Valentine's Day

 

I think this holiday was fabricated by FTD or maybe Hallmark.  None the less, it is the time of year that we recognized the special Other of our lives. 

I thought I would go through my photographs and see if I could find some pictures of our classmates with their special Valentines. I didn't find everyone, but I found quite a few.  What a handsome group!

If I missed anyone, it was because I didn't have a picture. Have a Happy Valentine's Day.

Here We Go Again

UPDATE:

It's is now Wednesday, February 12, 2:30 pm. Here comes the big snow. Nearly whiteout conditions here at the house. 

Looking out the front toward Montague Rd. 

About 4 inches on the ground now and it is still coming down. It is moving from the south and Fayetteville is beginning to get freezing rain. I hope we don't lose power. 

Well, there is nothing to do but wait and see what happens.  The generator is ready but I sure don't want to use it. 

By the way, the snow is perfect for adult snow cream.  It's my own recipe.  I call it "The Sochi Blizzard". We have more snow today than the Olympics. 

Following is from yesterday:

Tuesday, February 11, 12:00 noon looking out my back door.  This is suppose to be just the beginning and the bad stuff is suppose to get here Wednesday and Thursday.  I am 68 years old and I have seen all the snow that I ever want to see.  Enough already. I'm ready to move south. 

Maybe Marvin has a spare room down on the Florida gulf coast or Dottie might put me up down on the Texas gulf coast. Heck, I bet Johnny in Bluffton, SC doesn't have to contend with this mess.  Sondra is it warm in southern Mississippi?

HELP!  I'm sure that there is a classmate out there somewhere in a warm climate that would put me up  until spring. 

Memorial

There were 50 classmates in our 1963 senior class yearbook. That was a long time ago though it seems so recent. Classmates are now approaching the big Seven Zero. It is hard to believe that we are that old.

Of the 50 classmates, there were 40 surviving when we had our fiftieth class reunion last year. Less than one year later we have lost another dear classmate. Linda Lou Gardner Weeks passed away Sunday, February 2. 

We will all miss Linda Lou.  I am so glad that I had a chance to work with her on planning of the 50th Reunion. You could always count on Linda.

Small Town Genetics

The Class of 1963 is so lucky in many ways. We grew up in a small town of about 1400 people. There were 50 in our senior class. We knew nearly everything about our classmates both good and bad. When we walked down the streets of Angier, we rarely saw a stranger.  We lived near most of our cousins and friends so there was always someone to play with and share our experiences.  

When we graduated, we started our life's journey which took us in many different directions. We were mobile. Some of us travelled long distances. Some of us went off to work or off to college or off to war. We met new and interesting people, and even married people that were not from this area or even this country. Many of us have made our lives out of state. We are products of progress, the ability to travel great distances with ease. We think nothing of jumping in a car or an airplane or train or ship and traveling to distant places.

Now think of our parents and grandparents. When my grandfather moved to Angier in the early 1920's, he arrived from Granville county on a horse and wagon. 

Grandfather Eugene Clinton Mangum as a young man  1885-1962

At that time a move of that magnitude would be like moving to Australia today. He had little choice because the Granville Wilt had ruined the tobacco farming in that area and he was a tobacco farmer. When he came to Angier, he brought a wife and six children. 

Now think about your great grandparents and your great great grandparents. They only had walking, horses and a few steam trains for transportation. Many of them probably never left the county before finishing school if they even finished school. The Mangum's genealogy has been traced back to 1670. Everyone of them lived in Granville county. 

Great great grandfather William Clinton Mangum  1828-1913

The young people at that time had a hard time finding someone to marry that they were not related to. I suspect that many of them married not too distant cousins. It is a miracle that we weren't born with three eyes and twelve toes. 

So progress can be a good thing. Five of granddad Mangum's six children married people that were from Angier that had no relations to the Mangum's which helped to expand the Angier gene pool. Even though I am a product one one of those marriages, I am astounded by the number of people in Angier that I am related to. 

It is my contention that a large gene pool impoves the genetics of our children. Both of my daughters came from a larger gene pool than I did. They are both much prettier and infinitely smarter than I am.  One of their husbands is from Mississippi and the other is from Alabama (even a larger gene pool). I have three grandsons from these unions. Like all grandfathers, I am very proud of them and can tell you that they are all destined for greatness. I am sure you feel the same about your progeny. 

Snowed In

There was a time when I couldn't wait until we had a snow. Then I would be outside and traveling on the truck to enjoy the scenery. Now I really don't care for snow and I have no desire to be outside or to travel. Today I am quite content to stay inside, drink coffee, watch TV, read a book and stay warm. 

Just a few photographs taken around the house of the 3 1/2 inch snow we received last night. 

A couple more months of this weather and I will be coming out of hibernation.  I don't want to wish my life away, but I am so looking forward to warm weather.  

Additional Pictures from Puerto Rico

Following are additional photographs from Puerto Rico. These shots were taken at the El Conquistidor in Fajardo. It's a real nice place to visit, especially this time of year when the weather at home is freezing.

PR weather is great if you like warm and humid and I do. The highs were in the mid-80's and lows were in the low-70's while we were there. Fajardo is on the edge of a rain forest and therefore subject to getting frequent rains.  I think it rained three times while we were there, but the showers only lasted a few minutes and then the sun came out.  As you can imagine, all the plants are lush and green. 

Don't know the names of these flowers, but they were everywhere. 

This orchid was growing on a palm tree on the golf course. 

There are lots of iguanas. This little fellow was about 4 feet long, but don't worry they are harmless vegetarians. 

Lots of swimming pools. 

And a great water park with three slides, a lazy river and several pools.

Well all good things must come to an end and we had to return to the cold north. Thanks to U S Airways our return trip took 32 hours, all of which was spent in an airplane, an airport hotel or a terminal. Did I mention that our suitcases were sent to RDU on Saturday so we had no toiletries or  clean clothes to wear. 

We got to see a lot of the San Juan airport--not exactly a tourist attraction. 

Puerto Rico--Nice this Time of Year

I am so happy to be in Puerto Rico while the weather back home is miserably cold. The highs here have been in the mid-80's and the lows in the low-70's. As I get older, I find it much harder to cope with cold weather. If I had unlimited resources, I would spend winter months in a warm climate. Since I don't have unlimited resources, a short vacation in PR is the best I can do. I already dread the return to the cold North. 

The El Conquistador hotel is where we are staying. The hotel has 984 rooms. We are staying in a condo on the property. 

This is a picture of the nearby town of Fajardo taken from the condo porch. Fajardo is a small town of 36,000 on the east end of the island and is about an hour's drive from San Juan. 

Grandson, Brendan, seems to be adapting quite well. 

The golf course here is very nice. As you can see, it is built into the hills and is a challenge if you haven't played in a few weeks. Sean and I played Wednesday, but the scores were pretty bad. We are going to try it again Friday. 

Greater Antelles Grackles are everywhere waiting for crumbs from the outside diners. 

I will post additional photographs soon. 

January 11, 2014

Not exactly a beautiful day, but at least it is warm. 

As I get older, I get softer. I am no longer able to take the cold temperatures that we had earlier this week. If the outside temperature falls below 55 F, you will find Franklin inside. 

At 7:00 am Saturday morning, the temperature was 63 degrees in Morehead City. The picture above shows the Morehead City Port and the high rise bridge to Beaufort which would be to the left. Although he sky is overcast and the forecast calls for rain, it beats the heck out of the 9 degrees we had earlier this week. 

Oh, how I enjoy the warm days of summer!

Time to Get Back in Shape

HThe holidays have played havoc with my physical condition. Too much to eat and drink and too little activity. The weather has been cold or rainy and I just don't care to be outside in those conditions.

At our age now, the old body just won't do what it used to do. We tend to sit around and watch TV or play on the computer or IPad. My muscles ache and my joints creek. I can't remember the last time I was able to touch my toes. 

I was talking to classmate, Herbert Miller, this week and he told me about a program he heard about called "Silver Sneakers". If you are on Medicare and have a supplement or PPO, you probably qualify. I checked with my insurance company and sure enough, I qualify.  

Basically, you can join a participating gym at no cost. (Leave it to Herbert to find a deal.)  You have access to everything at the gym and it costs nothing. I found a nice gym in Morehead City with all kinds of equipment, an indoor track, indoor pool, racket ball courts, etc. I join that one Thursday and plan to join O2 Fitness in Fuquay this week. 

Maybe being a senior citizen on Medicare does have some advantages. In any event, I hope to get back in shape and drop a few pounds. 

If you are interested, check out their website below. 

http://www.silversneakers.com/

Blackeyed Peas

The very best way to have your blackeyed peas on New Year's Day is with Texas Caviar and good friends. My introduction to Texas Caviar was through fellow classmate Berti Stevens at our 50th class  reunion last spring. It was great!  So how better to have your traditional New Year's blackeyed peas than with Texas Caviar and with good friends. 

It is very easy to make, so we threw it together and asked some  of our Morehead City neighbors over to celebrate the New Year. Some of the best times are had on short notice. 

Texas Caviar, Scoops, cheese, crackers and a few bottles of wine. Nothing fancy. 

How nice and very fortunate we are to have good friends to share our lives with.

Here is a selfie of me, Jim Sewell, Carol Stone, Becky and Debbie Sewell. Do we look like we are having a good time? 

Becky and I wish everyone a Happy New Year.  May you have health, prosperity, and joy in the coming year.