Oh, Crap! I want another hobby!

On our way back from South Carolina, we stopped in Bryan to visit Dad's Aunt Mallie. It was a nice visit, and for the first time I realized that Mallie was only 10 years older than Dad. Anyway, as we were leaving, Mallie gave us a painting she had done a few years earlier.

A couple of years ago, Mom's Aunt Virginia passed away and Mom brought home a painting she had done. Now I want to learn to paint. Damn!

I have always been a fan of Bob Ross. A decade ago, he was a fixture on the local PBS station, right before the cooking shows. We'd always watch him start with a blank canvas and in 30 minutes have a completed painting. Now that's my kind of painting. Should fit in with my attention deficent problem.

So, I'm going to teach myself to paint. Just what I need. Another hobby.

Radio installation blues

I bought a new radio for my van. The way my finances are going, it could be another year, at least, before I can afford to think about a car. So, I need to replace the old one that doesn't work.

Back in the late 80s, I used to install radios at the drop of a hat. And equalizers. And speakers.

Then I stopped buying radios.

For the last three days I have been working on the preperatory steps. One night I assembled the adapter for my van. One night, I connected the wiring adapter. Tonight, I removed the old radio, and an old add-on thing that hasn't worked in a while. While trying to remove it, I decided to cut the wires. I cut all three wires at the same time and made what Adam Savage of the MythBusters calls the Magic Blue Smoke. However, whenever you make the Magic Blue Smoke, something electronic stops working. Oops.

Well, the radio works, but IT DOESN'T FIT!

Time to walk away. I'll mess with again in the morning.

Argh!

Meadow Farms Golf Course

I think I mentioned I played golf with Steve and John (Staci's husband) last Tuesday. Meadow's Farms is, by far, my favorite course. Unfornately, it is about 1500 miles from my house.

Here's a pretty a picture of their new clubhouse, with John in the foreground.

Four Generations

With me sitting in for Rodney, here's a photo of four generations of Holts.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Rodney just got home from visiting Sean, Joanne and Cael. So here are three generations of Holts. (I swear, Rodney looks more like Stan Laurel everyday.)

Make Money off your Blog - PayPer Post

As much as I like to simply post things the family would be interested in on this blog, I would like to make a little money for writing it. PayPerPost, http://www.payperpost.com, offers bloggers a chance to earn a little cash while blogging. All you have to do is write a post on a particular topic, and they will pay you. I couldn't resist so I signed up, and gave it a try.

Time to start packing

The itinarary is set. Our route is set. We will travel to Virginia and South Carolina next weekend. We're taking the car, flying is just too darned expensive.

We'll leave here at 5 or 6 am on June 15th and drive to Tuscaloosa, Alabama and spend the night. Then we drive, via the Blue Ridge Parkway to Fredericksburg, Virginia and mooch off of Donn and Ann for a couple of days. I'm going to try to sneak away with Steve to play some golf.

Then we'll drive down I-95 to Beaufort, South Carolina and spend a couple of nights with Sean, Joanne and Cael. I hope to sneak away and play some golf with Sean. He says there's a nice course by the ocean.

Our trip home will start on Sunday, and we'll spend the night in Covington, Louisiana, where I hope we'll arrive in time for dinner at the Abita Brewpub in Abita Springs. We should get home Monday evening, after a lunch stop in Bryan to visit Aunt Mallie.

I'm glad were taking the trip, but dad has already told me he wasn't going to drive. So that means I'll get to drive. Whee!

Gearing up

We're gonna visit Donn in Virginia and Sean in South Carolina in a couple of weeks. Dad has already announced that he's not going to drive, so Mom and I get to do it all. And, I have already decided I will do as much as I can. But there have to be a few purchases first.

The first purchase was a Sirius satellite radio. If I'm gonna be cooped up in the car with 'em that long, I get my own radio! I've already picked out the classic rock stations I like. I have also marked the comedy channels. Dad, who had informed me he was taking his CD player and, apparently, his weight in CDs, even said, as I installed the antenna in the van and tested the radio, he would like to be able to hear the radio.

The second purchase has to be new fronts, as Jimmy Davis (my RJR coworker) used to say. I need new glasses. The ones I have are almost 20 years old. While the distance viewing is okay, the up close vision has gone. That's what pisses me off the most. I love to read, and now I have to hold books two feet from my eyes.

I hate getting old.

I'm also trying to think about what I'll need for the trip. Sometimes, I think like Batman going into town: "I'll need the fingerprint kit, the duster, and the night vision goggles." Other times, I think like Indiana Jones: "I got the whip, I got the gun, I got a bag to put sand in. . ."

So, i'm reviewing the One Bag website, trying to pare down my bag to the minimum. I'll be working on that for the next week or so.

Latest Chasing the Sun drawing

After a months long disruption, I have started working on Chasing the Sun again. Not that anyone cares, but I have drawn over 250 pages! I still have that many to go, however, so don't expect to see the ending anytime soon.

Anyway, this drawing is page 11 of chapter 11, or page 251. This scene was one of the first scenes that I wrote for the story. Lydia has learned that Ray has had sex with a couple of girls. She has a crush on him, and is trying to seduce him.

You might want to read the story. If you want. I don't want to push.

Massacre

Normally, I'm pretty laid back. I don't like to kill insects unless they're bothering me. If there's a spider web in a spot I don't normally travel through, I leave it alone. A spider has to eat, too, y'know.

Sunday afternoon, I was getting a beer from the cooler on the back porch. I was whistlin', having a great time. I get even with the cooler when I feel a stabbing pain on the back of my neck. I hastily retreat to a safe distance and look around A pair of yellow jackets had started a nest right in front of my beer cooler.

Right in front of my beer cooler!

Had they been down at the end of the house, I wouldn't have bothered them. But no living thing comes between me and my beer cooler! I go back in the house to look for spray. We had moved all the spray out to the storage room at the back of the house. Right under the wasp nest. I did find a can of roach spray. Since I needed a beer, it would have to do.

Back outside, I peeked around the corner and spotted my prey. I raised the can, and started spraying. A fine mist covered the nest and after a couple of seconds, the wasps took off. I knocked the nest down and squished it. After retrieving my beer, I went back inside to put ice on the sting.

Sorry, wasps. But you were in the way.

Memorial Day Report

Dad and I played some golf with one of our friends, Larry, yesterday. Let me tell you, it was hot! Larry played 9 holes, Dad and I tried for 18, but on the 11th hole we got behind a fivesome and I started feeling queasy. So while they putted out, We stopped at a pisser. I splashed water on my face, but that didn't help. We spotted a sixsome in front of the fivesome and said "Fuck it."

Out of the course, the air was still, and heat just oozed out of the ground. When we crossed Main street, we noticed a nice breeze pushing the trees around. And when we got home, it was nice a cool in the front yard. We should have played there.

Marla had stopped by on her way back to Abilene, so we had a nice visit. Other than that, it was a quiet Memorial Day.

Another Holt in the family!

Steve sent a picture of his bouncing baby boy, but neglected to provide a name. The boy is due in October, and, of course, everyone is excited for them. I am eage rto see if big, bad, bruiser Steve (We all know he's a big softie, but he will kick your ass!) will be a strict Daddy or a or forgiving Daddy.

Mom, Dad, and I are planning a trip to the East Coast to visit Steve's family, Dad's brother Donn (who live in Fredericksburg, VA); and Sean, Joanne and Cael in Beaufort, SC. I'm looking forward to it. I like driving trips, and I enjoy visiting the VA Holts.

We clean up pretty good

Mom took this photo at Sue's funeral. i can't help but noticing that Rodney and i look kinda like Laurel & Hardy. Ann and Jeanne are just along for the ride.

We only see each other at funerals

Aunt Sue finally gave up, and passed away on Saturday. The funeral is on Tuesday. Mom asked that we all go up to Abilene on Monday for the visitation. So, as soon as I get a hair cut on Monday morning, we're off to the funeral home to sit there until they close.

PICTURES!

The first in what we hope is a series: Cael's first photos!

It's a Boy!

Cael Thomas Holt was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, on Sunday, April 23. Mom and baby are doing fine. Sean has promised, and I mean promised, that pictures are on the way. He sent them to his mom, who will be sending them to us, as soon as she gets our email addresses.

We'll see.

The Frederickofenoke swamp

We had 3 inches of rain the other day. It all fell in about an hour. So I rushed home from work to make sure there wasn't water in the house, and when I went into the back yard, I found that the dry creek bed in our back yard was no longer dry.

I Miss MST3K

Since there was absolutely nothing on TV today, I spent the day watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 tapes. I miss, Joel, Mike, Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot, Gypsy, Pearl, Dr. Forrester, TV's Frank, Brain Guy, Monkey Guy, and even Larry.

The Waiting

The day that everyone in our family has been avoiding talking about is almost here. My mom's sister Sue is in the hospital and the prospects are grim. I haven't really written about it here, because she often visited the site. I'm working on a much longer piece, but I definitely don't want to post it until after. . . after . . . well, you know.