So you want to be a millionaire?

The pool in the backyard of this palatial home is where we went swimming this past summer. A family member works for the gentleman who owns the home. The home is 30,0000 square feet in size, with all kinds of amenities and expensive pieces of furniture, as you might expect. One heavy, old and well-built piece of furniture caught my attention in particular in one of the rooms in the home. It kind of looked like an armoire of some sort. I asked about the piece. My brother-in-law told me it was from Ireland, and when he gave me a dollar amount of its value, I realized it was more expensive than my whole house. Unbelievable!

The gentlemen's Civil War artifact collection is substantial as well, and includes the original "Missionary Ridge" battle flag of the Confederate Army. Impressive to say the least! And as I was casually mulling about the living room in the home, I picked up what looked to me to be a diary of some sort. When I enquired of my brother-in-law as to what it was, he replied that it was Jefferson Davis' diary. I gasped in disbelief and quickly and carefully put it back where I found it, not wanting to wrinkle any page or leave any trace that I had picked it up! What a piece of history! I asked him what it was valued at? He told me that it was valued at a quarter of a million dollars.

Whew! Glad I wasn't clumsy that day.

I snapped this picture (bottom of the page) of an old Jeep while at the mansion. I asked my brother-in-law who's it was. He told me that it was Allen Jackson's old Jeep, the Jeep he sings about in one of his songs. Apparently the gentleman of the house had purchased it from Jackson at a charity benefit a while back. I guess when you've got the bucks you get the chance to rub shoulders with all kinds of famous people.

Excuse me now while I go back to typing on my computer desk purchased at Wal-Mart. :)



Me, my brother-in-law and his frined sitting around the table at the pool.
The "Missionary Ridge" battle flag.

B-Day Card

I turned 45 this past week. Have a look at the birthday card my sister-in-law gave me. It's a riot!!

Click here to see what it says inside.

And yes, the card really came with the comb.

A Commerical

Thought you might enjoy this one!

Children's Hospital

Some pictures I took yesterday of construction going on where I work. The structure is going to be a new children's hospital. My fascination though is mostly with the crane, as you can tell.
Click on the pics to enlarge.

Here's a pic of the counterweight used to balance the crane. Believe it or not, the crane is not even bolted to the ground; it's free-standing, relying solely on the forces of weight and counterweight to keep it from toppling to the ground.
The hospital.
In this pic, I caught the operator outside his crane walking on the boom making a cell phone call.

Bob Hope in Claremore

An old picture of Bob Hope riding in a parade in my hometown of Claremore, OK. I believe the year was 1949. As it turns out, Bob Hope used to do a regular radio spot from Claremore in the 40's.

For a small town, Claremore has had its share of notoriety. Famous people from Claremore include: Patti Page, the singer; Will Rogers the humorist, cowboy, actor, political commentator and sixth cousin to me, by the way; Lynn Riggs, the playwright who wrote "Green Grow the Lilacs" which became the award-winning musical "Oklahoma", starring Shirley Jones and Gordon McRae. It is a favorite of mine and if you've ever had the opportunity to see it, look closely and you will notice in one scene a railroad station with "Claremore" painted on it. If you're from Claremore...that's a BIG DEAL. :)

A little more about Lynn Riggs: My grandfather, John Ovid Mayberry, had Lynn Riggs as an English professor while he was attending Oklahoma University back in 1926. He asked my grandfather to write about apple pie, making it as descriptive as possible so as to try and convey what it tasted like to a person who had never eaten any.

Just a little bit of family history my dad passed on to me.

Also, the astronaut Stuart Roosa was raised in Claremore but not born here. And I know there are other famous folks I can't think of right now.

One of the Locals

If you hear the sound of "Dueling Banjos" playing in the background, you might want to run. :)

A Tax Break

Please click here for an important tax message: http://216.206.61.233/TaxRefund.pps

If you can't view the above very important message, then you can download Powerpoint Viewer here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=428d5727-43ab-4f24-90b7-a94784af71a4&displaylang=en

What's in a name?

I've been in a mood for Celtic music lately. Don't really know why, maybe because some of my roots are Celtic, as are a great many of us who have European Ancestry. I would one day really like to see the lands where they used to live, Ireland and Scotland in particular.

My ancestry: English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, German, Cherokee, Spanish and probably some nationalities I'm not yet aware of. I've traced my Ancestry on my Dad's side back to 1750. Frederick (my last name), who came from Germany surprisingly, is an ancestor of mine. I say "surprisingly" because my last name is essentially an English name. Apparently there were some people with my last name who immigrated from England to Germany early on. Someday, when I have time, I want to pursue that part of my genealogy further.

I've had my genealogy pages out on the web for quite a while now, and I have been rewarded with some interesting and informative emails from relatives who have seen my site that I never even knew existed. Many of these third and fourth cousins have shared valuable genealogical information with me to post on my site.

Genealogy can be time-consuming, which is why more retired people (no, I'm not retired) get involved with it than any other age group. I was fortunate that most of the material I have about my lineage was already available to me. My Dad's side of the family kept meticulous records; I was just the guy who made them available on the web for other researchers to benefit from, and in the process I became that much more interested in genealogy.

Someday, when I retire, I would like to do the actual footwork that all serious genealogist do: visit courthouses and graveyards in different states, visit with people by phone and in person, review lots of documents, etc.

For those of us who are not yet able to visit those far-away places to find those nuggets of genealogical gold, the Internet will have to do. And I've got to say it has been a real help to me.

So if you are one who has an interest in your family history, and you have documents and photographs, why not post them online? You might be surprised at the relatives you never knew you had who will send you emails, and probably more information about your family!

The 70's

These guys sure bring back some good musical memories from the seventies. America.


For those of you who missed the 70's, it was a great decade to grow up in. We had some great T.V programs too: The Partridge Family, The Walton's, The Brady Bunch, The Flip Wilson Show, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five O, Bonanza, ABC Movie of the Week, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mork and Mindy, and many more.



And I can remember when you could actually watch a Heavyweight Boxing Match for free, before for-pay programming was ever even heard of. And in this neck of the woods, (Tulsa area) there were only three channels to watch: 2, 6 and 8. We had no VCR's to record our favorite programs with; no T.V remotes with which to change channels and adjust the volume, those functions were all done manually by getting our rumps up and going over to actually touch the T.V. To you youngsters out there, that must sound absolutely barbaric!

And our television sets looked something like this. When the tuner would start to wear out, you had to go over and try and adjust the set to get it to hold the channel you were watching. Also the vertical hold would have to be adjusted from time to time to keep the picture from endlessly rolling. Remember those days, Baby Boomers?

But to us they were the best of times, and I wouldn't have traded them for any other decade to grow up in. :)



Susan Dey

More Smokey Mountain and Ohio Vacation Pics

I don't have much to write about today so I'll just post some more pics of our travels this past summer. I snapped this one in Andy Griffith's hometown, Mount Airy, NC.
Mother and daughter
My daughter Hannah in front of Barney's Cafe. Some great food there!
Just like her mother, a natural shopper.
Hannah and myself posing on a rock in Smokey Mountain National Park.

A Halloween Tale

Well, being that it's Halloween, I guess I'll go ahead and post a spooky story I've had out on the web for a few years now. I still get some interesting emails regarding the story from people who visit the page. Some day I'm going to record my Dad telling the story, and then upload it to my web page in MP3 format for all to hear, because he's the one who actually lived through it and no one can tell it like he can.

Well, enough chatter. Here's the story of "700 Elm".

The Thunderbirds

I've seen them (The Thunderbirds) several times and they never cease to amaze me! This is my dream - to hitch a ride in a fighter aircraft someday.

Victorians

I went for an early-morning walk around the old residential section of my hometown this morning with my camera in hand. The crisp, fall weather was just perfect and I took the opportunity to snap some pics of some old Victorians in town, two of which used to belong to my Grandparents. It's a shame that no one in the family currently owns them. Maybe someday one of us will again.



The one above used to belong to my Grandparents and has now been turned into a very nice Bed & Breakfast. My wife and I have actually stayed here since it was made into a B&B and the current owners have done a fantastic job of renovation. It's called the "Carriage House" because of the little house on the side that used to actually be a carriage house back in the old days, horses, buggies and all. If you're ever in town, it's well worth a stay.

I can remember spending many a Merry Christmas here as youngsters together with our cousins, aunts, uncles and friends of the family. We had a close-knit extended family back then. I miss that.

This is an old Victorian that has also been renovated and is currently for sale. This wasn't a family home of ours and I'm not sure about the history of it, but it's a beautiful, spacious home just looking for a lucky owner. (and no, I'm not a real estate agent)

And this old Victorian was built by my Great Grandfather. A cousin of mine actually owned it for a while after my Grandparents passed away, before he finally sold to someone else. As with the "Carriage House" above, the current owners of this home have done a great job of restoration. When my cousin owned it he also did some restoration. It's a sturdy, well-built home with a garage apartment in back. It used to have a slate roof but that was discarded in favor of regular shingles at some point.

More sights and sounds of my hometown later...

The Ads

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has problems with composition from time to time. :)

The Entertainer

Another clip from our recent KC trip. This is Hannah's Uncle Christian, my little brotha' from anotha' motha'. As you can see he's quite entertaining, and from the laughter you hear in the background, has my daughter Hannah in stitches.

All in all we had a great time and the food was super. We ate at a restaurant called "Granite City Food and Brewery". I had the "Four Cheese Rigatoni" which was scrumptious. The beer I chose was the "Two Pull", which was a mix of two different beers. I don't remember which ones now but it was very smooth, not bitter at all and went well with the meal.

The Conversation

My daughter talking to my Dad on the cell phone. As you can see from her expression, she still doesn't know quite what to make of him.

The Coin Toss

On a recent trip to a water park in Kansas City, KS, watch as my wife has to flip a coin to settle a dispute between our 10-year-old daughter and her 9-year-old uncle (don't ask) as to which one will get the top bunk in our room. My daughter may look like me, but she has her mother's Irish temper!!

Nickelback- Savin' Me

Yes, I'm a fan of Nickelback.

A Survey

A survey a couple of classmates sent me recently.

Instructions:
Try this. It is very interesting, especially if it returns to you. Copy to a new email, place an X by all the things you've done,
or remove the x from the ones you have not, and send it to all of your friends, including me.

This is for your entire life:


(x) Smoked a cigarette
(x) Drank so much you threw up
( ) Crashed a friend's car (or a family members)
( ) Stolen a car
(x) Been in love
(x) Been dumped
( ) Shoplifted candy
(x) Quit your job
(x) Been in a fist fight
( ) Snuck out of your parent's house
(x) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) Been arrested
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Lied to a friend
(x ) Skipped school
(x ) Seen someone die
() Been to Canada
() Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Felt like dying
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x ) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang karaoke?
(x) Paid for a meal with only coins
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls... this is the new guy from K-hits...anyone?
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue and made snow angels
( ) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x ) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles


Mother's name Barbara
What is your favorite drink? Non-alcoholic: Tea. Alcoholic: Merlot
Soda: Coke
Tattoos? none
Body piercing/ears? None
How much do you love your job? Okay
What day is it? Thursday
Current home? Claremore
Favorite vacation spot? Montana, Ohio.
Ever been to Africa? NoEver steal any traffic signs? No
Ever been in a car accident? YesSalad dressing? Ranch
Favorite pie? Pecan
Favorite number? 7
Favorite movies: The Ten Commandments, The Gladiator, The Patriot, Signs, Star Wars, The Quiet Man.
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Favorite food? Too many to list
Favorite day of the week? Sunday
Favorite brand of body soap? Whatever
Favorite toothpaste? Crest
Favorite smell? Freshly cut green grass
What do you do to relax? Sitting on my front porch swing in the morning drinking coffee, with my German Shepherd, Jewel, as company. Driving my Jeep with the top off. Listening to music. Prayer.
Message to your friends reading this: (Mar 8:36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
What do you do when you are bored? Computer, what else?

Cheesecake Recipe

Here's an old family cheesecake recipe that you will surely enjoy. It came from my wife's side of the family, passed down from her grandmother who used to live in Ohio. With the holidays soon upon us, I thought I'd post it for others to enjoy.

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert, the only one I think I could over-dose on! :)

Bush Bloopers

Pass your mouse pointer over the screen to start the video.

The Good Old Days

Some pics of me and my hot rod an old friend sent me recently. The good old days.

In the pic at the drive-in, I'm the one kneeling and talking to my brother in the other T/A. My wife (then girlfriend) is sitting in my car, the one in the front of the picture.

The big guy is someone nobody wanted to mess with. It's good to have friends!

In some of the other pics, the guy in the overalls is me.

Crack in the door

Some undercover footage my wife shot of our daughter in her room. Pass your mouse pointer over the middle of the screen to start the video.

Momma and baby

Some footage I captured this past weekend of a momma and her baby.

Vacation

We just recently got back from vacation in the Smokey Mountains.

Altogether we traveled through, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee before arriving back in OK. If you've never traveled the Blueridege Parkway, I very much recommend it.

On our way through North Carolina we stopped at a little place called Barney's Cafe, which is in Andy Griffith's hometown -- Mount Airy. All I've got to say is that the food, even though it consisted of only Cheeseburgers and other fast food items, was fantastic! My Mother-in-law said she had never had a better cheeseburger, and when the waitress asked me what I wanted to drink, I'm glad I told her sweet tea instead of unsweetened. Unsweetened tea is what I usually drink. There's just something about how they do sweet tea in the south!!! I've never had tea that good before.

Anyway, I'll post some more pics soon.

Vacation

Here is video from our recent Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee vacation.

If you need more volume, click and drag the volume bar all the way to the right.

Video Safari

You're invited to join us on our video safari.

Here's a compilation of video shots over the course of a couple of weeks. My daughter and I have come to love these little "Video Safari's" we go on. This morning she saw a wild turkey but I didn't have the camera on "Record" when I thought it was. Bummer.

We are trying to get a clip of a poisonous snake but so far no luck. Maybe next time.

Stay tuned.

This Morning's Jeep Adventure

I just got back from an early-morning Jeep ride with my German Shepherd, Jewel. The cool morning air was just perfect -- unusual for Oklahoma this time of year.

We encountered some unexpected wildlife, as you can see from the photos. I'm guessing it was because of the mild temperatures.



This bad boy is a cottonmouth snake (also known as a water moccasin) we caught right in the middle of the road. I wish I'd had my video camera for this one, for some live-action shots. Maybe next time. They have very nasty temperments, are poisonous, and are prone to stay and fight rather than slither away to safety.