Christmas Week
December 27, 2008

Sorry, no pictures. It's been a different kind of Christmas this year; Pop had surgery Monday morning, came out of the hospital Tuesday afternoon and stayed home for about two hours and had a lot of difficulty swallowing. After he vomited I took him back to the ER and they admitted him and performed an endoscopy late that night. His esophagus was clogged with breakfast items and some of the solids got into his lungs causing aspiration pneumonia. He is stable but very weak from the surgery and compounded problems.

I'm writing this from the hospital on Saturday night and at best he may get to come home on Monday with some home health care. His bladder cancer surgery did go well and although all tests have not been reported, they are confident it is treatable.

Wild one with all that has been going on it has been a great Christmas seeing friends and family, especially Mr. Cooper, who is pretty much running the Sanford show at this point. We look forward to Pop getting better and seeing the Highs next week.

December 19, 2008
Retirement Day

Terri called it quits today after 30 years of teaching NC elementary students. She looks forward to traveling with me and being at the beck and call to fulfill any desire Dink thinks of..............
There was a Middle School party Thursday night, a luncheon Friday, and then a family dinner at one of our favorite restaurants (free plug:Windansea) that evening. All were fun and had lots of good food. I tried to arrange a reception but had trouble finding a restaurant with a room available as it was Christmas party time. A couple of weeks before I decided to have a catered party at the house; thought Friday night might be tough so we could do it Saturday night. I decided to ask Terri about this, since it would involve our house...............good thing, we were scheduled to be in Raleigh that night for a party. If all goes well we'll try to have a drop in during the Christmas season.
Here is a picture of Terri at lunch Friday having her 17th glass of vodka......or was it gin? I forget

The principal asked if any of the teachers had any last minute gripes about Terri and her job performance. Here is a picture of what happened next, some even brought prepared lists. OK, that's not it; they read a poem they prepared especially for the very best teacher they'd ever had
She received lots of gifts, some were chocolate!

And a shot of Kevin bedecked with reindeer antlers on his way to deliver candy to Iraqi children.

Pop came through his surgery and is resting comfortably; we expect him home tomorrow (12/23)
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

December 18, 2008
Jackson passed his BSA Eagle board of review tonight! Please welcome our newest Eagle scout, and stay tuned to this blog, Terri retires tomorrow at 12:00 PM. Film at 11.................

Big things are happening in Morehead City, and this is big Andy, BIG!

The Dawning of the Age of Aquariums

The newly formed Baby Boomers group at church went to the NC Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium Friday night and had a ball! I know, you don't believe I'm old enough to be a Baby Boomer..........and you're right; I went with Terri.....who is! Just kidding, we had a really good time. We've been to several parties through the years there, and one major league wedding reception this past year for Heather and Captain Nephew Kevin; but this party was a little unique; watch the videos and see why.

First up, a shot from the big tank; Terri encourages me to take a pretty fish's picture; or at least I think that's what she meant

This features a nice channel bass with lots of spots

A nurse shark comes by; that is a nurse shark isn't it Heather?

A lionfish and an eel; lionfish are now off the NC coast

In this shot, several sharks, a couple of cobias, tons of jacks and a beautiful tarpon cruise by

Now here is where the evening took a turn; many of you have been to this aquarium, ever seen it from this view? This is the rail above the U-boat display tank. Warning: the noise level is very high due to the water pumps in operation, you might want to turn the volume down before opening.....especially if you are in an office right now.

The last video, again with a high noise level due to the pumps, shows lots of sharks, jacks, and at the end three cobias cruising over the top of the U-boat.
We had a great time.

This week: someone in our family is retiring. Want to see some pictures? Tune in later

December 6, 2008

I was in Ohio all week, ran into a pretty good snow shower near the Winterplace resort; it laid down after that but got heavier near Cleveland. Traffic slowed to a crawl but then picked back up on the turnpike.

Going to Columbia SC tomorrow, I'll work with MidSouth Marketing in the Carolinas all week.

December 3, 2008

And how better to celebrate the birth of flight than some pictures of number one nephew doing his thing..........hey wait, that's December 17th not the 3rd.........oh well, too late now.
Here are some shots from Kevin in Iraq

We are very proud of that young man!
And last, and certainly least, someone asked for the recipe for Merry Old Sole, here t'is
Still in OH, heading home Friday night with some snow videos

Thanksgiving 2008

A sharp dressed man showed up, looking good in that sweater vest and barefooted, I think he started on that sippy-cup pretty early Thursday morning.

We had family, in-laws and out-laws here for Thursday's dinner. Didn't hear any complaints about the food, we had accommodations for everyone, and there were no fistfights or stabbings.............inside the house anyway.

Terri (who also celebrated her birthday on this day) was able to breathe a big sigh of relief that everyone had plenty to eat, liked her house addition, decorating and furniture, and had a good time. She has three more weeks until retirement, but who is counting................everyone!!!) ?

And here's a look at some of the crowd that day; the end of the video is for you K-girl, thanks again.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone; off to OH Monday through Friday; might post some snow video when I get back.

November 21, 2008

Still up all night due to the lingering effects of another West Coast jet lag; I thought I would proceed with another post right on top of the last one. Don't look for many more for a while....unless I go fishing this weekend or get creative at the Thanksgiving party.

On Saturday I went to Carlsbad CA for a few days to participate in the annual AHRI meeting at the LaCosta resort; pretty nice digs for an old eastern NC boy; although I did have to go a few days without BBQ. Mr Sulu at Hertz tried to get me to upgrade to a Hummer, Corvette or a Shelby Mustang; I told him I was having dinner with the owner of our company Monday night, didn't think that would look quite right. By mistake he gave me a Mustang at the same price as the mid-size I reserved. Not a bad ride, very attractive, little light on HP but better than the Chrysler POS I'm used to getting.

Sunday morning we had our board of directors meeting, after which I went to ride and found this gourmet restaurant. Can you say ANIMAL STYLE? They make good burgers here; but I apologize to my So-Cal buds, I prefer Jack in the Box, sorry.

On Monday evening I was invited to the Powers residence in Laguna Beach; I arrived at 4:00 in time to watch a magnificent sunset. The Powers were gracious hosts; I saw the military memorabilia and had Swedish meatballs! Good times.

The colors were much prettier than my little camera was able to reproduce.

After the sun set the shape of Catalina Island could be seen on the horizon. A visit there is one of the things on my list before I check out of here. I've flown over it but never been.

Here is some video I captured during the sunset.

Tuesday afternoon I went to ride in the Mustang. I went east, kinda hard to go west there, and went up into the hills and did a little exploring. Saw an area which had burned, just a small place,but there were lots of fire trucks on the scene. In this video I am trying to run down an exotic sports car of some sort, it was either a Ferrari or a GMC pickup, I forget which. Didn't think about the music until after wards, hope you like ELO.

I like driving in Southern California! As long as there are no jams, people are moving. I was told on the back roads like you can flash your lights repeatedly at anyone who holds you up, and if you keep doing it they will eventually pull over and let you through. Often they will salute you with an expression that lets you know they think you are the number one driver in the state! Hey slow drivers, I think you're number one too!

Later I went to the beaches beginning at San Juan Capistrano (boy those polysyllabic words are hard to swallow, get it....swallow.............San Juan Capistrano.......OK I digress) and headed South. I stopped at several surf spots I've read or heard about; probably the best lineup I saw was at San Onofre. I think I could surf these waves; as long as you have to trim the board and then get up (on my feeble knees that takes a while); I could make this work. Lot of difference in these waves and what we see on the east coast; this guy has a good long ride

Bought a t-shirt at Hobie Alter's, stopped several places and ended up at La Jolla around sunset. Jay took a picture of Terri and me there many many years ago; I found the bluff but couldn't find the old picture. I'll post it if I can find it.

Around San Clemente I saw a carrier offshore; helicopters were running back and forth carrying cargo containers suspended by cable for quick release. All in all a fun afternoon, and then back to NC Wednesday morning.

November 20

28 is Fred Lorenzen, 11 is Ned Jarrett. Tiny Lund won the race in an upset; he drove the #21 Woods Brothers car after Marvin Panch was burned while practicing in a Ford/Maserati for the sports car race. Lund ran to the burning car and pulled Panch out; Panch recommended Lund for the ride. Lund was later killed at Talladega in a wreck with J.D. McDuffie. Rumor had it that Lund took the webbing out of his helmet because his head was so big.

And this is what a batter faced when batting against Sandy Koufax. What made the picture unique was he only hit 2 homers in his career, and this was one of them. He pitched left and batted right; what kind of imbecile does that? Oh never mind......that's right.................... the Old Paratrooper tried that trick if I remember correctly.
Anyway, Koufax pitched in 397 games, won 165, saved 9 (believe it or not, he and Drysdale used to also pitch relief during their prime years in the early 60's), struck out 2396 in 2324 innings. He was a great all around athlete, but only hit 2 dingers in his 12 years in the majors.

CA pictures and videos coming up soon.

Life Magazine November 19, 08

Saw in USA Today that Life/Google made a library of pictures available online; only had a couple of minutes before heading to the airport but thought I would post a couple.
Can you name these drivers?

Not really that hard if you're an old NASCAR fan; where was the race? What year, and who won? Just got a little harder didn't it?
Now here is a unique picture, can you tell why?
Heading to the San Diego airport in a sec; I'll post some videos and pictures when I get the chance.

November 14, 2008 Minnesota

Went to MN this week to work with Mr Curt Mondale; a second generation manufacturers representative with a new method of doing business. Here he walks into a conference room.....

............and sits down and takes over!

It was a lot of fun working with Curt, Bryan and Herb. They are one of our better agencies. It was a little icy and some sleet Tuesday morning, and lots of rock'm sock'm activity on the Interstate. I was glad to get into a hotel that night. I left my coat in Curt's car and wasn't up to sprinting to the Mall of America Wednesday night.
Speaking of cars, Curt drives a Prius. I was impressed by the roominess and efficiency. The video below gauges performance as the vehicle shifts between gasoline engine and electric motor. In the past reps were accustomed to the biggest and the best in vehicles; I believe Curt is our first "green" rep .

Off to San Diego in the morning; I'll try to take some good shots out there.

November 9, 2009

First of all, a dinner shot from Tuesday night; our guest of honor was the flounder we caught Sunday afternoon. I fixed Merry Old Sole, a Franc White dish from many many years ago. If you're asking yourself who Franc White is......well I feel sorry for you. This is four pieces of flounder with shrimp, crabmeat, and cheese sandwiched in between. Franc's recipe calls for Hollandaise but I didn't feel like making any so I used a mayo/dijon/wasabi combo. Didn't get any complaints from the eating crew.

We went to Martha Simpson's wedding Saturday night in Chapel Hill. The Fishin Optishin was our chauffeur and we really enjoyed ourselves, and being away by ourselves for a welcomed break. The wedding was held in a garden at the Carolina Inn, the reception was in the Old Well Room. I was glad the statutes of limitation had expired and I was able to come back into this fine old hotel. Martha was beautiful and we enjoyed the wedding, reception, and seeing a lot of old friends from Sanford.

Then it was down to Sanford on Sunday to see our family. First stop was the house they plan to buy. It's nice and will be a good home for the three of them.

We enjoyed spending some time with the best little grandson in the whole wide world. We haven't been able to see much of him the past few months; he's grown a lot and is talking a lot more these days. Hope to be able to see them more over the holidays.
And last of all, video of Cooper

Off to MN this week, CA Saturday; will post when I can

Washington NC 11/07/08

The last game of the year sneaked up on us; we travelled to Little Washington Friday night for Jackson's last game. We got behind 34-0 in the first half, played well in the second but lost 41-14

Jackson's first punt was a good one; from inside the 50, pinned the PamPack inside the 5. He had a shadow each time he punted, and I don't like seeing him slap a helmet, but the other guy followed him each time.

His second punt was blocked, the special teams coach said he thought Jackson was a little slow getting it off.

That's it for this year, no basketball so we don't know what we'll be doing all winter. We hope Jackson will work hard on his studies and finish out his Eagle project before Christmas.

Halloween 2008

West hosted New Bern Friday night. We left a bowl of candy on the front porch and a note saying we were not home, but "help yourself." When we returned the bowl was empty.....wonder how long that took?
The game was ugly from the beginning. The West defense obviously didn't realize it was a home game and went to New Bern. The offense did fairly well; Jackson only had 2 punts for a 16 yard average.....yes 16 yards. Here is the first one

This one was blocked; it was the first time this year that the receiving team has blocked a punt cleanly.

We're proud of Jackson, he made some good decisions this weekend, not the least of which was to not kick the guy who tackled the West player on the blocked kick. Watch closely and you'll see Jackson charging down the field wanting to hit somebody; fortunately he didn't, there were enough cheap shots taken during the game; even the Morehead City newspaper chided the West team for late hits and punches.
Bobby and I caught lots of fish this weekend; the weather was pretty and the fish cooperated, but we had to work for them both days. On Saturday we caught some VA mullet, blues, and grey trout. Sunday we went offshore and after a slow morning found a good trout bite at AR 315. We also kept some pretty hogfish, blues, and a nice flounder which I believe was my first or second keeper this year. Our marine diet continues through this week................

October 30, 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Terri and I went to Arizona last Friday for the annual HARDI meeting of North American heating, air conditioning and refrigeration wholesalers. Since joining Skuttle Terri has been invited each year and has developed many personal friendships among spouses in the HALO group. This was our first AZ sunset last Friday night.

On Saturday morning we were involved with the HALO Habitat for Humanity project. We hung drywall for most of the day. It was hard work but everyone felt good to have helped make a little bit of a difference for a day.
Terri is, or actually was the HARDI HALO president; her term ended with this meeting. Here she is addressing the group on Monday.

Well not really, it was a staged shot afterwards.
But this one is not staged. When she was asked to be a HALO officer five years ago she started worrying about speaking in front of the entire group by asking Grace for the opening luncheon. There were hundreds of thousands of people there.....OK, there were hundreds. During the prayer I sneaked in a picture, she did great.

Lunch with our old friends the Wheelocks from Birmingham, AL.
Terri with an old peddler she met at the meeting, I guess she felt sorry for him.....
HARDI sent some roses to our room; I tried to take credit for them but too late, she saw the card

We had a good time, saw lots of old friends, and hopefullly wrote some business
Bobby is coming tomorrow night; maybe we'll have some fish pictures for the next post.

October 20, 2008

OK, another post on top of one, sorry; but there are a few things to share:

First of all there is a new blogger in town: check out http://thealwayshighfishinoptishin.blogspot.com/ mark it as a favorite and check back frequently, as I hope there will be some trout videos on that site soon. There are some vids from Martinsville on there showing a budding debutante who sat in front of us and directed the Jeff Gordon efforts (she told him to drive towards her through the corner, and then pointed for him to drive down the back straight, I can't help but wonder how we do without her) ; they're very good.
I saw Pedro land at the Newport Chili Festival (actually I was gassing the car and saw it)

Monday night Jackson played in a makeup game at South Central (Winterville); they played well but lost 48-42. Jackson had a couple of good punts which put the South Central Hooligans inside the 20, on this one however he thought he was roughed, no call as both his feet were on the ground.

Later in the game he pooched one inside the 15, After the game he asked if I saw him step into a hole on the field, look closely and you can see him nearly fall as he punts.

Off to MD tomorrow, AZ Friday.>

Sunday October 19, 2008

I was in town all week, had some doctor's appointments and what not to catch up on; went fishing Wednesday evening, but sorry, no pictures as it was dark and the no-see-ums were eating me up. I caught my limit of blues very quickly, it was a good evening. Jackson's Friday night game in Winterville was postponed due to rain, they play tonight (Monday). Saturday I went to Durham to watch Duke play well in the first half, but lose in the second to Miami. On Sunday Bobby and I went to Martinsville, got in early this morning. It was a fun race, pretty day, and an entertaining crowd. The fans in front of us resembled this guy.

Sorry, no camera in Durham on Martinsville. Off to MD tomorrow, back Wednesday night, then off to AZ Friday through Wednesday.
I'll post some of Bobby's pics when I can

October 11, 2008
West Carteret won their first varsity conference football game in over 4 years Friday night; here's the newspaper clipping:

West breaks ice in Coastal

NEWS-TIMES

Published: Sunday, October 12, 2008 2:05 AM EDT

EVANS KISTLER

MOREHEAD CITY — West Carteret’s football renaissance took another step forward Friday night against D.H. Conley.

After losing 23 straight in the Coast Conference since its inception in 2005, the Patriots ground out a tough win in the driving rain, downing the Vikings 21-14.

But for a few tense moments late in the fourth quarter, it appeared like Conley (2-5, 0-3 Coastal) might snatch victory from the over joyous Patriot faithful who braved the weather to witness Patriot history.

Early in the fourth quarter, a jubilant Patriot sideline seemed ready to celebrate victory after going up 21-7 off a Reuben Simmons 1-yard touchdown run with 10:10 remaining in the contest.

Then a voice of reason came from the man in charge.

“It ain’t over yet,” West coach John Lancaster told one overly excited player.

Lancaster’s words almost turned prophetic as the rain continuously pelted the field and the players.

Play got sloppy in the final two minutes of the game, but Conley started moving the ball. And with just under two minutes remaining, Viking Darrion Moore broke free for a 35-yard scamper to pull Conley within a score.

The tension compounded on the ensuing kickoff when Conley tried an onside kick that resulted in a massive pile of players and no initial call of possession from the referees.

While the crowd, coaches and players breathlessly looked on, the men in striped shirts slowly peeled player off player to get to the bottom of the pile.

When the final man was pulled up wearing a red jersey and holding the football, even coach Lancaster began to celebrate.

“I am so proud of these seniors,” said Lancaster. “They have taken a lot of beatings over the past few years, so it means a lot to get this first win.

“Our defense has played great all year. In a couple games, we put them in some bad situations, but the defense has played great. Coach (Mike) Sartain, our defensive coordinator, has done a great job with those guys. They are tough and are young. We will have eight of those guys coming back next year, so we are excited. Our offense struggled at times, but they have constantly led us on the field.”

Part of the reason for the offensive struggles was the rain, which limited offensive coordinator Todd Nelson’s play-calling.

“We are not a big passing team,” said Lancaster on dealing with the rain and wind. “There were times where Conley stacked the box with eight, nine, even 10 guys. With the wind and rain coming down like it was, they guessed we weren’t going to pass it, so they just stuck all the gaps. Then at halftime, we made some adjustments and were able to win the ballgame.”

Offensively, West did it all on the ground, gaining 178 yards rushing with three touchdowns while gaining zero yards passing and one interception from quarterback Chris Dodge.

While Dodge didn’t make things happen with his arm, he made the Viking defense pay with his legs, tallying 60 yards off six carries for 10 yards per carry average.

Again, fullback Chase Chapman carried the load offensively for West, leading the Patriots in yards with 72 off 15 carries.

Conley’s air game was also hampered by the weather, as the Vikings completed one of seven attempts for eight yards.

Rushing, Conley had 135 yards off 44 carries, with 110 of their 135 yards coming off Moore’s 21 carries.

“We are a wishbone, flex bone team,” said Conley coach Ken Whitehurst. “And with the weather like it was, I think it was tough handling the ball. We had a lot of trouble with the penetration West Carteret was a able to get up front, so that was a major issue.”

After a short opening drive and strong kick into the wind from Patriot punter Jackson Riley, who averaged 38.5 yards off four punts, Conley drove the ball to near midfield.

But the hard-hitting West defense, led by Nate Williams, Nic Moore and Dominic Walker, made some jarring hits and caused a Conley fumble on the West 41.

Moments later, Mason Gomola ran untouched for 13 yards and a score to give West the early lead.

Dalton Knight added the PAT, and West was up 7-0 with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter.

But a mishandled snap on the Patriots’ next possession gave Conley an easy scoring opportunity when West fumbled on its own 3-yard line.

The West defense was stout, keeping Conley out of the end zone three straight times, but on fourth-and-goal from the one, Viking quarterback Tyler Nichols scored off the quarterback keeper. Following the successful extra point, Conley and West were knotted up at 7-7, a score that held up through the half.

“The first half was pretty much a wash,” said Whitehurst. “They scored after we turned it over, but then we scored after West turned it over. It was the big Patriot punt return that set up the second West score. And that was really the biggest difference in the ball game.

“West Carteret had great position, and they capitalized. I was very impressed with West’s offensive line play. They did a really good job up front offensively.”

Midway through the third quarter, Gomola fielded a Viking punt near midfield and picked his way all the way down to the Conley 30. Moments later, Patriot running back Jeremy Wilson found his way into the end zone off a 9-yard rush, pushing West up by a touchdown.

The Patriot defense again stepped up for West, stopping Conley on fourth down at the Patriot 21, setting up a 79-yard, eight-play scoring drive capped off by Simmons, which led the exciting finish to the contest.

“At the beginning of the year, I told the kids,” said Lancaster, “the first thing we have to do is learn how to compete. Then once we started competing, we would get some wins. And we haven’t won in 23 times in this conference. Once we get some wins, then the next step is to try and get into the playoffs.

“After last week, we felt like we should have gotten a win. But we won this week, so we are on the right step. We are competing, and we now have a few wins, so hopefully we can start to work towards the playoffs, because that is our goal.”

In order to accomplish its goal, West will have to do what was once unthinkable, win two conference games in a row.

The Patriots’ record now stands at 3-4 overall, 1-2 in the Coastal Conference. Their next opponent, South Central, is 3-4 overall, 0-3 in conference play, but the conference mark is a bit misleading. All three Falcon losses this year have come at the hands of West Craven, Washington and New Bern, who are a combined 7-2 in conference play.

“Last year against South Central,” Lancaster said about the Patriots’ upcoming opponents, “when I saw their players, they were the most athletic looking team we faced all year. They are just very athletic. I am not sure about their record and am not sure about what they have done, but I know they are going to be tough, and their coach does a good job with those kids.”

But regardless of the outcome of the contest next Friday, the Patriots have proved that this year, they can compete in the once daunting Coastal Conference.

Kickoff for the contest at South Central will be 7 p.m.

Here are results of the game:

D.H. Conley 7 0 0 7-14

West Carteret 7 0 7 7-21

D.H. Conley West Carteret

8 First Downs 10

44-135 Rushes-yards 42-178

1-7 Passing 0-3-1

8 Passing yards 0

143 Total yards 178

5-39.4 Punts-average 4-38.5

2-1 Fumbles-lost 1-1

7-53 Penalties-yards 5-40

75 Return yards 32

Scoring Summary

WC – Gomola 13 run (Knight kick), 6:08, 1st

DHC – Nichols 1 run (Giordano kick), 1:25, 1st

WC – Wilson 9 run (Knight kick), 7:51, 3rd

WC – Simmons 1 run (Knight kick), 10:10, 4th

DHC – Moore 35 run (Giordano kick), 1:32, 4th

Jackson got his name in the paper, better get the helmet-stretcher....................................
In town all week

October 4-5, 2008

What a great weekend! Davis Powers came South from Ohio and boy oh boy did we have a chamber of commerce weekend for him. He met Bobby in Durham Thursday night; and the two of them came to MhC Friday afternoon for Jackson's game in Havelock.
West went in as heavy underdogs to Havelock, who defeated New Bern the previous week. They hung tough all night long ,and led throughout the game
This was not one of Jackson's better punts for the night, and then he encountered a defender who wanted to take a cheap shot

This was his best punt because late in the game with a tie score Jackson punted and didn't get off a good one. Fortunately Mason intercepted a pass and saved the tie. With about a minute to go in the game West was pinned inside their five, and Jackson got this one off.

After the punt, the Havelock QB scrambled, was nearly sacked at his own 45, ran to the 50 and heaved one into the end zone that was caught for a TD. West played a good game and should be proud, but lost 26-20
We fished with Bobby and Davis Saturday and Sunday, perfect conditions, no keepers to bring home. I felt really bad because we planned a fresh fish dinner Saturday night; we had one but it was dolphin bought at Captn Jim's
Regardless we had lots of fun and look forward to return visits from Davis and the Fishin Optishin, who strangely enough, refused my offer of chapstick here...............................

Bobby will send me some more videos which I will post later, great weekend

October 2, 2008

What the heck is this thing?
Sunday evening I hooked this on a jig in the Haystacks area. It was about 5-6" long and a little aggressive. I was careful not to touch it, and a good thing because a friend who works at the PKS aquarium told me it has razors up front.

It's called a mantis shrimp; and they are more common than anyone knew.

He went well with some red cocktail sauce, although our tongues felt kinda fuzzy for a few hours, and we dreamt us some tumultuous dreams that night!
Davis is on his way from OH, meeting up with bobby this evening and then headed Downeast Friday. Hope we're able to find some fish this weekend; there's a lot more on the line (no pun, OK.................sorry about the pun) than usual.

September 26th 2008

Boy oh boy, where did this month go? I was in Knoxville Monday through Wednesday; had a little fun and trained a new rep. Stopped at this beautiful little cottage on the way; the picture doesn't do it justice. Had a lot of fun in Ridgecrest many, many years ago. Good thing they didn't have digital cameras back then! I wasn't able to go around to the back deck to see if the skid marks were still there.........................

On the way home I ran into some tornado-like weather; thought I might be able to catch a funnel but they were South of where I was. Terri asked me to keep both hands on the wheel in the future.

West Carteret had a difficult game Friday night; they played 4-A powerhouse Greenville Rose; one of Rose's players died last Saturday after a second concussion within a week. West did well and held a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, but ended up on the short end of a 49-21 score; still not a bad showing. Jackson wore his leg out, his first punt was his best for the night.

We're going to the Duke-UVa game tomorrow, church on the beach Sunday, Pop at Wake Med Monday, and then 2 hours in the dentist's chair Tuesday morning. In town all week after that as we get ready for Davis' first Morehead City visit! Should be fun with Davis and the Fishin Optishin in town during the Seafood Festival weekend. Better call the law............

September 2008

Off to Ohio again to take the booth back, have a couple of meetings, and something else, something a little special.
On the way I stopped to get some fuel. This little fellow was sitting on the head of the pump; I'll let you insert your pun in the comments section.

Another reason for the trip to Ohio was the annual grudge match with two PH's against Marty and me. We won last year for the first time in a while, and were so excited to receive this beautiful trophy from the losers. It is so much prettier than the loser's trophy; although for the life of me I can't remember why.....seems as though the loser gets a green one. Anyway, always a good time with John Hinton and Greg Costley.

Then it was off to Richmond to see Boo Vickery. Penelope, the lovely British lady who lives inside my Garmin instructed me to drive via Route 50 and then down an interstate to Highway 33 which goes through Elkins and then into VA. I've been on that road a few times before, including once on a Saturday night in the 70's with George Wooton from Rocky Mount; who turned and looked at me in the middle of an icy switchback and said "one slip and you know, they wouldn't start looking for our bodies until Wednesday...."

Beautiful drive, and for just a couple of hours the Skuttle Suburban was magically transformed into a Lotus Elise. That reminds me; I think I need some new brakes. Although my hands and feet were busy I did manage to snap this shot of some striking rock formation.

Speaking of performance driving, take a look at this video if you have a chance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIhGJyLR6TI

Patrese is an old Formula One driver who used a Honda Civic to show his wife around a race course. Terri said it reminded her of a couple of weeks ago when I got the miata up to about 30 in the driveway....except that I was in reverse. I don't think it reminds me of that; Terri doesn't speak Italian and is much prettier.

West Carteret lost to Wilmington Ashley (why don't you pick on somebody your own size?) last night 42-14..something like that. Jackson has a couple of 25 yard punts, but one that marked 47. Next week an easy opponent: Greenvile Rose!

Off to TN Monday morning.

Atlanta September 2008
We were in Atlanta at the Comfortech show last week; the downtown area hasn't changed much over the past years. Everywhere you go someone askes for a dollar
Good show considering the economy and our industry. On the way out of town Davis saw a car he really liked; I think he's going to paint his Subaru like this..........................
I stopped by this place on the way home. It's ironic that such a beautiful place is on a busy commercial boulevard. Do you know where this is? Hint: It's on Washington Street. OK, here's another hint; it's in Augusta Georgia. Got it?
Here's a picture you've never seen, trust me, you've never seen this point of view. In re-evaluating our home's value, i maaaaaaaaaaaaaaay have mentioned that it has water view. Well, here it is.
While I was on the roof putting the marine radio antenna back up after TS Hanna, I thought I would also give you a view off the back of the house. Pretty isn't it?
Off to Ohio and Virginia this week.

Hanna September 6, 2008

I'm still not sure how to spell her name, but she blew through here last night and early this morning. She didn't do very much damage from what we saw. Even with a high tide the water only got to the top of the landing in our neighborhood.

First, the calm before the storm, video taken from earlier in the week just off the Beaufort Bar

Terri and I rode to the beach late Saturday morning after the winds started dying down.
This was taken from the access at Atlantic Beach beside the Crab's Claw. I got sandblasted pretty well taking this shot. Look out in the surf and you'll see three dit-dots, one of whom is actually in the surfline.

This shot was taken from the old Triple S pier area, I decided to shoot this through the windshield.

Inside Sugarloaf Island, a sailboat catches the swell coming down Bogue Sound. They only had one anchor rode out.

You may remember an earlier post regarding the trash-yacht WaterWorld moored near the Morehead City waterfront. Today she was tied to the Gulf Dock and not doing very well in the wind.

All in all not a bad storm; I woke up at 2:00 AM and observed the winds, they were worse at 5:00 AM but not the "rocks on the window" and howling noise of a hurricane. Hope Ike stays away............

Croatan Game 09/04/08
The football game was moved to Thursday night due to the expected arrival of TS Hannah Friday afternoon. It was a pretty good game, very exciting although there were lots of penalties on both sides.
Jackson had 5-6 punts, and he got one off really well, pinning Croatan inside the 5. West held then and scored to take the lead, so it was a pretty important play, and a heckuva good punt.

Jackson's fan club was there; sorry this is a little blurry. They were having a good time chanting his name. I think he's going to need a bigger helmet.

Time to reason with hurricane season; the first bands of Hannah are coming in as I type this; first waterspout has been spotted offshore; oh what the heck, enjoy a little Jimmy
cut and paste http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssvOqyDumS0
Goodness, he looks like an old man! But I guess we all do. That is one of my favorites
Since the hurricanes are lining up, you know where I'll be the next three weeks: OH, GA, OH, VA, TN
Post when I can

Labor Day 2008
We had lots going on this holiday weekend; on Saturday Jackson completed the rest of his BSA Eagle work by placing the stones made during VBS in the front of the church in the form of a meditation walk. We had lots of help and the work was completed before 11:00.

Now its time to write it up and go before the board.

We took Pop and Dink to Tony's on Sunday for lunch; on the way home we went by the church to show them the work; there was a young family walking the path already. Jay, Holly and Cooper were here to help also.

On Friday night West won the Mullet Bucket in fine style, 56-0. I was recruited to film for the coaching staff so I didn't get any shots of Jackson's two punts. But here is one practice punt.

While I was up top filming plays, I did notice one young lady on the sidelines with a hand-made t-shirt sporting a familiar name and number.

Seems as though Jackson has a little fan club.

We managed to get out on the boat Saturday afternoon, Sunday evening, and Monday morning. Nothing to report except undersized flounder, a couple of trout, and believe it or not a 28-30" cobia caught up in the Haystacks. In town all week and then I'll be on the road for pretty much all of September after that.