The view from my perch on the mountain

THE BOSS!

Time After Time

Way, way back in the latter part of the last century I was a wild child, confirmed bachelor and hard core party animal burning the candle at both ends ……… with a blow torch.

October 6. 1986 was the occasion of my my youngest brother’s annual birthday pig pickin’, all day and all night keg party and gathering of the heathens. Naturally I showed up ready to rock. When I walked in the door the first thing I saw was a hot little blonde sitting at the kitchen table. Something just clicked between the two of us and we’ve been together ever since!

Since that fateful night we’ve been through a lot of good times and some very bad times but I wouldn’t change a thing. She is my soul mate and the love of my life!

Today Frankie (aka THE BOSS) and I celebrate our 150th 23rd wedding anniversary. Finding photos of the two of us together is tough because I’m usually behind the camera and she’s normally camera shy but I think these two will fit the bill.

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Summer 1987 on the Yorktown Battlefield, Virginia. Good Lord were we ever young!

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May 2010 Gorge Wythe High School – Wytheville, Virginia – Laura’s high school graduation. Laura is our pride and joy.

When we first met everyone said it would never last. HAH! Fat lot they knew.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BABY DUCK!


Crockett’s Cove in the Evening

The brutal heat continues but our humidity plunged this afternoon, enough so that I could breathe comfortably so Frankie loaded me and the dog into the truck and we set out to look for deer in Crockett’s Cove.

We were not disappointed!

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It was a fine ride!


Writer’s block my eye!

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More like concussion if you ask me and I should know……I gave it to him and I’ll give him another if “Santa Claus” in the Big Brown Truck keeps bringing him new toys every couple of days!


Actual emergency call

Wythe County Police, Fire & Rescue. What is the nature of your emergency?

WHOOF! WHOOF! WHOOF!

Buddy….is that you, boy? Did your daddy tell you to call for help again?

WHOOF!

What’s the problem this time?

WHOOF! WHOOF! WHOOF! WHOOF! WHOOF! WHOOF!WHOOF! WHOOF! WHOOF!

I’m sorry boy; I didn’t catch all of that. Is your mama home?

WHOOF!

Well, put her on the phone.

Who is this and what do you want? Did that dog dial 911 again?

Frankie, it’s me, cousin John!

Oh hey, John! I’m a little busy right now. Can I call you back?

I thought you were gonna call last week. When are you coming over to get some vegetables? I’ve picked so many from the garden that I’m out of storage space.

Well you know, I’ve been working and…….

**unintelligible screaming in the background**

SHUT UP YOU BIG SISSY OR I’LL GRAB YOU BY THE EARS, DRAG YOU OUT FROM UNDER THAT BED AND WHACK YOU A FEW MORE TIMES!

I’m sorry, John what were you saying?

Have you been hitting Chip with the cast iron skillet again, Frankie?

You know how he is, John. I told him it was too hot to mow the lawn but would he listen? I had to go out and turn off the mower, splash him with cold water until he came to and help him stumble back indoors where it’s cool. The lawn does look good though.

Does he need another ride in the ambulance?

Hang on a second, John….. WHANG! …..he does now! Do me a favor; this time have the crew take him him to a different emergency room. I need to get a few things done around here and you know how he is.

Sure thing, cousin, where do you want us to take him….Roanoke…Charlottesville…..Richmond

No, I’ve been thinking more along the lines of Oklahoma City. It’ll take him a month to walk home from there after they release him…….unless he has amnesia again in which case I’ll have a laptop and a whole bunch of camera gear for sale, cheap.

Okay, Frankie, the ambulance is on the way. Pat Buddy on the head for me. Don’t forget to come get some vegetables.

Okay, John, I’ll be there. Thanks!


This can’t be good!

Reposted from my Blogger page. Give me a break folks I’m rapidly losing what’s left of my mind…….and here’s why:

Copyright note: Feel free to ignore the copyright notice in the right sidebar. I stole all of these images from the Internet. The same holds true for the video. The insane rambling is mine, all mine!

I can feel my Newman coming out!

The “heat dome” covering a huge section of the land of the formerly free and home of the useless, do nothing but shovel manure and tell lies about their opponents politicians has had me trapped indoors for days where the A/C allows me to breathe. It’s comfortable but I’m going stir crazy!

Let this be a lesson: Smoking will kill you! A pack a day for 40 years left me with 40% lung capacity which will never improve. It also gave me the “gift” of COPD in the form of chronic bronchial asthma which at this time of year is triggered by even a little exertion (read waving my cane and cussing like a sailor on shore leave every time I see that idjit across the street out tryin’ to herd her cats)  in high heat and humidity.

If you are a smoker put that damned thing out! This is a smoke free blog!

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While I sit here wishing for a foot of snow to magically appear I’ve found myself being drawn into the clutches of online retailers who carry stuff I just gots to have! One of those items is a larger camera bag. Just as some of you who are of the female persuasion amass a huge collection of shoes, purses, whips and chains, oh my!, etc. the past two+ years spent amassing enough photo equipment to shoot pictures of everything in the known universe has caused me to purchase an assortment of camera bags, each larger than the previous one. At current count I have 6 …… 7 if you count the tripod case and none of them are large enough.

I don’t necessarily need to carry EVERTHING when I go out shooting. I just like to keep all my gear together where I can find it. Splitting my gear between several bags is a cast iron guarantee that while out shooting 40 miles back in the hollers I’ll say %#@*&@!! I need such and such and it’s in the other bag at home!”

Well, today I ordered a new bag and it should be large enough to hold everything and still have room for the gear I already have and any items I accumulate over the next few months……. I hope. For some strange reason I have the feeling that I’ll be buying a steamer trunk in the not too distant future.

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Ape Case AC PRO4000

This is what I ordered. It even has detachable wheels! If I post a photo of a motorized version in the near future it will mean that A) It’s too heavy for me to carry, B) Ditto for Buddy, C) my riding mower is no longer operational D) My bag is now motorized and E) I’m living out in the storage shed because THE BOSS done found out how much I’ve spent on camera gear!


This can’t be right!

I know, I know….I haven’t published anything in a couple of days and some of you are beginning to worry that the space aliens have returned to take me back to my home world. The truth is is far more sinister.

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My darling bride, Frankie, aka New River Valley Girl, aka THE BOSS, aka SHE WHO SHALL BE OBEYED has trained me as a domestic servant! Worse still, I didn’t realize just how well trained I had become until she showed me this photo on her itty bitty point and shoot camera. At the time I was doing the dishes while the lasagna was in the oven.

My question for you: does this apron make my butt look big? Or could it be that screwy hat she makes me wear?


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