2008 in Review/May-June

Yesterday we approached 70 degrees...a December 27th record for sure...much different that the day we buried dad on December 27, 1972....a cold bitter windy day, as we laid him to rest in the Scott Ohio Cemetery. Yesterday dawned windy but warm, it actually felt like May or early June rather than late December. Patricia and I even walked the Fairgrounds....the first non-basketball related exercise that I've had in 3 weeks. Last night I finally slept through the night in bed, without getting up coughing, and moving to the Lazy Boy that I parked next to the bed to get through the sleep without waking everybody in the house up....maybe, I will start to get back to normal before basketball officiating resumes January 5th.

Today it's back to normal weather wise...windy and mid 30s, but no snow anytime soon on the horizon for west Ohio.

2008 in Review
May-June
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We began May by receiving Hal's "Sheepskin" from Wright State University...he graduated in March, received his diploma in early May, and finally marched in the ceremony in June. He would return in the fall, and is currently student teaching at Fairborn High School(near Dayton) and taking grad courses at WSU....he will receive his Masters in High School History Ed in the coming spring.

I also made my final RV delivery for Hoosier Transit...at least for now. I took a BT Cruiser from Nappanee, Indiana, to Piqua, Ohio...Piqua is just a short drive from Celina, so I took the run....my last, unless things change in the RV world....I decided instead to pick up my Basketball officiating license from the State of Ohio. This would give me the "tri-fecta", Baseball, Football, and Basketball....so now, I'm doing all 3...it would work out, especially since my part time contract gig at the Honda Satellite plant in Greenville would come to an end later in the fall, as well.

On the blog I finished up work on my look back at growing up on the beaches of Venice, Florida, in the 1950s and 60s. In sports I finished up my spring baseball season...doing several tournament games, including a pair up in Bascom, Ohio, with son Sam, in Sectional Finals. June would see ACME and American Legion baseball take over. I also followed my 2 favorite hockey teams...the NHL Philly Flyers made the east Semis...while my area minor league team, The Fort Wayne Komets rode their regular season domination of the IHL into the finals of the Turner Cup, winning that by coming back from a 3-1 deficit.

The personal highlight of May came in the later part of the month, with my annual travel to west central Michigan, Mesick, to be exact, with the Pearson men, Rick and sons, Clay and Guy, and Clint Thompson...our Mushroom hunt wasn't all that successful from a gathering standpoint, but we did have a grand old time, hunting them, drinking beer, and telling our usual BS stories to the youngsters. We already have our dates worked out for 2009....and it's not all that far away.


June meanwhile, saw the wedding of my sister Marty's middle daughter Molly, to former Celina and Ohio University football standout Aaron...who, along with his older brother, now coaches football at Hillsdale College in Michigan. First time in many years we have had all the family and most of the nearby cousins together at one time....it was a good time. Molly and Aaron are now expecting their first child in March.

Baseball continue in the heat and while dodging thunderstorms. We had Hal's graduation party and meal at The Back 40 in Decatur, Indiana. It was a busy and warm June...I got to drink plenty of beer and smoke good cigars on the back steps and front porch, watered the flowers when needed and spent as much time outdoors as possible. After the wedding and Hal's graduation, Patricia and Anissa made their annual summer trip to Wisconsin for a week in the middle of the month. I stayed home with the dog, cat, and on occasion the boys. It was a good summer start, and I can't wait for the next one to begin...did I mention I HATE WINTER?

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Photos-The 3 Amigos...Pearson, Thompson, Houseworth...one of our few get togethers as a trio since our days in Athens, Ohio, in the mid 70s. Rick and his boys and Clay's friend from school. Grub on the outdoor grill....cures the common hangover. The Jeep in the Green of the National Forest near Mesick. The June wedding...Uncle Jack with his 3 grand nieces Megan, Molly, and Miki....sisters Kelly the youngest, and Marty....me and the boys..Hal, left, and I had a few beers by this point, Sam was sober as a Judge...the only smart non-drinking male around. Patricia and Anissa at the Dayton Airport getting ready to head to Wisconsin for a week...and a nest of Robins...a couple of many young critters that lived in and surrounded the back yard and fence area in the late spring and early summer.