Happy New Year!

It has not been very cold around here.



We have seen no snow at all.



In fact, it has been more like Easter than New Year's.



I can't complain. It made taking down the lights a breeze this year.

A Very Merry Christmas

It was finally cold enough to make a fire.



I went to the movies this afternoon and and tonight I got to watch football.



And better yet, I get to play golf tomorrow. It's been a great Christmas.

Christmas on the Boardwalk

Every year we say we are going out to look at the lights in the town but it is always so cold we never do it.



This year we had no excuse because it has been in the 60's here for the last few days.



Now if it would only stay in the 60's until New Year's Day it would make that jump in the bay almost bearable.

A Visit to Homestead Gardens

I tagged along to the Christmas store again this year. I had to have a talk with Santa about what I expect to find under my tree this year.

A Weekend in New York City

I spent the weekend taking pictures of all the family members standing in front of all the sights in the city. I knew they brought me along for a reason.

Ho Ho Ho

It's never a good thing when the tree looks like this.



But it still beats the years when SHE had me hauling a live tree up and down the stairs. Digging a giant hole big enough for a root ball in January is no fun either.

A Sign of the Season

Half of the string of lights that we put in the front window every year is not lighting. Changing fuses did not help.



Testing every bulb didn't help either. Time for something new in the window.

Good Morning

She had the idea that we could see Son's cruise ship bringing him and his new bride up the bay to Baltimore so we got up early and headed down to the water.



We didn't get to see the boat, we were too late but we did have a nice morning on the Bay with some of Sweet Sue's coffee and one of her cinnamon scones.



The sunrise was beautiful. I wondered why we didn't do this more often.



The best part was that a nearby church was having a breakfast. The smell of bacon was heavenly.

Another Wedding Weekend

While the family got to stay in the hotel with this spectacular view of Baltimore, I spent the weekend driving back and forth from home in order to take care of the animals.



I did get a fantastic steak dinner and a couple of good beers out of the deal at The Capital Grill on Saturday night.



On Sunday we got a quick tour of a Carnival Cruise ship while we watched yet another of the kids tie the knot.

Obsession

I hate leaves on my grass.



I pretty much spend all day picking them up.



As soon as I get done, it's time to start again.



There is still along way to go but I've got nothing better to do.

Getting My Money's Worth

I've been taking advantage of the membership my daughter gave me to the local golf club.



Being able to go out and hit a few balls whenever you want is really great. You can have the worst game in the world and it doesn't matter because you know you can go back tomorrow and do it all again.

Post Halloween Post

We spent all day decorating the house and only had 6 Trick or Treaters. At least we've got lots of candy leftover. I am glad we bought the good stuff this year.

Duh

My 82 year old father in law was putting up some new light fixtures so I volunteered to help. He had finished two and I was working on the last two. He managed to get his in just fine while I broke mine. Instead of helping him with his house, I should get him to come help me with mine.

Balls

Daughter and new Son in Law gave me a year's pass to my favorite golf course. On my first day out, I collected a lot of lost balls. Of course, I have left enough of my own there to call this a pretty fair trade.

Short Lived Happiness

This morning I was full of hope about today's games.



I was in first place and I thought I had made some good picks. It is 7:30 and most of my teams have let me down. Damn Dolphins.

One More

SHE found one more. At least it looks like I am having fun.

Father of the Bride

SHE took 400 pictures of the wedding and this is the only one of me. It figures.

Irene Update

It's been just over a month and I'm still working at getting all those blankety blank trees out of the yard. There is still a lot left to do.



I'm going to have plenty of fire wood next winter.



I've drug piles and piles of debris into the woods. The critters are going to have plenty of shelters come cold weather.



Then there is still the matter of all the broken stuff to deal with. Damn hurricane. It better be our last-at least for a while. I still have crap to clean up from Isabelle and that was back in 2006.

Hot and Cold

There is something new in the yard.



There is also something new where the old heat pump/AC unit used to be.



I'm smiling now,but you should have seen me when I wrote the check for 5 grand to have this baby installed.

Damn It to Hell

Just when we are knee deep in wedding bills the mother *$&#ing furnace decides to stop working. No AC. No heat. No breaks anywhere. Son of a b&#$%.

Spider Man

It's the time of year when the spiders go crazy. Almost every square inch of the place is covered in webs. You have to watch where you are going. If you don't you could end up wearing that scary looking thing in the middle.

What's For Dinner

Yeah, that's me cooking dinner.



I wanted shrimp stir fry and the only way I could get it was to make it myself.

Diving In

The outdoor pools may be closed but the 2011 Football Pool is back in business, hopefully with some high tech (for me) improvements. This morning I got a lesson on cutting and pasting screenshots. We will be using the USA Today lines this year instead of the Washington Post's.
If you want to join the pool leave me a comment on how to get in touch with you. If you participated last year-you're already in!

Happy Labor Day!

Even though I am no longer a part of the workforce I am still celebrating. Daughter and future Son in Law brought over a couple of bags of crabs plus all the other things you need to go with them. It's hard to believe that summer is over. Time sure flies when you're having fun.

What a Mess!

Even though the yard is a disaster, I'm feeling pretty good because I am NOT crammed in the basement anymore with all the damn animals. Last night was hell, with puking dogs, fighting cats and screaming birds. Everyone was unnerved by what was going on outside.



I won't be needing to go look for any firewood for a long time. The yard is full of downed trees.



I won't be practicing golf out here for a while. I can't believe, in all that wind, that my pin (the little red golf flag) is still standing.



What a freaking mess. It's always something around here. The official tally since we moved here is 2 hurricanes, 2 ice storms, 1 tornado, 2 blizzards and countless bad thunderstorms. What's next?