Blogging A to Z: F is for Family

Family goes well with my theme. My theme is about my Mom and my Mom is family.

On my Mom's side of the family I'm not very close. The reason many miles and money being the primary reasons. Though through technology I have been able to connect with some. 

A to Z Challenge: Education

Education is very important to my Mom. She wanted my brother and myself to go to the best public schools we could go to. She was proud of me for getting my undergraduate and Masters degree. Yes having her children gain a solid education was important to her but there is more to the story.

Her education was important too! What she achieved really impresses my Dad. English is not my Mother's native tongue. My Mom gave up a lot to live in America. Life in her country isn't bad. She didn't come here to escape something. She didn't come here because America was better. She didn't come because she had to come. My Mom simply came to America to be with my Dad.

Everywhere we lived my Mom was working on her education. She could speak it when my Dad and her met. My Mom not only Mastered English but got a degree in it!

Now she is proud of her Granddaughter for her grades and wants her to continue her education into college when that day comes. Me, I am just dreading the expenses.

A to Z Challenge 2016: Jacksonville Bound

Tonight I will be heading out on  a six hour trip to Jacksonville, Florida. I should go there more often but I rarely get two days off in a row, so 12 hours in a car is a little tough. My parents and a good friend both live outside Jacksonville so that is the appeal of visiting. Yes they both hit me up to visit.

Well my friend hit me up to visit because he had an extra ticket to the Pearl Jam concert. Apparently a buddy had backed out on him. He and my parents had asked me if I was going to Saint Augustine to see Robert Plant last month which opted t see Robert Plant closer to home.

I wouldn't be a very good friend if I always said no. Plus it will give me some time for a little visit with my parents. So my schedule will consist of work and a six hour drive literally in the middle of the night. Wednesday I will visit wit my parents see the show. The Pearl Jam concert should be neat since they have never played that city before. Thursday morning I will head out way too early on a six hour journey to go back to work. Pretty insane if I may say so myself.

How far have you travelled for a concert? What is the craziest trip you have gone on? Feel free to share in the comments.

A to Z Challenge: Catfish

My post is a little late. My daughter did not have school today and I was off from my day(evening/night) job. So, I took my daughter out to one of my favorite bayous where I was having some luck of late to try and catch her a fish.

A view from the Bayou..



Luck wasn't on our side at the bayou. However that was fishing wise. Sharing a picnic lunch with my daughter, seeing an Osprey, turtles and spending quality time of course makes me very lucky. I made the call to go to the catfish farm about an hour drive from where we were..

The drive was through the countryside so we had plenty of rivers to cross and plenty of horse farms. My daughter loves animals so seeing horses was a small bonus,

When we reached our destination we were joined by another fishing enthusiast.

  

That is a Bald Eagle.

Now the mission was for my daughter to catch a fish and she did!



She ended up catching a 19" catfish, which she reminded me is an inch bigger than my big catch of the day. However, it was worth this smile..



After all that is what fishing is all about, the big smile!  I was going to get a picture of her holding it which she tried but did not have success. Now I am enjoying a big catfish feast! I will be back with a post related to D.

Birthday Thoughts

I received over 75 birthday wishes from people on facebook. I am humbled that many folks would take time from their busy day to give me wishes. Friends from all faces of my life, including the good times and the bad times.

Ski friends, fraternity friends, family, other college buddies, writers ,editors, musicians, actors and actresses. People from old jobs and current jobs. People it is nice to hear from.

I celebrated my birthday over the weekend. A day at the beach on Saturday. Still a tad cold for swimming but still a fun time with family. Sunday my wife took me to a fancy Brazilian restaurant. A true carnivore's feast. She made it special, dressing up and all.

Sunday I did cook a special lunch just for me..



Black drum that I cooked. A tad over spiced and a tad over cooked. Still wasn't bad. If I didn't second guess myself it would have been better and if I wasn't so heavy fisted on the spices. Maybe some good advice for life in those lines.

Well my actual birthday turned out to be the greatest gift and biggest disaster rolled into one. My daughter ended up having the flu. So, I stayed home with her I was supposed to go to work. On the plus side I did have the flue shot. So, I got to spend the day snuggling with my daughter. I will take that any day! Of course I wish she felt better.

In my life the older you get the less material gifts you get. However the gentle reminders of the gifts of friends and family you have are so much greater. The gifts that really matter,

Thoughts on: Disney, Jennifer Lee and A Wrinkle In Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle was one of my favorite books to read when I was a young child. It was cool to see when my son read the book and I am sure it won't belong until my daughter reads it.





I'm glad to see the book coming to the big screen. I am sure the movie will inspire more people to read the book. Will the movie surpass how you imagined the story as you read the book? It is possible and to some it will not. It isn't fair to ask a movie to do that. Your imagination is fluid, always changing while a movie is recorded. You as a reader have your own perspective on the story and the movie creators will have their own too.  How true to the book will the movie stay is another question to be answered.

Jennifer Lee had enormous success with her last project Frozen. Disney will have the talent and resources to enable Ms. Lee to create something special. Here is the trailer for Frozen..

I've heard some folks that are disappointed that Disney is making the movie. Perhaps someone else could make it. However, Disney has the ability to turn it into a blockbuster. It is a children's book and Disney has a way with making things special for children. I'll watch it with my daughter. If the movie doesn't go like my interpretation of the book maybe I will re-read the classic. I might not even wait for the movie, I might just read the classic to my daughter!

Thoughts on Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple passed away this week at the age of 85.  She will never be remembered as a 85 year old by most. However, she will live on as the sweetheart with the curly locks in old films. Being a parent of a six year old curly top girl creates yet another connection with Shirley Temple the comparison.

My daughter isn't Shirley Temple. My daughter is cute, she is taking ballet, and tap dance. Perhaps one day she will be a star. When and if that happens she will still be my little girl. However, there have been a few people who have said she reminds them of Shirley Temple. Looking back at the career and fame Shirley Temple achieved that is certainly a complement.

 

Above is part of The Kennedy Center program where they honored Shirley Temple. The Kennedy Center Honors is probably the best tribute to this star you can find.

 

Above is "Curly Top" I dedicate it to my daughter but present it in honor of Shirley Temple.
Below is perhaps her most famous tune...

I thank her for the memories that have become new to other generations. I am glad she lived a long life and I hope she rests in peace.

Father's Day

I'm lucky! I was able to spend Father's Day with my daughter. My life is like many other folks with a lot of bumps in the road. That being said I make an effort to be the best Dad that I can be. There are many people who are not able o spend Father's Day wih their kids.

There are Dad's in the military who are stationed across the countery, overseas, and in war zones who are not able to be with their kids. Many of them try to be ther best dad they can be while serving their country.

There are seperated Dad's who are still greaat Dads. Who might not be aable to see their kids on Father's Day. There are Dad's who are on travel for work.

Well you get my point. Not every Dad is able to be with their kids on Father's Day. I am one of the lucky ones who got to spend the day with mine. I'm lucky and it is a blessing! 

A to Z: Kids

It was my daughter's birthday on the 11th. So what was going to be a night out with just the family at Chuck E. Cheese became an impromptu birthday party when my daughter told the neighbors. So, I ended up piling in a three year old, and two six year olds in my car. My wife ended up running late so I had the kids for a half hour trip plus another 45 minutes by myself before my partner showed up. Needless to say the kids wore me out. (or maybe I hit the Street Ball Game and football toss game a bit hard for an out of shape 40 something year old kid.) Oh well kids...

Gardening

The snow has barely cleared the ground but my daughter clsaimed it was Spring. Mother Nature was agreeing as the temperture rose to 60 degrees. So my daughter and I dug some trences in our yard and planted some seeds. So a garden starts.

Now this won't be a beast of a garden, My parents have a big garden, my Uncle has one, and my Grandfather had one. Theirs were big. Mine is simple. I live on a wooded acre. So I have some space but not much for gardening. Also I live on a mountainous hill so the ground is mainly rock. So I am not going to be tilling that. I also have bunnies, possums, birds, and deer in my yard. So whatever comes up, I will have competition for the harvest.

No this about spending time with my daughter and having fun. If we have success then we have peas to eat in May. If we fail I still win since I got to spend the time with my daughter. If I come up with a dollar's worth of peas I break even. Since they will be organic the yeild doesn't have to be great to break even.

Check back to see how we do..

The Big Snow

Well the big snow wasn't as big as all the meteorologist said it would be here. I think there was more rain in the storm and temperatures stayed mostly above freezing. Still we got our share of it and the kids got a day of from school. I didn't have anywhere to go so it didn't bother me too much.

I did loose power for a few hours which meant I lost heat. My house gets cold easily and temps in the mid 30s don't help. Luckily I had blankets and took some naps. Of course my daughter came home soaked from  playing outside while the heat was off. I helped her take her wet snow gear off and we warmed up with some snuggle time. The snow day became basically a do nothing family day. Then after a few hurs with no power the internet was off. Well the internet is my families replacement for television so it is kind of a big deal.

Anyway that vcame back up. So the snow day has passed. The streets have been thawing. The kids have a two hour delay tomorrow but I won't be snowed in. So all and all not a bad a snow day. It is funny sometimes the smaller snows can keep you snowed in longer.

The immportant thing is everyone here was safe and we made it into a fun, family day.

Halloween

Quiet Halloween. I took my daughter dressed up as Cinderella trick or treating in some nearby neighborhoods.  Didn't appear like as many folks were participating this year as normal. So she brought home a modest amount of candy, but considering she lost a tooth yesterday it probably is just as well. The best part of it all was a chance to spend time with her. Combined with the trip to the pumpkin patch, a Fall Festival, a special movie, and a couple of costume parties I think she had a good Halloween season.

I don't have a bunch of Halloween related articles that I have written. I wrote one about a Ghost tOur in Harpers Ferry. These are fun and a great way to learn about the local history. I also took one in Gettysburg. You can read my Harpers Ferry review here.

I did a review of the vampire movie "Blood and Donuts on Disturbing Films you can read the review here. Hopefully by next Halloween I will have more reviews up. Oh well I hope every one had a great Halloween!

A to Z: Dad and Daughter

Well roughly 5 years ago and nine months I wasn't looking to become a Dad. However, things happened. Roughly 5 years I was hanging out in a hospital waiting. We didn't have the sex of our child announced before hand but there were hints. I ignored them. I had a stepson, but for my firstborn child I was secretly hoping for my own son. Later that day I was picking out a pink hat for my new daughter. Yes we thought of names for both. It was girl. How was I going to be a dad to a daughter?

Well I didn't realize daughters are so much fun!

Plus you can go out on Daddy Daughter Dates!

Dad is the thing I do best! Plus the gig comes with the best benefits..

Now she turns five this week so tunes back in 11 or 12 years and ask me how I like the gig..

Passing it on

Blues is a traditional American music form which has been passed down from one generation to the next. Today, I continued this tradition with my daughter. My daughter is four years old and loves music. I encourage her and my wife and I share our music, the music we like with her. She also hears her own music as she develops her own taste. I support that too and trust me I heard about it when I bought my daughter a Justin Beiber shirt.

Today, I took her to the harmonica workshop. Where she learned a bit about the harmonica and encouraged to learn more. She was also able to watch Joanne Shaw Taylor perform. My daughter loves my guitars. She also loves to hear girls singing on the radio. What better way to introduce my daughter to the blues than with a girl kicking it on the guitar.

I want my daughter to be inspired. I want to keep the music I love alive and I want to share it with my daughter.

A to Z: Icing on the Cake

Today was my daughters fourth birthday. She had an exciting weekend seeing her friends at another birthday party on Saturday. Then on Sunday I took her to a farm where she could play and pet some cows. She also got to pet a great big pig. She called the critter that felt like steel wool soft, and she calls my stubble itchy go figure.

Today  I tied up loose ends at work and went shopping for my daughter. Building blocks, stickers, tattoos, wood puzzles, books, plush animals, balloons, all ended up on the list. She is at any easy age to shop for, she just wants everything.

The evening wrapped up with dinner and play time at Chuck E. Cheese. Thanks to a weekend of television on a road trip the advertisements convinced her to go there for her birthday. I like the fact her TV normally consists of  Netflix and videos.

A to Z: Dad and Daughter

Here is a picture of me and my daughter last week at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia, during the Phillies

 home opening weekend. 

We have a great relationship, I hope that it lasts a life time. Besides hanging out with me at baseball games we also have weekly outings on family days to the local Chick-fil-A, which does an incredible job of activities. they have provided face painting nights, pony rides, petting zoos, giant slides, balloon animals and more. It is an activity we both Daddy and Daughter enjoy  together. She is at great age where she can have blast with simple trips to a park. the activities don't need  to be huge, the key is spending quality time together. 

First Snow

We had are first snow storm of the winter today. We got 2-4 inches where it got past the trees.
Not a big storm but definitely measurable and it does count. I was thinking it wouldn't get cold enough for it to stick until tonight, however I was wrong.

It is a pretty snow and happened on a day I didn't have to go anywhere. It is getting close to the Holidays so hopefully it will put people in the holiday mood. My stepson was supposed to march in a parade today. However, that parade was cancelled so my wife got to sleep in, he got to play on the computer, and I got to snuggle with my daughter. It's pretty cool she likes to watch football with me so I can't complain.

Could have been worse..

I let my daughter play a little longer at daycare. Let's face it, I know she loves me, but even at 2 kids like to play with their friends and have fun. Then I decided to take her out to dinner and enjoy some valuable father-daughter time. Mom had an appointment anyway so it wasn't like I had anything pressing to do. Then my daughter was ready to go home. No fuzz when I put her in the car, no wanting to play some more..it was simply time to call it a day.

Thankfully, I buckled her into her car seat. As we were going up the hill, a deer decided to cross the road. I slowed down, stopped waited for the deer. I looked for other deers before I proceeded. I had done everything you are supposed too. As I was driving away. I heard a thump against my car. As I drove off..I saw the deer rolling on the ground.

We were fine. Was it a second deer, I don't know. Perhaps the first deer had tried to cross again. Fortunately, there was no damage to my vehicles and both my daughter and I were safe. She didn't even know anything was wrong and her juice didn't spill.

I did look for deer carcasses the next day and did not see one. I felt bad, since the deer may have been injured. However, I do feel lucky since lots of incidents with cars and deer result in much more damage and injuries.

Another Writer In The House

My step son is on his way to Charleston, West Virginia today to find out if his short story won the state competition! Way to go Ben! He has already won for his school and county. This is quite an accomplishment for him. I can remember he had struggled in the past writing things and apparently this story came to him quite easily. I know things are already decided but I wish him the best of luck. I hope he has a wonderful day in Charleston!

A Day at the Circus

Over the weekend I took my two year old daughter to the circus. I had planned to take her to a smaller circus a couple of weeks ago but some how those plans did not work out. Saturday, we decided to have a family day and I was able to get tickets to Barnum and Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth circus.

The circus had two acts, an intermission, and last about 2 and a half hours. I was impressed the circus was able to keep my daughter's attention for the most part. She just turned 2 this month so it was a bit long for her. However, she was really into the first half. It was a joy to be able to watch the circus with her and from her point of view. She is an awesome daughter, it was so nice of her to share the experience with me "look daddy, look."

The clowns were entertaining. It was her first chance to see real live tigers and elephants. They also had puppies and horses which are two of my daughters favorite animals all that was missing for her was cows. All and all it was a pleasant evening.