Baseball, Dads and sons 2008

It was a good Fathers Day weekend here at Le Chateau Herve'.

Saturday my son took his Mother and I to a Carolina Mudcats baseball game.
We had great seats in the first row right next to home plate.
He reserved and paid for the tickets, proving that there are some advantages when your offspring get older, and you realize you must be too.

The game was played quickly, even with a twenty minute rain delay it was over in less than three hours.
We all enjoyed the bizarre characters that are a part of all minor league games.
We saw Gaby Sanchez, a Miami Hurricane Alumn drive in several runs.
The Cat's second baseman Marbery is certain to be playing for the big league Marlins very soon, as is Sanchez himself.

On Father's Day itself, we had a relaxing day at home.
The Queen grilled some fabulous steaks, and made a totally decadent Angel Food/pudding cake smothered with fresh Coconut, and several different kinds of fresh fruit and berries.
And since it was Fathers Day, I gained no extra calories!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I happily received not a single necktie. I only wear the miserable things when I have to.
They are not in evidence in my industry any more, thankfully!
I did receive a couple of new books that I have eagerly awaited.
Sportscaster Jim Nance's book about his own father, "Always By My Side" is also about the universal relationship between Fathers and Sons.

And the first new authentic James Bond novel since Ian Fleming passed,
"Devil May Care" was released on 28 May, his 100th birthday.
It was written by Sebastian Faulk writing as Ian Fleming and will be saved as a rare treat for my vacation read.
It is set in the original Cold War era, when our chief enemy had a face and a national identity.
Some of you young'uns were still in middle school when the Soviet Evil Empire died, after almost eighty years of terror and oppression.

My son and fellow historian also got me the just released DVD set of "John Adams"
Adapted from David McCullough's book of the same name, it is a wonderful recap of our second President and Founding Father's life.
His wife Abigail was an amazing woman.
Along with Martha Washington and the other wives, mothers and daughters of their era, she deserves the title Founding Mother.

Thank you, son!

You continue to make your Mother and I proud, and reaffirm that being your Dad is the most important thing I have accomplished in this short life.

(And of course spoiling your Mom rotten!)

Here's hoping all the rest of you Dad's had a great day with your family, and that you at least got to talk to your kids, as far flung and removed by adult life and distance as some of them are now.

And for the thirty second year since you left us, Dad, I still love and respect you more than anyone else I've ever known.
Thanks for all you did for us, at the expense of your own hopes and dreams, and sometimes your very sanity.

I still remember you looking over your glasses at me and saying,
"Boy, the first thing you know you ain't going to know nothin'!"
That memory still serves to keep me on the straight and narrow now.

Tell both my granddads we all turned out pretty good, and that their great grandson would make them proud.

Picture montage courtesy of the talented and lovely Queen Felicia, excepting the old family photos.
The black and white group picture not only includes my grandfather A.H. Harvey but also my GGrandfather John S. Harvey, in the chair with my Aunt Bee in his lap, bow and all.

There is also a picture of my Granddad L.J. Cupp, a kind and gentle man who left us far too soon.

Summertime, the beach, and Williamsburg revisited

Once every summer (I know it is not official yet, but when the temp hits 100 it's summer!) Felicia gets to go with me on a business trip to review the territory.

We started in Richmond last Tuesday, and treated ourselves to dinner at an outdoor patio table at a really nice Mall. It is a true mall, all of the stores are open to the outside world, with lots of nice landscaping, fountains and the like.

Weds evening we moved on to VA Beach, and once again ate at an outdoor cafe right on the boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic.
We were also able to do so Thursday night, just before the heat came on with a vengeance on Friday.

After my last call, we spent the rest of the day and evening at Busch Gardens, probably our favorite theme park. We ended a fun day with dinner at one of my favorite Italian joints, a family run enterprise with cheap and fabulous food.

Saturday before heading home we went to the Colonial downtown district.
My "Greenbough" (which is the Greek original meaning of her name) was thrilled to find a stall with some rare fresh herb plants, including a Bay tree.
Now we just have to find the perfect place to plant it.

Pictures follow, in no particular order.

King Neptune greeting his subjects.

We stumbled upon the first free open air concert of the season.
I heard a very unique version of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" featuring an electric fiddle playing.
It was the group "A Flock of Seagulls", which was extremely well known and popular in the eighties. I'm sure my nephew Martin is familiar with them.
Last year we saw Percy Sledge (When a man loves a woman) at the same free venue.

Various shots of some wonderful animals at Busch, including a cool looking owl, gray wolf, an up close shot of yours truly and a delightfully vibrant bird, and the famous Clydesdales themselves, gamboling in their pasture.

Many shots of the lovely Queen Felicia, (Yes Kim, she is truly groovy!)

A flock of idiots getting ready to take a 10 story vertical drop on the "Gryphon", one of six terrifying Coasters that I would not be caught dead on.
Our only ride was the Choo Choo train that goes around the outside of the park.
Adventuresome we ain't!

Some wonderful landscape shots at Busch Gardens, a truly beautiful park.
This version of the park is Busch Europe, with sections made to look like the UK, Germany, Italia, France and Canada.








We started the day with a cold beer at Grogan's Pub in Ireland.
I was served by a young woman from the Auld Sod with a delightful Irish Brougue.

A great trip, I may cheat and board the mutts and take Felicia with me again later this summer!

Birthdays and Memorial Day....

May is a great month for Queen Felicia.
But a tough month for yours Truly!

Her birthday falls at the heels of Mother's Day.
So May is just one long celebration, complete with presents.
Lots of them!

Her big B-Day surprise (besides folks asking me if she was 15 when we married, she still looks so much younger than this old Hillbilly!) was a Nintendo Wii from Ariel, and the new Wii Fit program from me.
Just released here in the States on her birthday, it proved to be quite the impressive piece of technology.

Some of you may know that I HATE video games in general.

They are far too complicated to play for the casual user, and I think them to be a time waster and an IQ drain in general.

This one is unique in that it has a hand held 'wand' with only two control buttons that reacts to the motion of your hands and arm.
You actually 'throw' the bowling ball and swing the golf club, etc.
That makes for a real workout, and is very addictive and fun as well.

But the new fitness platform is inducing adults (avowed adults anyway) like me to buy one.
Millions have already sold in Japan, and I had to reserve this one months ago for the Queen.

One stands on a balance board platform to utilize the program.
It not only weighs you each time and assigns your BMI, it keeps track of your progress, or lack of same as the months go by.

Very sensitive, it challenges you to do Yoga, strength training, and various games that improves your balance and tone.

You design your own Avatar (Doppleganger if you will, they are called Miis) which can be closely approximated to resemble you.

Then the animated trainer guides and chides you through your personal program.
And chide they do, in a very sophisticated and realistic way.

"You've missed a few sessions Felicia! And you seem to have gained back a couple of pounds since the last time too! Tsk Tsk!"

I enjoy listening to her fuss back at the 'trainer', although I must admit I haven't started the program yet.

The workouts and games are fun, and the Yoga portion will actually teach you real postions, and increases your ability to do the rest of the regimen.

She said her favorite gift was having her guys around all day to spoil her.
She also enjoyed hearing from the family on her birthday!

The beautiful picture of the Butterfly was taken by Felicia, with her pocket digital.
She now has a new hobby, and is even more enthused by digital photography than your old blog master, who has been a photo bug for almost forty years now.

Memorial Weekend was spent at home as it should be just chilling.
I took Friday off in addition to my Monday Holiday.
We saw the new Indiana Jones movie, which we both enjoyed a lot.

It is after all a movie, meant to be silly and escapist so ignore the reviews and have fun!

Last point, never forget what Memorial Day is really about.

Many have served and paid the ultimate price and continue to do so that we may grill, hang out with our families and enjoy our own "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"

God Bless them, and their families.