Connectedness...

I recently signed on to Facebook and like many thing on the internet it is a way to waste some down time when there is nothing else to do. But one of the neatest things about it is the way you can reconnect with people you have lost track of, and while not meeting face to face you can still keep up to date and stay connected. That recently happened with a friend of mine who I found on Facebook. Years ago, this friend and I were fencing partners. We fenced so much we got to the point we could not beat one another in a sparing match. It was a alot of fun and along with the fencing we had a number of common friends and generally had a great time hanging out with everyone. And as life will have it, he moved on, moved out of the area and kind of disappeared off of my radar screen for a number of years. Well, we found each other again via Facebook and while reading his info I found that he has become a therapist and he put a little bit of his philosophy into his bio. Here it is:

Inspired by a day spent with Patch Adams at the 2005 Evolution of Psychotherapy conference in Anaheim, I have come to the conclusion that mental health boils down to connectedness: the health and strength of our relationship, not just with others -- but our internal selves as well.

I could not agree with him more. Having good, solid relationships with family, spouses, friends, and like he says, our internal selves, is absolutely key in finding happiness and stability. Both outwardly and inwardly. I have been lucky enough, blessed if you will, to have an enourmous amount of friends. And I am also lucky to say that I have a large number of close friends and my close relationship with my family is something that many would say is out of the ordinary. I try hard to cultivate these relationships and with it, I think it helps me as a person who feels good about himself. I can only hope that the reverse is true for my family and friends.

To have friends, you must be a friend. To be a friend to someone, you have to like and be comfortable with youself.

Thanks to my family and friends for keeping me happy and healthy!

What happens now?

Obama is now the president elect of the United States. In many ways, which I won't get into, this scares me. I do not think that he will be the healing leader that all his fans say he is. I hope I am wrong, but I don't think so. I personally think he is someone who will Europeanize the United States and bring us closer to socialism. We have been sliding that way for the last 20 years, and the momentum will only increase under Obama and a Democratic led Congress. And now that we do have a Dem President and Congress, at least I and the rest of America will know where to point the finger of blame when things go bad. But will they go bad? I hope not. I really really want America to be the best country in the world. I want it to be the leader in all things. I want the rest of the world to respect us, to fear us, and to need us. But here in America we have become so divided into an us and them, red and blue mentality (I blame the media for this brainwashing) that I feel we are sometimes on the edge of a new Civil War. And as Lincoln said, a divided house cannot stand. (oh, for a new Lincoln...) Government is going to grow under Obama. Welfare will expand. Taxes are going to go up. And most likely, the Democrats will self destruct like they always do when they have the top of the hill all to themselves.

What will I do for the next two years is do what I have always done. I will work to make my family safe, comfortable, and happy. I will not ask for handouts. I will go to work, put in a full days work and be happy about it. I will do all the things that I have always done to make my life worthwhile. I will continue to support things like my church, politicians who fight for smaller government and less welfare, the NRA, the Boy Scouts, and all those things that I think made America a great country. I think we will have a weaker country for the next few years and will be more of a follower instead of a leader. I will work for change if change is needed.

I will wait and see.

Good news in the neighbor hood.

I am happy. My neighbors moved away yesterday, and without a nod goodbye! Normally that sort of thing might make one a bit sad, but not this time! My neighbors were not bad people, just bad neighbors. As some of you might know, I like to have things looking a certain way, and I also believe that when you join a neighborhood, you have a duty to fit into that neighborhood and make it a better place. Well, these neighbors were literal hermits in our neighborhood for the last 12 years. They did no maintenence to their home, mowed their yard only when a hay bayler was required, never participated in the Halloween night giveaways, (or any activities for that matter) and they let their dogs crap all over the place and never cleaned it up. Literally to the point that the smell was ever-present, and they left junk all over the place in their yard. The thing is, they lived in a fairly decent place and the neighborhood we live in is not a trailer park. But they sure lived like it! All they were missing was the mobile home! I hated looking over at their yard. Now that they have moved and the house is for sale, (which I am thinking of finding a way to buy) the yard has never looked so good! They were told by the real estate agent to clean it up. There is still stuff laying around that they left, but I am sure that late night gnomes will clean that up at some point!

I hardly ever talked to them and do not miss them. I am glad they are gone. If I can't buy this place and fix it myself and guarantee the quality of my neighbors myself, I hope that whoever does buy it is better than they were. The couldn't be much worse!

If you are reading this, and are part of a neighborhood, do me a favor. Look around your place. Does it need a bit of sprucing up? If so, take a weekend and do it. I guarantee that you will like the looks of it better and so will your neighborhood.

My neighbors are gone, and I am happy!

Later!

Sing Non Nobis...

Tomorrow is St. Crispin's Day. Very few know who St. Crispin and his brother Crispinian are. Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers. Born to a noble Roman family in the 3rd century AD, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, twin brothers, fled persecution for their faith, winding up in Soissons, where they preached Christianity to the Gauls and made shoes by night. Their success attracted the ire of Rictus Varus, the governor of Belgic Gaul, who had them tortured and beheaded c. 286. Probably the best known reference to St. Crispin is the speech given by Henry V in Shakespeare's play of the same name.

This play was made into a movie by Ken Branagh, who both acted and directed it, and gave what is in my opinion the best rendition of this speech. And also in this same movie is the a great scene of "celebrating" the victory at the battle of Agincourt in 1415.

I present to you these speeches to you for your entertainment. First is the speech and the second is the singing of the chant, "Non Nobis."

I think I might even add future blogs with inspiring speeches. who knows...

Later!

Return to Las Vegas

My wife and I have returned to Las Vegas so that she can attend a Web Conference at the Mirage. This is our second time in Vegas and rather than rehash our time here, as we will probably repeat a bunch of what we did about two years ago, I will give you an little insight into what we have learned on our repeat.
Here Goes:
The Mirage Hotel is nice, but is nothing compared to Caesar's Palace. Compared to it, the Mirage is a Days Inn. The rooms look like the Trading Spaces crew remodeled it.
The more you pay for a hotel room, the fewer amenities you will receive. Go cheap and get more! Go pricey and you will pay for more.
The Bellagio still has the best place to get great desserts and such. Jean Phillipe's Patisserie. Damn is it good.
No matter where you go, McDonald's still cost the same... thank goodness.
The Palazzo must be the most attractively decorated and designed hotel on the strip. Too bad the air freshening system smells like an old woman's talcum powder.
When in Las Vegas, you must do two things... go to the Gun Store and shoot machine guns, and go to the Pinball Museum and play pinball games from the 30's to the 90's. Two fun things that if you average the cost laid out for both, is actually pretty cheap! (and they are pretty much right next to each other!)
Each part of the strip, depending on what hotel is along it, has it's own soundtrack playing at all hours. The best are Caesar's, Bellagio, and Planet Hollywood hotel.
Watching the dancing fountains at the Bellagio never gets old. (Even if it is set to a Celine Dion song)
You can go to Las Vegas and not spend a single cent on gambling, and still have a good time. The shows are great here. Make sure to do at least one show while in town.
I think that Nine Fine Irishmen is probably one of the few "real" bars or pubs on the strip. It actually has regulars that frequent the pub. Smack in the middle of New York, New York Casino and Hotel, this pub feels like it could be in any small town in America.
Never forget where you are from while here. It is very easy to think that you are not up to snuff here in this town. But remember that back home you are just fine!

Fear of Girls....

While looking through old emails and looking for a way to relieve a bit of stress from work related activities, I found this fun little video! If you know a gamer, especially a D&D gamer, show them this. Enjoy!


Later!

More Music that I think is cool...

From Henry V... one of the coolest religious chants from one of the coolest movies ever. Non Nobis Domine (Now if I could just get my archer buddies to sing like this!!)

From Last of the Mohicans: The opening titles and score If this site doesn't work, try this - Promentory

From Gladiator: Now We Are Free

A real for what it is worth...

I was recently listening to some soundtrack music by Basil Poledouris and thought, you know what? More people should know about this guy. So here is my primer to the composer Basil Poledouris. Even though Basil Poledouris has been gone for over 2 years, I think that he is still the best movie soundtrack composer ever. I present here, a few examples of his work.

From Starship Troopers

From The Hunt for Red October

From Lonesome Dove

and of course, from one of my favorite movies, Conan the Barbarian

He has been part of some of the coolest movies ever made, and each time, his soundtracks have added so much to those movies that the scores become as much a part of the movie as the actors themselves.

Anyway, for what it's worth. Thanks Basil!

The Election, Politics, Tolkien, and D&D all in one article. Wow. What more could you want?!

I was directed to this article by Bill Whittle from the Rachel Lucas blog. Normally I do not go to other links to read full articles, but this once, I did. Boy am I glad I did! And I suggest that you go to the full article too. The link is at National Review site


Take a bit of time and read it and think about it. I have never read Whittle's stuff before, but if he writes like this, I will make sure to read more of him.

Another thing I got from this, is I am REALLY glad I live where I do. I would be silly crazy if I lived in his part of the country. How does he keep sane?

Later!

So what makes Obama more qualified?

In a string of hypocritical comments by someone I was talking to yesterday, I realized that everything negative this person was saying about Sarah Palin, could be turned around and said of Barack Obama.

First, Palin has had very little time as a politican, with only time as a mayor and two years as a Governor. Well, guess what. Obama is only a freshman senator from Illinois (where most of us in Illinois had never heard of him!) and most of that time has been spent campaigning instead of working on behalf of Illinois citizens in Congress!

Next, Palin has no foreign policy experience. Well, I don't think good old Barack has any more experience. As a matter of fact, I would think he has less! At least as a governor, you are making deals and working with foreign leaders for business matters and the like. I would count that as having some experience.

It was also said, that Palin is popular because she is just like the majority of Americans. Trouble at home, busy schedules with school, work and kids, and other things that plague normal American families. It was said, that the American people should not vote for someone that is just like them or reminds them of their neighbor, but vote for the smartest person or the person that is part of the political machine because they are better suited for it. Well, as far as I can tell, it has been the "smart politicians" who have failed us and maybe we do need a regular old neighbor like person in the White House. Maybe balancing a checkbook will not be so unfamiliar to them that something like a balanced budget is not a unknown concept to them!

And what really struck me was that this person was comparing Obama to Palin. Like Obama was running against Palin. Excuse me, but isn't Obama running again McCain? Looks like this person, and the media for that matter, are more afraid of Palin than McCain. Either way, I think that having Palin on the Republican ticket, has made people look more closely at Obama and they are coming to realize that maybe, he is not the messiah that they thought he was.

I don't like to talk politics but I was just floored by the fact that everything that was spewed to me, could have been completely reversed and applied to Obama, but it never occurred to the person to do so. Talk about single mindedness.

For what it's worth...

Later

How's this for an ego booster?

Recently, while substitute teaching at my local school, I was treated to a wonderful ego booster from one of the 5th graders I know. I will call him Eleven, as his volume goes that far. I have know Eleven for a number of years now and he has always seemed to take a shine to me. I was his Cub Master and he is in the same grade as my daughter. Anyway, I was in the classroom I was a substitute for and Eleven comes in and sees me there and immediately begins to act like an announcement was made that pop tarts, candy and pop will be served for lunch. Anyway, I manage to get him under control for the class. But then, out of nowhere, during a lull in the class, he blurts out, "Deane, you are just too awesome for this school!"

Daaaannnng! What a compliment and one coming from a 5th grader at that! I guess I passed some test of his at some point and became one of the cool guys in his life. I also assume I made his day by being a substitute teacher, but I know he made MY day with his comment!

So just in case you ever wonder or in doubt, I am "too awesome" for school!

Later!

My very own Motivational Posters! Ain't I just cool as all getout...

What my birhtday means.... according to Facebook

Oddly, alot of this is spot on right about me. Fun little application!


October 8, (year deleted)

Lucky Color: Amber
Personality Strengths: Compassion, Drive
Personality Weakness(es): Impatience
Successful Career Path: Fashion
Sense of Humor Style: Quick-witted
Adjectives to Describe You: courageous, enterprising

Description:
Driven and focused - you know what you want from life and importantly you know how to get it. You have always been hard-working and a perfectionist, you understand that there is no substitute to hard work in life.

And you thought American Animal Righters were loopy!!!

Here is a short blurb from the my local paper. I will reprint in it's entirety. It is part of the Earth Week: Diary of the Planet articles that appear in many newpapers and is distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.

Here goes... you won't believe this.

Swiss Animal Rights.

Strict new laws that went into effect across Switzerland on Sept. 1 have some wondering if legislators have overreached in efforts to safeguard the animal kingdom. It is now illegal to flush live goldfish down the toilet. The law stipulates that they must first be knocked out and killed before being disposed of. Fishermen may no longer practice catch and release fishing, and the use of live bait is prohibited. Pets such as parrots and hamsters may no longer be kept by themselves, and livestock such as sheep and goats must have at least "a visual contact with their fellows," under the new law. Dog owners are now required to take classes to learn how to keep their pets from biting. Even with regulations saying that pigs have a legal right (my emphasis)to shower and freshen up after roling in the mud, the country's leading animal rights group, STS, says the new law doesn't go far enough.

Holy Crap. Not far enough? Legal rights to shower for pigs? I think that too many centuries of neutrality has rotted the brains of Swiss legislators. I really don't know what to say of this. Apparently, some law makers in Switzerland are taking big bankrolls from the animal rights group, otherwise I cannot imagine anyone in their right minds coming up with laws like this. I believe in the ethical treatment of animals, but not to the point where you elevate them to human status! Oh I am so disappointed in the Swiss.

Later!

BattleStar Galactica/Presidential election. Compare and Contrast!

For those familiar with BattleStar Galactica, this will mean alot to you! For those unfamiliar with it, you poor, poor bastards. It is the best sci-fi show, possibly the best all-around show, there is on TV. Watch it Damn It! And for those who are familiar with the Rachel Lucas Blog,(www.rachellucas.com) then you might be familiar with this posting. If you are not familiar with her blog, you should be. Anyway, you should definately check this out! It is bang spot on with the current selection of candidates. If you have to ask, who is who in the photos, then you need to watch BSG! Just take it that the the lower two are Cylons... (bad guys!)

http://rachellucas.com/index.php/2008/09/03/so-say-we-all/

Get with the PLAN!

Time to stop letting third world countries lead us around by the short and curlies! The Plan makes sense! Check it out!

My Johari Window

While going back through old favorite bookmarks on my computer, I found this. I thought it worth posting to the blog. Granted only 5 people participated in the window experiment, but at least those five people thought well of me! Whew! If you want to contribute to it, there is a link for that too!

Arena (known to self and others) adaptable, energetic, friendly, organised, trustworthy	Blind Spot (known only to others) clever, confident, dependable, extroverted, helpful, intelligent, knowledgeable, mature, patient, reflective, religious, responsive, sensible
Façade (known only to self) proud	Unknown (known to nobody) able, accepting, bold, brave, calm, caring, cheerful, complex, dignified, giving, happy, idealistic, independent, ingenious, introverted, kind, logical, loving, modest, nervous, observant, powerful, quiet, relaxed, searching, self-assertive, self-conscious, sentimental, shy, silly, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense, warm, wise, witty

Dominant Traits

80% of people think that Longbowman is dependable
60% of people agree that Longbowman is energetic
80% of people agree that Longbowman is trustworthy

All Percentages

able (0%) accepting (0%) adaptable (20%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (0%) cheerful (0%) clever (20%) complex (0%) confident (40%) dependable (80%) dignified (0%) energetic (60%) extroverted (20%) friendly (40%) giving (0%) happy (0%) helpful (20%) idealistic (0%) independent (0%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (20%) introverted (0%) kind (0%) knowledgeable (40%) logical (0%) loving (0%) mature (20%) modest (0%) nervous (0%) observant (0%) organised (20%) patient (20%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (0%) reflective (20%) relaxed (0%) religious (40%) responsive (20%) searching (0%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (20%) sentimental (0%) shy (0%) silly (0%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (0%) tense (0%) trustworthy (80%) warm (0%) wise (0%) witty (0%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 2.9.2008, using data from 5 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view Longbowman's full data.

Guns and girls

Hey! Labor Day has come and gone. And with it another Firepower Weekend. A weekend filled with Guns, Grilling, Explosives, and generally good times. This year however was a muted affair, seeing that good friends of ours were getting married and so we decided to go to the wedding rather than camping out. Now isn't that good of us?

Anyway, we still got all the weaponry out and had a great time, if only for one day. But this time I got to enjoy watching my wife and some of my female friends do some shooting. I found this very rewarding. To be able to shoot and handle a gun with some proficiency is normally thought to be a manly ability, but to see women work their way around a gun is something I find to be really cool.

And before you get you mind in the gutter, this is not a comment on jiggly girls in bikinis with machine guns. Although that has a certain appeal to it too.

My wife only really tried her hand at shooting at clay skeet targets about a year or so ago when I bought for my son a youth sized gun. She found that she could actually handle it and after getting comfortable with it, found she could hit with it! This weekend she was doing really well, hitting about 6 out of 10 and even knocking a few high speed sideways moving targets. It was really impressive to see and made me pretty proud!

And then there were some of the other gals who had never shot before, or had only limited experience. Two young ladies got to try shooting for the very first time. Whether they will ever try to shoot again, I cannot say, but I think that they at least enjoyed the experience and might not be afraid to try it again if the opportunity arises for them.

One of my good friends is just now discovering the fun that shooting can be. She has even recently obtained her Firearms Owners ID card. Big step. She is even considering buying a gun! The more guns in legal hands the better! I think that she always had an affinity for guns, but never had the exposure or opportunity to try them out. As of right now, she is well on her way to becoming part of the gun culture in the USA! And I would like to think I had something to do with that.

I have at least one more girl that I need to turn on to guns. That is my daughter. She does have her own BB gun, (pink and everything!) but she is reluctant to shoot a big gun. I think she is intimidated but she will get over that. I refuse to have a child of mine not be comfortable around guns and not know how to handle them. Whether or not she takes to them is up to her, but at least she will know how to use them properly and safely.

So conclude this little posting, if you have a gun, take your daughters, girlfriends, neighborhood girls, wives, moms and grandmas out shooting. I don't think you will regret it and I am pretty sure they will enjoy it!

Later!

Middle Eastern Rednecks...

This will be a rant.

In today's newspaper, I read this story about a couple of mentally disabled people, a brother and sister, were found hidden for the LAST 40 YEARS, in a concrete bedroom that stank of sweat and urine in the town or Beit Awwa, West Bank. Why, you might ask? Good question! It was because the Palestinian "family" of these two unfortunate and totally innocent people were afraid that the brother and sister would bring shame on their family! But here is the real kicker that makes me wonder if this family, or the society that they come from has any right to continue on... According to the article, the siblings are a result of a common acceptance and practice in Palestinian society of allowing the marriage and procreation of FIRST COUSINS!! Come on!! Here in the good ol' USA (land of the devil to islamofascists) we ridicule the idea of marrying first cousins. It is a common joke that only rednecks and backwater types do this sort of thing. Maybe it does happen here, but we have laws against it and certainly don't make it part of our accepted societal norms!

The father Ibrahim Musalmeh,(otherwise known at Billy Joe Ibrahim Bob) married his first cousin, and had eight children, five of whom were born with disabilities. Fortunately, I suppose, for those five, they died in childhood. Most likely from poor nurturing and care. These two survived with another apparently "normal" son, who most likely gets to have a normal life. The two disabled people, now adults were returned to the family, because they has no where to go. When checked in on again, the two were at least bathed and dressed, but still in the same room they have lived in for the last 40 years. Lucky them...

Apparently in Palestinian society, people born with disabilities are are considered a shame to the family, and are shunned accordingly. And due to this rather barbaric attitude, they don't bother with establishing care centers or institutions to help those unfortunate enough to be born into a family where they are screwing their cousins!

Who should be ashamed here? The family for thinking that shame has come down on them in the form of a disabled child because they were diving into the apparently very shallow gene pool, or the society that promotes this sort of behavior. Apparently this practice of marrying your toothless cousin is a way to keep inheritances in the family and it is not considered incest. Come On! Wake up People! Read your histories of instances of people dipping their stick into the same honey jar that they share with their brother! Take a look at the Hapsburg's for goodness sakes.

I don't know what the Israelis are so worried about from the Palestinians. Just let them keep this up and maybe they will breed themselves out of history.

This steams me so much because I know a bunch of kids and adults that have disabilities and they are filled with so much joy, love, and energy that there is no way they can bring shame to a family. I also hold to a Native American belief that those with these types of disabilities are considered to be touched and favored by the Great Spirit and are treated with respect and care.

Man... this world is whacked. No wonder there are wars. Sometimes, some people just need to die.

I hope I offend no one with this, but if I did, then maybe you need to look a little closer as what you consider acceptable behavior in a society.

Holy Crap... I am gonna be a Sunday School Teacher!

Yep, that is right! Earlier this year, the husband and wife team that were the adult leader/sponsors ask me and my wife to take over the Lutheran Youth Organization at our church, and we accepted. (With some trepidation, I think.) Along with the responsibilities of getting the kids involved in church and community activities, and raising money to go to the Lutheran Youth Gathering in New Orleans next year, it was also assumed that I would lead and or teach the High School Sunday School class. Yikes! Yes, as a good Lutheran, I attended Sunday School almost every Sunday and like most good Lutheran kids, pretty much disliked (not hated) going to Sunday School. Lets' face it! Sunday School was pretty dry for me. I did enjoy the stories and actually did learn something, but I think that my time would have been better spent doing it on my own. Who am I kidding? I would not have studied bible lessons. I just did not like Sunday School. I did enjoy attending church and liked confirmation class, except for the public questioning at the end. But enough of me.

I am now in charge of making Sunday School classes for TEENAGERS fun and interesting enough to come back to week after week. (I did not go to high school level Sunday School!) I know a number of the kids in the class, but some I do not. I do know that I get along well with kids and teenagers, and have scads of experience leading and being involved in kid activities. But never one that involves developing their faith and belief in God. Heck, and am still working on my own development! How am I gonna be able to help them!? My wife is part of this too and I have full confidence on her ability to help me, but she has even less experience at this sort of thing than I do! This will be as much a learning experience for her as it will be for the kids.

I have received a bunch of stuff from the previous adult leader, and it will help. I have also been combing the web for resources and have found some things that I can use. The advise the former leader told me was to not preach at the kids. Let the class kind of take it's own path. Be open to the kids, respect what they have to say, keep their confidences, and be willing to talk. I think I can do that, but there is still that level of fear that everyone has when charged with a new responsibility. I dare not let them know I am a bit nervous! Teenagers can smell fear like sharks smell blood in the water! That much I have learned in all my time dealing with kids.

I am sure that things will be okay. As I have thought on this subject for a long while, I keep coming back to a poster I was given for a birthday long ago by a member of the head of the Schmidt family.(get that, I even remember who gave it to me!) I had it on my bedroom wall when I lived with my folks. It was a picture of the Grand Canyon, but it was not the photo that I remember. It was the words printed on it. It said, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

I guess in this case, that is all I need. I will let you know how things turn out.

Later!

Little bastards!

Com'on, com'on! Lemme at 'em! Lemme at 'em!


28

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Thanks to Chuck for this link!

I tried, I really tried!!

But I just couldn't do it!

Do what?!

Finish a book! Ack! I have not done that in a LOOOOOONNNG time!

Try as I might, I could not finish the book,"Christ the Lord: Out of Cana" by Anne Rice. This is the second in her new series. Rice, as you know is famed for her Vampire series but recently has turned to her refound faith.

I got the book as a freebie and decided to get the first book before reading this one. Well, the first one was not very good, and very dry to read. I was hoping this would be a better book and unfortunately, it was not. It is not that it is a bad book but it is just plain boring. If she is trying to retell the life of Christ and go into details that are not normally included in the Bible, then she failed. Yeah, she tells stories that come from biblical and unpublished texts on the life of Christ, but I think that having those simply translated would be a better read! I was really having a hard time reading this so I decided to quit. I just could not finish it! I did page ahead and read of Jesus' meeting with the devil in the desert and Rice's writing style that most people are used to came back for that chapter. That was a good chapter. I think that if Rice had attempted to write it in the style she is famed for, it would be a great read, but instead she took the simpler more restrained style and it did not work for me. I was disappointed.

But on a good note, the book I was reading before this one, "The Blade Itself" by Joe Abercrombie, is a rip roaring good yarn that only begins the series and I will definately be buying the sequels. The characters are well developed, the action intense, the plot very sophisticated and writing is fun to read. Best book I have read in a long time. Highly recommended!

Well that is all for now.

Later!

Oh Happy Day!

Just look what I found out! The Hobbit will be in good hands! For those who could never seem to get into the Hobbit (I am not one of them...) you will finally see that it is indeed a great book! Oh, and if you have not seen delToro's "Pan's Labyrinth", then rent it now and you will see why Jackson picked him to direct the Hobbit. And mark this! They mention sequels! I think that sequels drawn from the histories of the Lord of the Rings would make great film!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/film_nm/hobbit_dc_1

Jackson and del Toro to pen "Hobbit" screenplays.
Wed Aug 20, 4:53 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro's search for writers for "The Hobbit" and its companion film has ended, with the filmmakers deciding that no one is better suited for the task than they are.

Del Toro ("Hellboy," "Pan's Labyrinth"), who is directing the movies, will team with the "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker and "Hobbit" executive producer Jackson to adapt the J.R.R. Tolkien book and write its follow-up. Also joining them in the writers' room are Frank Walsh and Philippa Boyens, both of whom collaborated with Jackson on the "Rings" trilogy.

The news caps an eight-month search for a scribe to adapt the literary classic to the big screen.

"Hobbit," written by Tolkien for his children years before the "Rings" trilogy, follows a young Bilbo Baggins, who finds his comfortable life turned upside down when the wizard Gandalf takes him on a journey for a hoard of treasure that involves trolls, humans, Gollum and his ring of invisibility and a dragon named Smaug.

After Jackson and New Line resolved their differences over profit participation in the "Rings" films, Jackson said he would not write the scripts for the "Hobbit" movies because of other commitments. But in his role as executive producer, he does have approval over creative elements of the productions.

After del Toro came aboard the project, the two began a search for writers. Three factors came into play:

* The filmmakers saw their schedules open up.

* During the general discussions about the films, they realized how much affection they had for the material.

* They also realized that in order to make the targeted release dates, the process required people intimate with Tolkien's world of Middle Earth.

Considering all this, they chose to handle the writing honors themselves, along with Walsh and Boyens.

"Hobbit" and its sequel are being co-produced, co-financed and co-distributed by New Line and MGM, with New Line managing production and handling domestic distribution through Warner Bros., and MGM distributing internationally.

The films will be shot simultaneously, with principal photography tentatively set for a late-2009 start. New Line and MGM hope to release "Hobbit" in 2011 and its sequel the following year.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Reflections on Gen Con 2008

This is only my third year to GenCon, but it seems to be more fun every year. I learn more about what there is to do, more about the games available, and more about the way things work. Maybe after a few more years, I will know it all. This years Gen Con seemed to me to be slightly smaller in the sense that there were fewer vendors and maybe fewer attendees. It probably had something to do with the fact that Gen Con is spreading out around the Indianapolis Convention Center into the hotels and such that surround it. It is the biggest convention that Indy has and it is hard to believe that gamers are the ones that make it that big. The weekend was alot of fun and I will try to give you a little insight to the fun.

The Guys, The Girls, The Games, The Gear.

The Guys: The guys, well, were the guys. They are pretty much what you would expect from a bunch of gamer guys. There were the true gamer geeks that look like they have not had an ounce of exercise in years, no exposure to the sun, and poor grooming habits. But there were just as many guys who if you were to pass them on the street, you could not tell that they have role played for years, or that their favorite game is about killer zombies. I now longer associate the term gamer geek with my former description of a gamer. Because for every greasy haired, smelly, anti-social, flabby gamer, there is a well groomed, well dressed, in a relationship (possibly a father!)guy that probably is a CEO of a company. One thing they all have in common, is that they all love gaming, and they were all a bunch of fun to be around. Some of the guys at GenCon looked like real fools, dressed in funny costumes emulating heros that they could never physically be like, but it was Gen Con! Where else can you dress up like that if not at Gen Con!? They were probably in the costume contest and proud of their efforts. Heck, there was another gamer convention going on across the street at the football stadium at the same time, and those attendees were also dressed up like their heros that they could never be like, but for some reason, no one ever laughed at them on the street. (Indiana Colts Football Fans) Same love of gaming, just a different mindset in society toward them. I met some real gamer nerds, one of which really ruined the opportunity to enjoy a new game, but they were all good guys, something I could not say for the Colt fans I met on the street. We did a haunted historical walking tour, which was for the most part, more walking tour than it was haunted or historical, but along the way, we were interupted a number of times by drunk Colt fans who tried to make fun of some of the costumes worn, or simply because we were going on the same path as they were. No big deal, but annoying. Anyway, this is not a comment on the Colt fans, but on the gamer guys. They are a amazingly different group of guys that were a bunch of fun to hang out with and be associated with.

The Girls:
What can I say about the girls? Gamer girls are cool. Just like the guys, they come in all shapes and sizes, and all kinds of differnet models. Kids, high schoolers, college students, moms, and I am sure, grandmas. They are all cool. Some may be true nerds, but I like seeing gamer girls, just like I like to see girls who shoot and hunt. I just think it is cool. Now, if I was a teenage boy, (like my son) then Gen Con is a place of dreams! There are a large number of gals dressed up in fantasy type costumes that are just down right HOT! And those girls that are dressed up like Japanese Anime school girls are definately making some young boys dreams come true!! As my buddy Dave said, he doesn't know who created that look, but he wants to thank them! And corsets... Corsets were big this year, and well, I just really like what corsets do to the look of a woman's body. I did not get to game with any girls other than my own two, but I have in the past and I find it refreshing. It is one thing to game with a bunch of guys, but to game with a couple of gals brings a new level to the game. Women think differently than guys while gaming, and depending on the game, are often more of a challenge to play against than a guy. I like that my wife and daughter enjoy Gen Con. It makes it more fun for me, and it can be a fun family event for us all! They are gamer girls and that is ok with me!!

The Games:
I signed up for a couple of games, some of which I dropped or skipped, but the ones I did play were fun. I really enjoyed my game of Memior '44 which I got to play with my son, and my gaming buddies, Dave and Henry. We were playing the game as a team and on a game that was scheduled for 3 hours, we blew them away in less than 1.5!! We rocked and had a great time! It was not that the other team was bad, it was that we were pretty good and had some luck on our side. I think that to their disadvantage, was that they might have underestimated my son's ability to play this game and he kind of rocked them back on their heels when he started hitting them hard on his side of the board. WE even got to play with the creator of the game as our judge! Cool guy that Richard Borg. I got his autograph, being the gamer geek that I am. I also got to play Tide of Iron, a WWII simulation game that is a simpler version of the original version of the game Squad Leader. (Advanced Squad Leader now requires you give up your day job to learn it..) I was really looking forward to learning this game and I did enjoy playing it, but I was partnered up with a guy that tried way to hard to make it more like Squad Leader. Don't get me wrong, Squad Leader is a great game, but I did not have 6 hours to play this game and it was not supposed to be so complicated! It is an abstract game, but he tried really hard to make it something else. It kind of took the fun out of it for me. At least I got to play it and can play it when it avaialble, but I won't be buying it. The rest of my family was off to play Settlers of Catan, which my wife won. (yay for gamer girl!) Apparently they had a good time too. We also spent some time in the Training Grounds with the kids learning a new game or two and we demoed some games in the Expo Center. (BattleStar Galactica is the game of the convention this year. I would have had a copy if it had not sold out in the first day) If you come to Gen Con and don't play games, then why the hell are you there? One thing I did not do was any D&D. I felt kind of like a traitor to the game, but I had other things to do and so I quashed my guilty feelings on good food, drink, friends, and buying a few new games.

The Gear:
How many games do you know of? How many do you play? Well, there are so many games at Gen Con, it boggles the mind and intimidates the weak by walking through the Expo Center to look at them all. Never mind the t-shirts, the artists, the video games, the furries accessories, or the leather and swords. There are games frickin everywhere. And they are all for sale! Some cheap, some very expensive. It all depends on what you want. But the one thing that was the best thing of them all was not a game, but a gaming table by the Geek Chic company. (see photo below) For a mere $10,000 you can have a solid walnut, twelve person table, complete with writing pullouts, dice holders, cup holders, pen/pencil holders, dry erase top, velvet card top, book racks, walnut table top for eating on (if you were to use it as such) and complete shipping and set up. Oh my gosh was this cool. Words are not enough. Suffice it to say that this company is living up to it's motto and promise to gamers... "Come out of the basement!" This game table is a centerpeice. It was pretty neat and made many a gamer drool.

So that is about it for my reflections on Gen Con. It was a great time. You should go if you are a gamer, regardless of your intensity of gaming. It is way cool. I got to be a out and out geek for a weekend, and nobody cared. It did do one really cool thing for me... it really recharged my desire to game some more.. even RPG's which took a hit over the last year... Go get your gaming hat on!
Later!



This is my son's effort at the Miniature Painting Contest for ages 14 and under. It is WWII M-4 Hellcat coming out of cover of a forest. He worked really hard on this painting and diorama for the Gen Con contest.



Here is some of the competition that my son was up against. I know it is kind of hard to see, but the other two figures, which took first and second, do not look like a kid worked on them, unless the kids were painting savants! Either way we were proud of him. Oh, and the diarama base had to be removed because unbeknownst to us, it could only be a single figure for the 14 and under category. That was disappointing.



My absolute favorite miniature painting of the show. The reflection of the light through the stained glass window is painted on the floor and on the leg of the Lady Knight's armor. It was just the best painting I have seen in a while. The photo does not do it justice.



OOHH... the Geek Chic gamer table... if only I had the money. It was THE item of reknown at the con. I don't think they sold many though. If I were a rich man...



Here we are at the Memoir' 44 game. My son on the left and Henry on the right. The Panzer Lehr division mopped up at the Hedgerow Hell game! We were not supposed to win, especially since the game was balanced more to the Allied side in terms of numbers and such. But, sometimes, skill... and luck, win out over superior numbers!

More photos from Gen Con 2008

Some of the examples from the Spam Carving Contest that is an annual event at Gen Con. There were some fantastic carvings and a good use for Spam! Everything at Gen Con is a contest!

Cardhalla, the free to build card city! There are some really great works of construction here! It is free to build but at the end of the convention, you can help tear it down by tossing coins at the buildings, which after it is all down, are gathered and donated to charities. This year it is the Fisher House, a organization that give housing to wounded soldiers and their families during their recovery periods.

A view of Gen Con Expo Center. Literally millions of dollars worth of merchandise and hundreds of visitors. Some one heard on the radio that there were 70,000 visitors. I doubt that. Normal turn out is 30,000, but regardless, the place was packed, as you can see.


My kids spent some time in the training center, which is a free for all sort of room. Kids can hang out there, play games, work on crafts, wack each other with boffer weapons, or even play video games. It is a nice place and a good place to send the kids when the rest of the convention gets too much.

A busy but fun weekend ahead!

As soon as I get out of work today, the weekend begins! Tonight I am headed back to my childhood home for the Old Settlers Reunion, a small town celebration that I have not missed since I was born. It is a perfect picture of the type of celebration that you would expect from a town of 850 people. A midway for the kids, bingo, food, entertainment,and giveways for everyone, A huge beer tent for adults, teen dance, and lots of people coming back for a visit. Usually there are close to 15,000 people who come through this little town for the weekend. Often there is a high school reunion planned at the same time to make it even more fun. (My 25th is this weekend, but I only got notice of it 2 weeks ago...) It even has the traditional parade on Saturday, but this is one that does not feature a G.L.A.A.D. float, no anti war protestors, no politicians, well, okay, no Democratic Party politicians, and only good wholesome types of floats and participants. Lots of kids on bikes, horses or in costume. Lots of church floats, and floats dedicated to Veterans and active soldiers alike. This Old Settlers Reunion celebration has been going on for 121 years and is one of the oldest small town celebration in the State of Illinois and the nation. I will be taking the kids tonight to let them run free while I help out at the Bingo stand and legally take money from those who care to try their hand at the game.

On Friday, I hope to get the family up early and off we go to Indianapolis for GenCon Indy. The biggest and best four days of gaming. 30,000 gamers converge on Indy for gaming 24 hours a day. It is really amazing to see and visit. We are signed up to play a few games with people from around the country, my son is entering into a youth miniature painting contest, and we are hoping to have a bit of fun in downtown Indianapolis in the evening. I will post photos and updates on the weekend later.

So, if you read this blog and try to contact me in anyway electronically, chances are that you will not be able to. I will be either up to my eyeballs in bingo cards, or delirious from the gaming ecstacy that is GenCon.

L8r!

Arrrr... I's a pirate.

AYE MATEY!!! I got's me inventoried as a pirate. Take the test fur yerself if youse think you can handle the truth! My pirate evaluation sounds too much like me arch nemesis Chuck. (www.mirisdad.blogspot.com) There can only be one CEO of the Seven Seas, and it won't be him! Prepare to have yer vessel burnt to the waterline ya scurvy dog of a dog!

You are The Cap'n!

Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any scalawag who stands between them and unlimited power. You never met a man - or woman - you couldn't eviscerate. You are the definitive Man of Action, the CEO of the Seven Seas, Lee Iacocca in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. You're mission-oriented, and if anyone gets in the way, that's his problem, now isn't? Your buckle was swashed long ago and you have never been so sure of anything as your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off his head if he shows any sign of taking you on or backing down. If one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.




What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

The Geek chart

A friend of mine had this on her blog and I had to have it on mine! I am not sure where I fall on this chart. Certainly right there with the Trekkies and video game players, and role play gamers. I don't really fit into the SCA or Ren fair folk, because I actually know my history and I get paid to do it!

Things you come to expect in a small town...

Recently I was hit on the head by the realization that I am lucky to be living in a small town. It was when, early in the morning, I was playing with Gunnar, and along comes the older couple on their morning walk, right on time, with a hand full of MilkBone dog biscuits. This couple travels the street of my town and hands out dog treats to the dogs they meet along their walk, making friends with not only the dogs, but the owners. Gunnar has been the recipient of these treats now for the last few months, and like clock work, he (and I) expect them every morning at the same time. But it is not just them. Recently, my town lost one of those people you always expect to meet. I will call him Bicycle Ed. Ed rode all over town, collecting cans, picking up trash, commenting on current events, and generally being a good neighbor. You could always see him riding around, his bike basket filled with his latest findings, his cigarette dangling from his mouth as he rode, and a ready wave hello to anyone he passed. I think everyone in my town knew him. He died recently and I think the town is poorer for it. Come to find out, he was a WWII vet who was involved in the Normandy invasion. Never would have guessed it. I miss seeing him around. There are a number of these people you come to expect to meet on a regular basis in my town.

Other things I have come to expect; leaving your back door open and unlocked so that you neighbors can get in to borrow something, do a favor for you, or simply let the dog out. Having your yard mown while you are gone on vacation. Having the mayor call you by your first name. Being able to get behind the bar at your local restaurant to make a specialty drink. Knowing that for the most part, there is someone on your block at almost anytime, you can call on for help. The list goes on.

I moved out of a big town about 15 years ago and have never regetted it. Maybe you can find places that have these similar characters and expectations, but I doubt many of them are larger than 8,000 people in size.

I don't know why I am writing this other than I thought it needed mentioning. After all, the blog is FOR WHAT IT"S WORTH.

later!

I have a face on Facebook!

Check it out! I am on Facebook. Alot like MySpace but not as busy.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1400529011

I find it a nice way to waste some time when work is slow.

Later!

back packing with the scouts...

Last weekend I took four boys from the Scout Troop I belong to and went on a weekend backpack/pack-in camping trip. If you want to read about it in detail go to http://wwww.paxtontroop32.blogspot.com for the whole story! If not, here are a few photos from the weekend. It was hot, cold, humid, and buggy for the weekend but we had a great time doing some problem solving senarios that tested the scouts on their ability to think and work together to succeed. It really was a great time!

Later!

A new "FIVE YEAR PLAN" for Germany

Here is something my wife sent me recently... read carefully!

Simplfying the King's English!

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w"with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

Oh my is this funny!!!

For those of you who have ever called tech support, or currently work in tech support, you must watch this. It is somewhat crude in language and some content, but nothing really, really bad.

http://www.thewebsiteisdown.com

Enjoy!!

Something new for me to look forward too!

Coming up in September and early October, there are two new(er) reenactments that I will be involved in. The first is the Colonial Trade Fair at the Jubilee State Park in Brimfield Il, just outside of Peoria. It is a new event with only two years under its belt, but it seems to be growing and as it is new and not attached to some overall unbrella organization, it can do some things that usually are not or cannot be done as more established re-enactment. It has a much more interactive and educational aspect to it than most events I have been to in the past. As a matter of fact, it was those cut and dried, set peice events that caused me to get burned out on attending Colonial period events. Waiting around for colors, rushing to do two or more battles a day, racing through the sulter areas because you are supposed to be back in time for evening colors, and getting very little time to interact or role-play with the visiting public or fellow re-enactors was not what I was calling fun. As a matter of fact, other than school demos, I have not been to a 18th Century re-enacting event in almost two years other than visiting the Colonial Trade Fair at Jubilee. This year we have been juried in as acceptable and are going to set up a tavern of sorts with fresh apple cider that we will make on site and cool water or lemonade for the particpants. The organizer wants to use our site as a focal point of the market street and use it to plan some skits or senarios for the entertainment of the public and participants. I am really getting kind of excited about this. You can check out the colonial faire website out at www.colonialtradefair.com

The other event is the first weekend of October. It is the Fishers Renaissance Fair in Fishers, Indiana. Their website is http://www.fishersrenfaire.com/ The Order of St.Sebastian will there again this year. This event too is a new one with only two years of being in operation. Last year was our first time there and we drew a very large crowd with out shows. The problem with last year was that a freak heat wave came in and made temps in the afternoon in the mid 90's!!! This year we can only hope that the weather is more October like! We are being given a larger space to perform in and hopefull will draw crowds as well as last year.

I am really looking forward to these events and I will try to post what happens at them!

Later!

Trip to Tennessee... the last few days

One of the last experiences we had on the last day in Nashville is kind of hard to explain. The weather cleared up nicely, and turned very hot. To beat the heat we decided to hit the Opry Mills Mall which is probably one of the largest malls I have ever been too. It is right next to the Grand Ole Opry so we stopped by there and then spent a bit of time exploring the mall. Much of the other things we were planning on doing were in some way or another just not interesting us, so the kids agreed to hang out at the camp, order in some pizza and watch a movie while my wife and I would try a haunted tavern tour in downtown Nashville. We have never been on one but had always wanted to try. It was cheap and it would get it downtown Nashville with little trouble and into some of the bars that we would not normally pick to visit. We got to the meeting bar and met the other three couples. One set from Arkansas, one from Kentucky, and one recently moved from Ohio. We went on the tour, which truth be told was pretty cheesy, but it did get us to socialize with people we had never met before. They were all great couples and lots of fun to be with, but by the time we were done with the tour, some of them were harder drinkers than others. There were a couple of hard core bible thumpers, one of which tried to convert our aetheist tour guide, one was a psychic (who actually had ghost photos on her camera... cool!) and the rest had very interesting stories and backgrounds. Again it is hard to describe that night but suffice it too say that the picture (from Coyote Ugly) provided explains alot and that it was a fun and interesting night. We even had to call a taxi and pour one couple into so that they could go back home.. I highly suggest that given the opportunity, take one of these tours... you will be surprised what you get!

Did you know that Jesus had a hot air balloon team? I found this RV and matching trailer parked very near our campsite at the KOA in Nashville. Again the quest to find God has be curiouser and curiouser.

On leaving Nashville, my wife spotted a winery that was just a few miles off cource to Memphis, so we decided to visit it. It is the Arrington Vinyards and by chance it is own by Kix Brooks, the Brooks of the country western singing group Brooks and Dunn. I must say they make some very good wine, especially their Muscat and their Cabernet. We ended up with a case of different wines and an autographed vinyard poster by Kix Brooks which will go to my sister in Texas. As we moved on to Memphis, or more accurately, Millington, we were camping at the Meeman-Shebly state park, and about a mile outside of the entrance was the Shelby Forest General Store. I will talk more about this establishment in a later blog posting, but suffice it to say that this spot, was probably the best place I visited the entire trip. A general store was your favorite spot you say? Yep! As soon as you walk in, you get the instant feeling of being home and being completely welcome. Alot had to do with the staff, but I think there is something about the building too. Either way, I will write more about it in a later posting but if you are anywhere near this place, you need to visit it!

We spent our last two nights at the state park and on one evening took a (LONG) drive to see the Mississippi at sunset. As you can see, it is quite a beautiful sight, especially when there are no barges, docks or cities in the fore or background. The other side of the river was Arkansas and the sun was just going behind the tree line. We did spend most of our time at the state park which is a huge and beautiful place. The skeeters are kind of bad, but the trails are nice, the place is very quiet, and it does have a nice Olympic sized pool for cooling off in. I highly recommend the Meeman-Shelby State Park if you are looking for a nice place to camp. while there I also went on a geocache hike to find another hidden geocache. It was a long, strenuous hike but we did find it. It is always fun and reward to find the geocaches in new places.



The one tourist thing we did was Graceland. Graceland, is well, Graceland. It is kind of what you expect. We are not huge Elvis fans, but when in Memphis, you might as well go see the place. It is interesting to be in the home of such an American icon. I only provided the photo of the Jungle Room, one of the most famous rooms in America, due to space restraint on the blog. Graceland properties has done a very nice and respectful job of showing off Elvis' life and career and I would recommend it to all who go to Memphis. Go early, as the lines are smaller, and go before August (the anniversary of his death).

Well this is the end of the vacation blog. We spent a good eleven days on the road in Tenneesse and enjoyed ourselves. By the end of the trip though, we were tired of sleeping in the camper, eating out of a cooler or in restraunts, and frankly kind of tired of being away from home. It was a good trip. I wish gas was less expensive or I was richer as it was the most expensive thing we paid for on this trip. Most of our money was spend on fuel. I hope to do a vacation each year, but with the rising cost of gas and everything else, the vacation may be much closer to home. I think every family should do a vacation together each year. It makes a family closer, it educates everyone and regardless, you will meet some wonderful people that you would never meet by staying at home. Get out and travel with your family. You won't regret it.

Trip to Tennessee... Day 9

Well, the morning was a real soaker as I mentioned in the last update. So to stay out of the rain and avoid having to make soggy pancakes we went to Shoney's for a breakfast. I have not been to Shoney's in years and things have not changed much, expect for the price. Good place for breakfast. The rain started to let up so we decided to drive by and see the Grand Ole Opry House, which is the first photo. No shows are scheduled until the day we leave, which is unfortunate as Jewel, one of my favorite female performers, is playing. After that we came back to camp, dried things out some more and then headed out for the Hermitage, home to President Andrew Jackson. He was quite a character and the tour, both guided and audio was very informative. The photos are of his home, in the condition it was in after he left the presidency, and of he and his wife's tomb. The really cool thing about the home is that is almost all original, even down to where he left his slippers and bed jacket on the night before he died. All the furnishings, wallpaper, and household items are the same things used and owned by Jackson. I highly recommend a visit to the Hermitage. After coming back to camp, we were rewarded with clearing skies, lowering humidity and a drying camp. The kids went swimming and rented some bannana peel bikes and then we all went out for a dinner at COCK OF THE WALK, a catfish restaurant that does catfish very well. It has a riverboat/dock atmosphere and makes a very fine meal. As I write this, the sky is clear, stars are out and the temp is below 80. Maybe a really good night of sleep might be in store! More later!

Trip to Tennessee... Day 8.. and part of 9

The day started out quite nicely, being able to tear down and pack up with everything dry and all, but that is one of the few high points of the day. We headed out for Nashville and made good time, found the KOA to be a nice one, with lots of stuff to do while in camp. The kids went swimming, the dog played in the dog park for a while, Cora and I were in watermelon seed spitting contest, and then the heat hit. Man, did it hit. High humidity, and no moving air. It was easily close to 95 degrees. So as we had nothing planned, we decided to spend the afternoon at Opry Mills, trying to beat the heat. This is a huge mall with hundreds of stores, but many that are similar to what we have back home. We did spend some time at the Bass Pro shop and had a nice meal at the Rainforest Cafe. We left the dog in the car with 20 minute visits to start it up, run the AC and keep him cool. Then the rain hit, and it poured down and did not stop. (As I write this, it is still raining the following morning) So we huddled in the hot sticky camper, read some books, played around on the computer, and finally watch a couple of episodes for Battlestar Galactica. (Which I must say is a very fine SciFi series) I don't know what we will plan today (day 9)with the rain and all. We are hoping to get to Downtown Nashville at some point, but no need to hurry as it is STILL RAINING! It has only not rained on us for two days so far... I hope this stops soon. A real cramp on our fun and plans! Oh well. More later.

Trip to Tennessee... Day 7

Today was a nice, slow, relaxing day. And it did not rain... thank goodness. We got to take out time getting breakfast and starting the morning. I found some cedar wood and immediately set to burning it to get the smell in the air. I think I breathed in about a quart of cedar smoke. I love that stuff. Anyway, the only thing on the agenda was the Southern Belle river boat lunch cruise. It was the cheapest thing we have done all vacation so far and quite a nice time. The wheelhouse was open so I spent alot of time there talking to the pilot and getting the best view of the cruise. The lunch was quite filling and tasty. All in all it was a 90 minute cruise. Afterwords we thought about doing the Aquarium but decided against it as it was too hot to leave Gunnar in the car while we went there. Instead we went back to the campsite and just relaxed, swam and read books. We even got the kids to do the cooking. Later that night we,played a game, had a fire, (at least when Julian would leave it alone), set up the computer to listen to XM online and had a bottle of wine and chocolate cookies. A nice evening. Tomorrow we leave for Nashville. And it looks like a dry night!!!

Trip to Tennessee... Day 6

SEE ROCK CITY!!! SEE SEVEN STATES AT LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN!! SEE RUBY FALLS! And all those other things that are iconic signs that cover most of Tennesse. We saw them all and had a very nice day. We started out with more rain the night before we packed up from Gatlinburg, and can I say that I am tired of rain right now. Tennessee is supposedly having a drought, but I think we fixed that problem for them. Turn off the spigot.. we have enough water thank you. Okay, we headed out from eastern TN to head toward Chatanooga for sightseeing at Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain and Rock City. We had to stop and set up camp at the KOA campground in Cleveland, TN. and then we headed into Chatanooga for sightseeing. First stop was Ruby falls as they had a kennel to keep Gunnar in while we did the cavern. Ruby Falls is not the best cavern system we have seen but the falls at the end are really fabulous to see. I got a good shot of the falls during the light show. After that we headed out to Rock City and Lover's Leap. Rock City is absolutely fabulous. A nice 3/4 mile walk in a beautiful natural setting that has been enhanced by plants and structures. It really is a must see point if you come this way. The swinging bridge is very nice to look out over the mountain and of course you have to see the 7 states from Lovers Leap. It did rain again so we got ponchos and made it stop raining. It was alot of fun and very relaxing. Back at camp we tried to dry out more stuff and then hit the sack. Tomorrow is the river boat ride and the aquarium.