Two stalkers...

I spied this kingfisher through the French door busy eating his catch of the day, but little did he know....
...that Parker and Missy were busy watching him and hoping he would perch just a little closer...
Oh well, maybe next time we'll luck out........let's take a nap!
I had tough duty yesterday...I helped Amy, who is home, with Will and Alex. Throw me in that briar patch! We sorted baby clothes and put away outfits from big brother that Will can use, and bagged up items that are the wrong size/season to take to the consignment shop. Alex did very well with the new intruder, much to our surprise. Life is good! Here is a close up of one of the bouquets sent in Will's honor. This one reminded me of Lala.

Grover Redding

Here is an early picture of my father...note the 'old' car in the background!

And another one...have no idea of the date...people didn't label/date pics back then...and I need to tackle my own boxes of photos so that mistake doesn't keep repeating..........
But this one I do know about....
This one is in our old kitchen in Albany, GA....note the knee next to the table. His R arm is resting on the pull-down ironing board, that with five kids, pretty much stayed in the down position. There was no such thing as wrinkle free back in those days.

Daddy never liked having his picture taken, so this one was always very special to me, as it caught him in one of his relaxed poses. It was taken about 1964, the year before he killed himself, just shy of 47, and is probably one of the last pictures of him.

Unfortunately, Daddy was an alcoholic, an unknown term (at least to me) back in the '60s. It created a Jekyl/Hyde disposition in this man, as nasty addiction often does, and certainly wrecked our lives in many ways. Certainly it *shaped* our lives as well, with all five kids growing up to have a healthy respect for what alcohol can do. We have all gone through phases of anger at him for what he has missed out on--weddings, grandchildren, etc. But none of us knows the personal agony he must have suffered, and for that we are blessed. And for giving us life, and certainly some good genes thrown in the mix, we are grateful. And it is all OK.

Today would have been Daddy's 90th birthday. May you rest in peace, Daddy.

Ragtops and rowdy folks...

And you thought there would be more baby pics today, right? haha...welcome to Ragtops, where you'll find all kinds of interesting items...a plane, lots of vintage cars, vintage people...oops, those were the attendees...

Dick and John inspecting one of the 'old' vehicles...
John and Catey checking out an old camper...not quite as plush as the beautiful horse trailers they sell!
See, old folks can still do the "YMCA"
Our guys wouldn't boogie with us, so Marcie and Susan danced with me...several times!
Everybody had fun, and nobody got hurt, even under the limbo stick or working that hula hoop! Party hardy, gals, it's time for the "Electric Slide."

It's a boy!!!

William Lance (Will) arrived today at 9:33a, weighing in at 8 lbs 8 ozs and 20" long. It was love at first sight! William is a name from both sides of the family, so it is a good choice for this doll...

Amy, Will, and Grammie...

Jason and his mom, Nana...
Dick, Jason, Brian and our own Prince Will
Sandy, Haley, Will, Amy & Joyce
If you folks would hush, I could go to sleep...
What could be more precious than a baby?! Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes, y'all!

It's baby time!!!

Amy and Doodlebug Monday afternoon. I think Piglet is 'done!' The C-section is supposed to begin at 8:30a this morning, so y'all know where I am! I'll post some pics when I get back home. All good thoughts and prayers are appreciated:-) Life is goooood!!!

Up, up, and away!!!

This was our greeting from the hotel window looking over to the airport yesterday...

We departed 9R at 9:15 with scattered clouds above, and a front moving through NW GA causing rain at our destination at lift off time. That was OK...weather changes a lot in over three hours...and we had lots of places to set down and wait it out if we needed to (we didn't). Here is a view around the Palm Beach Mall...Miss Bee cleaned it up and took all the haze away as you'll see below.What a difference Photoshop (and talent) can make.....

Palm Beach inlet...very treacherous at times, but calm right now. We've been through there with HIGH rolling waves that are so NOT fun...
This is what we popped in and out of for the first hour. These clouds are actually about 50 miles away, and by the time we got there with all the movement, we shot the gap to the R of those two high clouds because the gap was by then directly in front of us...
This is the view of the mountain range that is south of Mayberry, and those white clouds down below are actually on the other side of the mountains. We were at about 7,000'. A pilot had just taken off from our airport and reported that it was still VFR there (visual flight rules), so we knew it would be clear to land although.....
...as we landed to the west, the rain was just beginning, but it wasn't a problem at all...this looks worse through the lens than in reality.........
It took four hours total tac time, as we had a head wind, but it still beats driving any day! Brian, Amy, Jason, and Alex were there at the airport to greet us so that Alex could enjoy seeing all the airplanes and watch Grumps land the airplane! We get to keep Alex this afternoon so that A/J can go register at the hospital and enjoy their last quiet dinner for awhile. Tuesday is 'baby day!!!'

Home we go...

Time to load up, get in the air, and get home! Hopefully we can maneuver around the rain showers today. Fasten your Velcro.......
YOU KNOW IT'S A "NO FRILLS" AIRLINE WHEN ...
* They don't sell tickets, they sell chances.
* All the insurance machines in the terminal are sold out.
* Before the flight, the passengers get together and elect a pilot.
* If you kiss the wing for luck before boarding, it kisses you back.
* You cannot board the plane unless you have the exact change.
* Before you took off, the stewardess tells you to fasten your
Velcro.
* The Captain asks all the passengers to chip in a little for gas.
* When they pull the steps away, the plane starts rocking.
* The Captain yells at the ground crew to get the cows off the runway.
* You ask the Captain how often their planes crash and he says, "Just once."
* No movie. Don't need one. Your life keeps flashing before your eyes
* You see a man with a gun, but he's demanding to be let off the plane.
* All the planes have both a bathroom and a chapel.