Still kicking. Another beautiful day in paradise.  

Saw these spider webs in the yard this morning while the dew was still on the ground.  

I don’t remember seeing them around here before. The dark spot on the upper left of the web is a cone shaped hole and when I touched the web with a car key a little green spider came shooting out of that hole looking to see what he had caught in his web. Sorry to disappoint.  

Years ago, about 30, I was asked to be the best man at a friend’s wedding that happened to be taking place in Maine.  His future in-laws owned a house on Love’s Cove that they used as a B&B during the summer. The wedding was taking place in August so there were no guest except for the wedding party. Early one morning during a walk around the grounds we saw hundreds of these webs. It looked like the yard had been covered in doilies. Quite beautiful. 

Speaking of beauty, here are some pics of the flowers in our friend Mary’s yard. She has quite the green thumb, a beautiful house and yard and we truly enjoyed spending the afternoon with her. 

Back home Annie whipped up some banana splits for the three of us and that finished us off. Sugar coma here I come. But it’s late so I will just sleep it off. Zzzzzzzz!!

Hope your day was blessed and your future likewise. God bless. 

Awakened by the sweet sound of my cell phone ring tone. Actually I was up sitting on the side of the bed playing my morning round of Tsum Tsum when the phone rang while in my hands. Then I was awake. 

Good thing too because I had gotten into the habit of sleeping late.  

It wasn’t raining so I had to get outside. And what a beautiful day it was. The flowers are in bloom. 

Beautiful. 

And the flowers and I weren’t the only ones enjoying the sunshine. 

She may be blind but she knows when the sun is shining. 

So we did some more straightening and cleaning and arranging today. Things can get away from you if you ignore them long enough.  It’s looking better but we have a ways to go. 

Sunday evening, another movie and an earlier bedtime, I hope. 

The grandkids FaceTimed us this evening. How beautiful they are. So lovely.  Can’t wait to see them again. 

We got into the Bourne Identity movie series and watched #2 tonight. Very intense. This is all leading up to the most recent release now in theaters. 

All that action has made everyone sleepy so we’re headed for bed. 

Hope everyone had a blessed day. I know we did. Good night and God bless. 

Saturday morning. Slept late. Just like when I was a teenager. Except lying in bed too long at my age causes aches in places that should be rested. 

Okay, here’s something I forgot to tell you yesterday and all of you approaching retirement age take note. This is in regards to social security. I’ll give you the shortened version because there was much back and forth Q&A.  Apparently your first year, the government bases your benefit amount on your net earnings if you are planning on starting your benefits after the first of the year. Since I officially stopped working June 30, I have six months of income that count toward the total net to determine my benefit amount. This is still to be determined by my 2016 tax return whenever that is completed and filed.  So I assume I could be returning some money or drawing less if that amount should go over my limit.  Given that I don’t go over I am allowed to continue earning as long as it does not exceed my monthly allotted benefits.  Simple right?  It all sounds like gobble ‘D gook to me. If you have a benefit amount why not let you earn what you can for as long as you can. But that’s government and they like keeping people poor. Keeps them dependent. Well this ain’t gonna be forever I’m telling you right now.

So after our brief education on the inner workings of the Social Security Administration we headed home. And you know what happened next. So that brings us to today.  Must move joints. Be back in a few. 

Well it’s been more than a few. It’s been all day and most of the night. It was a beautiful day and we spent a good part of it sleeping. For some reason I am having trouble getting rested. But getting there.  Maybe tomorrow. 

Tonight’s movie was Wolverine. What can I say. I like the realistic, well somewhat realistic, action of the Jason Bourne movies. I mean that is more believable than a man with steel claws protruding from his knuckles. Give me a good old Godzilla movie any day.  I mean if we are talking sci-fy.  

We had a request from one reader to stop putting pictures of food on the blog as it was making them hungry.  Today’s absence of culinary photography is not in response to that request but rather the result of a late evening dinner laid before ravished patrons and rapidly consumed before any pictures could be taken. For the benefit of those who have no such gastro-visual sensitivities I will attempt to describe tonight’s Food Network worthy dinner fare. 

Ready?  This is a good one but takes some imagination.  Here it is. Visualize now a dining room table, four chairs, three plates, napkins and silverware expertly placed on either side of the plates. A glass of milk, a butter dish, a cup of coffee. And oh, a Diet Coke of course. Now on these plates are fried eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. Enjoy. 

That was a beautiful picture, right?  It tasted even better. 

Precious is ready for bed and so am I. Good night and God bless. 

Errands to run. Addresses to change. Apparently a previous driver’s license is not enough if you are an American citizen. One needs to produce a social security card in addition to a driver’s license in order to change your address. Unless one is an illegal alien then all that is needed is your word and that may be spoken through a government provided translator if need be. We thought of defecting to Mexico then coming back over the border, illegally, but being the honest people that we are, decided against. 

Next to the social security office. Oops, must disarm first. Is this Kentucky or not?  It is and we still had to leave our pocket knives in the car. Annie, that slick little vixen attempted to bring a weapon into a federal building. Good thing security was understanding and allowed her to leave her “credit card” knife in the cubby provided for such things. Lucky we weren’t shipped off to Gitmo.  Although as a prisoner of the United States I am sure I could have demanded daily Cuban cigar rations and been granted such. Not worth giving up my freedom. 

So no new driver’s license, Annie had to apply for a new card and I had left mine at home. We did discover a fairly new lunch diner that opened in the arcade back in September.  They have soup, sandwiches and cupcakes. And really good coffee. And the name is Ruth’s. Easy to remember.  We didn’t have time for lunch but did try the cupcakes. Very good. 

Stopped by Artrips on the way home and picked up some green tomatoes for frying later, some onions and an orange to season the chicken along with some garlic, a watermelon and some peanuts.  

At Food Fair we picked up a chicken for baking. 

And voila;

The chef made a sauce of orange marmalade, minced garlic and shirhacha to go with the tomatoes that was outstanding. As were all the dishes. Definitely a Food Network worthy meal. Thank you sweetie. 

And here’s what was left. 

And after dinner?  Some fresh air. 

And that was our day. Hope yours was as blessed. 

Love to all. Good night and God bless. 

PS: the ashtray in the last picture is 34 years old and was made by Linda Manning.  

This could be titled Day 7; Retirement. But it’s not. Because, I don’t consider myself retired. I cannot see a day where that word would apply to me. So let’s carry on. 

This morning I took Ruth’s car in to have the brakes checked. They were making a noise, just when backing so I suspected the rear brakes. I took it to Omni on Greenup Ave. and I have to put a plug in for this shop run by Mike Pritt, probably the most honest and skilled mechanic in town if not the Tri-State area. Well the brakes checked out but the tires were near bald and cracking. Oh, and the oil needed changing. So that was all okay’ed for repair.  Not having a second car to drive, Mike offered to loan me his personal truck to use while he was working on Ruth’s car. I thought that was very generous. He did do a lot of work on our Mercedes over the last several years so he knows me.  Still, I don’t know any other mechanic that would do that for me. 

While there I had to use the bathroom. I was there for over thirty minutes so what do you expect. I have said countless times you never know what you are going to find when you leave your house. Example below: 

Kind of cute huh?  I’m glad they also put in Spanish. 

Tires and oil changed and good thing too. Take a look at these tires and tell me if you would drive on them. 

About time right?

Home again and Annie started working her magic. The house smells so good. This first picture is of a newly discovered recipe for bacon jam. That’s right BACON jam. 

And this second picture is of the bacon jam being applied to freshly made bread. Oh my. 

Late this evening we heard about the 11 police officers getting shot in Dallas, four of them are dead and two in critical condition.  Such a sad day for their families. Please keep them in your prayers. 

I can’t say much more than that. Good night and God bless. 

The clean up has begun. Gonna try to photo chronicle this as best I can. Progress however may dictate that the pictures be spaced out a bit. 

In the meantime please enjoy these memories we found while cleaning. 

My how time flies.  

So, we got about five good hours in on the garage.  No where near done but looking better. 



This old house has been here since 1970. My parents bought it in 1971 while I was in basic training. When I came back to Ashland after six weeks in San Antonio not knowing exactly where my parents had moved. I had gone with them when they were looking at houses the summer before I went into the service, but I could not remember the address so when I got off the bus in downtown Ashland and got into a cab and the cab driver asked me where to I said, “I don’t know”.  That was not a reply he was expecting. So I followed it up with an explanation about how my parents had moved while I was in basic and I only knew the approximate location of the house. I remembered that it was behind the prison so I suggested we look there first. While searching for the house I also remembered getting a letter from my parents telling me they had also bought a knew car while I was away and I was counting on finding the old car parked in front of the new house but now I realized that option was taken.  I truly felt lost. How was I going to find my house?  We drove around for a few minutes going up one road then the next and then I saw it. I guess it sparked something in my memory because I had seen the house once before several months ago and if asked to describe it I would be at a loss but somehow I knew this was the place. New car and all. I asked the cab driver to pull in the driveway and wait while I went to the door to be sure. He acquiesced and I walked up the drive and knocked on the door. There she was, my stepmother totally surprised as I had not told them I was coming home.  I went back to pay the cab driver and then walked back in the house. At some point in the conversation I jokingly asked my parents if they were trying to hide from me telling them what a time I had finding the house. And also jokingly asking if I ate so much while living with them that once I left they were able to buy a new house and a new car on what they saved in groceries. We all had a good laugh but they never did answer either question. 

Anyway the house has survived and now it provides shelter for my wife, her mother and myself. God bless us all. 

Today is my father’s birthday. He would have been 99 today.  He has been gone now for 19 years.  Truth be told he wasn’t really here for the last ten years or so of his life. Like too many people I know and have known, they lose purpose after retirement and just sit, waiting for death. I don’t want to be like that. So I won’t. 

Cleaning. No one likes to do it but it is a necessary ritual of civilized man. And I count myself as civilized and we are trying to make the garage civilized. This will be a job. 

The objective here is make enough room to empty our storage shed. Then find other accommodations.  

We drove to Burnaugh for pizza. Sounds like a long way to go for pizza but this happens to be the last Giovannis in this area that has the old style stone oven. They haven’t sold out to the faster, not near as good, conveyor belt ovens used by the other Giovannis in the area. So it’s worth the drive. And it’s not really that far. 

A sad sight on the road to Burnaugh is the closing of the coal tipples that were so active for so many years.  What’s going on?  How long are we going to stand for this?  It’s time for a change. 

Again no pictures. I meant to take some today. I want to start chronicling the area so that my grandchildren will be able to see what once was. I wish I had taken a bunch growing up because so much is gone that once was.  

Which make me think of memories. Do we give them too much importance?  One of the most important things in life is making memories and if you do it right you will be so busy making memories you won’t have time to reminisce.  I suppose it would be hard to continuously make memories. You have to stop and smell the roses. Another memory. I have some good one and I’m glad I have time to reminisce, and make new ones. 

Annie’s not writing anything today because, in her own words, “What do you say about sitting around all day?”  Her words, not mine. Just saying. 

After a delicious pizza and antipasto salad we have settled in for an entertaining night of television. From game shows to murder mysteries to Hallmark Channel love stories, modern tv has it all. And this is all in one evening. Back in the day one would have to spend weeks getting  this much variety in their entertainment.  

Law and Order SUV may be the most popular show ever. It is definitely mesmerizing.  And they play one right after the other. You can’t get away from it. 

Got away from it. Going to bed. I promise tomorrow we’ll have some pictures. 

Good night and God bless. 

What a wonderful day. Besides the weather being sunny and bright for most of the day it was a day to celebrate our independence. We are truly a blessed nation. A nation like no other in the history of the world and I feel blessed to have been born here. 

We had a wonderful lunch with Mary and her mother.  We went to Huntington to try out a new pizza place Mary had heard about but it was closed. As we’re all of the pizza joints in all of Huntington.  Fortunately for us the Black Sheep Burritos and Brew restaurant over by the college was open so we thought we would give it a try. And boy were we glad.  Not only was the food delicious but they have quite a selection of craft beers and we got to try some really good ones. A place we will definitely return too. 

So, no pictures today. That will change soon as visuals are always an enhancement to any blog. 

Tomorrow we start cleaning and making room for our stuff that is in storage. We will either have a very large EBay account or a very large yard sale. I’m voting eBay. 

Lots of things to do this week. Hope some of them are of interest to you. Now that we are not traversing the country it is going to take imagination to come up with moments of interest for our readers. And it will make our lives more interesting.  So here’s hoping everyone had a great and safe Fourth of July and we all remember what makes our country great each and every day and pray for our leaders that they gain wisdom and grace through God Almighty.  Amen. Good night and God bless. 

DG:  Still in Ashland. I say that because those who know us know that we are subject to sudden and unexpected movement. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s timing, but right now I feel a settling in my spirit that tells me this is the place. Then on second thought my mind is already reaching out to new adventure. What that adventure will be has not yet been revealed.  Perhaps it will be here. Perhaps it will be in a new location. One we have never before visited or even thought of. God only knows what plans He has for lives. May we be receptive to His will. 

11:00 pm and bed time.  Today?  Not much. Our day was basically centered around tv and food. We did go visit Steve and Linda and had a very enjoyable time as always. They are such fun to be around. Doug and his new wife Stephanie came over as we were leaving. We had not met her before.  She is very nice and they seem to be very happy. 

Another amazing dinner. Maybe not Food Network worthy but when you have been living on the road for the past 500+ days a good home cooked meal is the best. 

So where is this next journey going?  Still unclear. I did pick up my guitar today and it felt really good. I believe that will play a part. 

Abbey and Lindsey went home this morning and I miss them already. It’s not that we sit around and converse all day when they are here or play games the entire time, it’s the proximity of their spirits and their laughter and the way they interact with each other that brings joy to the house. They are really good kids. 

Precious is still blind, can barely hear, but has adapted really well as she has Annie and I trained to provide for her every need. She is still as feisty and as sweet as ever. 

Oh, almost forgot. Apparently I am way behind the times and there is this game the kids play with jelly beans where there are two that look identical however one has a common flavor and the other a synthetic horrible flavor that is down right disgusting and, I don’t know how you win or lose or whether or not that is even of importance in this game, but I feel that I lost whatever it was we were playing for. Maybe this video will explain what I’m talking about. 

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DG: 3:30 pm, soon to be in Ashland, KY. WOOHOO!!  

Well, it’s been some sort of a trip.  What an experience. It’s hard to describe. The people I’ve seen surpass Wal Mart regulars in their, shall I say diversity?  I so wanted to take pictures but did not want to draw attention to myself as there are lots of panhandlers in bus stations. I don’t know if they just hang out here to feed off of the travelers or they themselves are traveling and bumming is part of their daily routine. Either way there seems to be a high percentage per capita at the Greyhound stations. One guy in Nashville was dressed as, well a genie king with rabbit ears. Let your imagination fill in the blanks. That’s what I thought of when I looked at him. There was a girl that got on the bus in Mississippi who continually talked on her phone on and off the bus and you could hear her as she walked around the terminal and I over heard her tell another passenger who had inquired of her about the strangely dressed gentleman after observing her having a conversation with him that he had been dressing up like that for over 20 years. I’m sure a search of past newspaper reports would most likely turn up a story about him. I can’t imagine anyone dressing up like that for that long and someone not inquiring about it.  He’s probably on Google.  

Annie’s sending me food pictures. Like I don’t miss her enough. 

8:00, home at last. A glorious sight greeted me when I got off the bus. Annie and Abbey came to pick me up. I was so glad to see then both. 

They were setting up for Fourth of July festivities so the bus couldn’t pull into its regular stop and had to let me out on Greenup avenue across from the Federal Building.  They found me though and all was well. And I didn’t know just how well until I got home and saw what was waiting for dinner. 

Steak, baked potato, fried cabbage and home made bread. Wow!  What a meal. And yes, I over did it. But that’s it. Tomorrow it’s back on the diet. 

This may or may not be the last blog post. We’ll have to see. But whether it is or isn’t tomorrow will mark the beginning of a new adventure in our lives. One we are looking forward to. So for now I will just say good night and God bless. 

Annie – My honey is home!!  So glad and happy!!   We did have a great dinner.  We never got steak on the road so it was one of the things we were craving.  Abby helped me make the bread and we had cinnamon rolls for dessert.    So yummy!   We’ve watched more episodes of Bunheads.  An old show that the girls hadn’t seen before.  They and Mom are really enjoying it.  We’ve also watched musicals this week.   Pirates of Penzance and Shrek the musical.  It’s been a fun week.  Hate to see them go home tomorrow.   Will miss them.  

Well, off to bed.  Everyone is full and sugared out after the rolls.   

Good night y’all.