(These are pics from Gayle's - the view from her deck & her lovely dinner table.)

I'm at home now on Cranbrook Road, watching the Olympic hockey game between the US & Canada. It's a good one, and the first of the Olympics I've seen this time. Since I last wrote...
The trailer hitch thawed & I headed for Greenville, SC to see brother Vic. I picked him up & we went to Anderson, SC to see brother Phillip & the other good folks of the Campbell clan. It was a very good visit.
That night we went to dinner at the Galley, the first place I dined with them in 1992, when we first met. At dinner was Vic, Lindalee, Phillip, Lindalee's son Kristopher and Phillip's son Mason. Kristipher was quite the conversationist & kept us engaged & entertained. It was fun to be with him and the others, too.
When I woke up on Friday morning, it was the first time I had looked forward to going home since the trip began. After returning to Gayle's, I hooked up the trailer & headed for home. Unfortunately Gayle was out car shopping & I wasn't able to see her before I left. It wasn't the kind of goodbye we wanted & I hope to see her again soon.
The house was in good shape, thanks to my trusty house sitter, and Peach's welcomed me warmly. She sure is a sweet cat & well named by LaVerne. The cable box was out so there was no TV to watch & that was fine. I was so tired I could barely wiggle. Some Costco rotiseree chicken sure tasted good after unloading the trailer.
On Saturday I finished unloading the trailer & took it back to the storage place. It was hard to leave it there not knowing exactly when the next trip will be. At home there was a mountain of mail to face & a Tar Heel basketball game to watch! So I went to Alan's!
It was so good to see Alan again & watch the Heels together. That's one of the things I missed the most. We had a blast & the Heels won! What a great homecoming gift for me! Alan said they were losing because I wasnt here to watch with him. I said I would take the blame if I could take the credit when they won. They looked so good, I predicted the win early in the 2nd half. I stayed for dinner & got to see Cathy who returned from a Unity church leadership program. I had made a small contribution to the development of the program & was glad to hear it went well.
Church this morning was wonderful. I had so many warm greetings from so many people. It was family day so the children sang, which is always a favorite for me. And Jennifer spoke which I also enjoyed very much.
I got to ride the scooter to church then to Shelley Lake for a walk. I've missed more days walking the past week than the last 9 months since I started walking regularly. It felt very good to be at the lake again.
What's next?
It might be a trip to DC in April with Barbara & her boys. I'll definitely go back to Anderson in April or May for a week or 2. My 45th high school reunion is August 14 & I plan to go early & stay late with the rig in tow. And I'm already booked at Sun n Fun in Sarasota for December through March, lord willin & the creek don't rise. I'll write more as plans develop.

Not home yet

Day before yesterday Gayle & I went to Weaverville to check on her sister's house there. It's their home place & they use it as a getaway cottage now that their parents have passed on. What a neat place ! It's full of pine paneling made from trees that were cleared to build the house in 1952. It sits on a little hill just outside of town with Mt Pisgah in sight on a clear day.
It was really nice to be back near Asheville again. The last time I was there was December '08 at the Grove Park Inn to use a gift certificate at the spa & take a break from grieving. This trip was far more pleasant.
Before leaving we went to see Suzie Long's new office on Chestnut Street in Asheville. I was so caught up in visiting that I didn't take any pictures of it, which I now regret, because it is so beautiful. Of course Suzie used her splendid interior decorating skills and contacts with local artisans to make it so. Wayne Caldwell was there in his new office. His new book was just released a couple of days ago & he'll be traveling around doing readings pretty soon. I believe the title is Requiem By Fire. It was good to see them both.
G& I had lunch at the Tupelo Honey Cafe downtown & it was excellent. If you're in the area I highly recommend it.
Also this week I planned another side trip to Greenville to visit brothers Vic & Phillip. But when I tried to unhook the rig this morning, the hitch was frozen/stuck & absolutely not coming loose. I may try again later. Also as Gayle & I were just getting to Mooresville, her transmission quit & we were stuck for a while. The tow truck finally arrived & took us to a garage right next to her daughter's place, so the wait wasn't bad at all. So in the past week, 3 mechanical incidents have stopped me for a while: the blown trailer tire, Gayle's transmission failure & the stuck trailer hitch. There seems to be a conspiracy to make me be still for a while!
I plan to go home tomorrow or Saturday if I'm able to get the Greenville trip in. We'll see.

This leg almost done

This leg of the adventure is almost done. Something I read in Ted Kennedy's book comes to mind. He wrote of events being anticipated, being experienced and being remembered. That's certainly what I've done with this trip and now look forward to the memories, some still being accumulated.
My days since the last entry here were filled with long walks at the beach and through the woods, a few chilly scooter rides, eating oysters and enjoying a fire. I bought what is called a half sack of oysters for $15 thinking it would be a peck or so. It was more than a bushel and I gave away several dozen to a neighbor and took a few with me for on the road. Many of them were eaten raw and were juicy and salty and delicious. Others I roasted over the fire and the smoky flavor was so nice.
The more I went without TV and computer, the more I liked it. Although I did miss e-mail and other things for staying in touch with folks.
I left St George's Island Thursday morning as planned. Driving through Tate's Hell Forest I saw an eagle perched in a tall pine tree next to the highway. I thought it was a good sign, but I was wrong.
Savannah was my stopover point so I enjoyed a long, hot shower and a good sleep. Got off to a good start Friday morning, until a passing rental truck motioned for me to pull over. I did and discovered I'd blown a tire on the trailer. It must have just happened because I didn't feel or hear a thing. I called the Good Sam Club and they dispatched a truck which took about an hour. During the wait I finished off the oysters and read more of 3 Cups of
Tea. It was a warm and sunny day so the wait wasn't too bad. Then I went to an RV place close by and purchased a new tire for the spare.
Now I'm at my recently rediscovered friend Gayle's house at Lake Norman in Mooresville. It's a very beautiful place, sitting right on the water. There's a great view and it is very comfortable. It's nice being in a house, but I miss my little mobile home which served me so well for 2 straight months.
When I return to Raleigh I'll start planning my next trip. It's probably be around my 45th high school reunion, whenever that is. I'll keep posting stuff like that here as long as it's news about my travels.
Thanks for your following and your comments. It's so nice to hear from you and I hope you've enjoyed the ramblings here as much as I've enjoyed doing them.

At St. George's Island, FL

At Eddie Teaches bar at St. George's Island, where I was this time last year. The oysters are smaller, the beer isn't as cold. Maybe I'm just older or something.
It's so beautiful at the island. It's also very quiet, except for the birds singing. No planes, boats, cars....very peaceful..Rained all day yesterday, blue skies & sunny today. Two very long walks. Lots of fine shells & having fun with photography again.
It is so isolated & I like it. After the hustle & bustle of Sarasota, this is very soothing. Have scootered a little but not much. Great seafood here, as before.

The image at the bottom is all about Valentine's Day. I saw the heart shaped shadow & had to take the shot.

The middle pic is one of my favorites for some reason, These shells attract my attention like no other. Their smooth lines just grab my view!
Continuing to ponder renting the house in Raleigh. Opinions are appreciated & seriously considered. Thank you.

My first thought this morning was that it's daughter Barbara's birthday. So I called her & wished her well. I'm so proud of her! She lives life in a very good way.
A knock on my door turned out to be the Fed Ex guy with my new credit card. I said "man am I glad to see you!" My bank, USAA (United Services Automobile Association) has had my business since 1969 & they have been & remain the best in banking & insurance. My new card was here in just 2 days with no hassle. They truly live their motto, "We know what it means to serve."
The air was cool, the sky was blue so I headed for the beach again. It was windy, but not as bad as yesterday. Found an oyster bar near the beach & ordered 1/2 dozen on the half shell. While eating the 5th one, I found I had a little pearl in my mouth. It's about the size of a BB & almost perfectly round. The bar maid was more excited than I was. She told everyone in the place & people were coming by to see it. I took it as a good sign.
A long walk on the beach was very windy & felt very good. There were pieces of sand dollar everywhere. And they reminded of going to the beach with my mom. She would walk gently through the water, finding them with her feet. Then she would pick them up with her toes. The big one & the next were like pinchers. Literally! More than once she would pinch me my friends just to see us jump. Then she would laugh really big & so would we.
I found another cool looking shell with a little sea urchin inside. I'm not sure what the bigger one is called, but they sure are pretty. The water was so rough I don't see how any shells made it to shore in one piece. There were white caps out there.
Dinner with the Sierra's was lots of fun & the food was wonderful, thanks to Luis. He's truly a master host & chef. We talked about my return with lots of enthusiasm. Until then, back to one day at a time.
Since St. George's is so isolated, I may not have wireless Internet. If that's the case, I'll keep notes & catch up when I get back to cyberspace once again. Until then, faithful followers, bon voyage!

Rainy day

Since I hadn't been to the beach here yet, today seemed like a good day to go. It was gonna be 73 & overcast with a chance of rain & windy. So I jumped on the scooter & headed to Lido Key, hoping to find some lunch at a sidewalk cafe on St. Armands Circle.
The wind was really wicked especially going across the bridge. It reminded me of flying in crosswinds where you mostly have control except for some brief moments when you don't. It was a little hairy but I made it okay.
Found a cool place called Hemingways Retreat & the Hemingway chowder looked very good, and it was. The ingredients were shrimp, crab, clams, potatoes, dried tomato, celery & some other goodies. It was delicious! And there was warm bread & butter to go with it. I actually got out of there spending only $10 which included a nice tip.
When I came outside it was raining lightly & I walked toward the beach hoping to do my long walk there. The further I went, the harder it rained & the wind was blowing. Since I didn't want to wait it out, I jumped on the scooter & headed back to the mainland. By the time I got home I was half soaked - my front half. Luckily it stayed warm & that was a very good thing.
I just now made reservations for my next trip here. It'll be December 1 through March 31 at a very nice site. The site is on a quiet street very near the big lake, which can be seen from the lot. There's a huge beautiful live oak tree there with hanging moss. Barbara was very glad when I told her of my plan. Of course things can change & if they do it's pretty easy to get out of the commitment. It feels very good to know that I'm coming back here, if the Lord's willing & the creek don't rise.

A very hard day...

Nearly all of my entries have been happy & upbeat, but not this one. So if you wanna skip it, feel free.
The day began with a misunderstanding between me & a friend that lead to hard and/or hurt feelings. How I hate computers sometimes & hate my hearing loss even more, as it has caused me to be reluctant to talk on the phone. Anyhow, that got resolved.
Returning from the grocery store I witnessed an "accident". The word is in quotes because part of it was and the other part was intentional I believe.
I was pulling onto a very busy 6 lane road where I had to go to the center, pause, then make a left & merge into traffic. The turn went well & I was in front of a little black boxy type vehicle. After making the turn I looked in my rear view mirror to see the black box still in his lane & a very large sedan in the grass next to him running parallel. A very close call.
Just a few seconds later, the big sedan was to the right of the box. He moved into the box's lane, hitting him & forcing him off the road. It looked like the sedan did it on purpose. They made a left, following each other, and I proceeded on.
I realized that the guy in the box might need a witness, so I turned around & went back. They were parked, out of their cars & writing down tag numbers & such.
The sedan driver, an older man, came over to me & started blaming everything on the box's driver & calling it road rage. I told him I was there as a witness, then told him what I'd seen. He got visibly upset & said I was wrong & tried to convince me of such. I stood my ground, then went & talked to the box's driver, a young guy very upset & shaking. I told him I saw what happened & he was very grateful I had returned. He said police were on the way.
While we waited the 20 minutes or so for the trooper to arrive, the older guy tried again to change my mind. He even said he'd been a POW in Viet Nam for 4 years & was a former Navy pilot. I still stood my ground.
When the trooper arrived, he talked with the older guy first, then the younger guy then took me way off to the side to hear about what I had seen. He thanked me & said he would put me in the report as a witness & appreciated me staying around as most people don't.
As I got on my scooter to leave, the trooper was telling the older guy he was going to give him a ticket for improper lane change. The older guy came straight to me, told me he was being charged & that I was wrong. I just shook my head & drove off.
While talking with the older guy before the trooper arrived, we discovered both of us were staying at Sun n Fun & he had seen my scooter there. When I got back to my site I parked it near the back instead of near the street. After all, if he intentionally hit another car why not run over my scooter! Then I did something I've never done before. I got my .38 special & put it next to my door under a pillow, just in case he decided to look me up. As I was eating lunch I saw him drive by but he didn't stop.
After lunch I was walking through the park looking at available sites for next time. Yep, sure enough he pulled up beside me & rolled down his window.
He said "you looking for a site for next year?" I said yes, & he said "you don't want that one." I asked why & he said it was near a lot of traffic & would be too noisy. I thanked him & he left saying "I'll talk to you later." We'll see, but I doubt it. He was much calmer than before, that's for sure.
I periodically check my credit card & bank statements while traveling to be sure all is well. This time it wasn't. There were 3 mystery charges on my credit card totalling over $570. I called USAA right away & they cancelled the card. The hard part will be getting a new one to me here before Thursday morning when I'm supposed to leave. Now the pressure is on Fed Ex!
Think I'll go for a walk then head for the hot tub & stay there until I turn to jello. It has been a day of very unpleasant surprises in the midst of many, many happy & carefree days. So, it'll pass & I'll be happy once again. But no relaxing completely until the new credit card arrives.

Sunday with the Sierra's, part 2

The day began meeting Barbara at a favorite restaurant of hers for brunch. I'd been there before & was glad to be there again. It sat near a pond and the scenery was nice. I tried something new: eggs Benedict with fresh spinach, avocado & tomato. It was very good!
When I was departing Barbara's a neighbor from across the street came over to say hello. Her name is Grace, she's in her early 80's & is a delight to be around. I first met her 2 years ago at Jennifer's wedding & she & LaVerne hit it off like long lost friends. They had a ball! It was so good to see her again & it brought back some very good memories.
Afterward I came back home to watch the Tar Heels play & for a while thought they might win. But it was not to be. They need to replenish the tar on their heels on defense as they were lacking & Maryland couldn't miss.
When I returned to Barbara's, Jason & I went for another ride to practice his driving. I was pretty tough on him & also tried to teach him some new things. So he got to go on the interstate for the first time & drove 70mph for the first time. He scored a 74 on this ride, reflecting how long a ride it was, 1 hour & 15 minutes, & how I would let him make a mistake, then tell him & deduct points. We worked on him checking every intersection visually by riding through the RV park where there are lots of side streets & stop signs everywhere. We laughed & talked & had a good time. He seemed glad to have learned new things.
At Luis & Barbara's I asked Luis for a cooking lesson for some fine looking grouper, and he gave me that & more. Not only did he share some of his special spice mix, he showed my how to make it! I was very honored to say the least. Jennifer & I had a chance to visit & catch up. It's always so nice to talk with her. She's so lively & bright & thoughtful. The dinner was delicious, as always, & we had a very fine time. So the pic for today is of my wonderful niece, Jennifer.
The Saints won! Although I didn't watch a lot of the game, I saw the last quarter & that was really good. I'm so happy for the city of New Orleans & hope this victory will inspire them to continue their hard work of rebuilding.
I'm going to miss the Sierra's when I leave & have already started to plan a return.

Vacation?

Several folks have referred to what I'm doing as a vacation. My fine therapist called it a walkabout. I've been calling it an adventure since the start. I don't have a dictionary with me but since I don't work, I don't think I can have a vacation any more. Guess I always thought a vacation was getting away from work & home. Now that home is where the heart is, or home is where I park it, I'm not getting away from home. Ergo, no vacation for me.
This is truly a change in lifestyle. Luis helped me to see how much I enjoy this freedom & lack of worry & hassle. Specifically, he was referring to my decision about whether to keep the house in Raleigh & rent it, or sell it. He recommended selling. He asked if I'd ever rented out a house before & I said twice. Then he asked how it went. The first time went pretty well. The second time didn't & caused a lot of headaches. So I'm leaning toward selling it. Nothing final. Not a decision, yet. Your opinions will be considered & appreciated, if you have one. Thank you.

A blustery day

As I followed Barbara home from the movie the other day, I recognized a restaurant Luis & I had gone to a long time ago. I also remembered the great meal we had! So last night when she asked if there was somewhere I wanted to go, I mentioned this place & she new the name right away. It was Phillipi's Oyster Bar, on a canal & has been there forever. We had the same thing Luis & I had: steamed oysters, shrimp, celery, onion & corn on the cob, all together. My oh my, was it ever good! We had lots of laughs & it was an adventure for her to eat like that, as she hadn't done so before. Of the 36 oysters, I was able to open all but one & had put it in the shell bucket. When the waitress heard I'd done that, she said "that's what I'm here for" & proceeded to open it. I was thoroughly impressed! So then we tried to look at her ring finger to see if she was married, & Barbara made a point of referring to me as her brother. Well, she was married & no wonder if she can open oysters like that.
Went to nephew Jason's baseball practice this morning & that was fun & relaxing to watch. Florida & baseball have always gone together for me since it was here that I did all my playing as a kid. So the memories came back & that was enjoyable. Then he drove us home with me as his tutor. Of course I explained the point system I used with my kids: each ride starts with 100 & points are deducted for breaking a law, an unsafe movement or very poor judgement. He got a 97 on the way home, losing 3 points for not slowing down quickly enough in a speed zone. The next ride went unscored, as he struggled to park the big truck. Even I have a hard time parking that rascal. Coming back from lunch he lost 10 points for running a stop sign in a shopping area. He was looking the other way & it was posted on a building's pillar to the right & it was hard to see. He said "what stop sign?" And I said that's the point! We had fun with the ride & will do another tomorrow.
By the way, my last hair cut was December 22 & I don't plan to get one until I return. I told my barber before I left I'd either cut it all off or let it grow 'cause I didn't want to risk a lousy hair cut. To say I'm looking shaggy is an understatement.
Wanted a long scooter ride so I went back to Myakka park. It was late in the day, so the deer & hogs were everywhere. A hog trotted across the road right in front of me, but he was too quick for a pic.
Had a snack of Cajun boiled peanuts. They were very hot & very good.
Just before I got back I spotted a hawk pouncing on something so I pulled over hoping for a good picture. Unfortunately the flash went off, startled him & he flew back to the wire. Then he stared at me & came over to where I was sitting & just looked down as if to say, "you're ruining my hunt so get the hell out of here!" So I did. I didn't wear enough jacket so I was chilled to the bone by the time I got back. Doing 60 when it's 59 degrees, it's pretty cold.
Tomorrow is my last Sunday dinner at the Sierra's for while. I'm sure it'll be a fine time. Jennifer & her family will be there & I'll be glad to visit with them a bit. Gonna go to the hot tub now & warm up!

Stormy day

It was gray & overcast most of the day with some violent stuff near the end. Found out later there were tornadoes in the area. There was a clap of thunder nearby that made me jump.
So I installed some towel racks, a TP holder & rearranged my cooking utensil cabinet. Nephew Jason's baseball scrimmage was rained out, so I went to Wal-Mart & stocked up on some things. St Georg's is very isolated & I don't wanna run out of stuff.
My Mom used to say "home is where the heart is." The other day I saw a sign here in the park that said "home is where you park it." Kinda like that.
Luis Sierra's cooking is better than ever. Had leftovers today, consisting of a Spanish dish of chicken, sweet peppers & mushrooms. Man o man it was good! I swear he's getting better & I didn't think that was possible because he was already so good.
Won $10 at the bar here last night on the very first round of a game I'd never played before. You buy a 3 card hand for $1 each, then the "dealer" calls out the card he deals from a deck. If you match each card in a set, you win. He only called about 6 or 7 cards & I had it. My $3 turned into $10. Be nice to do that again!
It's supposed to cool off tomorrow so I'll until then to figure out what to do. Most likely will follow my nose again unless sister Barbara wants to do something.
Since the pics I took today didn't turn out well, even worse than yesterday's washed out ones, here's one of me smiling. Just so you can see how happy I am.

Gator stew

Today I was going to follow my nose, and I did. To Myakka River
State Park and it was beautiful! A twenty minute scooter ride 0n country roads got me there. Blue skies, cool breeze. I had considered camping there but they were booked & had been for a long time. Once I got there I could see why.
It's a large, natural lake fed by rainwater. It's full of fish, turtles and alligators, with plenty of birds to fill in the picture. I saw egrets, herons, osprey, hawks, armadillos, deer, feral pigs as well as a multitude of gators of all sizes. It's a palmetto/oak hammock. Lots of water spread around, a few high places. It had once been a prairie until it was overgrazed, under burned & other things overtook the grass. The state is working to restore it to a prairie. Although slow, they are making progress.
Myakka means inland water flowing rapidly in the Calusa language, the local natives until disease from the Spanish wiped them out. I took a tour on a large air boat, then on a tram. The guides were excellent! They were older fellows who obviously enjoyed what they were doing & did it very well. There were 72 people on the boat!
For lunch, before the tours, I had gator stew & it was delicious. It had tomatoes, onions, celery, potatoes, carrots, green beans, collard greens, Blake eyed peas & big old chunks of white, tender, juicy gator meat! I loved it & may go back again just for that. Or I may go back & fish.
The lake has bass, snook, panfish, catfish, gar talipia & several other varieties. It sure would be fun to fish there unless I accidentally hooked ,a gator. That would be awful!
Riding the scooter in the park reminded me of the Blue Ridge Parkway with the scenery, wild life, smooth roads & slow speeds.
I also went for a long walk in a canopy forest. It had oaks, palms, palmettos, moss, ferns, likens & other lovely things. The forest also had a 76 foot high observation tower, actually 2 of them, with a swinging bridge in between. It was quite a fine view.
All in all it was a very good day & was tired when I got home. Sister Barbara called about dinner & I declined just cause I was pooped. Gonna try to watch the heels at 9. Life is goooooooood!!!!
I

Today I played my first round of golf here in Sarasota & had a fine time. My alarm didn't go off so I rolled out of bed at 7:20 & was supposed to be ready to tee off at 7:45, with the course less than 10 minutes away. Yep, I made it, but without a shower, breakfast or even coffee. I did manage a glass of juice.
The course was pretty easy & straightforward, although I still didn't score very well. There were a lot of people there for the regular Wednesday Sun n Fun match. Since I didn't have a handicap I wasn't playing for the prizes. Next week I'll have one based on today's round. The guys I played with were very nice & fun to be with. We kidded & joked & had fun. One of them is on the road full time so I found out that it can be done & apparently quit a few people do it. That was encouraging.
Sand hill cranes were everywhere & showed no fear. One guy walked right up next to one where his ball lay, hit his shot & the crane never moved. The pic isn't great but maybe it shows how big they are.
Here's a shot of my homestead here. The large tree with green leaves is the grapefruit, which I haven't eaten any of yet.
Went to nephew Jason's baseball practice this afternoon but there wasn't much to see. Everyone was in batting cages practicing, so I left pretty soon after arriving.
I still want to fish in the lake here. So maybe tomorrow if the weather is decent. I was wondering if the large canal in front of the park had any alligators. It does. Saw a little one, 2 feet or so, sunning amongst a bunch of turtles. Sure would hate to hook one by accident while fishing. What a fight that would be!
A week from tomorrow I'll be heading to Apalachicola & still look forward to the oysters. Mmmm....can almost taste them!

Taking care of business

Today was about taking care of business. Like refueling the truck, getting a map, finding a "donut" for the sewer hose. Things like that. And since I missed walking yesterday, I went a bit further today.
As I came by a building I looked at the posted message outside & learned that "Solos on the go" was having a meeting. It had been going for an hour so I peeked in, then went to the office to find out more about what was going on. Yep, it was for single folks who are traveling, mostly women, and they're always glad to have men attend. Right away I felt a pang of performance anxiety!
So I came back home, changed shirts, combed my hair & went back. As I approached the door, a woman of about 70 something came up, went in & I started to follow her. When we cleared the threshold I could see about 25 women, most older than me, and no men.
I panicked. My military training kicked in & I did the quickest about face ever done. Bam! I was gone like a flash. I was gripped by a fear of all of them looking my way as I walked into the room. I almost ran. Not quite but almost.
A neighbor came over to pick grapefruit & plucked a couple for me. They sure are fresh & hope they are edible. Sometimes they can be super sour....
When at the office I got a copy of the Lifestyle Guide for the park. It's loaded was so many fine activities. I'm already signed up for golf on Wednesday. I'm also considering a line dance class, a poker game, square dancing, bingo, front porch picking & singing, & shuffleboard. They're also having a "50 Years of Motown" party & a Super Bowl party. I like this place.
That's about all the news for today. Tomorrow afternoon Barbara & I are going to walk here at the park then find some dinner. As always, it will be good to see her.

Sunday with the Sierra's

It was a cool, cloudy day which slowed me down a little more than usual, in a good way. I went to the office & extended my stay here instead of moving my trailer to the Sierra's on Thursday. The main reason is I like it here so much. I also inquired about staying next winter for a longer period of time, like several months. I'm sure I won't find a better RV park in this area. Sun n Fun just won another national award for the being the best. My personal agent, Marsha, said my timing was just right as the new rates come out this week. She'll bring them to me along with the sites that will be available next winter. I just learned there is a completely equipped wood working shop here!
Barbara & I had already talked about seeing Avatar, her for the first time & me for the second. We went to the 12:30 show & had a ball. It was as good or better the second time as the first. And Barbara was simply awed. "Brilliant" was one word she used. The first word that comes to mind for me is still beautiful. It is so colorful & vivid & the flying scenes still make my heart beat fast. I now also said it's in a class of its' own. It's truly hard to compare it to any other movie.
In my first viewing I was reminded of Dances With Wolves, as many other folks have been. This time a scene reminded me of......(this might be a spoiler if you haven't seen it yet....so I'll leave some space....)




Tarzan calling in the elephants when things got really bad. I always loved it when he did that!

After the movie Barbara went to run some errands so Luis & I got to spend some time together at their home. Again, he's very easy to talk to & very open. We realized that we've known each other over 40 years now. He cooked while I ate snacks & drank some scotch. He cooked some mushrooms in a special sauce of his & the aroma almost made me drool. As always, the meal was wonderful. Luis cooked steaks to perfection with some special herbs & spices. Wow! After dinner we saw & talked with daughter Barbara & Trey (using Skype on the computer), as Trey has never met these folks in person. Then I scurried off to watch the Tar Heels & Barbara to watch the Black Eyed Peas on the Grammys.
Once again the Heels were disappointing. I really feel for them & Roy. I think he will have to do something very different to get this team to gel. That's gonna be real hard, if he can do it at all, since his ways have worked so well for so long. We'll see. I've never seen a Tar Heel team play this badly this late in the season. 'Tis very trying for us Tar Heel faithfuls!