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.