January 27, 2012
Easy Post

Yes this is easy, no laptop to show you some pictures, it will be back in the house early next week. And yes, I have some good pictures from Chicago to show you, sorry, had some issues which required more IT help than I could offer. You'll see them later.

The Chicago show was good and bad, hot and cold, hopeful and discouraging. We skipped the past few years but thought we had a pretty good booth location, 20 feet, corner, across from Modine..................just in the wrong hall. Monday was busy until about 3 or 4; Tuesday seemed good through about 2, Wednesday was pretty slow. Logistics went well, we were in the truck rolling at 4 Wednesday afternooon.

Chicago is a great city with a lot to offer, went to Lawry's Monday night, McCormick and Schmick's Tuesday night. Good times with our engineer Jeff Fogle.

Got the big boat back today, going to get the motorcycle this afternoon. They did quite a bit of work on the boat and trailer assembly; the bike was a pinched wire and a short. Might ride some in the morning while SWMBO sleeps in................

Office next week, dancing lessons on Wednesday night, yes, I wrote that

January 20, 2012
What The Heck Is That?

Wednesday night I worked on the old yellow boat cleaning out the grout and assorted what-not around the drain plug. As you no doubt recall this area has a tendency to leak, not a problem when using it as a swim platform in the good old summertime; however a sticky wicket when fishing in winter. I have tried several solutions to this problem, yes I have duct tape already installed, but figured I would start from square one and re-think the whole thing. First off, clean out what is already there. I found this lodged into the floor between the plug, the deck, and the transom. After trying unsuccessfully to remove it, and scraping it with my trusty rusty needle nose pliers, I deciphered that
1) I think it is a penny
2) Maybe I shouldn't dislodge the damn thing, it might be holding the entire boat together. I love that old yellow boat, I just can't seem to think of a good name for her; you know.....that old yellow boat....................

I've always considered a found penny as good luck, so in it stays; I'll work around it with some rubberized paint when it gets a little warmer and more conducive to this installation. A question for any experienced or budding metal-smiths: is there a metal material reason for this penny being installed here?

I wasted about two hours yesterday trying to re-subscribe to the Kaspersky antivirus program on TAR's computer. Anyone else have problems with this company? I couldn't believe that:
1) There was no customer service available by telephone
2) Some of their FAQ listings lead to websites which could not be identified.
So what's up with that? For the last couple of years Boris and Natasha came through for us; what happened? Oh well, uninstalled, refund requested, another service used; all for the lack of quality customer service. "We" are indeed always right to companies who stay in business.
Bitsy Howard died this week, she was a fixture at our church, second row right side. One of my favorite Christmas Eve memories was from a couple of years ago when a soloist sang my favorite Christmas song "O Holy Night" and I looked over and Bitsy was singing with her. Great lady, we'll miss her. We sang "He Lives" during her funeral, haven't heard that one in a while, Pastor Tim commented that it sounded like we knew it. It's odd that at funerals I hear songs from my childhood that I don't seem to hear very much anymore, and I know the words! Not the tune, can't carry a tune in a bucket but I do know the songs. Heard a bunch of them at Casey Wagner's mother's funeral, maybe that is one of the reasons I go to funerals...............Two songs I've requested for my own funeral were done yesterday, who remembers any of those? Come on, this is important, do you know my requests? Oh well...................
This from a tar baby road trip to Florida, why? Because:
1) I find it funny
2) I obviously like making lists this week.

And so you ask, who watched Then Came Bronson, who remembers it, and for that matter who cares?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnPIOH8bCfk
Traveling on a bike is something that I always wanted to do, and hopefully will one day. Not sure if TAR will be on the back, she doesn't travel lightly and I love her too much, but we'll see. In the mean time I'm off this morning for New Bern, Grifton and Ayden in search of new NCWRC landings and good BBQ. Bum's or Skylight? What is your favorite and why?
1) Taste
2) Texture
OK I'll stop now. Flying to Chicago tomorrow, catch Skuttle at booth number 1624 at the AHR Expo (http://www.ahrexpo.com/)
See you there? How good was this blog? Send it to 100 of your friends? 10? 1? I need more views

January 14, 2012
Halfway Through January? Are You Kidding?

Man does time travel like an arrow, fruit flies like a rotten banana (sorry, I love that joke). Last weekend Jackson and I drove to Rocky Mount and caught the train to DC. Had a great hotel with an upgrade to a suite. Thursday evening was simple, Five Guys. Hard to beat although the Occupy DC encampment did obscure the view from our luxury hotel (joke made by Jackson)
Got up Friday and found our way on the Metro to Arlington for a couple of meetings with some industry guys. Jackson is thinking of a DC internship some time in his college career. Afterwards we went to the George Washington Masonic Memorial (http://gwmemorial.org/) which obviously has some new meanings to young Jackson. That night we went to the Bullets, uh excuse me, Wizards NBA game.
Early on it looked like we were the only ones there but by halftime the arena was pretty much filled

I could care less about basketball these days, especially the NBA; however I was very much entertained by the Knicks and John Wall of the Wizards. Great game, but my oh my, the halftime............................the Red Panda! Watch if you dare, really you must watch this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSB4O_p6pxw
Keep in mind that before this video she already flipped one, then two, then three and then four big old Jethro Bodine cereal bowls onto that little saucer on the top of her head. I got the idea she'd done it before..................
Another picture of Jackson at a presidential assassination site, I'm starting to see a pattern

Saturday we spent most of the day on our first trip to the Holocaust Museum. I am a history geek, or maybe just a geek............. and learned much about this period of German history.
This in front of the National Archives

Later we went to our mandatory Air and Space Museum visit (the planetarium what the kids call sucks) and then to the Natural History Museum for the i-Max Mission Impossible movie. I don't spend very much time in movie theaters but after they showed a ten minute preview to the Batman movie I wanted to just stay and wait for it. Still pissed off that I didn't get to see Senna, especially in an I-Max. If anyone knows where I can see it at an I-Max I'll send you a silver dollar, but as usual I digress...............Oh well, great movie followed by a good dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill. I've eaten there a few times and it is always a true DC experience. One of these days I'm going to try to eat in the dining room...............
And of course on our walk home, and no, Barry couldn't see us. Still a beautiful home at night, so much history within the lens of the camera

Home Sunday afternoon, quick pickup at Bill's BBQ and back to Morehead by dark-thirty. Jackson enjoyed his first train ride; great little getaway weekend. Trying to come up with a musical score for this film shown below but it keeps going back to That Lonesome Highway from Then Came Bronson, but that involves another transportation mode of which I have grown to become very fond..................OK, who remembers Then Came Bronson? Seriously, anybody? Maybe you can see an underlying theme here, if not then Google it

And this my friends is in here because I like this picture; did I mention a third is on the way?

Anonymous reader question: the fishing trip was on Hancock Creek off the Neuse near MCAS Cherry Point
In the office all week; clean up, fix up, start up week. What adventures lurk on the horizon?

January 6, 2012
2B1ASK1

Busy weekend with the High family in Morehead; once again we used a seafood theme to welcome the new year. We did so in good fashion, played Let's Make a Deal with a somewhat reluctant guest, everyone stayed awake until midnight, we went to bed, and then awoke to find that "someone" broke into our house and slayed several empty wine bottles during our slumber. In the paraphrased words of OJ "I will not rest until I find the real killer.................."
Let's see, tomorrow is Daddy's 90th birthday, still hard to get my thoughts together on that idea.
Holly and Jay are expecting, maybe on the third try we'll get that Duke name in there somewhere. Dinky Duke has a nice ring to it. I saw where someone named their newborn Y'all-Jealous Jones, so they can't use that one............wonder if Y'all-Jealous is a boy or girl name? Kind of like Frank Zappa's kids Moon Unit and Dweezel.................
You can now ask Jackson because oh yes, he was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason this week. Our secretary commented at the end of the meeting that tonight we watched a father raise his son, an uncle raise his nephew, and a grandfather raise his grandson. Pretty long night, but a good time for all.
I know you want pictures and videos, so from Hancock Creek last week:

This video is for the FO; fish here and get an air show free! Who knows if this will work or not, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. If not please try again

Off on some personal business for a couple of days and the in the office next week