The Flood of '09

This past Saturday was supposed to be a spring day of yard work in the morning and enjoying General Conference on TV in the afternoon. Over the past three days we have had more than 15 inches of rain, but our house sits up on the side of a hill and it is probably a total of 30 foot drop to the lake that we face. The other good thing is that the drainage for the lake is on the other side, so it drains away from us into a large bottom land area. Flooding was not something we were concerned about. Maybe tornados (several warnings and watches over the past several days), but not flooding.

Unfortuantely other areas and homes in the county were not so fortunate. The first call came around 8:30 AM that a home of a church member was in danger of flooding. As we arrived a little after 9 AM, the water was about two inches below the door way, but rising. We began to empty out the house and sandbag the entrances, but the sandbagging was to no avail. By 3 PM that afternoon there was three inches of water in the house and it was still rising. By Sunday, the water was up to the window sills.

At least we were able to get the furniture and other possession out of the house for they were ruined. The flooding continued to creep into homes on the block, like dominos falling in slow motion and nothing really can be done but wait for the river to crest and start receeding.

Very sad to watch, as most did not have flood insurance because they were "NOT IN THE FLOOD PLAIN". Life-long residents of the area have said that while they have had some flooding, they have never seen anything like this.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to these less fortunate, and now we look for ways to help them rebuild.

So far we have not seen the Red Cross, FEMA, National Guard, etc., but then this isn't New Orleans. It has just been friends and neigbors helping friends and neighbors.

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

What can be more fun than Webelos Scouts and "SUPER BUBBLES"?!!
Besides the necessary hot air, it is important to have the right mixture of bubble soap.

The "magic" formula is 20 parts distilled water (not tap water, it won't do as well), 4 parts Dawn or Joy liquid soap (don't get the fancy soap, just the plain dish soap), and the real secret ingrediant, 1 part glycerine.

It makes small sturdy bubbles or longer more fragile ones.

You can even make double bubbles! We tried adjusting the formula and it seemed that adding a little more glycerine helped. I've been told that instead of glycerine, you can use white Karo syrup, it is just a little messier when the bubble pops.

Building Bridges

This past Wednesday was my chance again to herd cats. It was Webelos night and tonights activity was to see if the Webelos could build a bridge using mini-marshmellows and toothpicks.

As you can see they got into it with great enthusiasm, especially when I told them that they did't have to use all of the marshmellows in construction. They found other uses for the marshmellows besides the obvious eating.

The completed project was able to span two stacks of books, and took only about 30 minutes to complete.

The final step was to share with the Cubs what they had learned about bridge building, including the part about being able to eat the building materials.

Battle of Olustee

On February 20, 1864 more than 10,000 cavalry, infantry and artilolery troops fought in a pine forest near Ocean Pond in Florida's largest Civil War (War of Northern Agression) battle. The battle ended at dusk when Union troops retreated in defeat and 2,807 men lay dead or wounded. Fourteen months laters the war ended with the surrender of the Confederate Army.

This past weekend we went to Olustee Florida for the 33rd Reenactment of the Battle of Olustee. It was like stepping back 145 years into the past (all the beards are real). Here are some of the scenes:

Union Soldiers
Union Lieutenant:

Union Cannon Casion:

Surgeon General of the Confederacy:

Southern Belles:

A Gentleman of Color:

Field Medicine:

Confederate Cannon Team:

Banjo Boy (and boy could he play!)

It was about history!!

Herding Cats

I have a new job in the Church that is best described as trying to herd cats; that is trying to herd wet cats; that is trying to herd wet cats with their tails on fire. I am now the Webelos Den Leader. It has been 24 years since I was involved with Chris in Scouts, and for some reason someone thought this would be a good idea.

Doesn't everyone love a man in uniform?!!

Here are some of the "wet cats" I get to herd.

Our first challenge for the year was the Cubmobile race at the end of the month. No previously assembled car could be found, though everyone swore we had one, so we started from scratch. Over the next 3 weeks a new one was constructed.

I found it best to limit the boys to sanding and very controled painting.

A few coats of paint and we were ready for the races. I was hoping that the little one might get some inspiration from being parked next to Beautee.

Race day came and we were ready to go.

While we looked really good, we learned that it is all in the wheels. We had lawn mower wheels, but the key is wheel chair wheels. The car below was last years winner. Note the wheels.
We'll be ready next year.

I have already discovered that you can take two Webelos Scouts, place them in a padded room with nothing in there but pillows; leave them alone for 5 minutes and when you return they will have found two sharp sticks and will be sword fighting with them.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Thanksgiving this year found us traveling to the Houston area to spend the holiday with Ski and Mimi and a ton of other relatives.

It was everything that Thanksgiving is supposed to be; great food, great relatives, great friends and a bounce house.

We were joined there by Rebecca and Clay and the kids. You know, you can do other things in a bounce house besides bounce.

It was a great time to catch up on what everyone was doing. Big thanks goes out to Ski and Mimi for being such wonderful hosts.

Christmas found us staying home this year. It was fun decorating the house and getting ready for Christams.

Geri did a great job decorating the inside too!

Even Ginger seemed to approved of the festivities.
Many great gifts were received and enjoyed. Thanks to all for everything!
Can't you just taste the turkey! It was yummy and only took 1:20 to cook.

Here's hoping that the New Year bring health, happiness, and peace to all that we know and love, and even those that we really don't care that much for.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

A Weekend in Mexico City

This past weekend I had the opportunity to make a quick trip to Mexico City. It turned out to be a much quicker trip than I had anticipated. At the last minute my business got canceled and so I flew back home on Monday. A weekend in Mexico City.

I decided that on Sunday, I wanted to go and visit the Pyramids of Teotihucan which are located about 30 miles north of Mexico City.

After about an hour and a half in the taxi, we finally arrived. Traffic in Mexico City is something else.

Teotihucan, also known as "The City of the Gods" was built by the ancient Aztec Indians starting about 1 BC and was occupied until about 700 AD when the civilization mysteriously dissappeared.

The three main features of the area are the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Road of the Dead. Here I am standing in front of the Pyramid of the Sun.

"Calle de los Muertos" or Road of the Dead, which is about 4 Km long.
The climb to the top is a very steep climb to say the least, and it is about 400 meters (12oo feet) to the top.
Here I am at the top. I climbed this the first time about 30 years ago. I believe that since that time they have actually made the Pyramid taller.

The Pyramid of the Moon sits at the North end of Calle de los Muertos

Inside of the residence of Quetzalpapallotl are wall paintings that are over 2000 years old and still have vibrant colors.

After a morning of climbing, it was time for lunch. This was mystery mixed BBQ, with rice and tortillas. It was really very good.

Of course, before dining I inspected the kitchen to make sure everything was up to the highest standards. You can't hardly beat log walls, dirt floor and a blue top ceiling for good food. Something that Rasing Cane mgiht want to consider.

Here is a brief video of what is involved in climbing the Pyramid of the Moon. Note the guy on the right, climbing with just his arms. I was amazed. He pulled up in a wheel chair, lifted himself out and began to pull himself up the Pyramid.

Be thankful for what you have, for sure.