HENDERSONVILLE FUN

Patricia and Roy's Visit

2010-10-11T17:46:00.002-05:00

Barbara's sister, Patricia, and her husband Roy visited us for a day last week. It was beautiful day so we decided to take a boat ride on Old Hickory Lake. here is Roy catching some rays.

Here is Patricia having a great time.

We drove up the lake to the remains of Johhny Cash's old house that was in the movie. One of the Gibbs brothers bought but it caught fire during the remodeling effort and burned to the ground. This is what you can see from the lake.

Another view of the house.

Chihuly Glass Displays at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens

2010-09-27T10:56:00.005-05:00

Barbara and I, along with 2 other couples visited the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly glass sculptures. These are blown glass art that is integrated into the botanical garden displays. We went just before dusk so we could see the art works in daylight and then as it became darker the art was lighted. The first picture show in the evening and the last picture shows the same piece as it was lighted after dusk.

More Pictures of Douglas

2010-08-16T16:31:00.002-05:00

More pictures of Douglas.
Getting his first bath.

Dad and Douglas.

I'm ready for my bath.

Mom and Dad getting ready to give him his first sponge bath.

Adoring Dad!!!

Douglas Andrew Moomy

2010-08-16T16:25:00.003-05:00

Here are some more pictures of Douglas Douglas in his car seat for the trip home.

Mom and Douglas in the hospital when he is less than one day old.

Douglas and grandpa at the hospital.Had to show him the best t-shirt in the world. hpefully he will has his own one day.

Grandma and douglas in the hospital.

A close up of the little guy. We think he will have blue eyes but probaly too early to know for sure.

2010-08-08T10:05:00.001-05:00

Here is Grandma holding Douglas Andrew Moomy.

Here is a better picture of Douglas.

Emerson's Fifth Birthday Party

2010-07-25T16:21:00.004-05:00

Emerson had his 5th birthday party in the play room of the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville on Saturday.
Here is Emerson in the green t-shirt on the left and all of his friends at the party. A grand time was had by all as the climbed and scampered around the play ground.

Of course this year the cake had to have a Toy Story theme as seen above.

You get to see the cake twice.

Here is Emerson getting ready to blow out his candles on the cake.

Here is Emerson opening his many presents with help from Dad.Emerson received several Toy Story Lego sets along with other toys and clothes.

Emerson's Graduation from Pre-School

2010-07-16T21:32:00.004-05:00

Waiting for the graduates to enter.

here he is in his cap and gown.

Emerson taking his award for Best Facial Expressions and a rose to Sara

The proud family.

> One last shot in his cap and gown.

Emerson graduated for Kinder-Care Pre-School today.

2010 - The Torch Relay for CMN -

2010-07-15T21:10:00.000-05:00

2010 - The Torch Relay for CMN -

Emerson, The Miracle Child

2010-07-11T20:23:00.002-05:00

Our grandson, Emerson, has been asked to be the Miracle Child for the Torch Relay for the Children's Miracle Network 5K run/walk in October. Sara will to submit a photo and story about Emerson and the miracle that Vanderbilt Children's Hospital performed to save Emerson's life right after he was born.

Carly's SECOND Birthday

2010-06-13T17:57:00.002-05:00

Pictures from Carly's Second Birthday Party.

We had a great time at Mickey and Sheila's (Carly's other grandparents) house for Carly's aprty. They cooked great hamburgers and hot dogs. Elmo and Big Bird were on the cake.

Coloring Easter Eggs

2010-03-29T15:10:00.003-05:00

Barbara and I had a great time last night as we colored Easter egss with Emerson. Barbara bought and Star Wars dye kit. Emerson had fun dying the egss and making his favorite Star War characters.

Acrylic Design and Fabrication Opens Galville Plant

2010-03-14T15:27:00.004-05:00

Acrylic Design and Fabrication (Home of The Plastic King) is please to announce the opening of its new plant in Galville. They want everyone to know that not a dollar of Recovery Act funds was used to build the new facility. Here is a photo of the plant just before its grand opening.
The first of the employees have arrived and have parked in the front of the building. While a boxcar of supplies is being delivered to the loading dock.

Here is a closer view of the front of the new plant after the supplies have been delivered.

Walgreens Drug Store Opens

2010-03-08T19:18:00.003-06:00

Here is the front of Walgreens Drug Store. The green sign says that the store has a walk-in clinic. The other signs say you can get your Hallmark Cards here. The open sign is on so walk on in and apply for a job. The last sign says that help is wanted.

This photo shows the Walgreens location compared to the other buildings in Galville.

The drug store was a Christmas present from Andrew and Kim. Thanks!!!!

Building Continues in Galville

2010-03-02T16:40:00.002-06:00

The construction of merchants Row has been completed. New residents are being sought for the upstairs apartments while more commercial businesses are being pursued for the stores.
The Lincoln Law Office has opened in the red store. It is anticipated that Roy's Upholstery will be relocating to the blue store. A casino is being courted for the three story corner facility.

A cross town shot showing the Spaghetti Palace on the left, the park gazebo in the forefront, and merchant's Row in the back.

The building has a powerful central air conditioning system that will cool the entire building during the hot Tennessee summer.

The corner of Swift Street and Cash Pike.

Dad's Visit 2010

2010-02-03T21:19:00.002-06:00

Dad had a chance to watch Emerson play in his first Pee Wee soccer game during his recent visit. here is Dad with Emerson and Carly after the game. During Dad's visit to TN we went to NC to visit with Andy and Kim in their new house. Here is a photo of Dad and Andy.

New RR Cars Bring Building Supplies to Galville

2009-12-30T14:39:00.003-06:00

Thanks to additional railroad cars from my brother-in-law and sister, additional building supplies have been brought to Galville.
The bikers sit on their cycles and watch the supply train go by the Two Wheel Saloon. One looks a little like mark. I wonder if Kristin is inside buying beer.

The train rounds the bend near the saloon.

Over on Sumner Mountain, the Galville Utility District has constructed a water tower. Completion is expected shortly.

The Spaghetti Palace is nearing completion.

Andrew and Kim's New House

2009-12-09T16:59:00.006-06:00

Andrew and Kim moved into a new house in Apex, NC, a bedroom community of Raleigh. The house has kitchen, living room/dining area, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 2 large rooms (one for her pottery making and one for his "man cave"). This is the front of the house,

Lots and lots of boxes. They had many friends and family members helping them move all their stuff.

Kim cleaning the kitchen cupboards. The house was a foreclosure and had been empty since July. Thus it needed a lot of deep cleaning in the kitchens and baths. They replaced the carpet in all the bedrooms and painted them also. It took 2 coats of paint in each room, making for a long week-end of painting.

The large shed in the back yard. It came with a new bicycle.

Thew swimming pool. I can't wait for summer time.

The back of the house with the deck off the kitchen.

Two Wheel Saloon is OPEN!!!

2009-11-09T17:16:00.002-06:00

The Two Wheel Saloon recently opened in Galville. Now there is a place to eat, drink, and make merry. The mayor and some of his friends stopped by the other night a cool one after the city council meeting.
The left side of the saloon is decorated with an American eagle poster as well as a harley Davidson poster.

The right side has a Harley poster as well as one for Koehler's Beer. That must be an old poster since Koehler's Beer went out of business about 20 years ago. The brewery in Erie, PA was recently torn down.

University of Michigan Solar Car Team

2009-10-25T22:35:00.002-05:00

The University of Michigan Solar car Team is racing in the Global Green Challenge Race in Australia. Here is a picture of Infinium and the crew. This is a solar powered car than can achieve 110 KM/hour.

Checkout the daily results of the race at http://solarcar.engin.umich.edu/

HIghway Construction Complete

2009-10-12T15:22:00.004-05:00

More of the government's stimulus package has been put to good use in Galville. The city road structure has been repaired and new concrete roads have been laid throughout the city. The Mayor took his Shelby Cobra out to check out the roads.

here the mayor is waiting for the 3:20 freight train to pass at the Swift Street crossing. The train is headed for a siding in Galville to offload the first of several train loads of building supplies. Rumor has it that construction on the Two Wheel Saloon will start shortly.

the train continues to pass along the main line of the Cumberland Railroad.

Here is an aerial view of the street of Galville.

The city has started construction of a gazebo for the city park along Dickens Lane. Another good rumor is that the barber shop quartet, Clear Choice, from Kent, Ohio will be the opening show at the dedication of the gazebo and park.

Stimulus Package Arrives in Galville

2009-10-04T19:16:00.003-05:00

The highway construction stimulus package has arrived in Galville. The road crews have laid new asphalt and finished striping the roads in the industrial park. I took out my Shelby Cobra to check out the new roads.

here I am at the intersection of Greenwood Street and Underwood Avenue. The street signs are not up yet but there was no other traffic so I had a safe drive.

here I am cruising down Oak Ridge Road.

The last leg was to check out Tillis Road.

On to Seattle

2009-10-02T14:44:00.004-05:00

We left Yellowstone National Park via the West Entrance and had to travel over Montana state roads to get to Interstate 90 and on to Seattle. Rounding a curve on Montana State Road 2 I had to come to a sudden stop because the was about 100 head of cattle being driven down the highway. We followed behind the herd for awhile (needed a car wash in Spokane ,our stop for the night.) We had to pull over into a gas station and let the herd clear the highway.

The herd was being driven by 7 cowboys/cowgirls and 2 dogs.

One of the cows broke away from the herd and came back towards our car. Quickly a cowboy turned around and rounded up the stray dogie and returned him to the herd.

We left Yellowstone National Park via the West Entrance and had to travel on some Montana roads to get to Interstate 90. Rounding a turn On Montana State Road 2 I had to come to a sudden stop. There in font of us was about 100 head of cattle being driven done the road. There were 7 cowboys/cowgirls and 2 dogs herding them along. We trailed behind the herd for a while (needed a car wash in Seattle) and then were able to pull into a gas station for awhile to let the herd clear the highway.

Stop Three - Yellowstone National Park

2009-09-30T20:32:00.004-05:00

We entered Yellowstone National Park at the east entrance. We were headed for Grant Village on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. We stayed here for 2 nights. It took almost 2 hours from the east entrance to the lodge at Grant Village. Along the way we saw the effects of various wild fires in the park. Square miles of destroyed trees with various stages of new growth emerging.

While taking a walk around the geyser basin at Old Faithful, we came across a herd of bison. There were 7 bison including several calves.

This is the Grand Geyser. It was bubbling over but did not erupt while we were there.

This is the head bison watching over his herd.

This is the Morning Glory pool. It got its name from the vivid colors of the pool.

Finally Old Faithful erupting right on schedule.

Second Stop - South Dakota

2009-09-29T21:11:00.003-05:00

After a long drive, we stopped in Wall, SD, home of the Wall Drug Store. We toured the store area and ate at the Drug Store. On Monday we drove through the Badlands. Beautiful scenery!!!
This a typical view of the Badlands, barren rock and steep slopes. The power of wind and water erosion is amazing.

As we were driving through the Badlands, we saw these flowers all along the road. We thought they were Black Eyed Susans. But after a trip to the visitor center we learned they are small sunflowers. After touring the Badlands, we continued on to Mt. Rushmore.

I had been here when I was young, but this was Barbara's first time. The heads are beautiful. We took a walking, guided tour and learned about the sculpting process.

Barbara is standing at the entrance to the walkway of states.

The final stop of the day was at Chief Crazyhorse statue. His head is finished but hey hope to have a complete statue of him riding his horse.

First Stop - St. Louis

2009-09-29T20:59:00.002-05:00

Our first stop on our Grand Adventure was St. Louis MO. We arrived about 8 PM on Friday night and stayed at a hotel in downtown St. Louis. We had a great view of the Gateway Arch from our room. On Saturday morning we rode to the top of the Arch. We went up the North side and down the South side, making a complete traverse of the Arch.
Here we are at the top, 630 feet above the ground. We had a great view of St. Louis and could see both the baseball and football stadiums as well as city center and the state capitol.

The Arch is a magnificent structure and very beautiful.

After the tour of the Arch, we headed for St. Joseph, MO, starting point for the Pony Express. We went to terible's casino and found it not so terrible. We both went home more money than we started with. On Sunday we headed for the Badlands in South Dakota.

2009-09-20T21:30:00.002-05:00

Wev are back from our Grand trip to the west coast and Alaska. We had a great time and saw alot of sights - Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, Yellowstone National Park, the Hubbard Glacier, the Mormon Tabernacle. Will add more details and pictures shortly.

Hot Date on Saturday Night

2009-07-22T15:53:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday night Adam, Sara, and Emerson were going to a birthday party for Adam's dad. So Barbara and I were going to keep Carly for them. But, the VFW Post was having a Luau Party that we wanted to attend. Barbara was playing bridge and we we going to meet at the post. So I picked up Carly and took her to the post with me. She was the best looking girl there. We had a great time!!!

2009-06-27T08:17:00.002-05:00

Emerson stayed with us last week for a couple of days. he was playing in his room and then he came upstairs to show me sometning. If you look on his shirt, their are a bunch of sticker letters just below OSHKOSH.

Those letters spelled his name. He attached the letters himself, in the right order, and none of them were upside down.I think that was pretty AMAZING for a lad who won't be 4 till next month.

Carly's First Birthday Party

2009-06-14T12:53:00.003-05:00

Friday was Carly's first birthday so we had a party for her at Andma and Papa's house. We had 13 children and 16 adults. Everyone had a GREAT time and the pizza was good.

here is Carly opening some of the wonderful gifts she received. She has her birthday taiar one, showing she is someone special.

This is Carly befor she had her birthday cake!

And this is her enjoying her cake. time to enter her in another "messiest baby contest".

A Mountain is Born

2009-05-27T18:46:00.004-05:00

Once the track was operational, I decided to add a mountain in the corner of the layout as my first scenery project. The first step was to add support in the corner using some Masonite left over from my control panel efforts. next I crumbled up sheets of newspaper and taped them together. Then I taped all the balls of paper to hold then in place.

Next I applied plaster coated sheets over the paper mound to to provide a hard surface. While the plaster was drying, I mad rocks in a mold using more plaster like material called Hydrocal.

The molded rocks were then glued to the mountain and painted. The first coat was yellow, followed by coats of brown and black paint. I then painted the mountain with earth colored paint.

Finally I added grass coating to the mountain, using several different colors. also added small rocks along the bottom, simulating rock that have broken loose and tumbled down the mountain. I hope to place a water tank and a cell phone tower on the mountain. Then it will look like the hill I see from the house.

My next step will be to layout the road system for the city of Galville and the supporting industries.

Cumberland Railroad is Operational

2009-04-21T18:41:00.004-05:00

Here is my new Louisville and Nashville EMD SW7 switcher. I bought it last week at the Tennessee Central RR Museum. That gave me incentive to finish the wiring of the layout.

This is the first operational run of the Cumberland RR. The train is en route to Galville with raw materials for the local industries

This picture shows the control panel for operating the layout. The actual layout is shown at the top with the turnouts (switches in real RRs). I painted the control panel white, then marked out the layout using 1/4 inch tape, then painted the panel black. When the tape was removed you get the layout . The lower left shows the 8 switches for controlling the turnouts. Note that two switches are not wired yet because I ran out of the proper wire. The center switch with the two red buttons control the power and direction to the track because of the two reversing loops. The power pack is to the right. The green light indicates I have power and no short circuits in the layout. WHOOPEE!!! The power pack provides AC power to operate the turnout switches and DC power to operate the train. Everything is pretty calm on this side of the panel.

This is the backside of the control panel and drawer. Its not so calm here. A real rats nest. I will be working to solder and tape all the connections and neaten the wire runs. It really does work, though.

Control Panel for Model RR Taking Shape

2009-04-07T16:53:00.004-05:00

Here is the drawer that will support my control panel. The drawer will not win me any prizes in woodworking, probably would get me a D in 9th grade shop (the last time I did any woodwork). However it seems to work. The actual control panel will cover the drawer and show the track layout plus the switches necessary to control the reversing loops and the turnouts (model RR terminology for switches). The control panel has the first layer of paint (white). I will but 1/4" tape down to show the track layout. The next step will be to paint it flat black and them remove the tape, showing the track layout in white. The final step will be to place and wire all the control switches.

Visitors from Virginia Beach

2009-04-07T16:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Jim and Jude Hoover visited with Barbara and I. Jim and Jude were our neighbors in Virginia Beach and great friends. We picked them up at the Wyndham Resort and Nashville and brought them to the wonderful city of Hendersonville. We showed them our house since it was their first visit with us since we moved here. They we we took them to lunch at Mimi's restaurant at the Streets of Indian Lakes. Then we shopped for awhile and returned to our house to discuss old friends. The visit ended when I delivered them to the airport for their flight to Virginia Beach. A GREAT time was had by all.

Gandy Dancers Have Been Busy

2009-02-28T16:48:00.004-06:00

Above is the first model building for the Cumberland Railroad. It is the Boothbay Sport Shop. The residents of Galville can get their bait and ammo at this shop. I found the model for free on the web and downloaded the layout. It was printed on construction paper and then cut out. I used balsa wood strips to add strength to the model. Its not great but I learned a lot while building it.

The gandy dancers have been busy laying road bed and track during the past week. The road bed is all laid and glued to the table top. The track is in place and will be attached to the road bed once I have figured out the wiring requirements. Holes have been drilled for the power wires to go under the table. The next step will be to run the wires to a terminal strip and then to the power source.

Still trying to decide if I should use the old analog way to wire the layout or go to DCC. Problem is DCC is expensive (at least for my wallet). Maybe I can use my tax refund to pay for it. The stimulus check will come too late. I want to be operating trains by May.

Model Railroad Update

2009-02-19T09:54:00.003-06:00

Th above diagram is the layout for my model railroad, the Cumberland Rail Road. The RR is being build on a 4' X 8' table in the study over the garage. The layout was designed using RTS software from Atlas Trains. The track will be Code 83. I am using Woodland Scenics roadbed under the track. The layout has 2 reversing loops which will allow me to change the direction of the train as it goes around the loop. This permits the trains to be backed onto the siding for dropping off freight cars at the various industries. The left side of the layout is a town which is modelled after the town square in Gallatin, TN. The right side of the layout has a variety of industries.

I am still waiting for the remainder of the track to arrive via UPS. The train store in town did not have all the switches I needed. Once the track is here, the fun begins, wiring it all so that it works properly.

The bottom of the diagram shows the name of each structure and the roads and other features. The roads are all named after country music singers, starting with those who lived/live in Hendersonville. Notably Johnny Cash and Taylor Swift. I guess I will have to add a gazebo and park to the layout so my brother-in-law, Bill, can bring his barbershop quartet down for a concert.

I laid as much track as I had as shown above. Then I cut out sheets of paper to the proper size for each building and moved them around til I had a feasible layout. This helped verify where everything would fit. Then I went back to the layout diagram and updated it with the buildings in the proper location. Next I added the roads and parking areas. It doesn't do any good to have a building/industry if the workers can't get to it.

Patricia's 60th Birthday

2009-02-16T21:31:00.002-06:00

Barbara's sister, Patricia, had her 60th birthday last week. Her husband, Roy, and her daughter, Jennifer, staged a surprise birthday party for Patricia. Barbara went to visit Patricia on Friday and told her she would have to return to Hendersonville on Saturday. But, first they would go shopping together in Jackson, TN. Barbara and Roy set up a ploy to get Patricia to the party at the First Baptist Church in Bells, TN. The ploy worked great and Patricia was totally surprised when she went into the church. About 40 family and friends were there to wish her a Happy Birthday. A great time was had by all.

I Have a New Hobby

2009-01-19T17:16:00.004-06:00

I have taken up model railroading as a new hobby. Dad helped me build this 4' by 8' table for the train display. We went to the Great Train Expo in Nashville on the week-end and purchased the train and the track. The engine cost $5 and each car cost $4 so the entire train cost $21. Pretty good deal since one car cost more than the entire train set and a locomotive typically cost more than $100. We had fun looking at all the model train layouts on display and looking at all the trains and scenery item (buildings, etc.). The World's greatest Hobby train show will be in Nashville on 14-15 February so I will check that out for more "stuff" for the layout. I have been using a computer program to design the track layout and I am just about settled on the design. The next step will be buy the track and turnouts need for the layout. I will probably build a section at a time to spread costs out over time.

The Visitor from the East Continues His Westward Trip

2008-12-30T08:48:00.002-06:00

Dad arrived from his visit with my sister's family for Christmas. His flight from Cleveland was only 25 minutes late (which is on time based on travel woes by other travelers this holiday season. Andrew and I were at the nashville Airport to pick him up and whisk him home to see the rest of the family.

Below is Dad and the Puzzle Master (aka great grandson Emerson) working on a puzzle on the kitchen floor. They had it together in no time flat.

2008-12-07T16:43:00.003-06:00

Emerson is showing Carly his collection of Christmas DVDs before they leave to visit Santa.

A family photo of the Meadors as they prepare to leave for Adam's company Christmas party. Carly looks beautiful in a lovely red dress with white tights and black shoes with bows. Emerson is handsome in a red sweater. and his new shoes. Mom and Dad are all dressed up too. Rumor had it that Santa would visit the party. I asked Emerson to tell Santa that I wanted a red car for Christmas.

Carly's New Helmet

2008-12-06T16:50:00.003-06:00

Carly was fitted for helmet yesterday. She has to wear the helmet 23 hours a day to help reshape her skull. She seems to have adapted to the helmet and doesn't cry while its on. The helmet is about 3/4 inch thick. As she grows they will remove layers inside it. Hopefully she will have to wear the helmet for 3 to 4 months.

More Grandchildren Pictures

2008-12-04T20:56:00.003-06:00

Spiderman and Carly!! She loves the bouncy chair.

Emerson and Curious George!!!

What a great smile on Carly!!!!

Emerson and Carly playing together. He take great care of his little sister.

Test Time

2008-12-04T20:46:00.001-06:00

Here are pictures of Emerson and Carly about the same age. Which one is which? Please leave your answers in the comments.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T20:59:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a great time with family members. Barbara's sister and husband (Patricia and Roy) and their daughter Jennifer and her friend Brian were able to be here for Thanksgiving along with Sara, Adam, Emerson and Carly. Above is the obligatory group picture. We enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving meal and had plenty of left-overs.

Carly had the best seat in the dining room and the most toys to play with during dinner.

Veterans' Day Poppy Sale

2008-11-09T21:00:00.003-06:00

On Saturday VFW Post 9851 mobilized to sell Poppys to support veteran relief efforts. We met at the Post in the morning and then fanned out through the city to sell Poppys in front of various stores and street corners. I had a busy corner with two other Post members. I estimated I was able to collect $200 to $300 during the 3 1/2 hours I worked. Some gave $20 bills and some just the loose change they had available. One of the other members on our corner even collected a $100 bill. The post also sold Poppys on Sunday. It was estimated that we were able to collect about $4600.

Awaiting the Results

2008-11-04T17:15:00.002-06:00

Barbara and I went to our polling place today, arriving about 9:45 AM. I took us almost 2 hours to get to the voting booth. As you can see in the above photo, the place was jam-packed and the photo only shows half the crowd. There were several hundred people in line. It took us an hour to get to the the registration point and then about another hour to get to the voting booth. There were only 4 voting stations in the precinct. Way too few for the crowd. We talked to several people while in line and Barbara was smart and brought along a book to read. One person even brought her own lawn chair.

However, the wait was worth to vote in a country where your vote really means something.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T11:51:00.002-05:00

Halloween was last night and the grand kids had fun getting dressed in the costumes. Emerson was one of his favorite heros, Batman. Carly was a black cat. Afterward getting dressed they had fun as they trick or treated in the neighborhood.

2008-08-26T16:11:00.002-05:00

Barbara and I went to the Grand Old Opry on Saturday night to celebrate her birthday which was earlier in the week. We had a wonderful time and saw a fabulous show. The picture above shows the background for the Opry stage. The show was two hours long and composed of three segments.

The opening segment had Jim Ed Brown, Connie Smith, Jimmy C Newman, and The Whites. I am not a great fan of country music and know mostly the current singers. This group of singers was wonderful and sang some songs I was familiar with.

The second segment showcased Riders in the Sky, Jan Howard, and George Hamiliton IV (and V). The Riders in the Sky dress as the old time cowboys with fancy clothes and ten gallon hats. They sang several old time cowboy songs. George Hamiliton IV sang a parody of the song "Abilene" but about "Gasoline" and its high price. The song was very entertaining.

The final segment was absolutely FABULOUS. Trace Adkins was the first performer and sang 4 songs including 2 brand new songs that will be released on his next album. Martina McBride sang several songs including a duet with Connie Smith. Next Wynonna rocked the house with her voice and some very moving songs. The last act was Lee Greenwood who sang his well known hit song "I'm Proud to be an American" and it brought everyone to their feet.

Barbar got her money's worth for her birthday!!!

Hard Time on the Rock Pile

2008-08-15T17:05:00.002-05:00

If you look on the left of the house photo, you will see a pile of rocks. Those rocks were removed from the front lawn before the sod was laid. Last summer the front yard was a mass of rocks, a whole bunch of weeds, and a lot of dirt. This week I started moving the rocks to the back yard where they are being used as a border for a future flower garden. I an moving them one or two at a time and walking them to the back. The yard is too steep to load up a wheel barrow and move a bunch at a time, particularly since the new location is up hill from the current pile ( at least I am too weak to push it). Thus I take them one at a time.

Haulin' on Old Hickory Lake

2008-08-04T10:09:00.006-05:00

VFW Post 9851 and the Music City Powerboat Association (MCPA) held their 4th annual Haulin' on Old Hickory Poker Run on 2 August. The MCPA donates part of the proceeds from the event to the Relief Fund at the Post. As a member of the VFW Post, I joined several other Post and MCPA members on a lunch run to downtown Nashville on Friday, 1 August. The Post members road on a 31 foot pontoon boat with a 350 HP motor (note my pontoon has 40HP). I road on the upper level and had a great view of the Cumberland River. To get to downtown Nashville we had to go down the Cumberland River and through the lock at Old Hickory Dam. The upper left picture shows some of the MCPA boats getting ready to enter the lock. A large number of these boats are over 30 feet long, have 2 huge engines (454 cubic inches each) and go close to 100 MPH. The upper right picture shows the approach to the lock at the dam. The lower left picture shows the lock doors opening. Once in the lock , the doors were closed, and we were lowered 60 ft. The dock door opened and out we roared. The pontoon boat was doing 30MPH and we were rocked by the wakes from the MCPA boats as they passed us doing 50 to 70 MPH on the river. It was a grand 25 mile trip to Nashville and the lower right picture shows our approach to downtown. We tied up at the end of Broadway Street and about 50 of us went to lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. After lunch we headed back to Old Hickory Lake

When we got back to our host, Anchor High Marina and Grill, I was able to get a ride on a boat owned by Tim Baldwin. Tim is the President of MCPA and also a member of the Post. We roared up and down the lake at over 70 MPH. That is at least twice as fast as I have ever gone on the water.

On Saturday was the Poker Run. About 40 of these high speed powerboats registered for the run. The boats had to stop a 5 locations and pick up a sealed envelope with a card inside. It was 36 miles from the start to the furthermost point and then back, so they probably ran for about 10o miles. I was stationed at Cherokee Marina and was tasked with handing out the cards as each boat passed my station. I had a long pole with a heavy duty clamp on the end. I extended the pole out so some one on the boat could grab the card. I got a close up view of all the boats as they came in for their cards.

A big banquet was held Saturday night at the VFW Post and a great time was had by all. The poker hand was won with 4 kings which was worth $500. All I got was a T-shirt and free meal.

Emerson's 3rd Birthday Party

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The first photo shows Emerson and mom arriving at the Kid's Party Jump location. Dad was busy getting Carly out of the car so they could all go in for the BIG party. Emerson had invited about 14 friends to the party.

The second photo shows Emerson coming down the big slide. He managed to come down any way you could think of - feet first, head first, on his belly, and even rolling. He even solved how to climb up the slide. He and all his friends had a great time running and jumping on all the inflatable slides and bounce rooms.

Of course no birthday is complete unless there is a birthday cake. Emerson's showed his favorite Superhero friends Spiderman and Wolverine. Emerson really enjoyed his cake and ice cream

Finally Emerson was in the Birthday King chair and opened some of his presents.

Good Time with Old Friends

2008-07-25T12:23:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday evening Pierre and Sandi Granger stopped by for a visit. They were our next door neighbors in Virginia Beach. Pierre had been in Millington TN at the Naval Personnel Command for 5 weeks. He was on the selection board for new Chief Petty Officers in the Navy. Sandi had made a visit to Kentucky to visit family members and then went to be with Pierre for a few days til the selection board completed its work. They stopped here on their way back to Virginia Beach. I had a great time visiting with them and catching up on news about the old neighborhood. Barbara is in Las Vegas at the national bridge tournament so she missed the opportunity to visit. Pierre and Sandi showed up just as I was sitting down for dinner with Pat and Jerry, our neighbors across the street. They were kind enough to invite Pierre and Sandi in for dinner so our old friends got to meet our new friends. Many thanks to Pat and Jerry for their hospitality and kindness. After a tour of the house, I took Pierre and Sandi down to see Emerson and Carly. After a short visit their, Pierre and Sandi continued the trip to Viriginia Beach.

Michigan Wins!!

2008-07-23T12:57:00.002-05:00

Its offical!!! The Michigan Solar Car Team has won its 5th North American Solar Car Challenge. The team had almost a 10 hour lead over the second place team, Principia College. There were 15 teams in the race from Plano, TX to Calgary, Alberta, Canada including teams from Germany and Canada.

Golf Status

2008-07-18T21:01:00.003-05:00

As all retirees seem to do, I took up golf this year. Above is a scorecard for the Country Hills Golf Course. This card should be filled in with 3's, 4's, and 5's if you are a good golfer. Mine typically gets filled in with 8', 9's, and 10's. I stop counting at 10 because it is uncool to take your shoes off while on the course. Besides my playing partners are getting tired standing around waiting for me to finish. I have been taking golf lessons, my dear wife gave them to me as a Christmas present. The lessons are are improving my game. Some of my drives from the tee actually land in the fairway at a reasonable distance from the tee (<>

University of Michigan Solar Car

2008-07-12T16:13:00.003-05:00

The University of Michigan (GO BLUE!!) has entered its solar powered car, Continuum, in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge. I have entered the team's blog in the Blog list to the right. The Challenge is a race from Plano, TX to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a distance of 2400 miles. The race starts on 13 July and should end on 23 July. Checkout the blog daily to see how the team is doing. The website for the race is www.americansolarchallenge.org/. The website for the Michigan Solar Team is www.engin.umich.edu/solarcar/.

Photos from the 4th

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The Moomy family all gathered for the Fourth of July weekend at our house in Hendersonville. It started on the 27th of June with the arrival of Barbara's sister , Patricia and her husband Roy. They were here to attend the Good-Guys car show at LP Field in Nashville. Roy has restored an old car and does upholstery work on cars being restored. The left on the 28th.

On the 30th, my sister Sue and her husband Bill arrived. They attended the Barbershop Harmony convention in Nashville. They went down each day to attend workshops and listen the Barbershop Chorus and Quartet competition singing. They had a great time at the convention. They stayed until the 7th of July. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to get caught up on the latest family news. I took them out on the boat on afternoon and then we ate at Steamboat Bills. Everyone had the delicious catfish dinner.

On 3 July I made 2 trips to the Nashville airport. The first was to pick-up my Dad who flew in from Erie, PA. The second trip was to pick-up our son Andrew and his wife Kim. Everyone stayed until the 8th when again I made 2 trips to the airport so they could catch their return flights.

The 6th was Andrew's birthday ( he is now old enough to run for the Senate). We had a great party and we were joined by Sara, Adam, Emerson, and Carly. They live in Hendersonville. Of course they all stopped in various times during the week to visit and eat.

Just when we thought the house would get back to normal, I got a call from Peggy Totin. Peggy and I lived in the same dorm at Michigan and met again in Virginia Beach (where we lived for 30 years before the move to TN). We were active in the Michigan Alumni club. She was on here way to her daughter, Cathleen, in Clarksville, TN. Cathleen and her husband Tom had just moved to Clarksville area because Tom is being assigned to the 101st Division. Tom deploys in a few weeks and we all wish him good luck and safety on his tour in Afghanistan. They all came by to visit and then we went out for dinner to (you guessed it) Steamboat Bill's and more catfish.

New Home

2008-07-07T19:37:00.002-05:00

The picture above is our new home in Hendersonville TN. We bought it last year and have been there since March 2007. It has 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. We used all the rooms over the 4th of July since because my dad, my sister and her husband, andf my son and wife were all here. Still had room for a few air mattresses if needed.

2008-07-06T15:30:00.002-05:00

This is my new 19 foot princecraft pontoon that I will use on Old Hickory Lake. I keep the boat at Drakes Creek Marina. Today I took my Dad (he is 92 years old) and ny son Andrew and his wife Kim for a ride on the lake. We went down to Old Hickory Dam area of the lake and then did a water tour of Anchor High Marina.

Thanks Bill

2008-07-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

I started this blog with help from my brother-in-law Bill Halter. he has a great blog and I thought I would try it.