Birthday Update

The wife knew exactly what I would enjoy for my 66th birthday - technology.  Judy gifted me with the newest iPod nano and a wonderful bluetooth JamBox.  The Jambox connects to the ipod and the iphone wirelessly.  We can listen to music anywhere.  The rechargeable battery life of the JamBox (Made by Jawbone) is 10 hours of continued operation. (Recharge time only 2 1/2 hours)

The storage capacity of the iPod is amazing.  I have loaded 75 CD albums. (Approximately 3 days of listening experience.) I also have 110 pod-casts of Garrison Keillor's News From Lake Wobegon.  In addition I also have three audio books on the critter.  I still have about 40% storage still available.  Here are the albums that I have stored on the iPod.

 A Seven Pound Cheeseburger!

We were in Audrey's Restaurant (Formerly The Common Place) on Sunday.  Here came Audrey with a seven pound cheeseburger.  It consists of a pound bun, four pounds of hamburger, one pound of cheese, and a pound of bacon.

Audrey explained that this sandwich costs $35 dollars.  If one can eat this within an hour, the burger is free and one gets a t-shirt.

I can not believe that a person would even think about engaging in this eating disaster.  I am certain that I would end up in the emergency room!

 Davis Reunion - Part 2

Our Washington State family and Grandma Meads stayed with us in Glenville on Friday night.  Aunt Jan teaches piano lessons.  Mom and Aunt Jan gave us a sampling of their skills.

We were getting ready to eat.  Chili and pepperoni rolls were on the tables.  Of course, pepperoni rolls had to be shared since they are a local invention.  

A car pulled up in the driveway.  Who was visiting?  Wow, Sarah and Jeff arrived with the boys.  How wonderful!

Sarah modeled the GSC Pioneer hat that was worn by Jessie Chapman when he was the Pioneer.

Now, if Aunt Jan can teach Nate chop sticks she is certainly a teaching wonder!

We settled in for the meal.  Nate and Sam entertained us with a great show of charades.  What fun it was!

On Saturday our family had to leave for Spencer.  They did visit the Glenville Farmers Market before they left.  The gals (and Gary) were admiring the hand crafted jewelry.

I am not certain what amazed Aunt Jan?  They did buy some necklaces to take back with them to the Pacific Northwest.

It was a blessing to have these folks visit! 

 Davis Family Reunion - Part One

On Monday, October 15, 2012 Uncle Gary, Aunt Allene, and Aunt Jan flew from Seattle, Washington.  Gary and Allene arrived in Charleston.  Jan got off in D.C to visit her sister Gwen, and husband Woody, who live in Falls Church, Virginia.  Gary and Allene rented a car at the airport and drove to Spencer.  On Tuesday of last week we traveled to Canaan Valley and all gathered at our favorite rental house, Cedar Creek in Winterset.

The fall foliage was spectacular in the mountains around Buckhannon and Elkins.  The foliage was past peak in Canaan Valley, but still beautiful.

We planned the menus before we arrived.  As you would expect there was a plethora of food!  Sister Judy and wife Judy were in charge of the gourmet offerings.

On Wednesday, I traveled from Canaan Valley to Wardensville to met Aunt Jan.  Wardensville is 1/2 way between Canaan and Falls Church.  I met Gwen, Woody, and Aunt Jan at the Kac-Ka-Pon Restaurant. 

It was quite a wonderfully exciting trip for me.  As I drove around Mt. Storm, a mother bear and two young cubs crossed the road in front of the van.  It was a great experience!  As I entered the new Corridor H highway which extends from Maysville, near Dolly Sods, to Wardensville, I noticed some avian action on the right side of the road ahead.  Oh, my, there were 2 beautiful mature Bald Eagles and a large immature eagle.  They flew parallel to the van for a short stance.  I was blessed!

Aunt Jan showed Brother-law Bill the path we traveled.

Dinners were special.  We served during the three days smoked chicken, stuffed peppers, and baked steak with all the trappings.

 Uncle Gary was the only person who ventured into the  hot tub on the deck.

On Thursday we conducted a tour of the area for our Washington State relatives.  Blackwater Falls is always a great location.

Here are Gary, Allene, Judy, and Jan at the overlook at the Blackwater Gorge.

You can see that the foliage is waning at this time.

Blackwater Falls is always special.  The Blackwater River was low but the falls was still a great sight.

As we left Cedar Creek cabin on Friday morning, the fog was lifting from the valley.  It was a beautiful fall day as we traveled home.

Bill and Judy traveled to Spencer.  Judy and I led the Washington State family to our hamlet of Glenville.

Farmers Market

October 13, 2012

This was Kids Day at the Farmers Market.  What a beautiful fall day!  There was much activity this morning.  Judy was talking with Jackie Caudill.  They were discussing the upcoming Iron Skillet Cookoff.

The Snyder kids were so fun to watch doing the crafts and the pumpkin carving was a hit with all the kids.

Melissa Gish was there selling her wonderful jewelry.

Look!  Willa Jane Loftis is proudly displaying her carved creation.

Deb DeBursey was selling a  varieties of heritage pumpkins.

There were Cinderella pumpkins, peanut pumpkins, and knuckleheads plus a few other varieties.

Scott Shimmel was looking over the pumpkin crop.  His wife, Glenda, is a wonderful baker and was busy selling her tasty products.

The fall vegetables are also such a glorious sight!

Oh, the wife is shopping!

We have relatives from Camino Island in Washington State coming to visit soon.  Judy purchased from Deb Farmer these wool dusters and some felted soap as gifts.

As part of Kids Day, Cliff Thrasher was providing hot dogs at no cost to all.

It was another neat day at the Glenville Farmers Market.

 Fall In West Virginia

Top of the morning to you guys.  It is that time in our state when the chlorophyll is no longer dominant in our foliage and the other pigments are now able to be seen.  This week Elkins has been celebrating The Forest Festival and next week the Black Walnut Festival starts in Spencer.

On Facebook this morning, Tom Steele, a photographer in St. Albans, shared a few of his fall photos.  His work is below.  Please visit his Facebook page.

The glory of Dolly Sods is always a treat.  In fall, this ecosystem really shows the color in the unique vegetation.  As you all know, the area is special in our family's heart.

Blackwater Falls and Blackwater Canyon are certainly amazing at this time of the year.

 We leave you with Tom's photos of Babcock State Park and Seneca Rocks.  Have a great day!

WHY?

This is the news from a few days ago.  I read this and felt sad that such a magnificent creature was destroyed for a gaming adventure.  

Four hunters knew there was a huge 'gator in the wetlands where they had hunting permits. He gave them a scare before they killed him, but they wound up with a state record - 697.5 pounds. 

After being hooked, the gator sat on the bottom. When it came up for air, it surfaced under the boat. Jim Reed of Greenville told The Clarion-Ledger that depending on who's talking, the gator either rocked or nearly sank the boat. 

From first hook to final gunshot took two hours, with another 2 1/2 to wrestle the beast to shore and lash its head to the boat trailer. 

Reed, Tom Grant, of Cleveland, Kenny Winter, of Greenville, and Michael Robbers of Palos Verdes, Calif., broke the old record by 7 pounds.

 Rovio Returns

On Thursday of this past week, I downloaded the newest game from Rovio.  Dan, I would suggest you do this also - this game is YOU.  Rovio is the software company that produced the ever successful Angry Birds.

Here is a portion of the review from Winda Benedett.

You really can't go wrong spending the pocket change or the time it'll cost you to buy and play the newest game from the creators of "Angry Birds." When it comes to puzzle gaming for your mobile device, "Bad Piggies" really is the whole hog.

The "Angry Birds" spinoff from Finnish game company Rovio (which launched in Apple's App store Thursday - September 27, 2012) has everything you'd want from a great mobile game — the bright art, oddly lovable characters, ear-worm music and, most importantly, the highly-polished, infectious and thought-provoking puzzle gameplay you can jump into and out of at (almost) a moment's notice. 

But let's get something straight: Though this game is clearly a sister/spin-off/sequel to the phenomenally successful Angry Birds games,  there is nary a slingshot or irate avian to be found in "Bad Piggies." As the name implies, this game is all about the birds' egg-thieving nemesis. And, more importantly, "Bag Piggies" has a gameplay mechanic all its own.

"Bad Piggies" will require more of you — and your brain — than the Angry Birds games do. While you can kind of mindlessly send your birds slingshotting through the air in "Angry Birds," you can't just mindlessly send your piggy rolling down a hill ... at least not if you want to be remotely successful.

You need to think about what you're building, you need to refine your work and you'll need to stay focused as your pig is in motion. It will certainly take you more time to get into the groove of this game — and that could be offputting to some casual players. But ultimately this is a good thing. "Bad Piggies" is, in many ways, more challenging than its angry brethren and, I think, because of that it is more rewarding. It really is an absolute joy to see your pig fly ... and reach his destination in one piece.