Dan Emmet Festival

Every year our little city of Mount Vernon has a music and arts festival. It is named after Dan Emmet who was a M.V. resident and writer of the song "Dixie". (You know, the song that plays when the General Lee plays its horn as it jumps every bridge that is out in Hazzard.) Well we went to it again this year and I did something I have wanted to do for a long time. (Besided eat the 2" porkchop, which I could have done twice but oh well. Thanks anyway Ron.) I have always wanted to just have my camera hanging from my neck and take random pictures of people without looking at the view finder. But it has always been a bit expensive to do with film cameras for one or two good shots. But using a digital camera I was able to take over a 100 pictures and came up with at least these 8 that I kind of like. What do you think of them?

A Great Softball Game

Okay I am not normally one to do this. But I was inspired by a friend who bragged about a situation that made her so happy that it made me happy to read it. So in hopes of making others happy, I am going to brag a little bit.

This week has been our church softball playoffs. On our first game of the week on Monday I struck out swinging at my first at bat in slow pitch softball. (This is obviously not the bragging part.) How do you strike out swinging in slow pitch?!!? Anyway, I did pretty well the rest at bats and my good friend Scooter (aka Ron) hit and out of the park homer with 2 men on. It was pretty awesome.

So Tuesday night is our second game. I went 3 for 3 with a walk. I hit a double that should have been a single but I just ran straight through and threw of the fielders who obviously were not expecting me to go to second. Then then when I was on second the next ball was hit to the 3rd baseman. I went half way expecting a throw to first but it never came. The 3rd baseman bobbled the ball and was a good 5 ft off the bag. So I raced him to the bag and took a long hard slide under his tag. Then managed to tag up for a run on the next hit.

Last inning of the night, we are hometeam, and the score is tied. The bottom of their line up hits back to the pitcher for out 1. The next batter is the top of their line up. He has all night done like I do at the top of the line up and hits hard shallow hits and runs out throws to first. So I am playing left center and I come up to play him shallow hoping to rob him of a blooper shot. He hits a line shot my direction, but deeper than he has hit all night. I start to back peddle realizing I will never back peddle fast enough I stop and jump for all I am worth. (Which is like 2 inches probably) I manage to snag the ball out of the air for the 2nd out.

The third out was made by our shortstop who normally plays outfield. He made a great grab as the ball almost went by for the 3rd out. Our at bat. We are the bottom 2 of our line up. The first girl up hits the ball just over the 3rd baseman's head. The next hitter pop ups to the second baseman for out number 1. I am up next. I manage to hit a shallow shot to right center and the girl on second holds up too long thinking it is going to be caught and gets thrown out at second for out number 2. 2 outs bottom of the last inning tied score. The guy behind me after watching 2 pitches one a strike and one a ball, he gets a hit to shallow left field. I am rounding second as the shortstop and the left fielder are deciding if either one of them can get to it and who it should be. So I take off for third. Apparently they both either ran into each other or ended up standing there looking at each other too long to figure out who should get it that my whole team is yelling for me to come home. So I round third and am up easy for the game winning run. It was a pretty cool night.

We shall see how tonight's game goes!?!

An Evening at the Park

Our local Rotary Club has built a 1/4 of million dollar playground at our local park.





Anna Loved It!!!









But of course she loved the 20 year old part as well





Little Sis, Not So Much!!

Ella's Blog

Ella's friends have blogs and this one has a lot about Anna so I started one for just Ella and about her story of her birthdate and her friends.

5 Wonderful Years

I guess I would be a bad husband to let the day go by and not mention today is my 5 year anniversary of being married to the best wife in the world. I love you Amber!!

Back from Delaware

We were suppose to be back by Tuesday. But just as we went to leave we realized the van's brakes were bad enough that we had better get them checked out. Which they were bad enough they needed work thus we were not able to go until Wednesday. But a big thanks to Mr. Bailey for taking care of my repair bill.

Mr. Bailey is an 80+ year old retired minister who went into the real estate business as well a long time ago. He is the kindest most generous man you would ever meet. He took my parents in when they first moved to Delaware over 30 years ago and helped take care of them as a young married couple. Today over 30 years later he is taking care of me and Amber.

He is starting to have health problems that are a little more serious than in the past. His wonderful, dear, English wife Dorothy and I were talking about his longevity. She is convinced it is because he doesn't have a hateful bone in his body. She says that when we hold grudges and anger in it eats at us just like stress. He doesn't hold grudges and doesn't stress over things. He has gained and lost two businesses and continues to go as if nothing had ever happened in the past. He has been burned by people in business and in the church. The only slightly disparaging remark Dorothy said she has ever heard him say is he understands that for the business people, it is business, they have an excuse.

I owe a lot to Mr. Bailey. Not just because of bags of free food and money every time I go home. But for life lessons, for getting my parents so involved in the church in their first month in church and never looking back, and more that I probably don't even know about.

Well this started out as a brief entry about being back. But I am happy with the turn it took. I hope you all have a Mr. Bailey somewhere in your life.

Going to Delaware

Going the next 4 days to Delaware!! It's not California or NYC, NYC!! But it is going to be fun to see friends and family again. Have a great weekend everybody.

A Night of Catching Fireflies

You can have a lot of fun with dollar store bug catcher.

My Neighborhood

Pictures from a walk around my neighborhood...

My Cube

Here is what my cube looks like. What I look at for 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Anna's picture is not usually up on the screen, but for obvious reasons I couldn't leave my work page up there for the picture. So now you see what I see.

Promised Parade Pictures

It was a great time. The parade lasted over 2 hours!!

Old Hymns

Being at camp meeting we have been singing more of the good old hymns that remind you of church as a kid. We didn't sing this one, but it is my favorite. Leave a comment of the title of your favorite hymn.

I heard an old, old story, how the Saviour came from glory,
How He gave His life at Calvary, to save a wretch like me,
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.

Chorus:

Oh victory in Jesus, my Saviour forever!
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.
He loved me ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood.

THEN ON THE LAST VERSE, BROTHER CHARLIE WOULD GET UP & START WALKING THE AISLES..

I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,
And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea.
About the angels singing and the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory.

Camp Meeting

We have had camp meeting this week. So I have not had time to get the pictures of the parade yet to upload. However, I have a message from our camp meeting speaker for you. It is simple but profound.

You are as close to God as you choose to be.

The Weekend is here

Our town is celebrating its bicentennial this weekend. A parade and the biggest fireworks display ever in our city are planned. I haven't sent the camera in yet, I don't think I will need the flash for this weekend so I will wait until Monday to mail it and get some good pictures. It the midst of the festivities I need to find time to get the regular house work we always catch up on over the weekend too. It is fun to do those other things, but not fun to come home to a house that is behind in housework. Hopefully the fun will out way the non-fun this weekend. May your fun out weigh the non-fun this weekend!!

Pictures?

Ok, so there will not be quite as many pictures coming as I had hoped. The flash on my brand new digital camera is not working. It was the last one the store had so I am sending it in to get fixed. Will take up to 2 weeks to get back. But in the mean time I do have one more I would like to post..

What not to say to your wife!!

How many are you doing?

I need to do this. Just nail them up in my house so that I don't just pick and choose the ones that are easy for me. Funny how it takes discipline to keep up with the disciplines.

Many faces of Ella

WARNING: New digital camera...lot of pics to follow

Happy 4th