Life with The Swell Guy!

Most Times Driven Into Garage with Bikes on Roof Rack

Bernard Bete of Marseille, France, has driven into his garage 14 times, destroying a total of 21 bikes, 12 racks, 9 car roofs, 7 friendships and 2 marriages. Although this might seem like an attainable record, be forewarned: Bete recently landed a new job at an office complex with underground parking.

Cycling Tips....from a car driver

So yesterday I was talking to two of my buddies that are beginning to embrace a cycling lifestyle.  This lead to a short conversation regarding safety when sharing to road with motorists.  Awhile back I came across these cycling tips (from a car driver) and I think now is a good time to share with all of you.  Enjoy.

PS:  Mr. You-Know-Who, get a hat!!

Fly, Baby Girl, Fly

This morning we are taking Bethany, our Baby Girl, to the airport.  She's leaving for a week of training in Indianapolis and then off to her summer internship in Kenya.

I've been looking forward to this day.
And, I've not been looking forward to this day.

It seems like only hours ago I held this newborn baby girl in my arms.   Since that day there have been quite a few milestones along the way.  Between the loving, teaching, and protecting, we parents spend a lot of time trusting, releasing, and letting go.  Some days that is easy and other days it can take our breath away.

Beth has already had quite a journey preparing for this summer.  You can read some of her thoughts and some very good writing here on her blog.  She is a natural leader and excellent student.  She quietly mentioned that she pulled a 4.0 GPA in college this year while being fully involved in campus life.  I'm not surprised that her faculty is excited to have her back next year and have begun pulling her aside to offer encouragement about the future.

So it is time.  Our Baby Girl is ready to spread her wings a bit more.  Mom and Dad are not quite as ready, but we will cheer for her and pray that gentle winds bring her back to us at the end of the summer.  This one is a little harder, but we have stressed the importance to our children in going.  So fly, Baby Girl, fly!

 

God is good

I took this photo early Sunday morning while I was waiting for Brian to begin our morning bike ride.  I was thinking of  joking that Godfrey's was welcoming me back from my long trip, but what I really noticed was the top line.  See the extra space in "GOO D"?  It reminds me of my friend, Sugar Dave, back in PA.

Sugar Dave says "God is good"  all the time, but he says "good" in about four or five syllables.  It sounds like Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation when he says the Christmas dinner was goo-uhh-aah-uud.  I'll trust you understand what I am talking about.   I'd miss it if Sugar Dave stopped saying it all the time.

Later during the Sunday service Pastor David had a multi-point message to deliver.  He covered a lot of ground, but when he got to the end, he said what he really wanted to say...what he really wanted us to hear...was "God is good".  Here is the last scripture reference from the  message:

I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth.
Stay with God!
Take heart.  Don't quit.
I'll say it again;  Stay with God.

Note:  I picked the the words used in The  Message - Psalm 27:13-14

Message delivered.  Message received.

Sauce Wars - No. 2

Sunday afternoon gave way to a beautiful day on the lake.  We relaxed, boated a bit, and I fired up the Magic Chinese Cooking Box and cooked a beautiful pork butt.  It worked out great and provided the perfect platform for he highly anticipated Sauce Wars - No. 2.

This round featured all new entries.  It will take another round or two before we can stage a run off.  This will likely take awhile since Beth has requested we continue to include her and she will be in Kenya from Wednesday until the end of August.

I made sure to only choose sauces from The South this round.  No national brand junk for us!  If it's not southern, it's not sauce.  Yes, you are free to quote me on this statement!

Here are the results:

CHS Coleman's Original - It is kind of orange colored and the label is intriguing.  Plus, if it was shipped over from Savannah it must be good....right?   Wrong.  We figured out why Savannah exports this stuff.  It tastes like vinegar and heat, but not much else.  This sauce scored no points and finished a dead last.

Stump's Gourmet - Corley's Market promotes this sauce at their store.  They often feature chopped pork, hash, and ribs from this outfit from Hodges, SC.  It's not bad.  Denine picked it as her first choice.  We all agreed it was not bad, but it could use a little more body and maybe a little sweetness up front.  It's a little on the thin side.  Give it a shot of tomato sauce and sweet punch and it could be a great sauce.  A solid showing.

Big Shanty Sauce - This sauce was delivered to me in a small Mason jar from the Travis Brewington private reserve stock. Nice.   Beth picked it as her first choice.  We all liked it.  Denine and I though it could do without the hickory flavor added.  It has a solid red sauce base with some sweet and some heat.  Maybe the sauce guru overdid it and tried to help too much with the wood flavoring.  A good sauce from a place I'd like to visit. 

Maurice's Southern Gold - In a word, WOW!!  Several folks recommended this sauce after Sauce Wars No. 1.  I'm not usually a mustard sauce guy, but this stuff is unique.  The mustard does not overwhelm the sauce as so often happens with yellow sauces.  Instead, it accents the nice sweetness with a tang and nice little kick.  Well done.  Two second place votes and one first place vote make it our winner.  While I don't see it as being my everyday at home sauce, I was impressed.  I see why it has a big following.

Disclaimer:  Maurice's Southern Gold is contraband in Georgia.  Evidently they have a problem with labels that show Old Dixie.  I say we should not be exporting this stuff anyway and guys like Travis just need to stop smuggling it before something bad happens.

So there you have it.  Results from Sauce Wars - No. 2.  Suggestions for No. 3 in late summer are welcome, but remember, we no longer subscribe to commercial national brands.  That's just the way it is.

Easy like a Sunday morning

Early Sunday Dr. Brian and I went for a ride before church.  It was a beautiful morning on a nice loop with great company.  This is one of the reasons I love the sport.

Hair Today - Gone Tomorrow

The Zappa.  Denine did not laugh hysterically, but she was amused.  She commented that I look like one of the Hudson Brothers, but she was not sure which one.

I'm not too sure what I think.  I nicked myself in a spot where I no longer know my face and I had to do the TP routine.  If you look close you can see the spot.

My immediate reaction was to grow it back, but I'm going to wait a few days.  Oddly enough, I'm feeling that I should say something profound and I have the urge to learn the guitar.

Super Happy Land of Bananas!

It's Memorial Day Weekend!  Forget the calender, summer is here!  Get your bar-b-que on!  Find some sun.  Find some friends!  Take time to chill-laxe.  You know what I am talking about!

PS:  This is me without a beard.

The Pink Panther's Secret Discovered!

Every once and a while I get the urge to view my face differently.  Being that I'm a guy (yes, it's good to be a man) it's not that hard to make a change.  In fact, the Van Dyke beard (most folks call it a goatee) that I've had for a long time is the result of stopping half way when trimming a short full beard that I wore for a while.

About once a year I am compelled to completely shave my beard.  Once complete a rather large baby face is revealed and I immediately question my sanity.  Within minutes Denine usually sees me and instantly says "Grow it back!" with no other comment.  Sigh.  Maybe I'll see something different next time....

This guy is really working on different facial looks.  Over a period of time he is working to complete the entire facial chart.  I'd say that is good work! 

Perhaps he is really onto something.  Instead of going clean shaved maybe I should explore another style.  I'm kind  of leaning towards The Zappa.

New - Old - Same - Changed

When I have been out of town awhile it seems that more stuff catches my attention when I return home.  The first several days home I am keenly aware of what is new, what has changed, what is going on, and what remains unchanged.  Here are a few things that have bumped my radar these past few days.

• The leaves on the trees have pushed all the way out.  Spring is starting to yield to the oncoming summer and I suspect big heat is on the way.
• Rob's Megaphone is pulling big time hit numbers.  I hear there is a rumor that Lander University is considering a name change to honor their esteemed professor and may go with "Lander presents Mega U".   Don't you think that would be rather hip and catchy?
• Business signs around Greenwood still delight me.  The Greenwood Civic Center is featuring a bunch of  alphabet soup messages right now and the beauty school is "Now 3nroll1ng".
• The Dixie Grill still is.  Chick-fil-A and Waffle House still does.  And The Carolina Bar-b-Que Shack will be honoring that magical meat, pork, again on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week.
• Paul and Robin got new bikes.  Whoo-Hoo!  Let the good times roll!  Speaking of  Paul...What has two legs, a kickstand, a wet lap, and features a Funkycast?  That's right, it's Paul's World of Funky Stuff!
• And Steve...well, he's still Steve.  That is very cool.
• Our church completed the "40 Days of Community" campaign.  Paul has some great stuff about it on his web site (mentioned above).  You should check it out.  I get this odd feeling about the word "campaign" because the word makes me feel like someone is trying to get me excited about something I don't want to do.  That was not the case with these 40 days.  The church left the building and got to know our community better.  In our small groups we got to know each other better and learned more how to love and pray for each other.  That is good stuff.  To me it looks a little more like what Christ intended for his church.
• The sky has been that deep Carolina Blue the last three days.  It is pure and deep and amazing.
• And Denine was waiting for me when I got home.  We are about the hit the 24 year mark and she is still my best friend.  My life is richer and better because of her.  That, my friends, is something that makes coming home the best.

Peace, love, and cornbread