Just wanted to drop a note before New Years, I have a few pictures to share with you all. On the Saturday before Christmas I went with Micah and met Mildred Evans for lunch. She is 80 now and still getting around good.

On Sunday,after we returned from the Towhey Christmas Extravaganza, we had Christmas with Deb’s niece, Sydney (13 years old now), and her mom and sister Katie. Everyone was well taken care of by Santa.

On Monday evening I put the window Peg made in the opening over our front door. It looks great.
On Christmas eve Micah and Christine came over for dinner and gifts, another fun time. I haven’t downloaded the pictures yet from that. (Sorry) Christmas day mom and dad came over for dinner. This was the most laid back holiday we have had in a long time.

On the 26th I left for a duck hunting trip. That will be the next blog. Deb and I are leaving for Peg’s house tomorrow to spend New Years and help Steve work on his new deck.

Happy New Years

Someone Had To Be First

It is 6:00am on the 22nd of December. Deb just left to take Sydney to the airport so she can spend Christmas with her dad, step mom and 2 brothers.

Deb and I had a great time with everyone yesterday. This is what Christmas should be. As great as it was, I have to thank the first of all mom and dad for hosting the “EXTRAVIGANSA”. But for me the Shore / Williams family stole the day.

Katie thanks for sharing Maddy with all of us.

Chris and April, thanks for making the effort to make the trip. It is not always easy but I hope it was worth the trip.

Peg and Steve, you made the day for Debbie. She has been working hard to remodel the house and your gift will be the crowning touch. Everyone who comes to our home will see it, but only our family will know the love in the giving and receiving in this gift. As soon as I get it up I will post pictures.

I could go on but I need to let all of you have something to post.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.

Happy Birthday Peggie

Just needed to say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" See ya Sunday.

Book Challange

He enjoyed her so much, and hated to see her leave. He smiled and the pretty young woman blushed.
“I really apologize” And then suddenly remembered she hadn’t introduced herself

That is page 56 lines 5, 6 and 7 from “Fine Things” by Danielle Steel. Deb’s mom left this book here and it was the closest book to me when I got the challenge.

Not much going on around here. Last weekend I shot in a AKC hunt test and had a good time. Deb and I went shopping Christmas yesterday, and today I am wrapping gifts and watching Dirty Jobs.

Life goes on.

Peg's Challange

I guess it is my turn to answer Peg’s challenge.
It is hard to start this off and not pick how thankful we all are for this family. One time when Uncle Jack was visiting he and I were riding and I said I was glad we were lucky enough to have left New Jersey. Most of the kids we played with never graduated from high school. He told me that he believed you make your own luck. I agree with that but you need to have the moral and ethical base to make the choices in life.

When we were young I know dad was on the road a lot but, I never remember him missing anything that mattered. I did not think he was gone that much. Now that I spend time on the road I know that it seems like more time to me than the people at home. I also remember him taking jobs on the weekends with “Joe D” to bring in a little extra when needed. I thank him for the work ethic that all six of his children have.

Some of my friends use to tease me about being from the Cleaver family. That is a compliment to me and mom was the base of that. I never remember a dinner that the entire family was not at the table. We never ate in front of the TV. I can still hear, as plain as day, from the back step in Rancocas Heights “Jimmy, Peggie, Billy, Dennis time for dinner”. We could hear that from any place we were, and came running. Our house was always clean and in order. Six kids is a full time job. I remember mom having coffee ready for grand pop when he came home from working the night shift.

All six of us have made good choices as far as jobs and who we have chosen to spend our lives with. The bases of those choices are directly related to our upbringing. The economic times may affect some of us negatively, but we have the upbringing to know what we have to do to make it.

I am also thankful for people like Bryan, Tommy and Chris. People who chose to make our community and Country safe are a special breed. When the rest of us run from trouble they run to it and try to fix the problem. Thanks.

Last but not least Debbie, I have been to 28 states and 7 countries, most with her. This is the only person that would not only let me do all the things I want, but do them with me. Many times she not only does them with me but she does them better than me. She has put aside her fears on several occasions to join me on some adventure that I wanted to do. Deb is afraid of heights but has joined me on a zip line on an active volcano in Nicaragua, and a rain forest in Alaska. She can out work me and out play me. She makes me a better person. (Don’t tell her about this.)
I know there is so much I have not listed but I have to stop someplace.

Finisned at last

Just a few more pictures of the hard wood floor project, It took longer than I would have liked but the outcome was worth it. Our floors were prefinished but they had to sand the subfloor for some reason. We had saw dust everywhere. As I said we painted before the floors were installed, we now have to go back and touch up. I think they touched every inch of wall below the waist.

Peg, we painted most of the walls a light gray. It looks like blue next to the dining room and picks up the green around the kitchen. The trim is the same kaki as the kitchen. We reversed the colors on the wall with the fire place. I need to be careful, if I keep up all of this decorating talk, I may end up with a cable TV show.

Now we are ready for Thanksgiving. Hope everyone has a happy holiday.

Construction Zone

We are in the midst of having our hardwood floors installed. The material was delivered last Monday so it could acclimate to the house. We chose Australian Cypress because we liked the color variation as well as all the knots.

As you can see in the pictures we were not let down. Today they did the hall and started on the stairs that is the most cutting and hardest part. Deb and I have put felt pads on the feet of all the furniture to keep from scratching the new floor. They should be finished on Wednesday, a little longer than I thought but the steps are tricky. We finished painting last Saturday and I can see we will have some touch up when this is over with

The pictures in this blog are from my old floppy disk Sony camera. The newer camera has taken a dump on me. It started acting up in Chicago and has gotten worse over time. I will post some more pictures when we are finished.

Well as you can see by the picture, fall has come to Newton County. Deb and I planted the trees in this picture in 1994 when we moved in to the house. Hard to believe they have grown so much. We started out the weekend having dinner with mom and dad, to celebrate Deb’s birthday. We went to a great Mexican joint dad knew of.

Deb had started to paint the entryway last week so on Saturday I got the ladder out and we finished that. Our entry is like the one on Edinburgh, 2 stories and hard to get around in. In true Debbie fashion the entryway lead to the hall and that lead to the living room, on and on.

Back about four years ago we were looking at hardwood floors but put it off when Debbie’s job went under. Well as we finished the paint in the entry we noticed the flooring on the landing was really worn so we went to look at new flooring for the landing. Well in true Debbie fashion the landing lead to the steps, the steps lead to the hallway and that lead to the living room and dining room. We wound up choosing “Australian Cypress” in 5 ½ inches wide by 3/4 planks from Lumber Liquidators. It will be delivered Tuesday and has to acclimate for one week, then will be installed next Monday. That is the plan and I hope it works out because we have 12 people coming over for Thanksgiving. Micah’s future in-laws are coming. I have met them already and Deb has met Christina’s mom but not her dad. We may be eating off boxes of wood if the timeline gets messed with. I’ll let you all know how this thing works out.

I should have pictures of the newly renovated Covington abode by the bext blog. In the words of “Kenny Z damn it” “ I long for one more night on Kensington Ave” I’m with you Kenny and I got the amo.

Another Weekend

I had another great weekend. I was invited to be the Gun Caption at an AKC hunt test. The Welch Springer Spaniel club held the test at Circle W Hunting Preserve, in Heflin, Alabama. The picture above is the view from the club house. The weather was absolutely perfect. The mornings were in the 50’s and the afternoons were in the low 70’s.

The gunners at the test go in the field with the dog handler and the judges and hunt for birds. They use people like me who have a lot of experience shooting a shotgun for several reasons. The first is safety, with all the people at a test and very expensive dogs in the field you need to be sure of your shot. The next is each dog has a limited amount of time to find, flush and retrieve 2 birds. We have to make sure the birds are dropped so the retrieve can be made. If you miss too many shots you don’t get asked back. There is a long line of people who want to take this job away from me.

We shot over 20 dogs on Saturday and 21 on Sunday. There were 12 different spaniel breads represented this weekend. The official photographer for the AKC was at the test, and below are some of his pictures. You can see more at AKC.ORG then look on the right side for the Welch test.

Deb and I just got back from the Thanksgiving dinner at Camp Sunshine. It is a gathering place for families of children with cancer. It is one of the charities we support each year. This is our 4th year to serve the families. We fed over 100 people this year; unfortunately the bigger numbers are not because the food is so good. This is the start of the holiday season for us each year. It is that time again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE

Most of you know last week was Deb’s 50th birthday. As a birthday surprise I took he to the Veranda B+B in Senoia Ga. Over the years we have stayed many times at the Veranda, we love the place. The Veranda is where the cast of “Fried Green Tomatoes” stayed during filming. The movie “Broken Bridges” with Toby Keith was filmed in the Veranda.

There have been some changes since out last visit to the inn. Bobby and Jan Boles, the inn keepers, have retired and sold out. The new owners, Rick and Laura Reynolds, are doing a fine job keeping up the high standards, in service and food, set by the Boles.

The surprise for Deb was that I invited her Dad and his lady friend Brenda, her mom, Micah and his fiancée Christine, and her sister Katie. Unfortunately her mom is still in Louisiana and did not make it. Deb and I got to the inn about 4:00 Friday afternoon and she was shocked to see Pops there. One at a time the others showed up and took her aback. We walked to main street in Senoia for dinner. Main street has just under gone a complete period correct (1900) makeover. We ate dinner at McGuire’s Irish Pub. It was easy to find, around the corner and down stairs from “The Red Neck Gourmet”.

After we ate we strolled down to the “Senoia Coffee Shop” for a cup of decaf. We were happy to see two fellows playing music. Deb made the remark Sue would love it. They played Celtic tuned on a variety of dulcimers’ and small drums. They were very entertaining.

We returned to the Veranda for a game of Rook and a good night sleep.

On Saturday we woke to a breakfast that was way more food than anyone needed. We walked off some of breakfast by heading around the corner to see the home used in “Fried Green Tomatoes”.

Next we loaded up and headed to Juliette Ga. to see the “Whistle Stop Café” from the movie.
When we got there we found out the “Green Tomato Festival” was going on. The place was jammed but we had fun. Thank goodness we were so full from breakfast the line for the Café was around the block.

Next we drove over to Warn Springs for the afternoon. We walked the shops and did a little shopping before heading back to Senoia. We had dinner at McGuire’s again so Micah could see the Georgia – LSU game. We settled in back the Veranda and played “Phase 10”. At 11:30 we called it quits and retreated to our rooms.

Before leaving this morning we gorged on another amazing breakfast then took some pictures and all headed home.

One of the benefits of staying at the Veranda is we can be home in an hour or so. We had the run of the place all weekend, there were other guest but we only saw them at breakfast. Debs dad said this is as good as being home but someone cooks and cleans for you.

Another Weekend Gone.

Another weekend gone. This weekend we had another house full. Deb’s brother Johnny came in from Canada to see his daughter Sidney. Sid lives in South Carolina now and Johnny drove up on Friday to pick her up. Deb’s mom had come back from Tennessee with her on Tuesday so she could visit, then go back to Canada with Johnny for a month.
On Thursday we got a call that Jeanette’s (Deb’s mom) brother was not doing well, he has been sick for a long time. On Saturday morning we put her on a plane for Louisiana.
Katie, Deb’s sister, came down to see Johnny and Sidney on Saturday and also spent the night with us. The picture below is Sidney, Johnny, Debbie and Katie racing Mario carts on the WII. On Sunday I got up early and headed to Road Atlanta for the Vintage car races. I left about 6:30am and it was about 55%. I was on the bike but was dressed well. I met my buddy John in Winder and we got to the track by 8:00. By mid-day it was beautiful and we had a great time. I love the old cars. I saw a 1955 Corvette that was an old factory race car. 1955 was the first year they put a V8 in the Corvette and they only made 3 race cars, and this is the only one left. I have no idea what the value of that car is but I’m sure it is up there. John made the statement as we walked in the pits that the smell alternated between racing fuel and money. He was right on. I headed home about 3:00pm and had a good long ride home on a perfect fall afternoon.

Fall In the Mountains. Aint it Beautyfull?

First things first. The answer to last weeks question was in deed Mythbuster Adam Savage. I think the glasses gave him away.

Well today Tommy and I took a nice little motorcycle ride. Since he is a new rider we wanted to keep the group small. I left my house about 7:30am and was not sure about the weather. The sky was full of heavy low hanging clouds. It sure looked like rain was coming. I decided to head to Tom’s house anyway and see what he thought.
I got to Tommy and Tonya’s place just as Tonya and the kids were leaving for church. Tom suited up and we were on our way. As we left his neighborhood a very fine mist appeared on our visors, bit in a few miles we were out of that. The clouds still looked bad but we rode on. We took a rout threw Gainesville and northeast to Clarksville. The picture above is at a stop for coffee in Clarksville but the store was closed.
We took Hwy 197 north; it is a nice curvy road that follows a river and cuts threw pastures then winds up at Lake Burton. The lake was up to the brim unlike Lanier that was as low as I have ever seen it. We stopped at a park on the lake for a pit stop and use of the little boys’ room. We soon found Ga. Hwy 76 and turned west threw Young Harris, Hiawassee then found lunch at a hole in the wall in Blairsville. The name of the place was Hole in the Wall so I wasn’t kidding.
By now the sky was blue and sunny. It turned out to be a perfect day to ride. The leaves are so colorful this year. I think the next 2 weeks will be peak watching time.
Tom and I took off south on Hwy 129 and made our next stop atop Blood Mountain. We saw a good number of motorcycles and some bicycles up there. You have to be one tough cookie to ride the mountains on a bicycle. We followed 129 back past Cleveland and in to Gainesville. We split up at hwy 53 and 211 in Flowery Branch; I came home by way of Winder, Loganville and Conyers. I totaled 294 miles for the day so Tommy should have about 80 less. I had a great time and Tom got some seat time. Nothing could be better for new and old riders.

THE WINDY CITY

Well I need to start out with a big “Job Well Done” to Katie and Bryan. Maddy is a doll, and I know the two of you will guide her on the long journey ahead of her with the same love and parenting you have received.

Deb is in Tennessee for some work and some visiting. She will be home on Tuesday so I am on my own till then.
I was in Chicago for a trade show this week. I went up on Sunday and returned late Tuesday. I love going to the big cities, especially this time of year. On Sunday night I went for a walk to look for some dinner.

I was staying at the Congress hotel, on Michigan Ave, one of the main streets in town. I headed north for 6 or 7 blocks then went west for a block and found Wabash St. Wabash has the Ell over it, reminded me of Kensington Ave, On Wabash I found “The Exchequer” it had a sign that said “voted best deep dish pizza in Chicago”. One of my plans for this trip was to try real Chicago style deep dish pizza so this was the place for me. It was a bar and restaurant, and the White Sox were playing in a playoff game. Watching the game in a bar with real Sox fans was cool. It turns out that this place was once known as “Diner 226” and was a dinner club owned by Al Capone, It was during prohibition and he had gambling up stairs and booze in the basement. There was a secret tunnel down stairs to get away when the cops came. I ordered a small pizza and it was great. I could only eat half of it but it was worth the walk.

I met Jack Allison (he works in our Birmingham office) in the lobby the next morning. Jack told me that McCormick Place was only 2 miles away, and asked if I wanted to walk. Jack is 71 and I was not going to let him show me up, so off we went. We headed 2 blocks over to Lake Michigan and went south.

Who ever told Jack 2 miles was way off. It was well over 4 miles and I think it was 5 miles. After that we had 6 hours standing on the show floor. My dogs were barking that night. The show was slow but we got a few leads so it is time to get to selling.

See you guys later. Bill

Time for a BRAIN BUSTER

Ok this is just for fun. In the Billy Joel Video for “Your only Human” is a scene with a boy being saved from drowning The actor who plays the swimmer is presently one of the stars of a weekly TV show. I know all of the TOWHEY boy’s love this show. You can go to you tube and type in (Billy Joel Your only Human) or try the address below. At the 2 min and 30 sec. mark you get a good look at him. You can stop it there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbuU1OtaX4g

I am leaving for Chicago Sunday morning but will be checking for your answers. Good luck. This will ether jump out at you or stump you completely.
I will talk to you when I get back.

Peggies Challange

Childhood memories, let me see. Could it be the time Jim, Peg and I burned the white carpet in the 1 week old house? Or maybe the time we put Peggie in a box and pushed her out of the tree house. Bye, Bye tree house. Or even the time mom slammed the ketchup bottle so hard that ketchup flew up on the ceiling. Then there is the time I got my finger stuck in the handlebar of my bike, or when I got my finger stuck in the sprocket. (that one hurt)

I think I will tell about the 4th of July. Most years, in the New Jersey days, on the 4th of July we went along most of the neighbors and our Philly cousins to Robbins Beach. It was located just down the street in our neighborhood on the Rancocas Creek. We spent all day playing in the water, drinking Shop Rite cola and eating hot dogs. Who remembers the old hand well pump? We played egg toss, sack races and three legged races. Late in the afternoon dad and the uncles went back to the house setup fireworks between our driveway and grand mom’s. When the women and kids got home around sundown the show was ready to commence. I’m sure that roman candles and bottle rockets were all they had, but at that time it was better than anything Phips Plaza ever thought of. After the show a bonfire followed every year. I don’t remember who launched the flaming marshmallow and hit our uncle Bill in the belly but he must have deserved it.

Out childhood was much like Mayberry or leave it to beaver, but that was a much different time. I guess it is our job to see that the next generation has as good memories as we do.

P.S. It is amazing I still have all 10 fingers.

Happy Birthday Jim

Happy Birthday to Jim, and happy anniversary to him and Sue, smart move keeping one date. I started the weekend off with a Friday night Braves game. A good game but we lost. On Saturday I installed an outlet on the back patio. I figure 1 to 1 ½ hours. (sure) I went out directly behind an inside outlet and passed the wire threw, hooked black to black, white to white, ground to ground. I turned on the breaker and no power. The inside worked bit not the outside. I took it all out and reattached it, no good. I got my next door neighbor, Kenneth who works for our EMC. He checked it and found my new GFCI outlet was bad. Got a new one and all is well.

Sunday Deb and I worked in the garage all day. We started insulating and putting up plywood in the walls. We got the insulation at Lowes and I had the ply left over from a project at work 8 years ago. We got about half way and called it a day. We plan to finish next Saturday, by then we should be over the stiffness.

Talk to everyone later.

Remember 9-11

Tomorrow is the 7th anniversary of the attack on our country. As time passes it seems our memory fades. We all remember it, but now think of it more as history than a reality that is still possible today. Because the attack took place on our soil, the American people pulled together like no other time in history, with the possible exception of Pearl Harbor.

The following is my opinion only and not meant to offend anyone or discount any other opinion.

This is the land of the free, and the rest of the world want to join us or destroy us. I am the decedents of immigrants. On moms side 2nd generation and dads side 3rd or 4th generation. My feeling is that anyone who wants to come here is welcome. Do it legally. Having said that we need to make it possible for hard working, self supporting people who want to contribute to this country can do it in a reasonable time. If we help them they will help us. If you come here illegally you do not deserve an education, health care or the right to vote.

The people who want to destroy us do not get the rights of the constitution of the country they want to end. If they are locked up till they are old and gray so be it. They are terrorist. They do not wear a uniform or fight for a country. They hide in schools and churches and kill people that have different beliefs than they do. They decapitate Americans or drag the body of a fallen solder threw the streets and cheer. We take a picture of a prisoner with underwear on his head and that is an abomination. If water boarding saves one American life, line them up.

I need to end this but Americans need to stop giving this country away. The United States gives its citizens inalienable rights. If the rest of the world wants them they need to join us or change the government of their country.

Remember 9-11

Remember to vote. This truly is the most important election of our life.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Just another weekend

On Saturday I got up and met my buddy Dan for breakfast. We met in McDonough on the square at a a great place Called “Gritz”. 2 Eggs, Sausage, Grits and biscuit is only $3.85. Can’t beat it. We rode the bikes over to Newnan to a new Moto Guzzi / Aprilia dealer. I test rode a new Aprilia, Mana. It is a 850cc motorcycle that has an automatic transmission. It was cool. You can pick Sport, Touring or rain mode for the shifting pattern or shift yourself but no clutch. It would be a great commuter bike.
When we left there we headed to Thomaston, Ga. Dan had his parachute being inspected by the FAA, and it was ready to be picked up. When we got there he decided to make a couple of jumps. On the airport property is a DC3 flight school. They have 2 DC3’s for the school. As we were leaving I pulled up in front of one for the picture above. What I did not know was they were in the plain and ready to fire it up. As I was sitting in front of this thing, a guy stuck his head out and said what are you doing? He scared the stew out of me.
On Sunday we ran some errands and grilled out. Our weekends are about to start to fill up soon. I have some trade shows coming up in Orlando and Chicago. Then in October some trips to Tennessee.

See you all soon.

2008 Can-Am Spyder

Is that thing cool or what? It is made by Bombardier Recreational Products, the same people who make Ski-Doo. I have been reading about this thing now I found a dealer who will let me ride one. I’m going over Saturday to ride it. This thing has ABS brakes, Traction Control, and Stability Control. If you get 1 wheel off the ground, it cuts the HP back and levels the bike off. I don’t think I will be getting one, ($17,000.00) but I need to try one out.
We have had a quiet few weeks. Not much going on this weekend ether, we will probably cook some burgers on Labor day but that is about all. Just wanted to let you all know we are still here Have a good holiday.

Not much going on

Time to keep you all up on what is (or is not) going on. I had a very quiet weekend. Debbie went to Tennessee late Thursday; her mom had some minor surgery and had some complications. Everything is ok now but she wanted to be there in case she was needed. That left me to my own devices for a few days.
Friday I met some friends for dinner at a Mexican place in Conyers, and then we went to Starbucks for the evening. Saturday I got up rode my bicycle, then ran some errands. Micah came over around 1:00, he was borrowing Debbie’s car. I took him up to the shop and got his car back. I took my motorcycle for a ride and met my friend John for dinner down town. The weather was as cool as it had been in a long time so I took the scenic route home. I got home about 10:00 and watched some of the Olympics.
Sunday I rode the bicycle in the morning and just piddled around the house. I watched the NASCAR race and waited for Deb. She got home about 4:00 and we cooked dinner on the grill.
All in all a relaxing weekend.

Not much happening

Now it’s my turn to catch up. Not much going on with us lately. Last weekend I did the PGR ride in Cumming. The town did itself proud. So many local people were lining the streets that the town sent the school busses out and brought them to the church then the grave site. That was great.
Sunday I got up and met Micah at 8:00 and played golf. He came back to the house and we had a birthday celebration for him. He turned 30 this week. One of the highlights of the party was Deb’s “WII” . She got it last week and uses it to do the work out programs. This thing figures your body mass index and keeps up with your progress. The work out’s really get the hart rate up. It is also filled with the most life like games (bowling, golf, tennis, ski jumping) It is a lot of fun.
This Saturday I got up and changed the back tire on Deb’s bike. The new lift I bought is great. Keeps the old guy off the floor. The rest of the day we just chilled out. This morning I took my bicycle to the park and did a good long ride. I cut the grass when I got home, and Debbie is working on some new project for work. The NASCAR race is starting so I will say “ GOOD DAY”

PGR kind of day

Today was a long day for me. I got a call late last night that there was a Patriot Guard mission today,(Sunday) in Snellville. Below is an article on the young man. My friend Dan and I met up and rode to the church about 12:00. It looked to be about 150 PGR people there. The family of this young man was incredible. In what had to be one of the lowest moments in life, they held it together and told how he was doing what he felt needed to be done. He was only three weeks from the end of his tour in Afghanistan. As we rode from the church to the grave sight the people of Snellville showed there fallen hero the spirit of America. The rout was lined with people holding flags, old men saluting, parents telling children what was happening. As you ride tears of pride run down your face. Everyone there are patriots, no Republicans, no Democrats, no left wing and no right wing, just patriots. One of the proudest moments in my life was being called a patriot by a veteran. I got home about 7:00 this evening between the riding and heat I am tuckered out.
Now for some bad news. Next Saturday there is another mission. Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, of Cumming who died along side Jon Ayres will be buried next Saturday. I am planning on going unless something big comes up.
That’s all for now.

Fallen Georgia Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Laid to Rest
Last Edited: Sunday, 20 Jul 2008, 6:23 PM EDT
Created: Sunday, 20 Jul 2008, 6:23 PM EDT
A Georgia soldier who was killed while fighting in Afghanistan was laid to rest Sunday, July 20, 2008 at a Snellville church. Corporal Jon Ayers was killed when Taliban forces attacked a U.S. base in Wanat on July 13.
SNELLVILLE, Ga. (MyFOX Atlanta) – A Georgia soldier who was killed while fighting in Afghanistan was laid to rest Sunday at a Snellville church. Corporal Jon Ayers was killed when Taliban forces attacked a U.S. base in Wanat on July 13.

Video: Fallen Georgia
The service was held at Zoar United Methodist Church in Snellville and was restricted to family and friends. Burial with full military honors followed at Eternal Hills Memory Gardens on Stone Mountain Highway.On Saturday, a motorcade for Corporal Ayers stretched for miles through the streets of Snellville. Young and old, citizen and veteran all gathered to pay their respects to a fallen soldier who gave his life for his country.Cpl. Ayers was killed in Afghanistan when his unit was ambushed by Taliban fighters. In all, nine soldiers died defending their post. Georgia native Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, from Jasper was also killed in the attack.The other seven killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Hawaii; Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, Calif.; Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle, Wash.; Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tenn.; Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, N.C.; Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Mo. and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Ky.

Just needed to blog

Just wanted to drop a line to let everyone know we are still here. Last weekend Deb was in Tennessee. She went up for work on Thursday and stayed to visit with family. I spent Saturday running errands in the morning. I picked up a lift for the motorcycles. The last time I changed the oil my back ached for days. That afternoon I took our friends Cindy and Lavada to the airport. They are on a cruise from England threw the Netherlands and then they end up in St. Petersburg Russia. They will be gone over 2 weeks. Lavada retired in May from Rockdale County Sheriff’s Department. Cindy is home from Kosovo. She has been working as a UN Peace keeper and her tour has ended.
Sunday morning I met Micah and we played golf. We got rained out after 3 holes so I came home and relaxed until Deb got home. I had to go to Jacksonville for a trade show on Monday morning and got home late Wednesday.
The picture is one I just put in for no particular reason. It was taken on my birthday shortly before I had a plunger on my head. That is a story for a later time.

See you all later.

Back to the Blue Ridge

We had a great week end. Deb and I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway with Peg and Steve. We left on the bikes Thursday afternoon and went to Peg’s for the night. Steve cooked some steaks on the grill and Peg made an ice cream cake. Life is good. We got up and headed for the mountains on the 4th. We were staying at the Bluffs Lodge at Doughton Park. Steve and I stayed here last year and knew the girls would love it.

After we arrived Steve and I decided to go on a beer run. The sky looked bad but I said I would go and since I had taken all my bags off the bike, I would not take my rain gear. Wrong move. We got about 4 miles and the bottom dropped out. I was following Steve and his GPS told us to take a left. We did, and found our self on a 1 lane dirt road with twists and very steep inclines. The rain was as hard as any I have been in for a long time. The next thing we see is a 1949 Citroen CV2 coming the other way and not giving us much room.

At that point I had enough and headed back soaked to the bone. Steve went on. About 3 minutes after I got back here comes Steve. The road got worse and he followed my lead. At least he was in rain gear. The sky cleared and we went out to the patio to here a talk by the ranger and enjoy the big fire place. It was in the low 60’s and the fire felt great.
On Saturday we rode over to Mount Airy NC. It is the town that Mayberry was patterned after. They have a lot of the things from the show in town. (Wally’s Gas, the Snappy Dinner, and Floyds Barber shop)
They also have the old Court House set. We all got in the cells’ and sat at Andy’s Desk. The ride to Mount Airy was well worth the ride over.
The ride back to the lodge got a little messy. As we ascended to the parkway we hit some rain then rode in to the clouds. We were riding in about a 10th of a mile visibility on and off for 10 miles. You were afraid to stop for fear of someone coming up behind you. We got back and spent a second evening just enjoying the patio.
On Sunday we hit the road home. Deb and I decided to hit I85 and make some time on the way home. The weather was iffy. The traffic was not bad till we hit the GA. State line. We got off the interstate in Commerce, take the back way home, and stopped to gas up. As we got to Athens the sky opened up. That put us in a good rain for about 50 miles. That is not bad for a 1000 mile trip. See you all later.