Volume IV Issue III

March 2006

2006.03.31–Columbia, South Carolina. We ended up driving to Rock Hill South Carolina before looking for a room. It was around 9:30 p.m. and had been a very pleasant drive. Unfortunately, everything was already booked up. We drove to the next exit. Same story. Over and over and over again. We continued South stopping at every promising looking interchange only to be turned away. We finally ended up with a room at 12:30 p.m. in Columbia, South Carolina.

We are leaving for Miami, Florida this afternoon. I’ll have pictures and stories to tell when I return but not much in the next week as we will be on our cruise.

2006.03.26–Alfred, Ohio. Shelby took the photo below, Tyson sent it to me in an e-mail.

Joe, Angie, Mary Ellen, and Steve

2006.03.25–Alfred, Ohio. I’ve still got six of the Elite 8 standing and all of my Final 4 picks (Texas, UCLA, UConn, and Villanova) are still in the tournament.

Joe and Angie left for Boston yesterday. Angie called last night and said they ran into a big snowstorm but were able to get through it safely. I hope today is easier for them and that their visit with Steve and Mary Ellen is enjoyable.

2006.03.24–Alfred, Ohio. Vince went above and beyond the call of duty today when he came up with a crest to represent the philosophy section of the Frogtails Forum. I LOVE it! It is a beautiful insiders graphic for those who have been enjoying themselves on the forum. Join us.

Google will let you make web pages now. Here is my first experiment with the Google Page Creator. If you are interested you may have to add your name to a wait list. It only took a couple of weeks for mine to be activated.

2006.03.23–Alfred, Ohio. Stayed up late and watched a couple of the basketball games. Wow! Am I ever happy that I did. We tuned it the LSU/Duke game when it was tied 47/47 and watched go down. Wow! I had picked Syracuse to beat them this round so wasn’t terribly surprised by LSU. Still, it was something to watch.

The Texas/West Virginia finish was outstanding. I picked Texas in the brackets but was also hoping that West Virginia could pull it off. WV tied the game with only seconds to go and then Texas ran down the court and threw up a beautiful last second shot (it was actually eight tenths of a second on the clock when he threw the ball). It was exciting to watch.

Minutes later we were watching the finale of the UCLA/Gonzaga game. Again, I had picked UCLA to win but found myself rooting for Adam Morrison of Gonzaga. UCLA was on a roll but was still down by 1 and Gonzaga had the ball with only seconds to go. What could go wrong? UCLA stole the ball and made the shot with less than two seconds remaining. It was another unbelievable and exciting finish. I really felt sorry for the Gonzaga players. UCLA players were the first to console Morrison.

2006.03.22–Alfred, Ohio. Nick headed out and is planning on staying with his friends in a cabin in Kentucky for the remainder of Spring Break.

Received this at work today and thought is was pretty cute.

2006.03.20–Alfred, Ohio. Today at 1:26 EST is the vernal equinox. Today there will be equal amounts of day and darkness. Tomorrow there will be more light than dark in the Northern hemisphere. A reason for celebration, no?

2006.03.19–Alfred, Ohio. I filed our Federal and State tax returns today. Grrrr…

2006.03.18–Zanesville, Ohio. Jeanie, Joe, Angie, Nick, Andy, and I headed up to Zanesville today to meet with Mary Ellen for lunch. The sun was shining, the weather warm, and everyone seemed in good spirits. It was good visit.

2006.03.17–Alfred, Ohio. Had lunch today with an old friend Terry and his fiancee. It was good to see him again and to meet her. I’ve been meaning to look him up for a long time now. Look at the ad that popped up on Google when I was doing a spell check on fiancee. Do you suppose…

If you read this Terry, here is a short cut to the motorcycle stories that Al wrote. If you have some time, here is one of Patrick’s rather lengthy travel stories from Myanmar (Burma). If you are short on time but still have an interest in what is available, check out last year’s travel index and you will see what I’m trying to do with the travel stories.

2006.03.16–Alfred, Ohio. Vince has revised his web site to work with Firefox. Check it out: http://geocities.com/vm86@sbcglobal.net. Nice colours and a professional looking layout that is easy on the eyes. Nice job Vince!

2006.03.15–Alfred, Ohio. Found this in my inbox from NARR tonight.

How lucky is that? This means that we will get to go whitewater rafting again this summer and one of the seats will already be paid for! Thank you ever so much to the North American River Runners, Inc. We will see what the fine print (if any) says when the gift certificate arrives. My guess is that there will be very few strings attached. We have used this company several times in the past and they do everything first class. They have great people that work as guides and the equipment is always in good repair (except for that rickety old bus that brings you up out of the river via several hairpin turns… but that, and the can of beer the provide, kind of adds to the excitement of a perfect day on the river).

2006.03.14–Alfred, Ohio. Bought a damper for the wood burner tonight. These things are made out of cast iron. The old one was nearly disintegrated after just a few years of use. That pipe must get hotter than you would think.

2006.03.13–Alfred, Ohio. We discovered today that hard rubber will patch a leaky fuel oil tank… at least temporarily.

2006.03.12–Cincinnati, Ohio. Had a nice visit and breakfast with Dad and a quiet ride home today.

2006.03.11–Cincinnati, Ohio. Heading for Cincinnati this afternoon to visit with my Dad.

Here is something you don’t see every day in these parts. (Slow on dial up but I thought it worth the wait.) It just wouldn’t work here. Looks like a neat place to me.

2006.03.10–Alfred, Ohio. Joe, Angie, Jeanie and I went to Olive Garden last night for dinner. We had originally intended to go to a movie together but got off to a late start and ended up eating instead. We missed the movie but were still able to make the best of our situation. Jeanie tried something new that she really liked. I think it was the basil taste on a steak. Angie and I got the Tour of Italy, and Joe likes fish. Come to think of it, so do I. :)

A week or so back I noticed that our holly tree had red berries all over it for the first time. This is the same holly tree that volunteered in my parents yard nearly 20 years ago. My Mom suggested that we dig it up and bring it out here into the country and plant it. We did, but I planted it in the wrong place. Today it is in the way. I’ve been reluctant to remove it until I get a sprout from it. I’ve tried rooting it from cuttings without any luck so was tickled to see the berries. I picked a dozen and planted them. This morning Jeanie noticed that they have sprouted. Cool!

2006.03.09–Alfred, Ohio. Very warm and windy today.

2006.03.08–Alfred, Ohio. Notes from the February meeting of the tri-laterial commission:

• within the next two years, reformulate gasoline sold in the U.S. to two grades - 83 and 86 octane... existing engines? Not our problem mon!
• within the next two years, reformulate diesel fuel sold in the U.S. to lower mileage from the current 6-8 mpg for large trucks to 4 mpg

2006.03.06–Alfred, Ohio. The weather turned a bit colder today and we got a little bit of rain. I’m really happy to see that.

2006.03.05–Alfred, Ohio. Jeanie and I went up to the Hocking Hills area today to celebrate the beautiful warm weather. We visited the Conkle’s Hollow Nature Preserve. It has been several years since we went to this one and it was a lot of fun. The rocks were higher than I remembered. We walked up the lower route to the falls and back and then decided to take the couple of mile hike around the upper rim. It was good exercise, fresh air, and beautiful views. Just what the cabin fever doctor ordered.

2006.03.04–Alfred, Ohio. Micki has created a photo blog that she calls Shutterbug Underexposed. Every day she posts a new photo or two. Many are fantastic. She provides a description of the photo and how she took it in the first comment. Interesting too are the other comments that she receives from all over the world. If you visit her site, leave a comment, tell her where you are from, and mention Frogtails.

Cruise Itinerary

Jeanie and I just booked our second cruise. Here are the details:

Last night we went with Joe and Angie to Rio Bravo for dinner and then stopped by their place for a little bit. We played foosball and darts. You know you are getting old when your kids start letting you win.

2006.03.03–Alfred, Ohio. Home alone again… I was doing pretty good for a while. I had coffee and oatmeal for breakfast. I made a mid-morning snack out of a grapefruit that I’ve been meaning to eat. For lunch I warmed up some leftover beans that I had made. It wasn’t enough. Temptation struck, and two chocolate chip cookies disappeared before I knew what had happened. I ate them for the chocolate, not the sugar. Heaven help me!

2006.03.02–Alfred, Ohio. Happy Birthday Debra!

Reese Witherspoon would get an Oscar if I had any say in the matter. For those who know me, that should come as quite a surprise. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a favorite actress before. She plays her roles perfectly and the roles themselves are worth portraying. If she were my daughter, I wouldn’t object to anything that I’ve seen her do.

I can’t give her an Oscar but I can bestow upon Reese the first ever Frogtails award. I’m thinking it would be a T-shirt or something like that. Of course she must pick it up in person. I’m thinking that the presentation would be made at lunch, half way down the New River, on a white water rafting trip with my family and friends.

Reese, if ever you read this, I’ve got a story that I’m writing and it has a lead role that I think you would enjoy. Call me, I’m listed in the phone book.

2006.03.01–Alfred, Ohio. Received word from Dennis and Joe offering encouragement in my struggle against eating sugar. Thanks!

Nick headed back to Morehead today. Always good to see him.

Faces you remember

2006.02.05

2005.05.07

2005.04.27

2005.04.27

2005.02.14

2004.10.02

2003.06.07

2005.02.03

2005.04.27

2003.01.22