Reading

VMI Cadets march to New Market, 2009. The original march, in May of 1864, consisted of about 257 VMI Cadets. The event is commemorated each May by a smaller contingent of Cadets who make the 85 mile march along Route 11 between Lexington and New Market. New Market is the oldest and some say most continuous US Civil War battle re-enactment. Then the cadets would have pretty much had the old dirt road to themselves a lot of the march. Now you can see how they need to cower on the edge hoping not to get killed by a motorized idiot prior to seeing the possibility of mock death on the battlefield

While we were in KY I finished Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. This mystery is set within the Vatican and surrounded by the tapestry of a conclave by the College of Cardinals. The pope had just died of what was thought was natural causes and a new pope was to be chosen. The "bad" characters were not only surprises but multi-leveled. The good characters brought out some great aspects in human qualities. One of the most striking parts of the book to me was one of the "bad" character's public defense of the church and of Christianity. A remarkable statement and one worth any one's time to read. Especially in light of the events, although fictitious, which preceded the announcement.

Do I recommend the book? I do. But cautiously and with explanation. The book is graphic. Graphic scenes of violence and sex. The sex is not over the top or vulgar, but depending on your background and self imposed limits of exposure you may find them a bit much. The violence is very graphic. Explicit in language and from the depths of cruelty.

The story line borders at times on the limits of what makes all mysteries good, the willful suspension of belief. If that is a new phrase to you I'd highly recommend you research it. It is a phrase introduced in the early 1800s and is a formula for author's. It sets boundaries to believability which separates good writing from ludicrous.

Well, that turned out to be more of a book critique than a recommendation.

Last evening before 7 pm I decided to take a walk. It was an exploratory walk to see if it might prove to be something I'd like to do on a regular basis. The last time I lost significant weight I cut back on what I was eating and took 6 to 7 mile walks about every night. I called it my "Push back walk out" diet. This route that I chose allows me a couple of small options along the route but mostly follows a loop of just under 7 miles.

I live just about a tenth of a mile from the lower terminus of Kezzeltown road where it ends, or begins I suppose, at Route 11 at the upper edge of Mount Sidney. Following it north brings one to the intersection of Weyers Cave Road in the village of Weyers Cave. No, you mispronounced it. It is pronounced Weirs, not wires. Turning left, or west, takes one back over I81 and to the intersection of Route 11. Left again, south, and 3 miles later end where you began at Eastover Blvd at the upper edge of Mount Sidney. Taking one of the short options along the way which goes past Todd, Diana and Abigail's house measures at 6.9 miles. A bit more than Todd and I guessed at 5. All three roads used are narrow and too busy. People believe they must speed at risk of life and limb so none of the roads are conducive to walking or biking. In my opinion a yet another tragedy we have allowed the automobile to bring us. And another very minus to rural living. Say what you want about living in the country, but in this country you better have enough land of your own to walk or take a drive to a very boring park or track of some kind. Leisurely walks in the country are dangerous.

I ran out of daylight because I under estimated the distance and because when I stopped to see the children and Abigail I stay a bit long. But seeing the granddaughters is always worth what extra time you can carve out.

Working 2 pm to 11 pm this evening, then two days off. Sweet days off.

Is it fishing if you don't catch fish?

Chad did catch 11 or 12, while Todd caught 1. I was zero for the day. But like they say, a bad day fishing is better than a good day working. Too bad I had to work as well.

I opened today after closing last night. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. I have no idea why scheduling seems to be so difficult at my place of work. But I never hear anyone being happy with their schedules. Well, except one group that works M-F 5-2. I could stand a schedule like that as well. I normally only open after closing. I opened today, after closing yesterday, and will close again tomorrow. But then have two days off.

I put in my vacation requests for the rest of my vacation for the year. I am hoping on one of the short few days off to go fishing with the boys on Claytor Lake. We did that before and had a great time. They think they can only go late on a Thursday and come back on the next Sunday morning. I may go down on Tuesday afternoon if my schedule allows me and camp out a couple of nights before they get there. I love to camp. Just haven't done it enough since getting married. I wanted a space here between the last paragraph and this next one, but this piece of crap of a program won't allow me to insert one. So here is to run on writing. . . . . . . . . .Another one of the requests will be a few days biking somewhere flat within easy driving distance. Might be the eastern shore of MD or the colonial parkway. I’ll wait until the time gets closer to decide. The other short vacation I may work around the house.

My birthday is Wednesday. Yes, I will be 60. Growing up the ministry in the group my family was affiliated with had me convinced I’d never see much of adulthood. The world was coming to an end. Well, more correctly, “The LORD was returning.”

But barring getting hit this evening while walking or running off the road going to work or back tomorrow (a more likely scenario than you might imagine) I should make it to 60. My parents died in their 70s. So, with a little more care of myself than they took of themselves I might possibly have 20 more years. 10 years of pizza interspersed with 10 years of seafood. Now that is something to live for.

Vacation Kentucky Side

This is the pole light I sort of kind of finished installing this evening. I have several more things to do, including back filling my trench better and planting grass and connecting the power to the light through a timer and dusk to dawn sensor.

This is the view from my study window.

After a quick trip from the Northern Neck to home on Friday, we regrouped overnight and left for Kentucky Saturday morning. Everything went very well, with beautiful weather. I dropped off of I64 onto US 60 at the eastern end of Charleston looking for a hole in the wall type of restaurant. One of those out of the way places that only the locals know but the food is way better than fast slop.

We did find an old fast food restaurant that had been converted into Susie's Hamburgers. No, I am not going to tell you where it is located, trust me you don't want to know. Nasty.

We got to Winchester in the early evening and went directly to the hospital where Georgiann's mom is in a permanent stay in a transition facility. You tell me, there are lots of things I don't understand. Then we went on over to her dad's where we were spending our nights. Nice little duplex. Easy to keep up and just enough room for dad. Even has a car port now that he no longer has a car. Nice for people coming to take him places however.

Sunday morning I got up and went downtown to a large denominational church so I could listen to the African Children's Choir. Very nice program. They talked about and showed a little video of where some of the children are from. Breaks your heart. I've been to a couple of the worse places. The Kibera slum is regarded as the largest slum in Africa, and argue ably in the world.

They talked about a couple of Ethiopian children who had found their way to the choir who were on the brink of starvation. It was just a little too close to Amari's situation for me. It was a very emotional concert for me.

On Monday I drove out to Fort Boonsborough and spent a couple of hours conversing with the interpreters there. I enjoy doing that. Unfortunately my camera battery had run flat that morning, so no pictures of Fort Boonsborough. And who knows if I'll ever get back.

Pretty much all the news. I think my light is going to make a nice addition to the yard. More later.

Back he said, soon

I took a couple of days with Georgiann to explore some of Virginia's Northern Neck last week. We based ourselves in the Rappahannock River town of Tappahannock and toured Stratford Hall in Warsaw, VA on Thursday. Stratford Hall is the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. His final home and resting place is Arlington, of course. The Lee family built and lived in Stratford Hall for several generations. Begun in the late 1730s by Colonel Thomas Lee the home was several years in construction. It is of Georgian architecture, built in a three story H. Thomas Lee and his wife Hannah Harrison Ludwell had 8 children, two of which, Richard Henry Lee (Light Horse Harry Lee) and Francis Lightfoot Lee were signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Light Horse Harry Lee lost his first wife, who was also his cousin, Matilda, to malaria and later married one Ann Hill Carter. Their union produced Robert Edward among other children. Light Horse Harry Lee and his wife Ann left Stratford Hall in the winter of 1810-1811 due to mounting debt. The house fell into the care of one of Harry and Matilda's sons, Major Henry Lee IV, also known as Black Horse Harry. He in turn sold the plantation due to mounting debt and it passed through several families for about a century before a group of women determined to buy, restore and preserve the plantation under the name of Robert E. Lee Memorial Association.

Now you know more about a place you had never heard of than you ever wanted to know, right?

On Thursday evening we had dinner at the famous Lowery's Seafood Restaurant. Very good. Excellent seafood. Definitely you should go if you find yourself anywhere east of the Mississippi River.

On Friday we traveled over close to Reedville, the last village on the road at the Potomac River, to the dock at Buzzard's Point. There we hitched a ride on the Chesapeake Breeze for an hour and half cruise out in the Chesapeake Bay to a little island named Tangier. You can look it up. A neat trip and a neat place to visit. We watched a large pod of Bottlenose Dolphins play around the boat for a little while and saw a Tall Ship of unknown anchorage.

We got back to Buzzard Point about 4 pm and hurried back home, about 3 ½ hours so we could regroup and go to Winchester, KY on Saturday morning to visit G’s parents.

I will talk about that next, right now I need to quit for the evening. I spent most of the day cutting a trench in my front yard to bury PVC conduit to run electric out to a three light post light I am putting up at the end of the driveway. I got the conduit in the ground with a 3/8 nylon braided rope as a wire pull and covered back up, but at a body cost higher than I was hoping. Getting old ain’t for the fainthearted. Speaking of which, 60 comes my way next Wednesday.

Seven more and I will have fulfilled my biblical expectations, 17 more years and I will reach the age both my parents checked out. I trust they know where they are. I haven’t heard from them since they left.

I do want to speak about two things I experienced in KY on my next blog. Tomorrow maybe? Maybe not. Soon. As in “When will then be now?” said Helmet. Sandurz replies “Soon.”

If that exchange totally escapes you, it is from a somewhat irreverent movie of a few years ago.