As you'll see from the pictures, we've had a busy weekend here. I finally finished the paver project in the back. Some of these pictures suck because the stupid camera wasn't on auto as it should have been, but you get the idea. I ran out of daylight so I can't retake them at the moment.
The next big project will be tearing down the old shed. I've got the rent a dumpster and then I'll get some help over here to rip it apart.
Ok, so we are on the subject of mortality. That's a good one, and something I think about often, though not in frightened way.
I've been "fortunate" enough to have been involved it things that will wake you up real quick to just how fragile life can be. One minute your a bunch of bad assed MF'ers that can't be touched, and the next your trying to keep your buddy from bleeding out even though it's obviously a lost cause. Damn, we were supposed to play cards that night.
I will say that I've been pretty far separated from every families members death. The Army seen to it that for most of them I was at least 700 miles away, and in Grandpa Allen's case I was on another continent. As mom says, "they won't know your not here." Well said. I did go to a bunch of funeral's a couple years ago. The one that saddened me the most of Brother Jack Fryer, the pastor of the church that we lived beside. The main thing that got me at that one was his poor fragile wife Joyce standing there and my knowing there was a bunch of useless vulture kids waiting to pick his bones. Of course my buddy Rooster didn't have a funeral, he just had his son come pick up his ashes, which now sit on a window sill in Phenix City, Alabama. I can actually see him when I drive by the house.
Dad has always warned me that time picks up speed the older you get. I'm getting to an age that I'm starting to notice exactly what he's talking about. Because of that, I will err to the side of fun rather than work if we come up with a weekend getaway or adventure to tend too. Whatever needs done will surely be waiting on me when I get back, right?
I spent most of last Sunday on a motorcycle ride with son-in-law Tim. A more glorious day has never been wasted so thoroughly. Here is the catch though...while enjoying life we both temped fate on several occasions. For one 20 mile stretch I'd say the average speed was pushing 120. And of course there was the last leg home where we both topped 150. All it would take is a flat or a dog in the road to ruin that ride rather permanently.
Oh well.
No one here get's out alive.
When I left for Montgomery at 6 am yesterday morning, Weatherbug said rain with a chance of thunderstorms all day. By 1 pm the sirens were pretty much going off non-stop. Both Al and I were working on a project at the warehouse and couldn't leave until around 5 pm, so the ride back from Motgomery to Columbus was about as heavy a rain as I've ever drove in. It actually lightened up a bit when I got closer to Columbus so I thought the storm had passed me......NOPE, I had passed the storm. By the time I got home the sirens were going off here. Either a tornado or some bad assed winds tore down several buildings less than 2 miles from where I sit typing this. Half the town is still withough power this morning. School is out because several roads are closed with trees across them. Our power went out a couple times, then finally staid off 'til around 2 am this morning.
I can't say it was a rough night for us. Deb does tend to get excited running around in the dark with a flashlight in one hand and a scanner in the other. We ended up crashing on the couch for a while, then went to bed.
Today calls for sunny and 70. I'm off. I guess I'll go survey the damage on a motorcycle....yeah, that sounds like a good plan.
I'm really piss poor at remembering to take pictures of our adventures. These few shots show that even an expensive phone doesn't take very good pictures....these were the few times in the past week I happened to think to take a picture. I think it's time to get one of the newer "slim" camera's with the nice big preview screen...one that actually fits in my pocket so I'll have it for these occasions. The canon we've been using was bought 3 years ago as a Christmas present to ourselves. It still takes pretty good pictures, but you damn sure know you've got a camera with you.
Soooo....you'll just have to take my word for it that the past week was a very full one for me and Deb. I started on Monday with a trip to a pretty sorry excuse for a casino in Mississippi. The meeting was ok though, with me getting an award for being around longer that just about any one, and winning a surround sound system as well as a cordless drill...neither of which I needed. I think one of the kids will end up with the surround sound.....more than likely the kid who's motorcycle I possess. I'm thinking the drill will go to one of my newer guys that is trying his best to make his numbers, but doesn't have a lot of disposable income yet. Yeah, time to give for a change.
Both Deb and I knocked off early on Saturday and headed to Macon to hang with some friends. After breakfast on Sunday we headed north to Atlanta for a very large motorcycle show at the World Congress center in downtown, right next to the Georgia Dome. I did find out that the underground parking is NOT suitable for dually trucks, but we made it in and out with literally inches to spare and the only casualty was the cell antenna on the roof, and a few days off Debs life from being nervous. It was worth the drive, and we will be going next year for sure. We went with some Harley riding friends of ours, but luckily all brands were represented so everyone came away happy. Both of us tried out the new Gold Wing for a bit, and I got to drool on a few unobtainable bikes like the entire Ducati line as well as the new model Triumphs.
After the show we headed back south a ways to drop in on a friend who lives in Locust Grove, a suburb of Atlanta. We only stayed about an hour because our faithful babysitter, Debs mom, had certainly done her part and didn't really need to be up late waiting on us. We got home around 10 pm, and I was back out the door this morning at 6:30 to head to Montgomery to train a big crop of new guys.
We may be working hard, but we are taking time to do fun stuff in between. Dad always reminds me that I'm not taking any of this shit with me to the grave, so we are doing what we can to have a good time every once in a while. Yeah, I'm listening Dad.
Well, as usual, I'm not keeping up with the journal worth a crap. The current excuse is work has been keeping me VERY busy. I did steal enough time to extend my fence around the side of the house so I have a place to stash all the tractors and stuff without taking up the entire back yard. I'll take a picture of it eventually...but probably not soon. It's dark now, and I'm heading to Philadelphia, MS. to a managers meeting in the morning. We'll arrive at an Indian ran casino tomorrow afternoon with a meeting for about half a day on Tuesday, then head back. I think the main reason they have us field supervisors going is because they have put us back on salary so they want to "bring us into the fold". I've been with them long enough that I've been through this before, but it will be good to see some of the guys from our other offices that I know.
We had our friends down from Atlanta this weekend so I didn't get much done other than cheat on the diet a little. We ate at Texas steakhouse for dinner last night. The food was really good but the waitress sucked. I didn't have desert, but the baked potato was cheating. We had IHOP this morning and I had a damn tasty egg sandwich, and of course the bread was cheating, but we've sent Tina and Billy back north and are back on track now.
This afternoon this arrived....
It was pretty cold by 5:30 but I still managed a quick ride using a borrowed helmet. Yeah, it was fun.
Here's an update to the update. I'll have a motorcycle to use very soon. Lany and her man live in an apartment complex and he hasn't been comforable leaving his bike parked there...because someone had already knocked it over once. It has been parked at his dads out in the country for the past couple months. My idea was to pay him for the use of it while I got comfortable enough with it to take the test. His idea is to take the money I was going to give him and fix the few things that got damaged when the neighbor knocked it over. Now that's a plan I can live with. I'll get some pictures up when the bike arrives, but I will give this hint....although it's a Honda, it isn't exactly what one would call a touring bike...or a cruiser. One last hint...CBR F4.
Oh, in other news, me and Deb are back to dieting. I'm down 10 pounds and motivated....hell, I've got to catch up with dad! He's weighed less than me for serveral months.
I hate to jinx things, but all is going pretty damn well here.
