Caementarius Corner

TIGGS 1997-2011 - A MEMORIAL

2011-09-19T01:32:00.013-04:00

Once again Debbie and I must make an announcement that we both dread. On September 17th, we lost Tiggs, our bigger-than-life, kind-hearted, cowardly-lion tabby. It seemed Tiggs always had some kind of ailment almost his entire life although after he lost his brother Maverick in October of 2010, these 'little ailments' started to take their toll. They seemed to get worse when his sister Bristol passed away about 2.5 months ago. Finally, about a weeke ago it got to the point he wouldn't eat and then that developed into his inability to get around without hurting. So, we decided to take him in yesterday to relieve him of his suffering. We so much didn't want to let him go but we knew the 'Last Fight' was upon us. It was the right thing to do; as it was when the time came for Mavies and Bristol. Tiggs was my contribution to the family of cats and had literally lived across the land in the last 14 years. Starting out in Massachusetts, moving to Virginia, then to Texas, and finally back to Virginia in 2003, he was a regular traveller. All-in-all he took all the moving well enough but over time he developed a personality that bordered on the paranoid. He never quite got used to having people around and was not a cuddler (to Debbie's chagrin) to say the least. He was scared of his own shadow and if he heard a noise out of the ordinary (and that would be ANY noise) he would jump out of his skin and head for the nearest closet.

His worst fear was thunderstorms - he was absolutely petrified of thunder and would not venture out of his well-defined hiding place (his two favorites were in the pantry or behind the washer) until the coast was not only clear, very, very, very clear, but vitually noise-free. The same reaction happened when visitors would come over - as soon as he heard unfamiliar voices he was gone. He would eventually wander out from his hiding place once he had convinced himself that everything was okay. Having said all that, once he got used to you he would love you to death - although he would never drop his guard - always keeping a wary eye out for something that would make him rocket back to his pre-determined hiding place. The odd thing about all of this? He was BY FAR the largest of the three cats and people who saw him for the first time would always comment "He looks like a little lion!" Yea, he was big, but he was your typical gentle-giant. He will be missed.

So, in the course of less than a year, we lost all three of our beloved friends. It has only been a couple of days since we lost Tiggs but the house is so empty without them.

Tiggs is buried next to Mavies and Bristol - they are together once again!

BRISTOL 1996-2011 - A MEMORIAL

2011-07-06T00:26:00.006-04:00

Once again it is with great sadness and heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our beloved family members. Bristol was not herself over the past couple of months but we could never put our finger on it despite several vet check-ups. This past Sunday she was her lively self (or so we thought) but on Monday she completely quit eating and drinking and stayed under the bed without moving. Today Debbie came home at lunch to find no change so she got her a walk-in appointment at 3:30 at the vet. When Debbie came home at 3:00 to pick her up she knew the end was near - Bristol was now breathing through the mouth and her tongue was out - just like Mavey in his final hours nine months before. We knew then what we had to do. Having lost Mavey under similar circumstances in October we knew putting her to sleep was the best for her (The Final Battle - see Mavey blog). So, at about 4:30 on 5 July 2011, Bristol went to join Mavey. Bristol is also buried next to Mavey in our back yard (pictures tomorrow).

What can you say about Bristol - or as I affectionately liked to call her - Psycho. She was lively to say the least and was known to back a German Shephard up in a corner - not to mention a few hundred people and the local squirrels and racoons. She had her own special warning signs plastered to the side of her kennel and her vet records ran red with further warning signs. When we did take Bristol in for vet appointments it was sort of comical (at least for Debbie and I) to watch what transpired. If the attending assistant or vet hadn't seen Bristol before they surely noticed the warning signs plastered everywhere and took several double-takes when looking eye-to-eye with her - almost as if to say "Really? She doesn't look that rabid." If she had to go to the back they doned gloves and a heavy towel in order to pick her up. What can you say - she was who she was - and we loved her.

To most everyone who really knew her, Bristol was a sweetie but you never really took your eye off of her just in case she was in one of her 'moods.' But Debbie, of course, and I were immuned to her moods and took it in stride. Lately Bristol took to following me to the couch and when I laid down, there she was saying "Okay, don't just lay there, pick my #$% up and be quick about it." I did as I was 'ordered' and she would then proceed to knead me and lay down across my chest or around my neck and go to sleep. I dared not move - at least not quickly.

Like Mavey, Bristol enjoyed going outside and on good days she would sit by the door waiting for someone to open it and when it was opened she would dart out like she had pulled a fast one on you. If we let her, she would have stayed outside forever. She liked to scamper between the back yard deck and the front porch but she never wandered far no matter what.

We will miss her terribly of course but she is in a better place and is not suffering. Like the 'Final Battle' says under Mavey's blog, she fought valiantly but in the end, the disease was too much for her to bear.

Bristol - we love you and miss you - say hi to Mavey for us!

MAVERICK 1996-2010 - A MEMORIAL

2010-10-13T02:20:00.009-04:00

There comes a time in any pet owner's life when they have to say goodbye to a much loved 'family member,' one that created a constant stream of happy memories and possessed personality quirks that will forever bring a smile to one's face, and that which made them so very special from the very beginning. And so, it is with great sadness that Debbie and I let you know that our beloved Maverick, aka Mavs, aka Mavelinski, aka Mavies, and finally, aka Mavey went to sleep, free of pain, for the last time on Tuesday, 12 October 2010.

Mavs was diagnosed with an inoperable cancer in late August and despite what seemed like a short recovery after that initial diagnosis, he pretty much went downhill from that point and eventually lost the final battle. He had lost a lot of weight from not eating and couldn't get comfortable no matter how he tried to lay down - the fluid in his chest cavity just made that impossible. His breathing had become labored over the last few days and he started to breath through his open mouth, which is never a good sign in a cat. Debbie and I had made the decision, as hard as it was, to put Mavs to sleep and actually made an appointment to go see our local Williamsburg vet on 13 October. However, Mavs' breathing got considerably worse and we decided to relieve his suffering and took him to the emergency vet in York County who put Mavs to sleep. It was by far the hardest thing we have ever had to do and to watch this process was excruciating painful to the both of us - but we knew that it was for Mavs' benefit - not ours - to end his suffering.

Towards the end of his life we let him stroll outside (he and the other two had always been strictly inside cats) and he thoroughly enjoyed his time outside to the point that he didn't want to come in. In fact, there were many nights in which Mavs didn't come back inside (one of us was always outside with him) until the moon rose in the sky. He had us over a barrell and he knew it. He even convinced his two co-horts, Tiggs and Bristol, to venture outside as well. Now every time we come inside or go outside there sits a cat - ready to escape to the great outdoors. :)

Mavs was considered the King of this here castle, Bristol the Queen of course, with Tiggs assuming the role of the Court Jester. Nothing seemed to phase Mavs one way or the other - he was the calming force between his 'electrifying' sister and his cowardly lion brother. Mavs was the one who would place a paw in either mine or Debbie's face with the sole intent of letting us know it was time to eat (a cat after my own heart). He was also the only one of the three that would reach up to the table trying to reach some ill-gotten gains (food) with the hope no one would notice simply because he turned his head away while in the process of stealing - so cute and never successful.

He was, put quite simply, a beautiful, kind and gentle cat that everyone loved. He will be missed.

THE LAST BATTLE

If it should be that I grow frail and week,

And pain should keep me from my sleep,

Then will you do what must be done,

For this, the last battle, can't be won.

You will be sad I understand,

But don't let grief then stay your hand,

For on this day, more than the rest,

Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,

You wouldn't want me to suffer so.

When the time comes, please, let me go.

Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,

Only, stay with me till the end.

And hold me firm and speak to me,

Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree,

It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved,

From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don't grieve that it must be you,

Who has to decide this thing to do;

We've been so close, we all, these years,

Don't let your hearts hold any tears.

-unknown author-

FOREVER AND EVER

It was late that night, and we knew then,

It was no longer just a matter of when.

Your breathing had weakened to a frail whisper,

And we sensed you were hurting, for there was no purr.

Because that purr was not to be heard,

We sensed it was time and said the word.

So one last time we went outside,

The pain in our hearts we could no longer hide.

You slowly descended those garage stairs,

Into the cool night like you had no cares.

Maybe you sensed that the time had come,

You had enjoyed your life, but now you were done.

We gathered a blanket from the back of the car,

To make you comfortable for that final trip so far.

It was a long and silent ride that night,

And with each mile we hoped you would put up - just one more fight.

We thought we were ready for what was to come,

But with each passing minute we became more numb.

They gave us time to say our goodbyes,

So we held you close and tried to think of the highs.

The end was near and the tears came forth,

They streamed down our faces with full force.

One moment you were there struggling to breath,

The next you were peaceful so we had to believe.

You did in fact put up that one last fight,

As your spirit rose from your broken body that night.

And so we believe you will be with us forever,

Beside us as always - forever and ever.

-dcmason-

Mavs' final resting place in our back garden underneath our window - guarded by his sister Bristol.

Water Country USA Divers - Williamsburg

2010-08-07T22:58:00.008-04:00

The previous post talked about the good time everyone had last weekend. Part of that good time was the trip to Water Country USA. This post deals strictly with the diving portion of the day. The divers at WC are professional divers as well as former collegiate divers. They dive from various heights as well as a very high platform dive - into 12 feet of water. Needless to say, "Better them than me!"

Megan, Tori, and Lauren especially liked the show - not sure why though - because they went to see it at least three times.

Water Country USA - Williamsburg

2010-08-07T22:16:00.005-04:00

Well, we had a house-full to say the least. Last weekend, Jennie, Melissa, Megan, Tori, Ethan, Lexie, and Megan's good friend Lauren came down for the weekend, arriving on Thursday night and leaving on Sunday. Friday was spent at Water Country USA - were there for the opening bell at 10:00 and for the closing bell at 8:00.

In between we hit the wave pool, lazy river, and various other rides. Yours truly didn't get to them all, but most of them. Debbie, not ride-inclined, sat this one out and went to work.

At around 6:30, Jennie, Melissa, Ethan and Lexie left and I stayed to chaperrone the young ladies of the pack, uhhhhhhhhhhh, I mean family, until closing. Lexie and Ethan ended up feeding the animals in the back yard when they got back to the house. After guarding all the young men, including the Water Country USA divers, from Diva Inc, we headed back to the house ourselves (Debbie came and picked us up).

We cooked burgers and I had every intention of cooking them like everyone liked them until I got the order - two well done (mine), two medium well, two more medium, and three medium rare, one hot dog, and believe it or not, one veggie burger (that was not allowed to touch the real meat). When Debbie came out and brought four pieces of cheese and said "We need four cheeseburgers" (without actually telling me which burgers to place the cheese on) so after much consternation on my part, I said $#@!^ it - all medium at least. Like the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld, my attitude by then was "You eat burger and you like, or you go!" When I had to ask the question "How does one know when a veggie burger is done?" (because it wasn't sizzling - thus the no meat), Lauren told me that "... we usually just put them in the micro-wave." What?&$@? Huh?? Oh well, in the end, I think everyone survived.

On Saturday we stayed put for most of the day and piddled around the house - then I took the wolf-pack, uhhhhhhhhh, young ladies, and Ethan, to the movies and to do a little shopping. Megan and Lauren and Tori took off and then met Ethan and I after a while at the theater. Megan and Lauren went to see 'Charlie St Cloud' and Ethan, Tori and I went to see 'Despicable Me (in 3D)' .... it was actually pretty good and Lauren and Megan enjoyed CStC as well.

These pictures here are just from Water Country USA. My next post will be of the Water Country USA divers and their show.

Landscaping Around the House and a Raccoon Visitor - again

2010-07-24T17:53:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm sitting here INSIDE since it is about 105 degrees OUTSIDE right now (and supposed to be hotter tomorrow). I did spend a little time outside this morning watering getting read for the roaster that was to come today ... and it hasn't disappointed. I did the yardwork on Wednesday (much cooler to do after work) so I am yardwork-free this weekend. But, we have done our usual landscaping this year (although at a lower scale).

The sprinkle garden, as I mentioned in a previous post, was moved from the main garden area in front of the house to the two plots on either side of the drive-way. Same effort though - throw wild-flower seeds in a bowl and sprinkle away not knowing for sure what is going to come up. Turned out just as well as before and a little better being in a more compact area. Another change this year was to lay low on the sunflower plantings - we only planted a few in backyard (one came up) but none in front - but one came up anyway in front. Also, put up the bird bath that Mom and Dad kept in Georgia for the past 20 years. Still in good shape and I put it up underneath the trees in the back yard near where we feed the deer. Anyway, these are images I took this morning before the heat settled in (although it was already in mid-80's by the ten o'clock this morning).

But, as it turned out, it wasn't too warm for our raccoon friends. There has been another recent addition to the local raccoon crew - more young ones. The images here are of one of the babies at one of the bird feeders - there was another baby hanging upside down off a cake feeder but I couldn't get an image of that one from where I was at the back door. Needless to say, seeing the supposedly nocturnal raccoons in the middle of the day means the heat and limited food sources are effecting their movements. The image of the small sunflower with the two round stepping stones at the base of the plant is where the Eastern Box Turtle laid her eggs around 1 July - so about the end of August into first week of September we should see some hatchlings - but haven't got a clue what to do then.

Quick Visit to Georgia

2010-07-17T12:52:00.002-04:00

While Debbie took off to Wyoming for a week-long visit to Jared and the grand-kids, I took off down to Jonesboro over the 4th of July weekend. The weather was hot hot hot .... did I mention that it was hot? Take my word for it - it was a roaster in Jonesboro. Drove down on Friday before the 4th and headed back on Monday with an overnight stop in Evans (Augusta) at Kenneth's and Barbara's.

While in Jonesboro, I was able to power wash Dad's deck and then apply some stain-guard to it. Turned out pretty good - but did I mention it was hot? I power washed on Saturday and stained on Sunday when the sun went behind the clouds from time-to-time (did I mention it was hot). Started around 0900 and finished about 12 hours later. Kenneth and Barbara came over on Saturday and took off back home on Sunday. Of course we all enjoyed the home cooking of burgers and steaks and - yes - banana pudding! Uhhhmmmm uhhhhhhmmmmm.

Myrtle Beach - Family Album

2010-06-27T03:40:00.001-04:00

Here are the family photos from Myrtle Beach 2010. Don't forget, you can save these pictures to your computer by right-clicking and doing a save-as.

Myrtle Beach - 2010

2010-06-27T02:23:00.003-04:00

I am finally getting around to placing some beach pictures on the blog. I didn't take as many this year as in year's past - no particular reason really - except maybe I slept in more often than not this year ... :P

Did the usual - beach (no water for me though), pool and lazy river tube float (yes, got in water this time around), out-to-eat (some new places some old but still good places (River City hamburgers, Chestnut Hill for our 'good meal' of the week, and a new place called Flying Fish - where Georgia took great pleasure in tossing the fish, golf and shopping.

We also did something new this year that had not been seen in years past - got Dad on the beach. But, we had to coax him with a game of Bocce to do it - and as it turned out he was the best one at the game. It reminded him of his championship penny-tossing days in Alto I suppose. Soooooooo, what is Bocce you ask? It is an Italian (or Greek, or Roman, etc) game whereby you toss out a small white ball and then teams toss their somewhat larger ball after it in the hopes their ball is closest to the white ball after everyone has tossed theirs. Of course, 'toss' implies throwing with relative ease and slow speed - until it is time to knock your opponents ball to Kingdom-Come, i.e. knock his/her ball away from the white ball - and then all bets are off.

Now you have to realize that this family is relatively calm, cool, and collected at all times - until it comes to competitive activities - then it is Attila the Hun meets Genghis Khan; which is fitting I suppose because I'm imagining that the game actually began as the head of your enemy being tossed about and other heads being tossed as well. Suffice to say, I can't imagine what the rules of that game would be - hey, I think of these things without a lot of detail okay. To say Bocce (or dominos, or cards, or, well, fill in the blank) was competitive is putting it mildly - I guarantee you that we were the only Bocce game on the beach using a tape-measure to ensure no one got the least bit of an advantage. Anyway, it became known fairly soon that spouses versus spouses didn't work - at all; especially since the ringer (that would be Dad) always ended up on the winning side. When this trend started to show itself, we quickly changed the teams up (either that or die). Even Mom got into the action and finally came to realize that the beach (the playing field) was slanted towards the ocean and therefore tossing her ball directly at the white ball resulted in her ball curving away each and every time. We finally had to pick out inordinate objects around the beach and tell her to toss it in that direction - being careful not to choose something too close unless she tried to cold-cock what we told her to aim at. In the end, I do believe that everyone was on a winning team at least once.

We did see one cool thing one day - we noticed all the people vacating the water (ocean) and we first heard that there were sharks in the water. We finally found out that it wasn't sharks at all but a school of sting rays migrating up the coast (and they soon came back down the coast so I guess their migration is a relatively short one). The odd looking picture of people standing on the beach is the one with the rays in it. I was on the balcony (10th floor) and took the picture - click on it and look closely at the upper left hand corner (dark brown spot in water) - those are the rays. Of course, I was waiting for a man-eating shark so I could take the Pulitzer prize winning photo - no such luck though.

We (the guys) only played golf once this year - just too bloody hot to play. Temps were in the 90's with matching humidity. The day we did play though we changed up the format some - Dad and I teamed up whereby I did all the driving and fairway shots, and chipping and Dad did all the putting - and we shot an 89 - Ken and Al shot, well, something a tad higher than that. Was a lot of fun - but it was just way too hot so when Greg showed up at mid-week, we didn't get back out there, less we wanted to melt like the bad witch in The Wizard of Oz. We even encountered Ally the alligator on one of the holes - and she looked hungry, and since we were already fried, we decided to move on quickly.

We also had visitors this year - Brian and Whitney came over from Charlotte on Friday and spent the last night with everyone. We went to River City that night. As they say, good time had by all.

BOCCE

LAZY RIVER

GOLF

Visit to USS Enterprise

2010-06-20T00:31:00.017-04:00

Part of the perks in being in Government service is being able to go to some places the general public is not apt to go to. One such occasion occurred last week when a tour was arranged for some of us in the office to go tour the USS Enterprise docked in Norfolk Virgina.

She was being overhauled after a recent deployment but there was a full contingent of sailors on board. The 'Big E' as she is referred to, is the oldest of the US Navy's nuclear powered aircraft carriers, having been built in 1961 - and take it from me, she looks ever bit of 49 years old. But, it was a great visit nonetheless.

All the aircraft depart the ship prior to the ship coming into Norfolk - and go to land-based units at different locations, depending on the type of aircraft it is. There were a lot of ships docked in Norfolk of course so I got a few pictures of those too.

As I said, there was a full contingent of sailors on board - after all, it is their place of 'business' so they take the opportunity to train, train, and train some more:

CW Mason in the Civil War

2010-06-19T23:20:00.019-04:00

Have been doing some ancesteral research and discovered that my great-great-grandfather (CW Mason) fought in the Civil War, having been mustered in South Carolina's Orr's Rifles on July 20th 1861 at Camp Pickens South Carolina by Lt Sloan at the ripe old age of 19. He survived throughout, surrendering at Appomattox in 1865. During my research I discovered he was wounded at the First Battle of Deep Bottom here in Virginia and fought in many battles during the war. Here is a run-down of his unit, Orr's Rifles:

1st Regiment Rifles, known as Orr's Rifles, was organized at Sandy Springs, South Carolina, in July, 1861. Its members were recruited in the counties of Abbeville, Pickens, Anderson, and Marion. The unit was first stationed on Sullivan's Island and called by the other troops "The Pound Cake Regiment" because of its light duty. Then in April, 1862, it moved to Virginia with 1,000 men. Assigned to General Gregg's and McGowan's Brigade, it fought with the army from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor . Later the regiment endured the hardships of the Petersburg trenches and the Appomattox operations. Of the 537 engaged at Gaines' Mill , fifty-nine percent were killed, wounded or missing. The unit reported 116 casualties at Second Manassas and 170 at Fredericksburg , then lost forty-nine percent of the 233 at Chancellorsville and three percent of the 366 at Gettysburg . There were 12 killed and 81 wounded at The Wilderness , 15 killed, 36 wounded, and 44 missing at Spotsylvania , 3 killed and 34 wounded at Deep Bottom , and 9 killed and 37 wounded at Poplar Springs Church . It surrendered 9 officers and 148 men.

Battles included:

Seven Days Battles VA (25 JUN - 1 JUL 1862)
2nd Bull Run VA (28 - 30 AUG 1862)
Chantilly VA (1 SEP 1862)
Antietam VA (17 SEP 1862)
Shepherdstown Ford (20 SEP 1862)
Castleman's Ferry (3 NOV 1862)
Fredericksburg VA (13 DEC 1862)
Chancellorsville (1-4 MAY 1863)
Gettysburg PA (1-3 JUL 1863)
Falling Waters (14 JUL 1863)
Bristoe Campaign (9 - 22 OCT 1863)
Mine Run Campaign VA (NOV - DEC 1863)
The Wilderness VA (5 - 6 MAY 1864)
Spotsylvania Court House VA (8 - 21 MAY 1864)
North Anna VA (23 - 26 MAY 1864)
Cold Harbor VA (1 - 3 JUN 1864)
Petersburg Siege VA (JUN 1864 - APR 1865)
First Squirrel Level Road VA (30 SEP 1864)
Jones Farm VA (30 SEP 1864)
First Pegram's Farm VA (1 OCT 1864)

Five Forks VA (1 APR 1865)

Appomattox Court House VA (9 APR 1865)

The First Battle of Deep Bottom was part of the Petersburg Siege listed above. About two weeks ago I visited the battlefield area east of the Richmond/Petersburg area. In fact, the following historical marker descibes the battle:

After the surrender of the south at Appomattox, CW Mason returned home to South Carolina. At some point, the Mason family moved to the Corinth Mississippi area, and then on to East Texas area, specifically Alto. Needless to say, it was quite eerie to be standing near where my great-great-grandfather fought and was wounded over 145 years ago. An earlier visit to Appomattox brought up those same feelings.

The following are two images of documents associated with CW Mason. The first document is an image of a document my great-great-grandfather received on 2 September 1862, granting him 20 days furlough (sick leave) in Richmond Virginia. The second image seems to be a pay stub received for those 20 days of leave, 33 cents a day for a grand total of $6.60.

While the dates of pay seem to indicate September 1862, the pay was not acknowledged until April 6th 1863. Based on the dates of the furlough and the dates of the battles above, looks like my GGG missed the Battle of Antietem (in Maryland, although Virginia is showing above), the bloodiest battle of the civil war.

NOTE: CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE FULL DOCUMENT

Return of the Backyard Turtle

2010-05-31T21:14:00.000-04:00

Just sitting on the deck this evening when our old friend the turtle darted out from under a bush and scurried across the deer-corn food plot area. I was lucky enough to grab the camera before it sped back to the under-growth. I'm pretty sure it is an Eastern Box Turtle. It has been about a year since we last saw one.

..... and then there were two!

2010-05-30T19:17:00.011-04:00

Made another leisurely trip down the parkway to see 'our' eagle's nest and spotted another eaglet in the nest. Finally saw the osprey nest just across the parkway from the eagle's nest.

Got home and welcomed both male and female (not at same time) hummingbirds to our feeder; very territorial little birds. Also, spring/summer means flowers in abundance - this is a picture of a clematis on the back deck. We have flowers on all sides of the house. We'll take more pictures at full bloom later in season.

Eagle's Nest

2010-05-15T21:00:00.011-04:00

We took another trip down the parkway the other day after work and finally spotted the eaglet in the nest. Not the clearest of pictures to say the least but they don't exactly listen to you when you say "Be still!"
Note that the eaglet is missing the familiar white head - Bald Eagles don't actually attain the white head until 4-5 years of age. As stated before, our favorite time of the year. Lots of geese around and about every other pair have goslets hanging around. Of course, the Osprey are plentiful as well. The picture of the tree just shows the streaks from a lightning strike - very near the eagles nest. The nest itself is, of course, well built, certainly not a Centex nest!

Return From Boot Camp!

2010-05-09T22:59:00.007-04:00

Well, it has taken me about a week to recover from our pilgramage down south to attend the inaugural Landscaping Boot Camp in Charlotte.
The only problem was that Debbie failed to tell me what I was getting into (and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure she knew herself).

Soooooooooooooo, needless to say, my one pair of shorts for the four days wreaked of top-soil and mulch pretty much after Day 1. Yea, I know what you are saying - who in their right mind only brings one pair of shorts for four days - regardless of what was on the entertainment menu for those days. Well, let me just say this to that - whoever said I was in my right mind? Besides, after Day 2 the shorts were pretty easy to get into - stand 'em in the corner the night before and step into them the following morning. Ahhhhhhh, the efficiency of speed dressing!

But, we had the better of it between Jared and us (us being myself, Debbie and Jennie, who also went south for the weekend) - Jared arrived early to boot camp and was immediately put to work; inside and outside of the main camp building. Of course, Jared had a few more enticements than we had - but that shall remain unspoken of in this blog.

BUT, before I go further, we ALL had a great time so my tongue-n-cheek description of our four days is just a tad over the top (ok, a lot of sarcasm) - it was actually a lot of FUN - except I didn't get my "I Survived Landscaping Boot Camp" tee-shirt before I left. Brian and Whitney's yard is looking good if we all do say so ourselves. And it was great to get together once again - albeit we missed Melissa and family, and Ben, Shauna and the girls - but they were all thought of often throughout the weekend. And last, but certainly not least - GREAT hamburger cookout!

These were just a few pix taken during our camp stay. Don't forget, you can save the pics to your computer by clicking on the picture and then right clicking and doing a 'save as.'

Spring ...... uhhhhh ..... Summer is in the air!

2010-05-09T22:16:00.005-04:00

Seems like just yesterday I was enjoying a trek through the snow in Colonial Williamsburg watching all the tourists scurry for cover and now all of a sudden it is Summer again - with the heat in tow. Not even sure what happened to Spring to tell you the truth.

But with the return of hotter months, we also see the return of a few friends - namely eagles, ospreys, and blue herons. Truth be told, only the Osprey strays far away over the colder months. Of course our deer heard is always about - although the picture here was taken at Jamestown Island.

One reason spring and summer is looked forward to around here is it is gardening time! Gardening time to me always means my sprinkle garden full bloom is just around the corner. This year the sprinkle garden is on both sides of the drive-way next to the curb versus in the main garden in front of the front walk-way. Debbie and I decided to switch it around this year. Not sure what will come up, but there is a lot coming up through the mulch so it is only a matter of time before we find out - stay tuned for pictures later on.

Fowl Weather Friends - Goodbye!

2010-02-27T17:59:00.001-05:00

I have decided not to renew our web page entitled 'Fowl Weather Friends.'
We had the web page since 2006 and it was a lot of fun but took a lot of time to update and I'm having less and less time to get to it - in fact my last update was in August of 2009. However, if you'd like to create your own web page or are looking to move to another host, I would recommend Lunar Pages - good outfit! We'll continue with our Blog and I'll be sure to put a lot of pictures on the blog .... easier than the web page to add and update.

Relaxing at Ft Monroe

2010-02-20T20:16:00.007-05:00

I went into the office today to catch up on a project I'm working on. It's called Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE). JBLE is a direct result of the last BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Act) which stipulated, among othr things, that bases/posts close to each other would be consolidated at the support level.
In essence, the services we (contracting) used to provide just to Langley AFB (ex. refuse collection, grounds maintenance, janitorial, and host of other things) will include like-services at Ft Eustis. With JBLE workload comes the transfer of 19 positions from the Army - those Army employees transferring with their position on 30 September become Air Force employees on 1 October.

Anyway, my project is to write the Organizational Change Request, or OCR, whereby we are realigning current workforce/workload and integrating the new positions/workload into our organization. Even though what we are doing is congressionally mandated, we still have to justify it with the OCR - go figure. But, so much for that.

After earning a lil vacation time at the office to use later this year, I went down to Ft Monroe. Hadn't been there in a while. I parked at the seawall and took a few images shown here. Was a nice day, if you like clear blue and mid-50's weather.

The ship here with CMA CGM is a container ship named Virginia. This is another container ship named OOCL Oakland.

This image shows the OOCL Oakland being followed into port by the CMA CGM Virginia. Here is the Maersk Idaho, another container ship headed out of port.

Of course, I can't take too many pictures without taking one or two of nature's best. This is a seagull sitting on the seawall at Ft Monroe.

50 Car Pile-up on I-64 West Near Williamsburg

2010-02-10T18:18:00.008-05:00

Debbie and I both made it to work this morning in fine shape but there were some folks who didn't quite make where they were going. There was a 50 car wreck right near the exits we normally use to go to and from home on I-64. WRECK
Took about six hours to clean it up. Watch the video here:

It started coming down around 0730 this morning and didn't let up until just before noon. Debbie was released from work around noon and I had a meeting at Ft Eustis that started at 1330. That meeting ended at 1530 and I took a couple of hours of comp time leave owed me and just came home. All in all, a crazy day - but we're getting used to this weather !

Here's another video clip: WRECK II

Super Bowl Sunday - but no football!

2010-02-07T21:36:00.004-05:00

Well, it's SB Sunday and I haven't got a clue what the score is; not even sure if it is still on or not. Sooooooooooo, what else does one do on SB Sunday then? In our case it was stay inside another day - ice everywhere and coooold outside.
Oh, I did get out to clean off the deck (finished it from last night if you recall that story) and shovelled the driveway even though I said I wouldn't. But, it is supposed to get down to 14 tonight so I didn't want it all to freeze over; I did most of it, Mother Nature can do the rest.

We finished putting up the new light fixture over the dinette table. We started yesterday but I had it all so convoluted that all the twisting and turning of the wires (was one of those hanging lights on a chain) that when I went and put the power back on it popped the fuse. Come to find out I twisted it so much it cut the ground and the power wiring in half - noticed that when I took it back down. We tried it again today, took a different course of action (read that wound the chain around the wiring versus running wiring through each chain link as instructed to do - less twisting and turning) and everything worked fine this time around. That makes three light fixtures we replaced in last two weeks - in foyer, bottom of stairs and the latest one. They don't look bad - and I didn't burn the house down either.

Like I said - it was/is cold and icey outside but all of our fine feathered friends and our herd of deer need to eat as well - they all have this way of making one feel guilty if you don't toss out a little food. Three bucks were back again as were eight does/yearlings. Bucks came after dark so no pics; other deer came during late afternoon so those pics are here. Tied a record with eight deer at once.

With watching deer here in the backyard up close and personal, as well as the time I used to spend at Jamestown Island, I have been able to decipher some pretty firm habits among the deer. First and foremost, the younger the deer (excluding fawns of course) the more likely they are to come out in the open to the corn. Many times I have coaxed younger deer to the corn, only to then be followed by the older does. The bucks are another story of course - they don't trust anyone. As a good hunter knows, the bucks let the does take all the chances - then they MIGHT come out.

Does are very territorial as well - or put another way, defend their food plot by kicking at, and jumping on, other deer. Today, one of the large does was doing that and I thought Debbie was going to go after her with a switch.

Snow Storm - Take Two

2010-02-06T20:34:00.008-05:00

I never thought that last weekend when we were blogging about the snow storm that we would be doing it again this weekend - but here we are.
This snow didn't start until mid-morning but once it started it didn't stop. We only ended up getting 3-4 inches but there was plenty more west and north of us. Lynchburg was supposed to get 20 inches and northern Virginia was getting hit with two to three FEET! How much did YOU get??? Let us know! Update: Saw on the Weather Channel that Leesburg Virginia (where Jennie lives) got 34.5 inches!!

This snow was also different than last weekend's in that it was a heavier more wet snow; last weekend's was a soft fluffy dry snow if there is such a thing. Also, last weekend driving on the snow was much better too while this weekend's storm brought more treacherous roads and heavy weight on power lines and tree branches. If it freezes too much tonight, get ready for power outages and lots of broken branches. We didn't shovel off the deck this time around (will in the morning) nor are we going to shovel the drive-way this time around - will let Mother Nature do her thing over the next few days.

We spent our time inside this time putting up light fixtures (or should I say replacing light fixtures that just, well, reached the end of their usefulness - they were brass, the new ones are more pleasing to the eye).

However, even though we didn't partake in the snow festivities outdoors, I was able to take a few pictures - sorry, no historical buildings or landmarks - just a few fine feathered friends and a determined squirrel. Hope you enjoy!

The picture of the backyard was taken just after dark with the back yard spot-light on - I just thought it looked pretty neat. At about 8:00 tonight Debbie looked outside and saw deer waiting to be fed (yea, you read that right) and despite my hesitation, Debbie insisted (or rather made me feel guilty), and so I went out and did my duty. I cleaned the deck off, made a path to the 'deer corn drop zone' - yes, you read that right too - and put out the corn just like it was a normal evening. I checked later and there were three bucks feeding on the corn. I tried to take some pictures but low light makes for baaaaad pictures - this is the best of the bunch. Note another buck in the background.

UPDATE Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

2010-01-29T21:26:00.006-05:00

Well, it hasn't hit us yet but I hope to see it slam into us overnight and tomorrow. And, believe it or not, we'll actually be in town for the snow this time around! I plan to head out early for some 4x4 driving on the Colonial Parkway and the historic areas - with camera in tow of course! I'll post some more tomorrow!

UPDATE ........... UPDATE ........... UPDATE

Snow was supposed to start just after midnight but I woke up around 2:30 this morning and nothing. My first thoughts were of another blown over-hyped forecast but I kept my fingers crossed. Looked out again around 6:30 and it had started up (Debbie said it was around 3:30 when it started). I went back to bed (after all, it is a Saturday) and got up again around 9:30. I fed the birds (yes, they were waiting for us to feed them) and then got changed to go take the jeep out. Took a few shots of the house first though. Then on the way out I took a few of the neighborhood as well.

First stop was the Colonial Parkway of course. It is beautiful on a normal day and fun to drive in the snow to boot. Headed right for Colonial Williamsburg and found that I was among just a few folks that braved the weather to come out. Some tourists were out as well (wearing visitor passes) so they enjoyed an extra bonus during their visit.

I walked Duke of Gloucester Street taking the snow and sleet head-on so only took a few pictures in that direction. I made the turn and started taking some pictures coming back and then stopped off at one of the taverns and had a couple of oatmeal cookies and some hot chocolate - was a nice stop along the way. Only thing missing was Debbie - but Debbie isn't one for cold and snow so she stayed at home and enjoyed the indoor warmth - can't say I blame her but I always try and get out in the snow. Doesn't happen very often so have to take advantage of it when it presents itself. Anyway, I digress.

I headed down 'The Duke' again but took a side street over to an adjacent street which a lot of folks don't take - not that there was any type of crowd today. Made my way over to the Governor's Palace (pictures with ornamental gate).

I swung back around and then headed quickly by the church and back onto 'The Duke' one more time and over to Market Square (yes, all the shops were open - can't afford to miss those tourist dollars.) Tourists remind me of a t-shirt I saw in Hampton once. Keep in mind that the crowds are thick during 'tourist season' - anyway, I told Debbie I was going to get the t-shirt and she said she wouldn't go with me anywhere if I wore it - it says "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?" Sorry - but I love it! But again, I digress.

After Williamsburg I headed down the parkway again towards Yorktown this time and discovered where all the people were. There is a long hill that leads from the Yorktown Monument down to town on the York River - that is where everyone was - tons of folks sledding down this hill - but I'm sure they were all locals.

After Yorktown I headed home. The double bridge pictured here is I-64 that heads east and west (although it physically runs north and south around here).

When I got home I took out a yardstick and took a measurement - not sure if it is accurate or not, but had a good five inches of snow. Probably more now but there is also a lot of sleet mixed in off and on. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the tour.

YES!!

2010-01-24T22:28:00.004-05:00

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what a delight! "The kick is up, it's far enough, it's good!!! Saints win Saints win!!"
Or said another way, "Favre throws across his body back to the middle of the field! It's intercepted! There went the chip-shot field goal for the sure win." Ahhhhh, football life is now good again!

Hodgepodge (Sp??)

2010-01-21T00:18:00.007-05:00

Thought I would drop a note before I went off to bed. I just spent the last 30 minutes on the back deck 'stalking' another buck in the back yard. I was actually headed to bed a lot sooner but flipped on the outside light and the buck was at the corn.

We saw him earlier in the evening and I tried to sneak out on the deck but spooked him. I spooked him this time too but was able to catch him as he headed back into the woods. Not a good image (digitally enhanced again) but it was late and raining - and I was only wearing shorts and t-shirt so it was a tad cold too.

Ran across some more images I took a while ago (October) when we picked up Danielle and headed over to Georgia's. Mom and Dad were there so we made a quick weekend out of it. Danielle turned 12 in August. Here are a few images. Check out the 'Mason School of Business' t-shirt. They (College of William and Mary) finally accepted my money and named a school after me .... nice huh?

A Day Off

2010-01-18T12:42:00.004-05:00

Thought I would just add a note on my day off. Today is of course MLK Day and I'm moseying (isat a word??) around the house and finally doing some filing of bills and such. By the looks of the document on the bottom of the pile, the last time I filed was around April 2009. Ouch! Going to be a long day.

So, with that in mind, does anyone have any great filing tips I should use - other than keeping up with it (like I know I should)? How about how long a bill or receipt should be kept? I usually use the one-year method but not sure that even makes sense for everything. I mean after all, if one month's bill shows a payment made the previous month, should you keep multiple months bills around? Hmmmmm .... the thoughts one has on off days.

Not looking forward to this but it won't get done if I don't get started .... ugggghhhhhh!

Shauna and the girls in North Carolina

2010-01-10T22:34:00.018-05:00

Just got back tonight from another trip down to Brian and Whitney's in North Carolina. Shauna and the girls were headed home from an east coast visit and were flying out of Charlotte so we drove down to 'see them off' so-to-speak.Debbie and I drove down on Friday morning leaving about an inch and a half of snow in Williamsburg (see, I told you it snowed every time we leave town) and got there in time for Debbie and Brian to drive off to meet up with Shauna and the girls (Shauna's parents drover them half way to Brian's). Other than the below freezing temps we had a great time with everyone.

The highlight, besides seeing the west-coasters, was the trip to the Discovery Center in Charlotte. This is a children's hands-on museum of sorts so there was plenty to do (even us big kids). We rode down on the metro (train) which dropped us off only two blocks from the museum.

We had intended to go see a 3-D movie but got there too late to see the whole thing so we just did the museum part. There was a lot to do of course and there were a lot of folks there with their kids, I think trying to stay out of the cold more than anything else. A lot of what was there was science-oriented and was even fun for us big kids. And even son and Mom got to re-visit their better youth and enjoy the museum as well.

I (Dave) was especially fond of the infra-red view - notice all my hots spots (not)! The hot is indicated by the lighter colors; and the cold is indicated by the darker colors - what can I say, it was a cold day!

After we got back from the museum we scoured the town for ice cream and sprinkles - despite the 20 degree temps we were determined to get the girls their ice cream. First stop was Trader Joes but apparently you can't shop at TJ's if the store is crowded so off we went to Harris Teeter (grocery store for those of you not in the know) and I suppose the crowds were manageable as Brian was able to acquire everything needed at HT.

Soooooo, after an excellent pork roast dinner we had our ice cream. Well, the kids did anyway, oh yea, and Brian, and Whitney, and Debbie, and Shauna - so I guess that means only I didn't partake of the ice cream and sprinkles (have to watch my stunning figure you know).

Of course, with ice cream comes the very good chance that you might get some of it in your hair, especially if you have long blonde hair. But alas, the 'great grey arm' will always come to the rescue if such an evil thing befalls one of the ice cream princesses.

One more thing before I sign off ...... we left Charlotte around 2:00 and only made two stops, one for gas ($2.59 a gallon) and once to stretch at the Virginia state line. Anyway, we got here just under six hours - just in time to see the OT period of the Packers and Cardinals wild-card playoff game - and sorry I saw it! Oh well, now at least I don't have to worry each weekend to see whether or not Green Bay's Dr Jekyl or Mr Hyde defense is going to show up. Now, if only the Vikings and Cowboys lose, everything will be all better.

Okay .... It is Time

2010-01-04T17:30:00.007-05:00

Well, another year has come and gone and it's time for more decisions about weight - mine (David). Everyone and their brother can tell you that you need to lose weight but until that decision is made by yourself, it won't do any good.

Well, my time has come so I hereby declare I am going on another diet - much like I did in 2003 when I lost 56 pounds between February and November. This time my starting weight is 268 pounds with a goal of 199 by Christmas of this year - slightly less than one full year. No 'before' pictures this time (believe me, I can remember ... lol) but I will update the blog (honestly) about once a month to let everyone know what's going on. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year and Beyond!

2010-01-04T15:18:00.006-05:00

Well, just got back from Richmond airport taking Benj and Abbey to catch flight back to Houston. They arrived on Wednesday the 30th in good spirirts and left the same way today (I hope ... lol). Temperatures throughout their stay were in the 20's and 30's - don't think it ever reached the 40's - temps unusual for this area at this time (usual cold temps are in latter part of January and February). But, we didn't let the temps deter us from our 'touristy' duties.

Our first stop after arrival in Williamsburg - the outlet stores so Benj could pick up a hat. After that, we stopped by to see Debbie at work and then went to Trader Joe's for some snacks and such and then on to home to have "Christmas."

We were loaded for bear with gift receipts just in case our gift choices were not up to par - but we could barely go wrong with winter clothes and accessories with temps as cold as they were outside ... lol

I was even able to suprise Debbie with some 'extra' presents [winter boots and slip-ons; not to mention 'the long sought after blender'] - lol

Maybe the biggest hit of the first night and maybe the entire trip for Abbey was the 'feeding of the deer' - she really got excited when five deer came up to the deck to get their morsel of corn.

We were able to hit Jamsetown Island the day after arrival, and yes, it was cooooooooooold and foggy. The glass-blowers were in full-force of course and the deer were out in abundance as well.

On New Years Day we ventured down to Colonial Williamsburg for a looksee and of course all the shops were open. Yep - icy cold again but we pressed forward. We made a second trip down to the shops later and it was even colder I think.

While we did technically 'go down to the shops' Benj and I found as many benches as we could muster up and partook in the leisurely sport of checking football scores on Benj's B'berry. Go Packers!! Go Texans!!

Benj and I stayed in town on Saturday while Debbie and Abbey went to Vienna, Front Royal, and Leesburg Virginia to share some holiday time with Debbie's side of the family. Family members were in that area and Debbie hadn't seen them in quite a while so she and Abbey headed north for the day while Benj and I enjoyed some football and the movie 'Avatar' - my second time and Benj's first. In typical Mason-male fashion Benj pronounced the film high on graphics and 'okay/good' in content - but yea, I think he enjoyed it as well - even if he did look dorky like the rest of us wearing his 3-D glasses ... lol

Anyway, we had a great time together - thanks for coming Benj and Abbey - we enjoyed it!

Christmas Day + 2

2009-12-27T11:56:00.010-05:00

Well, we hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and enjoyed the time with family or friends or however you decided to spend your time.

Brian and Whitney came down on Wednesday night (ok, early Thursday morning for you exacto-types) and left earlier today. We had a good time and plenty to eat throughout. We started off by going to see 'Avatar' in 3-D (must see) on Christmas Eve, preceded by dinner out at the Center Street Grill in the 'New Town' part of Williamsburg. Friend Cynthia and her son Collin joined us for the fun as well.

After opening up Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve, on Christmas morning we received a gift from Mother Nature - four bucks adorned our backyard, including a 10-pointer. First time that many bucks had appeared at one time - and Brian spotted them first.

We got into the stockings first thing and then opened up all of the gifts in short order (well, 'short' when compared to when I was a kid growing up where we had to wait until after breakfast, kitchen was cleaned up, and Mom had finished her coffee). The rest of the stay seemed to be spent shopping or eating, and just for balancing sake, we slept some too.

But, we're not done yet. Benj and Abbey fly in on Wednesday for the New Year so we'll do Christmas all over again .... can't wait. We plan to partake in the New Year festivities in Colonial Williamsburg that evening and just relax and visit (and I'm sure shop) some more.

Watch for Falling Ice

2009-12-22T22:10:00.004-05:00

I noticed on the way to work this morning what always happens out on the roads after a snow storm. The snow comes down, the snow piles high on 18-wheeler trailers, the snow ices over and becomes very heavy, and then starts to thaw and flies off the trucks in large chunks. Guess who gets hit with the ice? You and I and everyone else around us. No, I didn't get hit but saw quite a few brake-lights this morning as the ice was flying. Take care out there and don't forget to look up when passing that truck.

Missed the Snow ..... Again

2009-12-20T21:54:00.005-05:00

While my (David's) favorite seasons are Fall and Winter I really look forward to winter so I can take some pictures in the Historical Triangle area. I have been fortunate in the past to be on Jamestown Island vitually alone during the snow, as well as in Yorktown and on the Colonial Parkway (see images), and even Colonial Williamsburg (see previous blog) - the picture opportunities are endless which is why I hate to miss the chance.

But, while we have been

fortunate to be here during

the snow, it seems more often than not we are out of town.

The Nor-Easter that came up through the mid-Atlantic coast on into New England this weekend (including snow in Williamsburg) missed us because we were in Charlotte North Carolina (yep, just south of the snow line). We've left before for weekends only to come back and find half-melted snowmen falling down throughout the neighborhood - and we didn't even know it was supposed to snow.

So, another missed opportunity to drive the Colonial Parkway in the snow and visit Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Maybe better luck next time but I fear winter has come and gone once again.

A Horse Story

2009-12-15T22:52:00.004-05:00

I recently ran across a story I wrote for Danielle a while back. Danielle loves horses and loves to write just as much. One night while she was visiting I jumped on the computer after she had gone to sleep and wrote a story for her. What follows here is what I came up with. Not your normal 'blog' but one I enjoyed quite a few months ago.

TALL AND STRONG IN THE WIND

While the storm that had pounded the ranch had occurred almost a month ago, the damage done to the main barn, several out-buildings, and the main house had yet to be completely repaired. The Jackson family, Artie, Melinda, and their 12 year-old daughter Cheyenne did what they could in the days following the storm but the rest would have to wait until there was enough money to complete the repairs. Money was tight as the market for the few crops they were able to plant and harvest, as well as the market for cattle and horses, had been slow over the past few years and it was beginning to catch up to them. They had borrowed what money they could but even that had started to dry up and the banks were hesitant to lend them any more money, especially with no end in sight to the slow market. As it was, the family relied on what little Artie was able to bring in selling the few excess crops and animals that he could as well as some cash he was earning working at the nearby Bar-None Ranch as their assistant foreman. In addition, Melinda worked part-time in the general store in Two River Junction. Even 12 year-old Cheyenne tried to help by sweeping out the general store and taking out the trash at the small local diner in town. Together, the Jackson family brought in just enough money to get by, but with nothing left over to purchase any luxuries. They were the lucky ones. Many families had already gone under, unable to keep up with the cost of just surviving.

The small herd of cattle and the few horses weren’t going to last much longer. It seemed like the cost of feed was increasing in price every time Artie went to town to stock up. Feed was just one of the staple of items needed around a ranch that was increasing in price – store bought food goods such as flour and wheat were also increasing. The family butchered a few head of cattle and grew their own vegetables to offset the rising costs and even had some apple and pear trees they were able to harvest as well. What they didn’t sell at the local farmer’s market they kept for themselves. But for how long? That was the question they kept asking as they watched neighbor after neighbor leave homes and ranches their families had lived in for generations. It was painful to watch as their friends departed. And it scared them as well.

Years before the markets had come tumbling down, the Jackson ranch had been very prosperous. Artie’s great-grandfather had purchased the land and built the original ranch house and as the ranch was passed down to Artie’s grandfather, then his father, and finally to him, there were improvements made by each member of the family. What had started out as a simple barn and ranch house now was made up of over six separate out-buildings as well as four completely enclosed pastures for both summer and winter grazing. In addition, several creeks meandered through the property and while a creek would sometimes dry up in the heat of the summer, they were never without water – and that was a good thing because if the water had dried up during one of the long summers the cattle and horses would have had to have been sold. That would have been the beginning of the end for the Jackson ranch. Now, however, what one waterless summer could have done over the years, a slow market was about to do. Something had to give, and give soon.

One of the things that kept Cheyenne busy and not thinking about the current problems at the ranch was her love of horses. It didn’t matter what kind of horse it was or what color it was; nor did it matter if everyone thought the horse was ugly. If it was a horse – Cheyenne loved it as much as any little girl could. The one thing Cheyenne didn’t like about having so many horses around was that they could never keep a horse for very long. When the market for a good ranch horse was strong, the Jacksons couldn’t keep a good horse around very long before they sold it. Each and every time Cheyenne’s dad sold a horse, Cheyenne thought she had lost one of her best friends. Her mom and dad had tried to explain to Cheyenne not to get too attached to the horses because she would always feel sad every time one was sold. And she did too.

But of all the horses on the ranch, Cheyenne’s favorite was Cherokee, the black and white Pinto that had been given to her by her mom and dad on her sixth birthday. Her mom and dad saw how sad Cheyenne was every time they had to sell a horse so they decided to buy Cherokee for Cheyenne and promised her they would never sell her horse no matter what. Cherokee and Cheyenne were inseparable from the day young Cherokee came to the ranch. At first all Cheyenne could do was take the lead and pull Cherokee around with her but soon Cheyenne was able to get up and ride Cherokee around the enclosed paddock on the ranch. She needed help at first but as she got older she was able to saddle Cherokee and do all the things she needed to do. That also included the hard work that went along with having her own a horse. She regularly cleaned out the stalls, groomed Cherokee, and made sure he got all the feed and water he needed. Cheyenne loved Cherokee with all her heart.

One day as Cheyenne was riding Cherokee around the ranch, she noticed Mr. Pearson’s pick-up truck in the yard. Mr. Pearson was a friend of the family, but not a real close friend she didn’t think because they never went over to his house. He lived up on the big hill south of town on a very large ranch with lots of horses and cattle. She thought to herself that Mr. Pearson would never be poor because he had so much on his ranch. As she guided Cherokee back towards the house she abruptly pulled back on the reins and pulled Cherokee underneath a large oak tree near the top of the hill and watched as Mr. Pearson and her dad and mom came out of the house. She watched as they continued to talk and right before Mr. Pearson got back in his truck he shook her dad’s hand. As he drove off, Cheyenne noticed his mom and dad hug which she thought was strange. Cheyenne had never seen her mom and dad hug like that before – like something was wrong. Cheyenne pulled Cherokee’s reins to the left and spurred him forward and as he galloped down the hill toward the house Cheyenne could not help but wonder what was going on.

Once Cheyenne and Cherokee got into the stable, Cheyenne quickly took off the saddle and brushed Cherokee just a little (she told herself she would come back later and brush him some more before she went to bed). She had already put more feed down and put fresh clean water out before she and Cherokee went for a ride so she didn’t have to do that right now. From there she went into the house but noticed right away that the house was very quiet.

She called out for her mom and dad and heard her dad call back to let her know that they were on the back porch. When Cheyenne went out to the porch to see them she noticed her mom turn her head away quickly. She saw that her mom’s eyes were red, like her eyes got when she cried when one of her best friend horses was sold and taken away. Cheyenne, looking at her mom, asked what was wrong. Her mom didn’t say anything and seemed to turn away further. Her dad answered the question by just saying that they needed to talk to Cheyenne about something very important. All of a sudden, Cheyenne was scared.

Her dad started talking about how bad things were as far as not having a lot of money and that they had to do things they didn’t want to do in order to keep the ranch. Cheyenne wasn’t sure what that was but she didn’t like the way it sounded. When Cheyenne asked what that all meant, her mom all of a sudden got up and walked out of the room in a hurry – and she thought she heard her crying. Her dad started to explain to her that Mr. Pearson had been at the house and Cheyenne said she knew because she was watching from the hill.

Cheyenne’s dad continued on by saying that in order to get some money and save the ranch, he had agreed to sell all the remaining horses and cattle to Mr. Pearson. The money Mr. Pearson had offered to pay would get the family through the hard times her father explained. Cheyenne’s first thought of course was about all the horses she had made friends with that she would have to say goodbye to. That made her sad and she almost started to cry just thinking about it. When she asked her dad when Mr. Pearson was going to pick up the horses he told her in three days. That really hurt because she now knew she only had three more days with her best friends. She and Cherokee would miss them but she knew it had to be done. If she didn’t have Cherokee to share her sadness with she thought it would really be bad. She stepped over to her dad to give him a hug and tell him everything would be okay and she would be brave when her best friend horses left but before she could give him a hug he said there was one more thing he had to tell her.

Her mom came back in the room and stood by the door as her dad started to tell her the one more thing. He explained that Mr. Pearson had agreed to buy all the horses and cattle and that the sale had to include the black and white Pinto he had seen around the ranch before. That couldn’t be Cheyenne thought to herself. The black and white Pinto? What? No, that can’t be, that is Cherokee! No, no, no Cheyenne yelled – he can’t have Cherokee, he can’t, he just can’t! And with that, Cheyenne ran off the back porch. Both Artie and Melinda stood and stared at each other, speechless and angry that it had all come to this. They decided to let Cheyenne have some time to be alone and didn’t follow her.

Cheyenne cried all the way to the stables. She couldn’t understand why all of this was happening. What did Cherokee do that would make her dad sell him to Mr. Pearson. And why did Mr. Pearson want Cherokee? Didn’t he know that Cherokee was her horse and no one else’s? Why? Why was this happening? She continued to cry as she hugged Cherokee as hard as she ever had before. Cherokee didn’t know what was happening either and Cheyenne didn’t know how to tell him either – but she knew she would. She cried some more and fell asleep in the stable, with Cherokee watching over her – maybe for the last time.

The next three days were terrible days at the ranch. As each hour ticked away, it got closer to the day Mr. Pearson was coming to pick up the animals, including Cherokee. Cheyenne couldn’t bear to think about it. She spent all her time with Cherokee, including the time her mom and dad tried to make her go inside to eat and sleep. She refused to go inside and leave Cherokee and she was mad at her mom and dad for trying to make her go – but more mad at them for agreeing to sell Cherokee to Mr. Pearson. So, for three days, her mom brought her food out to the stables where she ate with Cherokee whenever she wasn’t riding him around the ranch.

The dreaded day arrived when Mr. Pearson was going to bring his trucks over to the ranch to pick up the cattle and horses. She hated the day as soon as it arrived. She woke up early in the morning and got Cherokee ready for one last ride. She rode him to his favorite spot by Yellow Creek where they used to go on almost every ride. Cherokee loved to run through the water and jump the small streams running from the creek and Cheyenne loved to jump with him. She couldn’t bear to think that this would be their last ride to Yellow Creek. She cried just thinking about it.

She stayed away from the house and waited for her dad to come get her, to make her ride Cherokee back to the house so Mr. Pearson could put her on the truck and take her away. She listened carefully for sounds of her dad or mom calling her but she never heard anything. She rode Cherokee over to the big oak tree on top of the hill and peered down towards the house. She saw what she didn’t want to see, what scared her more than anything – the trucks pulling into the yard and backing up to the barn and stables. She watched in silence, staring at everything going on down below. She watched as the cattle were herded onto two long flatbed trucks with guardrails around the sides. She heard all the mooing and saw all the dust flying up as the cattle marched on to the trucks one by one. Then she saw the horse trailers backing up to the stables. There must have been ten of them of all different sizes. She watched as men marched into the stables and marched out, each leading a horse by the lead. It went on forever, or so she thought. Pretty soon she saw her mom and dad talking to Mr. Pearson and she saw her dad pointing towards her and Cherokee on top of the hill under the big oak tree. Mr. Pearson looked up and they all stared right at her. Soon, while Mr. Pearson and her mom stayed by the house, she saw her dad get in his truck and drive toward where she and Cherokee were on the hill. She thought about turning Cherokee and galloping off and running away but decided not to. As her dad got closer her heart started racing faster and faster and she got more scared as her eyes started to tear up. She knew it was almost over and she knew what they were going to make her do. It wasn’t fair.

Her dad finally made it to where she and Cherokee stood. He had a sad look in his eyes and she knew why. She couldn’t really stay mad at her dad because she knew he didn’t mean to take Cherokee away from her and make her hurt so much inside. As he got closer he called her name and started to talk. He said the time had come for Mr. Pearson to pick up all the animals and take them away. She knew all of that by what was happening down by the house – and she knew why her dad was here too – to come get Cherokee. Her dad explained to her that this was one of the hardest things he ever had to do and he didn’t want to do it but he had to in order to save the ranch. Cheyenne just started to cry and hug her dad and they both started to cry together. As Cheyenne continued to hug her dad she noticed the trucks starting to leave. First the two long trucks carrying the cattle drove out the gate, followed closely by the many horse trailers carrying her best friends. She started to cry harder. Then she noticed something very strange. She saw Mr. Pearson standing by her mom and he was waving – he was waving at her on the hill. But why? Why would he do that? With that, Mr. Pearson got in his truck and also drove out the gate. Then there were no more trucks.

Through her tears, Cheyenne asked her dad if Mr. Pearson was going to get more trucks and come back because he didn’t take Cherokee and there weren’t any trucks left. Cheyenne’s dad hugged her close then kneeled down, looked her straight in the eyes and said no, Mr. Pearson wasn’t coming back for Cherokee. Cherokee wasn’t going to leave after all. Her dad told her that when Mr. Pearson arrived in the morning he told him that he couldn’t sell the black and white Pinto, his daughter’s best friend in the whole world and if that ruined the deal, then he guessed he just wouldn’t sell any of the animals to Mr. Pearson. When Mr. Pearson heard how much Cheyenne loved Cherokee Mr. Pearson said he couldn’t bear to separate them and agreed to buy all the cattle and horses – except for Cherokee; he wanted Cheyenne to keep Cherokee.

Cheyenne screamed with joy and hugged her dad harder and harder and then hugged Cherokee and told him he didn’t have to leave after all. They could ride to Yellow Creek and jump over the streams as much as they wanted. Cheyenne was happy as she could be!

Cherokee stood next to both of them, tall and strong in the wind.

Holidays in Full Swing

2009-12-06T12:03:00.004-05:00

Yep, the holidays are here .... evident by us getting into the attic for the Christmas tree and upwards of seven Rubbermaid tubs and various sized boxes of holiday decor. We have enough holiday decoration boxes/tubs to have one per room I think. But, we love it - the more the merrier. Its like Christmas-time each year getting the goodies out of their 11 month hiding place. You can always here us say "Oh wow, I had forgotten about that," or "Push the button, I want to hear the music box again," or "When is the last day we can mail the box," and finally "Do we have everything for everyone yet?"

Yes, the season is different things to different people, and depending on whether or not you have kids or grandkids, it takes on even a different meaning for each and every one of us. It is my (Dave's) favorite time of the year as it usually means family get-togethers and cold winter nights and holiday activities for everyone. For me, just once though I'd like us to go on a sled ride, in the snow, in the country, on Christmas Eve. In the infamous words of Lawrence Welk - wunnerful wunnerful.

For many it is a time to reflect back on the past year and to celebrate His birth amidst all of the other festivities - for some those aspects are the focal points of the season. However, whether you and your family concentrate on the season for reflection, celebration, or holiday cheer, we hope you all have a wonderful season!

The lighted Christmas tree is up, the candle wreaths are in the windows, the mailbox is holiday-covered and we are flying our seasonal flags. Yep Tis the Season!

Buck in Back Yard

2009-12-04T23:08:00.004-05:00

Starting to get a little chilly out there. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be in the 40's and there is talk of flurries so maybe old man winter has finally arrived. I hear Houston got some snow today but haven't heard from Benj and Abbey.

Had a surprise visitor to the backyard this evening. I got home and threw out the corn as usual and shortly thereafter Debbie said that a buck was in the back. It was a little early in the evening for a buck to show up but sure enough there he was - a six-pointer. I snuck out on the deck with the camera but of course spooked him so I waited .... and waited ..... and waited .... and waited. About two hours later, after seeing does come and go during that time, I heard what turned out to be the buck. He held off in the woods for a long time, barely showing at all but finally came out. I was able to snap an image of him in a small opening in the woods (see and click on image) and he finally came up to where the corn was (8-10 yards away). I was waiting for him to clear some low hanging branches before taking another image, and he did come out from behind about neck high, but then spooked and took off. The image here has been lightened to bring out the deer image better but note the antlers - not bad for a small backyard buck.

Shared Blog - of course

2009-12-03T20:33:00.004-05:00

As you may have noticed, some of the wording in the blogs have changed - ever so slightly. Just decided that it wasn't a 'Dave' blog, or a 'Debbie' blog - was a Dave and Debbie blog. Soooooooo, we'll try not to keep it from becoming too confusing for ya - but you should be able to tell who said what to who when .... enjoy!

We are car-payment free!!

2009-12-02T21:36:00.006-05:00

Well, it finally happened! Dave walked into the local Sun Trust and told 'em he was there to pay off the Jeep! Ahhhh, what a great sound that is ... let me type it again ..... PAY OFF THE JEEP!! There - that's better. So, with that, we are car payment free for the first time since we have been married (Debbie paid off the RAV over a year ago). Between the Liberty and the RAV4 we have chalked up 240,000+ miles (165,000 of that would be the Jeep). But, both are in excellent shape and have plenty of miles left to go. Dave just needs to avoid anyone driving a new car - and certainly not get in a new one with that great new-car smell. Soooooooooo, out of kindness to me, please don't tell me if you bought a new car - just enjoy it in silence. Debbie on the other hand doesn't suffer from the new car bug - just loves her RAV.

Our animal friends

2009-12-01T21:11:00.004-05:00

Dave was out on the deck this evening cooking up some vittles on the grill and watching 'our' herd of deer about 8 yards away below the deck. Tonight was a high-count with eight deer - all does. We throw out corn and peanust to our 'friends' and have conversations with them - swear they are listening. They don't spook for the most part and just graze while we yap at 'em. Every now and then they are joined by the foxes (have seen two) and raccoons (untold numbers) and the ocassional possum.

After we ate Dave went out to put the grill cover on and after a couple of minutes he noticed that the 'ocassional' possum was sitting on the deck watching him - sat there the whole time he was covering the grill. Finally departed after he went back inside. Last night we peered out and saw two bucks - both 4-points (eastern count) but both pretty good size (for eastern backyard whitetails). The picture to the right was taken earlier this year on our deck.

Caementarius Speaks ... for the first time

2009-12-01T19:43:00.007-05:00

Dave here - lots to say but no audience - but I guess it beats having nothing to say to an audience. I've thought about 'blogging' for quite some time now - just never got around to it until now. So, decided to create one both Debbie and I can share.

I usually have plenty to say driving to and from work but then again its only me so I'm pretty much a 'captive audience of one.' But, if the drivers in the other vehicles could actually hear what I have to say ..... hmmm .... okay, we won't go there. But then again, Debbie has a lot to say to me when we are in the car together. She says I am a terrible driver and make her ride very stressful - I say I'm not and offer no accidents (my fault anyway) in over 30 years of driving - she calls it lucky. Maybe she is right.

Also, she says I am no fun to travel with but has yet to offer up what the definition of 'fun travel' is all about. I'm envisioning a non-stop discussion on what ails the world and what we can do about it - which is pretty much 180 degrees from what a trip in the car for me is all about. Since I was a kid I have made an art out of watching the world go by out of every available window in a car (or train, or plane, etc) in relative silence. My own little world so-to-speak. Debbie on the other hand comes from a world where, I believe, silence is thought of as a mental disease of some sort - especially from the man-side of things. To tell you the truth, I'd probably be silent on trips between Mars and Venus since that is where we are all from apparently. Yes, I do read on occasion - in silence.

I grew up in a household of five - me the youngest of three kids, with a brother and sister to balance things out. Yea, I know, you are like a lot of people who swear they could pick out the youngest of a group of siblings at twenty paces - pure poppycock in my book. Anyway, I was talking about travelling. When we would take trips in the car I was relegated to the HUMP - you know, the middle seat with floor space usually raised to form a 'hump' about 8 to 12 inches higher than the rest of the back seat floorboard. That was my 'space' while my brother and sister occupied the coveted left and right rear seats next to the windows. Every now and then I would venture (by pure accident of course) into the forbidden zone left or right of me and would be accused of invading aforementioned brotherly or sisterly space. You would have thought the Mongols had attacked by the way they reacted. But I digress. From my perch on the hump I would just enjoy what flew by on my left, or right, or what was coming right at us - all in total silence. I never felt I needed to say anything because I was just enjoying the scenery as it went past. I'm told I get that from my Mom - going for a ride in the country was considered 'fun travel' in those days.

I've always been a silent traveller - but I'm trying. Like I said above, I asked Debbie what was her idea of 'fun travel was' but she never got around to answering the question (in all fairness I just asked the question tonight). First, she looked at me incredulously like it was pure stupidity on my part for asking the question (or maybe she thought I was kidding) but secondly, and more significant here, her cell phone rang and she was 'forced' to go off and start a conversation with a more willing participant - and there seem to be plenty of those in her world.