flight from Atlanta to Newark, NJ was delayed for hours due to bad weather in the NJ/NY area. I finally got there and by the time I arrived at the hotel it was 8pm. What was supposed to be a 6 hour trip turned into 13 hours. I Hate traveling by plane anymore!

Monday morning I headed to the office in Woodbridge.

RCC is the company I work for.

I spent most of the week in developer meetings as we are working on migrating all of the individual software packages into one software application that provides a common user interface for all software applications. It was a very tedious process and the time was mostly spent consolidating individual databases.

One day I provided software training for the current version of my software to a group of RCC engineers.

I was going to take some videos while there to make a spoof of "The Office" TV show but didn't have enough time to get them all. So I guess I'll have to finish the videos the next time I'm up there which will probably be sometime in December.

I left for home on the Friday the 23rd and picked up the dogs on the way. They were so happy to see me and I to see them. There was one incident while they were in boarding where Max provoked Buddy and Buddy attacked Max. Max has several bites on his ear and neck plus one on his head. The vet said they were superficial punctures and the lesions did not require further attention.

Max is taking an antibiotic to be sure there is no infection. I think it started by Max being stirred up from another strange dog and then took it out on Buddy as he was the only dog Max could get to. Of course Buddy won the battle. I thought that type of fighting was over but maybe the new surroundings made it occur.

Now I'm playing catch up this weekend.

National Radio Day

2009-10-04T12:42:00.003-05:00

Today is National Radio Day. I just thought I would let you know (10-4). LOL

It's been a couple of weeks since I updated my blog and there is not much new to report. I did send several emails to my family members but haven't heard back on any of them. I hope I don't have the wrong email addresses.

I installed a burglar/intrusion alarm system on my house this weekend. It's all wireless so pretty easy to install. It has many features such as dialing up to 4 telephone numbers when an alarm sensor is activated. It also has a water proof pendent I can wear for those "Help, I've fallen down and can't get up" situations. You can record a message to send to one of the phone numbers and I will have it dial 911 requesting an ambulance. I checked with the 911 center here and they will respond to prerecorded messages.

The other numbers will be programed to my cell phone and Uncle Don as a backup as he is usually home most of the time. When I travel I can remotely dial into the system and check the status as well as turn on/off certain lights in the house. I can even monitor sounds in the house as well as have a two-way conversation with any one in the house, including the burglar!

The system can be further expanded at a future time with live cameras and I can view them over a secure Internet connection.

All-in-all, it's a pretty versatile system.

Speaking of traveling, I have to go to the home office (NJ) the week of the 19th. So this is another reason I put the security system in as I have some new valuables in the house (if you know what I mean) and I would not like them to get in the wrong hands.

This will be the first time the dogs will be boarded, so to reduce the stress for them, I will board them for one day b4 I go on the trip. This way they can get familiar with the boarding facility and learn that I will come back for them. The place has large kennels so they can stay together with each other.

I will send Uncle Don my itinerary in case anyone else wants to know my schedule.

That's it for now.

Rain - Rain -Rain

2009-09-20T14:28:00.008-05:00

All it has been doing since I got back from Florida is rain and the forecast for this upcoming week is more rain. I'm really looking forward to the first fall cold front so I know summer is over.

As you know I took the camper into the shop last week to get the AC fixed. Well of course it worked fine and they could not find anything wrong!! Since there was no warranty work they charged me $40 to check it out. However, they did add a recall fix to the refrigerator which could have caused a fire. So at least that was fixed.

I've been keeping busy with work and right now I have been pulled off my software development to provide interference analysis for public safety frequencies for the new World Trade Center (if it ever gets built) as well as in various underground tunnels. It is pretty interesting work.

I have started to watch "The Office" reruns and found them to be funny. However, the reruns are not in date order and kind of confusing at times. So I decided to go back to the beginning and I got Season 1 through 5 on DVD. There are 18 DVDs for a total of 34 hours of viewing (100 episodes). That should keep my couch potato mode going for a while!

I don't want to sound like some kind of fanatic but I have been reviewing my "Home Defense" strategy and I felt like there were some weaknesses. Currently I have my Grandpa's old single-shot 12 gauge shotgun and my handgun. This would normally be OK against a single intruder but if there was more than one, I may be in trouble. So I decided to get a "Just In Case" (JIC) shotgun that is designed for Home Defense and personal protection. Here is a picture of it with accessories.

It is very small and holds 6 shells with a pump action that allows you to take many quick shots. Being a shotgun aiming is not so critical.

The manufacture is Mossberg and they state:

Whether it’s survival in the back country or hurricane season on the coast, one can never be too prepared for the unexpected. The heart of the JIC™ package is the venerable 12 gauge Mossberg® 500® Pump-Action. Fitted with a compact 18-1/2” barrel and rugged synthetic pistol grip and forearm. It even includes a Survival Kit in a can.

I hope I never have to use it but anyone who comes into my house without an invite is in serious trouble.

What is your Home Defense Plan? You need to think about it.

End of Florida Visit

2009-09-10T19:29:00.009-05:00

It is later in the morning on Wednesday and I met Pamella at Brynne's home. We went to the pool and had fun in the water.

Later we traded pictures and videos on our computers so we would all have a set (201 total between 3 of us). Somehow I ended up with one of Aislynn at ballet which I couldn't take earlier in the week. She is so cute!

Here is Grandpa and his two grandchildren.

I took a closeup of Keiran to show his long eyelashes. Such a pretty baby.

We then went out for lunch. We forgot to have someone take a picture of us so we did a self portrait in the parking lot where we ate.

It was sad to say goodbye but we all parted company. I really had a great time seeing everyone and I will miss them a lot.

My original plan was to depart for home early Thursday AM but I decided I would never sleep that night with the camper AC out (85 - 90 degrees) so I decided to head for home. I got the camper ready and was on the road by 4 PM.

It was a grueling drive and I had a little trouble keeping alert but I made frequent stops to wake me up. The dog's and I had burgers in Montgomery and we finally arrived home at 12:45 AM. I just parked the camper and we all headed in the house and went to bed.

This Morning (Thursday) I unloaded the camper and took it to a local RV repair shop to get the AC fixed. This same thing happened last year went I took a trip to Debbie's. It is still under warranty so there should be no cost.

The rest of the day I played catch up and took a few naps as I was still tired.

That's it for now.

Last Day in Florida

2009-09-09T08:56:00.007-05:00

Here it is Wednesday already. I will be heading back to Guntersville tomorrow morning. Time just goes by too fast. Brynne and I took the dogs to the beach yesterday AM and took some pictures and videos. The dogs loved the beach and I took them in the water for the first time. At first they were a little reluctant but once they got comfortable I think they enjoyed it. They swam for the first time in their life.

Brynne and I then returned to the camper and had lunch. The dogs were tired and zonked out right away.

In the afternoon I went to Pamella's and we went to Aislynn's ballet class. We watched her through a tinted window which was too dark for taking pictures. She did real good and it seemed she liked the tap shoe session the best.

That evening I went to watch Brynne and Sean play softball for Sean's work team. It was too dark to take pictures. The other team won (of course [LOL]). After the game we stopped at Olive Garden, Brynne's favorite restaurant, for a late dinner. The food was great and I overate again!

I crashed in bed around 11PM and woke up in the middle of the night sweating. The camper AC quit working and it was 85 degrees in the camper. I could not get it going again so it will be miserable for me and the dogs.

Today we are all meeting at Brynne's to go swimming in her pool and to have lunch.

Tomorrow I go home and I was planning on leaving the camper here in storage so I won't have to drive it back and forth. But now I need to take it home so I can get the AC fixed.

This will be my last post while in FL.

Happy Labor Day & Photos

2009-09-07T08:06:00.025-05:00

As you know from my previous post I had forgotten my camera interface cable for downloading photos. I was able to get the $7.00 cable at Radio Shack for only $21.00! Here are some pictures starting from Friday when I left for the trip.

The dogs rode in their crates which filled up the whole back end of the Durango.

Going down the road pulling a 4,000 pound plus camper going 60 MPH. I let Buddy drive while I was taking pictures and videos. Glad no cops saw this!!

Settled in at the campground.

Ate lunch at Moe's with Sean and Brynne.

Stomp them "Gators".

Aislynn's birthday party.

I couldn't find one of the three books I gave Aislynn so I put a $10.00 bill in her birthday card. She looked at the bill and tossed it down with all of the other present wrapping trash. I guess in today's world we use too much plastic money. Pamella will take her to a store and show her the "Power" of CASH!

Grandpa and Kieran.

Aislynn acting silly at a hamburger joint.

Florida or Bust

2009-09-06T10:23:00.002-05:00

I thought I would be able to post every day on the visit but it ain't working like that. Number one is I forgot my camera adapter cable so I am unable to download photos at this point. Hopefully I will find a cable today (Sunday).

I left Friday at 7am and arrived in PCB around 4 pm. It was a long trip pulling the camper and frequent stops for me and the dogs to do pottie stuff!!

I met with Brynne and Sean that evening and we went out to eat some Mexican Food. It was very good except one of the items on my plate was too "hot" for me.

Saturday Brynne, I and the dogs went to Santa Rosa Beach to visit Pamella, Shaun, Aislynn and my new grandson, Kieran. He is quite the "man". Aislynn had an early birthday party with some of her friends and she got the "Mother Load" of presents. It was probably better than any Christmas that I ever witnessed.

Brynne and I played "Hungry Hippo" with her and drove Pamella and Shaun crazy with the noise of those hungry hippos chomping for the food (marbles). If anyone remembers that game you know how loud it is. I think the inventor of the game must have been deaf as he would have never built the toy if he could have heard all of the racket!!

After eating sandwiches, salad and cake we all went out for Pizza! It worked out great because Saturday night is my normal pizza night. The only problem is I had to waste the pizza for a dinner rather than just a snack as I usually do! LOL

There is an apartment near Brynne's and Sean's that has a FL Gators mat by the door and we all stepped on it (in a bad way) as we walked back and forth. Sorry all you Gator fans (Andrew).

Hopefully my next blog will have some photos.

End of August

2009-08-29T18:21:00.013-05:00

It is hard to believe that August is over. I have been very busy with work and other activities. This weekend I washed the camper in preparation for my Florida visit over Labor Day week. That sure is a lot of vehicle to wash. going up and down a ladder really stressed my knees and the left one is hurting pretty bad. I also learned that I should wash it more than just once a year.

I have also been experimenting with "Green Screen" video production. You know, like the weather person on TV and movie special effects. I downloaded a free 30day demo Video Production software application from Sony. It is the same package that Les Strood uses, who is the creator of "Survivor Man" on TV.

It is a very technical application and the learning curve is long. The demo will expire tomorrow (Sunday) so I had to finish up my project today. Doing "Green Screen" is very difficult as the screen has to be perfect and the lighting more than perfect to prevent shadows and artifacts from showing up in the final rendering of the video.

I probably have over 40-hours in this 8-minute video and I'm still not happy with it. I did the "Gardener" scene with my web cam and I didn't notice it was out of focus, plus the audio was terrible. The rest was done with my cannon photo/video camera.

It is called "The TV Interview". It was all "adlib" except the TV interviewer did have a list of questions to ask.

At some points you will hear the "Producer" talking in the background. Even though the quality is low, it is kind of funny. Please leave your comments about the video on the Blog.

You can view it in a small window by selecting it in the Video Bar on the right or select it in the My Stories and Links Panel to see it directly from YouTube in a larger format.

The dogs are doing great. I caught Buddy sleeping on his back one day.

And Max has a new spot next to me when I watch TV. He has become very attached to me and is like my shadow.

That's all for now!

Another Hot Weekend

2009-08-08T13:53:00.004-05:00

I had planned on doing several outdoor things this weekend but it is just too darn hot.

Max and I finished his advanced obedience course and he did real good and learned a few more things. His dog aggression is easing but I have to watch him carefully and correct him when it happens. When I have time I will teach Buddy some of the new things that Max learned.

I wrote another short story called "The Potato Days". It is listed in the right hand panel under My Stories and Links. Check it out!

The Lights Out inquiries are starting to pick up now and I have showed the boat twice in the last week. They are interested so hope someone buys it soon.

I received an IRS notice yesterday concerning my 2007 taxes. It appears that one of the mortgage companies did not report (Form 1098) the interest I paid so the IRS indicated I owed and additional $2,321 in taxes and interest. Now I have to go through a lot of trouble proving the mortgage company screwed up, or maybe the IRS did. Maybe I can get the same deal as Tim Geithner, the Treasury Secretary got!

Speaking of our government, I am so glad I am able to help so many people buy new cars with my tax money ($4500 Cash for Clunkers Program). I wish they would at least buy American Made cars! Too bad I can't take advantage of that program. Oh well, you know how "Spreading the Wealth" works.

I am just sharing some of my thoughts about our government here. Hmmm, maybe that is why I am being audited? Maybe my political emails have caught up with me! LOL

I finally finished Season 4 (the last One) of Battlestar Galactica. Thank you Phillip, for introducing me to the Series. I got hooked on it and enjoyed the entire series.

That's about it for now.

Talk About a Mission

2009-07-26T11:44:00.012-05:00

I woke up Saturday with a mission. I washed "Lights Out" and then took her out for a run on the river to clean the bottom and make sure everything still worked. Then I went to the pet store, auto parts store, two grocery stores and stopped for gas. This was all done by NOON!

I watched a very good movie Saturday night called "Flash of Genius". It was a true story about an inventor who went up against the giants of the auto industry (Detroit) for patent infringement. A very inspiring moving and another reason to keep "Never Give Up" fresh in your mind. You need to see it.

As some of you know, I had "Lights Out" sold but the buyer backed out at the last moment. Anticipating the sale, I was not ready to give up cruising on the water so I found a 25 foot pontoon boat that was a great deal and I thought it would be good for taking little jaunts on the water. Plus it is all one level and very easy on my knees compared to the steps on Lights Out.

Also, it can hold up to 12 people so it would be good for when I have family visiting to take a little cruise on the water or go to the bat cave and watch the bats come out.

It even has a wireless remote controlled trolling motor so I can even use it for fishing and as a replacement for the bass boat if it ever wears out.

I decided to purchase it and then pay off the small loan when I received the proceeds from "Lights Out". When the buyer back out I was very disappointed and now I have 3 boats. Good Lord, what have I done? Since I decided to work until I am 66 (another year) I will be financially OK but I really want to sell Lights Out. Hopefully, there is another buyer out there somewhere.

Here are a few photos of the pontoon boat:

It even has a pop-up changing room that can also have a porta-pottie. When completely open there is a drop-down curtain for privacy. Not as convient as the head on Lights Out but when you gota go you gota go and convenience is not a concern. LOL

It's Been a While

2009-07-12T13:56:00.006-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted on the blog. I have been pretty busy with "stuff" lately. My latest project is for work. The company decided they wanted to migrate all of the various software programs into one modularized package.

The programming environment has changed to Visual Studio 8 .NET. Therefore I will have to migrate my 3 applications from VB6 (which has been obsoleted several years ago) to the new .NET VB 2008. I will have to start all over and learn a lot of new things. Here is an 8-inch stack of books I need to read. A total of 3,819 pages.

A Microsoft tool estimates 9-months of time for me to convert and migrate all of the software. Yes, there is that much code that needs to change. This should be a fun and very challenging project. It should keep my brain sharp for a while longer.

The dogs graduated from obedience training a few weeks ago and are doing good.

Otherwise I have been fishing off and on and doing a little boating on the river. Here are a few photos of me and the dogs checking out some sail boats.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:04:00.013-05:00

Today is Father' Day and I have heard from most of my children by now. It was great talking to them and I sure miss all of them. I received a card and a special shirt from Kaitlin and Anna. It says "Grandpa has Gone Fish'n".

Max decided to jump up and read the shirt. He must need glasses if he needs to be that close to read it. (LOL)

I cooked a special Father's Day dinner which included a 6-oz. Filet Mignon, Corn on the cob and of course french fries. Yum-Yum.

For desert I had "Chocolate Lovers Cake". more Yum-Yum.

I didn't eat the entire missing piece. I've been working on it for a few days.

Actually a week ago I saw a Father's Day special from Omaha Steaks where you could get $173.00 worth of steaks, chicken, pork chops, burgers, stuffed potatoes, etc for $59.00. Sounded like a good deal and I am a Father so I ordered the package. They threw in the cake, some franks and a few extra burgers for free. What a deal, it comes out to about $4.50 a meal. The steaks are so tender since the beef has been aged for at least 21 days.

My Pizza freezer had to make room for all the frozen food.

It comes in a nice re-usable cooler and there is a small amount of dry-ice to keep it all frozen. In fact when UPS dropped it off they didn't ring the door bell to let me know it was there and it sat out in the sun for a few hours. Everything was still frozen and it actually took the dry-ice another whole day laying in the sink to finally evaporate.

Omaha Steaks have quite a system for delivering the food. You should look into it. They have deals running all the time. Their web site is http://www.omahasteaks.com/.

You won't find beef like this in the grocery store. Yes Andrew, even at Publics.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

End of Week Summary

2009-06-14T09:54:00.010-05:00

It has been kind of quiet since Andrew left. Saturday evening I decided to go out and check the ole fishing spots to see if they were still producing. I invited my neighbor Joe to come out with me. I caught three 1-2 pound bass at Hot Dog Island and a nice 3.5 pound bass at 4-poles. Joe caught a few one pounders.

When Andrew was here I had a problem with starter on the bass boat engine. I thought I fixed it but it failed again while at Hot Dog Island. Luckily I had a fully charged trolling motor battery and was able to use it to get back to the dock which was 1.5 miles away. It took about 55 minutes to get back. Normally it would take only 5-minutes.

I'm updating the blog with some miscellaneous items that occured when Andrew was here. One day Andrew and I were fishing at Hot Dog Island and there was a floating platform drifting close to the river navigation channel. I reported it to the US Coast Guard Ohio Valley Sector as a navigation hazard. I kept an eye on it and it finally drifted far enough away from the channel and it was no longer a hazard.

Here are a few pictures of Andrew playing with the dogs.

That's it for now.

Fishing Week - Day 5 (Wednesday)

2009-06-11T10:03:00.026-05:00

This is the final day of "Fishing Week" as Andrew's schedule has changed and will be heading home Thursday (early 3:00am).

We started out the morning as usual at 4-poles but there was no activity so we headed to Hot Dog island. I caught 3 small bass and Andrew caught one. Fishing was very slow. I caught another bass at a different location (B9) and it weighed 2.75 pounds. I was reeling in a spinner bait and as it got near the boat I saw the bass come slowly up and take the lure. It was pretty cool to watch.

2.75 pounds (Location B9)

We went in around 9am as we had set up appointments to check Andrew's brakes and an oil change for me. The brakes were OK.

In the afternoon Andrew did his "Thing" down at the docks but came back to the house early due to a thunder storm.

In the evening we started at 4-poles but no action so we headed to Hot Dog island. I caught a small bass but there was no other action. It seemed our great fishing activity has finally shut down, possibly due to the earlier thunder storm. We decided to go back to 4-poles before we ended our week of fishing. Here is what the poles look like at night.

We kept circling the poles and no fish. Our experience this week taught us that the bass move in and out of the 4-pole area during the day and evening as well as at Hot Dog island. So we would usually move off the area for a while and then come back to fish it again. We called it "reloading the fishing hole". I didn't do much fishing anymore as my casting wrist was very sore. We kept circling the poles waiting for a bass to move in.

Sure enough, Andrew caught a 4.5 pound bass at 8:30 pm.

Then the "magic" happened. At 9:30 pm Andrew caught a 6.3 pound bass which broke his earlier record of 5.5 pounds. Andrew was very excited and I was so happy for him. I'm sure a replica of this fish will be on his wall soon.

At 10pm we called it quits and went in since Andrew needed to pack and go to bed so he could get up at 3am for his drive home.

Today's catch was 9 fish with a total weight of 19.33 pounds.

Our overall total for the 5-days:
Number of bass = 55
Total Weight = 130 pounds
Average weight = 2.4 pounds

Total Miles driven = 34

Not bad for just a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening of fishing. I have never seen this kind of great fishing in the 4-years I have been fishing on Lake Guntersville. It may never happen again but I sure hope it does.

Fishing Week - Day 4 (Tuesday)

2009-06-10T12:51:00.022-05:00

I forgot to mention that on Day 3 when Andrew and I caught the two bass at the same time at 4-poles the burglar alarm went off on "Lights Out" for some reason. While we were reeling in our fish the alarm siren was sounding and flood lights were flashing. It was a real spooking feeling.

6:58am: Andrew's first cast at 4-poles got him a 3.4 pound bass.

He also caught several 1-2 pound bass. I caught nothing (boo hoo). Then we headed for "Hot Dog" island. My GPS took us to the best fishing spot and within minutes we were catching fish. Andrew caught 5 nice bass and I caught 2. Then back to 4-pole to wrap up the morning fishing and Andrew picked up 2 more bass. What a morning, 9 bass in just a few hours and only two were mine. Andrew is "The Man".

3 pound bass

3.11 pound bass

In the afternoon Andrew goes down to the dock and does his favorite thing. Bobber fishing, Country Music and beer drinking. He is turning out to be a real Alabama BUBBA!

In the evening we started at 4-pole and I caught 2 bass. Then out two "Hot Dog" island. I caught a nice 5.9 pound bass. Then it seemed like we were catching a bass every 5 minutes; 8 bass total. To finish the evening we went back to 4-poles around 8pm. Andrew caught 3 bass ranging in weight from 3-4 pounds and one smaller one.

Another great day of fishing!!!

Total Bass = 22, Total Weight = 48.5 pounds.

Photos below:

3 pounds

3.11 pounds

5.9 pounds

3.14 pounds

3.12 pounds

3 pounds

Fishing Week - Day 3 (Monday)

2009-06-09T13:04:00.012-05:00

6:00am: Andrew and I headed straight to Hot Dog island since it was so productive the night before. Fishing was not as good as the previous evening but Andrew did catch 3 one-pound bass and I caught a 3.75 pound bass as shown below; so all was not lost.

Went back in and had breakfast around 10am. Andrew spent the afternoon on the dock fishing with live shiners, getting a sun tan, and enjoying his music and beer complements of "Lights Out".

That evening I had a dog training class to go to and Andrew came with me. It went well. When we got back home I felt bad that we didn't do any evening fishing so we decided to just go out for a short time around the four poles to fish. It was about 9:15pm, dark and the moon hadn't risen yet. We usually end our fishing at this time so our expectation level was somewhat low.

But then, things got pretty exciting. At 9:35pm I caught a 5.5 pound bass. At 9:50pm Andrew caught a 3.9 pound bass. At 10:15 Andrew caught a 2 pound bass. Then around 10:30 Andrew and I caught 2 bass at the same time. Andrew's fish weight 3.4 pounds and mine weight a whopping 8.7 pounds!!! We were both fighting the fish and each one of us were calling for a net and no one to help. l landed mine first and then helped Andrew get his netted.

The bass were so strong and flipping so much in our hands we both got cuts and scrapings on our thumbs from their tiny teeth. It was painful but FUN!!! Photo's below.

3.9 pounds

5.5 pounds

3.4 pounds

8.7 pounds

Don't laugh at my funny headlight. It is a great device when you want to see in the dark and still be able to use both hands to reel in a fish.

In just a little over an hour we caught 5 quality bass by just circling the 4 poles. Each complete circle it seemed a new set of bass moved in. What a night. Now if we had not gone to the dog classes, we probably would have come in around 9pm and missed all the action.

Total fish caught on Monday is 9. Total weight is 30.25 pounds.

Fishing Week Day 2 (Sunday)

2009-06-08T11:08:00.011-05:00

Day 2 -- Andrew and I were on the water by 6:30am. We started at 4-poles and Andrew caught a one pounder. Then went to "Hot Dog" island and I caught a one pounder. Then to "Power Line" cove and Andrew caught a 2-3 pounder but it got off at the boat. We went to another area and I picked up a 1.5 pounder. The morning fishing was very slow and we had to do a lot of casting to find the 4 bass we did catch.

Andrew did some dock fishing in the afternoon with no success. It was very hot (90's) but he had a good time anyway with Lights Out nearby playing music and a refrigerator full of BEER.

That evening around 6 pm we headed out to Hot Dog island again and it was HOT and on Fire with bass. Below is 3.5 pound bass Andrew caught there.

He waited a little too long to set the hook and the hook was way down in the mouth; so it took him a little while to get the hook out.

The Bass was release and was OK.

Andrew continued to catch fish at the island and I lost 2 big ones. Later I realized my hook was bent and that was why I wasn't getting a good hook set.

We went back to 4-poles around 7:30pm and Andrew kept catching fish.

Then he hooked up with a 4# 4oz bass.

That Boy is HAPPY!!!

I caught a few small ones and finally hooked into a 3.75 pounder.

It was a very productive day of fishing and our total bag limit for Sunday was 17 bass with a total weight of around 35 pounds of bass. Andrew was the winner today and caught the most and biggest bass. I think it was the colorful swimming trunks he was wearing that attracted all the bass to him.

Fishing Week - Day One (Saturday)

2009-06-07T13:09:00.008-05:00

The phone rang at 6:30am on Saturday the 6th. I thought it would be Andrew saying he is now leaving Valdosta, GA for the 6-hour trip to Guntersville. He said "I will be there in 5-minutes"! I said "Your kidding". He said he was so wired up for the trip that he couldn't sleep so he left early.

He met the dogs and Buddy and Max really liked him.

By 9am we were out on the lake fishing. Of course we started at the 4-pole area. Andrew caught a 2 pound bass right off the bat. Before I could get the camera out for a picture he released the bass back in the water.

Next it was my turn and I caught a 3.75 pound bass.

We fished a little longer and then went in so Andrew could take a nap and rest up from the long drive and lack of sleep. We went back out in the evening and tried "Hot dog" Island first. I hooked up with a 4.75 pound bass at 6:20pm.

Then back to the 4-pole area for dusk fishing. We caught 4 more bass ranging from one to 3 pounds.

Our bag for the day was 7 bass with a total weight of 16 pounds. Not bad for a starter day especially right after a cold front.

Stayed tuned for a daily update.

End of May

2009-06-02T09:12:00.006-05:00

I'm behind on the blog again.

The most exciting thing that has happened is I have a new grandson. Pamella had her baby on May 28th at 6:15am. His name is Kieran Campbell Brown. He weighed 7# and 10 ounces. You can find out more about him on Pamella's blog.

Last week Max became very ill and stopped eating. I took him in to the vet and he had contracted Coccidiosis. This is an intestinal track infection caused by protozoal parasites. If not treated it can become fatal. He's on medication for 21 days and is feeling much better now and back to himself. I had Buddy tested too and he has a mild case so he is on meds as well.

I pulled the bass boat out on Saturday and spent most of the day cleaning it up as it has been a while since the last cleaning. This is in preparation of Andrew's visit from the 6th through the 12th. We will be fishing day and night for a week!

Last Friday my kitchen sink started leaking, the faucet was leaking and the sprayer didn't work for a long time. I decided to replace the whole works and got a much deeper sink (8.5 inches) and Delta high nozzle faucet. I like it very much. It is kind of weird that a 64 year old man can get excited about a SINK!!

Since my yard is so shaded I cannot grow grass so I usually keep it covered with leaves. But after a few rains the leaves decompose and things are quite mushy. The dogs are real pansies when it comes to walking on wet dirt and when they do their bathroom stuff, they don't walk out to the yard. They stop short and do it in the concrete. So I covered the area with pine-straw. They like that so no more problems with that.

Sunday I needed a break from the dogs and the world so I went fishing and caught 4 bass in about an hour. The biggest was 4 pounds.

That's it for now.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T10:11:00.013-05:00

Rain, Rain and more Rain. This has been a very wet holiday week end.

Saturday I had a Coast Guard Auxiliary Patrol from 8am to Noon. We patrolled the river down to Guntersville dam and back to be available for any boaters that got into trouble. There weren't any. We also checked buoys and day markers for proper locations and conditions. Here are some photos.

The Crew!!

Buddy out grew his dog house so he got a bigger one and Max got the old one.

Please remember our veterans today who sacrificed their lives to keep us free as well as the heroes and people who perished on 9-11.

Click the link below for a tribute to the American Flag and what it stands for (Turn up your speaker volume).

http://www.chaplin-nest.com/unkarock/flag.htm

Time to Catch Up

2009-05-21T19:14:00.024-05:00

I am way behind in posting to the Blog. To all my fans, I'm Sorry (Ha-Ha). I will start with current events and work backwards in time.

First and foremost, I am very disappointed in the 100 million voters at American Idol. The winner was picked last night and it was Kris ...? He so impressed me that I can't remember his last name.

After my favorite (Alexis) was voted off, I thought Allison was the next best choice. She was only 16 but she could really sing.

Then she was voted off. I finally decided Adam was the best vocalist and very creative in his rendition of songs, especially Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire.

It was between Adam and Kris and all the yahoos out in La-La land voted for Kris. What a Bummer!!

A few weeks ago Mary (the original owner of Max) came for a visit with Tyler and Katie. We all (including the dogs) enjoyed the visit. However, when they left Max stood at the door crying. I don't think I will let them visit again because it is upsetting and confusing for Max. After all, they gave him up.

Here is a link to view the pictures. Select Album and then slide show to watch the pictures full size.

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=510c3bca5178dced&sid=0CbNGzRy3bsWau

Last Saturday I had a Coast Guard Auxiliary public affairs event with Lights Out at the Guntersville City dock. It was for the local folks to meet the people on the water that provide safety and rescue services. Besides the Auxiliary, we had representation from the Alabama Marine Patrol, Rescue Squad, Fire department, Police Department and other services. I took Buddy and Max and also represented Safe Haven No Kill Animal shelter (where I adopted Buddy). Safe Haven is trying to raise funds to help pay for food, medial and shelter for animals they rescue.

Took Buddy and Max to vet to get shots and Buddy weighed in at 77.8 pounds and Max was 59 pounds. The dogs were pretty rowdy at the Vets and they recommended obedience class for them.

I found a place and we are doing sessions every Monday evening for 6-weeks.

HEY, I'm a "South Paw" too.

Buddy and Max are getting along real good now and like to play together. Here are a few photos of them playing.

I guess that's playing!! After play time they rest together.

I have a Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol with Lights Out Saturday morning since it is the kickoff for Memorial Day. We will patrol down to the dam and back as well as check marker buoys for condition and location along the way.

Please take a few minutes Monday to honor our military veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

In Memory of Duke

2009-05-06T18:12:00.007-05:00

It has been one year to date that Duke passed away. He was a great loss for me but now I can look at pictures and talk about him. However, at times it still brings tears to my eyes.

I will never forget him.

Teeth - Eyes - Fish

2009-04-29T15:03:00.006-05:00

I had a root canal done on Tuesday and it went as well as it could. They didn’t give me a prescription for pain and just said to take Tylenol. It seem to work OK. I go back in a couple of weeks for the crown.

I also picked up my new glasses but there is a strange distortion. When I was driving home from the Dr office, I looked at the dash and steering wheel and it was slanted like a 3D picture. It’s hard to explain but the left side was sloping away. My left hand on the steering wheel appeared to look farther away than my right hand. I went back today and got my eyes rechecked.

For some reason my left eye has changed (again). This is the third attempt to get a good prescription reading. I will go back again next week to have it rechecked. If it is still the same then they will redo my prescription and replace the new lenses with new ones. What an ordeal.

The good thing about this week is fishing is GREAT! I caught a 2.5 pound Crappie a few days ago.

I took my neighbor (Joe) out fishing last evening. Couldn’t hook up with any Crappie but I did catch a few bass. This one weight 4-1/4 pounds and he hit a top-water lure. Kind of early for top-water action but I thought I would try it anyway and it paid off. I tried the 4-poles but LUCKILY didn’t catch anything so maybe Joe won’t realize that is my “Hot Spot”. LOL

Andrew, you better get up here soon while the fishing is good!

The Boat Cruise

2009-04-26T13:46:00.014-05:00

Friday evening I went out fishing and caught a 5.5 pound bass. I noticed he was blind in one eye but he must have seen my spinner bait. Yes, of course I caught him in the 4-pole area.

Saturday I decided to take a boat cruise to Goose Pond with the dogs and stay overnight on the boat. It was kind of a test to see how I can deal with TWO dogs on the boat. As we were heading up river I saw a building on fire at a pretty far distance. I zoomed in and took a photo while the boat was moving. It came out fairly clear.

Here are some more photos of the dogs on the boat.

Now it's bed time.

The dogs did pretty good on the boat, especially Max as it was his first time. Getting them on and off the boat was a real trick but we managed. I decided if I ever take a long 10 day cruise I may transport the dogs by car first!

The Storm

2009-04-17T19:47:00.017-05:00

A 70 MPH straight line wind tore through the Guntersville area at 3:00am on Monday, April 13th. I slept through it (good ole Tylenol PMs). When I woke up there was no electrical power. I took the dogs for their morning walk and saw trees down all over the neighborhood and many trees took down the power lines and cable TV.

I walked down to the dock and found the rear owl, which was filled with rocks and weight ~ 20 pounds had be blown down from the upper dock onto my swim platform. The other owl I had on the boat bridge was totally gone!

Also 1/4 of my boat dock roof was ripped off as well as other dock roofs.

Luckily the boat did not suffer any damage but I did notice my 5/8" dock lines were stretched and I had to shorten them up.

I heard that the local yacht club's floating docks tore loose and three docks (including boats) blew across the river and landed almost onto the highway. So I went to check it out.

The Guntersville area had over 200 homes damaged and estimates are $8.5 million in overall damages.

I heard rumors that we would be out of power for maybe up to a week. To save my refrigerator food (primarily my stock of frozen pizzas), I cranked up the generator on Lights Out and moved the refer food to the boat refer.

It was candle light for me and the dogs Monday evening. What fun!

Tuesday AM still no power and then I thought about the sump pump under the house and with all the rain I decided to check the crawl space. The crawl space was flooding which would weaken the foundation. Not knowing when power would be back on I decided to get an emergency generator. Well, like any disaster, there was a run on generators and none could be found locally. I went to Lowe's near Huntsville (about 23 miles) and found one left so I bought it. It's a 6.5 KW generator and I brought it home, bought some gas, put it together, wired it to office, refer, sump pump and fired it up. It has a 13 hour run time on 7 gallons of gas.

The sump pump pumped out water from under the house for a long time. Five hours later power was restored!!! Oh well, at least I am now prepared for another long term power outage.

My cable and Internet connection was out all week and just came up a few hours ago. On Thursday I took my laptop to McDonald's and wireless's connected to their WiFi and down loaded 125 email messages. Did the same this AM as well.

Other than that is has been a usual week living on Lake Guntersville!

What a Week!

2009-04-05T17:57:00.008-05:00

It has been quite an exiting week since Max arrived on Tuesday. Max has been very aggressive to Buddy and I have had to keep them separate for a while. They each had to have "kennel duty" while the other roamed the house free.

Slowly they have gotten use to each other with much work on my part. This evening they actually trusted each other to take a nap together on the sofa. Progress is slow but getting better.

Check out the new video of "Two Brothers Reunited".

While I was taking pictures of the dogs on the deck, I happened to look up and saw the new leaves sprouting on the trees.

I watched a real funny movie last night call "The Promotion". It was about a guy in a grocery store trying to get a manager position. Made me think of Andrew. If you haven't seen it you need to watch it. It is very funny.

Have to go now because Buddy and Max are waking up.

Long Lost Brothers

2009-03-31T20:43:00.013-05:00

Well, at least one of you wondered who Winston is. However, Winston is out and Max is in.

I was looking for another dog to be a companion for Buddy. I kind of liked Pugs and I was thinking of getting one and naming him Winston (after Winston Churchill). But then I got an interesting email today.

It was from the Safe Haven animal shelter and they wanted to know if I would adopt Buddy's brother. I found out Buddy had a brother and a sister. Originally all three puppies were found in a Dumpster when they were 9-weeks old. How horrible. What kind of low life would do that?

Anyway they had adopted out the brother and sister a month before I adopted Buddy last May. The people who adopted Buddy's brother (Max) could not take care of him anymore mainly because they couldn't handle him. They were considering putting him down but they didn't want to do that.

So I adopted Max. Max has very little training and no social skills with other dogs. He immediately tried to attack Buddy. So I am keeping them apart until they get use to each other. Otherwise Max is a sweet dog and likes me very much.

Here is Max:

Note that Max has more white hair than Buddy but they both have the single black toe nail on each front foot.

Am I crazy or what. Most of you know how energetic Buddy is. Well multiply that by two. I really have my hands full now!!

I will put a slide show together later with pictures of Max from puppy stage to now.

I hope I get some sleep tonight.

Spring is Here!

2009-03-29T21:04:00.007-05:00

Things are starting to be more Spring like; warmer temperatures, thunderstorms, flowers and birds. I finally finished my "Spring in Northeast Alabama" video. Check it out on the video sidebar.

While I was doing the video and now posting this Blog, I put some Yani music on in the living room and Buddy fell asleep in my recliner.

He is so nice when he is asleep.

Nothing much happened this weekend except I did have a second date with a lady from Huntsville. She is very nice and I will tell you more about her later.

Pretty soon I will also introduce you to Winston.

Every one have a good week and let me hear from you.

Eye Surgery Part Two

2009-03-25T18:00:00.015-05:00

My cataract surgery went well on Tuesday the 24th. It was different this time as I seemed to be awake during the surgery. I could see and I heard the surgeon's tools as he was "drilling" in my eye. I felt like saying "Am I supposed to be awake now?" but I didn't because I thought I might move my eye when I talked. However, I didn't feel anything, thankfully.

Brynne was here to help me and of course Buddy wouldn't leave her alone. So I had to cage Brynne in like I did with Phillip to keep the dog away.

After the surgery I found that my current glasses were now totally useless since both eyes have been corrected and the lens no longer corrected my vision/astigmatism. When I went back in today for a follow up visit the Doctor said this will be a tough time now because I will be in a "limbo mode".

Limbo mode? What the h... is that? He said it will be three to four weeks yet before he can make new glasses as it will take time for the eyes to totally heal. Nobody ever told me about "Limbo Mode"!!!

I told him I have to be able to work on the computer for my job. I can't wait 4-weeks to go back to work. He loaned me a pair of reading glasses and said "this should help". I asked "What about the TV, I can't even read the schedule". His response was to sit closer to the TV!

Then I asked why do I now have TRIPLE vision in my right eye which had been OK since the original surgery a month ago. He said it was and astigmatism issue and will go away once I get my final prescription glasses.

I go back in another week for a check up.

I got home and tried the reading glasses and found I had to be 4 inches away from the PC monitor to read it That's not going to work, especially for 4-weeks. I'll have an arched back by the time it's over.

So I experimented. This is what I ended up with (below).

Front View

Side View

I tried my old Super Magnifier fishing knot-tier goggles and they worked pretty good. Now I can be at least a foot away from the monitor. This is no joke. This is how I have to work on the computer! At least I'm not in an office with other people. They would all be laughing at me.

Here are a few shots of Brynne:

We were eating breakfast this morning and the camera was sitting on the table so I turned it on and snapped the picture before Brynne new what I was doing. She will be mad at me for putting this one on the Blog. Sorry Brynne. BTW, what is that in your mouth?

When she went to leave her car wouldn't start. We messed with it for a while and tried to figure out what to do next. We went in the house and then I came out to try to start it. It almost started and then I thought I flooded the engine. I left the key in the ignition and went back in the house for a while; came back out to try again and found the car doors locked. I didn't know the car had an automatic locking system. No spare key! Called a locksmith and he came out and got the car unlocked. Finally I got the car started and Brynne left for PCB.

I just got a call from her and she made it home safely and no more car problems.

It has been an exciting two days!

Cars - Boats - Girls

2009-03-22T19:01:00.013-05:00

I finally got around to washing my Darango this weekend. It has been a very long time. When it dries it water spots so I typically use my leaf blower to dry it (sort a like a blow dryer). I didn't feel like doing that so I found an old chamois that I use to use on the 2000 Plymouth Prowler I had. The last time I used the chamois was in November 2004. Wow, what a memory I have. Not really, I looked up when I sold it. :).

It made me think back to the Hot Rod/Cruising days and I kind of miss it.

That was one "Cool" car for cruising.

Next I changed the oil on three engines for Lights Out, the boat. 15-quarts of oil and three filters later I was done. I feel pretty lucky that I can still do this work at my age.

Here I am in the engine compartment. When I took the picture, I didn't realize the sun was washing out my face.

Finally, I have been trying to meet a female companion in my age group that I can share some of my boating and other adventures with. As some of you know, I have been on Match.com. I check out the ladies profiles to see about compatibility and of course the photos. We correspond through email for a while then talk on the phone and if there is an interest on both sides we set a date.

I had a date Saturday evening with someone I met on "match" and she even lived in Guntersville. According to her photo, she was gorgeous for being 55 years old. I met her at the "Boon-Docks" Sports Bar and Grill as it was on the water and a nice view of the lake.

When she came in I did not recognize her based on the photo she had in her profile. Here is the "match.com" photo.

Here is what she really looked like!!!

Ugggggggggg!!!!! Now I had to feed her. $50.00 later we departed and I said I would call her some time. I didn't tell her precisely what time but I think it will be 2054! She said she didn't have any "RECENT" photos to post in her profile.

This has happened to me several times. Why can't these ladies be honest? I'm no "Spring-Chicken" but at least I put a current photo of me in my profile. I'm pulling the plug on "Match.com". It just ain't-a-gona-work-for-me.

These are all the words I have to say for now...Goodbye!

7:00 PM

2009-03-18T22:29:00.016-05:00

What were you doing at 7 PM Central Time on Wednsday evening? I was sitting in my bass boat at my favorite fishing spot known as the 4-Poles.

I made a cast with a 5-inch Tiki Dip-Stick Blue plastic worm.

I felt a tap and my line started moving. I set the hook and had a nice fight. When I brought the fish to the boat it was a nice 4-pound bass. I thanked it and put it back in the water.

My first 4-Pole bass for 2009.

I am very sad tonight. Alexis Grace was voted off American Idol tonight. She was my favorite!

I'm going to bed now. I hope I can fall asleep!

Destroyed in Seconds

2009-03-15T12:01:00.003-05:00

I just added another video entitled "Destroyed in Seconds". It is about Buddy and some of the destruction he has done. go to the video side bar to watch it.

I had a little excitement in my life last Friday and I will talk about it in a future post!

Otherwise all is going well and I have my other eye (left) scheduled for cataract surgery on the 24th. Brynne is coming to help me with that one.

That's All Folks!

Crazy Weather

2009-03-08T09:48:00.011-05:00

It is hard to believe that last Sunday (March 1st) it was snowing and cold. This was Buddy's first experience with snow and he wasn't quite sure what it was and how strange it felt on his feet.

When I put some snow on his tongue he tasted it and he liked it. It was good snowball snow so I would throw some at him and he would catch and eat them.

This Saturday (March 7th) the temperature got up to 77 degrees with a nice Southerly breeze. I washed "Lights Out" and took her for a run on the river. The sailors were out in numbers and taking advantage of the nice breeze. Here are a few pictures I took.

Cataract Surgery

2009-02-26T13:31:00.019-06:00

Phillip came up to be with me for my cataract surgery. Buddy was so excited to see Phillip and Buddy wouldn't leave Phillip alone so I had to cage Phillip to keep the dog away from him.

On February 24th I had my cataract surgery on my right eye. I concealed a mini-cam in my shirt and it linked to Phillip's laptop while he waited in the waiting room. As I woke up from the surgery I could hear the surgery staff whispering and laughing. I wasn't sure what was going on but I took a picture with the mini-cam of then looking at me which is shown below.

After recovery Phillip came in and took a picture of the surgeon who looked a little perplexed as shown below.

When I looked at Phillip he seemed to be in shock but he didn't say anything. They released me and Phillip drove me home. During the drive I noticed Phillip kept looking at me but he didn't say anything. I heard him giggle a few times though.

When we got home I went into the bathroom to look at my eye and I almost passed out from what I saw. I called the surgery center immediately and they told me there was a mistake in the surgery order. Someone had made a typo in the order and the doctor interpreted it as a right eye relocation. Be prepared to see my face below:

Please don't laugh. This is an awful situation. The doctor said they can build some custom glasses that will adjust for the extreme astigmatism and I should be able to see OK. Another option is to relocate the left eye above the brow so there is a more symmetrical look to my face. I'm not sure yet how to proceed.

Valentines Day Trip to Tennessee

2009-02-16T12:13:00.021-06:00

I decided to go and visit Debbie in Tennessee on Valentines day. Buddy and I stayed at the Best Western in McMinnville.

I had a nice King Size bed and you would think there would be plenty of room for me and Buddy. But somehow he seemed to hog the whole bed.

Bed Hog Buddy!

While visiting I took a few more photos shown below.

Debbie and Me

Debbie, Windy the cat and Maggie the dog

Daisy

Dixie

A new dog came on the property recently and Debbie has adopted it. She named it Big Brown or "BB" for short. BB is about Buddy's age and they got along great and played "Chase" and "Hide and Go Seek".

Big Brown (BB)

Sunday before I left I had an accident and fell down on my right knee. It was hurt pretty bad but today it feels better. It should be OK after a few more days.

It was great to see and visit with Debbie.

The Deer Again

2009-02-05T14:19:00.006-06:00

The weather has been unusually cold here and there was a bazaar event that took place. I was on the water with the boat again and I saw some more deer swimming in the water. All of a sudden there was a severe winter storm and we got hit with a bunch of snow!

Before the Winter Storm

After The Winter Storm

Luckily, the storm ended, the sun came out, the snow melted and the deer were able to get to shore! I don't know what happened to the other two deer, they must have gotten lost!!

Goodby January, 2009

2009-01-31T14:36:00.010-06:00

It's hard to believe January is already gone. Time keeps on ticking, ticking...ticking away.

It is 52 degrees and sunny so Buddy and I took "Lights Out" for a run. We went across the river to Guntersville State Park. I took a couple of pictures from the boat.

Buddy checking out the park.

Guntersville State Park Lodge.

In a couple of weeks the FLW 3-day pro-fishing contest will start and the bass boats will launch from the park. I may go over there and watch. I hope I see Clay Dyer. I met him and his father at the beginning of January while he was fishing by my boat dock in preparation for this contest. He is quite a great fisherman despite his handicap. What an inspiration. I recommend you see his story by clicking on the My Stories and Links in the right-hand pane.

My vision is deteriorating due to Cataracts. Yesterday I had a pre-surgery check of my eyes. I will have Cataract surgery on my right eye on February 24, 2009. Depending on the results I may have it done on my left eye later. I will need a family member with me for 48 hours during and after the surgery. Tentatively, Phillip will be here.

That's it for now.

Getting the Itch

2009-01-27T15:30:00.006-06:00

It's 68 degrees outside and I am wanting Spring to be here now. However in two days the morning temperature is going to be back in the upper 20s. I guess I should be happy that there are some warms ups in the winter where I live.

I'm really getting the itch to take a mini adventure but every weekend the weather turns bad. Hopefully I can do one soon.

I added another story entitled "My First Car". The story took place in 1959 which was 50 years ago! It's kind of fun to test the ole' brain at my age. All the memories are there but it takes a while to find them. Check it out in the right-hand pane.

That's about it for now.

Another Cold Weekend

2009-01-25T14:01:00.010-06:00

I really wish winter was over with.

Not much happening this weekend but I did attend a boat show on Saturday in Huntsville. It wasn't to look at boats (but I did anyway) but it was for a Coast Guard Auxiliary public affairs (PA) event. I am a member of the Auxiliary and volunteer my time to assist with Auxiliary activities such as PA events, training, web site development and boat patrols on the water. I helped at the booth handing out materials and answering questions.

I seem too serious in this photo!

I was searching through some stories I had hand written a long time ago and came across one about my son Phillip that I never published (1987). He was 5 years old at the time and I had thought of writing a small children's book with this story. It's called "The Curious Little Boy". The story and conversations in the story actually happened. Check it out on the right -hand sidebar.

My Stories

2009-01-20T13:46:00.003-06:00

I am still adjusting my blog. I had a section in the right pane for music in hopes it would play background music while people were at my blog. That didn't seem to work so I scrapped that idea.

This blog is about me so I decided to add a section for my little stories I come up with once-in-a-while. The first one that flashed in my brain was when I was a child and how I had fun going to the Sears store.

Check it out on the right pane below my videos.

I will occasionally add some links to other favorite websites.

Warming Up

2009-01-18T13:19:00.011-06:00

The weather is starting to get back to normal for this time of the year. Outside the bird bath still had frozen water as well as Buddy's drinking water. Buddy likes to chew ice cubes and he found a giagantic cube is his water container.

Somehow he managed to get it in his mouth and carry it around.

After a lot of licking and chewing he finally got it down to some manageable sizes.

I'm still trying to figure out what adventures I will be taking this year. The Tennessee River (which I live on) has over 600 miles of navigable water from Paducah Kentucky to Knoxville, Tennessee. One thought is to take an extended fishing trip to Pickwick Lake (Bill Dance's fishing lake) and do some fishing. I would travel and live on my boat "Lights Out" and tow my bass boat along for fishing.

I would need someone to come with me for safety reasons as well as helping me lock through 3 locks. So, is anyone interested in an exiting adventure?

I'm in the South, What's Going On!

2009-01-16T08:28:00.005-06:00

Brrrr...It's cold this morning. Ten degrees outside and wind chills expected to be negative degrees. I checked the boat and the heaters are keeping the inside at 45 degrees. Also, some heat from the lake water is being radiated up through the hull so all is OK. Same with camper.

Of course this cold is nothing compared to my brother who lives in Dalton, Minnesota. On December 31st. his outside temperature was -29.4 degrees and he had just gotten 9 inches of snow. NO THANKS, I'm happy with 10 degrees!

I guess Buddy was cold because when I woke up this morning I found him on my bed sleeping next to me instead of on his dog bed.

He's normally not allowed on the bed but sometime during the night he snuck up on the bed.

I'm still messing around with this blog trying to get it set up the way I want.

That's it for now, I need to get to work.

Day One

2009-01-14T18:11:00.000-06:00

I decided to start a blog for my last Big Adventure. I'm not quite sure what that will be yet but I have several "Dreams" left in the ole noggin.

I have tried to keep a journal over the past year but I have not been consistent with it and there are many gaps (months at a time)! Hopefully I will maintain and update this blog at least once a week.

The weather is turning cold and by early morning it will be below freezing for several days with a low of 6 degrees by Friday AM. This is a bit cold for this area (Guntersville, Alabama). Today I prepared for the freezing weather by activating heaters in my boat and camper.

Not much else to say for today so I will spend the rest of my blog time filling in some personal info.

DAP