Flags Of Our Fathers

This is turning out to be a great book. Granted I am only a chapter in but so far the author brings to life al of the six marines that raised the Flag. You can understand their upbringing and the perspective that they may have had prior the war. He describes their home towns and families in great detail. You feel like your there. I will give more updates but so far it's great.

New Editor

I am now using a new editor for my blog posts. It is called Windows Live Writer. It was a tip from Paul Thurott. I have just started using it but so far so good. It has a lot of features that will come in handy. It integrates with most of the major blog applications. Something that makes things nice is that it is an offline application so when you write a post you can keep it as a draft and publish it later. Try it out if you think you might like it.

Reading

I've been reading some good books. Two new ones that I added to my reading list are written by David DekKer. There were three that were part of a trilogy that he wrote. The story deals with moving somehow between two separate realities. One man is playing a role in the fate of mankind in both realities. One affecting the other. It was interesting and makes you think. I am now reading Flags Of Our Fathers. I have just gotten started but it seems to be very interesting. I would recommend all of them.

Back At It

It's back to the grindstone. Vacation is over and I went back to work today. One day of work and it seems that we were never gone. It is a funny thing how we wait all year for our vacations and then it's over before you know it. Just doesn't seem right. That's life! I guess it's the way it has to be. If we were off to often we would probably get lazy. Part of me always feels a little good to be back at work...........I can't believe I just said that. Sick isn't it.

Last Day

It was the last day of vacation, and it was a good one. The water was big. The only bad thing was that the water had moss in it again. It didn't affect me any because I just laid on the beach in my chair and watched the waves. I was reading a book and listening to Pete Fountain. (multi tasking) It is hard to believe that the vacation is over. We look forward to this for so long every year and then it's over in a flash. It will be back to the grind in no time. I guess that's life. It will be a long ride home. The part everyone hates. It will be good to be home sweet home. The animals are missing us I'm sure.

Vacation Update

The water has been good and bad. We have been battling the red moss stuff in the water. It has cleared up some from the first two days so things are better. The waves today were huge. You can barely stand up when one hits you. I stayed on the beach in a lawn chair because of my back. It was good. Hearing the waves and feeling the breeze made it nice. I listened to Kenny G and read a book. Pretty enjoyable. We are off to the Giggling Grouper tonight for dinner. I'll let you know how it was.

Vacation

We are on vacation! Another year at the beach. No hurricanes but it is hotter than can be imagined. The heat index is around 120 degrees. The humidity is extremely high. The middle of the day is almost unbearable. We have been going down to the beach in the morning and evening and trying to avoid it during the hottest part of the day. Our first two days featured red moss in the water so thick that no one would get in the water. It has since gone away and now the water is nice. The ocean actually feels cool unlike the pool. The pool water is not even refreshing. It is like a bath. The sights are as good as always. It is very beautiful on the beach. The sand is white like sugar and the water is emerald green and blue. This morning the water was like glass. I saw a few dolphins swim by. I have taken a number of pictures, one of which is with this post. Maybe it will cool down a bit before we leave for home.

Bridge Down

A terrible tragedy yesterday. The bridge that collapsed. It is a terrible thing. My heart goes out to the people and their families. I am afraid that they may find more casualties as the days go on. I am sure too that in the coming days that the finger pointing will begin. I heard a sound bite from the NTSB news conference today it it sounds like they will leave no stone unturned in an attempt to find the root cause. That however won't satisfy some. They will demand and accuse to the point of ridiculous. It is a tragic event but I am sure that if the right people would have known that something like this was about to happen, they would have done something about it.

I, on the other hand, mourn the lost ones and truly hope that the investigation that is done will result in information that will keep it from happening again.

Tragic Plane Crash

There was a tragic accident at the Dayton International Airport last Saturday. Dayton sponsors an air show every year. It is a world renowned show. Acts from all over show up in Dayton each year. This year the event was overshadowed by a tragic crash involving Jim Leroy, a very famous stunt pilot. After failing to complete a stunt being performed with his partner in another airplane, Jim hit the ground and died from his injuries. It is a tragic event and my prayers go out to him and his family. I believe that this is the first tragedy from a crash in the air shows' history. Hopefully it will be the last.

Change of tide

We finished the baseball season this weekend. It has been a long hard season. The kids were ready for it to be over I think. They get tired of always being at the ballpark. They spend most of the summer playing baseball. These last few games they didn't plat with a lot of heart. Soccer practices have started and things just start running together. Now that the season is over it is a great feeling knowing that there are other things that we will be able to do now. Like vacation!