Getting together with my brother, Phil (Nick)

How nice it is after many many years to finally let bygones be bygones…A few months ago, I decided to get in touch with my brother via Facebook…I didn’t know if he would talk to me or not but I thought I would try…I invited him and his better half, Michael, down to where we work in Hillsville, VA several months ago…He said he would see what he could do…Finally after seeing how he can work it in, Michael and Phil came down to the campground but had to spend 2 nights in town since we were booked…but it didn’t matter…Also, my nephew, Matthew and his girlfriend, Jessica, came down with them…The first day was awesome..It was great to see them enjoy themselves at the pool…

We all decided to go to a chinese restaurant for dinner…We had a nice big round table and had good conversation…A few pics were taken…

This is Michael and Phil…They have been together for about 15 or 16 years…I don’t quite remember what he told me…

This is my nephew Matthew on the left…Matthew didn’t talk much so we really didn’t have a lot to talk about…I am guessing he had fun while he was visiting here…

That night we had a good campfire…A bottle of wine and a bottle of Coors light…Nice weather for the evening…Richard made a great campfire…

Kayla’s Vacation to Lake Ridge RV Resort

Kayla’s vacation started on May 3rd, 2010 when she traveled from her home in West Virginia to Virginia…She was so excited to ride in our big truck and to come spend time with her Poppy & Mommom…After the pools opened on Memorial Day weekend, the water still wasn’t warm enough yet…We waited until the first week in June to finally let her hit the kiddie pool here at Lake Ridge Rv Resort…

At the kiddie pool is a water slide…She spent a lot of time going up the stairs to the slides (there are 2 of them) and then slide down to the pool…What a blast to watch her have so much fun…

Kayla met some new friends while here at Lake Ridge…Two of the girls she met visits every weekend for a month and while she was outside one evening, one of the girls, Gracie, came over to talk to her…Gracie and Kayla hit it off…They have been best buddies since they met…Gracie is with her while they are getting in the big pool…and Mom, don’t worry, Gracie’s dad was in the big pool and was watching her real good…

This is Gracie’s dad, Jason…We met them over a cake eating contest for Mardi Gras themed weekend here at Lake Ridge…Gracie’s mom, Jessica, and I started talking and Jason was helping Poppy clean up the mess after the cake eating contest…I believe Mardi Gras weekend was the second weekend in June…Ever since meeting them and talking to them, they have fallen in love with Kayla…Gracie immediately invited Kayla over to their camper for a sleepover…Their camper is right behind ours…So the girls and Gracie’s brother, Landon, was having a blast in the pool…

Gracie, Kayla & Jason in the big pool just having fun…It is the first time she has been in the big pool since being with us…We have not had time to take her or she is with her new friends the whole weekend…

Poppy and I are so glad that Kayla has made friends…Another one of her friends is Grace…Their camper is a few sites up from ours and when Grace is here, Kayla will go over there and see if she can play…

Eastern Shore Visit – 4.24-25.10

It has been nice to go to a place just to relax and enjoy an old friendship…Go out to dinner late and just talk...To sleep on a real soft couch and wake up to sunshine coming in big windows…It was just great to see my old friend and her hubby again…Friendships do last even if you don’t talk often or see one another for years…

My friend is Mechelle and I’ve known her since the mid nineties…We met at Civil Engineering firm and it took a while to warm up to her but after a while, we became great friends…I miss her a lot…

This weekend we enjoyed our s l o w time and just talked…She has a great garden with a great big tree in the back yard and a nice swimming pool…Mechelle has worked on her house for years and you can tell it…It is just a very relaxing place to be…I loved coming to her home on the Eastern Shore on weekends and just relax with her…I miss those times…

The morning of us leaving, their cherry blossom tree was losing it’s leaves…Richard was making it “snow”…It was pretty awesome…

 

Richard couldn’t resist shaking that tree on everyone…He even had to get Doug, Mechelle’s hubby, in on it…

Mechelle has always had a green thumb…When she bought the house, there were no plants…Now there are trees, plants, shrubs, fences, gates, little ponds, a big garden, etc. around her  house…It’s beautiful…

and the flowers are beautiful…Times are hard and at some point I know my friend wants to sell this beautiful home and whoever gets this piece of land and home will be greatly happy…

  This is Doug’s dog house…It is actually Mechelle’s work place for her garden…It’s like a very small home on the outside…Behind it is a little play area for Doug’s girls…Mechelle does a wonderful job with everything…

My best friend who lives very far away from me is awesome even tho at first I did not like her…but now I love her like my sister…I miss her greatly…

Football Season Has Begun...GO RAVENS!!

Ravens football season has begun with the first preseason game on August 12, 2010 at 8pm on ESPN...Flacco looked good and I got to see my favorite player, Kelly Gregg 97...All the other players for the first quarter looked good....Missed seeing Ed Reed on the field...The only person I was not impressed with was Marc Bulger...Where did he come from and why?  I would have thought that the Ravens would have tried to fill the 2nd quarterback spot with Troy Smith...Give him play time...

Do you recognize these bad boys of the defense??

The thing I miss most about the football season is going to Ravens camp at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD...but I have heard that getting autographs is harder to get now but I did enjoy getting many pictures of all the players...I have 2 white Ravens tee shirts with many autographs....One day when I really want to take them out of the plastic baggie that keeps them nice, I will take photos of them and post them...

Luckily, again this season, we joined the Directv Football Package...We enjoy watching all the games on our 32" flat screen tv...only wish we had surround sound...The only game we don't get to see if the Ravens play Houston...Why you ask..It's because our home directv residence is in Livingston, TX which is "close" to Houston...The best part is that if we are busy, the game is recorded and we can watch it later on and just skip by all commercials and other commentatives...

So good luck to all the teams out..The Ravens have a great Coach with John Harbaugh...The team now has some terrific talent...All we have to do is put it all together and become AFC North Champs and then go to Dallas for the Super Bowl...

I purchased 2 mini garden flags...One for the yard and one for hanging on our screen door...Then I got me a pair of Flacco earrings, #5...The CRW Flags company located in Glen Burnie, MD also had some pins that I ordered...Only got 3 - Edgar Bobble Head Pin #101, Baltimore Ravens Memorial Stadium Pin & a AFC North Champs 2006 Pin...I just hung up those pins on the window curtain near my chair...I'd love to have a few more pins that the have like the Inaugural Pin Set...I remember going to a Ravens game when they first played at the now removed Memorial Stadium, the place of the late 60's-early 70's Baltimore Orioles...Now everything is in Downtown Baltimore...If only the Ravens stadium was called Raven Park at Camden Yards and not M&T Bank Stadium, how bla-zay...

Let's go Baltimore Ravens...I'm looking forward to whooping some butt at the new Meadowlands Stadium...Play hard and smart...I'll be wearing my Purple and Black on game days...