A Week On The Outer Banks, NC

We spent last week in Nags Head, NC on the Outer Banks. It rained and was cold a few days but it was nice, sunny and breezy a few other days. From my viewpoint, everyone left satisfied. A few of the group had to leave Friday even though checkout was Saturday. The house felt really empty Saturday morning. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

This is the house we stayed in on the beach.

The name of the house is "MUCHO Dinero" and by the middle of summer it costs a lot to stay there. I think we had the last week of off-season rates.



This is the Bodie Lighthouse, it was just a few miles down the road from where we stayed. The weather looks just like the picture shows except for the cold blowing wind that day.

Scattered all around the Outer Banks are various winged-horses painted or decorated in various combinations. Here are a few examples we saw.

Here is another one.



And a third.



We had lots n lots of good food. This picture shows burgers and brats.



These are caribou steaks, cooked and served by the mighty hunter.

And this would be barbecued chicken coming down the home stretch, yummy yummy.



We had desserts like this in the evening and fruit cups every morning.

The Elizabeth II, a replica of the ship Elizabeth who brought the English to the Outer Banks in 1585. There is also a replica settlemnt to show how these folks lived while here in 1585. All who visited this with me enjoyed themselves.



From our rental, this was the gateway to the beach. Somedays it was sunny and nice, other days it was not but we enjoyed metal detecting, hunting sea shells, surf fishing and running into and out of the waves.




This is the beach when it was nice and sunny.



A fisherman's pole sits in quiet expectancy.

Somehow This Poem Sticks With Me

Tommy

by Rudyard Kipling

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

Maybe it's my years of government service, but this poem seems to say it all.

And The House Continues

This is a front view of the house taken on 9 May 2007. The outside lights have been installed on either side of the garage door.


This picture also shows the sidelight by the garage side door. On the floor inside the garage is stacked the tile to be used in the house.

The following pictures were taken on Monday, 7 May 2007. All the doors are in, the moulding is 99% complete. The septic tank was installed Monday morning before we arrived on site. The internal plumbing, sinks still have to be istalled and the house connected to the septic tank before everything is completed. The cabinet work is essentially completed. While we were there, the tile supply company delivered all of the tile and tile necessities. The carpet is supposed to be delivered this next Saturday and be installed soon after. The interior and exterior painting is also 99% completed. Next week, the driveway will also be poured along with any required sidewalks and concrete pads such as for the ac unit and the water tank.


Shown above is the the master bath vanity. Just to the left is a Jacuzzi style tub.



This view is in the Master Bedroom , the window to right looks out the front of the house. The ceilings in this area are 10 feet.


Master Bedroom again, both of these windows look out the east side of the house.


These are the fans the builder puts in the house. Our builder has put in much nicer furnishings than our last builder.


This is the chandelier in the dining area. All of the builder picks are brushed nickel.



Here it is, Maudie's masterpiece, the kitchen. This is the East side, the sink goes under kitchen window. She has picked a very large one hole sink tobe installed.



This is the West side of the kitchen. The big hole in the middle is for the refrigerator. The hole to the right is for the stove.


These cabinets are located between the refrigerator and the stove.


These cabinets will surround the stove.

Here is my GB making a final check with her paint chips. The builder will paint the whole inside white and then we will add colors of our choosing as soon as we can move in.


The counter tops are the centerpiece of her masterpiece. The bar was made with a different color than the counter top, just as she ordered.

Building A House, Update 25 April 2007

The front view of the new house on 25 April 2007.


And this is the backview of the house. Today, a carpenter is installing molding and interior doors. Interior painting is in the very near future, followed by cabinets, interior plumbing and tile. It's getting so close you can feel it.


In this picture you are looking at the main entrance on the left and the kitchen entrance on the right. All of the sheetrock is in with the exception of the DuraRock going into the bathrooms around the tub and/or shower.


In this picture you are looking at the dining area adjacent to the kitchen. The dining room window looks out of the back of the house.


This is the kitchen area, the sink will be under the window. The door goes into the laundry room and which exits into the garage. There is also a pantry off the laundry room.


Here is a closeup view of the front porch and front entrance. The window on the left is over the kitchen sink. The right window opens into the main living area.

Building A House

This is the lot we picked in December 2006 to build our new house on.

Construction started in February with clearing the lot. We managed to locate the house with minimal disturbance to the live oaks residing on the lot. We did remove a couple of water oaks who did not seem to be thriving.

By early March, the slab was down, the shell was up and the roof was on.

They had also started to apply the outside HardiBoard covering and as you can see the windows are also in.

Inside, they were working on the air conditionong ducts. The electrical and plumbing were already in place.

By the end of March, the insulation was in place.

Outside, you can see the Hardiboard has been completly installed and the roofing is in place.

Here is a view of the backside of the house.

They painted the exterior during the first week in April

They seem to have painted the backside also. As we were leaving they were starting to install wallboard inside.

Now actually really retired, maybe

After 45 years plus of federal, state and local government service "The Old Salt" retired end of watch on 12/26/06.

In answer to that age old question: He is still wondering what he wants to be when he gows up.

While he continues in that lifelong search, he and his darling wife are building a new house and savoring a lot of time with their grandchildren while looking for new adventures for the future.

An observation on life

In life, those who live by the sword shall perish by the bullets of those who do not follow that life style..

Taken (without shame) from another daughter's blog

9 Very Weird Things About Me (My Daughter):

1. I am right-handed, except when firing a weapon, at which point I suddenly become left-eye dominant and my right side is useless. I once fired 35/40 shots correctly with my left hand, almost an eagle-eye!

2. As a kid, I once stepped on a bee just to see what would happen. As you might imagine, I was stung on the bottom of my bare foot. Ah, science in action!

3. I am miserable at step aerobics, but I can march and play an instrument.

4. I can make my tongue look as if it has three rolls in it.

5. If I see tripe in the meat department at the grocery store, I feel a little icky for the rest of the day.

6. I have eaten frog legs. And snails.

7. I like to read the very last page of a book first, just to see if the ending is compelling. This does not ruin the book for me.

8. I like to eat my m&m's in groups of even numbers, so that I can chew the same number on each side of my mouth (two and two, usually).

9. I would rather watch commercials than flip through channels when my show is on a break. I hate to miss things!

That is all. Please feel free to appropriate for your own blog. :)

Posted by DadaMama

The adventure continues/The Old Salt

Halloween 06

Buzz Lightyear and his faithful pal Woody set out looking for tricks or treats





Swooping through the neighborhood in search of candy, Buzz appears to have lost his ability to communicate with friends or strangers.

Buzz always sticks close to his friend Woody, strange things seem to lurk in the dark.





As you can see, Buzz is a natural born leader. His battle cry seems to be "This Way!"

He moves right along, Buzz has a purpose.

Buzz and Woody with Mom






Mom is trying to help Buzz pose in his flying position



And last but not least is Buzz with his "Nana" whom you will note along with the "Mom" is not in any costume.

Just a historical note both, Buzz and Woody were led to believe that the womenfolk pictured herein would be dressed as pirates. However, their plan was more nefarious than that. They tricked us and walked around in jogging suits, although they never did even attempt to jog.

Tis a sad day when adults trick heros like Buzz and Woody!

From a USMC Sergeant

John Kerry said, "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well, and if you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq”

So I wrote him a letter:I am a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. I am currently on my second tour in Iraq, a tour in which I volunteered for. I speak Arabic and Spanish and I plan to tackle Persian Farsi soon. I have a Bachelors and an Associates Degree and between deployments I am pursuing an M.B.A. In college I was a member of several academic honor societies, including the Golden Key Honor Society. I am not unique among the enlisted troops. Many of my enlisted colleagues include lawyers, teachers, mechanics, engineers, musicians and artists just to name a few. You say that your comments were directed towards the President and not us. If we were stupid Senator Kerry, we might have believed you.

I am not a victim of President Bush. I proudly serve him because he is my Commander and Chief. If it was you who was President, I would serve you just as faithfully. I serve America Senator Kerry, and I am also providing a service to the good people of Iraq. I have not terrorized them in the middle of the night, raped them or murdered them as you have accused me of before. I am doing my part to help them rebuild. My role is a simple one, but important. You see Senator Kerry, like it or not, we came here and removed a tyrant (who terrorized Iraqis in the middle of the night, and raped them and murdered them). And we have a responsibility to see to it that another one doesn’t take his place. The people of Iraq are recovering from an abusive relationship with a terrible government and it’s going to take some time to help them recover from that. We can’t treat this conflict like a microwave dinner and throw a temper tantrum because we feel like it’s taking too long.

Senator Kerry, you don’t have to agree with this war. You don’t have to say nice things about those of us who choose to make sacrifices for the rights of every American rather than sit back and simply feel entitled to it. But please Senator Kerry, if you’re going to call me a stupid murdering rapist, stick by what you say. Don’t tell me that I misunderstood or that you would never insult a veteran because you’re one too. Having been there and done that does not give you a free pass to insult me.

My suggestion for you, Senator Kerry, is to remember that your speeches are recorded, and broadcast to us simpletons over here. You may want to write down what you want to say before you say it, maybe have somebody look at it before you say it and tell you what others might hear. Remember that we can’t read your mind, if there are any misinterpretations in what you say, it’s because you didn’t communicate clearly.

Good luck to you Senator Kerry, if nothing else it’s always entertaining to watch you try and climb out of the holes that you constantly dig for yourself.Sincerely,Somebody who is watching his daughter grow up in photographs so that you can have the right to say whatever you want about him.

This was taken from my daughter's blog @ http://www.jacquibeepink.blogspot.com/

In Another Life, Eons Ago, I was also the Chief of the Boat

The Chief of the Boat


Here's to the sailor called COB, that stands for Chief of the Boat.

He's generally the oldest and smartest of all the old goats afloat.

There have been many like him down through the years, they have served on subs far and wide,and when work parties are needed from him you cannot hide.

He's the senior Chief on board the boat, on him the officers rely, if they can't get something done real quick to him they run and cry.

This makes him mad that they have to do this, to them he says," Aye, Aye"

He heads for the trouble spot, he yells, snarls and bellows and after a minute of this all you see is navy asses and elbows.

He don't take no guff, no crap, or back talk, you better do as your told, he don't like his sailors to be cockey, surley or bold.

It only takes once to cross the COB and you will never see a sorrier gob.

But if you do the best that you can and give your all to the boat, why he can be the nicest old guy you ever met afloat.

Without them who knows what would happen, Chiefs are vital to the Navy it's true, but the smartest and best have taken the test and on submarines they do crew.

So here's to the COB, he ain't pretty, but he knows a lot more than most and if you pay attention to him, someday you'll be able to boast, I learned it all from this old Chief, way back in '53.

He was called the Chief of the Boat, but he was like a God to me.

So get yourselves to working and we'll make our boat the best, I've got to walk this non-qual through and give him a final test.

For I have made the grade you see, I'm the Senior Chief afloat, and my chest swells with a lot of pride for I am now Chief of the Boat.

THE END

Dedicated to all COBs past and future, thanks for helping another stupid kid become a man.

Taken from http://www.goatlocker.org/resources/cpo/anecdotes/cob.htm