23 February 2009 - It was a stellar day on Lake Murray. The sun was shining ever so brilliantly at 11:36 AM prompting THE PHONE CALL from Ron with a bona fide and serious marriage proposal. Smooch Smooch said she would only only say yes to a SERIOUS proposal... a down on his knees kind. We both agreed it was indeed a beautiful day to enjoy champagne at sunset on the dock and celebrate the occasion with a commitment to marry - followed by dinner at the Bonefish Grill where Ron indeed got down on his knees and proposed. It was indeed the perfect day.
14 & 15 February 2009 -
Last night's Valentine's party was a tremendous success in every way but specially that a mighty big secret was kept: Smooch Smooch was delightfully surprised with the gift of Sweet Adelines "Heart Chords" serenade.
Smooch smooch loves her roses, too: a dozen red and a dozen white roses (Apparently good for mucho many romantic points).
The masterpiece menu was "pure Mary" (divine, delicious, to-die-for). Mary catered and created a magnificent meal complete with a Valentine's cake with our photos atop. The chicken wings, chicken fajitas, rice, veggies, potato salad, ice cream pie, cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, nut clusters in hearts and outstanding hors d'ouevres were all "legal" for our diets. Thanks Mary!
Who would not enjoy a stellar evening with Tom & Cheryl, Roger & his girlfriend, Vince & Mary, Liz & Clark, Donna & Greg and the lovely Sweet Adelines & their spouses?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
February - Life at the Lake Part II
13 Feb.- We have been enjoying watching the duckies. Smooch smooch is learning the species of ducks: common duckey, Common Loons, uncommon ducky aka Koots, old koot (that would be me), Wood Ducks, and two honking big & gorgeous white Peking Ducks. They feed in the shallows close to the house and really go after sunflower seeds ... with a small investment in sunflower seeds we could be eating duck next week. Tomorrow is the Valentine's Day party, so we are madly cleaning house before the housekeepers arrive at noon today.
12 Feb - Party preparations: We mortgaged the firstborn to buy wine. I do hope little Carol Ann will forgive me, especially if our firstborn turns out to be male. Dinner at Bonefish Grill was again wonderful.
10 Feb. - Life at the Lake is mighty pleasant. Good news today in the form of a phone call from Walt, an MIT motorcycling buddy who is lucky to have survived a twenty-foot fall onto a rocky river bed from a bridge in Copper Canyon, Mexico three weeks ago. Perhaps even more surprising is that he survived the Mexican "ambulance" ride & medical treatment. His wife was quick to arrange (by telephone) his release to the Cleveland Clinic MedEVac jet to return him to Cleveland. AttaGirl ! After a week at the Clinic, he is now convalescing at home in a straight jacket. The other riders have learned that they need TWO doctors on all trips henceforth.
Proofing of the Rambo Family Tree continues to progress: volume four is proofed, now proofing page 170 in volume five. Galley proofs of volume two await review, no excuse for not yet submitting of volume three to the publisher. "Soon" and "very soon" all five volumes will be in print.
1 Feb 2009 - How did February get here already ???
12 Feb - Party preparations: We mortgaged the firstborn to buy wine. I do hope little Carol Ann will forgive me, especially if our firstborn turns out to be male. Dinner at Bonefish Grill was again wonderful.
10 Feb. - Life at the Lake is mighty pleasant. Good news today in the form of a phone call from Walt, an MIT motorcycling buddy who is lucky to have survived a twenty-foot fall onto a rocky river bed from a bridge in Copper Canyon, Mexico three weeks ago. Perhaps even more surprising is that he survived the Mexican "ambulance" ride & medical treatment. His wife was quick to arrange (by telephone) his release to the Cleveland Clinic MedEVac jet to return him to Cleveland. AttaGirl ! After a week at the Clinic, he is now convalescing at home in a straight jacket. The other riders have learned that they need TWO doctors on all trips henceforth.
Proofing of the Rambo Family Tree continues to progress: volume four is proofed, now proofing page 170 in volume five. Galley proofs of volume two await review, no excuse for not yet submitting of volume three to the publisher. "Soon" and "very soon" all five volumes will be in print.
1 Feb 2009 - How did February get here already ???
Thursday, January 1, 2009
January Lake Life
21 Jan 2009 - A lot of the snow had melted by four PM yesterday, but patches of snow remain along the road to Irmo. The little pond on St. Peter's Road is ice covered and the spa (heated to 98 degrees) had a sheet of ice on the cover. This morning's photo (left) shows a few of the ducks outside our lake house braving twenty degree temperatures for an 8:00 AM swim. Ron isn't a wiss either: he is walking with Dick and Jim clad only in four shirts with hiking pants sans jacket and quilted down underlayers.On another note: Someone was surprised on Monday when she looked into the shower of one of the other bathrooms and spotted bags of trash left over from the party. The discovery gave rise to much merriment at the dawning realization that the items were hidden by the recycling addict that lives in this house, too. The guilty guy was greatly relieved to bring his treasures out into the light of day so they could be washed and readied for recycling. Have you ever watched a true environmentalist/recycling addict at work? Can you even imagine washing greasy aluminum foil? This morning someone found it hilarious watching the foil, soda cans, glass and plastic bottles get soaked, rinsed, washed, rinsed again, dried to glistening perfection and hauled off to be recycled. Obviously, this was not a job to be entrusted to Someone known to use copious amounts of hot water and soap.
20 Jan 2009 - Rainfall turned into snow last night creating a lovely winter wonderland. A gentle snowfall has begun once again; it does not snow often in South Carolina making the morning scene even more enjoyable. One inch is predicted causing schools to close and travel concerns. With the cold temperatures of the last few days the ducks don't come to the harbor to feed until later in the mornings; a family of ten dark gray ducks and from 2 to eight white bigger duckies return again in the evening for more food providing endless entertainment for us. A few days ago a large blue heron perched on a rock in the harbor for a long time; we waited hoping to see the bird lift off in flight but it did not happen on our watch. All things considered, progress proofing the book (Rambo Family Tree Genealogy: http://sites.google.com/site/rambofamilytree/) is about twenty pages on a good day; this means the fourth volume is about half finished with great hopes of completion by mid-February. We extended our stay at the lake house through the month of March to get the final and last volume proofed and off to the publisher before traveling again.
11 Jan 2009 Hey - Mike O'Dea, are you aware of my blog?? I'll find your e-address in my files one day before the end of the year; I'd love to hear from you. Party was a huge success with 19 attendees including Kim, the neighbor here. Snow's Texas BBQ was well received & the fixings were highly complemented by all, YUM. Even my cardboard & styrofoam was tastier than usual with the addition of no-fat potato salad topped by Dave's Insanity Sauce. Sadly, none of the beauties present felt moved towards the jacuzzi, SIGH. 42" wide screen TV has SVGA input & computer talks to it nicely, so everyone got to see pictures of Ron & Smooch Smooch in several places & seasons. Let's hope that the larger area can be used to good effect in genealogy proofreading process (which is today's project). The pool table and air hockey table were very popular with the "boys," although several of 'em expressed frustration with errant shots. (Imagine that.) Latest partiers went home at 2am - we are talking about Y'all: Vince & Mary & Ed, Tom & Cheryl, and Greg & Donna. Surprisingly, all the usual culprits arrived on time for the 8am traditional Sunday breakfast at Lizard's Thicket.
10 Jan, Sat - Nice (cold) walk with Dick this morning. Party supplies requires stops afterwards at seven places, so there is no genealogy progress to report except that surface mail arrived from Kansas City this morning with corrected galley proofs of the second volume (of The Rambo Family Tree by Beverly Nelson Rambo & Ron Beatty). BBQ Party preparations created anxiety and terrific food.
9 Jan, Fri - Nice (cold) walk with Dick & Jim this morning. BBQ Party tomorrow evening, a few preparations today, most tomorrow. The jacuzzi is awesome but has a tiny leak. Genealogy progresses, but maddeningly slowly. Nice to have a call from Lupe yesterday (Hi). Apparently I'm delinquent correspondent again, both via e-mail & via phone - apologies to all. Dinner at Zorba's was again pleasant.
8 Jan, 2009 - Happy New Year (again). Notice updates to Jan 1 blog. Have you been remembering 2009 when writing checks, etc? I'm so proud that I've done well in that regard. No word yet from Dick, so I assume that he is still in NC and not walking locally (and loco-lly). Dinner again this evening at Ruby Tuesdays with Greg & Donna; Ruby Tuesdays serves the best salad bar, my only good choice for this cardboard & styrofoam diet.
7 Jan. - Donna & Greg were due home hours ago from visiting their daughter in MPLS. Ron is twiddling his thumbs [pronounced as "doing Sudokus"] in Columbia, waiting to pick them up in Charlotte, NC, but the plane hasn't left the tarmac as of 6: 50 PM. They were in flight once for forty minutes and then returned to the airport with mechanical issues; now they are in flight again, due to arrive about 10:05 PM. Charlotte is 90 miles N of Columbia on Interstate 77; by the time he picks them up, gathers baggage, and returns home it will be after midnight. After de-plane-ing Greg & Donna no less than two (2) times, Northwest finally found an aircraft that worked and flew them into Charlotte at 10 pm, six hours late. Adding insult to injury, the airline didn't bother to feed them during that delay.
6 Jan - We are enjoying a pleasant stay in a vacation house on Lake Murray in South Carolina through the end of February. The intent was to have a serious work environment but distractions abound: flat panel television sets with computer hook-ups, pool table, air hockey, hot tub (bring your bathing suits if you plan to visit). Oh... yes, there are kazillions of Sudokus for the bathrooms. Ron arises after the coffee pot kicks into gear at 5am, drives 20 minutes across the Dam, edits genealogy, feeds the neglected kitties, and walks for an hour with Dick (& Jim). After returning to the lake house, genealogy continues non-stop (well almost non-stop). Weather permitting he can sit outdoors on the deck with his laptop. Otherwise, a chair in the living room provides a good view of the lake. The lake is quite lovely and restful with lots of squirrels, ducks, waterfowl, and critters in constant motion. The sunrises and sunsets are lovely; it is a peaceful place despite being so close to Columbia. The house is available off season for a very reasonable rate.
1 Jan 2009- Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Mary and Vince hosted another grand party. It was said the chocolate cake, apple pie, brownies, and other thingies were incredibly delicious; lucky guests always extoll Mary's gourmet delights. Ron remembers although his cardboard and styrofoam diet allowed nothing more than a Kroger's $1.99 (manager's special) veggie tray with heaps of home made sourdough bread to sop up the wine (unsuccessfully). It is said that Mary and Cheryl egged him into proposing marriage, although God only knows the date. Be reassured that all friends will be adequately forewarned when God tells us. One friend has awaited for this and encouraged Ron for decades. A good time was had by all of the survivors. (Don't you just love that expression?)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
December : Shenk Blessings!
25 Dec.: HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas 2008
21 Dec, Sunday: Let's hear it for more fish & grits w/ hot sauce. 25 Dec.: Merry Christmas
20 Dec, Saturday: Tomorrow.
19 Dec, Friday: Lazy morning reading old newspapers preparatory to recycling them.
18 Dec, Thursday: After driving to Edgefield and spending a productive afternoon in the Thompkins Library and at the Court Archives, we again visited with Bettis who shared his voluminous Rambo files. (His files are larger and more accurate than many Rambo genealogists.) Today begins house & cat sitting for Greg & Donna for a couple of weeks. It will be a special time of rapport with the kitties.
17 Dec, Wednesday:
16 Dec, Tuesday: was a day full of marginally useful computer activity. The next volume is a shade closer to completion and Bettis's Revolutionary War stories are done.
15 Dec, Monday: After another walk with Dick & Jim, we enjoyed a rainy day drive on smaller South Carolina state highways through Saluda to Edgefield this afternoon, but arrived too late to enjoy genealogy research. Fortunately Bettis Rainsford was in a mood to entertain & converse. After dark we drive across the Savannah River (lake) into Georgia and past the lakeside Lutheran Church to the Washington Plantation in Washington, GA, "best B&B in Georgia." Tom and Barbara are wonderful and the B&B was delightful - besides being an ancestral home.
14 Dec 2008, Sunday: was an enjoyable day starting with fish & grits covered in hot sauce at Lizard's Thicket. As an MIT educational counselor I interviewed a prospective Korean student at the Irmo branch library this afternoon.
13 December: The morning walk with Dick & Jim emphasized that the knee is not fully healed; it feels a bit tender and bruised today, probably from the shuffling run Thursday in the rain. Slaving away at blog updating now. (Couldja tell?) Dinner was "party time" at Outback Steakhouse with Greg & Donna, Vince & Mary; after a bloomin' good time we went to Mary & Vince's to devour Mary's special cheesecake recipe and a Blu-Ray Wall-E movie.
12 December: Dinner this evening with Greg & Donna, Clark & Liz, and Pat & Frank was much fun. Too bad that Zorba's seemed louder this particular Friday night; hearing was a challenge. We arrived yesterday in Columbia, SC for a long weekend visit with the Greg & Donna. Enjoyed the morning walk with Dick Richards now that the knee is much better; going down stairs is not causing pain. Mondays plan is to go to Wilkes County, Georgia for Bankston genealogy research.
11 December: After dinner at Ruby Tuesday's with Donna, we headed to beddy-bye at the hotel early; we were too tired to wait up for Greg to come home from work.
It rained hard during our drive south to Columbia, SC on I-26. Although less traveled roads are more enjoyable on a motorcycle in nice weather, the interstates have their place, especially in a car in the rain.
We enjoyed the Inn at Biltmore the last two nights and spent a quiet day yesterday recovering from a peculiar 12-hour fever. The candlelight Christmas tour at the Biltmore Estate included choirs, a harpist/harpsicord duo, a puppet show, and a most delightful story-teller, all interspersed throughout the 40 rooms, extravagantly lit and filled with Christmas trees. The dining room Christmas tree had oversized gift-wrapped packages hanging as ornaments. And what to our wondering eyes should appear but a sign advertising the 12 month pass for a discounted $25.00. Just maybe they would sell it over the phone; Jim, Walt - this may be the time to call & save $15.
10 Dec 2008, Wednesday: We arrived at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC just after dark, after driving 80 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The parkway was closed before Roanoke; the internet shows closures for construction, but not closures due to snow & ice. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was able to lead because those white tails are IMMENSE. Once off the parkway, it was obvious that we'd need to take I-81 and I-26 south in order to arrive at Asheville before midnight. En route, we discovered that I-26 runs through Erwin, TN and stopped at Uncle Johnny's Hostel to see if Richard was there; nope. Yawns & fatigue in the afternoon progressed to feverish chills over dinner and a hasty retreat to bed. Thank God that whatever it was had disappeared by morning.
9 December: Staunton, Virginia - enjoyed another fine dinner at the Mill Street Restaurant and an overnight at the Days Inn. It was cold.
8 December: The York County Historical Society is closed on Mondays; snow and rain are predicted so we are outta here. today.
Photo from Kevin Shenk's website taken in July 2008 titled: The Famous Grandpa Shakedown. Left to Right: Poppa Bear, Trevor, Grandpa Shakedown, Austin, and Kevin. The boys voted Grandpa Shakedown as their favorite person on the AT hike.
7 Dec 2008, Sunday: Morning worship service at Tidings of Peace Mennonite Church was followed by a delicious fellowship lunch at the school; only the salad fit into my "cardboard & styrofoam" diet. Last year there were several murders on that street in that block; yes, a very rough neighborhood. In the evening the school performed a marvelous Christmas program; the children were delightful and discordant; the audience was largely Mennonite school supporters. A sister and brother gave each other high-fives after successfully singing their solos. Amazing that the children knew all the words to the songs by heart. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to all the students and teachers - Attaboy, attagirl.
6 December: Lil' Mak and Popeye (seated bottom right) live thirty miles from the Shenks and were frequent company along the Appalachian Trail this year. They braved snowy weather and clogged trafficways to join us at the Shenk household. Back row: Austin, Clayton, Ron; front row: Trevor, Kevin, Popeye and Lil'Mak.
Earlier in the day the Shenks took us on a tour of Amish country in Lancaster County. We visited two Amish farms and a Mennonite farm and stopped in Lancaster to meet his parents. Clay's mother, Barbara is a noted poet; she gave us a book of her poetry: The God of Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel. Father Harold is no stranger to publishers either.
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5 December: York, Pennsylvania. Driving through the Appalachian Mountains while it was sleeting turning to snow was not without concern after leaving Lee's home in Dover, Ohio. The snow abated close to Harrisburg and we arrived safely at the Shenks home in York on Friday to surprise Kevin, Austin and Trevor (aka The Preacher Boys). Their dad, Clayton (Poppa Bear) was in on the secret. And they were very surprised to find Ron (Grandpa Shakedown) sitting in their living room. Ron met the boys and their father while hiking the AT. Clayton is a Mennonite pastor and married to Mary Lois (pictured) for twenty-five years; they have eight children - each one more delightful than the next. Six-year-old Wendy is entranced to spring six feet into the air with Grandpa Shakedown assisting (until exhausted, Grandpa Shakedown, not Wendy - she could do it forever and then some.)
21 Dec, Sunday: Let's hear it for more fish & grits w/ hot sauce. 25 Dec.: Merry Christmas
20 Dec, Saturday: Tomorrow.
19 Dec, Friday: Lazy morning reading old newspapers preparatory to recycling them.
18 Dec, Thursday: After driving to Edgefield and spending a productive afternoon in the Thompkins Library and at the Court Archives, we again visited with Bettis who shared his voluminous Rambo files. (His files are larger and more accurate than many Rambo genealogists.) Today begins house & cat sitting for Greg & Donna for a couple of weeks. It will be a special time of rapport with the kitties.
17 Dec, Wednesday:
16 Dec, Tuesday: was a day full of marginally useful computer activity. The next volume is a shade closer to completion and Bettis's Revolutionary War stories are done.
15 Dec, Monday: After another walk with Dick & Jim, we enjoyed a rainy day drive on smaller South Carolina state highways through Saluda to Edgefield this afternoon, but arrived too late to enjoy genealogy research. Fortunately Bettis Rainsford was in a mood to entertain & converse. After dark we drive across the Savannah River (lake) into Georgia and past the lakeside Lutheran Church to the Washington Plantation in Washington, GA, "best B&B in Georgia." Tom and Barbara are wonderful and the B&B was delightful - besides being an ancestral home.
14 Dec 2008, Sunday: was an enjoyable day starting with fish & grits covered in hot sauce at Lizard's Thicket. As an MIT educational counselor I interviewed a prospective Korean student at the Irmo branch library this afternoon.
13 December: The morning walk with Dick & Jim emphasized that the knee is not fully healed; it feels a bit tender and bruised today, probably from the shuffling run Thursday in the rain. Slaving away at blog updating now. (Couldja tell?) Dinner was "party time" at Outback Steakhouse with Greg & Donna, Vince & Mary; after a bloomin' good time we went to Mary & Vince's to devour Mary's special cheesecake recipe and a Blu-Ray Wall-E movie.
12 December: Dinner this evening with Greg & Donna, Clark & Liz, and Pat & Frank was much fun. Too bad that Zorba's seemed louder this particular Friday night; hearing was a challenge. We arrived yesterday in Columbia, SC for a long weekend visit with the Greg & Donna. Enjoyed the morning walk with Dick Richards now that the knee is much better; going down stairs is not causing pain. Mondays plan is to go to Wilkes County, Georgia for Bankston genealogy research.
11 December: After dinner at Ruby Tuesday's with Donna, we headed to beddy-bye at the hotel early; we were too tired to wait up for Greg to come home from work.
It rained hard during our drive south to Columbia, SC on I-26. Although less traveled roads are more enjoyable on a motorcycle in nice weather, the interstates have their place, especially in a car in the rain.
We enjoyed the Inn at Biltmore the last two nights and spent a quiet day yesterday recovering from a peculiar 12-hour fever. The candlelight Christmas tour at the Biltmore Estate included choirs, a harpist/harpsicord duo, a puppet show, and a most delightful story-teller, all interspersed throughout the 40 rooms, extravagantly lit and filled with Christmas trees. The dining room Christmas tree had oversized gift-wrapped packages hanging as ornaments. And what to our wondering eyes should appear but a sign advertising the 12 month pass for a discounted $25.00. Just maybe they would sell it over the phone; Jim, Walt - this may be the time to call & save $15.
10 Dec 2008, Wednesday: We arrived at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC just after dark, after driving 80 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The parkway was closed before Roanoke; the internet shows closures for construction, but not closures due to snow & ice. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was able to lead because those white tails are IMMENSE. Once off the parkway, it was obvious that we'd need to take I-81 and I-26 south in order to arrive at Asheville before midnight. En route, we discovered that I-26 runs through Erwin, TN and stopped at Uncle Johnny's Hostel to see if Richard was there; nope. Yawns & fatigue in the afternoon progressed to feverish chills over dinner and a hasty retreat to bed. Thank God that whatever it was had disappeared by morning.
9 December: Staunton, Virginia - enjoyed another fine dinner at the Mill Street Restaurant and an overnight at the Days Inn. It was cold.
8 December: The York County Historical Society is closed on Mondays; snow and rain are predicted so we are outta here. today.
Photo from Kevin Shenk's website taken in July 2008 titled: The Famous Grandpa Shakedown. Left to Right: Poppa Bear, Trevor, Grandpa Shakedown, Austin, and Kevin. The boys voted Grandpa Shakedown as their favorite person on the AT hike.7 Dec 2008, Sunday: Morning worship service at Tidings of Peace Mennonite Church was followed by a delicious fellowship lunch at the school; only the salad fit into my "cardboard & styrofoam" diet. Last year there were several murders on that street in that block; yes, a very rough neighborhood. In the evening the school performed a marvelous Christmas program; the children were delightful and discordant; the audience was largely Mennonite school supporters. A sister and brother gave each other high-fives after successfully singing their solos. Amazing that the children knew all the words to the songs by heart. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to all the students and teachers - Attaboy, attagirl.
6 December: Lil' Mak and Popeye (seated bottom right) live thirty miles from the Shenks and were frequent company along the Appalachian Trail this year. They braved snowy weather and clogged trafficways to join us at the Shenk household. Back row: Austin, Clayton, Ron; front row: Trevor, Kevin, Popeye and Lil'Mak.Earlier in the day the Shenks took us on a tour of Amish country in Lancaster County. We visited two Amish farms and a Mennonite farm and stopped in Lancaster to meet his parents. Clay's mother, Barbara is a noted poet; she gave us a book of her poetry: The God of Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel. Father Harold is no stranger to publishers either.
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5 December: York, Pennsylvania. Driving through the Appalachian Mountains while it was sleeting turning to snow was not without concern after leaving Lee's home in Dover, Ohio. The snow abated close to Harrisburg and we arrived safely at the Shenks home in York on Friday to surprise Kevin, Austin and Trevor (aka The Preacher Boys). Their dad, Clayton (Poppa Bear) was in on the secret. And they were very surprised to find Ron (Grandpa Shakedown) sitting in their living room. Ron met the boys and their father while hiking the AT. Clayton is a Mennonite pastor and married to Mary Lois (pictured) for twenty-five years; they have eight children - each one more delightful than the next. Six-year-old Wendy is entranced to spring six feet into the air with Grandpa Shakedown assisting (until exhausted, Grandpa Shakedown, not Wendy - she could do it forever and then some.)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
November News: Typing Away @ Rambo Genealogy
29 November: Mt. Olive, Illinois - We spent the Thanksgiving holiday driving but enjoyed turkey at Subway for lunch. Arrived at Don and Ann Stalcup's Thursday evening following a veggie dinner at a country buffet, spent the night reminiscing with this good friend and mentor of many years. - arriving at sister Carol's early Friday afternoon. Carol is a pretty impressive woman: she made a delicious catfish dinner, and showed us the tongue and groove hard wood flooring she made and laid herself out of the trees on her property after retiring as a PhD. biologist professor. In addition, she is preparing a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner suitable for a low-fat, sugar-free diet tomorrow. Snow and ice are forecast for for the next few days. Once the weather clears up we may drive to York, PA for a few days to visit the Mennonite pastor, Papa Bear, and his outstanding family.
24 November: Volume four (the third Rambo book) is finished in pdf format and ready to go to the publisher in a few days. The websites were updated onto Google who decided two of them violated their rules and they shut them down. Evidently... copying the html from the aol site and pasting it into the Google website erases the inherent Google html. After filling out the form for "You removed my website" we are waiting to hear why it was in violation. That, too, will cook for a few days. Time to take a break for Thanksgiving with sister Carol and the family.
21 November: The Rambo index is complete, the bibliography is almost finished and the next volume is almost ready to send to AuthorHOUSE.
It was fun, fun, fun reading Lil'Mak's trail journal and enjoying the trail photos; yet harrowing to read Kat's journal about frozen shoes and sleeping bags that are too light for the harsh Georgia mountains as they approach the summit of Springer Mountain today or tomorrow. Hoping to hear of their arrival soon (Hooray! Kat called en route to Michigan a few days later having arrived safely.)
12 November - Interviews with delightful MIT early admission applicants are completed and sent to MIT. Days and nights are filled typing away on the Rambo genealogy. The indexed second volume was mailed back to AuthorHOUSE two weeks ago; indexing the third volume of five hundred pages is well-over half finished with hopes it will be ready to mail in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Spruce for answering some punctuation questions.
When working intensely it helps to drink a lot of coffee and take Sudoku breaks... lots of them - keeping Sudoku puzzles in the bathroom. The challenging Sudokus based on logic and very, very hard are great. The ones that are are guessing games aren't any fun at all. Copies of the most difficult ones have been copied to be mailed to Dick Richards.
AOL removed its web hosting pages. The Rambo sites and other personal Ron Beatty pages have been moved to Google web sites - but Google Search has not yet found them. Here are links:
http://sites.google.com/site/rsbeatty
http://sites/google.com/site/rambofamilytree
Nephew Eric's coin website is now changed from AOL to Google, too.
Update on the calcium tomography tests: calcium levels in heart arteries doubled from the same tests five years ago. At that time they were at 90 percent for having a cardiac event in two to five years - now they have doubled across the board despite following a stringent heart healthy eating plan and hiking 440 miles last year and 1500 this year. All other indicators (C-reactive protein, total cholesterol and blood pressure) are excellent; but following the restrictive eating plan will continue: no meat, milk fats; no white flour, no sugar and lots of vitamins. Weight is being maintained at 175 with daily walking.
24 November: Volume four (the third Rambo book) is finished in pdf format and ready to go to the publisher in a few days. The websites were updated onto Google who decided two of them violated their rules and they shut them down. Evidently... copying the html from the aol site and pasting it into the Google website erases the inherent Google html. After filling out the form for "You removed my website" we are waiting to hear why it was in violation. That, too, will cook for a few days. Time to take a break for Thanksgiving with sister Carol and the family.
21 November: The Rambo index is complete, the bibliography is almost finished and the next volume is almost ready to send to AuthorHOUSE.
It was fun, fun, fun reading Lil'Mak's trail journal and enjoying the trail photos; yet harrowing to read Kat's journal about frozen shoes and sleeping bags that are too light for the harsh Georgia mountains as they approach the summit of Springer Mountain today or tomorrow. Hoping to hear of their arrival soon (Hooray! Kat called en route to Michigan a few days later having arrived safely.)
12 November - Interviews with delightful MIT early admission applicants are completed and sent to MIT. Days and nights are filled typing away on the Rambo genealogy. The indexed second volume was mailed back to AuthorHOUSE two weeks ago; indexing the third volume of five hundred pages is well-over half finished with hopes it will be ready to mail in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Spruce for answering some punctuation questions.
When working intensely it helps to drink a lot of coffee and take Sudoku breaks... lots of them - keeping Sudoku puzzles in the bathroom. The challenging Sudokus based on logic and very, very hard are great. The ones that are are guessing games aren't any fun at all. Copies of the most difficult ones have been copied to be mailed to Dick Richards.
AOL removed its web hosting pages. The Rambo sites and other personal Ron Beatty pages have been moved to Google web sites - but Google Search has not yet found them. Here are links:
http://sites.google.com/site/rsbeatty
http://sites/google.com/site/rambofamilytree
Nephew Eric's coin website is now changed from AOL to Google, too.
Update on the calcium tomography tests: calcium levels in heart arteries doubled from the same tests five years ago. At that time they were at 90 percent for having a cardiac event in two to five years - now they have doubled across the board despite following a stringent heart healthy eating plan and hiking 440 miles last year and 1500 this year. All other indicators (C-reactive protein, total cholesterol and blood pressure) are excellent; but following the restrictive eating plan will continue: no meat, milk fats; no white flour, no sugar and lots of vitamins. Weight is being maintained at 175 with daily walking.
Monday, October 20, 2008
October Trails, Tales and Peeping Leaves
31 October - Back in Columbia, SC once again: enjoyed the morning's long, brisk walk with Dick Richards; spent good time at the Archives researching after lunch and then fulfilling responsibilities as educational counselor for MIT: interviewing prospective early admissions students. Mailed the second galley proof back to AuthorHOUSE.
30 October - The Inn at Biltmore has great rates mid-week with a 12 month guest pass that paid for itself. A few weeks ago, the Biltmore Estate had a special - purchase add-on to the $47.00 tour ticket for an additional $40.00 providing free admission for a year. In addition, the guest pass gives a 10 per cent discount on many items including the Inn at Biltmore. The tours for today were the Rooftop Tour and the Behind the Scenes Tour - about three hours of walking. We learned the importance of saving pennies to buy the place.
29 October - Guilford County, NC Public Library researched until time to head to the Inn at Biltmore for a delicious wine tasting-dinner at the Bistro. The Red Snapper was very good. The waiter was a very jovial fellow.
28 October - SNOW!!!! Swirling snow greeted the morning. Heading east on Hwy 58 from Damascus, the snow began to fall in earnest producing a scenic winter wonderland until the highway was snow covered necessitating backing down the mountain road into a turnaround to go back to Damascus and head towards I-81 N to 77 E instead. Little local traffic on the road.
Spent the afternoon in the Madison Public Library, Rockingham County, NC researching before heading to Greensboro, NC for the night.
27 October - after a delicious dinner at the Old Tavern Inn in Abingdon (1770) we spent the night at the former John Rambo house - now the Mt. Laurel Inn. Leslie, the owner and chef created a delicious breakfast in front of the fireplace in the dining room. It was no surprise to learn she grinds her own wheat flour to bake bread when she is not homeschooling three children or running a catering business, too.
26 October - Stopped in Damascus, VA for hot soup, cocoa, sandwiches, brownies and lots of fudge candies as Trail Magic for Papa Bear and the Preacher's Boys who had left Pearisburg early that morning. The drive took two hours but the road was unmarked and hidden making us half an hour late. Papa Bear's only direction was Sugar Run Road where it crossed the AT. We drove forever on a road that became a trail that became a wagon rut covered in a foot of leaves to a dead end. Certain that we had missed them or had wrong directions we turned around on the forest service road and drove just a few yards when we spotted two of the boys on the road ahead of us. The other boy and Papa Bear were on their way out of the woods - all four wondering where they were because the road was unmarked. They were a half hour late. It was truly a miracle that they arrived just as we did because it was too cold for them to have waited. They were elated to have hot (well... by now lukewarm) food. The wind was raw and miserable with no shelter to eat - but it was good to see them. Note: After continuing for several more days they decided to be thankful for the almost completed AT hike and head home to their family in York, PA. Kevin's knee was not doing well and the family missed them a lot.
25 October - Driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway from North Carolina to Tennessee beautiful vistas and glorious fall foliage were still visible. Stopped at Spruce Pine to get supplies for Trail Magic (veggie burgers and stuff for breakfast) to Kat and company at Overmountain Shelter. BRRR - the wind was cold. Hiked about 3/4 mile up to the shelter covered in golden leaves. Kat had not yet arrived - and the fire building process was slow. It was almost dark when they arrived overjoyed to have hot food, a fire and a fine visit. We slept outside despite 38 degree temp. enjoying the stars in a clear sky
24 October - Columbus, NC - Rambo cousin, Duncan Ely, was a most hospitable host for a delightful overnight in his almost renovated grand manse that he hopes to have on the National Historic Register of Homes. Our room had a lovely view - but the charm was the house itself. It looks like a church with stone walls and clerestory windows. Duncan and his wife, Beth, removed the dropped down ceiling to expose the hand hewn timbers mortised with pegs and cleaned the walk-in fireplace plaster to reveal a handsome granite boulder wall facing the fireplace.
23 Oct - Columbia, SC: The most recent galley proof is edited and ready to be sent to the publisher. Indexing the next three volumes waits in the wings while leaf season is still spectacular. We are leaving soon to follow trails with high color hoping to encounter Papa Bear, the Preacher's Boys, and Kat on the southbound AT for some hiking and camping. The knee feels stronger now with two long walks a day.
October Trails: Leaf Peeping along Hwy 86 in Vermont was at peak season. Brilliant shades of crimson, mixed with glistening golds and oranges, provided a dazzling display of New England fall foliage for miles of enjoyment. The view from the Country Club Inn at Rangely, Maine was awesome. Several deer were spotted in the early morning along with a bird sitting in a warm patch of sunlight - either very content or too tired to fly.
The colors were brilliant near Auburn, West Virginia where we attended the Long Distance Hikers Association awakening to incredible morning vistas. Larry Luxenbourg led a most compelling workshop on the future AT Museum in Harper's Ferry. It was good to see Bob Peoples from Kincorra - and Kat who is still hiking southbound. We were not disappointed with Jim's recommendation to continue from Auburn to Little Switzerland because the colorful foliage was at its peak and the vista was wonderful from the Little Switzerland Inn.
At Brewster, near Bar Harbor Maine, the lobster was indeed very fresh and delicious.
It was a surprise to discover the journey would include Duncannon, PA; of course a visit to the Doyle Hotel was a must in time for a hearty lunch with 8-10 southbound hikers who enjoyed receiving their lunches as trail magic.
The bronze plaque bears the inscription of Peter Rambo named as one of the important personages in the Colonial History of Philadelphia, PA. It is hanging outside Philadelphia City Hall.
A garrulous city cop named Frank recommended dinner in the Italian sector of the city at Victor's Cafe, made famous in the Rambo movie; he instructed us,"tell them one of the south Philly boys sent you." The streets were narrow making it challenging to park the car while the entire neighborhood watched in amusement. How fun to have the operatic waiters sing during the meal. Of course, there is no connection between Sylvester Stallone's Rambo and our ancestor Peter Rambo. Philly is a great city but the Philadelphia city records are a mess... a disaster.
Traveling with Sister Carol is delightful! She enjoyed Western PA genealogy resources - and a great discovery of another Rev. War ancestor's proof of service was made by brother "lucky" Ron " who discovered the Overturff Bible Record and a record of a Revolutionary War Pension Law naming John Overturff as qualified to receive the pension.
30 October - The Inn at Biltmore has great rates mid-week with a 12 month guest pass that paid for itself. A few weeks ago, the Biltmore Estate had a special - purchase add-on to the $47.00 tour ticket for an additional $40.00 providing free admission for a year. In addition, the guest pass gives a 10 per cent discount on many items including the Inn at Biltmore. The tours for today were the Rooftop Tour and the Behind the Scenes Tour - about three hours of walking. We learned the importance of saving pennies to buy the place.
29 October - Guilford County, NC Public Library researched until time to head to the Inn at Biltmore for a delicious wine tasting-dinner at the Bistro. The Red Snapper was very good. The waiter was a very jovial fellow.
28 October - SNOW!!!! Swirling snow greeted the morning. Heading east on Hwy 58 from Damascus, the snow began to fall in earnest producing a scenic winter wonderland until the highway was snow covered necessitating backing down the mountain road into a turnaround to go back to Damascus and head towards I-81 N to 77 E instead. Little local traffic on the road.Spent the afternoon in the Madison Public Library, Rockingham County, NC researching before heading to Greensboro, NC for the night.
27 October - after a delicious dinner at the Old Tavern Inn in Abingdon (1770) we spent the night at the former John Rambo house - now the Mt. Laurel Inn. Leslie, the owner and chef created a delicious breakfast in front of the fireplace in the dining room. It was no surprise to learn she grinds her own wheat flour to bake bread when she is not homeschooling three children or running a catering business, too.
26 October - Stopped in Damascus, VA for hot soup, cocoa, sandwiches, brownies and lots of fudge candies as Trail Magic for Papa Bear and the Preacher's Boys who had left Pearisburg early that morning. The drive took two hours but the road was unmarked and hidden making us half an hour late. Papa Bear's only direction was Sugar Run Road where it crossed the AT. We drove forever on a road that became a trail that became a wagon rut covered in a foot of leaves to a dead end. Certain that we had missed them or had wrong directions we turned around on the forest service road and drove just a few yards when we spotted two of the boys on the road ahead of us. The other boy and Papa Bear were on their way out of the woods - all four wondering where they were because the road was unmarked. They were a half hour late. It was truly a miracle that they arrived just as we did because it was too cold for them to have waited. They were elated to have hot (well... by now lukewarm) food. The wind was raw and miserable with no shelter to eat - but it was good to see them. Note: After continuing for several more days they decided to be thankful for the almost completed AT hike and head home to their family in York, PA. Kevin's knee was not doing well and the family missed them a lot.25 October - Driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway from North Carolina to Tennessee beautiful vistas and glorious fall foliage were still visible. Stopped at Spruce Pine to get supplies for Trail Magic (veggie burgers and stuff for breakfast) to Kat and company at Overmountain Shelter. BRRR - the wind was cold. Hiked about 3/4 mile up to the shelter covered in golden leaves. Kat had not yet arrived - and the fire building process was slow. It was almost dark when they arrived overjoyed to have hot food, a fire and a fine visit. We slept outside despite 38 degree temp. enjoying the stars in a clear sky
24 October - Columbus, NC - Rambo cousin, Duncan Ely, was a most hospitable host for a delightful overnight in his almost renovated grand manse that he hopes to have on the National Historic Register of Homes. Our room had a lovely view - but the charm was the house itself. It looks like a church with stone walls and clerestory windows. Duncan and his wife, Beth, removed the dropped down ceiling to expose the hand hewn timbers mortised with pegs and cleaned the walk-in fireplace plaster to reveal a handsome granite boulder wall facing the fireplace.
23 Oct - Columbia, SC: The most recent galley proof is edited and ready to be sent to the publisher. Indexing the next three volumes waits in the wings while leaf season is still spectacular. We are leaving soon to follow trails with high color hoping to encounter Papa Bear, the Preacher's Boys, and Kat on the southbound AT for some hiking and camping. The knee feels stronger now with two long walks a day.
October Trails: Leaf Peeping along Hwy 86 in Vermont was at peak season. Brilliant shades of crimson, mixed with glistening golds and oranges, provided a dazzling display of New England fall foliage for miles of enjoyment. The view from the Country Club Inn at Rangely, Maine was awesome. Several deer were spotted in the early morning along with a bird sitting in a warm patch of sunlight - either very content or too tired to fly.
The trip south from Maine was vivid and vibrant, too. After a stop near Dartmouth College for Thomas Sweet ice cream we arrived back in Mt. Airy, MD to enjoy Jim's hospitality once again. A highlight was having the opportunity to spend another day with Dr. Peter Craig (historian) in D. C.. The outdoor Cafe Deluxe on Wisconsin Street is to be recommended.
The colors were brilliant near Auburn, West Virginia where we attended the Long Distance Hikers Association awakening to incredible morning vistas. Larry Luxenbourg led a most compelling workshop on the future AT Museum in Harper's Ferry. It was good to see Bob Peoples from Kincorra - and Kat who is still hiking southbound. We were not disappointed with Jim's recommendation to continue from Auburn to Little Switzerland because the colorful foliage was at its peak and the vista was wonderful from the Little Switzerland Inn.
Gloria Dei "Old Swedes" Church was a highlight of the Philadelphia visit. One of the founders was ancestor Peter Gunnarson Rambo.
At Brewster, near Bar Harbor Maine, the lobster was indeed very fresh and delicious.
It was a surprise to discover the journey would include Duncannon, PA; of course a visit to the Doyle Hotel was a must in time for a hearty lunch with 8-10 southbound hikers who enjoyed receiving their lunches as trail magic.
The bronze plaque bears the inscription of Peter Rambo named as one of the important personages in the Colonial History of Philadelphia, PA. It is hanging outside Philadelphia City Hall.A garrulous city cop named Frank recommended dinner in the Italian sector of the city at Victor's Cafe, made famous in the Rambo movie; he instructed us,"tell them one of the south Philly boys sent you." The streets were narrow making it challenging to park the car while the entire neighborhood watched in amusement. How fun to have the operatic waiters sing during the meal. Of course, there is no connection between Sylvester Stallone's Rambo and our ancestor Peter Rambo. Philly is a great city but the Philadelphia city records are a mess... a disaster.
Traveling with Sister Carol is delightful! She enjoyed Western PA genealogy resources - and a great discovery of another Rev. War ancestor's proof of service was made by brother "lucky" Ron " who discovered the Overturff Bible Record and a record of a Revolutionary War Pension Law naming John Overturff as qualified to receive the pension.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Leaving New England, heading for western PA then Philly & DC
14 September 2008: Long time since last blog entry. Sorry. We've been traveling a lot across country seeing the sights in New England and visiting friends in New Hampshire and Maine. Unfortunately plans for today (outdoor people watching at Harvard Square) are washed out by light rain, so we will pack up and head towards Hartford, perhaps by going northwest on route 2 out of Boston.
13 Sep: Maine was a favorite state. The Harraseeket Hotel in Freeport was terrific - too bad my cardboard & styrofoam diet didn't allow me to pig out on all the goodies at the breakfast buffet. Still, it was the best buffet we have enjoyed so far. The drive down I-95 and I-93 to Boston was pleasant and scenic. Traffic and navigation were easy until exiting onto Sorrow Drive - good thing that I had an inkling about Boston streets. Parking wasn't bad although we had to feed the "meter"every two hours after first learning the new system. We spent the day at the New England Historic Genealogical Society on Newberry Street. People watching was great from restaurant tables clogging the sidewalks. Amazing numbers of people. The Mass Pike toll at Brighton was $1.25 - vastly different than the 0.25 I remembered last. After five PM we walked the entire circuit around Fresh Pond and managed to miss Richard. Fortunately he called at 7 pm and we enjoyed dinner together at Greg's Italian restaurant nearby. Good news is that my knee tolerated the walk well. Richard's "best" pictures are marvelous - on the web at Flickr. The Hampton Inn at Woburn was 1/3rd the price of the one in Cambridge, so here we are.
12 Sep: Fresh lobster at Young's dockhouse in Belfast was a terrific experience. Best highlight of the trip to date was watching Peter (Steve & Sheri's 8th grader) finish second in his first cross country race of the year.
13 Sep: Maine was a favorite state. The Harraseeket Hotel in Freeport was terrific - too bad my cardboard & styrofoam diet didn't allow me to pig out on all the goodies at the breakfast buffet. Still, it was the best buffet we have enjoyed so far. The drive down I-95 and I-93 to Boston was pleasant and scenic. Traffic and navigation were easy until exiting onto Sorrow Drive - good thing that I had an inkling about Boston streets. Parking wasn't bad although we had to feed the "meter"every two hours after first learning the new system. We spent the day at the New England Historic Genealogical Society on Newberry Street. People watching was great from restaurant tables clogging the sidewalks. Amazing numbers of people. The Mass Pike toll at Brighton was $1.25 - vastly different than the 0.25 I remembered last. After five PM we walked the entire circuit around Fresh Pond and managed to miss Richard. Fortunately he called at 7 pm and we enjoyed dinner together at Greg's Italian restaurant nearby. Good news is that my knee tolerated the walk well. Richard's "best" pictures are marvelous - on the web at Flickr. The Hampton Inn at Woburn was 1/3rd the price of the one in Cambridge, so here we are.
12 Sep: Fresh lobster at Young's dockhouse in Belfast was a terrific experience. Best highlight of the trip to date was watching Peter (Steve & Sheri's 8th grader) finish second in his first cross country race of the year.
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