Reflections on the last Day of September

Today is the last day of September and I am amazed as I wonder where all this year has gone. I just want to slow things down and enjoy them a bit longer. With Facebook constantly changing (not for the better) and their desire to own what ever you post, I plan to do most of my writing here. Though my preference still remains to be face to face and talk about this stuff. There is a lot to be said about eyeball contact.

The Hebrews Bible study is finally over with and the next one will be a study of the Book of John. We previewed the DVD last night and it was interesting. Now I have to go and get the participant books ordered to we can get started soon. The Hebrews Study drove the point home that "Jesus is better than anything else."

Many things I want to get back into if I can find some time. Things like geneology, rebuilding and updating my website, reading my 4 books that chronicle the movie series "Game of Thrones," and eventually watch the season premiere of "TerraNova." I guess this is a good reason to retire, so I can have more time for myself and what I like to do.

Looks like we will be going to Florida for a few days in October since our weekend in Pigeon Forge fell through. I have to really look at the map and see if it is possible to get to Florida without passing through Kennesaw Georgia. That place is full of Redskins Fans, NY Jets Fans, animal lovers and crazy women who love cameras. Man, itn't there one normal person in that town?

Just a thought ---

I was walking around in a supermarket when i saw a cashier hand this little boy his money back, the boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old. The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.'' The little boy turned to the old woman next to him, ''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?'' She replied, ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.'' Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand. Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. 'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.' I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly. 'No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.' His eyes were so sad while saying this, 'My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.'' My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.' Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won't forget me.' 'I love my mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.' Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll!'' OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money. The little boy said, 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!' Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me!'' 'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.'' 'My mommy loves white roses.' A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state of mind from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local newspaper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy? Two days after this encounter with the little boy I read in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine, and in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

Now you have 2 choices:

• (1) Use this to make a difference in someone's life, or
• (2) Ignore it as if it never touched your heart
  

Just realized I way behind on my blogs. Where did the time go ... oh, I know. Work and home stuff. A lot has happened and I will just briefing cover them for now. The biggest item was Vincent Joesph Davis being born. It has changed the whole dynamics of the house. Every day he has something new for us to see or experience. Yes, he is healthy and very active. Peanut is well especially since his birth went a lot easier than AJ's.

Green Giant and TL decided to take the scenic route across the field on the motorcycle. Seems the bike didn't want to and ejected them both into the soft grass. They are ok for the most part. Nothing that won't heal back together given some time. Gave us a little scare but we are glad things are going so well.

Summer bowling was less than spectacular. Now that fall leagues are going it is mildly better. Lew is bowling this season with me. He tried briefly to throw the ball like me but went back to the two-handed push when his arm hurt. Maybe in January we will try again.

Work is the same and never letting up. With my birthday in September I am only 6 years away from official retirement age. Maybe with fingers crossed it will happen that way.

National Bowling Tournament is in Baton Rouge La. this year ... make your plans!
Cruise in January to the Eastern Caribbean.
We have a week off in October and still haven't firmed up what we will do for those days yet. Any ideas?

• Lady is still gorgeous and the love of my life.
• Wild Mom is in building mode (new shed) in between camping and Camp Bluebird.
• #1 still works.
• #2 still doesn't work.
• Peanut is having kids right and left.
• Starr is starting her own animal farm.
• Lil Princess, Lew, and AJ keep growing and warming our hearts.
• Gung-Ho Jenn left us for Germany and another family.

We love them all and wouldn't change a thing ... well, not everything.

August Days - Fun in the Heat

Heading for the weekend and it can't come soon enough. There has been some movement on my new job in Salem but nothing firm and besides as it stands now, I am not a happy or secure camper. More to come later when someone decides what is going on. The other big news is Peanut is scheduled to download on the 18th. So life will move to another level of frenzy on that day. Youth Bowling still lacks a lot as another week passed with a 0-7 record. This is the fourth week of this skid and no end in sight. I think this week we slipped into last place. Maybe I should start driving an 18 wheeler cross-country. Don't know what that would accomplish but heck, it is a change. Doctor's appointment on Tuesday went so well that she invited me back 3 weeks. Yeah! Trying to figure out a weekend to sneak away and just chill out. Hmmm, I wonder who wants to go! I saw a few movies lately that weren't too bad. They were Splice, Daylight and Hurt Locker.

Dog days of August Almost here

Well, it is Friday and the end-of-the-month once again. I have been less than timely in keeping this blog updated. The main reason is I haven't really had anything to say. Well, actually, nothing good to say. Many things are acting as irritants in my life and that makes it hard to get motivated. Especially to write or say anything positive. Yeah, I could get on here and blast away but I don't want to go there. I have many wants and wishes but those are stories for future blogs. Hey, maybe I need a vacation. Hmmm!

Summer Bowling sucks as I think after last weeks sterling performance, the team is in last place. My average is the highest I have had in a while but it is a team event and that is where is is collapsing. Maybe I ought to get rid of the bowling stuff and take up golf or fishing once again. Then again, bar hopping and gambling could prove interesting!

Wild Mom is in camping mode once again. Must be nice to be retired and on the move all the time. Lady continues to bless everyone and Lil Princess is spending the week with us. Next week is Lew's week and we will manage to squeeze in day camp for him. #1 and #2 have no real change except for getting older and bigger! Peanut has reached maximum carrying weight for the new kid. Sometime in the next couple weeks, he will make his grand entrance. Gung Ho Jen is preparing to desert us and head for Germany to work. Starr and Chicken man are in their second month of marriage and surprisingly, she hasn't pissed him off yet or is it the other way around? We wish them the best and hope things fall in line for them to have a great life together.

Meaning of Flag Draped Coffin

All Americans should be given this lesson. Those who think that America is an arrogant nation should really reconsider that thought. Our founding fathers used GOD's word and teachings to establish our Great Nation and I think it's high time Americans get re-educated about this Nation's history.

Pass it along and be proud of the country we live in and even more proud of those who serve to protect our 'GOD GIVEN' rights and freedoms.

I hope you take the time to read this ... To understand what the flag draped coffin really means ... Here is how to understand the flag that laid upon it and is surrendered to so many widows and widowers.

Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun salute stands for the sum of the numbers in the year 1776?

Have you ever noticed the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the United States of America Flag 13 times? You probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but we learn something new every day!

The 1st fold of the flag is a symbol of life.

The 2nd fold is a symbol of the belief in eternal life.

The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing the ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of the country to attain peace throughout the world.

The 4th fold represents the weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

The 5th fold is a tribute to the country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, 'Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.'

The 6th fold is for where people's hearts lie. It is with their heart that they pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America , and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The 7th fold is a tribute to its Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that they protect their country and their flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of their republic.

The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of their country since they were first born.

The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding them of their Nations motto, 'In God We Trust.'

After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for them the rights, privileges and freedoms they enjoy today.

There are some traditions and ways of doing things that have deep meaning.

In the future, you'll see flags folded and now you will know why. Share this with the children you love and all others who love what is referred to, the symbol of ' Liberty and Freedom.'

John's Chicken Farm

John was in the egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets', and ten roosters to fertilize them. He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, Obama, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed Obama's bell hadn't rung at all! When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.

To John's amazement, Obama had thought of a way to do it without work, he had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

John was so proud of Obama, he entered him in the Chicago County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.

The result was the judges not only awarded Obama the No Bell Piece Prize but they also awarded him the “Pullet surprise” as well.

Clearly Obama was a politician. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

Vote carefully next fall, the bells are not always audible.

Sprint to a Wedding

The wedding went great and the knot was tied. Dana offered her home for the wedding and reception and she did a fantastic job. It was amazing the effort she put into it. As for the wedding, it was just as great. Of course the wedding music got off beat since Casey's knees set a different beat and sounded like a bass drum. It is amazing how many wolves are in Georgia. Friday night, it seemed they howled all night even with no moon visible in the sky! Lady and I sneaked over to Smokey Bones BBQ Saturday night and it was very good. We will have to try it on our next trip through North Georgia.

I started watching the movie "Inception" but some honeymooners took a break from all the bedroom antics and visited us. Oh well, I will have to get the DVD and watch the movie again. It is a good one.

Bowling is going well, the church service changes has their moments and the work frustration level is high so basically nothing has changed since the last blog. We are now in the process of getting ready for Wild Mom to visit, a baby shower for Peanut and Vacation Bible school. I leave tomorrow to attend the Anderson reunion, see wild Mom and her sonny-do list and then drive her back up to Virginia for a short visit. It seems to never end ... one thing after another!

I managed to get my hands on the 4 volume "Song of Fire and Ice" series. Now it is time for some serious reading.

Road Trip Prep

This is the start of a busy two weeks for me. We leave Thursday to spend this weekend in the Atlanta area for some peace and quiet. Lady is looking forward to this trip! Next week is a whirlwind trip to Florida for a reunion and to bring Wild Mom back to Virginia for a short visit. This week I have a physical scheduled on Tuesday so that means a lot of poking and prodding. The Lab work was done last week. Youth Bowling started last night and it was ok. We are doing 2 person teams so the pressure is on me and Lew to perform. So now the challenge is to keep him focused on bowling and not on playing with the kids. I sometimes wonder when I will learn not to compete against the natural tendency of him to play. Work continues to maintain a level of frustration. Oh, the conference call on Friday about the possible new job went well. Onward to the next step. Not sure what that is but it sure sounds good.

This weekend included two birthday parties. Nothing like three kids (7,4,3) in a car for 90 minutes each way and hyped up on sugar. No wonder I don't have any hair. I love having a sponge bob sticky hand smack me on the side of the face while I drive. One downside to having a little one leave diapers for real underwear, "Papaw, I have to go to the bathroom" and that means stop very quickly even if you are deep in the woods. Gotta love it!

P.S. The Atlanta trip is really for Starr's and Casey Marriage on Friday the 17th.

Summer Thoughts

It is the weekend and El Agave was as good as ever. The weekend led off with a trip to Bella Vita and it too was good. Wild Mom is getting better just in time to get ready for our family's reunion. Lot's to do and little time to do it.

Friday we booked our next cruise. We will adventure to the Eastern Caribbean on the Carnival Ship Liberty. For 7 days we will cruise St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk Islands and Half Moon Cay. This will be our first non-NCL cruise and it will be interesting seeing the difference. Our room is on the Panorama Deck (Deck 10) but not really knowing their layout there is some questions. The web site isn't the easiest to find the answers we want. Our trip down will be a bit more condensed since the cruise sails on Saturday instead of Sunday. We may have to fore go a trip to "Bubba Gumps" until the return home. I also ventured into the world of rentals with some of my points. I am hoping it will turn out good. If not, we will squeezing in several vacation weekends in December in order to use up the points that come back from not getting the rental.

Also in the works is a trip to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens in early December. We went last year and it was great. So this year we will get adventurous and take a couple kids. Even so, it will be another great time.

Salem made me a job offer and after a teleconference this week I will be able to elaborate more as to who, what, when and where this job entails. Still in discussion is location and money. Maybe I will get lucky and they will let me telecommute from St. Kitts in the British Virgin Islands. That would be a dream come true!

The bible study in "Hebrews" is going well. It has stirred up many questions and comments. The last couple of weeks have been tough reading but that is what makes it fun ... it makes you study.

Summer Finally Makes it

Well, time flies and I am once again behind schedule in keeping this site updated. Life continues onward with not a lot of changes. The grass is getting tall as the lawn mower picked this time to croak. Youth Bowling on Sunday Night has started. It is a short season, 10 weeks, but it fills in Sunday night. On the horizon is Starr's wedding and a trip to Florida for the Anderson Reunion (Wild Mom's family). I will drive her back up here so we can get her Saturn all fixed up and running right. The first month of the new church schedule is done. I will just bite my tongue and leave my comment as " I am underwhelmed." Peanut's pregnancy continues and gets closer to the day she can return to normal. Well, as normal as a mom with 2 kids under 4 can. Work is progressing and I am currently in discussions for a job change. After 6 years, I guess it is time for a change. Oh well, more on that down the road. Wild Mom is excited that I will be there for the reunion. It has been a long time since I was last there. I can't wait to get my cheek pinched by some old lady with blue hair, red lips, combat boots and no teeth as they say " I remember when you were ... !" Actually, it should be fun seeing people I haven't seen in ages. I will have to start dusting off some of my best jokes for the new crowd! lady is fine and enjoying life. She got to skip work and get a slight sunburn as her workplace enjoyed a cruise of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay on the bosses' boat.

Down to the Homestead!

Well, I best write something since it has been a few days since the last entry. I guess since the rapture occurred this weekend and I am still here, I must not have been good enough! Funny thing is that I see a lot of my friends, so obviously we were all mistaken as to how good we were!

Happy Birthday to someone very special to me. I can't wait to see what the next XX birthday's bring!

We just returned from spending the weekend in New Bern NC. It was a very quiet and relaxing weekend as we helped Lady to adjust to the next year of her life. The laptop was never powered up ... an unusual occurrence for me. It was nice having very limited cell and wireless service. I didn't even visit one cemetery looking for dead people. We really enjoyed the quiet. Every morning the turles would congregate on the bank of the pond just outside the room. It was funny watching several dozen turtles sunbathing. In the afternoon they would migrate to the other shore for the afternoon sun. We found a very good seafod house in Arapahoe NC. Suprised us since it is way, and I mean way out in the woods. The nearest grocery store was 8 miles from us. Sunday, the drive home was nice as we avoided Interstates and drove the country roads. We even managed to squeeze in 2 ferry rides. One near New Bern and the other at Jamestown. Dinner was a little late but it was at Pierce's, one of the best BBQ's we have found.

Now we must readjust to normal life because the next scheduled trip is in June and then October. i wouldn't mind another trip somewhere but no one has any time left to take off.

A sign at a church we passed -- A dusty Bible means a Dirty life.

Soap Box Sunday

Well, it is May and life goes on. Bowling is winding down and we will have to find something else to do with our Sunday evenings. Today is AJ's 3rd birthday party!

Soap Box time --

Don't you just love how people flock to church to praise God when a disaster occurs. The News channels are really playing that aspect up. God must be helpless when times are good, or is it safer to say "We don't need you when it is good." Oh, I know ... prosperity is God's Kryptonite! Wow, how did I miss that. Also, where is all the international help to aid in the recovery? I don't see any mass calling for aid in a lot of the countries we helped! In most international papers, the story doesn't even rate front page coverage. Oh yeah, our money is only good when it goes in their direction. But then again ... we (America) don't need God except when it is convenient. So why should another country display christian ethics and values ... we don't.

Libya claims their leader is targeted, but NATO says it isn't so. Isn't it targeting when you send a drone to strike the compound where they know he lives? Or, were they 100% successful because they targeted his grandchildren and son instead! Someone had to program that drone, so given the fact he lived there in that compound ... we targeted him. We are killing civilians just to stop him from killing civilians in their civil war. I guess death to stop death is acceptable as long as we are the second to starting the killing. Sadly what makes our choice to intervene more deplorable is that we use machines to do our killing. Isn't it nice to know machines have no conscious. And when it errs and kills a human it becomes accidental and a tragedy of War. Now I can sleep better tonight knowing humans don't kill humans. It is those dang machines ... perhaps the terminator series is real! Also, Syria is killing people by the hundreds. Where is the outcry for them. Are the Syrians no better than the Libyans! Come on NATO, target the Syrian President and have the UN authorize deadly force to enforce a no-fly zone so you can send in the drones thereby you can sleep better at night.

Easter 2011

The greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master.

• Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher.
• Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer.
• He had no army, yet kings feared him.
• He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world.
• He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
• He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Praise Him and get on his winning side!

SpringTime 2011

Well, tomorrow is a day off. Fancy that. So I get to do my favorite chore ... yard work. I had thought about contracting it out but they never showed back up. Oh well, fun in the sun time. Life continues marching on as April is almost gone. It is amazing that Nationals was almost 4 weeks ago. Where did the time go? Sunday night is the last night of bowling on the adult team and the kids have only two more weeks to go. I am back to a day shift at work. My sleep pattern is all messed up. Work is about the same or at least returning back to the way it was. It will never get completely back to that point as the new philosophy is, "If it Works, Break it and make it better!." You sometimes wonder how long some people stay awake to come up with these ideas. This is either an attempt to get more involved with my work or and attempt to create stress so that they can micro manage more. I have always ways work on the idea, "if it works, leave it alone." The improvement comes from making and testing changes on the side. Maybe it will get better by time we go to North Carolina. Yeah, right! I booked our stay at Great Smokies in October. We had a great time last year and expect the same this year. Hopefully the leaf changing will cooperate and do a better job than last year. Wild Mom has started the moving process. She has a contract on a new house and her present place is on the market. Hope it sells quickly.

Enjoy your Easter Season and remember this is why Christianity is different than all other religions.

Ponderings of a Different Sort

Well, the weekend in Williamsburg was great. We basically sat around and did what we wanted to. We didn't do any sightseeing as our goal was to rest and recollect our thoughts. Lady worked on a new quilt that she is making. I did absolutely nothing ... I did not even turn my laptop on. I did manage to use the jacuzzi tub every night to melt any stress and sore muscles I had. We had lunch on Saturday at Pierce's BBQ. That place never ceases to amaze us with the good food and our timing was impeccable as we had no waiting to place our order. We are all looking forward to our weekend getaway in New Bern North Carolina in May.

Bowling is winding down with only 3 weeks left on the leagues. The Sunday Night team has done suprisingly well even with a vacant spot. We have climbed up to the middle of the pack. That sure beats being next to last, only better than the blind team.

Wild Mom is fine and looking forward to a weekend can get down there to do a few sonny-do's. She is looking at relocating to a new house with less yard to maintain. Hmmm, I wonder how my packing and moving skills are? There is no date for the move as she is just started the process.

May 1st is when our Church changes it order of service and Sunday School. Right now I am really undecided on how to respond to this change. I have managed to keep my mouth shut and try not to irritate an all ready stressful event. I wish I had a positive attitude about this but I don't. Keeping my mouth shuts gives no one an opportunity to question my religious convictions. Funny thing is, #2 asked us to come and go to church with him. Who would have thought we would get an invitation like that ... after all the years of us going to church, he offers his church.

Work is going well with Cheng back on staff. Right now I am working mid-shifts so I can complete some projects without having to deal with the daily interuptions that come with day shift. It appears the replacement engineer will be heading back to Kansas the end of this week. I guess this is as best it will get so the prudent thing is to grin and bear it. With 6 years to go ... has the countdown started?

Our Bible study group is starting a study of Hebrews this week. Tough book but the potential rewards are great. Probably my biggest fear is generating the excitement and devotion to the study that is needed to make this a successful event. Most of the material is being pulled together by me and I hope I don't miss something.

Well, spring time is here and that means yard work! Something I really don't relish doing but if I don't do it, then we will eventually live in a jungle of weeds and tall grass.

USBC Nationals - Final Day

Well, the trip is over and I am now back in Washington DC. The train was packed so that meant less room to spread out to sleep. That is usually the way it goes ... when you want something it isn't there. So I basically just stayed up all night. I was too restless to try and stay in one seat. During this part of the trip, I had several conversations that were really interesting. Of course there is always one ... an older lady who disagreed with everything I said. I spoke of the snow I saw Monday and she said there was no snow, "There can't be, I came through there LAST Tuesday and there was no snow." I quickly replied "Well maam, I came through there YESTERDAY and there was snow." She disagreed with everyone on everything. Talk about someone in bad need of a good slap and kick in the arse! Dinner was great and the conversation equally good. The ride was hard since my rear end had reached it limit and was sore and no seat felt soft or comfortable.

Several people who were taking the Bible Study Fellowship course were talking highly of the course. What amazed me was their excitement level. I will have to check into that course if it was that good! Also interesting was that all 3 couples weren't friends but just happened to be traveling on the same train to different locales. But after their discussion, they were friends and equally excited.

I think I have found a new train to get to Chicago the next time I go to Reno. The "Cardinal" that leaves from Chicago and comes through Manassas. That will save me some time going back and forth from Union Station. If anything it is a different route after taking the Capitol Limited and California Zephyr to Reno the last 12 times.

Time to return to Reality and start talking about other things.

USBC Nationals - Day Nine

Well, Day nine was a very quiet day. The mountains are behind me and in front is farmland. The snow finally stopped just east of Gaylesburg. I don't expect to see many animals except deer and rabbits. They aren't very photo worthy. Today I skipped lunch but ate breakfast and dinner. Funny thing is, I ordered eggs, bacon and grits. Most of the people around me had no idea what grits were ... so they saw me eating them and in turned ordered them some grits. Of course, I had to offer advice on the best way to eat them ... butter and pepper. The waiter smiled and told me that this was the most grits he had ever served. The South Rules Again! The train stations rolled by as we cruised across the heartland. I think everyone was very tired as the conversations were at a minimum and most people napped the miles away. The lay-over in Chicago was about 4 hours. I did learn that AMTRAK's Cardinal Train stops in Manassas. I will have to check that out for my next Reno trip in 2013 and 2014. Besides it leaves an hour before the Capitol Limited ... less waiting time in Chicago. I would definetely be riding than sitting in a waiting room with screaming brats that the parent can't control. We finally got out of the station 20 minutes late as we had to wait for another late train to arrive with people who had connections on our train. Dinner was great as I dined with a couple who loved to cruise especially on NCL. They had done the maiden voyage on the Epic, NCL's newest and biggest ship. They too agree that the Epic is TOO BIG. They did not like the fact the midship elevators were replaced with escalators, so the elevators were at the ends of the ship. They also said the Casino, which was a small area on most ships was now a whole floor on the Epic. The spiked hair kid who sat at our table said very little during dinner. Now it is dark and hard to see anything except when we are in some town. Plus it is the time that most alcohol impaired people take control of the Observation car. I can't comment on the world since I have avoided the news for this week. Gee, things seem so simple without the world's problems piled on.

Guess I better get some sleep.

USBC Nationals - Day Eight

Travel day home. Not a lot going on but sitting on my keester and watching the scenery go by. I tried to get up based on eastern time as I tried to start getting my body back on the right time. After breakfast at 6:30, I spent the majority of my time scouring the landscape for animals. Here is what I found:

• 1 Beaver
• Many Deer
• Several Sheep
• 4 Turkey's
• 20+ Mule Deer
• 1 Eagle
• 2 Moose
• 2 Coyotes eating a dead cow
• Lots of snow scenes on the mountains
  

Numerous fuzzy shots because the train was going so fast and the trees even faster the other way.

Other interesting things going on:

• One young lady going around to the different guys whining how she was so unlucky in love. Sounds like a fishing trip to me.
• The Conductor found a cigarette butt (hand-rolled) in the bathroom and was walking around looking. At the same time, some young knucklehead rolling 4 more cigarettes for the next smoke break.
• 4 young adults looking for fun when they said "let's go use 1/2 of the shit left over." Gee, are they a couple of poop players.
  

It never ceases to amaze me some of the stuff that goes on when you ride the train. Dad and I use to laugh a lot about some of these goings on. Conversation was kind of lacking today as there weren't many people on board from Reno to Denver. The problem I guess was the fact the train started in Reno and not in Sacramento. This was due to snow and mud slides in the Sierra Nevada's.

One young man on board got a phone call from a friend who said the one on the train had been served divorce papers. Then the real fun started. Now, I had been watching him hit on 2 young ladies ever since Reno. So he then told his seat mate that he couldn't understand why his wife did that. Then he decided he would try and call all her friends and see if he could get something on her. Did she have something on him? Then he told the seat mate he would make something up if need be. Then to cap this whole drama off ... he told his seat mate, "lets get some beer and see if we can get them (the girls) drunk. Now why would he do that if he was so faithful? A leopard just can't change his spots.

We left Denver on time so lets see if they can hold it. Guess I should try and go to sleep!

USBC Nationals - Day Seven

Well, sad day ... time to go home and re-enter the rat race of life. No, going home isn't sad the sad part, it is just leaving a small group of very good friends knowing we won't see each other for a year. Bowling this tournament for 21 years you manage to get to know the bowling and personal life of many people. Perhaps the scary part is not knowing if you will ever see them again. This has happened several times with just my team members. George died 2 months after the 2008 tournament and Vince about 3 months after the 2009 tournament. This doesn't count the number of life issues that have kept some people from ever bowling again. Looking back, I get a small appreciation of just what my 21 consecutive years means.

I was lazy and didn't get up till 10:00 am once again. Packed my memories away and checked out of the Silver Legacy until I return to Reno in 2013. I checked my baggage at the train station and wandered back to Stadium for my last goodbyes.

On the train and headed home ... and I am lucky ... no man-lovers anywhere near me! I had an interesting dinner with a lawyer and a doctor. The lawyer was recovering from a recent snowboard accident. Remind me ... to stay away from snowboards. We even have musical entertainment. Two riders are playing music on a flute and guitar. Makes you feel like campfire time at a Boy Scout campout.

Well, the sun is down and complete darkness descends upon us.

USBC Nationals - Day Six

Big bowling day. I slept in and ate breakfast about 10:00 am. Today I bowled in the Bowling This Month (BTM) tournament. It is a great tournament with a shot very similar to the one at the National Stadium. I bowled 4 games across 4 pairs of lanes. I averaged 180 on a tough sports shot, so it was respectable but not enough to win money. I did manage to squeeze some nacho's and cheese in before I bowled my National's singles and doubles match. After 10 games in a matter of 7 hours, I was running on empty. I actually started cramping during dinner. Nothing like a arm cramp and a leg cramp at the same time. I had dinner with the Visionary Bowling crew at The Rail City Casino Buffet. I have to say it was absolutely great. Where else could you get a buffet for $7.95 that included your drinks and had crab legs! I did not do crab legs but I did manage to put a severe dent in their fried shrimp supply. Also what made dinner great was listening to stories of Frankie May while he was touring as a PBA professional. I think running a booth at the National Tournament would be the best job ever. The pay isn't great but you sure can meet some interesting people every year. Finally, I managed to go to bed about 1:30 am .... cramps and all.