July 3rd, O-Dark -Hundred

Into the terminal, and off to the first experience of adulthood.

Our son the soldier left on Thursday the 3rd for Ft Lewis WA, for LDAC.
"Leadership Development Assesment Course" is the final evaluation of over 4,500 MS-3 (rising Senior) ROTC Cadets each summer.

The criteria includes GPA, PT scores, swimming, shooting, and a final 10 day FTX where all take turns as platoon leaders in the field.
The Cadre consists of ROTC officers and Senior NCO's from all over the country.
They are looking for leadership potential, particularly under stressful conditions.
And not only how the cadets act when it is their turn to lead, but how they support their fellow cadets when following their lead.

He has been preparing all year. Serious weight lifting, running in the NC heat in a weighted vest, and studying all of the material he will be responsible for at LDAC.

The upper echelon will have a choice of picking two out of three critical areas.
Branch of Service/M.O.S., location of post, or fully paid and salaried Grad School.

He will choose Branch and location at Ft Bragg, just an hour and a half from home.
Although Grad School is tempting, it can wait.

Few of us are as fortunate to have a definite demarc between our childhood and school years and full adulthood.

When his proud parents watched him walk into the terminal, we knew he was leaving his school boy years behind him.
He will fly straight to Ft Bragg after LDAC grad for three weeks training with an active unit, then straight to fall semester of his senior year.
His primary task will be to help prepare this years MS3 cadets for their LDAC next year.
After graduation and commissioning next Spring, he's off for his initial branch training and his full time Army career.

We will see him at Christmas and during semester breaks, but this summer was most likely the last long term time at home for him.

God Speed, soldier, our prayers go with you!

You've always made us proud, but neve more so than now.

One thing's for certain, he looks a lot better at 05:30 than his old man!














After several days of frantic activity and study, everything did fit into those two duffel bags!




























04:30 and off to RDU Airport














Csonk surprises Dad with a smooch on top of his old gray head, much to Ariel's amusement.

How will all of this stuff fit into two duffels?

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.

New Arrivals, Spring Flowers, and the Queen's Birthday!

This Spring two new 'Super Nieces' joined the family!
Most recently our dear niece Heather brought Eliora Lin into the world.
Mother and daughter are both home and doing well, and we are thrilled!

Last month Beatrix Fern made her arrival in the Cockroft household as daughter number three!

Auntie Phyllis was privileged to see her, and we both can't wait to see both her and Eliora when everyone is here in the Old North State in August.
I took the liberty of 'borrowing' pictures from their web sites here.

And Weds marks the birthday of the Queen of mine and Ariels hearts and minds, the ever loverly Felicia!

She is already in party mode, I have a hard time keeping up with her anymore.
I must be getting old, she most certainly is not!

There will of course be pictures posted later this week of the festivities.

In no particular order, Beatrix, Eliora Lin, Queen Felicia and Crown Prince Ariel the Brave, and the Queen involved in her new hobby of Heavy Equipment Operating.
Also Felicia practicing for her week long (with Mother's Day month long) celebratory revelry.

Mothers and sons, and Spring busting out....

The Queen herself relaxing on her front porch on a delightful Mother's Day 2008.






Queen Felicia is our guest photograper for Mother's Day.
Her early present was a new CoolPix Nikon Digital camera.
Many of you were victimized by it during her recent trip to Ohio and Pennslyvania.

Bonnie, chilling on the porch.













This spring is certainly lush and green. No remnants of our severe drought remain.


































Ariel shares a yuck with Csonk the Wonder Dog.
A proud mother and her son at lunch on her M.V.M. (Most Valuable Mom) day out.

"The Secret Society of the Hot Flashers"

Recently, a new group of miscreants has appeared in our neighborhood.
They call themselves
"The Secret Society of the Hot Flashers."
Their membership consists of half crazed menopausal women.
Just think of the "Hell's Grannies" sketch from the old Monty Python's Flying Circus program, and you will get the picture.

The expressed purpose of their group (gang!) is to read uplifting books and comment on same.
Their actual agenda is far more sinister, however.
Copious amounts of wine, chocolate and talk coupled with the group didactic more often than not leads to a reversion to school girl summer camp hijinks.

No one will admit who starts the silliness, of course.
One is as guilty as the other in actuality.
They have a secret handshake, and code names for one another.
"Sister Mary Felicia" is but one example.
I have no idea as to her actual identity, but I suspect she is one of the instigators of mischief.
Other alias include "Sister Mary Jill", "Sister Mary Pamela", "Sister Mary Diana", "Sister Mary Arlena", and the ever mysterious and mynxlike above mentioned Sister Mary Felicia.

The combined great detective minds of we neighborhood men most likely could discover their true identities.
But, being that we are reasonably intelligent, we have decided that we reallly don't want to know.
What we don't know ain't going to hurt us.
We just try to stay out of their way for the most part.

Recent escapades included knocking down a huge political sign from our recent Gubernatiorial Primary race, and taking cheeky photos of one another.

"Well, everyone will just blame it on the neighborhood teenaged boys!" was heard from one of the suspects.

Teenaged boys act like, well teenaged boys.
Mature women, shed of the responsibilities of child rearing and struggling through the tough years of life also act like, well teenaged boys!

As I see it, they are less likely to drive us into further middle aged man madness when they have each other to cavort with.

Viva 'La Crazy, ladies!