Until noon……

I awoke this morning to the sound of Annabelle’s collar rattling which let me know that she was awake and ready to hit the backyard with a mission. She is usually the last puppy to emerge from slumber but this morning things must have been pressing. Michele sprung up and took care of the urgent request. She also aroused the sleeping Westies who were not yet awake.  All three trampled the back deck on the way to their morning constitutional like a small heard of Wildebeest’s running from hungry lions. I in turn, went back to sleep. It is common on the weekends for Michele to keep her schedule and wake up early and for me to keep my schedule and cuddle sleep like a child with its Teddy Bear.

After another hour or so of sleep I finally got my carcass out of bed. By this time Michele had consumed much coffee and was thinking of ways for more. After I was met by wagging tails, the love of my life Michele suggested that we go out for breakfast. I have not yet refused a trip to a restaurant in my life so why should I change things today. Jake had spent the night at a friend’s house and Sarah was in Albany for the weekend. So not only do I get to gorge on food cooked by other people but I can do so sans teen.

We discussed our options and I quickly chose Sunrise which is literally right down the road. We loaded up and headed out. Clearly this was meant to be because I experienced wonderful parking Karma finding a spot right in front of the entrance. We sat down, ordered up two cups of coffee and launched for the buffet. We sat there completely content and made sure we told each other how much we appreciated the opportunity to be alone together. We often remind ourselves of how lucky we are to get to live on Wilmington Island, so close to the beach and downtown Savannah. Michele suggested that we take advantage of our time together and go have a walk on the beach. I could see nothing wrong with that and off we went.

Last summer I discovered the only two free parking spots on Tybee Island. I drove straight to them and found one unoccupied. There was car parked next to us with an older lady fresh from the local tanner who must have stretched out her leather like skin for her. She had just encountered an older friend and they were doing the battle of “whose got the most and prettiest grandkids”. One of them had grandchildren with her and they followed us to the beach. This determined which way we decided to walk because it was not going to be the way they went.

The two of us walked along the beach leisurely enjoying each other’s company and appreciating the sights of Tybee. Washed up all along the beach were Jelly-Balls. I had not heard of them until about ten years ago  when a friend of mine started catching them in his shrimp nets. He sells them to seafood distributors because they are a delicacy in oriental countries. They remind you of Jellyfish but they are much larger than Jellyfish and are much tougher.

We found a swing and sat there for about an hour contemplating the future. Those thoughts are generally of wishes for our children and the hopes of their future geographical location. We both want them to be well and prosperous but Michele and I disagree on where and how close they should live. Michele is still in the mothering stage and wants them at arm’s length where I am still in the caveman stage and don’t want them in my territory. I have been lucky in life so far so I am afraid I will lose this battle.

We returned home ready for a mid-day nap. Just as we dropped off I realized what a great day this is going to be since the first half was perfect. But really, how could it get any better?

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I lost but won at the same time.

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No Mr. Strickland, Not You!!!!

The whole family has been in some stage of sickness over the last two weeks. A cold with a determined purpose of aggravation and misery has plagued us non-stop and has only relented this morning. Michele had it worse than any of us but we have all suffered all of the symptoms you would have listed for you during a Nyquil commercial.

But yesterday there were signs of life and I was itching to get out of the house and just do something relaxing. All day Sunday I watched videos of other guys riding and crashing their motorcycles. This made me want to ride and feel the road. There were a few housekeeping issues to address with Sluggo, my 2007 Honda VTX 1300R. He needed his 2012 decal placed on the license plate but that is easier said than done. A few years ago I bought a license plate holder that has built in LED lights for the brake light and turn signals. To apply the decal the whole thing has to be taken apart and reassembled. I have ridden Sluggo several times since I bought the decal back in August but I had never put the decal on. Also, when I originally installed the holder I wired the red light to the taillight circuit. Ever since I have regretted this and wished I had wired it to the brake light. Michele bought me a seat cushion because any long period of riding on the stock seat made my ass feel like a new mile marker on I-16. The cushion is designed to come off when you need it to but I wanted to make it more permanent. There was no time like the present to get all of this done. I enlisted my bought and paying for teenager to help me.

As I started on the plate holder I had Jake take off the seats and work on the cushion detail. It took us an hour but we got it all done. I even charged up my Bluetooth device that allows me to listen to music from my cell phone while I ride. We checked the tire pressure and reassembled all of the parts. I checked the lights and sat on the seat cushion to make sure it was where I wanted it. It was all perfect and I couldn’t wait to get on the road the next day.

I knew that Monday was going to be chilly so I cooked breakfast for Michele and me and lazed around until we needed a nap. In my mind I was waiting on it to warm up in the early afternoon so I could be comfortable riding. I got up and jumped in the shower with thoughts of feeling the engine under me and plotting my route. I don’t ride every day but when I do ride I try and dress appropriately. It was going to be 55 degrees at its peak so I dressed warm. A temperature of 55 degrees outside means about 40 degrees on the bike. I put on two long sleeve shirts, long underwear, blue jeans, thick socks and boots. I looked like the pissed off marshmallow man in Ghostbusters. I put on my bandana and was ready to play Easy Rider.

I said goodbye to Michele and told her I loved her. I was beaming with excitement. I could see the beautiful sun shining down on the island and I was ready to get under it. I knew my first stop was to get a full tank of gas and then I was off to explore the road on two raging wheels of rice burning technology. I placed my helmet, gloves and sunglasses on the hood of the Jeep. I wanted to get Sluggo out of the garage so while he warmed up the exhaust wouldn’t choke out the cats, God forbid. I loaded my bag with my gun, wallet and badge. I am ready. I take seat and stand him up. I turned the key and pressed the start button waiting to feel the rumble of the V-Twin under me. And then………..not a damn thing. Oh I got the three turnovers that give you dashing hopes of ignition but in the end Sluggo was as dead as a rib bone at Oprah’s house. I keep pressing the start button hoping I can milk just enough fire to get things rolling. No Mr. Strickland, not you.

What this means to the person who doesn’t have a bike is probably, oh well, just jump it off. If you have a bike, especially my make and model, you know that to get to the battery to try and jump it off means removing the seat. With that realization my dreams and hopes were destroyed. I did remove the seat to try and jump it off but to no avail. I gave in to fate and just put the charger on it and changed into my around the house bum clothes. My theory is that with all of my light testing the night before and the cold weather Sluggo said fuck it. So did I.

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Camping Set-up

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Two Days With Cary Grant

A few weeks ago Michele was surfing the net as she is prone to do and found that the Lucas Theater was having a Cary Grant film tribute. The Lucas was going to show three Grant movies. They were North by Northwest, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and Arsenic and Old Lace. Michele and I both love Cary Grant and were excited to get to see something in the historic Lucas Theater. I was able to purchase tickets for both of us for all three movies online and print them at home. I love this convenience because it is a peace of mind thing with me. I won’t have to worry about seat availability and I’m just weird that way.

A few days after purchasing the tickets I got a phone call from an employee of the Lucas Theater and she told me that the time of one of the movies was incorrect on the internet but correct on the ticket. I have mixed feelings about this. I was a little surprised that a theater would make such a mistake but certainly impressed at the effort they were going to to correct their error. I was driving when she called me so I couldn’t write down the time correction so we were early anyway.

We arrived downtown and encountered what I knew would be a problem. Nowhere to park. I didn’t look long and decided to park in a private parking garage. This wound up costing more than the price of a ticket to the movie and I learned my lesson. We strolled around the downtown area before we took a seat in Reynolds square. There was a saxophonist playing in the square and it was soon very clear as to why he was not in a local blues club. Lets just say he will never be in danger of higher tax brackets from his coin in hat income.

After the sloppy sax solo we went on over to the Lucas and took care of the first order of business, popcorn. Unauthorized and unhealthy snack in hand it was time to find a seat. We discussed our options with an Usher and one thing became very clear. Don’t sit in the box seats. It seems they are privately owned and they are fiercely protected. We sat in the balcony almost dead center. As always we were early to the movies but this time it gave us a chance to observe the theater. The Lucas is certainly a beautiful building and is a wonderful place to spend an evening. The staff of the theater conducted a raffle before the movie started and of course we didn’t win. No Mr. Strickland, not you.

We watched North by Northwest and had a pleasurable experience.  The only complaint that I can muster is that the seats  are definitely historic. Michele and I were both squirming around like two children wanting to get out of church by the time the movie was over.

Knowing that Sarah has a love of the theater we invited her to come with us for the double feature the next day. I found a legal FREE parking spot and then we walked around killing time before the first movie started. As always, the afternoon was filled with Sarahisms and Sarah logic. Things like, “A man without a little toe is like a cat without whiskers”. This was her response to me whining about my little toe feeling like it was going to fall off at any moment. We sat in Reynolds Square again enjoying its peace mixed with Sarah’s profound observations.

The first movie that day was “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer”. I have to admit I had never heard of that one until this event came up. It was entertaining and showcased Grant’s natural charm and ability to be smooth yet at the same time funny. After this one we had an hour to wait before the next. We walked down Broughton Street and visited a few stores. We returned and watched Arsenic and Old Lace. This was my personal favorite of the three. By far the most entertaining.

I must say that the whole experience was wonderful as all time with Michele is. The charm and mystery of Downtown Savannah enhance any date night  and makes us appreciate the fact that we get to live here. The Lucas will be on our list of venues to visit as we seek our entertainment in our life in Savannah.

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I Thought I was Retired?

This morning I awake to a squeaky grinding noise coming from the bathroom. I knew Michele was in there getting ready for work and I was concerned the previous evening’s chili was taking it’s toll. As more consciousness came over me I could decipher  that it was her curling iron making the annoying noise. At a weak attempt for humor I asked her if she needed me to spray some WD-40 on it to cut the noise down but in a classic Tinkerbell way she didn’t get the joke and scolded me for trying to oil her hair. While she finished getting ready she asked the usual question of what was I going to do today. The answer was simple. The only things I wanted to do today was to get the tag for my trailer and build shelves in the garage. To my dismay that was not going to be the case.

After a brief discussion on the current teenager situation and how to deal with the ruffians she went to work telling me to have my attitude corrected by the time she returned. A notion I scoffed at, in my head. Of course her scolding me came after I offered to make her life easier by installing some new light switches and fixtures. It doesn’t take long for me to go from hero to zero. It probably didn’t help that I teased her about the fact that she was dressed but still scanning the closet for something to wear. I equated it to knowing what she wants to watch on TV but still scrolling through the channels just to know what else is on. A trait that I thought was only in men. She leaves and I drift back off to sleep knowing I have little to do today.

An hour later Daphne decided that it was time to get up. She does this with a gentle but painful scratch just above my hip on my right side that makes me sit straight up in the bed. With all three dogs outside it’s now time to cook breakfast. Bacon, eggs and wheat toast is quick to cook. I got myself ready and wrangled up Annabelle for a road trip. The temperature these days allows the dogs to go on trips even when I have to leave them in the Jeep. I only take one at a time because they have three different beliefs on how to mount and ride in a Jeep Cherokee. Anna and I head to Precinct Five just on the other side of the Island. I remember about a mile down the road that I have forgotten my wallet. Back to the house we go. Wallet obtained I try again. Since I am pulling the trailer I park along the back of the parking lot out of the way and head inside. The lady at the front desk is busily listening to her IPod and seems slightly miffed I bothered her. I tell her that I am there for a VIN verification and she calls someone on the intercom. Apparently they didn’t know I could hear both sides of the conversation because the officer was in a room behind me with the door open. He tells her that he will be there to help me in 15 minutes. Yes, I busted them out on that. With faces blushing he comes out to help me. This process takes about 20 minutes because he won’t listen when I tell him what the full VIN number is. VIN verified I head to the Tag Office. Again, because I am pulling the trailer I park way out in the back so I won’t block any good spaces. I walk up to the door only to find out the office is closed for lunch. Well shit.

I decide to make a run by the recycling center to throw away our old artificial Christmas tree that is riding in the trailer like a dog. I pull up and a gentleman with two teeth and a very pleasant attitude instructs me that the tree goes in one place while the box it’s in goes in another. He then gives Anna a bone which in my mind makes up for his dental absenteeism’s. I separate my stuff and head on home for my lunch.

I fire up the grill because I have a half of Rib-eye steak that has been on my mind since I halved it. I get the grill ready and lay on the wonderful piece of heaven. Then I go inside and get sucked into a movie on AMC and forget about the steak. Yep, it’s black on one side and raw in the middle when I finally realize what I’ve done. I eat said charcoal and get back to the business at hand.

I load up Daphne because it’s her turn to ride. We head back down to the Tag office where I spend about 20 minutes getting a trailer tag. No problems there. I trot over to the post office to drop off some mail. I had to go inside Kroger and surprisingly there was no drama there other than Daphne whines the whole time I was walking into the store which made me feel like crap. However, I didn’t feel too guilty because I noticed Daphne was eating the bone Anna got from two-teeth back at the dump. Daphne and I then travel across the street to the bank to ask a quick question. With Daphne putting on her best puppy dog eyes she obtained a second bone from the bank teller.

Finally we go home and settle in. There was more to the day. The children and I made a sad attempt to build a laundry table for Michele out in the garage. After Michele got home we ate supper and then Michele wrangled me into going to the hood with her to look at something for her job. I don’t mind these little details with Michele because I get her to myself. We took Olivia with us which is always a treat. A quick stop at the Yogurt place and back home we came.

I know that there are millions of people who work way harder everyday and I can appreciate that. But I went from zero to sixty today and I am flat worn out. Maybe I need to get out more often. Maybe I need to remember I am retired. Maybe I need a glass of wine and take my ass to bed. Not maybe, I am.

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Hot Dog it’s Sausage Dogs!!!!

Last Saturday Savannah hosted the 2011 Wiener Dog Races at Morrell Park on River Street. With 174 competing Dachshunds, the city of Savannah set up bleachers to accommodate the large number of spectators and dog owners. There were close to a thousand spectators in attendance and all were there to feed their love of animals. This is the 12th year the wiener dogs have been put to the test in Savannah and the event is only getting bigger.

This kind of activity is what makes a city like Savannah appealing. There are different things like this to do all of the time. A lot of which are free. These fun kind-spirited events get families off of the couch and out of the house. I believe that is what we all need, community events that are low cost so all citizens can participate and enjoy them. The more we take our children out of the house and into the world the more they will learn and the more they will be willing to continue these events when they are our community leaders. Exposure to social events teaches children and some adults that there is more to life than to sit in front of the television eating potato chips. I believe my own attitude about life would be different if I had these same opportunities where I grew up. I grew up with the entertainment of television and that is one of my problems now. In a place like Savannah you can just about always find something to do on the weekends.

I also believe that this particular event is a great outlet for animal lovers. The wiener dog races are of course for wiener dogs but any dog owner or lover would have a great time. Let’s face it, all dog owners pretty much like all dogs. We have three dogs but if we had the time, money and room we would have more of different kinds. Any event that promotes the health and well-being of animals is a plus in my book.

Below are some pics from Saturday’s contests. No matter who you are, cute is the word that comes to mind.

                                                                                                                                                             

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