May 5, 2009
Lots going on over the past week; Jackson celebrated his 18th birthday with his friend Ian Cader

On Saturday we went over to Oriental to see Jay and some of his youth group from Sanford. Those of you who have been to the Stallings House might remember this room from the third floor. The smell is the same...........wonder if it is George

The peace and serenity of the Neuse River, which unfortunately was blowing at 25+ that day
Saturday night was Jackson's prom; here Mr. Bond gets ready to leave stately Riley manor; sorry, mixed the stories up quite a bit there
This group met at a neighbor's house for dinner, then off to the beach for the prom

Jackson's date was Miss Arrington Moore, a lovely young lady from Nashville; sorry this picture doesn't do her beauty justice

Everyone had a great time and a great weekend. Pop had a good week; Dink is having a lot of trouble walking and getting around right now
Off to OH in the morning, home for Mother's Day this weekend

Birthday weekend

April 26. 2009
Time for our annual birthday fishing weekend. On Friday we fished offshore and caught plenty of blues for dinner. We had a relatively short day (7-2) because we had lots to do and knew Saturday would be a long one. We cleaned fish, the boat, went to see Pop, and had a nice dinner.
On Saturday we left early on an exploratory expedition and went up Core Creek to Adams Creek to the Neuse River (the Inter Coastal Waterway). Once in the Neuse we drove west to Hancock Creek; lots of shallow water, very pretty, and fishing in this area comes with a private air show!

We were fishing near the end of one of the landing strips at Cherry Point MAS. The water was pretty, the fishing lousy, the food was great, and the show was wonderful.

And another jet, and you can hear the wind blowing in this small creek

We had three clear days of fishing; a little too much wind all along, fish for Friday night dinner and some for FO to take home; explored some new territories, all in all a pretty good weekend
And Jackson was elected elder, and turns 18 this week; hard to believe!
In town through Wednesday, then off to Charlotte and the Wachovia on Friday

April 19, 2009

Terri and I went to Ocracoke for the day last Friday, it was really nice to get away even if it was only for the day.
While there we saw Nanny and Papa's cottage. Hard to believe there's more than one, small world isn't it? Or as Steven Wright once said "it's a small world but I wouldn't want to paint it"

Here is a picture of a rare bird called a "seagull." I think that's what the locals called them. We saw several during our visit.

Here is another picture of another type of bird; we didn't see nearly enough of these on the beach; got to love the bikini wahine girls in 60 degree weather..........

Speaking of wahines, Terri bundled up but still enjoyed the sun
Me in my waders; Terri described them as "unflattering." Going to look that word up when I get home; I think it means "hot."

One for you Mr. Vanacore: "Heh, come over here, me laddy, learn something. First you have a little shot of Jameson's.You never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys someday. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Now we have a shot of Bailey's.Then you fry some garlic and take a shot of Bushmill's. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; ya make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs and knock down a Guinness; heh…? And a little bit o' wine and another Bushmill's. An' a little bit o' sugar, and that's my trick."

......................and don't forget the cannolis.
In northern VA, be home Thursday in time for the birthday weekend fishing extravaganza, happy 55th FO (tomorrow); guess this puts you in another age demographic doesn't it?

April 15, 2009
Happy Tax Day!

We're on vacation this week and went to visit a couple of colleges Monday and Tuesday. Monday we saw NCSU, Tuesday was our day at Elon. Both schools have lots to offer; Elon is a small school which appeals to Terri and me. It's all part of the process, and it was good for the three of us to get away for a couple of days. Jackson heads off to a FBLA conference tomorrow through Saturday; I leave for an AHRI meeting Saturday afternoon, so our free time together is very limited.
While out of town we stayed in Sanford and got to see our favorite grandson Cooper. He's involved in potty training now; I told Jay it's too bad Jesse isn't around anymore; she did a pretty good job training Jackson.

He's getting ready for summer; I told him about the yellow boat

On the last trip to Sanford we took pictures of our old houses, and we started down the road to our first one but got side-tracked (or maybe simply forgot). Here is our first house in Sanford; we really liked living in this 3.5 story townhouse.

On the way home in the rain this truck passed us. I saw it coming at the last minute and sped up to take this picture. On the front bumper he has 2 fishing chairs mounted beside his rod, cooler, and equipment holders, really nice; wonder if he wants a yellow boat?

Last but not least an unsolicited commercial, well it could be solicited if General Mills wants to pony up......this is new and this stuff is tasty! The Fishin Optishin told us about it and his aim was very good; haven't read the ingredients yet, bet it's really bad for you, which of course has never stopped me before!

Terri and I might go to Ocracoke for the day Friday; if so I'll post some pictures.

April 11, 2009

Yes I have lost my mind and bought a yellow boat. According to one wit from Durham who has a television in every room of his house, we now have more boats than he has televisions. That will change after we give the wooden skiff away to the Sea Scouts and sell the Scanoe. I got quite a deal and decided to go for it. After Terri named her Fishstick 2 I put her in the creek to see if she floated, and she did. Kill her she's a witch, a witch I tell you, a witch!!! No wait, I put the BOAT in the water and she floated! The engine runs fine, reverse is a little sticky but I'm working on it. The trailer needs some work, there is a leak around the plug, I should beef up the transom, I wish I could find my trolling motor, and for goodness sakes it needs to be painted! Bobby, don't bring your ultralight stuff for our birthday weekend; sorry, don't think she'll be ready for that by then. But it is always a joy to mess around with boats...........and I do love things that make combustion engine noise; but you probably already knew that.
I like the openness of the cockpit, it makes walking in the boat a lot easier for an old guy like me who has the tendency to trip over shadows on the sidewalk; should be a good creek and river boat.

And now on to more important things, Pop physically seems better each day but had a few cloudy days this week. We're not sure what his next step will be.
And now on to even more important things; the tomb is empty, Happy Easter.
Off to look at colleges next week

April 2, 2009
Leftover shots

Going through the camera and found a few leftover shots I thought you would enjoy, or at least I did anyway.
Here's Bonnie and Clyde caught in the church parlor before Jackson's Eagle ceremony. Bonnie looked away so that we couldn't get a good shot; she worries that it might enable a sheriff to more accurately identify her. Clyde looked good and has been feeling a lot better this week. I took him to three doctor's visits this week and got good news from all.

On the same Sunday the new confirmation class was examined by our Session. Here is a shot of two good friends, Owen Piehler and Gray Rixey relaxing after the ordeal was over. I was Gray's mentor and he is dressed in a Class A BSA uniform to serve in Jackson's color guard; where is his kerchief?

OK kids, now it's time to name the chrome dome. While in Texas last week I took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures from a different perspective. Name them both and win a prize.

Give up? Need a clue? Let me know, I'll give you a hint......the first one's name rhymes with Scraig Rellis.....................and I'm, not telling the second one.
In town for the weekend; let's go fishing Sunday afternoon

Jackson Gets His Eagle Badge!!!
March 29, 2009

Well, it finally happened. After many years of Scouting, Jackson received his Eagle badge last Sunday. No one needs to tell you how much hard work is involved in making this happen' obviously we are very proud of him.
It was a good day; Pop and Dink were able to get there; we had friends and family from all over, and probably just as important for Jackson, he had lots of his friends there also. She Who Must Be Obeyed (and who did a wonderful job of planning this ceremony) estimated the crowd at 100 +.

Pop and Dink were also especially proud as this completed the grandson/Eagle cycle for them; all grandson are Eagles. No pressure on you Cooper.....................

So, you take a raw recruit like this and work on him to be an Eagle Scout..................

Jay delivered the Eagle charge, and also one from Nephew Kevin; great job on both of them.
Jackson answered the charge and made remarks and thanks at the end of the ceremony
And then received a standing ovation!
Now it was time to party; drinks and a personalized cake

A display of Jackson's scout career; take careful note of the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile pinewood derby car; looks kind of like a humidifier float doesn't it?

Big crowd was there; and special thanks to the Highs for some great food. Typical for a scout event, it was nearly all gone at the end; not much to take out after wards.

And someone took a picture of me; thanks, I've often worried that my children won't remember what I looked like since there aren't many of these. Here are Jay, me, the BRAT, and Marie High

And here is the finished product; we are very proud of him for many things, but especially for his perseverance in completing this special honor.

Thanks again to the Highs for not only the great food, but also many of these pictures. Pop update: went to the orthopedics surgeon and urologist today, good reports from both. He acts like he feels better daily right now, his progress is remarkable.

In town all week