GB Adipose Tissue Report, Week Two

The Saturday morning weigh-in is complete.

Ready for the results?

Remember, last week the number was 205.

This week, the scale said,

Drum roll, please.........

203!

So, two pounds down, fifteen to go.

Several of you have emailed with encouraging words, and a few have extended diet advice.

I thank you for your kind thoughts and support!

Now, a couple updates:

I chatted via telephone with TC this afternoon. I wanted to be sure Ms. Sharon was gonna meet us in Destin. He assured me she will be there. I should have asked him if she was any good at catchin' fish..... that's one more gal to compete with, guys!

Hope you've also noticed that TC finally figured out how to leave a comment. He's still trying to figure out how to become a contributor, so I may give him a call and work with him on that soon. But the fact he can now leave comments is a great step.

GH wrote and said the recent earthquake in Hawaii damaged the road on the volcano on Oahu, so those of us with our hearts set on bicycling down the volcano might have to go to Maui in order to scratch that itch. She says they are working on the problem, so I'm hopeful they'll have work completed by the time we get there in November.
GH, anything to add there?

I'll begin to firm up plans for the DDFF starting 1 February.

Again, the prospective dates are 3, 4, and 5 May, departing Destin the morning of the 6th.

Take a look at your schedules, mark your calendars, and let me know if you think there's a chance you can come. (And Carol..... don't sweat the sleeping arrangements. Your distant cousin will have a place for you to bunk no matter what, and I don't mean in the bathtub, either!)

Now, as I said in the first GB Fat Report, let's throw this post open for off-subject comments. Got something you wanta report? Now's the time to do it!

(And in case you're wondering, the airplane is the Blue Angel demonstration team's C-130, "Fat Albert"!)

A Spoonful of Humor makes the Weight Go Down

Deep Thoughts for those on a
Self Improvement Quest

Happy "Vandy-versary"!

Today marks the 1st anniversary of the creation of "Vandy's Kids".
A year ago I published this post kicking off the Blog, thanking PT for her insight and initiative. Her creativity and foresight continue to amaze me.
Since "Vandy's Kids" was created, we've celebrated the GGFF, the Nashville mini, and the Edinburgh mini..... all wonderful memory-makers!
Am I forgetting anything?

I just checked the sitemeter totals-
there have been 9892 unique visits to "Vandy's Kids" since I installed the meter shortly after we established the site.

This post brings the total to 172... of which I have written 95, more than half. I'm ashamed of myself. Communicating here has been great. Still, it would be fantastic if we could get more Vandy's Kids to contribute, or at least leave comments.
It's my hope that will happen..... a slow, sure growth in participation.

Thanks to all of you who post and comment here, and
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

GB Fat Report, Week One

Man, do I really wanta do this?
Not really....
But if I don't do it, I may weaken.
If I include you in this process, I'm more motivated to succeed,
so here goes:

I got on the scale this morning. I'm goin' to do it every Saturday morning until Mid-April, and I'll let you in on the results.
This morning, the scale said 205.
Actually, that's better than I expected.
So if I stick to my goal of averaging a pound a week loss, I'll weigh 188 pounds when I see you in May.

These weight reports can serve another purpose too-
If you have something you want to discuss in comments, bring it up here so we can all chime in!

Next Saturday, 204 or starve!

Myopia

Easy isn't it..... too easy, to look through our own eyes and imagine everyone is dealing with life as we are?

I've had such great experiences at our mini-reunions....
I've been beating the drums trying to insure as many others as possible come and have a similar experience, and of course that is selfish too, because I want to see as many of you as possible. I've personally been a little frustrated because many VK's I'd love to see can't, -or won't- attend. My thought process has gone something like, "Everyone who attends these things seems to enjoy themselves SO MUCH, how can I express to everyone how wonderful these things are?" Through my eyes, It's been my failure to properly communicate with you.

Then, in a comment to the Post below this one, Bo came upside my head with a 2x4, and brought me back to life's realities:

"My mom is 88; dad is 90. Mother has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Dad just had lower back surgery and now seems to be having mini strokes. My life for the last 8 months or so has been filled with doctor appointments, errands, etc. for them. Some days I have had 2 appointments for one and 2 for the other. By the end of the week I am exhausted; mentally, physically and emotionally. The advantage of being an "only child" you see is not so great. I love them both more than I can express but man oh man are they a challenge. The reason I am telling you all this is to explain that I want to attend the DDFF and right now I am planning to; but I never know what each day will bring in terms of their care."

BMG has a full time job- and by that I mean 24 hours a day, 7 days a week-full time. It's mighty hard to break away for a high school reunion when you are the only one capable of handling that kind of full time job. What surprises me about my own self-centeredness in this is that I helped care for my Dad as his health failed.... and I was fortunate, because Mom carried the major burden of his care, with Mommanurse relieving her whenever she could. I played a relatively minor role caring for him. It's hard to imagine having Bo's responsibility.

So Bo, and anyone else that has a complicated situation which precludes you from being able to make long-term plans, make note:
If you find you can make the DDFF at the last minute, have no fear- we can include you with barely a ripple. Right now our plan is to house two couples in each of the condos, and there is room in each for three couples. If, at the last minute, you decide you can head South to be with us, PLEASE, come on down!
It just won't be a big deal at all.

And to Bo, Fly, and others caring for sick loved ones at this time-
Most of us have either "been there", or we will be there soon.
God Bless you. May he give you strength, and more than that- may he give you patience!

The First Day of the Rest Of Our Lives

1 January 2007

It's an important day for me, not so much because it's New Year's Day, but because I met Sara Jean 26 years ago on New Year's Eve, then married her exactly 10 years later. (Sure makes it easy to remember the anniversary!)

Do you make resolutions for the year? I do.....
my perpetual resolution is about weight loss. I continually carry 15 to 20 extra pounds and would love to drop them. Funny thing is, I do a pretty good job of losing weight when I devote myself to it, but I never change my long-term eating habits, so the avoirdupois always slowly finds it's way back to my middle.

This year I want to make this commitment publicly here at "Vandy's Kids", to give myself extra incentive-
I intend to lose a pound a week. And this time I'm gonna keep it off.
By the time I see you at the DDFF, I'll be 20 pounds lighter than I am right now. Then, to keep it off, I'm gonna weigh myself weekly, and if I've gained a pound, I'll do what is necessary to drop it right away.

And about the DDFF mini......
I've warned our condo managers of the impending Trojan invasion, and I reserved two condos for May 3, 4, and 5, departing Sunday the 6th. I can reserve extra units and modify dates as necessary.
Sara Jean and I will be back in Destin in February. By that time I should have a better idea of how big our group will be, and I'll begin to firm up arrangements for a boat for the tournament.

So, everyone, be well and happy. It's my hope the coming year is safe and prosperous for us all, (and lighter for me!)

Dateline: Destin, FL

Cloudy, 60 degrees, wind from the Southeast at 5 knots.

Every time we come down here at this time of year, I ask the same question:
"Since I hate cold weather with a passion, why do I continue to live in the Midwest?"

I love Midwestern Summers.
With normal rainfall, everything is lush and green.
Hot days don't trouble me, and days that are really unbearably hot are few.
Nights are wonderful.
It also helps that I love thunderstorms.

Winters are a different story-
Cold weather is uncomfortable for me, even with the proper clothing.
Below 20 degrees fahrenheit, with any wind at all, I am just miserable.

So we come South during December, January, and February, and temperatures are running 20 degrees higher than they are at home.
Again the question-
Why the heck do I still live in the Midwest?

Of course, the answer is that life is more than just weather.
Job, family, friends, and other complications need consideration.
But for me, more and more, weather is a bigger factor.

At some point, and I think it'll be soon, weather will become a top priority, and we'll be making the trip North during Spring through Fall!

Christmas Thoughts

First, I hope Christ's Birthday is a happy one for you all.
At Casa Greybeard, there is wrapping paper all over the floor. Bellies are full. I hope you can say the same.

Hopes always run high at Christmas. It's one of those important days we all hope will be perfect, and we're disappointed when it's not. Too many focus on Christmas's commercial aspects.
As I've gotten older, I've learned to put more emphasis on family and fellowship. My Mother is here with us, and at 81, with all the health complications that have come in her last few years of life, we are blessed that she is as healthy and mobile as she is. Just having her here today has made this Christmas a good memory.

For those of us that have been fortunate enough to serve our country, this day comes with certain baggage. We know all too well that we have Men and Women putting their lives on the line so the rest of us can celebrate this holiday in safety and without fear of religious persecution. Please, if you are comfortable doing so, say a little prayer for our troops..... overseas and otherwise.... they are all potentially at risk.

My holiday wish for you is health, happiness, and at least enough money to satisfy your needs.
I'm lookin' forward to seeing and visiting with many of you in the near future!

The 2007 Fishing Fiasco!

I was gonna post this after the first of the year, then realized that there was no reason to delay the posting, and it might actually be helpful to some of you.

As most of you know, last year Tools and the gracious Mrs. Tools hosted our fishing fiasco. John T., TwoDogs and I flew to Galveston and spent three wonderful days there NOT catching fish.
It didn't matter...... we had time for wonderful fellowship, and visited several great eateries for some mighty tasty seafood that someone else caught!

We had hoped to have a "Second Annual" this year.
PT and others had expressed some dismay last year that we made the event "stag", so this year we were leaning toward a co-ed event.... to see if gals can do a better job of putting fish in the boat than the guys did last year. (That's not too tough!)

But there is sand in the butter-
Mr. and Mrs. Tools are selling their home.
They are moving North, to a home on a lake.
Their house may sell quickly, so for long term planning, we need another venue.

I'm suggesting Destin, Florida, starting April 29th.
Take a look around this website to get a feel for the place.
Sara Jean and I own a unit on the ocean side of the complex.
The units have a great view of the ocean to the South, and a somewhat limited view of the pool to the North. The units are 1300 square feet, have 2 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths, a full kitchen, and a wet bar. They sleep six with comfort, more if you bring a comfortable air mattress.

Destin is a great town. Lots of restaurants..... the seafood they serve was probably caught yesterday. Sara Jean tells me to say there is "Mega shopping" available.....
Silver Sands outlet mall is a 10 minute drive, and is one of the biggest outlet malls in the world.
For golfers, there are several beautiful courses within a 15 minute drive.
There are two wonderful aviation museums-
The Air Force Armament museum and Pensacola Naval Air museum, both within fairly easy driving distance.
Florida Caverns, a surprisingly beautiful cave, is also an easy drive if you'd like to walk a couple hours through a cave that has much to offer.

And the beach! Walk out the door and across the street- taking all of 3 minutes, and you can cover your feet in the whitest sand on earth..... it's made from quartz, so bring your sunglasses. It also "barks" at you when you walk on it if conditions are dry enough!
In April, the water will probably still be a little nippy, but days will be warm, nights will be light jacket weather, and visiting will be easy.

Sara Jean and I will be in our unit starting the day after Christmas, through New Year's Eve. We'll block off our unit for a week, and the unit next door for at least three days. (I can block off additional units and extend the length of stay if necessary.)

So, there ya have it for planning. Take a look at your calendars and block off a few days starting April 29th. TwoDogs and TC have already indicated they are "all systems GO!"
If you are sure you can make it, let me know right away so I can reserve condos. Even if you cannot commit right away, keep your options as open as possible, and we'll find a way to make room!
(And those of you from other CGHS classes are welcome too! You can help fill in some blanks in faulty memories! Dan, could you make sure others know?)

Let me know folks, via personal email, or comment here.
Small group/Large group..... this could be a ball!

UPDATE:
I've already had a couple comments via email.
I realized that since Sara Jean and I will be there the entire week, we could do the fishing fiasco on 3, 4, and 5 May just as easily, and that would be a little farther away from Spring Break, and a little farther toward days that will be truly warm for the beach.
Again, I posted this post so we'd have plenty of time to hash things out. I hate to throw up too many options, because planning around too many choices can be a mess. I'll keep the updates coming as more VK's respond.

Class '65

Mike George
I'm a little late with this but you remember Mike George. He was in our class until he moved to Franklin after the 7th grade ( once a classmate always a classmate ). He graduated Franklin '65 . He passed away Dec.5th. The way the paper read it was a heart problem. He was 59.

I wonder how many kids passed through the class of '65 ?

Walkin' In A Circle

Another of those memory triggers..... Christmas time.
We'd bundle up for the cold and head downtown.
Block's, (were they the store with the clock on the street, GH?), L.S. Ayres, and, was it Wasson's? I think I have that memory right.
These downtown stores would have animated Christmas displays in their windows on "the Circle".
The stores competed with one another to see who could gather the most "AHHHHHHHS".
As a kid, I can remember being absolutely knocked out by how clever they were.

Several years back, we returned to walk around the Circle.
Although there were no displays in the windows, there were special Christmas activities goin' on.
Ice skating, I think, and carolers?
A huge "Poinsettia" Christmas tree at one of the opulent hotels.

It makes me happy to think kids today will have happy memories of downtown Indy when they are older.

I hope they're as happy as mine are.

The Winter of '62?

A couple quick thoughts, and then a little mild comic relief for you:

St. Louis just took a pounding, weather-wise.
Some areas got more than a foot of snow, after an ice storm took down trees and power lines.
Thousands are still without power and sleeping in "warm shelters" like school gymnasiums several days after passage of the storm.
My home is 60 miles Southeast of St. Louis, and we didn't see a snowflake.
Odd.

Anytime we have a snowstorm that temporarily brings things to a standstill, I remember the storm of '62, during Sectionals. The storm this weekend came without the wind we experienced all those years ago, so there wasn't the attendant drifting. But the ice made this storm treacherous. Flying into St. Louis tonight, we crossed the snow line about 20 miles Southeast of St. Louis. The full moon reflecting off the snow made it almost like flying in daylight.
I could see the "moon shadow" of the helicopter! (Wanta sing Cat Stevens, anyone?)

It's deer hunting season here, and the deer are moving like crazy from just before sundown to just after dawn. I've narrowly missed three deer in the past week on my way in to work. I commented to TC at one of our minis that I don't remember ever seeing a deer in White River Township when we were growing up. I know there is a population of them there now, but are there large numbers of them? They are truly a nuisance, like rats, in our area.

Now.... something I hope will at least bring a smile to your faces.
I posted this article at Pitchpull 18 months ago.
The Players:
Willie is Bill F., (class of '63.)
Bob is someone that blogs here at Vandy's Kids.
Tom is Tom D., (class of '66.)
Kenny is Ken H., (class of '66.)
The scene is Hatfield's Standard Service.

I hope you'll enjoy!


"The Pit"

Kids do strange things.
Sometimes kids do strange things just because they are strange.
When I was still trying to control pimples on my face, I went through a phase where I thought being an auto mechanic might just be the greatest job on earth! I loved cars, so what better way to be around automobiles and learn what makes them tick than take a job at the local garage/filling station?
The garage where I worked was old. It had been in existence so long, a layer of grease and dirt at least half an inch thick had built up on the concrete floor in the shop! This facility was built before the advent of hydraulic lifts. To facilitate oil changes, lubrication work, and other under car services, there was a "grease pit" dug in the floor just wide enough that a car could straddle it. It was about four feet in depth, and a ladder at one end allowed you to climb down for access to the underside of the car.
When we had a lot of rain, this pit would fill with about 4 inches of water.

I grew up in a pretty rural area........not a lot of things for teenagers to do. This garage became a meeting place for my friends. One night, after a really rainy stretch, I was standing with four of my friends, Willie, Bob, Kenny, and Tom, looking down into the standing water in the pit. Willie had hands in pockets, jingling his change. He drew his hand out, counted the change, and said "Greybeard, I'll give you 59 cents if you jump into the pit!"
I was wearing clothing my boss called a uniform.......oil stained, holed with battery acid and then patched. No skin off my nose! Into the pit I jumped!
As I climbed the stairs, Willie forked over the 59 cents with a grin.
I had change too, and pulled it out of my pocket.......37 cents. Adding my change to Willie's I turned to Bob and said, "Is it worth 96 cents to jump?" Bob wasn't in a ratty old uniform, so it surprised me when he took the plunge! He climbed the steps and I forked over the coins.
Bob shook his pocket, pulled out his change. He then turned to Tom and said, "Will ya do it for $1.26?" SPLASH! Tom was $1.26 richer. Tom to Ken......another 40 cents in the kitty. Now the only one without wet trousers is Willie, the instigator. But Ken added 80 whole cents (!) to the pot, and Willie couldn't resist!
Up to this point, it somehow seemed to make sense.
Willie counts the cash, removes his original investment, turns to me and says, "I'll give you $1.87 to do it again!" I'm already soaked, so what the heck? In I go!
I took out my 47 cents, counted the rest and said, "Bob......there's $1.40 in it for ya to jump!" Then Tom, then Kenny.......
At the end of this wonderful exercise, we were all grinning, soaked to the waist, and pleased with how silly we were. We all had the same riches we started with. And we all had a story to relate about what it was like to be an adolescent male in rural America in the mid 1960's.

Classmates

I hope you can read this article and this post works out, my first time with the article.

Mystery
John T. found this article in the Nov.15th Daily Journal. He was asking me if I knew who this was. I looked in the books and could only find the last name in the 1990 class. Like I told Graybeard, we had about 140 in our class but think about 440 have claimed to have been in the great class of ' 65. Anybody have any idea who this is ?

Twins for Grandma Janet

Thought you might like to see Grandma Janet and Grandpa Jim with their newest family additions. Twins!!! Born 10/30. Both sweet, gaining weight and perfect in every way. What a wonderful gift for the holidays!


 

Close Encounters

It was 1978, and I was Chief Dogcatcher.
My boss asked, "Would you like to be Civil Defense Director?"
The old CD Director had retired before writing the Emergency Operations plan the County desperately needed.
I took the job and got started making contacts and writing the plan.

The job came with a fairly nice office on the second floor of a privately owned office building.
A Real Estate Broker occupied the office across from mine.
My first morning on the job, the Broker came in and introduced himself-
"Hi, I'm Ben! Are you a coffee drinker?"
When I answered in the affirmative, he said, "Well, there's no need for you to brew your own, 'cause I always have a fresh pot brewing in my office. Just contribute now and then to the coffee fund, and you can have a bottomless cup!"
I grabbed my cup and he led me to the pot.
Ben introduced me to his attractive secretary, who also carried the name, "Mrs. Ben".
Her name was Shirley.

Next morning I unlocked my office door, turned on the lights, and grabbed my cup for the first cup of the day.
Ben was nowhere to be found, but Shirley was holding down the fort.

"So Shirley, where are you from?"
-"Indiana".

"Oh? What part?"
-"Central".

"Oh? What town?"
-"Just outside Indianapolis".

"Oh? Where outside Indianapolis?"
-"South of Indy".

"Oh?!! Where did you go to High School?"
-"Center Grove."

"What was your Maiden name!?"
-"S******"

I laughed out loud.......
"You had an older sister Sheila, and a younger brother Jeff.
Sheila was a cheerleader.
Jeff graduated in the class before me. I knew him pretty well!"

We were 250 miles from home.
Small world.
Great coffee!

CGHS Class of 1966

Greybeard, Greybeard, Greybeard!
Man, I sure get tired of reading the crap that this "Greybeard" guy posts!
C'mon....... where are the really interesting writers?

A couple days ago I got an email from someone that will remain unnamed, asking permission to link to "Vandy's Kids".
Of course, I approved.
A little investigation reveals that he graduated in the CGHS class of '66, and he's an old "Valley Kid" too!
Hooray!
Let's see, that would be VK(2), wouldn't it?

Further probing led to an interesting Yahoo Forum our underclassmen have started. You can find it here.
Late last night, while I was at work, I poked around and found photos of their latest class reunion, and saw several faces I remember....... I was even able to attach a name to a few of those faces!
When you have time, go browse there and see what they're doin'. Like us, they are considering ways to say "thanks for our blessings". One of their ideas is to fund a scholarship. Wonderful!

To those of you from the class of '66, or any other class of "Vandy's Kids", we say "WELCOME!", and please, if you are so motivated, leave a comment so we know you stopped by.
We're all family, and we are proud of what you are doing!

The Valley

The subject of the Valley comes up a lot here at VK, and now also at our reunions.
I'm not sure how most would define the term...... that's a topic for the comments..... what does "The Valley" mean to you?
Technically, to me it meant the neighborhood on Old Smith Valley road, from the E.U.B. Church, down the hill to Paddock road, then South, half a mile or so toward Olive Branch road.

I think I may have been the youngest "Indianapolis News" carrier in history.
I have no way of knowing if that's true.... no way to check. I just know the regional manager said I was the youngest ever when he gave me the paper route.

But at the age of ten I decided having a little jingle in my pockets would be a wonderful thing! I can't even remember the kids name, but he was 2 years my senior and lived in the Hiatt addition, just over the fence and four houses North from our house. He delivered papers in The Valley and he was moving. He needed someone to take his place.

I proposed becoming a small-businessperson to my parents. They were concerned for a thousand reasons. Having their 10 year old son take on that responsibility was scary. They knew I would be married to the route, delivering the Indy News on weekday evenings, and the Indy Star early on Sunday mornings. They knew they would bear the responsibility of watching over my shoulder to insure it was done properly.

I was so young, they even worried about my ability to make change when I did my weekly collections.
I knew they were leaning in the right direction when we practiced making change.
I knew the route was probably mine when I showed I could do it successfully.

I've had many milestones in my life.
I delivered The Indianapolis News in Smith Valley for almost 5 years, and I think that route taught me many important things that have served me well all these years.

Suttons, Perrys, Dotys...... I delivered the news to many with those names.
Many that didn't carry those names lost the name when they married. When I took the route, I delivered 21 Daily and 13 Sunday newspapers. When I handed the route over to John A. (who lived next door to the E.U.B. Church), I was delivering 54 daily and 32 Sunday papers.

I rode my bike past Doty's (then Hatfield's) Standard Service Station, The Beehive, the Smith Valley Community Center, the aforementioned E.U.B. Church, Effie Robinson's Variety Store, and Don Sutton's Grocery. During the Winter, the pot-bellied stove at Effie's was a welcome place to warm up while munching on a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Summertime would find me outside, sitting on the bread box at Sutton's grocery, after grabbing an ice-cold Pepsi and a bag of peanuts inside.

When there wasn't a pick-up basketball game going on at Steve W.'s, the old bridge over the creek near Steve W. and Jane Ann C.'s house would beckon for 30 minutes or so. I always seemed to have a sidekick alongside to go down and skip rocks on the creek, or gingerly ride our bikes upstream when the creek was frozen over.

The route was a life lesson.
Many of those homes were occupied by old people. More than once I went to collect for my papers, only to find there was no one to collect from. People get old and they die, ya know..... even those you have learned to love.
Old people get lonely, and if they have no one to talk to but a very young paper boy, well, he'll do...... it's better than bein' alone. Part of my pay came from devoting the necessary time to someone that had not spoken to another human being all day.
All people are different.
Some are "not quite right".
Some folks will go to great extremes to avoid paying a young businessman the few cents they owe him.
Some women will pay their bill wearing very little clothing, just to see what reaction results.

But customers all wanted to read the news, and they wanted their newspaper delivered in one piece, dry, and on time.

The route taught me about budgeting and saving for the future,
and I did always have a "jingle" in my walk!
Such fond memories.
I wouldn't trade 'em for the world!

Roasting OJ

If these photos don't make sense to you, well, I guess ya had to be there.

Roasting OJ became a golden moment in time to be remembered with fondness and belly laughs for a long time 

More Photos

  

9:03

Did you enjoy Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone"?

If so, I'd like you to devote five minutes of your time to an audio drama my son wrote, produced, directed, recorded, (complete with adding sound effects), and played in.

He's graduating with a Degree in Communications/Radio-TV in December, and this was a class project. Those of you that come and read my personal blog may have already heard it. It's told from the perspective of a tape recorder in the office of a group of telemarketers.
My son calls it 9:03.

Additional pictures

 

 

 

 

Playing with photos

 

R.M.U.

Vice President Cheney was at Camp Atterbury recently to speak in support of Indiana National Guard families.

I was watching Fox News the other night and caught a glimpse of someone that looked familiar on the video of the event. I found this photo that affirms what I saw.
All I can say is, Attaboy!
You make us all proud!

Yet More Pics....

These are the last of my pictures.
I'm hopeful others will post theirs soon.
Here Jan K, Janet, and Mrs. T. chat with Mr. M., Linda K., and Cynthia in the background.





Back at the kitchen table, Sharon, StraightRickie's better half Maggie, and DJinIndy share a little time.






It was such a beautiful day!
Purple Tomcat and Hot Lips enjoy the deck just outside the kitchen door.






Indy Echo commented on the wonderful food. Here you get a feel for it. Purple Tabby, Cynthia, and Vicki come for dessert.
What a great time!
When's the next mini? I'm ready!

S'more pics:

Well, that took two kinds of forever!
Blogger is acting up tonight. Luckily, the weather is Schmutz.... (look it up), and I have the time to mess with downloading these photos. Here, Hawkeye and Purple Tabby seem oblivious as TwoDogs makes his moves on Indy Echo! (Or is he just thanking her for being such a wonderful hostess? You be the judge!)

Meanwhile, the lovely Cinders waits,
and waits.










Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell make the grand entrance with big smiles, crushing Sara Jean in the rush to join the fun!





Keaney, Tracy, and Carol urge Ginger to make an editorial comment.


Can there yet be more photos?
Yep, if technology will cooperate!

October '06 in Edinburg

(Click photos and they should enlarge.)
Blogger is taking forever to download photos today, so I'm gonna post a few now, then more later, hoping the download speed picks up.
Look closely, and you'll see faces you may not have seen in a long time!
Here we see Indy Echo, Cindy, Hawkeye, and Ginger's John S. chatting in the kitchen.






Ferdy, StraightRickie, and Sharon. Rick sure seems to be enjoying himself!











Mr. C. has FlyGirl's attention......








Jan K. and our guest of honor. The older guys
are sure smooth, aren't they?




More photos on the way soon.

More Edinburg "Stuff"

Have you ever been assaulted with a shovel?
I shudder to have to relate this to you-

No..... I can't bring myself to do it now!
It'll have to wait to be told after I've had a chance to face up to the horror of it!

There are a few loose ends to tie up: Vicki asked that I post and remind those of you that have stories you'd like to relate about either OJ or Vandy to finish writing those and submit them to her so she can compile them in the notebooks she's made for that purpose. This doesn't have to be a big deal by any means....... if either of these guys had a positive effect on your lives, please email or send them to Vicki soon so she can honor Vandy and OJ with them.

And Vicki-
If there are any of them that are poignant, funny, or otherwise of interest to Vandy's Kids, please copy them so we can share them here!

Come on guys...... I know there are more stories to relate out there!

Blogging the Mini

Dateline: Edinburgh, Indiana

Six hours of driving finds us chatting with Vicki I. for the first time in 41 years!
Wonderful.

IE and Shifty, Ferdy, DJinIndy, and Vicki were very obviously enjoying one another's company as we entered the scene. Hawkeye and Hot Lips had departed before our 10:30 P.M. arrival, to return Saturday for preparations for the Mini.
All is well here folks.

Saturday morning here now. Sara Jean found her way to bed at 4 A.M.. She and Vicki were up late plotting the violent overthrow of some Latin American country, I think.
I didn't ask..... my eyes slammed shut an hour before.

It's clear and cool here. The trees are doing their normal late October Indiana thing. Gorgeous.
I have my camera, and will do my best to remember to take it out of it's holster and actually shoot some pictures.

Stay tuned. Back later.
GB

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!

Working nights fits my temperament for a number of reasons.
I have always been a Nightowl, so it's kinda natural for me to work 12 hours from 6:30 P.M. to A.M..

Late night rolls around, and I find myself in front of the computer monitor, getting paid for surfing. I also show myself "online" on MSN Instant messenger, and chat with buddies from near and far.
One that frequently shows up at Midnight or thereabouts is our beloved Golden Horse. Five hours after the sun has set here, it submerges in the Pacific at the Aloha State. GH shows up, and we talk about what you'd imagine....... classmates, happy days, next week and next year.

But there was something else to chat about last night. GH and her Kenman got shaken outta bed this week. They are okay, but inspections are ongoing to see how much damage was done to the infrastructure around them. Damage was greater on the Big Island, but Oahu was pretty well shaken too. GH says they had power off for a while but they seem to be headed back to normalcy around her pretty quickly.

I was glad to chat with her and get that news, and wanted to relay it to all who might be concerned. She'll probably jump into the comments here, but still wishes she were headed Eastbound this weekend. Maybe we'll fire up a computer in Edinburgh at some point and all who want to can fill GH in on what she is missing? That would be fun.
I know we're all glad she and Ken are unhurt.

That Chipley, Florida Gang

(Click photo to enlarge)
A week and a half behind us in Destin, we leave tomorrow, (Sunday) to head back North, knowing next weekend we'll be enjoying visiting with many of you. We're lookin' forward to it!

The last couple times down, we've been in touch with Carol and Harry, trying to get together. We finally pulled it off last night!
Carol and Harry drove down from Chipley and met us at Baytowne Wharf, which is part of a gated community in Sandestin, Florida. Dinner was great. Visiting was better. They both look wonderful....... broad smiles all around.

They're sad not to be able to make it to the mini next weekend- they considered it, but a number of responsibilites will keep them in Chipley. They want everyone to know they'll be thinking of us and wishing they were with us in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Drop 'em a note and encourage them to be sure and make the next one!

Quimby Shirrell

Last week I emailed everyone about a Benefit for Quimby Shirrell. She is at the IU Hospital in the transplant center. You can go onto my Blog and see all the details on her & her sister's surgery Oct. 16th.

This is the flyer we are hoping to put out. We have talked with the American Legion and the VFW. Both said they thought there would be no problem in being the sponsor, but they have to present it at their meeting on Tuesday. If we have anyone here that is in the American Legion and could put in a good word for us, that would help alot. You can call Scott @ the American Legion - 317-881-1752.



Benefit for Quimby Shirrell

Sponsored by:
AMERICAN LEGION & VFW OF GREENWOOD

Spaghetti Dinner
$25 per person
Presale tickets

Presale enters you into raffle for big screen TV

Dinner / Auction / Music / Raffle

Nov. 24th, 2006 Friday
6:00 p.m.
Location: Primo Banquet Hall
I-65 & S. Keystone
For tickets call
352-0389 777-2767 839-9006


We are looking for any help & donations of any kind: monetary, services, auction items, if you have a place of business and could take some of the tickets to sell, etc.
You can contact any of us: Courtney Turner, Nancy Steelman or me - numbers above.

First Priority is to please keep them in your prayers.

Rebel Rouser

Okay schoolmates, I need your help.
Sara Jean and I are on our annual get-away to Destin, Florida. Driving down we frequently listen to "Oldies" stations. One of the songs we heard on the way down was Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser", and it set me to thinking. Jane Ann C. and I were both in the band for a long time. I took trumpet lessons with Mr. Kaufman the summer between 4th and 5th grade, and was surprised to find myself in the High School band starting our 5th grade year. I think Jane had the same experience. In band we mostly played classical stuff with a few marches thrown into the mix.
I was surprised to come into band practice one day and find the sheet music to "Rebel Rouser" in the folders on our music stands!

It was as much fun to play as you'd imagine, and when we'd play it at our ballgames, the reaction was predictable.

But it also set me to thinking about another bandmate, and I'm ashamed to say I'm not sure I remember his name correctly. He was our snare drummer. Very talented, I think his name was David Lofton, but here in Florida I don't have yearbooks to lean on to verify that.

I know I heard he had passed away some years ago. (Bad heart?)
Hawkeye, or someone with a yearbook handy...... he was either in the class of '63, or more likely, the class of '64. Please solve my headache of trying to remember his name! And if anyone has particulars on how and when he died, maybe someone other than me would also like to hear that information.

Nellie Update:

Thanks again to those of you that wrote kind words for me and my family concerning my Mom.
We spent Friday with her at the hospital in Pensacola. In good spirits, she was still tired and a little weak from her experience. They worried she was losing blood somehow, and had given her a unit of blood. There was some question she might have had a silent heart attack.
Mommanurse has been guiding much exploration to find the problem, but so far they have turned up nothing........ good news and bad, 'cause we were hoping they'd find a problem and fix it!

Mom is now in a rehab facility. She has been borderline diabetic for years. Now she is gonna have to start taking insulin shots in order to control her blood sugar. At the rehab facility they are giving her diet and exercise tips, and will teach her how to properly administer her shots..... dosage and technique. She should be released from that facility soon...... maybe even before we finish our vacation here, which would be wonderful, because we could help get her settled back in her apartment with her beloved cat!

She comes here to VK to stay current on our posts and comments. If you knew Mom, I know she'd be overjoyed to read your thoughts and supportive comments.
Thanks again to all of you thinking and praying for us!

Vandy's Kids

Suggestion has been presented by alumni member to host a sock hop at BB game between Christmas and New Years. BB game honors former players, coaches and yell leaders. Goal to obtain alumni supporting CGS in house and hopefully get alumni organized so we can support CGS. I would appreciate any comments. BB game last year hosted about 40 alumni players and yell leaders, good evening.

Center Grove Education Foundation has created a CGS / WRT fact sheet with local info. i will provide copies to JT and Barb for Oct gathering if i can not attend.

alumni banquet set for first saturday in june at CGHS cafeteria

vandy's kids if being read by many and enjoyed at CGS.

alumni will soon have a link to CGS web page, will keep you posted.

hatchet

"Dewey Beats Truman!"

I have a cruel, twisted sense of humor sometimes.
My first title for this post was gonna be "Mini-Reunion Cancelled!"
Please, know up front that title is just as wrong as the one above.

I've had emails and calls inquiring about the mini-re.
Some were confused that the posts about who was coming and what to bring were taken down. Others apparently emailed IE about something reunion related and had gotten no response.
Don't despair folks, the sky is not falling!

We will meet.
We will have fun.
You will take home memories you'll never forget.
You will be glad you came.

I'll bet a couple things:
Indy Echo is probably up to her butt in alligators...... by that I mean that on a couple occasions she has let me know that her personal business has been keeping her more than a little busy lately. She just got back from vacation, and I suspect she is pulling her hair out trying to catch up on her backload.
Seems to me I also heard something a few weeks ago about her computer going on a work stoppage, or something to that effect. If you've written her via email and have had no response, it might be that IE's "Mr. Dell" is just being an obnoxious electronic jerk and has not been doing his job properly.

But just to reassure you-
We will have a meeting, somewhere.
Brown County, McCormick's Creek, the Teacher's Parking Lot at Center Grove High School-
what do we really need in the way of a place to meet?

I personally heard from IE a couple weeks ago. I've also recently heard from Ferdy and PT. I have no reason to believe that we are not "all systems go, A-OK for launch" of the mini-re!

I bet we'll be in Edinburgh around a fire smiling at one another on the evening of October 21st.
But if not there, there was a nice fire at Purple Tabby's Mom's house in Nashville, and I have it on good faith the welcome mat is out there too.

And all who were there left with warm hearts and smiling faces!
Be of good cheer, folks. See ya in a couple weeks!

Autumn Leaves

"And the days dwindle down,
to a precious few....
September,
November."

Ya know, I probably write too much about stuff that makes me introspective and melancholy. When we started "Vandy's Kids", PT posted, with the best of intentions, the list of schoolmates that had passed on, and we included the cause of their passing. We took the memorial down and stored it because the list began to be pretty long, and we were depressed by the loss of youth, promise, talent, vigor, and so many other things it represented.
Now comes the news about Jerry Mullinix and Mickey Kincaid. It's a little easier for me to rationalize the loss of these guys....... they didn't die painfully young- they had a chance to live and make a mark to remember them by.

Pretty early in childhood you realize the normal progression of things. As youngsters we watched as Great-Grandparents died, then Grandparents. We knew that if things unfolded normally, our Parents would be next to go.
Along the way now and then came the shockers-
Friends and loved ones dying much too young due to accidents or horrible disease..... so hard to accept because we're not prepared for it.

I can hardly believe I'm rapidly approaching 60 years of age. And 60 for me is a kind of breaking point- still too young to die, but people who reach 60 have had time to experience much in life, and it's not such a tragedy as dying sooner.

My job has shown me that people of all ages can die of things you don't expect. I regularly see folks under thirty with serious heart attacks. I once transported a 4 year old who had suffered a stroke. Cancer is another disease that can strike at any age.

But now we are entering the 7th decade of our lives.
In "Chico and the Man", Ed Brown, played by Jack Albertson, checked the obituaries in his newspaper to see if his name was there.
Funny bit........
but more and more our contemporaries names will be listed there, and although we may not be comfortable with it, it's a natural thing isn't it?

That's why I believe our memorial to schoolmates will probably remain dormant.
It's also why these mini-reunions are such a wonderful thing, and why it's important you come share fellowship with us if you can.

I hope to see you on October 21st!


Update, 1927 hours:
Home from work this morning, Sara Jean said I needed to call Mommanurse right away- my Mother is in the hospital.
Mom is 81. She has been borderline diabetic for some time now, but the condition has gradually worsened. She is now taking insulin and they are having trouble controlling the dosage and getting her sugar level stabilized. This morning the visiting Nurse couldn't get her to come to the door, and when she investigated, she found Mother confused. She called Mommanurse. MN made the decision to take her to the hospital (where Mommanurse is on staff). There they decided to keep Mom at least overnight to observe and investigate her situation further.
I thought it odd, and sort of premonition-ish that this would happen after publishing this post late last night.
Your prayers and kind thoughts for Mom would be appreciated.
GB

ROAD TRIP!!!

Just 2 more days and I will have the van packed and headed for Indy. I'm leaving at O-Dark-30 Monday morning and should be in Brown Co by Wednesday (just a few side trips that can't be missed!)

Computer access will be limited after that (I have to use my brother's computer at his work place which means I can use it between 5:30 and 6PM-- a tough needle of time for me to thread)

Greybeard, Two Dogs, BMG, Hawkeye and Ferdy all have my cell number and Mother's phone number should anyone need to call me. (well, I could have won the Power Ball, ya know)

Looking forward to seeing y'all in Indy.

ROAD TRIP!!!!

Death of a Trojan

I don't know if any of you knew Mickey Kincaid, class of 1961, but wanted to let everyone know he died Saturday. I don't know any details.

Mini Reunion Update

Echo Indy is still MIA for now so I thought I would give a reunion/OJ roast update.
Karen may know of others but as far as I know the following folks are on the Will-Absolutely-Be-There, Wild-Horses-Couldn't-Keep-Me-Away-List

Greybeard and Sara Jean
Hawkeye and Hotlips
Carol S and Tracy
John T and Barb
Rick D and his wife
Dale and Bev H
FerdyFlyer
Flygirl
Linda B
David J
Vicki I
Janet F
Dan F and Edna
Janet B and her husband
Indy Echo and Shifty
Jamie S and Michael
PT, spouse and assorted family members
Keany and Susan
Jerry Dunn and his wife

And the Trojan All Stars
The Sloops, the Clements', the Tumeys & the Vandmeister himself

Those on the Strong Possibility List include Two Dogs & Cinders, Hatchet, Marty, Steve H, Billy V and spouse, Top Cat and Sharon.

Those sending regrets while wailing and thrashing the ground, cursing their bad schedules: BoMarGirl, Jeanie and Steve, Jane Ann and Guy, Jackie B., Carol and Harry, Suzan H. And then Mary Ella R will be in DC.

Who did I leave out? Can't wait to see everyone. My trip to Indiana is only a week away! And so is my involuntary absence from computers. Hey, Mother just got cable! Ya just can’t rush progress in Brown County or you’ll end up in the Sherriff’s log on Letterman.

I will have my cell, though, and when the moon is full, and I stand near Bear Wallow Hill at 0200 hrs, I can get a crystal clear connection!

I'll be in touch, so you'll be in touch ;)

Fixin' to Get Ready

It won’t be long until I head out for Indiana. Just thinking about cool weather, raking leaves, burning leaves, going to wiener roasts, picking apples etc sounds like heaven.

Of course,I started gathering things to take on this trip at least a month ago. There’s boxes of stuff for Mother, a box of goofy stuff for Abby Rose and Drew Michael (who are perfect in everyway), a box of cooking supplies and kitchen tools that may come handy and then there are at least 2 big boxes of things gathered for OJ Roast! I just can’t wait.

David J is making something that is so funny, I’m dying to tell y’all just how clever he is,,,,but he asked me not to tell. HOWEVER, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he doesn’t have to figure out a way to mass produce his gift and market it world wide. EVERYone will want one.

Janet F. has her gift ready and OJ will love it, too. We’ve made 2 business cards for him. One says “:OJ SLOOP, Teacher, Mentor Friend,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but Tiger calls me Coach”
The other says “ Alektorophobia - Not just a phobia. It’s a way of life” and it shows a golfer about to swing ,,,a small chicken is on the tee.

Bev. H, Janet B and Vicki are working on a special presentation for OJ ,,, a thanks from all of us for his military service in WWII. Vickie can’t join us but she is still sending ideas back and forth.

Jane Ann C is making a pile of math homework for us to turn in. I trust y’all can come up with a really good excuse for homework that is over 40 years late!

In other news, Janet B’s son, the Army Ranger, and his wife are due to have twins in November! I hope ALL the grandparents bring their photo albums,,, this will be the last time you get to show off the grandbabies before Janet makes a super duper scrap book of the twins!

Jeanie and Steve will be going to North Carolina to she their granddaughter and Jane Ann and Guy will be in DC. Guy’s father passed away in July and they are planning a burial in Arlington Cemetery the end of October. It’s so sad to lose a parent but what an honor that he will rest in Arlington.

Mark G and his wife are planning to join us as is Linda B. Linda is collecting more OJ stories from Jerry Dunn so we should be able to roast him to a turn. Flygirl is still planning to be there but she has been helping a very ill friend get through a tough time and FG’s plans could change. Still I think she will make it to Indy.

I plan to bring a mini-cam with the goal of making CDs for everyone. Since I’ll be in Indy for a while, I may just visit some of the folks who can’t join us and get a few words of wisdom from them to add to the CD

Things we still need: Hotdogs, Chips, Salads, Buns, Drinks, Ice.
What am I forgetting? OHHHHHHHHHHH yeah The fixin’s for John T’s favorite drink!! Yeah, need to pack that!!! ;)

Someone needs to tell Top Cat that 3 people are making desserts especially for him,,, He needs to tell them if he has a preference otherwise he may end up with all the delightful things we had last time,,,, which is not a bad thing either.

Now I have ta pick out my wiener roast outfit. I AM the Fashion Police, after all!

Five years ago

For weeks following the 9/11 attacks, most of us were still reeling. Just a few weeks before it had been unthinkable that someone would attack the Pentagon, have the White House in their sights, and level the World Trade Center. What could happen next?

For classmate Mary Ella Royston Morris, that question would be answered subtly at first, close to home and closer to her heart; her husband came home from work at the Post Office with flu-like symptoms

Thomas L. Morris Jr. and a co-worker, Joseph Curseen were working at the Brentwood Processing and Distribution Center which handled most of D.C.’s mail. They were the first to die after exposure to anthrax laced letters

Two years after the tragedy, the Brentwood center was renamed the Curseen-Morris mail sorting facility in their honor

Oct 21., 2006 marks the five year anniversary of Thomas’ death and Mary will attend a D.C. memorial service honoring Thomas and Mr. Curseen. The TV show, Inside Edition, plans to interview her that weekend, as well.

Notes of support and encouragement can be sent to mrs_moe2@sbcglobal.net

Union, Nineveh, and Trafalgar

One of the blogs I read and enjoy is written by a guy that today is lamenting the fact that his High School is being closed. The census is such that there are not enough students to keep his school open.

I've written here on several occasions how I feel when I come home and see the dramatic changes...... and the whole area has changed so much that I get lost looking for old landmarks. But when I come home for the Alumni Banquet, the dinner is held on the grounds where I attended school for 12 years, and some of the same structures where we walked, learned, and played are still standing.

It set me to thinking. How do those folks that have experienced the loss of their schools feel? Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't Trafalgar, Union, Nineveh, (others?), all been consolidated into one school?
(Indian Creek? I'm not sure.)

I think having the school and it's traditions disappear completely would be another of those things that would make me melancholy. It's comforting to know that there is a continuing line of Trojans learning and graduating at the school I attended.

Maybe this is a subject we should ask O.J. and others to address in October? I'd be interested in hearing their views.

On The Back Burner....

Vandy's Kids are working behind the scene to plan upcoming events. The only event that is nailed down at this point is October at Indy Echo's. Please folks, review these possible plans and comment, so we can please the maximum number of people.
The list is by no means conclusive, so please add to or amend it as necessary:

October 21, 2006
Mini reunion at Indy Echo's house in Edinburgh. For planning purposes, please let IE know ASAP if you're gonna attend.


May 2007?
2nd Annual Grand Galveston Fishing Fiasco!
There was much talk about a co-ed affair, maybe a competition between the sexes next year. Should we Charter a boat large enough to handle all of us, or maybe one boat for the Queens, one for the Drones?

November 2007?
1st Annual Aloha Hawaii Trojan Invasion. We wanted to throw this out, knowing it will take considerable planning and financial adjustments. We're looking at several activities:
A better tour of Pearl Harbor than the public receives,
A day spent coasting down a volcano on bicycles,
Walking (rafting?) through lava tubes.
GH sent me a ton of material to review, and I'm still looking it over. If you've been to Hawaii and did something you truly enjoyed, please share some ideas here.

Most of you have read comments here indicating how wonderful our fellowship has been during these "Mini" reunions. It's hard to relate the emotions we've felt. You need to come!
I hope you'll use this information to begin planning to attend as many of these events as possible!

COOL MUSIC AND A SPARKLY BALL

We have been writing about how much music has influenced our lives alot over the past months and Monday night was no different for me.

I was taking a much needed rest from doing some packing and I sat down to do something I am so darn good at in the summer months. Channel surfing.

I stumbled across some music, good music... oh wait a minute...what is that.. I remember these songs.
I had come across PBS doing a night of Doo Wop's best. They had brought back several of the old groups and gosh, they sounded great.
The first song I got to hear was the Tokens "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", followed by the Diamonds with "Little Darlin", and the Zodiacs, then Mel Carter doing "Hold Me".
By the time they brought out Little Anthony and the Imperials I was beside myself.
They did "I Thinking I am Going out of My Head," "Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pop", and a few others.
I was visualizing our CGHS gym filled to the rafters, as usual, for our after game sock hops swaying back and forth polishing those belt buckles. I saw everyone on the floor doing the Cha Cha and I was in heaven.

There were several other groups and if you get to catch the show, take the time to sit back and relax and let the memories flow.

And yes, hanging from the ceiling... was my so precious Sparkly Ball tossing off reflections of days gone by. FF and BomarGirl would have been so proud.

Home

Another old Neil Diamond song:

"L.A.'s fine, but it ain't home.
New York's home, but it ain't mine no more."

There was never a bigger homebody than me......
I think I was 13 when we first ventured out of Indiana to visit relatives in Tennessee. I was homesick on that trip.
And it was worse than that: My life centered around the Valley. Getting wheels meant my comfort zone was extended as far as Greenwood at first, then eventually including Southern Naptown in my late teens.

All that changed in 1966 when Uncle Sam came calling.
Trips to my beloved home came as frequently as possible, but unless you are there experiencing the changes as they happen, returning is like visiting a foreign land. An attempt to return to my Grandparents home on Indianapolis' South Side was met with much frustration; the route there has been dissected by Interstate highways and I had to detour several times from my normal route in order to get there.

Where is home?
I've now lived in this Illinois town longer than I've lived anywhere else.
I'm comfortable here, but the strong ties........
the "have to get back home" feeling is not as strong as it was during my formative years in the Valley.

I don't know the answer to this question:
Can we ever go "home"?

Friends change.
Geography changes.
We change.
And all these changes are dramatic.

Maybe some, or most of my yearning is just a desire to return to the simpler times of my wonderful, carefree youth. But I can't imagine ever feeling about "Home" as strongly as I once did.

What a melancholy feeling!

October What?

Does anyone know the October dates for our next mini-reunion? I think it's Oct 7th but the airline folks need something firmer than a guess.
Many thanks

Vandy's Kids

Vandy's Kids

my mother told me today Vandy is ill, not taking medication etc. Mon stated Bill's daughter came in to care for him, any info??? i will follow up and report hatchet

Wotta Buncha Wimps!

98 Degrees here today, on Dr. Fahrenheit's scale. And they say it didn't break a record.......102 degrees, set back in 1940.
Global warming, my extra-warm and fuzzy backside!

Nowadays we run from our air conditioned Hupmobiles to the comfort of our air conditioned workplaces. Workday done, we run back to our cool cars.
From our driveways, we dash to our air conditioned homes.

Back to our growing up days.......our family never had A/C in our house. I can remember going to bed with perspiration flowing down the valley in my back, looking foward to turning on my window fan to draw in the cool night air from outside.
We survived.

I honestly don't remember the first house in our neighborhood to have air conditioning. I know my folks finally broke down and got a window unit sometime in the mid-70's. That was about the same time I got my first car with an air conditioner in it.

Can you imagine life now without an air conditioner?
Where's my Right Guard?

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW THE...........

Ah yes, a great song by Johnny Nash, probably his only great hit so many years ago.

Mr. GB has brought to light about the music and DJ's and Radio stations in our youth and it brought to mind...what little I have left... Is there one song out there that would represent your life or a series of them.

After great thought.. no comment here... I came to the conclusion depending on where my life was at the time that I had "Don't Worry Be Happy" times, and sometimes I was lost in "Maragaritaville" at others, then I had my "Hotel California" period depending on where I was living then.
Then sometimes I felt "Like A Rock", only to feel I was going "Against The Wind" others. I had "Night Moves" during other times when I felt like a "Freebird" and then there were times I couldn't even "Turn the Page".

Then there were the times I loved dancing to "Unchained Melody". Simply one of the best.

This even carried over to Christmas when my all time favorite carol is "O Holy Night". I have it on CD by about 12 artists, even in Hawaiian and Italian. I play it over and over during the Holidays. The Hawaiian version by Willie G hs got to be the most beautiful songs I have ever heard.

So I guess all in all, my life has been motivated by music and still is. Can't imagine the world without it.

How about you, what songs really got to you.

Vandy's Kids

Vandy's Kids

Hatchet sharing a little information regarding Center Grove ALumni. ALumni DVD was highlighted this morning in the Daily Journal newspaper. Info shared in article and also as editorial. Check it out at www.thejournalnet.com JT and wife on vacation and i get to watch the dogs. Enjoyed fishing info and those catching might check out Lake T, nice size bass and b-gill's, golf cart to the lake. go trojans

Window On The World

It's a July Friday night......
Clear, warm, and dry.

I don't know about you, but in '63, '64, and '65, when these conditions prevailed, I'd frequently find myself in front of the WIFE "Window On The World" on North Meridian Street, writing a request and dedication on a piece of paper to show to the DJ.

I smile, thinking back on it.......
I never, ever felt threatened in downtown Indianapolis.
Maybe I was too naive to realize the danger there, but it was normal during the summertime to ride my motorcycle to town with my steady date behind me, even in the wee hours of the morning.

We've discussed WIFE's impact on our lives before.
It was a huge part of my life.......from the moment they started broadcasting and I switched from listening to WIBC.

How about you....
Any memories to share?

Florida Keys Fishing Report

Thanks to PT & GB I'm an Official Contributor to the VK Blog.

TD certainly was a welcome passenger, and proved to be one fine fisherman. As the story goes: It was a dark and stormy night....

Well, not exactly a dark and stormy or night, more like a slightly cloudy, slightly windy and slightly bumpy day on the water. After several hook ups and some "Rockin' & Reelin' " by the three of us, we headed back to shore with plenty of nice-size dolphin and a respectable-size black fin tuna.

TD reeled in many of the dolphin, the tuna and another "something or other" fish that was tossed back in to live on in the Atlantic. We all had our jobs to perform: Obviously, TD's main duty was to reel in as many fish as possible while keeping an eye out for birds, boards and other floating objects. I was at the helm trying to keep us close enough to the weed lines to lure the fish up without getting into them, while HB spent time reeling in our lines and removing all the weeds that I was unable to avoid...ha! Needless to say, HB was an excellent mate for the day, and TD and I kept him busy with baiting and re-baiting the lines and performing his de-weeding duties. HB did find time to reel in a few dolphin and managed to lose one or was it two, TD? All in all, it was a fine and fun day on the water. We caught enough fish (12 or so??) to make us happy, tire us out, and provide a wonderful dolphin-dinner for us that night. HB had hoped that TD would fish the next day, but TD opted (like the wonderful husband he is) to spend time with Mrs. TD back in Key Largo. TD made the correct decision because the weather was deteriorating and a tropical depression was headed our way. HB and Capt. Pete did go out the next day and caught more dolphin, but their day was cut short because of storms. They made it back to shore just before the weather got really nasty, and we spent the next couple of days on shore waiting for better weather. Eventually the storm passed, but the fishing was not the best. HB did catch a beautiful sail fish one day! Needless to say, HB was a very Happy Cappy! Unfortunately, I was not on board to take a photo of this exciting event... But I did manage to get TD to pose for a photo with a couple of his dolphin. So hats off to TD for joining us off shore and making our day a very special day. We hope to do it again!

Outta The Loop.....

Wowie!

I take off for a week to chase Canada Geese, and all Hell has broken loose.
I just started reading the comments to TD's Florida fishing review and realized you guys are 'way ahead of me! Gonna start a new line of commo here to see if we can begin to get a good feel for what is really goin' on here.

VK's, we really haven't had a chance to firm up Tool's plans for the next GGFF. I'll try to call him today, Saturday, to plant the seed. My taste of it when I last contacted him was that he'd love to have a co-ed GGFF, but obviously that will take a great deal of coordination from planners........chartering boats, lodging, etc., etc..

Exciting though, isn't it? Getting together is such fun.......
Someone schedule a midnight moonless snipe hunt, and I'll be there to enjoy the action and the socializing! (And I LOVE boobie prizes!)

Looks as if we already have more than enough participants to start the machinery rolling.....
More later after I've touched base with Galveston.


UPDATE, Sunday, 2 July:

No joy contacting Tools yesterday. Not surprising, with Freedom Festivals going on across the continent and families all sharing time together.
Thoughts for discussion......
Mrs Greybeard has absolutely no interest in fishing, but was excited about the idea of spending quality time around a pool with Mrs. TwoDogs and others. The obvious suggestion here is that just because there is a "frighteningly fierce fishing competition" going on here, there is no reason non-fishing classmates that simply want to provide moral support to their favorite team cannot come and root us on, right? I can say that I found Galveston quite lovely, and the fresh seafood there was wonderful. It's a wonderful place to just "be".
We'll all have a ball!