On The Move

Got up at 5:00 A.M. Saturday morning, showered, shaved, and had a little breakfast before Brandi and Eli drove me to the airport to catch my flight to Phoenix, the first stop in my route to Corydon, Indiana. Easy drive and got to Southwest Air with lots of time. Said good byes to both Eli and Brandi and gave kisses and hugs to both. Had a bit of a line to get through when I got to the Southwest Air area, but it went really fast.

Got through the security part and walked down to the gate. I stopped at a Starbucks to get a Chai and while standing there to order, a young Army Captain, Chaplain came up behind me. I passed on an opportunity to "pass it forward" once before and I wasn't going to let this one get away, so when I ordered, I paid for his order as well. It is a feel good thing.

Landed in Phoenix on time though with a bit of a heavy landing. Our pilot really touched down heavy and it was teeth rattling. Nice airport in Phoenix. I had a little over an hour, so I walked around and decided to buy a hat. I picked up a Diamondbacks baseball team hat, which has a snake on the front and it is a maroon color.

Flight time came, boarded, and took off for Louisville, Kentucky where my brother Pat would pick me up. As it turned out, we landed about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, which does not happen very often. Hooked up with Bro, drove over the Ohio river to Indiana, and to his apartment. We did not do much talking as we were looking for a quick getaway the following morning. I had my typical difficult sleeping pattern, which I experience often when traveling.

Day 2.
We were up and on the road at about 6 o'clock A.M. We traveled up Highway 64 then caught Highway 71, which took us all the way into Ohio. We stopped in Cincinnati for breakfast and coffee for Bro. and then back to the road. Highway driving is what it is, so we pasted through both large and small communities seeing only what one could see from the road, which was a lot of trees, grass, and farm land, mostly corn fields. Only once did we see deer. This my brother's new Kia Sorrento. Nice ride.

Making really good time, we made it to Erie, Pennsylvania, where we picked up Highway 90 East. This would take us all the way into Buffalo, New York, and beyond. At about 5 o'clock P.M. after making some good time and distance, we decided to stay over in the community of Batavia, New York. We got a room at a Budget 8. Okay room. No breakfast. Room was clean as was the bathroom. Took dinner at a Bob Evans. We watched some news and then tried to sleep. I got some, but it was not great.

Day 3
Pat gets up very early and it was 2:30 A.M. on this particular day. I woke about 4 and he suggested we head out, which we did. Before leaving Batavia, we stopped at a 24 hour McDonald and he got coffee and I a large orange juice. Then on to the Highway. We continued down Highway 90 until we hit Troy and then got off and got on Highway 7. This route would take us through Vermont for quite some time, and then would turn into Vermont route 9. We would travel through some of the most historic communities of Vermont like Bennington and Wilmington. We would cross over Hogback Mountain with it's wonderful vistas of the Green Mountains.

Onward toward New Hampshire and through the ubiquitous small towns that dot the map of New Hampshire. We pasted wonderful views of lakes and territory. Our fist major community was Keene where you will find Keene Teachers College. Route 9 would take us to the town of Hopkinton, which is where I grew up. We traveled through the small historic town to Brockway Road. This is a gravel road that I grew up on. At one time, my family, my Uncle Harry and family, Uncle Jim and family, Uncle Bernard and wife, Cousin Sonny and family, Aunt Alice and family, and our Grandmother lived on this road.

The homes that these family members have changed some, with the acceptation of Grandmother's home, which showed only a change in color.

We traveled down a gravel road that went straight from Farrington Corner Road all the way across to Clinton Street in Concord. Many new homes exist in area that we once hunted and fished on.

We arrived to South Street, which is the street my Sister Donna and husband Tom live on at about 12:20 P.M. We did not expect anyone home so we took some lunch at a restaurant on the corner of South and Clinton Street. I had a Rubin and Bro a BLT. We finished and decided to go see our Uncle Roger and Aunt Joan. They live in subsidized housing for seniors.

Both looked good, though much older than when I saw them last. To our surprise, our Aunt Gerri was there. She was visiting over the past week and was flying that day back to Montana. We had not seen Gerri in over 20 years and she did not actually know who we were. We had a nice visit for about an hour. Our cousin Kenny, Roger and Joan's son stopped by just before we were to leave. Hard to imagine at 42 years of age with his own 19 year old son. More to follow. Oh,this is Scooter the perpetual eating machine of my sister. He weighs in a a right ready 15 pounds.

Day 4

Day four welcomed us with a very nice, gentle rain in the morning. Since we were recovering from the drive, needing to shower, and eat, it did not matter. It made for a very comfortable temperature and cleaned the air. Since my niece Amy and her three children came to say hello, which was an inside activity, it didn't matter that it was raining. Once the rain and Amy had left, my sister, Bro, and I drove to Contoocook, New Hampshire where my father is buried, and also is the town in which Hopkinton High School is located, the school that I attended. We visited with dad for a spell and admired the new head stone.

With that done, we returned to Concord and did some grocery shopping, and then pretty much sat around and visited, watched TV, napped, visited, ate, and so on.

Day 5
Not much going on day five except visiting and some shopping. Wednesday both Tom and Donna took the day off. We sat about and caught up on events. Tom had made spaghetti sauce and we had that for dinner with salad, and french bread. We have been following the Olympics. Got some better sleep, but still getting up around 6 A.M.

Day 6

Bro and I decided to go back out to Contoocook to do some work around the head stone and military marker. What we did was clean up around the edges. The military marker has to be even with the ground so grass can easily encroach upon the marker. After discussing the fact that we have four spaces in our plot and it does not appear that there will be a candidate for this spot, so I have been attempting to contact the Cemetery trustees, to inquire about selling this one space back, but with little luck. I am also concerned that my Uncle Harry's military marker is missing from where it was placed.

Day 7

This was just a day to be. Sis was working her way up to be sad upon our departure and Tom, her husband was working on keeping her from going down too deeply. Bro did some laundry and I did some rearranging of my suitcase. Early to bed to attempt to get some sleep. For me it would continue to be a difficult sleeping process.

Day 8

This was a travel day and we just followed the route out of New Hampshire through Vermont, New York, and into Pennsylvania. We stopped in Erie, PA for the night and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. They gave us a nice suite on the first floor, which helped facilitate my brother's addiction to nicotine. We ate dinner at a Bob Evans that was just a couple yards down the street. Game back read and watched some TV. Bro was asleep by 8:00 P.M.

Days 9-14

While at my brother's place, we do not do much of anything, but visit. He goes up to the hill and visits with his friends at the local AA club. Since it is a smoking den, I choose not to go up unless I really have to. We watched some movies, took some dinners out, did some tanning sessions, and continued to fight my sleep. There will be nothing like being home and being squeezed between Brandi and Eli in my own bed.

Here are some pictures of a patch of tobacco plants before cutting and cut, and placed on sticks that will then be hung until the leafs are all brown.

We did watch a few movies: Beowulf, The Scorpion King2, and Flawless. Flawless wasn't bad. Had Demi Moore and Michael Cain, set in England early 60, and was about a diamond heist.

We also ate out a couple of times at a Chinese Buffet. Really good food and not the typical stuff you get at a buffet. We went back twice, so that should say something positive about the place.

Also on this trip, I finished reading four novels by Robert B. Parker. He is the author of the Spenser books. Maybe someone remembers Spenser for Hire the TV program?

Flying out on Saturday into Chicago Midway and then into Seattle without a hitch. We actually got in early and Brandi and Eli picked me up and we then drove up to Mount Vernon where I did some yard work in the front. Bad sleep that night. Went down about 8:30 and was a woke by 2:20. Biorhythms were on the wrong setting, but they are getting better.

Well, that is about it for the trip. Oh, we did learn that we could have flown to New Hampshire than driving. Lesson learned.

Road Trip

Saturday morning, I will fly out for my first leg of my trip back East. I will depart Seatac at 10:00 A.M. and fly into Phoenix. This will be my first time into Arizona leaving only four states to visit. I will then fly into Louisville arriving at about 9:30 P.M. My brother Pat will pick me up and we will return to his home in Corydon, Indiana.

With luck, we will rise early to hit the road. Our plan is to be through Cincinnati before rush hour. Oh, we will be driving from Indiana to New Hampshire where we will stay with my sister Donna and her husband Tom.

We will stay with Sis until the 27Th of August and then head back to Corydon. I will fly back to Seattle on the 30Th arriving in at about 4:30 P.M.

I will give an accounting of how things go and post some pictures as well.

Good Eating in Concrete

Another weekend up in Mount Vernon. We got up on Friday afternoon and I immediately cut the grass and had a conversation with one of the ground guys who take care of the common areas. We discussed fertilizer. The stuff they use Ultra-green by Lilly Miller really looks like it works better that what I had used from Scott's. So, he dropped some stuff down on the front and back lawns and I watered. We will see.

We actually got some very nice rain in Mount Vernon, which we really needed. So with the weather being foul for doing much, we decided to run up to Concrete, Washington, which is located on Highway 20. Brandi was looking through our telephone directory (fun reading, right?)
and started talking about the bar and grill there called the Cajun Bar and Grill. I called to check on opening times, fond they were open for lunch, and we shot up.

Let me tell you, you do not have to go to New Orleans for good Cajun food. Having spent almost three years in New Orleans and the area, I can tell you this was some good eating. I had started with seafood combo, followed by cat fish and asparagus, hush puppies, and finished with a piece of pecan pie. My first thought was the pie was bit on the small size, but after eating it, I was glad for the size. Pecan pie is very reach and any more would have been over the top.

Brandi decided to have the crab ravioli and said it was delicious. I tried a bite and agreed. She finished with bread pudding. We both agreed we have had better.

Other that the above, all we did was read and listen to the rain come down. We each finished our novels, she a James Patterson (The Beach House), and I a Richard North Patterson (Degree of Guilt). Right towards the end of my reading, I realized I had read this book some time ago. This one scene just popped out and said "YOU'VE READ THIS." It happens.

Oh, we still own two houses. Yahoo!!!!!

101 Things About DaddyPat

Blame DeAnne for this. I hope you find it interesting. It is not an easy task.

I was born in Concord, New Hampshire at 1137 P.M.
I think the Granite state is one of the best in the country.
I am the older twin brother by 4 minutes.
There was a time when I was a baby that the doctors thought I would never walk or develop. My head had been crushed by a nurse.
I have a sister who is six years younger and a younger brother that is 15 years younger.
My parents divorced when I was 16.
I grew up in a rural town on a gravel road surrounded by my cousins.
My life was shattered in the third grade when I couldn't subtract fractions. LOL
I got my first kiss in Kindergarten.
I am named after my father Robert.
Favorite color is blue
Favorite food is steak
Favorite desert is ice cream
Best book ever read was The Bourne Identity.
Favorite movie-City of Angels. We should all love as deeply as Seth.
I have read over 560 books, not including the scriptures.
Radio preference is Christian music
Unlike DeAnne, I do like country music.
My graduating class had 38 students.
I have a BS in Social Work from Brigham Young University.
I have a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville.
My favorite sport growing up was baseball.
I have thrown three no-hitters in my baseball career.
At the age of 8, I was chosen as most improved player on my team.
My best score in bowling is a 275.
I am the best winner.
The worst loser
I graduated in 1968.
I joined the Army when I as 17
Four months after turning 18, I was in combat in Vietnam.
I was a trained sniper for my unit in Vietnam. Don't ask.
I have a web site regarding my time in Vietnam: http://geocities.com/cavldr19. I haven't done work on it since 911.
I am a critical person, especially of me.
I am a Reagan Republican.
I have no tolerance for Liberal anything, though I do have Liberal friends.
I have little confidence in politicians ability to make this country better.
I cannot stand a messy house or clutter.
As a parent, I said "NO" too often.
I think the best place to stand is anywhere one can view the ocean.
The second best place to stand is on a mountain.
My first car was an orange 1972 Volkswagen Super Beatle.
I confess, I am rude to telemarketers.
I watch Survivor and not much of anything else.
I listen to Rush Limbaugh on KTTH 770.
I am a water snob. I won't drink Seattle water.
My first job was cleaning a chicken coop for 75 cents an hour.
I love listening to my children sing. Thank you Debbie.
I cannot carry a tune in a bucket.
My heart truly hurts when we lose someone in uniform (military or police).
I cut my own hair, not much left to cut.
The person I have read the most on is the prophet Joseph Smith.
I am not mechanically inclined.
As a child, I had mumps and measles at the same time-Yike!
I have been to every state except: WI, ND, SD, AZ, and RI.
I know the capitals of all 50 states. I don't know the capitals of the other 7 states that Obama spoke about.
I am a Sagittarian
I love the smell of coffee, yup, babies, and my wife.
I hate to cook.
The Olive Garden is my favorite restaurant, for now.
I wear Keen sandals almost year round.
I, we own time-shares in Mexico and Hawaii.
I love reading the Old Testament. The two major themes: Love of God and Obedience.
I believe we all should learn to ask for what we want. It saves having to make someone else a mind reader.
I like to play poker on-line for fun, though I really suck at it, most of the time.
My favorite ball team in baseball is the Boston Red Sox.
Favorite football team is the New England Patriots.
I do not like the NBA.
I hate loud people in restaurants. I believe in a social level in communicating in public.
I have little tolerance for aggressive drivers.
I believe that one must give 100 percent of self to that person you are involved with. You and that person lose if you give only 50 percent.
Though I probably didn't always do it, I think the most important time in your child's life are those few minutes you give at the end of the day.
I prefer living in a rural community than a big city.
I prefer not to eat with my fingers, it is why God made utensils.
Unlike DeAnne, my daughter, I have been stung by bees. In fact, once I was stung 27 times by wasps that came from a nest in a tree, which was hit by a softball.
I think blogging is an excellent way for disseminating information to friends and family.
We should all embrace our inner child. That child is the one that lets US play.
Spring is my favorite time of the year.
My longest run, when I could run, was 13 miles, and averaged 7 minutes per mile.
My fastest mile was 5:15 when I was a junior in high school.
I snore. I get that from my daughter DeAnne. LOL
I cannot play any musical instrument.
I love brown eyes, especially those of my granddaughter Katelyn.
I believe "fighting" in a relationship is not bad, but how we do this is important. Be fair, be true, and seek for resolution. Attack the issue, not the other person.
Never be willing to win at all cost if it means you make your spouse a loser.
I enjoy shooting guns.
I do not go hunting anymore. I would rather shoot wildlife with a camera.
Victoria, B.C. is one of my favorite places to visit. I'd live there if they would let me.
I personally think my family life was the best when we were stationed in Germany.
My step-mom was my aunt. LOL You figure it out.
I have owned four dogs. Eli is a most incredible dog that I now own. If you meet him, you love him.
I have been owned by one cat, Ming Jade. She is a seal-point Siamese and lives with my friend Angela. I miss her a lot.
I did not like the movie Dark Knight.
I have never read a Harry Potter or the Twilight novels.
In my sophomore year in high school, I had the fastest typing speed.
I once won an award for penmanship. You'd never know that now.
My lowest score for nine holes is a 38. I followed that with a 51. Somebody shoot me.
If I fished, I would catch and release, except for Salmon. Them I eat.
When I find an author I like, I will read their entire body of work. See my list of authors. CW stands for complete works.
The one talent I wish I could have would be able to sing.
I am a terrible proofer, so if you see dublicates, let me know.
I am glad this is over, but I hope you will find it interesting.

Shootin-up-bang, bang

We did our obligatory trip up north as usual. Cut the grass and edged, but that was all the yard work. So quick. I just love it.

Kristi and Hunter spent the night with us. Michael, Hunter's dad was in MV for a shooting competition. He is dad, and a friend were up shooting clay birds. Those three stayed at a motel due to the early rise. We went up for a spell on Saturday and watched. The ladies and Hunter watched from a distance, but I was right behind the shooters. Wow! Some of the birds are really moving and on this course, you moved around from station to station and got a different look at birds. Some were moving just above eye level, some were moving away from the shooter, some were coming from way up and away, and then one station had a "rabbit". This is a larger disc than the bird type and runs along the ground.

I can see why there were over 400 shooters at this event. It looked like a lot of fun. I actually found a shotgun I liked. It only cost $4100.00. But, they had one that sold for $65,000.00. My thought was this sucker better not miss.

You might wonder how they could get through 400 shooters. Imagine 300 acres and multiple courses with groups of 5 or six shooters per station rotating. It moves really fast.

Saturday, they had a dinner for the shooters, but Brandi and I elected to stay home. Each of us had picked up new novels from the library, so we read.

Oh, I forgot. Along with Kristi, Michael, and Hunter, was Cougar. She is a German short-haired hunting dog and she does hunt. Cool dog, but she has some real issues. She is fixed as is our male dog Eli. Eli has never had a sexual inclination whatsoever, but this little trouble maker was all over Eli. Stiffing, rubbing, and the humping thing. Eli about took her head off more than once. I really believe Cougar has a gender confusion, or penis envy issue. Good grief. I can tell you Eli was really happy to see her leave.

So, we are back to our Week day home in Hansville still waiting for a buyer. If you know someone who wants to live with a view of the water and mountains, and have a pool, and marina available, sent them over. LOL