Hospitals are Fun - Who Knew?

In my small town, there are not many things to do on a sweltering end-of-July day. So, where do my boys like to hang out on a day such as this? Our new hospital, of course! Why? "They have free wi-fi and good coffee!" they will tell you.

Is there a career in medicine in their future? More likely, video game design.

The wi-fi is for them, and the coffee is for me. They have learned that, if they mention coffee, it increases the chance that I'll take them where they want to go. And, by the way, I don't care if there is a heat index of 109 outside. I love my coffee! Inside the hospital it's quite cool, so I can sit and drink away while the boys play games at lego.com  or www.spongebobwhatever until my computer battery runs out. As an added bonus, I always run into someone I know (from church usually - we are good presbyterians) who works there, so I get the chance to do some "visiting."

Would you like to take a guess at how we rounded out our Friday?

Yes, we went to a bull riding tournament/contest (or whatever it's called). A first for all four of us. The event was a fundraiser for a local medical clinic, and Mr. Perfect was a sponsor. It was actually pretty entertaining - the crowd as much as the contestants. (Why, young "country girls" do you need to wear boots when it is 96 and humid at 8:00 in the evening? I guess they do look better with your Daisy Dukes than a comfortable pair of flip flops would.) Sorry, I have no pictures of the actual bull riding as I was too busy swatting killer gnats to take more than this one photo.

Mr. Perfect, is it just me, or is your neck turning a peculiar shade of red?


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Visit a State Park

Mr. Perfect and I have decided to visit every one of our state parks.

So far, since moving back to Georgia, we've been to four. We have a very long way to go. There are several reasons why we've decided to challenge ourselves like this:
1.  Usually, the only cost to enter the park to hike or see the historic sites is an admissions fee of no more than $5 per car. That is certainly within our budget. Reserving a camp site, group shelter, etc. will cost more, but it's reasonable.
2.  Both of our boys are active Cub Scouts, so state parks give us lots of opportunities to earn badges and work on rank advancements.
3.  It's good, clean fun with the family.
4.  Our taxes help pay for the parks, so we want to see our "investment" in action.
5.  I actually feel closer to God when I'm observing His creation, so I want to see as much of it as possible.

We spent Memorial Day weekend Pioneer Camping with the Cub Scout Pack at Skidaway Island State Park in Savannah. Boy, was it hot! We had a great time though. It was a fun and educational experience for us all.  Many state parks have lectures, guided tours, and hands-on lessons that you can attend without reservations.

Here's one where the boys learned about Georgia's birds of prey.

At twilight one night, we learned about bats. See the big bat house?

The boys are watching other Georgia birds, particularly the painted bunting.

We camped at a site that was 1/2 mile from the parking lot and 3/4 mile
from the bathroom. That was a new experience for me - and, it wasn't as
bad as I expected. 

Last weekend, we went to George L. Smith State Park in Twin City - about an hour from here.

This park is most notable for its lake and historic mill house.

Boy #1 was very interested in these diagrams of how the mill operated.

Boy #2 quickly found a walking stick for himself. Notice the camera he
got for Christmas. He loves to take pictures of things he finds outside.

State Parks have very clear markings and information. If you stick
to the trails, it's just about impossible to get lost.

I love these old trees!

This fall, we're planning to go camping at Amicolola Falls State Park - home of a beautiful waterfall. See what neat things you can see at a state park near you.

We're Getting Close!

It is so very hot here in South Georgia, but I am keeping positive because my house should be ready for move in very soon. I don't think we'll make it before I go back to work on August 1, but it should be only a week or two after that. Here are the pictures that I took while we were there last night:

The porch railing arrived yesterday, so it should go up soon.

With the exception of needing one more column and some railing, the side porch and patio are finished.

Another view of the side porch from the back.

Kitchen - the cabinets are ready; we're just waiting on the painter to finish up.

Kitchen - the sink will be under the window.

The back side of the house - the concrete was poured Tuesday.

Finally, a new post

The house project is moving along... slowly, but surely. We had hoped to be in the house by June 1. Now, I'm hoping to be in by August 1. Here are a few pictures of the progress:

Next week, exterior painting should be completed, interior trim will begin, gutters should be installed, and, hopefully, the concrete for the parking area, porch stairs and patio will be poured.  I hate to be a pessimist, but I'll have to see it to believe it. Some of the subs that came HIGHLY recommended to us have turned out to be unreliable. The trim guys have been pretty much holding up the entire project for two weeks. They say they will start Tuesday. If we can find someone else to do it before then, we've decided that we'll fire them. 

There are many positives to designing and building your own house, but there are a couple of things I've learned after going through this process twice:

1 - it will take twice as long (at least) as you expected;

2 - you will wind up hating with a hot passion at least half of the subs you hire.

Enough being negative - we are very excited about our new home and hope that we never move again. So, if it takes a few more weeks than expected, is that really such a big deal? Probably not.