What are your 10 favorite songs?

Although I can't read music don't play any musical instruments I still enjoy listening to it and sometimes singing. Most of the major events of my life have a song that reminds me of that time. When I was in the Army we really liked the song "In the Air Tonight" it always seemed to get us ready to go when we were going to do a night jump or do an air assault mission. There is also a song by Casting Crowns called "East to West" that illustrates how God forgives us even when we make a mess of things. I know that we all have a song that we would be embarrased if people knew that we liked it my song is ( and I'm really opening myself up here so you have to be honest with your list too!) Patty Smyth - The Warrior; really stupid 80's song.

1. Where the streets have no name - U2
2. In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins
3. East to West - Casting Crowns
4. With Arms Wide Open - Creed (reminds me of when Noah was born)
5. Be Thou my Vision - Best hymn ever
6. Abide With Me - Peter Sturgess intro'd me to this one, it's great
7. Can't you see? - Marshall Tucker Band ( reminds me of growing up in the
south)
8. Something beutiful - newsboys (reminds me of Martha and Noah)
9. One tree hill - U2 Reminds me of travelling
10. Spirit in the sky - Norman Greenbaum (reminds me of all of my parachuting
and flying days)

I could add more but we will keep it at ten for now. Let's hear yours and don't forget your emabarassing song. Maybe the next list will be favorite 80's songs. Can't wait to hear your lists.

Veterans Day

I delivered my second sermon this past Sunday for Veterans Day with the help of my good friend John who is going to Iraq next year. It was an exciting time for both of us and John did a great job describing how God protected him the first time he went to Iraq. The church was full and many got to hear how the Lord looks after us in times of danger. Veterans Day is an important day to honor those who served in times of war and those who helped maintain the peace. If you know a Veteran call them and thank them for their service. It is the least we can do.





I served with the 82nd Airborne Division from 1991-94, I never saw a day of combat but was honored to serve with such an elite group of soldiers. "Airborne,All The Way"

Vietnam Veteran at the Wall in Washington DC. Alot of these men did not get the respect the deserved when they came home. These men fought bravely in a very difficult war with little support from their nation. If you know a Vietnam Veteran thank them for their service. I feel that these Veterans have never recieved an appropriate "Welcome Home" and a kind word of thanks spoken to them would mean alot to them.

Marines in WWII moving a fellow Marine who has been killed in battle. The Marines fought a tough campaign in the Pacific against the Japanese. Thier ferocity in battle helped them to maintain their reputation as one of the toughest fighting forces in our country. One of my favorite books "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge gives a good account of the war in the Pacific.

There aren't many WW2 veterans around any more. If you get the chance to talk to one you should. Listening to their stories will make you appreciate the sacrifices that they made to insure our freedoms. I know a few and make an effort to thank them when I see them. They really appreciate it.

LEGENDS

This is a photo of the group standing with Mr. Browning. We met him in front of the glider exhibit, he was a glider infanrtyman with the 194th Glider Reigiment (17th Airborne Div), he fought in Operation Varsity, the crossing of the Rhine River. I told the kids that this was a rare treat and better than meeting any of the known stars of today. It's not everyday that you get to meet such a rare hero. The gratitude that we showed him for his service "really made his day"his wife said. Men like him made this country the greatest country in the world.

The Group standing by a display dipicting a Ranger dressed and equiped for the Normandy invasion. If you ever get a chance you should read about hte Rangers attack on Point du Hoc on D-Day. It is a picture of American heroism and ingenuity. I have been to Point du Hoc and I was amazed that anyone could have made the climb, not to mention with Germans shooting at you.

This is Noah pronouncing the name of the cat that we found at Ft. Bragg. We named the cat "General Gavin" in honor of the 82nds commander during WWII. Noah has a different twist on the name"General."

My Week as a Lifeguard

I finally got the chance to update my blog, I know that it has been over a month. Over our beach vacation Noah and I played in the water alot, he loves it but doesn't realize how deep or how fast the waves move. So I spent most of ny time with my back to the ocean or acting as a "wave break" to reduce the impact on my baby boy. He is fearless and plays hard, it was the best Lifeguard duty that I have ever done.

Trying to maintain an arms reach. I wish that I had a picture of him when he was getting tired. He would walk toward the beach exit waving to the ocean and saying "bye pool."

This picture reminds me of some lines from Peter Gabriel's song Father, Son.

Remember the breakwaters down by the waves,

I first found my courage knowing daddy could save,

I could hold back the tide

With my Dad by my side

Noah and I on the ferry, he loved watching the other boats passing by and the Sprite and M&M snack in the lounge area. I am looking forward to future trips with my little boy, I enjoy seeing him discover new things.

NO LAND IN SIGHT

Looking up through the main sail and jib sail.

If you look closely you can see the outline of two dolphins that swam under the boat.

Two salty steely eyed sailors

Me doing my best to not go overboard looking for our next marker.

Ocracoke light house, Martha and I got engaged here 9 years ago.

Some sailboats that were heading to Ocracoke as well.

No land in sight.

This past weekend was the summer solstice the longest period of daylight this year. Dad and I have always wanted to sail from Oriental to Ocracoke during this time and finally did so. My brother in law Nait, who is an impressive sailor was also part of our three man crew. The trip is roughly 48 nautical miles and takes around 8 hours one way. The trip there was an adventure as the winds and seas continued to build throughout the day, we finished the first leg racing a storm to port.Fortunately, we beat the storm and spent the night in Ocracoke. The trip back began at 5:25 am on Saturday, we made great time but ran into another storm on the way back in, this one not as bad as the first, mostly rain. I had a great time, learned alot about sailing and navigation and also gained a respect for the Pamlico Sound I would certainly to do it again;Dad says he has gotten this trip out of his system, but I bet we can get one more trip out of him.

Forest Fire

Last week there was a forest fire in Hyde County. Due to a shift in the wind we were covered in smoke all day long. Working outside in the triple digit heat heat was difficult enough, but with the addition of the smoke it was almost unbearable. I somehow had the camera set on black and white, and it kind of takes away from the images as the grays all blend together. You can still see how thick the smoke was and how it reduced visibility. This is the first time I have ever seen this happen, it brought back memories of my days as a firefighter.

Trains

We were recently driving through my hometown and we took some pictures of some old railway stations and trains. I have always been fascinated by them and love to watch them going by with their long trail of boxcars. My dad was a railroad engineer and we used to go to the railroad yard and my dad would let me ride in the locomotive with him while he put a train together before he would leave and drive it to its destination. With gas prices rising there will probably be an increase in rail transport over the coming years. I have relative who recently retired from the RR and he said that the RR can move a ton of whatever is being shipped 400 miles on one gallon of diesel fuel. If youve never travelled by rail you should try it, its a great way to see the country. When my sister and I were children my parents would put us on the train and we would go visit relatives. My dad new the conductors and they looked after us as we traveled and made sure that we got off at the right stop. It was always a good time.

" And the sons of pullman porters, and the sons of engineers, ride their fathers magic carpets made of steel"

from the son "City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman

THE ANSWER

Yes Yes I know that the picture was too small. That's what happens when we try to get smart and edit it! Congrats to Joy S. who was the closest to the answer. Your dollar is on the way! Really. This is a kudzu guard for power lines. We had never seen this before and thought it was pretty ingenious. Stay tuned for the next "What is it".

STRANGE SIGHTINGS

Tell me what this is and win a dollar. (picture above)

We saw this truck on the way home from Martha's grandma's house. I have seen some unusual vehicles in my time but this one is pretty strange. The funny thing is, he has used screws to attach the plates to his truck. He has also put them on the sides of the truck as well. Most of these plates kind of go together, NASCAR, John Deere, Confederate Flags times 2, the Duke plate just somehow doesn't belong. You have to admire his creativity.

Termites 101

This is just something I saw when I was in school. Termites work in the dark, so how do they know where they are going? There are pheremones emitted by termites that enable them to travel in the shelter tubes that they build and in the wood that they are working in without losing their way.

No, you just can't "get something from Lowe's"

Termite damage in a baseboard.

Our 100 gallon spray rig.

Drilling holes through a concrete slab to reach the termites in the soil.

Wall and slab after treatment.

When I find termites at peoples homes I always get asked "can't I just get something from Lowe's to take care of this?" I wish that I could say yes, but termite treatments require a little more than a spray can. The first picture is a pretty mild termite infestation, the termites went through the wall and wound up eating through a bookshelf and into some books. We injected chemical into the holes that we drilled in the slab as well as the cinder block wall. The idea is to break the termites contact with the soil so that it kills the termites while providing a protective chemical barrier for your home. Termites must have a source of moisture to live, most of the time this source is the soil. In some rare cases leaky roofs and pipes provide this source making them very hard to detect. Again, this is a rare situation and I have only seen it a few times over the past 10 years. Termite treatments aren't by any stretch rocket science, but like anything else you need to know what you are doing. Some of the hazards faced in this particular treatment were underground utilities and electrical wires in the wall. You just have to be careful, and think before drill and inject chemical. To end, I would just say that your home is the largest investment that most people make, it pays to have your home inspected at least once a year. Sure treatments are expensive, but repair cost are often much higher and you would still need to have the home treated after the repairs.

RIDING AROUND WAVING AT PEOPLE

(Left)- Two Vultures after being interrupted from their dinner.

(Bottom)- Pivot Sprinkler for a Sod Farm

(Left)- A really elaborate pond dam

I work for a small pest contol company that services a mostly rural area, and this reqiures us to do alot of driving. Some of my family members think that I get paid to "ride around and wave at people", this does happen quite often especially when one of them is riding with me. Although my job has its difficult moments I do get the chance to see lots of beautiful scenery and meet interesting people. I have met pro hockey players, ex- bikers, country preachers and WW2 veterans to name a few. I enjoy my conversations with the people that I meet. The purpose of this blog is to show you some of the things that I see and to tell you about some of the people that I meet. If you have any questions about insect pests I will do what I can to help you.