SOLO

Yet More 2nd Piano Project

2010-04-15T16:40:00.001-05:00

I am putting on all new dampers.

Still More 2nd Piano Project

2010-04-15T16:36:00.002-05:00

Check out the difference in the front casters after I discovered they were solid brass.

More Second Piano Project Continued

2010-04-15T16:31:00.002-05:00

Here are some more pictures of my findings. The pedals looked very old until I refurbished them. The front two casters were very old looking and when I began to restore them they turned out to be solid brass!!

Second Piano Project Continued

2010-04-15T16:26:00.002-05:00

Here are some more details which I have found on this piano which need attention. The biggest problem is that at one time it was infested with moths who burrowed into the felt dampers and any other felt they could find, including all of the felt punchings under the keys.

Second Piano Project

2010-04-15T16:19:00.002-05:00

I am taking lessons on how to repair and rebuild pianos. I have finished partially rebuilding a Gulbranson and have delivered it back to it's owners. You can see it here on the blog. Now I am working on another piano for another family. It is a Lester, Betsy Ross Spinet piano. I have discovered quite a few things which need attention and have taken pictures so you can see the progress. More details are on my facebook.

More Rebuilding

2010-03-25T17:44:00.002-05:00

I also polished the brass pedals and reshaped the hammers as you can see in the previous pictures. Then put it back together.

Piano Rebuilding Continued

2010-03-25T17:38:00.002-05:00

After taking the piano all apart and doing a complete cleaning I ordered new key tops, leveled the keys, repinned some of the hammer flanges, regulated the action and put it all back together.

Piano Rebuilding

2010-03-25T17:32:00.002-05:00

I have been taking instruction from a Registered Piano Technician (RPT). I am learning to tune, repair, and rebuild pianos. Here are some pictures of my first major overhaul. I have been tuning for a while but am delving into repair.

Blueberries

2009-07-05T18:57:00.000-05:00

Here we are cleaning and bagging blueberries we picked today in Georgia. We have 14 bags in the freezer and some in the refrigerator to eat fresh!

Lowrey Again

2009-07-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

I am now starting a Lowrey "Play For Fun" organ program here in Tennessee. This is my work place!

Natalie Plays For Church

2009-04-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

This morning, Natalie played "God Is So Good," for both services at church. I accompanied her and everyone seemed to enjoy her participation very much.

Surprise behind the new door!

2009-04-17T18:48:00.000-05:00

If you look closely you can see some fingers where the door knob should be. I think something is in there! . . . Surprise! It's Natalie!! (Look at sister Joelle snickering in the background)

Building a Kitchen

2009-04-17T18:40:00.000-05:00

Our carpenters are putting together our new kitchen. Sandra and her mom are studying two countertop samples and Doreen is sounding her opinions on the matter.

A Painting Job

2009-03-31T18:50:00.000-05:00

I have been doing an inside painting job in a house which is 55 miles from where we live. It is located up in the knobs off the road about two miles. You get there on a two track mountain trail up the hill, through a fjord and back in a Holler! There is no cell phone service because the house is surrounded by high hills. Here are some pictures of the place. It really is quiet and peacful up there. Sandra has been going with me. We take a lunch and make a picnic outing out of the trip.

Almost finished

2009-03-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of the downstairs bedroom w/carpet and paint and the bathroom and utility room with patching on the floor to make it smooth. We are getting closer to having our house project finished.

Lunch at Grandma and Grandpa's

2009-03-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

Here is the colorful table set for lunch while Natalie and Joelle's mom and dad are in Texas. And, of course after hay stacks comes ice cream!

Ready for Church

2009-03-28T13:48:00.000-05:00

Here are Natalie and Joelle ready to go to church. Isn't this a great picture?

Child Sitting!

2009-03-03T09:45:00.002-05:00

Bad Pa Pa - Playing with food! First a mustache, then a down smile (with disapproval from Natalie), then eyes blocked out and finally, grandma tried to get Joelle with a mustache but it fell off and looks like a little beard! The food? Oh, it's a mostly eaten veggie sausage pattie!

Covering Drain Lines With Concrete

2009-02-24T17:54:00.001-05:00

Today we rented a small cement mixer so I could fill in the trenches in the floor where we took out concrete in order to install drain lines (see November 13, 2008 entry). This little mixer was so cool. I mixed two bags of quickcrete at a time and wheeled the mixer right in to the ditch. We only needed a half yard of cement so I bought 15 bags of ready mix which almost did the entire job. I had to go back for one more bag, 16 total. Now I can finish hanging sheet rock. Of course Sandra helps by holding the trouble light and taking pictures etc. . .

Construction progress

2009-02-17T22:18:00.001-05:00

The electric rough-in is completed. We have a new panel which was very artistically wired. The garage is covered with sheet rock. Some of it is actually on the walls! Isn't it a mess?

Hungry?

2009-01-31T13:53:00.000-05:00

Take a look at this relish tray Sandra made for the Super Bowl party tomorrow night! I'm getting hungry!

Making a room

2009-01-29T18:32:00.001-05:00

Well, we are working on putting up sheetrock. I was trying to figure out how to work the sheetrock lift. Then you can see that Sandra and I figured it out. This is the garage and we are putting up 5/8" Fire Retarder Type X on the ceiling and the wall between the garage and the living space. I have almost finished hanging the sheetrock upstairs and this is the garage. There is also a bedroom and bathroom on the other side of the wall on the garage level.

Grinder Pump

2009-01-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

This is a continuation of the progress we are making on the conversion of the garage into a house. We do not have a septic system. It is a grinder pump which pumps sewage into the sewer pipe in the street. This is the hole where the tank (which houses the pump - the house drains empty into this tank) is placed. When the tank gets filled to a certain point, the pump turns on and empties the contents. The "smoke" is concrete dust. the tank has to be secured with cement!

Main Plumbing Drain

2009-01-22T08:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the plumber dug the ditch for our main drain out of the conversion house. It is about 3 feet away from the house.

More Flooding

2009-01-06T17:56:00.000-05:00

The land across our creek is also flooding. One of the new culverts is not big enough and the water is running around it and over the flat land and down into our end of the creek.

Full Creek

2009-01-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

We have been having a lot of rain and the creek behind our house is very full. Most of the year the creek has been dry but it sure is filled up now!

The Fight Concluded

2008-12-25T17:54:00.000-05:00

The Fight Continued

2008-12-25T17:52:00.000-05:00

The Fight

2008-12-25T17:48:00.000-05:00

After Christmas dinner, we all needed to work off some calories. Joelle initiated a good old fashioned pillow fight. First it was just her and Steve but eventually it spread to Doreen and Natalie. You can see the sequence and they finally ended up on the floor!!

Christmas at Church

2008-12-25T13:51:00.000-05:00

On December 20, the church put on a Christmas program in which we were asked to participate. Sandra and Doreen sang in a choir which Doreen helped to organize and they had me direct. The whole program was little vinettes staged with live people portraying encounters of several different people during the time when Christ was born. There was the encounter of Mary with the Angel, Joseph's encounter with the Angel, the Shepherds' ecounter with the Host of Angels etc. . . Here you can see some of the shepherds(Joelle and Natalie)with their sheep. At the end, Doreen and I sang with our friend, Randy. The song was "The Gift" which was sung on a CD by Randy Travis. It was the last song on the program. We had a good time helping with the play and thought all of the people acting out parts did a very good job.

Christmas Parade

2008-12-25T13:34:00.001-05:00

Joelle and Natalie were in a Christmas Parade. They even got to ride in a float. Here are some pictures of the parade and the participants.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T12:57:00.001-05:00

We had a very nice Christmas Eve with family. Grandpa reads a story to the grand daughters, Joelle opens a great gift then trys to play a tune, and wow, what a gift - a collection of State Quarters from Grammy and Poppie, then a display of money. . .money. . . money! And Great Grandma watches it all, remembering when one gift on Christmas was all that her folks could afford. We and our grandchildren are truely blessed, even if times are hard right now.

Leaf Blower

2008-11-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today I bought a used leaf blower. I have been cleaning leaves for a friend who has a very big yard, so since we also have a lot of leaves, I found this blower and it really moves the leaves. You can see that we need it!

Happy Thanksgiving/Birthday

2008-11-27T13:31:00.000-05:00

Today is Thanksgiving day and also Sandra's birthday. We are sharing it with Merna, Doreen, Steve, Joelle and Natalie.
You can see how nicely our table was set and how Joelle(7 years old) decorated it for grandma with several balloons. We have many things for which to be thankful.

Ready for Fill Dirt

2008-11-22T11:25:00.000-05:00

In preparing for the plumbing in this garage (turning into a three bedroom, two bath house)I was building a retaining wall to terrace the side near the creek. Now the wall is ready for digging to begin. There will have to be a hole for the grinder pump and a ditch for the drain lines. The extra dirt will be deposited behind this retaining wall.

Making a Retaining Wall

2008-11-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

After taking all of the concrete chunks outside we began building a retaining wall where we will put all of the dirt from the ditches and grinder pump hole. This will bring the ground up closer to the siding and will look better terraced. The concrete chunks will help to stablize the ground in case the creek runs over its banks. So, we dragged railroad ties from the front of the house down to the back and started building. We nailed the railroad ties together with 3/8" rebar cut into 30" lenths. There will be more pictures as the project continues.

Plumbing Preparation

2008-11-13T20:27:00.002-05:00

We are turning our garage/storage room into a house. Besides building walls, we have to put in plumbing. In order to put in plumbing we had to have several cuts made in our concrete basement floor so we can install a drain system. We hired a company to come in and "SAW" our floor. They made 99 feet of saw cuts in the cement, then we have to remove all of the concrete chunks to make room to put in the drain lines. The chunks weighed from 40 lbs to 120 lbs (approximately). Getting them out was a big job but you can see how nice and straight the line is after we took them all out.

Side Door Window

2008-11-07T17:28:00.000-05:00

We are having a beautiful Fall here in Tennessee. The trees have some very nice colors. This morning when we sat down to breakfast, I looked out our side door window and saw this sight. The first is looking out the window, the second is a closer look out the window and the third is after I opened the door. Enjoy!

Making a house

2008-10-30T19:18:00.001-05:00

Sandra and I are turning our two story garage into a house. We have been building a bedroom and bathroom in the basement. Sandra is surveying the work and helping engineer the process, cleaning and providing moral support.

Birthday Party for Natalie

2008-10-30T19:11:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated Natalie's birthday. She and her cousin, Colby (who lives in Minnesota) turned 6!! We started out with Grandma and Grandpa helping to take some of the invited guests from school to Natalie's house. Then when everyone arrived, there were games like "Draw a face on the pumpkin" and "Red Light Green Light," "Duck, Duck Goose" and many more. You can see some of the action pictures and Joelle's pumpkin art. When the pinata was cracked open, the top made a good hat for pictures. There were many presents and Natalie said she "got many things she liked and many things she wanted!" Then, before all of the friends' parents came to take them all home we had sloppy joes, veggies, cake and ice cream and sang "Happy Birthday To You. It was a very nice party.

Piano Tuning

2008-10-22T20:44:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am at one of my piano tuning jobs. I am using my new Peterson digital tuner which really is a wonderful machine.

Funny Pictures

2008-10-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Guess who? That's right, it's Natalie and Joelle caught in a funny mood!!

Petting Zoo

2008-10-14T20:56:00.001-05:00

Here are some more of the animals that were in the petting zoo. The three rabbits I tried to photograph on the table are here with the white one riding on the sheep! Joelle liked the roosters and Natalie said that she petted the cow and it looked up and said "Moooooooo." A lot of people worked hard to make it a great day for the kids and their Grand Parents.

Jumpin' Rabbit

2008-10-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at Grandparents day a petting zoo was provided by a local farmer. I took some pictures of the animals and this one was unusual. There were three rabbits on this table so I thought I would take their picture. By the time I turned on my camera the white rabbit had jumped down on the ground so there were only two left on the table. So, I took a picture of the two rabbits on the table - - just as I snapped the picture the second rabbit jumped off the table so I only got a picture of one rabbit but, If you look down at the bottom of the picture on the right side, you can see the hind legs of the one that jumped off the table!! I thought it was quite funny so I am posting it for your entertainment.

Grandparents Day 2008

2008-10-13T13:48:00.000-05:00

Today Sandra, Me and Sandra's mom, Merna went to where Joelle and Natalie go to school. It was grandparents day and we had a great time. There was a petting zoo with several animals, pumpkins, hay and straw even in the room where we had lunch. There were little chickens on the table, the napkins were big red handkechiefs and we drank out of Ball, glass, pint size canning jars. And the main food item was - wait for this - - HAY STACKS!! The kids entertained us by singing "Old McDonald had a Farm," and held up masks for different animals and even grandparents. Good Times!! Enjoy the pictures.

The Lovell Sisters Outdoor Concert

2008-10-06T06:52:00.001-05:00

Last night we attended a Blue Grass concert on top of Lookout Mountain. It was held at a dentist's house and the performers used the porch as the stage. All of the audience sat on lawn or camp chairs, brought food and drink with friends and in general had a good time. Here are Doreen, Natalie, Joelle, Sandra, Me, and our friends, Taylor, Lisa and Johnny. The evening was very pleasant and the TiKi torches helped keep away the mosquitos. Unfortunately, Steve had to work so we all watched and listened real hard so we could report the activities to him when he got home! By the way - see the dog in the top picture? Well he appeared on stage several times with the performers since he had the run of the place!!

Waiting For the Main Event

2008-10-06T06:45:00.000-05:00

While we were enjoying our sandwiches we heard a young quartet which won a FFA contest for the State of Georgia. We also heard from another singer and accompanist while waiting for the main event. Joelle and Natalie found one of the big rocks near us in the yard and made that their headquarters for the evening!!

And Here They Are

2008-10-06T06:39:00.000-05:00

After two warm-up performances by others, we finally see the main act - the Lovell sisters and their band. They really know how to pick those instruments and they do a good job of singing and entertaining.

On The Way Home!

2008-10-06T06:35:00.000-05:00

As you can see, Natalie and Joelle are demonstrating how tired we all were after having a good time!

Flowers from Merna

2008-09-24T19:53:00.000-05:00

This is a beautiful potted plant of flowers which Sandra's Mom sent to her on Monday when Sandra had surgery. Sandra's surgery went well and the doctor feels she completely removed the lump. She also took one lymph and said it was clean so we are happy about that. She will have a follow up visit a week from tomorrow.

A Job Painting

2008-09-21T20:56:00.002-05:00

Look at us! Yes, we have a painting job. Last week I painted a one bedroom appartment and this week I am painting a three bedroom duplex. One of our friends owns some appartments and needed them repainted so we are helping out. Sandra is taking a break from supervising and doing what painting she can while I am covering the carpet with plastic.

Watching a Polo match

2008-09-14T18:54:00.002-05:00

Guess what we did today! We went to watch a Polo match right here in Tennessee! It was a first for me and Sandra as well as Doreen, Joelle and Natalie. Our friends, Bill and Gloria called last night and asked if we'd like to go watch a Polo match. We said, why not and today we went out to the field and watched this sport for the first time. For those of you who don't know Polo, the game is played between two teams of four mounted men (or women-there were some women on the teams) on a field that measures 300 by 160 yards (as big as nine football fields) with goalposts at either end. The object is to move a ball downfield and through the goal in six periods of play known as "Chukkers." Each Chukker is seven minutes long. There are no time-outs except for injuries, penalties, or unsafe situations. And no replacement of players is allowed except for injuries.

Here we are; Sandra, Gloria, Bill, Joelle, Doreen, Natalie, Natalie again, me (in blue),Sandra again, Gloria and Bill again all ready to watch Polo.

Polo Action

2008-09-14T18:42:00.001-05:00

There was plenty of action at the Polo match. Check out these shots of the horses and the players. Also, Natalie and Joelle had some action of their own helping to stomp down the divots.

Partners In Mischief!

2008-09-10T20:38:00.000-05:00

Here we are, Larry and Sandra and Bob and Cheryl. Almost retired and looking for trouble!!

After Starbucks

2008-09-10T20:35:00.000-05:00

We went to Starbucks and had some sweets then we went to Fazolies and had some yummie Italian Food. Before playing we worked on Scott's trailer lights (Scott is Bob and Cheryl's number 2 son who is Dr. Scott!!). Then after a great meal we went back to finish mounting the trailer lights. But the playing and fun were the most important and took the longest, Ha!

An Afternoon With friends

2008-09-10T20:26:00.000-05:00

Sandra and I had fun with our friends Bob and Cheryl this afternoon. Here we are at Starbucks indulging in some sinful culinary pleasures - before dinner!!

Singing Again

2008-09-03T18:31:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Johnny and I sang another duet at First Presbyterian downtown Chattanooga. It was an all men music Sunday (except for our wonderful organist who is a great lady!). Johnny and I sang for the first service and then a mens choir sang for the second service (we sang in the choir too). We did a good job, if I have to say so myself!!

Making Bread With Grandma Step 5

2008-08-10T18:16:00.001-05:00

After baking in the oven for about 40 minutes, it is time to take it out of the oven and grease the top. The best part is after it cools and you have some toast for breakfast!

Making Bread With Grandma Step 4

2008-08-10T18:12:00.001-05:00

After placing the little loaves into the pans and letting it raise back up,it is time to put it into the oven.

Making Bread With grandma Step 3

2008-08-10T18:06:00.002-05:00

The next thing to do is give the bread a good pounding (the girls had to do this since grandma can't pound very hard)! Then roll it into loaves, carefully pinching the ends and across the length of the loaf so it will stay together.

Making Bread With Grandma Step 2

2008-08-10T18:03:00.001-05:00

Here, Joelle and Natalie learn to knead the bread, turning and pushing it this way and that.

Making Bread With Grandma - Step One

2008-08-10T17:57:00.002-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa were privilaged to have Joelle and Natalie stay with us this afternoon. When Grandma started making bread, 2 girls wanted to help. So, here they are in step one of bread making; greasing the pans, punching down the big bread in the bowl and cutting it into four small loaves.

Joelle Helps Lead Song Service

2008-08-09T09:53:00.000-05:00

Today, Joelle had a turn helping her Mom (Doreen)lead out in the Family Sing portion of the church service, and she did a super job. She can read enough words that she sang out on the stanzas as well as the chorus. She sang out good and strong and really added a lot to the singing.

At the Marble Cream Slabery! (See previous post)

2008-08-08T17:55:00.001-05:00

Our second stop was the Marble Slab Creamery. Here are Doreen, Natalie (in front) and Joelle (behind) and Grandma (Sandra) enjoying the products! (Steve and I enjoyed the products too!)

Chuck E Cheese's

2008-08-08T17:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Doreen and Steve went downtown to celebrate their anniversary by seeing sights and biking along the river. They stayed downtown and came back today. Joelle and Natalie stayed with friends until today at noon. Sandra and I picked up the girls and we met Doreen and Steve at Chuck E Cheese's (In the top picture from left to right are Steve, Natalie, Joelle and Doreen). The girls had been looking forward to playing at the game place and eating in the restaurant. They earned 807 tickets along with the help of Steve and Grandpa. Then we all went to the Marble Slab Creamery for Ice Cream. We made a tongue twister out of the name. Try saying Marble Slab Creamery real fast. Joelle tried it real fast and came up with Marble Cream Slabery! That made me laugh out loud!

Picking Blueberries

2008-08-04T08:11:00.000-05:00

Just look at these bushes. We went blueberry picking out near Sandra's Mom's place in Georgia. We picked a bucket and three quarters for $8. Yummie!! I love blueberries.

Tuning the piano

2008-08-04T08:07:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of me and Andria (Jack's oldest daughter) tuning one of my pianos. She was interested in how to tune a piano so I am showing her. Joelle (Doreen's oldest) took the picture for us. And that is Esther over there in the corner. She is quite a little musician herself!

Am I proud or something?

2008-08-04T07:46:00.000-05:00

Here it is one more time with the bench.

More Before and After

2008-08-04T07:44:00.000-05:00

Here is a before and after picture of the bench. Quite a difference, huh? This piano is mahagony and has a nice deep red color.

Before and After

2008-08-04T07:41:00.000-05:00

Last night I completed a refinishing job on a 1954 Story and Clark (original) piano. Sure looks better, huh? Anyone want a piano? This piano has a most delicate tone and the keys are very easy to push. I really like it.

The Shavers

2008-07-27T14:22:00.001-05:00

Sandra and I were over at Merna's (Sandra's Mom)on Friday and found these pictures of Merle and Iona (Merna's Folks). We thought they were quite nice so we are placing them on the blog for those of you who would like to save them to your picture files.

Fun With Curt

2008-07-27T13:58:00.000-05:00

Sandra was going through pictures today and came across this picture of me and our nephew Curt (Sandra's Sister Debbie's son). We were visiting Steve and Doreen back in 1995 (or there about) when they lived in Southern Illinois. I was showing Curt how to be a farmer and hold a piece of grass between the teeth. I started out with a nice little piece of grass about a foot long and Curt found one about the same. Then I found one about 18 inches long and Curt found one about 2 feet long. Well the contest continued until Curt found this one about six feet long! No doubt about it - He won the contest and from then until now is a certified, grass chewing Farmer!!

Visitors

2008-07-22T11:09:00.002-05:00

We were happy to have my brother, Jack's oldest daughter, Andria and her family visit with us for a couple days. Here is Andria(at the piano), Jessica (the tallest)and Esther singing around the piano. Here is also a picture of second cousins, Joelle (Doreen's Oldest), Esther(Andria's youngest), Natalie (Doreen's youngest)on Jessica's(Andrai's oldest)lap.

Forty Years - View

2008-07-22T11:03:00.000-05:00

Look at this beautiful view from our Inn abobe the Tennessee River. Chattanooga really is the scenic city.

Forty Years - Carrage Ride

2008-07-22T10:56:00.000-05:00

We really enjoyed a ride in a horse drawn carrage. The dalmation dog has been riding with the lady driver for 8 years.

More Forty years Fun

2008-07-22T10:53:00.000-05:00

Here we are in the beautiful room in the Inn where we stayed on Saturday night. The bed was almost three feet high!

Forty Years Cont.

2008-07-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

Our first enjoyable activity was to take a ride on the Southern Belle River Boat down the Tennessee River. We sat right in front of the boat on the third level (right under the big loud horn). When we were ready to leave the dock the captain blew the horn and not being prepared for the LOUD sound, we almost jumped right over the reiling! When we came back to the dock, we were ready with our ears plugged! We saw a lot of beautiful scenery along the river.

Forty Years

2008-07-22T10:25:00.000-05:00

On Monday, Sandra and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. Our real celebration was on the weekend. It was supported by our two daughters and their families. We were sent down town chattanooga to enjoy a day of leisure activities. These pictures are in the restaurant where we had breakfast on Sunday morning.

Corn Freezing Party

2008-07-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

Today, while Larry and his helpers were working in the piano shop, Sandra, Doreen and Steve had a corn freezing party. It reminded me of the food preparation my Mom and aunts use to do together canning peaches, cherries and freezing strawberries, corn etc. . . Today they managed to process 16 dozen ears of corn and are freezing about 60 quarts. Lots of work but also a lot of good eating.

Helpers in the Piano Shop

2008-07-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

Today I had some help sanding and staining the top to a piano bench. Joelle and Natalie helped me sand and then they took turns turning on the vaccum and getting rid of the dust. At first I was a little nervous having them there with this kind of work but they were great and really did help out.

Doreen and Natalie Lead the Singing

2008-07-12T10:16:00.000-05:00

Periodically Doreen takes a turn leading the songs at church. This time she recruited Natalie to help her. I crept back stage to reveal how 5 year old Natalie was almost as tall as her Mom! They both did a great job.

Larry's Piano Shop

2008-07-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of a piano I am refinishing. It will be a very nice mahagony spinit when I am finished. My little shop is just a hobby right now but who knows, it might grow!

Retiring the truck

2008-07-07T18:55:00.000-05:00

As of July 10 our truck will no longer be a FedEx delivery truck. We had to take off the lettering so here I am working on taking off the big letters. Sandra worked on the back door and some of the letters that were lower down on the truck. It was a real job. We had to scrape off the letters then spray on solvent to soften the glue, then scrape off the glue and finally spray on more solvent and wipe clean with a paper towel. What a job! The letters had been on since 2000 and the big letters were worn quite thin.

Fireworks July 3

2008-07-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

Sandra and I went to the fireworks last night with Doreen, Joelle and Natalie. We bought food at the concessions and visited with friends while the girls enjoyed light tubes. Unfortunately Steve was on a trip, but he got back just in time to flash the truck lights as he drove by the park and then he was able to see some of the fireworks.

Sandra and her Sisters

2008-07-02T19:52:00.001-05:00

Here are Sandra, her Mom and sisters. From the right (oldest to youngest): Sandra, Glenda, Mom March, Becky, Amy, and Debbie. Do you think they are having fun?!! Sandra's middle sister, Nancy was not able to attend.

Our Family at the Reunion

2008-07-02T19:46:00.000-05:00

Here is our family. Adults from the left: Doreen (our #2 daughter), Steve (Doreen's husband), Mom March (Sandra's Mom), Larry (Me, Doreen's Dad), Sandra (Doreen's Mom) Kids from left: Natalie, Joelle, our grand daughters.

MarchReunion

2008-07-02T19:33:00.000-05:00

Last week several of Sandra's family got together in Wildwood Georgia. This is the group that was there. We had a lot of fun getting reacquainted.

Johnny and Larry Sing

2008-07-02T19:22:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday evening Johnny (one of my students) and I sang for the Patriotic Concert for a Large Church Down Town. It was a lot of fun and a lot of the listeners said they were inspired. We sang "In God We Trust."

Sandra Waving

2008-06-18T13:45:00.000-05:00

Now you can get a better view of Sandra waving to you!

Deck Painting

2008-06-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

Today the humidity was much lower and the temperature was under 80 degrees so Sandra and I got up and painted our deck. It took about an hour and a half. In the middle of painting Steve came to pull me and my pickup truck over to the technology center at Southern Adventist University for a check up. The truck started several times, ran for about a minute then stopped all on it's own. So it is now in the truck hospital! But, the deck now looks like new and Sandra is happy and waving to us on her refurbished deck.

Strawberry Pickin'

2008-06-18T13:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Sandra and I and Doreen and Steve's family aong with several other friends got up at 06:00 and went to a big wholesale farm to glean strawberries. After the main pickers go through, there are still berries which get ripe. Sandra and I picked 9 quarts. Then Sandra cut them up and we froze 16 pints (we ate one of the quarts!). They are delicious and reminded me of when we were young and went to aunt Bessie's to pick strawberries and play with our cousins.

Playing With Mocha & Mocha's Big Stick

2008-06-08T13:29:00.000-05:00

Since the Pester family is on vacation, I had an opportunity to feed and water Mocha (pictured here). Now when ever I go into the yard, Mocha wants to chase something. This time she had a variety of sticks laying around in various places, handy to grab if a human should happen along. So, when I went in the gate, she pounced on the closest stick ( it was fairly small)and ran around, then dropped it for me to throw. I obliged and threw it way out in the yard. Of course, she went after it so fast that she was almost there before it hit the ground. She brought it back and we played tug of war for a while. Then she decided to up the anti and get a larger stick. So we played with that for a while. Then, in the spirit of the game, I found a really "big" stick. And, in the spirit of the game, she picked it right up. Since it was so big, she decided to mostly chew on it and shake it. Needles to say, we both had some fun and got some exercise!

Announcing. . . .

2008-06-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

Chattanooga Home Inspection Professionals is now in business. The State License just came today. It has taken two and a half months to officially start this business. What a relief!!

Inspection Report

2008-06-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally have our Inspection Report booklet printed. It turned out quite good. We should have our license anytime. Then we will make brochures and business cards with our TN License number on them. We're getting anxious to get started!

The Speed Limit

2008-06-04T21:50:00.000-05:00

Take a look at this sign. It is for real. It is the speed limit around the "Grand Ole Opry" hotel and shopping center. I have never seen this speed for a limit before, have you? Just go to Nashville and you'll see lots of interesting things!

Campmeeting

2008-06-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

We went to campmeeting yesterday. I remember when I was in grade school going to campmeeting with my folks and brothers. It sure was different than it is now. There was no air conditioning. We had to fan ourselves with little, paper fans supplied by a funeral home. We took a pic nic lunch and ate outside under a shade tree. And we listened to endless sermons and sang lots of songs. That was the most important thing for me - the music. So you can see from the pictures music is still the most important thing! Sandra's mom, Merna, came over to our house so we could take her to the meeting. We had a good time and got to visit with Mom for a while. We all got tired of sitting on folding chairs! Now we have air conditioned facilities rather than a tent. O well, it is still an adventure. The last sermon my grandma Gault ever heard was at one of the compmeetings. She came to visit us and went to an evening meeting with our family. She got to hear some good music by the "King's Heralds Quartet," and a sermon by the radio preacher, H.M.S. Richards. She said she enjoyed the meeting and we enjoyed sitting by our Grandma at campmeeting.

We Went to Nashville

2008-05-30T09:36:00.000-05:00

We went to Nashville on Tuesday to take Doreen, Steve, Joelle and Natalie to the airport. We went a day early so we could see some sights. Here we are with Doreen watching the grandkids on the large carosel.

Color Logo

2008-05-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

We have added color to our logo. It will be on the front cover of our report to the client. We sent in our application today for a state license so in another week or two we should officially be home inspectors!

Retirement

2008-05-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Sandra went with me to start my retirement. It seemed to go well. I should start receiving my checks next month. When did I get old enough to get social security?

Business Minded 5 Year Old

2008-05-06T08:44:00.002-05:00

We had our garage sale last Sunday. I spent quite a bit of my time in the house sitting, due to the fact I am still recovering from umbilical hernia surgery. Doreen and Steve and the girls were here helping with the garage sale and the little girls had some toys in the sale so they could make some money too. About mid-day, Natalie (5 years old-see previous posts) came over to the house with this little post-it note. She told me triumphantly that she and Joelle had sold some things. Now her grandma and mommy had decided that the money would all be put together and that as things were sold they would keep a record of each families total on a note pad. Natalie started to write on the note pad but the adults told her not to write there. Instead, grandma gave her a little post-it note to write on.

Now all this was unknown by me until grandma (Sandra) told me later. All I knew was that Natalie came over to the house and proceeded to give me the note you see above. I studied the note appropriately and asked her if she wrote it. She said that she copied it from the note pad over at the sale and that it was a record of what we owed her and Joelle from the sale. I complemented her on her writing ability. Then she wanted to know which side of the bed I slept on. I told her the left side. Low and behold, when I went to bed, here was Natalie's bill on my night stand. So I am keeping it until we finish the garage sale in two weeks. Then like any responsible debtor, we will pay off the note.

The J + N at the top of the bill is, of course, is for their names. This is the youngest person from whom we have ever received a statement. Quite business like, I thought.