Winging South

We're loading up the van tonight to make our trek down to Deltaville in the morning. 

Vacation here we come!

Monday Meditation

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.

~Albert Camus



It's So Hot...

How Hot is it?

It's hotter than a June bride in a featherbed.

It's hotter than a $2 pistol on the Fourth of July.

It's hotter than a billy goat in a pepper patch.

It's hotter than two cats fighting in a wool sock.

It's hotter than a half-bred fox in a forest fire.

It's hotter than two bears fighting in a forest fire.

And my favorite

(though I don't know what it means)

It's hotter than a hoot'n poot!

Back When Things Were Cooler

Today with the heat index promising to reach 110 degrees, I thought it might be nice to visit some photos from April.  Back when it was cooler out and a sweatshirt was needed on the beach.  Back before the tornado hit Deltaville (exactly one week before).  Back when, overall, life was a little less stressful.

 "For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea."

~e.e. cummings

 



Reminds me of a squid



 "down by the seashore, where life is a little easier!"

~Unknown



Midge, Me and the Brat Child



“The beach is in our blood. Everyone in our family returns to the beach instinctively, just like the sea turtles.”
~Sandy Archibald



Heritage Day Part Two

After the festivities of the day, i.e., 5K's, crab races, shopping the vendors and watching the parade, our family gets ready to head to the large family picnic up the road. 

Midge and the Brat Child riding on Aunt Margaret's golf cart.
Notice the RV's in the background.
My family truly knows how to throw a party.

So we head over to the western side of Sturgeon Creek

It's always a good time with lots of food, lots of people and lots of laughing and story telling.

And this year, there was a band



And after/during the dancing and music, there are fireworks.

Heritage Day Part One

Every 4th of July weekend, Deltaville celebrates Heritage Day on the Saturday immediately before the 4th. 

There are vendors

 Bouncy kid things that have a magnetic pull with the Brat Child

Fire trucks.  Very LOUD fire trucks

Clowns

A couple of Uncle Sams

 A tractor

And several thousand Shriners on every kind of small vehicle imaginable

Monday Meditation

We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic.

~Cullen Hightower

Monday Meditation

The best way to mend a broken heart is time and girlfriends. 

~Gwyneth Paltrow

Last night Midge and her long time (nearly 2 years) boyfriend broke up. 

It wasn't mutual. 

It wasn't her idea.

There are many things I could say to try and mend her broken heart, but

I think her dear brother The Brat Child did it best.

BC: So we're never going to see him again?

Me: Nope

BC: (in a matter-of-fact voice) Well, then I guess we should just shoot him.

Me: (to Midge) I guess this is where I should tell him violence isn't the answer.

BC: (after driving past some cows) We could make him kiss a cow's butt.  A POOPY cow butt!

Me: Good idea, less violent.

BC: Then we could get a gun, load it up and shoot him then tie him up, take him to "watersand" and throw him in the water and let sharks eat him!

I'm now wondering if the Brat Child was a Mafia Don in a previous life.

Shut Up, Dog!

I love Hush Puppies.

Of course, I have yet to find any Hush Puppies that can truly compare to those made at

Taylor's Restaurant back when it had it's seafood buffet and weekend entertainment.  

The Brat Child thinks Hush Puppies are made from actual puppies.

That's because I told him they were.

He doesn't care if they taste good with ketchup,

he won't eat them because "dey are nasty! and ah-gusting!"

These Hush Puppies are pretty darn good.

The name Hush Puppies came from a time when people would fry up leftover dough, toss it to the dogs and tell them to "Hush, puppies."

Personally I like the term "shut up, dogs"

but that doesn't have the same appetizing appeal as hush puppies.

Historically, runaway slaves were said to have used Hush Puppies to feed to the Master's dogs to keep them quiet, and Union soldiers supposedly fed fried cornbread to Confederate dogs to keep them quiet.

I wonder if Confederate dogs wore the typical gray uniform or the unusual butternut?

I prefer my puppies in butter.

Progress?

We have a roof.

We have new flooring on the way.

We don't have a ceiling in the master bedroom yet,

though the contractor should be taking care of that shortly.

There are still some unsightly dead trees around. 

Makes me want to buy a chainsaw and learn how to use it.

Insurance doesn't always provide money to remove destroyed trees.

(These aren't our trees, just dead ones that make it look painful still)

At night the air is heavy with wood smoke.

There used to be a house here.

There used to be 3 houses, a shed and a carport between the house on the left

 and the pile of rubbish in the foreground.

Two of the three have new foundations.

The new view looking out to the river Rivah.

Dueling dozers.

The area on the far shore is where the Hurd's house used to be.

This building is a garage. 

Yeah, I thought it was a house at first too.

And that upside down flag is a sign of distress if my memory of maritime flag symbols serves me. 

And yes, I'd say it's still a bit distressing in Jackson Acres.



Updates

I have returned from my annual 4th of July trip to Deltaville. 

 I have not yet uploaded the photos I took of the progress of repairing the tornado damage in the community, nor have I uploaded the photos and video of the Heritage Day Parade and festivities. 

I promise tonight I will do both. 

In between packing up my things to move into the new place in a week and a half. 

 Hopefully.