Hey...I Gots Pitchers!

Been doin' some scannin'...
One my goals for the few days off I took for Thanksgiving was to finish off a couple rolls of film in both my regular camera and the disposable one I bought in Dallas a few weeks ago during the whirlwind three-day excursion accompanying my brother (who lives in Dallas) to Indanapolis. I naturally wanted to capture the festivities of the big TurkeyDay dinner that Michelle loves to put on, but also to get some good, updated pics of my kids, as some of you here in Blogland have requested to see.

So I snapped away all week and got 'em all developed, then I spent the better part of my Sunday scanning (in between watching football) several that I wanted to share. Many of them are germane to previous blog stories and I will actually be retro-posting them into those older stories later this week, but I'll give you a preview here.

I thought it would be a good idea to do this now before I continue with my current series, to sort of ease back into things, which I will be doing in earnest this week. I've stayed away for long enough. I'm eager to write and to once again make this community, my friends, a part of my daily life.

Remember...every picture tells a story...

Hope you enjoy 'em...

California

From my trip to California in August, with my friend Cindy at an Anaheim Angels game. GOTS'TA wear red at an Angels game. Great seats...great time!

Reunion

The primary reason for that SoCal trip was of course to attend my 30th High School Reunion. Here are a few shots with some of my former classmates. Most of these guys I've really only gotten to know well *after* high school and when I started attending the reunions. Here the two folks to my right are now among my best ex-high school friends, Steve and his wife Shirley; the football god and his cheerleader girlfriend who got married right out of high school and have been going strong ever since — sort of an oddity for SoCal, but two of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet.


The fellow on the far left, Ted, was the most talented illustrator in my class. He was someone I was always envious of because I figured he would actually be the one who would go forth and make a living out of what *I* wanted to do. Today he has a successful construction company and I’m a web designer. Go figure.

And if the guy in the middle looks familiar, his twin brother is second from the left in the previous photo. They were both a couple of crazy mo-fo football players, and a helluva lot of fun to hang out with. That much at least hasn't changed about them.


This is rugged-looking dood is Phil, an erstwhile local rocker who I’ve known since Junior High. He would later come on to help me coach our sons’ Little League baseball team back in 1991. We had a great season, finishing 2nd out of 25 teams in the city. Another really good guy.


Right to Left, one of my former gymnastics teammates, Tim, yours truly, my good friend Laurie and her new hubby Fritz.

Blithely we go…

A quick FamPortrait from earlier this month in the lobby of the campus theater at UT Chattanooga. It was following my daughter Amy’s latest thesbian effort in the Theater Department’s performance of the Noel Coward comedy, Blithe Spirit. This time she was onstage instead of up in the booth, playing one of the lead roles as the not-so-dearly-departed “Elvira.” She did her usual faboo job, and is gaining in confidence with each new project.

Thanksgiving Week @ AJ Manor

My lovely wife doing what she loves to do but now only really gets to do on the big holidays: cook an incredible meal for a lot of people. Of course Mom-in-law helped a lot, adding her melt-in-your-mouth yams and real cornbread stuffing to the menu. We had seventeen mouths to feed, and they all ate extremely well.


Everyone wants to see more pics of the progeny, so here you go. While the adults were cavorting in the living room Wednesday night, the big kids hung out in Michelle’s cozy kitchen. Here’s a GREAT shot of Shawn & Amy…


…and a wonderful group shot featuring (left to right) Shawn, Joe, Amy, Daniel, and his new bride Rachael. You may remember the story I wrote last June about attending a wedding in Mississippi? Well Daniel and Rachael were the happy couple. Joe is Daniel’s fraternal twin brother. Their family, the Franklins have been our close friends for well over twenty years and moved to Memphis from SoCal two years after we relocated to Nashville. A third family, the Smiths, moved here a year ago finally reuniting what I lovingly refer to as “The Three Musketeers” — the three matriarchs, Michelle, Carol and Marilyn — because of their longstanding and close friendship. The husbands are all good friends as well, but the real bond is among the women-folk. It’s really a very special thing, and I love to see the joy that flows from their friendship.


Even a CouchShark needs to grab a catnap from time-to-time.

Our kitty Teeva, when she wasn't plotting to ambush the in-law's dog, she was patroling the house from atop any number of high perches. Not shown here was the inlaw's dog sleeping on the couch directly below her.


And finally, one of the better photos the wife and I have taken together in a few years…

Hope you enjoyed these, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!


finis