Friday Night Lights

State Semi-Final Playoff Game
Bentonville 27 - Russellville 0

Since my dad was here for the week-end and he is not inclined to get out in cold weather, I did not attend the state semi-final football game last night. The local team is 12-1, ranked No. 1 in the state and last night they shut out their opponent 27-0! Next Saturday, in Little Rock, AR, at noon they will meet another team from our conference, which they beat earlier 14-7 for the state championship! We won the state championship in 2001 as a 5A high school. Now they are in class 7A (really, there are no 7A high schools in Arkansas!) and this is their first trip to the final game.
Go Tigers!!!

Black Friday

I trust that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day celebration. There were 28 at our house, including ten that were under the age of 12! They started arriving around 2:00 p.m., and by 5:30 p.m. the house was full of family. We ate at 6:00 p.m. The oldest of the grandcrew, who is 12, spent a day preparing crafts for all of the other kids to do while they were here. She turned my home office into the craft room. She had about six or seven things for the others to do. She had everything labeled, neatly organized, and a table in the middle of the room for assembly of some of the items. It was amazing. Like I said, there were 10 youngsters in the house for four hours, and you wouldn't have known they were here unless you had seen them arrive. Scooter did an incredible job of keeping them entertained. She deserves something special for her efforts. I'll think of something. The last of the guests departed around 9:30 last night.
I am taking a day of vacation today and hanging around the house. This morning I got up at 5:00 a.m. in order to get to Lowe's for a sale item I really wanted. I arrived at the store at 5:30 a.m. and to my surprise, there were only a dozen cars in the parking lot! They actually opened the doors at 5:45 a.m. I went in, picked up the shop vac that I was looking for, paid for it, and was back home by 6:00 a.m. Later today I will be putting up the Christmas lights and helping my bride put up the tree. The house will be transformed into the home of Santa's No. 1 helper (that would be my bride) by Sunday evening. Since most of the Christmas shopping is done, for a change, we will actually be able to enjoy the remainder of the Holiday season. Stay tuned, there will be photos in the coming days.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! There is even the possibility of snow flurries by Sunday.
Tonight the local high school football team plays in the state semi-final game. It is on our home field, so that just may be where you will find me tonight, provided that I get my decorating chores done.

BOOMER Sooner!!!

University of Oklahoma Sooners put a whuppin' on the Texas Tech Red Raiders and muddied the waters of the Big 12 championship game and the BCS rankings. The final score was OU 65 - Texas Tech 21 with the last Tech touchdown coming with only eleven seconds left in the contest.

If OU, Texas, and Texas Tech each win their final game, there will be a three way tie in the Big 12 south and no one will own the tie-breaker. The team with the highest BCS ranking will be the south participant in the Big 12 Championship game and face Missouri. As of late Sunday night, that team is Texas. They are currently ranked No. 2, with OU at No. 3. If Texas Tech loses next week, then Texas will be the outright south champion because they beat OU in head to head competition. If Texas loses, then OU goes to the championship game. If OU should lose next week, then Texas Tech wins the south by virtue of having beaten Texas. Are you confused yet?
On a local note, the hometown high school team won their first round playoff game by a score of 35-14. Let me just say one thing about that game...it was cold!!! Always take a blanket to sit on at a high school football game in cold weather. Those aluminum bleachers will suck all of the heat out of you right through your butt. Yes, I had a blanket and was dressed appropriately, but it was still cold! Three of the teams in the conference won their playoff game Friday night, which means that the state semi-finals will have only one team from outside our conference participating and that's who we will be playing this Friday night.. It's been a pretty dominant league the past few years.

Party On Dude!

Yesterday was my 62nd birthday, scroll down to yesterday's post if you want to look at some ancient photos of me.
Anyway, we bought a new recliner. It was supposed to be here the end of October, but the shipment got delayed and it arrived on my birthday instead. How appropriate is that? My new banner photo is the recliner. You'll just have to use your imagination to put me in the picture. I think I'll keep that banner for a little while.When I arrived at the office yesterday morning, I found my door decorated. As always, you can click on any of the photos to enlarge.

This is the custom birthday card that the staff made. Yes, they do know how to use PhotoShop. Which reminds me, I just purchased PhotoShop Elements 7.0. I need to install it when I finish this post.

The real Birthday Party started when we met the kids and the grandcrew at a local restaurant for dinner. I had my favorite Cajun pasta dish. Dessert consisted of a pair of Chocolate Messes. This is a large glass (suitable for floats) that is covered in chocolate inside and out. The glass is filled with several scoops of ice cream, more hot fudge, some whipped cream and a few nuts sprinkled on top for good measure. One was set at each end of the table. The two oldest girls and I ate one while the two younger crew worked on the other. The highlight of the evening was provided by my bride. She presented me with a card that had a lovely verse on the inside followed by Happy Anniversary! She liked the verse so much she forgot to read that final sentiment. All in all, it was a good day. Life is good.
P.S. We had cake!

Thursday Thirteen at 62!

Today, Thursday, November 20, 2008, I officially qualify for Social Security. That's right boys and girls, at 9:00 a.m. I turned 62 years of age. So, how am I going to celebrate this occasion? Well, I'm not running down to the local Social Security office and signing up for any benefits. I've still got a few good years left, and the economy has ensured that I will work at least four more years and maybe eight.
First, let's play Thursday Thirteen. Here are thirteen facts about the year I was born.
1. Harry Truman was President.
2. George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Steven Spielburg, Cher, Candice Bergen, Sylvester Stalone, and Jimmy Buffett were born in the same year.
3. Gasoline cost 16 cents per gallon!!! That is NOT a misprint.
4. The movie "It's a Wonderful Life" was released.
5. The league that came to be known as the NBA was born.
6. The Atomic Energy Commission is created
7. Television programming was limited to approximately 12 hours per week on two networks!
8. Ho Chi Minh is elected president of Viet Nam
9. Bikinis go on sale in Paris
10. The NFL team, San Francisco 49er's is formed.
11. Heisman Trophy goes to Glen Davis of Army
12. First meeting of the United Nations
13. The first televised heavyweight fight between Joe Louis and Billy Conn is broadcast from Yankee Stadium. The fight is seen by 141,000 people, the largest television audience to see a fight!
Bonus:
It's my birthday, I can add facts if I like. These are general facts about my life.
14. I have seen The Beach Boys in concert when they were actually beach boys.
15. I have original albums by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
16. I paid $12.50 to see Elton John in concert and they were the best seats in the house!
17. In 1972, at 24.9 cents per gallon, it was physically impossible to put $5.00 worth of gasoline in my Datsun (Nissan) 240Z. It looked like this one.18. I met my bride in 1973 and we were married in 1974. That would be 34 years and counting.
So now you know, I am a part of ancient history! The year was 1946, just in case you haven't done the math yet.

Next, let's take a quick stroll down memory lane. Here a a few photos of me, the early years.3 Months

9 years

High School Graduation 1965

Viet Nam '67-'68

Wedding Day-May 11, 1974

A Young Father and His Daughter (The "Other Woman" in his life) 1976

2006 (Not exactly the early years)

Okay, let's wrap this party up with a little music. I like blues, 60's pop/rock, 70's southern rock, contemporary Chirstian, and Southern Gospel. Here is a little something from each genre. Enjoy.


The Beatles -Get Back (60's Pop/Rock)
Their last public performance from the roof of Apple Recording Studios.

The Price Is Right!

Have you ever bid on an item on Ebay with absolutely no expectations of actually winning it, only to out you did win it? Please tell me I'm not the only one ever to do this.
As both of my loyal readers know, I like digital photography. I have been casually looking for a new telephoto lens. My Nikon D80 has a 18-135mm lens, which is great for most work. However, for shooting sporting events or wildlife, one cannot always get close enough to the action to get a truly good picture. I have seen some photos taken by others with a 50-500mm lens and decided that is the lens that I would like to have. Several times, over the past few months, I have bid on this lens only to see it sell for several hundred dollars more than I was willing to pay. Last Saturday I bid on one of these lenses. There were two days left in the auction at the time. Sunday morning I check the site to find out the status of the auction, and sure enough, I had been outbid. I put in a new maximum number, with 19 hours left, fully expecting to be outbid again. This morning I checked the site just to see how much the lens actually sold for and having every expectation that it probably sold for a couple of hundred dollars above my maximum bid again. Holy Cow!!! I won!!! I paid about 50% below retail for this puppy. Happy dance, happy dance! My new toy will be here in about a week. Let the fun begin!
Here is what this bad boy will look like when it arrives.

Friday Thoughts

It's been an interesting week. I've had a pain in my shoulder most of the time and nothing will make it go away. Believe me, I've tried everything, heat, cold, Advil, Tylenol, Alieve, aspirin (separately and in concert), massage...you name it, I've tried it and I still hurt.
The economy may be going into the toilet but, for some reason, our business is doing well. I am actually interviewing applicants for new positions. Thank you Lord.
It's going to be cold here this week-end, so I'll be building a fire Saturday I'm sure.
My bride and I may take in a Saturday matinee of the new James Bond film. That could be fun.
I know my bride is planning on getting a head start on her Christmas shopping. That may not be quite so much fun.
The inspirational song this week is a worship and praise song that we have been singing in church recently. I really like the chorus. It is a departure from the hymns and gospel music that I usually post on Friday, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Have a great week-end and may God bless you and yours.

I'm a Winner! Who Knew?

One of the local television stations has a "Morning Mug" contest. Viewers send in their favorite photos to the weather man. They show several photos during each weather cast each morning. The one that the staff picks as their favorite wins that coffee mug you see above. Last Sunday morning I won! Several day earlier they had requested that viewers send in their favorite fall foliage photos. If you scroll down a couple of posts you will see a few shots I took during a Sunday afternoon drive that my bride and I took through the Ozark National forest. Well here is the winning shot.
The leaves are gone now and it's really starting to look like winter. It's supposed to get pretty cold this weekend, so I will probably build a fire in the fire place and a have some fresh coffee in my brand new mug.

Wordless Wednesday

DFW Terminal D

Veteran's Day

Valiant men and women have served this country ever since we became a nation. Some have paid the ultimate price so that the rest of the nation might enjoy the privilege of the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. Today is Veteran's Day. If you know a veteran, I would encourage to make a phone call and thank them for their service. We are quickly losing "The Greatest Generation", those who survived the depression, fought World War II, and led this nation into the space age. Many of them are now in their 80's. We owe them much.
There are those who served in Korea, and Viet Nam. Now there are those who have served in the Mid-East. Remember, a soldier does not choose his adversary, nor does he select the conflict, he merely serves where he is told that there is a need and that freedom is at risk. If you see a service man or woman in uniform, stop and thank them for their service. They are doing a job that few people want to do and even fewer understand.

Viet Nam '67-'68

Arkansas Autum

Last Sunday afternoon my bride and I decided to take a drive through the Ozark National forest to see the fall foliage. We have had a lot of rain this year and the weather has been perfect for the leaves to change into the most brilliant colors. We headed out of Fayetteville, Arkansas on Highway 16 East. After about 20 miles it intersects with Highway 23 South and enters the forest. Here are some of the sights.


No, I don't ride bikes. I'm too old for that. However, we did talk about how much fun this would have been in a convertible.


Highway 23 intersects with I40 between Russleville and Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Before you get to Ft. Smith, you take the exit onto scenic highway 71 North back to Fayetteville. Here are a few photos along that route.

Lookout point in the Boston Mountains is about the half way point on the return trip. The view is spectacular.


All in all, the trip lasted about four and a half hours. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Oh yeah, gas is now $1.91 per gallon here, so it wasn't that painful on the pocketbook either. As always, you can click on any photo to fill your screen with color.

The Choice Is Yours

There have been days in this Presidential campaign that I felt a little like this lonely little guy.



There were days when I felt like this poster. It seems that both candidates were so controlled by their consultants and strategists, that they seemed like puppets on the strings of special interests.


But I suppose this poster asks the question that really matters. What ever your choice, Vote. If you don't vote, then don't whine about the results.

Boo!!!

The grand crew dressed for Halloween last night. As you can tell, we had Cleopatra (the costume came with a blonde wig), two Hanna Montana's (one wig and one natural), and a storm trooper (he looks more like R2D2). Nana took these photos because I was at the high school football game. The local team is undefeated, now 8-0, and ranked No. 1 in the sate. We won last night 21-14.