Jumpin' At The Woodside

UPDATE (see notes below) On Tap Notes: Sorry for the brief video, but the cell phone only records 15 sec. video clips. We tee-ed it up at Renaissance Park Golf Course here in Charlotte. It's a public course, and like the public courses we played in Va., it's in great condition and even has a nice clubhouse and pro shop. But unlike Ingleside in Va., this course has some swamp sections that gobbled up a few of my balls. We probably should have only played 9 holes due to the heat/humidity and the fact that we haven't played in awhile. I was surprised at the number of people playing. I was soaked when we got done, so we showered and changed then hit a local joint for ribs, shrimp and Coronas. Techie FYI... I discovered I can post photos & text to the blog via mobile phone, but not video. I can however post video to YouTube via mobile phone, which is what I did yesterday afternoon. When we got back I posted the YouTube video on the blog.

I've always loved thunderstorms since I was a little kid. I could sit and watch them like fireworks on the 4th of July. Last night and again tonight we had rumbling and lightning flashes all night long. I captured some of the lightning from this evening's storm in the photos above and the video below.

Ah, bug zapper & wireless speakers.

A petition from the Dave Matthews Band to the Secretary of Defense "We have been disturbed by the stories that continue to surface about the medical care being received by our returning servicemen and women. Supporting our troops entails providing them with the complete, timely and excellent care for injuries they sustained during their military service, at the very least. Providing this care is a moral obligation for our nation and should be our highest priority at home. For further information and to read the petition that we will ultimately send to the Secretary of Defense and members of Congress, click here . We hope you will join us in encouraging the Secretary of Defense and members of Congress to report on medical care benefits for US Veterans of War." - Dave Matthews Band

Notorius T-M-AY Ol' Senor Lazy Acres asked about my ivy project yesterday, so I thought I'd present an update to all y'all on the back yard and the nasty business of ivy killing. We have some tall trees in the back that were completely overgrown with ivy when we moved in, not to mention most of the back yard. All the photos presented here are "after" shots, meaning you're looking at dead ivy - straight up, yo! I've taken the ivy to task by physical means. I haven't resorted to chemical warfare yet, but may soon. I figure if the ivy is removed completely it can't grow back. But, this path calls for a resolute will - to be as tenacious as the ivy itself and then some. I had cut away the ivy from the base of the trees, but yesterday found that new ivy was growing in at the point where I had cut it. This called for new action, I completely ripped all ivy from around the base of the trees, thus curtailing any new or future growth. It must be stopped by ...

Happy Father's Day and a special Happy Birthday wish to my Pops! Happy Father's Day Vince and Walter! New Dad, Poppa Gar holding my oldest sister, Donna. Poppa Gar loves to fish. Here he is fishing with my "big catch" Lago. Thanks Dad!

Way to go! Easton's latest H.S. grad.

Lago worked this weekend, but will be home in time for dinner and The Sopranos finale. I have some theories of what may happen, but really just looking forward to see how things wrap up. Now that the series is coming to a close, I'm thinking I may need to get the season box set DVDs, and go back and watch from the beginning, which is perfect timing for the summer when not many new shows are on TV. So here's a quick tour around The Lounge on this warm Sunday afternoon. If any of you recall the large pile of mulch that was at the back of our driveway leftover from our tree removal project last year , well below is what it looked like today when I spread the last of it around The Lounge. It's gone, baby! That is one fine looking grill cover, thanks again Monkey! The cats had a lazy day napping while I was working outside. JP Stinkerbutt had a lazy day as well, but doesn't look too happy in the photo below even though I had just fed her and took her out for a poop. I think ...

How I Became a Dave Matthews Band Fan Ol' Lazy Acres recent posting in which he mentioned that "#41" was quickly becoming his favorite DMB track, made me recall how I became a Dave Matthews Band fan even though I didn't like them when their popularity rose in the mid-1990s. Back in the '90s, I was in Boston and DMB could be heard all over the radio with their hits "What Would You Say," "Ants Marching," "Satellite," etc. But at the time, I was into the "grunge thing" and listening to a lot of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Beastie Boys, and the like. I couldn't stand hearing the DMB hits the radio played over and over again, even though many people in Boston loved them. It was this way for awhile, until 1999 when DMB played Woodstock. I was now living in the Philadelphia area, but I wouldn't meet the woman of my dreams, Lago, for another year or so. I wanted to attend the big Woodstock wee...

I was in the Big Apple Sunday and returned Monday evening. I traveled to NYC for a web strategy meeting that included our new client services VP and our division president. Yep, as I say at the Lounge - we was kickin' it wit' all the muckety mucks! I won't bore all y'all with the details, but the meeting went very well. Took awhile, but looks like we're finally getting some support and recognition for our little ol' web services team, which consists of Jimmy Joe Pete and myself. I met up with ol' Jimmy Joe and his Mrs. on Sunday after my flight got in. They had traveled up together Friday for some R&R in the big city and to check in on a cousin in Hoboken, NJ. They stayed at the Hudson Hotel , which is across the street from the Time Warner Center (TWC), or as Lazy Acres calls it "The Emerald City." I stayed at the Hudson once and called it quits. I believe I even posted previously that the rooms are entirely too small. This time around, it wa...

From Sticky Fingers BBQ http://www.stickyfingersonline.com/ Hola amigos! We had the first video On Tap posts and now along comes the first On Tap posted via mobile phone! That's right, the photos posted last evening came directly from my mobile phone to the blog - ah, technology is a wonderful thing. FYI, that "stuff" above my head in the photo is whip cream in a dessert poster behind me. Thought I'd do a little clean up this morning and add some more info. Kickin' It L.A.N. Style http://lazyacresnorth.com/ Lago and her Mom ate at Sticky Fingers when they visited Charleston, SC, last week. They liked it so much they brought home a package of all their BBQ sauces for us to try. They are all excellent in their own unique way and not sure I could pick one fav over the others, but I must say Lago and I enjoy the Habenero Hot a great deal! Their sauces are as follows: Memphis Original, Tennessee Whiskey, Carolina Classic, Carolina Sweet, and the Habanero Hot. While th...

no its not a bud