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.

Disney Days with Birthday Girl

This past weekend we had the opportunity to go and visit the magical land south of us called Walt Disney World with three of our grandchildren and those people that they live with. It was a fun weekend with our good friend Mickey and the family.
Of course while we were there we did celebrate Rebecca's birthday with a surprise party at the Animal Kingdom.
OK, OK, it really wasn't a surprise party, it was just Mat the waiter bringing out a cupcake with a candle in it! But we did sing!
Streets of NYC were not too far away.
Sometimes you just get bugged on these trips.

Speaking of getting bugged, when we got home I went to water a small rose bush I am trying to resurrect and there was a little friend sitting in the middle of the plant; a plant that has been in the house for over a week.

Gone Fishin'

This past Saturday was beautiful in South Georgia/North Florida so a good time to good fishin'! My good buddy Ben, his son Harrison, and a friend of Ben's, Larry and I headed to Steinhatchee, Florida to go fishing.
Ben has a friend with a wonderful boat, the "Paux Pas" and makes it available during the "light" fishing season. 26 feet in length with twin 150 hp motors. Great boat for the Gulf for fishing.

The boats has all of the latest navigational equipment and depth finders. Really a great boat!We headed out into the open Gulf at about 7:30 Satyurday morning for a day of fishing.
Of course I was well equiped with the great rod, reel and tackle box that I had received for Christmas a couple of years ago, and it was the perfect setup for the fishing that we were going to do. I felt like a pro.
While I landed the first catch of the day (black bass about 12 inches long), I was followed closely by Ben with a more significant catch.

For a good part of the fish that we hooked, the bait was almost as big as the fish. It was still fun bringing them in and then letting them go again.

If it was really about catching fish to eat, I would just go to the grocery store. It certainly would be a lot cheaper. It was a great day on the water with good friends. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, a few more fish would have been nice.