The signs of seasons changing

For two weeks in a row there has been a flock of about 15 turkeys grazing in our yard. There is one really big Tom turkey that I think would taste mighty fine smoked in our smoker. Perhaps one of our hunters will get lucky this year and get one of those as well as their deer. This is only one of the first signs of the season changing. One of our hunters has delivered a load of fire wood already and seeded the power line with some sort of grass that the deer like and are attracted to. (We are over run with deer and appreciate the fact that we have three hunters that like to thin the herd a bit.) Another thing that I notice the most about early sings of seasonal change is when I go to the gym after work. I am already driving home in the dark. The sounds outside are of late summer as well.

We talked to Sevren today and he made it into Lusaka to purchase a guitar. I am really happy that he now has some sort of instrument to play. He also updated his blog with pictures of of new family for those of you that are interested. It is always a treat to talk to him and get updates about his life . He has recieved a couple of letters from Meg and will hopefully get mine next week along with the care package that I sent.

It has been hot and very humid this last week in central Virginia. Tomorrow is suppose to be better. I hope so anyway. Perhaps that will spur me to keep my star when I workout with Derek tomorrow. (I have a tendency to give it away somewhere in the workout.)

There is one less groundhog in the world today. It was unfortunate to be in our yard when Dave walked by the window. Dave proved to be an excellent marksman and took it out with no problem. I think there are some more out there...it is just a feeling...but I think there are some brothers and sisters. That is one of the things we miss about not having a dog. Ginger really kept the population of those things at bay.

Time at The "Rivah"

I just returned from spending 3 days at the "Rivah" with Dahle. Of course we spent our usual day of shopping at the Williamsburg outlet stores...where many bargains were to be found. Our favorite new store there is the Columbia outlet store. After our shopping day we had a lovely dinner at "Debbies". (In the old days it was Dave's Last Chance and those of you that appreciated Daves' wonderful She Crab soup before he changed the recipe to a soup no one would buy will be delighted to know the the current ower has a really good Crab soup on the menu.)

The next day found us over in Kilmarnick and much to our dismay the owner of a shop that we always visit has had it with the economy and is going out of business. I snagged some nice things at that shop and everything was 30 to 50% off. Then we tried a new place for lunch...Alley Lane. They had a really good crabcake....but I'd still venture back to that place over in Glouster for one of theirs. We spent the rest of that day watching a movie (The Departed) and just trying to stay cool as it was 95 degrees and humid outside. We also decided to stay in and cooked a nice dinner at home.

Today we sat on Earl's new pier and walked around the neighborhood to observe all of the changes that have taken place since I was last there. In October Dahle and Debbie will move the rest of their stuff to Clarksville and Dahle will reside mostly there and hope that the Rivah house sells soon. It already has a different feel and it is hard to think of not going there as I always return from my visits refreshed and revived.

Tomorrow it is back to work and back to my exercise routine...Derek gave me a great workout last Sunday and I am looking forward to practicing what I have learned.

Last weeks Happenings

We were delighted last Sunday evening that Meg joined us for dinner and brought with her a delicious fruit tart. She is an exceptional baker and we always love it when she brings a sample of her labors with her. We had a very nice visit as well.
On Monday after work we ventured to Wintergreen and had dinner there. Sarah and Eleanor were visiting Marj and Des. It was good to see both of them and get caught up on family news. Marj and Des are both feeling better these days and looked great.
Nothing else is happening here other than yoga workouts for Dave and Derek workouts for me. Next week I plan to go to the "Rivah" to shop with Dahle and play for a few
We did see a great movie last week from our Netflix account, "The Cider House Rules". Dave has the book and I plan to read it next as he said a great deal was left out of the movie.

Still performing at 68

Sunday evening Dave and I ventured to the Pavillion on the downtown mall after a meal at Sals' Pizza for a concert featuring Doctor John and The Neville Brothers. I must say that I was impressed with Doctor Johns' performance in several ways. The man is 68 years old and still giving a great performance. He played and sang for an hour and a half and at one point played an organ and a piano at the same time. (They were set up on stage back to back.) He walked with a cane, but he still put on a really good show. The Neville brothers were for the most part loud to me (our seats were on row six) but I am really glad that I got to hear Aaron Neville sing. That guy can really reach a high note and can make a single word have at least five or six syllables. Those guys are getting up there in age as well. One of them was wheeled to the edge of the stage in a wheelchair and assisted to his position on stage.

We have been able to talk to Sevren freqently on his Zambian cell phone. He really loves where he is and has moved in with his host family. The family has three daughters aged 8, 5 and 6 months. Sevren has his own single room hut behind their house, has been furnished with a Trek bike and bikes to his classes about 11 kilometers one way. He has language and agriculture classes during his trainig period. He is in a village by the name of Chongwe and is adjusting to his environment very well. His host family is very hospitable and he sounds happy. He will be happier on August 15th when he will travel back to Lusaka with his teacher who also is a music teacher to purchase a guitar.

It is still way too quite in our house. I hope I adjust to this sometime soon.