Bool's Blog

New Company Website

2011-08-23T20:11:00.001-04:00

Go here to check out the new and improved Miller Homes website.

Miller Homes Inc.

Snow

2010-01-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

Sounds like we might get some snow this weekend. I wish it would just slip on by this time I think.

Results

2009-09-12T17:42:00.003-04:00

Suffice it to say I didn't do very well this year. I shot a respectable first round of 140 which put me in the top 5. My second round was a dismal 88 which bumped me out of the top 5.

Here are the top two finishers. They tied in the final round and each shot one more arrow to break the tie.
Marvin on the right came in first.
Roger on the left was second.
Good job guys!

Tournament

2009-09-11T14:54:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is the big 3d Archery Tournament. Last year was fun so I expect some more of the same this year. Tune in for the results and possibly some pics.

Tapestry Information

2009-08-12T06:25:00.004-04:00

Come and hear us if you have the opportunity....

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Tapestry Chamber Singers 2009 itinerary

Monday-Friday, August 10-14 - recording in South Boston, Va

Friday, August 14, 7:30 PM - First Presbyterian Church, South Boston, VA
Saturday, August 15, 6:00 PM - Faith Christian Church, Catlett, Va

Sunday, August 16, 9:30 AM - Kempsville Mennonite Church, Virginia Beach, VA

Sunday, August 16, 6:30 PM - Bethel Mennonite Church, Gladys, VA

---------

Tapestry Chamber Singers 2009 members:

Lloyd Kauffman, OH, Guest Conductor

Soprano

Charity Gingerich, WV
Crystal Miller, VA
Edith Schrock, VA
Ginger Good, VA
Janet Swartzentruber, OH
ReGina Brubaker, VA
Suzanne Horst, VA
Valerie Horst, GA

Alto

Abigail Bontrager, DE
Barb Smucker, WV
Gwendolyn Good, VA
Jewel Yoder, PR
Rachel Swartzentruber, OH
Regina Zehr, OR

Tenor

Calvin Horst, VA
Eric Hershberger, VA
David Fisher, PA
Joshua Good, VA
Ryan Eby, NY
Titus Barnhart, GA

Bass

Anthony Good, VA
Ben Miller, VA
Benjamin Good, NY
Darrell Hershberger, VA
Joe Miller, VA
Lester Swartzentruber, OH
Mahlon Zehr, OR
Nathan Good, VA
Norvan Yoder, PR

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Tapestry Chamber Singers 2009 with Lloyd Kauffman

Old hymns shaped into rich works of art has long been the outpouring of Lloyd Kauffman's musical giftings. Raised in Michigan, and schooled in Music Education at Eastern Mennonite College and Ohio State University, Kauffman taught music and directed the chorale at Rosedale Bible Institute in Irwin, Ohio, from 1972 - 1995. More recently he has directed a number of choir tours in Germany and Poland, and is presently Chair of Choirs at Shenandoah Christian Music Camp in Harrisonburg, VA. His many choral settings of familiar hymns have often been used, and always loved, by other choirs throughout the Mennonite world.

Tapestry Chamber Singers was formed by the Nathan Good family in 2003 as a group of friends and acquaintances from a variety of states who enjoy singing hymn-style and choral music. Rehearsals and touring were conducted in both 2003 and 2005. Now, after several years of rest, the choir is forming once again in collaboration with Lloyd Kauffman to do a recording project featuring his hymn arrangements which will complement a published set of his music being made available to the general public in the near future. A weekend tour will follow.

-------

Tapestry Chamber Singers 2009 repertoire:

2009 tour repertoire will contain Lloyd's arrangements, as well as a selection of previous Tapestry repertoire.

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

Our Father - Gretchaninoff

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

All People That On Earth Do Dwell

In Dulci Jubilo - Pearsall/Rutter
O God Our Help

O Man, Thy Grief And Sin Bemoan - Ralph E. Williams
Come Ye Sinners
When Peace, Like A River

Amazing Grace
An Unclouded Day
Away In A Manger

The Gift To Be Simple - Chilcott
Come Ye Disconsolate
An Instrument Of Your Peace

Shall We Gather At The River

Grace Be Unto You

Optional selections:

Abide With Me, ‘Tis Eventide
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Heart With Loving Heart United
Hold Out Your Light
Lift Your Glad Voices
My Dear Redeemer
When I Survey

Congratulations

2009-07-24T14:53:00.002-04:00

Our first nephew got married last Saturday! Congratulations to Conrad & Delores. It was a lovely wedding!

Zehr Vacation

2009-07-19T11:32:00.003-04:00

This year we decided to have a 'staycation' which seem to be quite popular this year. We decided to stay at my parents house. We had lots of things planned, but the weather did not cooperate very well. It rained most of the time we were there.

Bedtime stories with Grandma.

We spent some time doing outside cleanup. We were picking up sticks, cleaning gutters & some outside furniture.

Oops, these pics are out of order, oh well... Sierra learning how to play 'Amish golf.'

Ben celebrated his birthday while we were there. The golf game was one of his gifts which got many hours of use while we were together.

Ahhhh, nice weather! We went to feed the fish & geese at Pymatuning.

Getting alittle exercise before our rainy picnic.

We enjoyed having several families join us.

It was a fun vacation & we look forward to another one in 2 yrs!

DE trip

2009-06-27T15:12:00.003-04:00

We were able to go to DE for our nephew Brendon & niece Lauren's high school grad.

Brendon

Lauren & her boyfriend Dave

Mom & Hannah

Three more weeks & we'll get to see everyone again at Conrad & Delores' wedding!

Happy Anniversary to us

2009-04-22T08:25:00.002-04:00

14 years. We are celebrating today with Ben at work, me doing laundry & a work at home school day for Hannah.
We were able to go on a date last evening though. We had supper at La Carreta, a Mexican restaurant. The food was delicious & the price was excellent, we will be back. :)
Since we have no wedding pics on our computer you won't be able to comment on how much we have aged & how you don't recognize us!

Young Family Group

2009-04-20T13:51:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Glen & Rachel's planning our group met Friday evening at the park.

Picnic at the pond

2009-04-11T13:08:00.002-04:00

To celebrate several days off of school I decided to surprise the children with a picnic. I have always loved to go to the pond that my Grandaddy put on his property. My Uncle & his family have spent countless hours working on the grounds & it is a beautiful place to relax.

I will admit it was very windy & we were rather chilly, but we still had a good time.

Sunday - April 5

2009-04-10T16:50:00.005-04:00

Ready for church.

After church we went to Glen & Rachel's house.

A visit from these wonderful people was the reason we were getting together.

This little fellow has to be the happiest little guy ever!

The boys. This picture is the best of 10. :) At least Rachel & I got a laugh out of trying to get them to cooperate.

Rachel made a delicious lunch for everyone.

Then the children headed out to play.

It was a fun day!

Happy 5th Birthday

2009-03-09T18:45:00.008-04:00

3 weeks old

1 year

Birthday phone call today from Grandpa & Grandma.

Our tradition is that each child picks the meals on their birthday. This is quite important & well thought through. At supper time I mentioned that everyone should be sure to take some applesauce & Casey said, "yeah because I didn't pick a healthy meal."

This picture was from lunch which wasn't much healthier then his supper choices. He told JoAna that the apples were not on his schedule, Mom added them.

Happy Birthday!

A party & a beautiful day

2009-03-07T14:27:00.011-05:00

Last evening Jons, Glens & us got together to celebrate the January & March birthdays.

We are having a beautiful Saturday. Today we are celebrating with...

bare feet

a picnic on the porch

& wagon rides.

Winter Wonderland

2009-03-02T14:06:00.007-05:00

I declared several weeks ago that spring was here to stay. Thankfully I was mistaken & we were able to enjoy one real snow this winter.

Ben spent most of the morning shoveling snow & regretting the fact that he does not own a tractor.

Be impressed, we shoveled our entire driveway.

Self portait

Fun times babysitting

2009-02-27T09:20:00.005-05:00

We trade babysitting with Glen & Rachel occasionally for date nights. Last evening we had their children. This was the first time we kept Kaiden. We were all having fun with him. He is such a happy baby, he didn't cry once all evening!

JoAna & Casey kept asking to hold him & he was very cooperative about it.

Of course one of the great things about this trading is the dates, but I also think it is a great time to get better acquainted with our nieces & nephews.

The older children did some coloring & drawing.

Concentration

JoAna & Sierra

Memories of Melanie

2009-02-24T13:49:00.016-05:00

Christmas ~ 2001

Hannah, Conrad, Andrew, Melanie & Cameron

Miller Vacation ~ 2006

JoAna & Melanie

Cousins, penpals, & friends...Melanie & Hannah

We miss you Melanie!

5 Years

2009-01-29T20:51:00.010-05:00

2 Months--1st trip to Guatemala

10 Months-- Trip to bring her home!

1 Year

2 Years

3 Years

4 Years

Happy 5th birthday!
January 28

Test of Faith

2009-01-21T17:22:00.003-05:00

I taught a Sunday school class recently that left me with a few unanswered questions.
The title was "Stepping out in Faith". You may have covered this same topic.
The one question I am still wondering about is this...
Is it acceptable to manufacture or dream up tests of faith?
I'll give you an idea of what I am referring to... here are some examples... some of which may be a bit exaggerated but you get the point:

I sure could use a new battery powered drill. I have the money to buy it but I think I will test my faith and ask God to send the exact amount of money through an anonymous gift to be received this coming week.
I'm pretty sick and am suspicious it could be pneumonia. I'm going to just stay at home, pray, and have faith that God will heal me because I know he can.
My budget is maxed out. I really have no extra money for a 40.00 per month cell phone contract but because I have faith in God I will just go ahead purchase the phone and see what great things God can do.

Do these examples fall in the realm of tempting God? I guess if I were honest I would be very hesitant to make these statements and act on them. Is it because my faith is weak? Is it because I feel it is bordering on tempting God? Feel free to share your thoughts.

Quartet Retreat

2009-01-13T09:02:00.004-05:00

YOU ARE INVITED!

VOICE OF PRAISE QUARTET RETREAT

FEBRUARY 14-15, 2009 AT SHARON MENNONITE BIBLE INSTITUTE

LLOYD KAUFFMAN, GUEST CONDUCTOR

SATURDAY'S ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE WORKSHOPS, MASS CHOIR REHEARSALS, A CRITIQUE SESSION, AND PLENTY OF GOOD DISCUSSION AND FELLOWSHIP.

SUNDAY WILL BEGIN WITH A MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, AND THE RETREAT WILL CONCLUDE WITH AN AFTERNOON PROGRAM CONSISTING OF SELECTIONS FROM THE VARIOUS QUARTETS AND THE MASS MEN'S CHOIR.

RETREAT FEE IS $150 FOR A QUARTET OR $50 FOR INDIVIDUALS (THIS FEE COVERS COST OF LODGING, MEALS, AND MUSIC)

TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT JOSHUA GOOD 434-572-8417 or josh-kimgood@juno.com

2009-01-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

Traveling again

2008-12-31T15:53:00.003-05:00

We returned home from PA Christmas Eve, now for New Years Eve we are in DE. The trip went well even though it was really windy the whole way.
We're looking forward to being with Ben's family for several days. We plan to return home Saturday...& that concludes this boring update.

Christmas with the Zehrs

2008-12-22T13:25:00.005-05:00

Grandpa & Grandma with their 12 grandchildren.

The cousins are having a great time together.
Sierra, Hannah & Megan

Mom & Dad

My folks outdid themselves again this year. Each of the married couples received a saw with a painting of the covered bridge. We grew up just up the road from this bridge. It washed away in a flood in 1996, so this painting is extra special!

The newest grandbaby, Glen & Rachel's Kaiden James.

The cowboys...Jackson, Jayden & Casey.

The ladies with their new hats.

JoAna is thrilled with her gifts from Grandpa & Grandma!

Mom & Caia made these beautiful hats for the girls.

The happy cousins. :)

December Fun

2008-12-21T11:24:00.007-05:00

Making Christmas Cookies
I confess that I have not done well at making Christmas cookies with the children. This year we did manage to get it accomplished & it has been declared a tradition to be continued.

Casey carefully applying icing.

Hannah & JoAna

Ben even got in on the action.

JoAna is pleased with her holly.

Birthday in December.

We enjoyed babysitting Glen's children one morning while Kaiden's adoption was finalized.

JoAna & Aleya

Jayden & Jackson

We traveled to PA Yesterday to be with the Zehr family. We are enjoying the beautiful home that my folks are living in right now. It even has 5 bedrooms!
The children were delighted to see snow thismorning.

Casey & JoAna

JoAna & I

Hannah

We even dug out the sled. They don't have much of a hill, but the children didn't care as long as I was pulling them!

Thanksgiving with the Millers

2008-11-30T14:33:00.007-05:00

Ben's family came to our house for several days. A great time was had by all although we missed Conrad & Delores.

Preparation for a photo shoot.

Mom with Ben, Rob, & Marty.

Joelle & Lauren

Casey, JoAna, & Mom-mom

Byron, Juanita, Ben & Hannah

JoAna & Jana

Jana, Naomi, & JoAna

We all benefited from Lauren's inspiration to make soft pretzels.

Cameron, Hannah, Jesse, Jana, Andrew & Joelle.

Many Calvin & Hobbes books were read.

Lauren & JoAna

Gotcha Day

2008-11-28T21:39:00.007-05:00

4 years ago today!

2004

I'm Headed to Florida

2008-11-13T14:14:00.001-05:00

Voice Of Praise is heading to Florida this weekend.
In case you need to get your plane tickets and travel plans together, here is our itinerary...

Friday, Nov. 14 7:30pm
Meigs Mennonite
Meigs, Ga

Saturday, Nov. 15 6:00pm
East Pasco Seventh Day Adventist
Zephyrshills, FL

Sunday, Nov. 16 10:00am
Sunnyside Fellowship
Sarasota, FL

Sunday, Nov. 16 6:00pm
Palm Grove Mennonite
Sarasota, FL

Recording

2008-09-10T21:00:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple pics from the recording session last week.

Me behind the sound proof glass, singing the same line 50 times

Don't we look frazzled.
That guitar hanging on the wall was signed by none other than Willie Nelson.
Without his signature the actual guitar would probably sell for about 15.99 at Wal-mart.

This is Jerry Yoder a.k.a. "Engineer Extraordinaire" shipped in straight from Nashville!
He was a wealth of knowledge, in all aspects...wow.

More Album Samples

2008-09-09T17:01:00.002-04:00

I set up some audio links in the sidebar if you wish to hear some more Christmas Album Samples.
I posted two new ones. Christ Is Born and Tiny King

I will probably be adding some more as I get them.

Note: These are mostly unmixed samples and will of course have some balance issues and they also have not had the final "high quality" reverb added.

Another Sample

2008-09-05T16:06:00.002-04:00

Here is an unmixed sample of... In The First Light. This song took almost two entire days to lay down. We all think it turned out pretty nice despite how long it took.

In The First Light

We are currently working on another difficult song. We are hoping to wrap this one up by tonight.

Recording

2008-09-03T19:35:00.002-04:00

Wow. We are on day three and working on song #5. It is by far our most difficult song yet and probably the most difficult of the album. We are trying a new method of recording this time and so far we have been pleasantly surprised at how well it is going.

We are doing a more individualized approach and trying to eliminate as much computer editing as possible.

Here is a little sample file of Monday's two songs. We tried to pick some easier songs for the first day.

Day1 Songs

Day 1

2008-09-01T20:09:00.002-04:00

Voice of Praise is in Harrisonburg this week recording. Since school is in session the children & I (Juanita) were unable to go visit my folks for the week. Here are some pictures of todays activities.

First stop, a playground. Since we have no grass yet that was a treat!

Then we went to Grandaddies & enjoyed visiting with them.

Grandaddy is famous among his descendants for his cheerful wave when we leave. :)

results

2008-08-31T13:47:00.003-04:00

1st Place Steven Yoder of Floyd County, VA
2nd Place Darin "Beardy" Orendorf of Campbell County,VA
3rd Place Ben Miller of Campbell County, VA

Yes, I placed third which was somewhat of a surprise. Actually, I shot alot better than I thought I would. I shot really well the first two rounds and was leading everyone at that point in score but I had some poor shots in the last and final round where it really counted. I sort of pulled it together toward the end of the final round and managed to finish fairly respectably.

It was a fun day overall and I look forward to going a few more times before deer season starts to hone the old hunting skills some more.

This is some of us sitting around after round 1

Here is Steven warming up to give us all a good thrashing.

Here is a pic of Steven gloating after his win.

Bow Shoot

2008-08-29T16:56:00.002-04:00

I'm shooting in a 3D bow tournament tomorrow. We are expecting in the neighborhood of 20 actual archers. I'm not expecting much from myself as this is basically the first year I've been relatively serious about practicing with a bow but it should be fun anyhow. If nothing else it will have forced me to practice for deer season.
I think we will shoot one round of 20 targets, then we will regroup according to scores so we will be shooting the second round with people of similar skill levels. After the 2nd round, we will take the top five guys and have them shoot a final round for the title.

I'm guessing the toughest aspect will be judging distances.
Maybe if I remember to take my camera I can get some pictures to post.

School

2008-08-27T10:49:00.004-04:00

The first day of school photos.

We are officially doing Preschool here at home. It does involve more than coloring in case you wonder.

Preschool is great, I love it!

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-24T16:15:00.003-04:00

My parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary today! Here are some of my favorite snapshots of them over the past several years.

This picture symbolizes to me the love & support we received from them throughout our adoption process. They stayed with us for several weeks in Guatemala while the paperwork was finished to bring our children home.

Antigua, Guatemala ~ 2004

Christmas ~ 2007

August ~ 2008

Thanks for the many ways you have blessed & supported our family. We love you!

Reunion

2008-08-23T13:20:00.007-04:00

August 18 was the Zehr reunion in New York.
We were not able to go, so I got these pictures from my folks. So, for all of us who couldn't make it...enjoy the pics.

Family

2008-08-22T09:44:00.005-04:00

The Zehr family got together last night to celebrate our parents upcoming anniversary.
One of the benefits of our new house is having a big enough deck to have a cookout.

Ben amazing us with his skills.

Mr Random Pitches who just happens to be my brother if you hadn't figured that out yet.

Since we have no grass we were happy to keep the children out of the dirt with a rousing game of UNO.

Evening at Grandaddies

2008-08-21T10:17:00.006-04:00

My parents are here this week. We are the lucky ones, & get to keep them at our house this time. :)
In honor of them being around all of the Yoders that it suited got together at Grandaddies one evening. It was a small group, but we had a great time.

Grandmama amazes me the way she gardens & keeps up her flower beds.

Hannah enjoying one of the farm cats.

We were delighted that Dave, Christine & their children could be here. He is working on the fireplace at the pavilion this week.

Grandaddy, Melissa, Christine & her daughter, Grandmama, & Kathleen

Dave H. & Norman Y.

Twila, Delvin, my Dad, & Leon

Randy, Grandaddy, Melissa & Martha

Thanks to my Mom for the pictures.
~Juanita

Young Family Group

2008-07-28T13:40:00.004-04:00

We get together every other month with a group of families from our church. We spent Sunday evening at Holiday Lake in Appomattox.

Fred & Regina planned the evening for us.

Casey, Ben, Jerrill & Norman

Regina, Elle & Wendy

Glen, Jackson, Jayden, Rachel, Trisha & Alisa

Trisha, Alisa, Jerrill, Dorcas & Norman

The children had a great time!

Sierra & Hannah

Hannah taking some of the younger ones to the swings.

Marjorie & Hana

Heidi & Forest

Trisha

Joan, Heidi & Hannah

On the way home we enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

Douglas Lake

2008-07-27T14:27:00.003-04:00

Walking to the dam.

JoAna & Casey's first attempts at taking photos.

At the overlook.

Elements of a good vacation

2008-07-23T12:03:00.008-04:00

Beautiful scenery

Good conversation

Games

Delicious food

Vacation

2008-07-21T22:00:00.005-04:00

We are currently in Kodak, TN with the Millers.
Todays outing was Bass Pro Shops.

JoAna, Juanita & Casey

Hannah

Pics from our cabin...
Andrew & Joelle

Cameron & Casey

Conrad & Delores

JoAna, Casey & Jana

Hannah, Jesse, Byron & Cameron

Ben & Hannah

Lauren & Marty

Guest post

2008-06-30T11:47:00.010-04:00

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

Dad with his siblings.

Love you Dad, you're the best!
~Juanita

The House #2

2008-05-04T11:33:00.002-04:00

Here is a more recent pic of the back of the house. The trees have really greened up.

The House

2008-02-23T18:58:00.003-05:00

We have begun construction on our new house. Here is the view driving in the lane.
You can also see the shop on the left side of the picture. If not for that shop, we would be buried under a mound of belongings. The shop currently holds all of the stuff we have accumulated during the last 13 years of our marriage. It's pretty full.

Just in time for Thanksgiving

2007-11-13T07:29:00.000-05:00

I lifted this pic from the Roblog. My oldest nephew has finally noticed there is more to November than deer hunting.... there is family, friends and special friends.

School Sale

2007-10-17T19:40:00.000-04:00

Our school sale is a week from this Saturday. It is going to be a hectic week getting ready but it is always great fun watching the day unfold. Mark it in your calendar, October 27, 2007, and plan on coming out for some good food. You might even go away with a bargain or two.

October...already

2007-10-15T20:18:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of one of my favorite fall activities...

This first pic is of the Cessna 152 that I rent, old but trustworthy...we hope.

This next pic is beginning the takeoff roll. Falwell airport has a strange runway to say the least. Takeoff down the hill and land up the hill...wind is a consideration, but it plays no part in which way you takeoff or land.

and of course this final picture was taken by my "copilot" L. Yoder...he'll probably never fly with me again.

the weekend

2007-07-08T17:51:00.001-04:00

My brother Rob and his family came to our place this weekend. They arrived Thursday evening around 5:00 and we spent the evening eating and chit-chatting. Friday morning all the guys loaded up around 6:00 a.m. and went on a canoe trip down the Staunton River. It was an experience to behold, no pictures were taken due to the risk of cameras ending up in the "crick". Rob and Byron tried to jump a rock with their canoe, needless to say, the canoe lost and they ended up in the drink. We retrieved the canoe and one paddle but with the exception of one soda, the drinks in their canoe were a total loss. The only other flipped canoe was a result of someone trying to save their fishing line and stepping out of the canoe only to find it was deeper than they thought.We did some swimming, saw a bald eagle which was neat, and got toasted by the sun. I think good times were had by all.

Saturday was basically a laze around the house day with some softball knocked around in the back yard, church Sunday morning, then a departure around 3:00 p.m. Hopefully they won't wait two years again to come back.

Here are a few pics...

Hannah

Byron, Andrew, & Yours Truly

Rob pretending to be Mike Mussina

Casey & JoAna

Brendon

Byron, Andrew, Conrad

quick trip to DE

2007-06-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

Our family made a quick trip to DE this weekend. We are visiting our niece who is recovering from surgery. She is currently at A.I. duPont Hospital and they expect her to be able to go home next week some time. Updates concerning her journey will be posted here. I'm sure Melanie and her family would appreciate your continued prayers.

the covered bridge and my brief tv appearance

2007-05-28T20:14:00.000-04:00

A long time ago, back in the fall of 1996, hurricane Fran swept through and washed away the covered bridge just below where we lived. I happened to be there and snapped a couple of pictures minutes before it washed away. The video below is news coverage of the event and includes my pictures, a very brief clip of myself, and a longer interview of some guy named Paul Good.

If you can't access youtube here it is at an alternate location.
Newscast clip 5.2 MB
Newscast clip 1.5MB Abbreviated version for you dial-up users

Rustburg, VA

2007-05-17T19:05:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't live near Rustburg this picture will bore you to tears.

This taken from the south with Rustburg mountain on the right.
I can't wait to go take some more pictures.

recording is fun

2007-05-16T19:58:00.000-04:00

I sometimes record the children singing various songs and other sorts of goofy things. I use Audacity which is of course a free download. Here is a brief clip of Casey singing Down To The River To Pray.

Song

I sometimes sleep with my eyes open

2007-05-14T20:54:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of me sleeping. I know you can't believe it but it's true. In this picture I am around 14 and totally sacked out. It always gave people the heebie-jeebies. You've heard the saying about dogs sleeping with one eye open...well, need I say more...

broadband is here at last

2007-05-05T14:11:00.000-04:00

Well, folks it is time to inform you that I will soon be surfing at speeds which boggle the mind. As of Monday afternoon I should be connected at speeds approaching 2560 kbs. To put this in perspective...I am currently connecting at paltry speeds of around 49.2 kbs. My new connection will be around 52 times more speedy. Let's take a look at the money sense of this little switch.

I will now take $9.95 which is what I am currently paying for dialup and multiply it times 52 and I get $517.40. Wow, I am getting taken to the cleaners by dial-up. Jet Broadband is giving me a much better deal for 44.95 per month right? Also, considering I can eliminate a $40.00 phone line and my $9.95 per month dial-up cost. I am going to be $5.00 ahead plus 52 times faster....my head is still spinning. The only complaint I have is, Why did it have to take until 2007 to get broadband to the end of my lane?

Explore Park

2007-04-22T19:31:00.000-04:00

We, as a family, went to Explore Park yesterday. It was good times. Exactly 1 hour of travel time put us there. The actual ticket prices were a bit spendy but I would say it was worth the cost. As soon as we arrived we realized the camera batteries were dead. We resorted to the camcorder for pictures and as you can tell it takes horrible stills.

One of the presenters was very interesting and seemed to really enjoy his job. He was very knowledgable regarding Virginia's history and he even played a tune on some sort of flute. He was very good at including the children in his presentation without making them feel uncomfortable. Here is a picture of him preparing to carve a wooden bowl.
In other news...I am working on becoming current with my private pilots license. Hopefully I can get some pics on here from the air soon.

House

2007-01-13T19:47:00.000-05:00

Check out the custom home we are in the middle of building. The amazing thing...it is for a single guy who didn't need any financing. Let that be a lesson to all you single guys. It's either a house or a wife...take your pick.

the holidays...food at it's finest

2006-12-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

We are currently in Guys Mills, PA visiting my wife's folks. It has become somewhat of a tradition to travel up here for the holidays. They currently reside at Faith Builders and it is the only place our whole extended family can eat, sleep, eat, fellowship, eat, open gifts and eat all under one roof. A fairly relaxing time is usually had by all. Uh oh, I better go... I think we are about to eat again...

Annual Fall Festival

2006-10-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

This Saturday is our fourth annual fall festival which means lots of goodies and lots of work. Here is an outside shot of the 2004 festival.

and below is the brochure containing all the necessary info...

We hope to see you there!

I like to read

2006-08-29T19:11:00.000-04:00

Yes, it is true...I enjoy a good book. I prefer to end my day with a few chapters of something not too deep. I find that if I just climb in bed and try to go to sleep without reading I will lay there and think about all the things that need to be done the next day.

Which now I have to ask...

Anybody wish to recommend an author?
Any particular novels you would recommend?

When I ask these questions I always get this funny look.. like they are thinking..."What can I recommend so he won't think I'm a complete idiot?"

Just recommend is all I ask and maybe we can all benefit from a good read.

Our Chillin's

2006-08-24T20:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a current picture of our children. God has blessed us richly.

Hannah - in 2 weeks she will be 9

JoAna - 2 yrs. 7 mo.

Casey - 2yrs. 5 mo.

Day Three

2006-07-19T17:23:00.000-04:00

We are currently sitting around thanks to a computer hard drive that appears to full. Our engineer is trying to make some more room.

Here is a little clip of us preparing to feed our faces.

Dinner Time

Day two

2006-07-18T10:52:00.000-04:00

It is day two of the recording saga. We are wrapping up a difficult Tim Rumsey piece and hoping to get another three or four songs down before evening.

Here is a shot of the mixing board at Alive Studios. This board has a story behind it. When it was purchased a few years back it was being used by a studio in NY city. Theyhad to wait for them to finish up a project before they could transfer it down here to VA. The project they were working on was Walt Disneys' "Beauty and the Beast" . It was nominated for and won several awards.

We were wondering if we are going to be the beauty or the beast. Dave claimed the beauty side of the board and the rest of us got stuck with the beast. Very unfortunate.

Our Lodging

2006-07-17T20:29:00.000-04:00

We made it to Harrisonburg and moved into our cabin. it is a bit on the rustic side but suitable. We laid down four songs today and we are shot. Overall, a very good day. Here is a pic of our cabin...

and setting up for the first tune...

Recording

2006-07-16T16:11:00.000-04:00

We (VOP) are leaving in about five minutes to head for Harrisonburg where we will begin the laborious endeavor of recording...I am looking forward to it while dreading it at the same time.
Maybe I can post some pics or such while we are there...

The Fizzonator

2006-07-12T19:50:00.000-04:00

Has anyone ever heard of the "Fizzonator"? It is an amazing invention..just in time for the dog days of summer. I was perusing the shelves at Sheetz (which happens to be about a mile from the housing development we are working in) when I saw this marvel. It is the granddaddy travel mug. It holds a whopping 52 ounces of drink.
The little cup is for perspective...impressive, isn't it?
The best part is that you can get it refilled for only 89 cents. They have a gatorade dispenser right next to the mountain dew lever so I will remain well hydrated this summer. We will be working in this neighborhood for quite some time so I should get my 5.00 investment back soon enough.

It is also a great conversation piece, I have gotten lots of comments from people in line waiting to pay. I've also gotten some strange looks too but I just ignore those.

You need to go to sheetz right now and get you one...

Broadband, please...pretty please.

2006-07-10T18:28:00.000-04:00

I am sick and tired of dial-up. I have checked on DSL numerous times only to be told it is not available. One time I aggressively called Verizon and sat through several hold times and got transferred a half dozen times and eventually was able to talk to someone who actually could tell me why I can't get it. It appears my line is fiber optic and he claimed DSL will not run on fiber optic but needs copper lines to work. Seems to me if you go back on any network far enough you will fiber optic. Maybe it is fiberoptic almost to my doorstep. He did point out that there is some newer technology coming that runs on fiber optic and is supposedly faster than DSL. It is called FIOS but is only in limited markets which means I'll be getting it maybe when I am 70 years old and unable to drag my wrinkled and withered body to the computer.

I do have cable run up my street which was installed about 5 years ago but broadband is still unavailable. I call or email them about once a month to make sure they know I am still waiting but to no avail. I was working in a subdivision last week when I saw a jetbroadband truck and the technician was shooting some new lines for installation. I actually turned around and went back and chatted with him for awhile. I explained my frustration about not having access to broadband and he said he actually built the lines on my street and remembered where it was. He rattled off a bunch of techno language that went completely over my head about how they are slowly upgrading the lines and installing thingamajigs and whatnots. Anyway, he said one guy actually went door to door and got his neighbors to sign a petition and actually got the company to upgrade his neighborhood. He said they target areas that have shown interest. I must be the only poor sap in my neighborhood that wants broadband.

I have also been following with interest a co-op that is installing a grid of new fiberoptic in the central Virginia area. These would be to serve the more sparsely populated areas. Apparently, they will be selling rights to other company's to use their cables.
They are called Mid-Atlantic Broadband
and I'm hoping they will open up some other options for broadband.
Meanwhile I lumber along at the breakneck speed of 56k and hope I don't injure myself.

World's Slobberingest Dog

2006-06-14T15:32:00.000-04:00

Here it is, a brief glimpse into the life of a Saint Bernard owner. Feeding these animals involves strategic planning; planning similar to that of the invasion of a small country. Getting in and out without becoming completely covered in a drool/dirt substance is nearly impossible. This particular dog's name is "Handsome" and I feel it a very fitting name indeed

My Claim to Fame

2006-06-10T18:51:00.000-04:00

I hereby claim the posting of the first picture taken, on location, at Lee & Mary's wedding. Here is the wedding party:

Case closed....

Hot!

2006-05-30T20:52:00.000-04:00

Today was exceedingly hot. I think I sweated out part of my brain. Last I looked it was hovering around 93 degrees . It has been months since I last shingled a roof. We started shingling a roof today which is, of course, why it was so hot. Sorry about that.
It is still May and it is in the 9o's. This is a bad sign for the coming summer, therefore, I went to Wal-Mart tonight and bought myself a straw cowboy hat.

Vacation

2006-05-14T20:23:00.000-04:00

We just spent the weekend in Virginia Beach for a brief getaway vacation. All in all it was a good trip. If the trip down was any indication of the upcoming weekend I think I would have turned around halfway there.
I am a typical male. When my stomach is on empty so is my temperment.
We were cruising around Richmond and of course missed an exit...fortunately we just caught another road over to where we were supposed to be going...I breathed a big sigh of relief...thinking if we can just get around Richmond all will be well.
At some point, as always, I got hungry. Not good. We picked an exit with lots of food items, merged off the highway only to notice the food joints were like 3 miles away. I said, "Forget it, we're not driving 6 miles round trip just for a little food." So I got right back on the highway-- big mistake.
I would like to, at this point, ask the Virginia Dept. of Transportation why the mileage for the food places is located just beyond visual range of the highway. I suspect it is a conspiracy among the fast food chains to get you to exit then expect you to just suffer those 6 miles. I'm going to start taking binoculars on my trips to verify distances prior to exiting.
So that exit was a bust and we continued awhile to another exit showing a Hardees...by this time I am showing signs of stress and other forms of grouchiness. We exited, and it said about 2 miles. This time I'm thinking, "2 miles is nothing...I'm starved...show me the food" we go right like it says and drive, and drive, and drive. Finally, we come to an intersection and agree that we must have missed it. At this point I want to cry...I ask my wife if there is another way to get back to the highway...so she navigates us back to interstate where we continue our search for food. Any food will do...I am thinking of pulling over and searching for berries and grub worms.

We come to another exit with signs for food. I struggle to hold back tears of gratitude. The sign says only 0.4 miles to the right. We exit and go right. We are all looking for anything that might resemble food. We crest a knoll and I can hardly believe my eyes. We find ourselves entering a military installation complete with guards, guns, and gates. I frantically started looking for a place to do a U-turn but currently none was available. I was trying to think of something to say to the guard like, " Howdy, fine weather we're having. You wouldn't happen to have a spare hamburger laying around would you?" when I noticed a small place to make a quick U-turn and that's exactly what we did.
I continued back to the highway in a state of shock. I was beaten.
We finally found a place to eat at our next exit but I was sure it was going to vanish as we were walking up to the door...like a mirage in the desert.
As I look back on that experience I think of how silly it was of me. When am I ever going to grow up...

SMBI

2006-05-07T07:24:00.000-04:00

The SMBI choir came to our church Saturday night. I snuck a picture from the foyer. I enjoyed the program very much. For your information, I indicated on the picture two bloggers whom you may wish to check out.

yoderpianist
hansmast.com

Surgery

2006-05-03T20:38:00.000-04:00

I used to be blind as a bat without corrective lenses. In the 7th grade I got my first pair of glasses and I was amazed. I walked out of the eye doctors office in utter amazement. I was seeing individual blades of grass instead of a blur of green. It gave me a whole new perspective on life. I wore glasses until I was about 16 and then switched to hard contact lenses. I was very dependent on my corrective eyewear. They were the first things I put on upon awakening and the last thing I took off before lights out. I even had to buy a large display alarm clock just to tell what time it was at night. I still use that alarm clock.
Well, when I was about 28 I opted to have LASIK surgery performed on both of my eyes. My right eye was always worse than my left eye and the doctor said it may not respond quite as well as the left. I considered the surgery a success even though the right eye was not quite 20/20.
I recently went to the eye doctor just for a routine checkup and the right eye was still slightly behind and maybe slightly worse. I went ahead and got a pair of glasses just for driving and for things like church overheads and such.
I would retire that alarm clock with the huge numbers however it reminds me of what I once was...

Has anyone else had eye surgery? Would you?

The Empty Nest

2006-04-29T18:46:00.000-04:00

We've all heard of the proverbial empty nest. Well, today I saw with my own two eyes the real deal. I was somewhat disappointed to peek in and see an empty nest but I was also relieved to know that the little bluebirds have survived and hopefully I will see them feeding at our feeder this winter.

Attention to all bluebirds:

Miller's Bluebird Motel is currently vacant! Room for 4 - 5 chicks with splendid views and wonderful feeding area. Very few predators so hurry while it lasts.

Bluebirds

2006-04-19T20:22:00.000-04:00

I recently stuck a bluebird house up in our backyard. I had noticed some activity and thought I would walk over and have a look-see. Here is what I found...

Last summer we had a family move into this same birdhouse but none of them survived...I wonder if it was too hot for them. I have much higher hopes for this batch. These are already older than the batch last year and look healthy...more later when they leave the nest.

Back Pain

2006-04-14T20:22:00.000-04:00

Those who know me know that I suffer from back pain. Every so often, usually around twice a year, my back will go nuclear. This past December was the worst case yet. It was my lower back this time which is a bit unusual. I have always had some chronic lower back pain but this episode was unusual in that it was a crippling injury. I was carrying a piece of plywood when I felt a sharp pain in my lower back and it was downhill from there . I kind of hobbled around for about 30 minutes and finally told the guys that I was going home. I laid around for about 2 weeks and it didn't seem to make much improvement. Anyway, it has never quite made it back to what it was before. I am afraid I did some damage to the nerve or something. It seems sitting around just aggravates it.
I am working for a guy right now that has a broken vertebrae in his back. He showed me his MRI pictures and it doesn't look too good. We got to discussing back pain the other day and I mentioned wishing I had some pain medication for some of my bad days. He went to his truck and gave me ten of his pills. I was familiar with this medication before and knew they were the good ones. It is called Hodrocodone and it is probably my favorite for pain. He had this huge bottle and he can get them whenever he wants. Three cheers for Hydrocodone and the wonderful relief it brings.

Tired

2006-04-07T20:58:00.000-04:00

I was going to post something this evening and realized I am too tired and would rather crawl in bed.
Busy life= slow blog
ZZZZZ

More "Pics from above"

2006-03-21T19:38:00.000-05:00

I have been exceedingly busy lately which makes for sporadic posting.
Here are some pics from my flying days.

This first pic is prior to an evening flight to Bay Bridge airport. The tall chap on the left, Robert Bachofner from Holland, was my flight instructor. It is very typical of foreigners to come to the US to get their instructor rating. They will then instruct for awhile to rack up flight time while also gaining a better grasp of the English language. He had a fairly heavy Dutch accent that I can still hear in my head today. The other two are simply friends along for the ride. The plane is a Piper Cherokee Warrior.

For this next picture, I was on my long cross country flight which is required to get your private pilots license. I was enroute to Norfolk International when I snapped this looking out into the Atlantic Ocean. The little finger of land you see is Cape Henry right on the northern tip of Virginia Beach. Notice the heavy ship traffic. I had just passed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel which is a section of Rt. 13 that goes under the water to allow ships to pass over the top of the road.

until next time...

We're Number One

2006-03-11T08:21:00.000-05:00

Someone mentioned the other day that their blog stats show me as their number one visitor. He said, "You visit my blog way more than anyone else does." I explained to him why that is. I started thinking about it and wondered if there are others out there that think I have nothing better to do than visit their blog 5 times a day. I think maybe I should explain lest you think I am emotionally disturbed.

We have one computer and my wife visits many of the same blogs I do.

Secondly, I use Firefox. It has this wonderful feature called "tabs". It also has this other neat little feature. If you save all your blogs in a sub-folder under bookmarks, you can click the link at the bottom called "Open in tabs". It will then open every blog listed in that folder in it's own tab. Often, as they are loading, I will be closing them as fast as they open because they were not updated...shame on you.

I will now try to explain how I have my favorite blogs book marked. I have three folders.

The first one is simply called "Blogs". These are the blogs that I open at least twice a day. I get them loading while I start the coffee pot in the morning. I also check them when I get home from work. There are currently 17 blogs in this folder. If you are in this folder I must enjoy reading your blog and you update fairly frequently.
The second folder is called "Infrequent Blogs". These blogs get loaded about twice a week or whenever I have some spare time. There are currently 60 blogs listed in this folder so it takes some time to load. This folder is a jumble of misc. blogs. It is mostly for blogs I enjoy but the posts are very sporadic. Some of the blogs are there simply because I happen to know these folks and like to be in the know.
There is a third folder called "Dumb Blogs". These blogs get loaded about once every two weeks. It currently holds around sixteen bookmarks. They are mostly blogs of people I know but the content doesn't really interest me too much or they are filled with intentional mispellings. It uhpeers it is now kewl 2 c how pourly u ken spell a werd widout making it cumpleetly unrekugnizeuble. Don't get me wrong, I am very forgiving of misspelled words as I do it myself often but to intentionally misspell is just plain silly and will get your blog placed in my "Dumb Blogs" folder.

So you see, I am not emotionally disturbed after all. If you assume my wife has some of the same bookmarks in her folders. It is quite possible your blog could get loaded 4-6 times per day on my computer. Take it as a compliment; you have made it to the top of the heap in my bookmarks.

Ladies Night Out

2006-03-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

Tonight my wife left me at home with three children. Is it just me or is the level of bickering always much higher when the lady of the house is absent? My wife is out on the town for "Ladies Night Out". The ladies in our church who wish to participate divide up into groups of around 5 or 6 and they pick an evening to do something. Is this idea only suitable for women? Would men benefit from something like this? Maybe men have their day out when they go to work.
What do women talk about at these things?
Maybe I would prefer to remain ignorant.

Nothing To Read...How boring

2006-03-02T19:15:00.000-05:00

I am currently in a state of booklessness. I like to read. Especially right before I go to sleep. I need something to distract my mind from the days activities. If I don't read something, I will lay there for hours thinking about setting trusses the next day or whatever else happens to be pressing. Also, I don't enjoy reading books I have read within the past decade. Sometimes I'll start a book, get through about two chapters, and notice I already read it...arghh...I will then carelessly toss it back on the shelf and start looking for something else.

I need something to read...any suggestions?

Snip, Snip, Oops

2006-03-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

I don't really like getting my hair cut. I place it somewhere between preparing for tax season and having my fingernails pulled out with a pliers. It is just plain down stressful. I'm not even sure I can put into words the feelings associated with having my hair cut. Here is a quick list of reasons why I despise haircuts:

It is a bit uncomfortable for me to let a stranger pry around on my head. You might say I feel that it is going way past a friendly handshake.
There is the uncertainty as to the outcome of said haircut. It is as varied as the individual with the clippers and their current frame of mind.
It is expensive. I figure they are pulling around $83.70 an hour and I think maybe I'm in the wrong line of work.
I end up all itchy and cranky.
Some of the clipper wielding strangers feel it their duty to strike up a conversation to ease the tension. They might say, "How's the weather outside?" I say, "Nice." Awkward silence ensues They say,"Do you want to keep your sideburns?" I reply, "Uhhh, sure, why not" awkward silence and so on and so forth

I went in to get a haircut last night and I was ushered back to "the chair" and sat down. It was at this point that I became witness to some lady having a fit over what had been done to her hair. I caught something about it being all chopped. Well, the lady that was going to cut my hair went over and tried to fix whatever mistake the other lady had made. Soon I saw the chopper lady coming my way to try to redeem herself. Let me interject this tidbit of wisdom, you can always tell when someone makes a mistake cutting your hair...there is this odd sound then they immediately rub the ruined spot as if that will somehow magically replace the hair they just deleted. Suffice it to say, my hair was shortened and I'm cutting my own hair from now on.

A Tribute to MY Hammer

2006-02-25T19:18:00.000-05:00

A great tragedy took place on Friday. My hammer of close to 15 years finally succumbed to old age. If I were able to write poetry I would attempt to write a poem about my hammer. This hammer was a graduation gift from my brother Rob. This hammer was special because it is one of the few tools that I haven't lost. I have a knack for losing tools but this tool simply would not be lost. It has been with me from the beginning and stayed with me till the end.
I am deeply saddened by this loss although I am happy to report that my hammer broke with dignity. It didn't fly apart under much stress or strain. It's head simply plopped off with a gentle tap of the handle...I think it was as surprised as I was. So, a hammer has come and gone but it will not soon be forgotten...

I went out tonight and purchased a new hammer. It is just like my old hammer yet something tells me it won't be the same. Hopefully we will learn to trust each other, just like my old hammer and I...

I Caught A Fish This Big

2006-02-24T18:57:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, I caught a fish. This hasn't happened too often in my lifetime. The reasons for this are many and varied. I like to think it is primarily because I don't fish very much. Another suspicion I hold for my lack of success in the sport of fishing is that I just plain stink at it. I often have visions in the spring of pulling in huge stringers of bass and other gigantic scaled creatures. Unfortunately, after about 5 minutes of reality which in fishing terms means- "NOTHING"- I admit defeat, throw my fishing tackle back in the basement, and it starts collecting another year's worth of dust. It is truly pathetic.

Here is a success story...my first fish and boy was she a "keeper".

(Notice my older brother trying to capture some of my glory...as if this can be accomplished through standing as close as possible to a professional angler.)

Artistic Talent

2006-02-22T20:12:00.000-05:00

There are many things that make a weblog worthy of bookmarking.

Frequent posts.
Interesting content.
Pictures.

I personally think the most important ingredient to a good blog is being able to write well. I'm not talking correct grammar but being able to "write". Those of us who can't write have to revert to posting pictures.
Someone once said, "A good picture is worth a thousand words"...Well, I say, "A good painting is worth a thousand and one words." Paintings take countless hours of painstaking... well.... painting ....and they are alot of work too.
Years ago you used to have to paint with a brush...yuck. Today we have electronic painting and my daughter is a master at Paint Shop. Take a gander at this work of art... at only 8 years old she may be the next Van Gogh...

Alarms Clocks & Monday Mornings...Ouch

2006-02-20T05:48:00.000-05:00

Alarm clocks can be very annoying. I have found that the annoyance level is directly related to how much sleep one has acquired in the preceding day/week. It seems Monday mornings are always "unusual". Monday mornings are often affected by the change in activities over the weekend and also the occasional Sunday afternoon nap. I took a pretty long nap yesterday afternoon...like 2.5 hours worth. These naps generally do not bode well for the upcoming nights sleep. Last night I went to bed as I always do but as I was in typical, post nap condition, I rolled around for quite some time. Eventually I fell into a light sleep for most of the night only to be awakened by what I thought was my alarm clock. I drowsily looked at my alarm clock... yup...6:12...must'a been my alarm clock but I don't seem to remember hitting the snooze...strange.
You may at this point wonder, "Who in the world sets their alarm for 6:12! This guy is nuts. Why not 6:15 like a normal individual or even 6:10!"
I admit, I am a bit weird on this one. I used to set it for 6:20 in hopes to be out the door by 6:50...this was just not working. I at some point got frustrated by the hurried feeling every morning and hastily changed it. It haphazardly stopped on 6:12. I, being too lazy to go all the way around 24 hours but too nervous to set it any later, left it there. Thus, I have become comfortable with 6:12...I like it. Anyway, back to my story. I extracted myself from bed and went about my morning routine. My wife usually gets up 20 minutes after I get up to help shove me out the door for which I am very grateful. Well, this morning she got up, wandered out and said..."It's 5:30, not 6:30...I'm going back to bed." I couldn't believe it...I got out of bed at 5:12! That's kind of like realizing the dentist just pulled the wrong tooth! I, through tears of misery, resigned myself to just staying up and doing something other than sleeping... like posting this terrible story. I know one thing. These Sunday afternoon naps have got to stop.

How much time do you allow in the mornings?

House Complete

2006-02-17T19:34:00.000-05:00

We finished up another frame job today. Total living area = 3100 sq. ft.
It's for sale so if you are in the market for a large home I'll put you in touch with the contractor.
Expect a price tag of close to 400,000.00
The Virginia version of the Occupational Safety and Health also known as OSHA has been on a rampage lately showing up on all sorts of jobsites in our area. We were inspected about two weeks ago and fortunately one of our guys worked on the fire dept. and was certified in basic first aid. She was going to fine us for that but during her interview with him it came out that he was certified. He is in line for a free lunch for bailing us out.
Today the head guy was out again checking out the crew of Mexicans that are laying the brick on this house. The Contractor yelled to them that OSHA was right across the road and it looked like a colony of ants scrambling down from the scaffolding. They knew what to do when OSHA shows up..."BREAKTIME".
What is everyone else's thoughts on regulated safety procedures?
He, Mr. OSHA, told us he informed one guy to get a new extension cord because it was all knicked up. Well, he came back several weeks later and the dude was still using that cord. He said they fined him $12,000.00. Ouch! I'm afraid that would put me out of business.

Well, next up for us is a huge house. Living Area = 6185 sq. ft.
I can't wait to post some pictures of this monster.

The Snack of Choice

2006-02-16T18:42:00.000-05:00

Gregegg, who happens to work for me, bought us a snazzy water heater for Christmas. We use it on the job and it has become the most popular tool. We all huddle around the water pot greedily waiting for signs of boilage. Then we proceed to fill our cups and prepare to consume said beverages...usually Folgers singles, tea, or some sort of Ramen Noodle concoction. My current snack of choice happens to be this:

Maruchan Instant Lunch

Notice the generic Walmart brand sitting on someone else's lunch box. We won't mention any names to prevent embarrassment. Does anyone else eat these things? At around $0.25 a piece it is fairly economical.

In Other News...

2006-02-14T20:52:00.000-05:00

I sing in a group called...Voice Of Praise.
Our latest album just arrived and I think it is...well, not too bad.

Here is the front and back cover for your perusal and yes, we are standing in what happens to be real precipitation.

Pictures From Above

2006-02-14T18:18:00.000-05:00

I was browsing through some of my old pictures recently and came across some pics taken during my flying days. Yes, these were taken when I was still single, carefree and debt free . Aircraft rental has fallen to a lower priorty in recent years due to things like mortgages and children.
I hope to sporadically post "Pics From Above" as a way of helping you enjoy my hobby that I can't seem to afford anymore.

This first picture will only be appreciated by my Delaware readers. I'm so sure you Delawareans will know where this picture is that I will let my friends from DE explain. Just post your guesses in the comments.

[Hint: This picture would not look the same if taken today]

The following picture was taken by my friend as I flew off into the sunset...oh, the peace and serenity. Notice the windsock just hanging in the calm evening.

Walmart - An American Tradition

2006-02-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

My family and I were recently doing some shopping. Fulfilling our American duty, we pulled into our local Walmart parking lot. Those of us who shop at the Walmart on Wards Rd. know how stressful it can be to find a parking space. It is always mobbed and this particular evening was no exception. I must interject at this point that I am a bit obsessive about getting a "good spot". Ask my wife and she will tell you that I sometimes circle the parking lot passing up acceptable spots only because they weren't "close enough". Anyway, I carefully chose the aisle I thought had the best chance of a close spot when yes, there it was, the perfect location. Right next to the handicap spot! You can't get any better than that! I was gleefully preparing to swoop in when what to my wondering eyes did appear... some lady, muscling in from the opposite direction, completely ignoring the yellow arrows that clearly indicated she was travelling the wrong direction. Well, she stopped just past the spot I was intending to occupy, put her car in reverse and was preparing to back into MY spot. Well, I must say I was a bit in shock because I had already started to make the turn the minute she cleared the front of my van. There we sat, I was in her way and in a complete state of shock, and she was blowing her horn. I couldn't believe it! I looked over to see if she had come to her senses. Nope, she was waving her arms and spewing what looked like all sorts of vulgarities and whatnots. It was at this point that I decided it was time to cut and run. I gave her MY spot and went to the next aisle and parked. I jealously watched as she and I believe 4 little children extracted themselves from their car and made the "short" walk in. I must say, this is an area I need to work on. We went about our shopping and got in a "slow" line to check out when I proceeded to jump lines because this line was moving too slow. Imagine my chagrin to find we hopped in line behind guess who. Yup, it was her and her 4 little ones. I don't think she recognized us as the parking lot idiots, although, maybe she did and just maybe she felt slightly foolish..I know I did.

December Frame Job

2006-02-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

Ok. It's time to become more active with this blogging thing.

Warning, this blog will be about things that interest me. This could result in you, the reader, being completely bored out of your mind.

Here is a look at one of our recent jobs.

We started this house November 15th and finished it December 23rd.

Day1

Day6

Finally Finished!

I will try to get some pics of our current project to post soon.

Post #1

2005-10-16T16:20:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog...this could be the beginning of something grand...nah, probably not.