Al Fin Y Al Cabo

At long last I got to take a motorcycle trip, albeit a short one. Tuesday evening I left work at 5:30, went home, got the bike and headed for the beach. The weather was superb, and the ride down could not have been better. Well, yeah, if I had had a cute passenger riding with me, that might have been a nice addition to the evening.

Arrived at HOTO's (Harold's on the Ocean) at Cherry Grove shortly after seven and ordered a beer. While I was sitting out on the ocean front deck enjoying the view and appreciating the opportunity to relax, who should come strolling across the parking lot and onto HOTO's deck but my old buddy Jerry. He and his wife live a block away in a condo. We had a catch-up-on-old-times visit, and I even got to talk to Cyn, his better half, when she called his cell phone.

Later I drove over to K & W Cafeteria for a great meal---broiled king mackerel, veggies, slaw, and lemon chess pie. Yum.

Rode by the Elliots' place but they were not home. Or at least the house was dark at 8:30.

Suited up in the leathers leaving K & W as it was dark and temperature was dropping. Ride back to Florence was fine. Not much traffic, especially on that great connector between North Myrtle and 501. Glad I had the leathers with me and had suited up. Got home just after 10. Had had a good trip. Safe. Enjoyable. Relaxing. Scenic, especially through the Horry County wetlands, the Waccamaw valley, and the cypress swamps along Highways 22 and 31.

I want to ride the Harley to Winnsboro this weekend but may have to postpone that as I need to get bike and Toyota both there. So, may bring trailer back and haul Harley up there---yeah, I know it is a sin to trailer a Harley Electra Glide, but......I can't trailer the 4Runner behind the Harley, so...........If I could get someone to double-head me up there and drive the Toyota, then I would not have to trailer "B. C." He really looks dejected when he is trailered. Maybe I should use the tarp so he won't be so publicly humiliated?

More Updates

I omitted a lot from the last blog. In late July, the day after Katelyn's arrival, I went to Fripp Island for a couple of days and nights as Shannon, Tim, Tucker, Austin and Chelsey were there. First time for me to visit Fripp, and we had a great time, until the electric golf cart left us stranded more than a mile from the condo.

Two weeks ago I went to Sunset Beach for the evening to have dinner with cousins Andrea and Fitz and his wife Fugi, my aunt Marjorie, and Fugi's mom, Yuri. As usual they put on a super supper from their inlet overlook dining room. It was a great catching-up-on-family-news and old home week visit. As much as I wanted to visit longer, it was almost two hours back to Florence, so I had to head inland.

Mike called last evening to talk more about our plans for a motorcycle trip in late October. We are both excited about two or three days on the road.

Stevenson cousins Lee, Ruthie and her hubby Bo, and Wes Jr. showed up at different times over the last weekend at the Lebanon house, so their help was welcomed and appreciated. Lee cut grass and helped me move some heavy furniture. Mom painted some more. And I steam cleaned the back porch carpet. Got two gallons of really dirty water and sand up from the carpet.

Weatherman called for rain today, and we got it here. Hope it rained at Lebanon and in Winnsboro. It has been abnormally dry there.

Am still planning to retire June 30, 2008. It will take a lot of money to change my mind at this point. That is the only plus I can come up with for not hanging it up next summer.

Last night both classes went out for pizza. Only about fifteen students showed up, but we ate a lot of pizza, and they seemed to have enjoyed the fellowship and being off campus. Today I had another Wednesday meeting in Marion over lunch to work with County Library planning committee as we develop plans to create a foundation whose mission will be to raise four million dollars to renovate and expand the Marion headquarters library. We would also like to renovate and expand the Mullins and Nichols branches, if we can raise an additional two million. The county library was built in 1905 and added on to in 1975, although there were some modifications in the 1930s after a disastrous fire destroyed part of the original Carnegie building. The present facility is grossly undersized for the population we serve, the usage we receive, and the technology we have introduced.

I've got at least four sets of papers, quizzes, and exercises to grade tonight, plus a short Moliere play on campus, so there goes another evening......

If an idle mind is the devil's workshop, I should be safe for a long time to come.......

Catching Up for Being Behind

Yeah, it has been too long since my last post. Not sure I can remember ten percent of what has transpired in the interim.

Went to Columbia on August 3 for closing ceremony for LIONS Youth Exchange students. Got to see Mads and Samy, and they preferred to spend that night with us in Winnsboro, as did Maria from Italy and Aisling from Ireland. So, four of the youth exchange teens went home with me that night. We arose early Saturday morning as all had early flights home, beginning at 8:55 AM, meaning we had to be at the Columbia airport by 7 AM, which meant we had to leave Winnsboro by 6 AM for the drive. Got to see some of the other youth exchange teens at the airport and got to bid a fond farewell and "Godspeed" to our international visitors. I have missed Mads and Samy as they were very congenial young men and easy to entertain. Both emailed me that they had arrived home (Denmark and Switzerland) safely, which I was thankful to learn.

Katelyn Ann Dove was born July 25 at the Easley Baptist Hospital. She is the daughter of my son Kevin and his wife Christine. Katelyn had a rough entry into this world, with respiratory complications from the breech and C-section birth and spent three days in the Easley neonatal unit before she was moved to the neonatal intensive care unit at Greenville Memorial. Once the pneumonia was under control she improved, although she was on a PIC line for nourishment due to aspiration possibilities. She was finally released on August 4, and Christine and Kevin were happy to get her home! Katelyn is doing much better now, although she has had problems with formulas, so four or five different ones have been tried. She is tiny (6 lbs 9 ounces at birth and lost about a pound that first week) but slowly picking up an ounce or two.

September 2 was Tucker's second birthday, so Shannon and Tim had a big party for him. Mom and I went to Easley for the day and enjoyed the festivities. Austin and Chelsey had ridden from here to Winnsboro with me Friday night, and Kevin and Christine met us there and took them on the Easley for the weekend. They are Tim's children by his first marriage (my step-grandchildren). Chelsey was eleven in August, and Austin will be six this month. They rode back to Pee Dee with me Sunday night, where their mother met us. Kevin's mom had kept Katelyn Friday night so that Kev and Christine could get one night's sleep for a change.

Progress at the Lebanon house, my retirement home, has been slow. We have done a lot of painting ourselves and are now awaiting completion work by the plumber/electrician/HVAC crew. Hopefully they will finish up soon as a dozen or so of my high school classmates are coming to the farm for a semi-annual luncheon meeting on October 12, and we will need the kitchen and the new bathroom for that day. All the Stevenson clan is due in for Thanksgiving for the annual family gathering, so time is short. Also, I hope to have an "Open House" celebration in December at Lebanon. Shannon told me this week that their second child is to be delivered by C-section on December 12, so that preempts that day if not most of that week for that special event. She and Tim have been told that he is another little guy, so they have begun to think of names for him. Hope Tucker will be ready for a little brother by then!

I am teaching two sections of University Life 100 for pre-nursing students this fall, and that is keeping me hopping. Each class has 23 students, but I really enjoy being in the classroom with these FMU freshmen. Pre-nursing students are usually more focused, dedicated, and studious than the average freshman I have found, so working with them is an added pleasure.

Have had little time to ride the Harley this summer. It has been horrendously hot here and dry too but cooler and wetter weather is said to be headed our way later this week. I did not get to Sturgis this year but hope to atone for that next summer as I should be retired by then (HOORAY!). Just got some chromed visors installed on the front and rear lights this morning, so am getting ready for a trip somewhere sometime soon. College roomie Mike and I are to meet last weekend in October for some riding, either in the mountains were he and his wife have access to her family house, or in central SC, maybe even using Lebanon house as hub.

Am taking both classes to Pizza Hut tonight, so wish me luck. About half indicated they would attend.

Hopefully my next post will be shorter but with less time between posts. Until then, "Vaya con Dios."