Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Thanksgiving...ahhhh. The food was wonderful. Janet and I had a great day. Well, I did. She did all of the cooking. My only responsibility was to entertain her parents, and they're pretty good at doing that themselves.

The day after T-day we headed out on the annual pilgrimmage to North Carolina on the hunt for a Christmas Tree. Yes, I know that you can get a Christmas Tree at the corner lot, and yes, I know that probably counts less toward our carbon footprint. I like choosing and cutting my own tree. So I'll buy carbon credits. Life is good!

After making our way to the Ty-Lyn Plantation in Cashiers, NC, we walked through the farm looking for the perfect tree. After looking for a while it occurred to me that most "perfect" trees always seem to be a bit too tall. Wonder why that is? Guess we'll need to take that into account when we add on to the house. Taller ceilings are a must.

So we found the perfect tree, the dog peed on it, and I started the process of felling our tree. In a matter of seconds, I was through the trunk and hoisting the tree. Somehow it seemed so uneventful without a chainsaw and screaming children, but I digress...

Upon getting it home, we were able to get the tree in the stand and watered, but decorating had to wait until tonight. Unfortunately, this is final's week and I have a project due so no Maker's while we decorated. Guess I'll have to make up for that this weekend.

Here's a picture of the final product.

-jp

The Thunderbirds

The Wings Over Marietta airshow was this weekend at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Since the base is about a mile from the house, Janet and I were able to see much of the show from the vacant lot across the street from the house. The F-22 Raptor was very impressive as it did demonstration flights. Unfortunately, we did not capture any of it on film. However, we did film a little bit of the Thunderbirds show.

-jp

Circus Mexicus!!

Janet and I disappeared for a couple of days south of the border. We flew into Phoenix and headed south. Not much time today, but I thought I'd post a quick video of the band we saw. I'm sure she'll have a lot more to say about the trip so stay tuned.

-jp

Save Our Racks!!

Janet is walking in the Atlanta 2-Day Walk in support of breast cancer research. She had to raise money, mostly through pledges (begging), but her group also decided to do a silent auction as a fundraiser. Since she and I have become somewhat proficient at building cornhole sets, we decided to make a special edition cornhole set. Neither of us have much artistic talent so a friend of ours drew the ribbon, but we painted it!

The silent auction raised over $3000 for breast cancer research. Go team!

-jp

Happy Birthday, Smyrna!!

Smyrna turns 136 this year. As with every year, the town opts out of July 4 fireworks and saves the dough for a birthday bash. Ground zero for the fireworks display is pretty much at the end of our cul de sac. I love gunpowder. The dog...not so much.

Here's a picture from the end of our driveway.

-jp

Shakedown Cruise...

Last weekend, Janet and I took the popup for its shakedown cruise. Check out the picture and notice the custom fly doohickeys (zip locks filled with water to keep flies away) and fiesta lights. We had a great time and really enjoyed the AC for sleeping.

I got to kayak for the first time this year. It was like starting all over again. It was a good reminder of what it was like the first time down the Ocoee, only this time I knew the lines and wasn't following Farrell as he checked out the underside of a raft.

While I was camping, Janet discovered the Purple Bus (a hippie store just down the road from the campground). It seems I'll be kayaking more while Janet makes bead jewelry.

Good times!

-jp

Bluebirds!!

This blog was started after the somewhat trying satellite installation. OK, so it was more than just "somewhat" trying. The important thing is that it finally got installed and pointed and everything is now working stupendously. However, we had a leftover post set in concrete that needed a purpose. We set another post and created a arbor for honeysuckle to grow on. As a part of our new garden, James built a bluebird house.



Well, the second fledgling season came and went without any bluebirds. We began to think that we were as good at bluebirds as we are with tomatoes. But this morning...BLUEBIRDS!!



It was cool to see them fly around the house, inspect it, and then start making it their own. We look forward to sharing the backyard with a new bluebird family. By the time of the next blog, I'm sure Janet will have the couple named.



-jp

The Continuing Adventures of the Unemployed

So after our Target adventures, we decided to continue the spree. After all, spending money can be a lot of fun! So, we moved on to bigger things...a popup camper! Janet and I have tired of sleeping in a tent during the hot Southern summers. As a result, we've been spending a lot more time in the city than we'd really like. We came upon a pretty great deal on this popup camper and decided that it would make our lives a lot easier when it comes to camping. Needless to say, the dog is thrilled about his new air conditioned digs. He's even laid claim to "his" bed. It looks like next weekend will be the "shakedown cruise" with it so check back later to see how things went.

-jp

The New Adventures of the Unemployed

Effective June 27, James became unemployed. It was by his own choosing, but a bit scary nonetheless. After taking a couple of weeks to let it set in, we decided to do what everyone should do after becoming unemployed...a SHOPPING SPREE!!

Actually, we went to Target with the intention of buying toothpaste and toilet paper. We came home with new deck furniture and a gazebo. So after a few hours of assembly, here is what our deck looks like now.

Time to get started with some serious grillin'.

-jp