ahhhh, home.

I am in my coveralls again, ready to try getting this thing to the metal squishers.

However, Butch informed me that he will be taking a few days off...

...ok, Im there, but I'm gonna get another beer anyway, today is my rest day before I plan to get the kids in the morning...

Ok, where was I...Oh yeah, Butch hadta go hannel sum bidniz in town, so we took the Beemer, a more plush, leisurely vehicle. Damn, this car is sweet, gotta love variety. It's a seven series. It has pull-out window shades in the back and all kindsa door pockets that you can push-click to expose. Very sweet car. We were both exhausted, so this was just the car for us.

We went and got a winch because the come-along we used before broked, later is when he told me getting the car to the metal squishers would be delayed, oh yeah.

I did manage to accomplish a couple other not-so-big-but-helpful things. A universal remote that would control the sattelite, tv, DVD/VCR and surround sound. With a few minutes of effort, it was good-to-go. Also, I talked GiGi into upgrading the memory in her computer. The Cpu was more than adequate, the Hard drive was good, but the memory lacked a bit. So, she and I both were pleased to see the very inexpensive RAM she ordered on ebay arrived in two days. She asked me to install it because I said it was so easy it shouldn't be a big deal, right? I did and it was. However, the accomplishment from being able to fix supm is the biggest, most gratifying experience. I am so thankful to be a fixer.
The next and final morning, I headed on down to Athens to see some friends for banana pancakes.
The sky was amazing all the way down.
There are infinite awesome possibilities for the sky and the world around us if we just pay attention.
uhhhh.
I love their front yard.
Here I is.
Oh yeah, Tham is making those awesome banana pancakes.
Maybe, I shoulda taken the picture after the syrup.
Claudio arrived to attend to the pancake babysitting duties while Tham did supm ov'ar.
This is the peak of my ugly bastardness, but I didn't wanna leave Sebastian out, so I included this frickin picture.
Ok, hell, not much better, but Claudio is in this one. Anna is the daughter.
Heading out. I was going to join them for a birthday party for their grandson, but I am so damn exhausted. I am ready to just get home and rest for one day before I plan to go get the kids.
Their neighborhood was connected to mine and mine, coincidentally, was, on the way out anyway, so I drove by to see my old house, frickin awesome. I loved that house. On the corner of Julian drive and Julian drive.
Back to 85.
Ok, just the sky, frickin wow.
Atlanta is beautiful, too.
Heading into the guts...
Wow, that's a long time with no pictures. Here I am in Florida again. This sunny sky is melding with the dark, rainy sky up'ar.
This is what I like about Florida, you can see so much of the sky, you get to see the line between sunny and stormy, too cool.
awesome. Oh yeah, just before I got home, I filled up and figured about 31 mpg, woot!

Ok, can't type below the last one again, hmm.

I got home lasterday evening and slept until about seven this morning, when Snickers de Mayo woke me with her sweet tongue. I took her for a pee/poop/sniff and spent a few glorious minutes on the porch with a coffee in my recliner until the heat became a bit much and forced me inside. I have found, if I lay on the floor to watch a movie or tie knots, it is down there where the air is cool. Anyway, I decided that, since I have the opportunity, I had my one beer and started finishing these blog entries. I am almost done with this one, so I think I will go get another one beer and enjoy the rest of this lazy day.

Listening to: Ass Like That, by Eminem.

Wow, intensity since break time.

I didn't take any pictures since break time, so I'm just using an old one. We got the T/A loaded up and had to exert much energies to get it up on the tow dolly. Then, this, estimated, 4 ton monster was ready to go. So, we headed on down to the recycling place that we planned on taking this car and five engines and a few transmissions and other goodies. Yes, I said planned. We proceeded toward the place very slowly and carefully. Then we got a flash rain. I continued to drive very slowly about 35 max, about 15-20 average. Then the car started to shimmy and sway back and forth. I was unable to correct it and it just swung around, pulling the truck with it. We came to a stop facing the other direction from where we had come. The car, with it's massive payload, was just off in the grass, slightly down the embankment, just enough to be seemingly immovable.

Yes, seemingly. Well, fortunately the guy right behind us was very helpful. He stopped the 20 or so cars on this 55 mph road during rush hour. So, as Butch bounced the back of the truck and I steered in helpful ways, we managed, just barely, to pull out and head back from whence we had come. As we were crossing over to assume the other lane and depart, some guy who was apparently anxious to feel important, told us we had to wait for the police because he was a first responder and had to call them. Wow, he was so...a dumbass! the police don't even respond if there was no loss of life or property over $500. We just spun around, scared the crap out of ourselves and left, easy deal. We didn't even damage any city property.

So, we headed on back down the back road to the house, the load shifted inside and pressed down the brake pedal, locking down the brakes. As we were heading up our first hill on a backroad to the house, the tires on the T/A started smoking and the truck starting squeeling it's tires. After a few seconds, I realized that it was more than just the uphillness. We stopped and discovered the very heavy payload has shifted forward and jammed itself on the brake pedal. Since, this stuff was so frickin heavy, 1000 pounds or so, on the pedal, we had to break the brake line. Ok, so that helped for a minute, but then, just before home, we had to break the other one, oops, I'm dumm, sorry.

We got the beast back to the house and the discovered that the car swinging around had actually dented the pristine body of the truck. Aw crap.

Listening to: All That I Want, by The Weepies.

Break time

Morning, glorious frickin NE GA morning again. Today, I have on my coveralls, enjoying the coffee on the porch as I tie a few knots, as Butch does the same with his lovely wife before we gits busy.
As I rounded the house, I noticed this salamander meandering across the driveway, as the sun was reaching a point at which it would burn the hell outta him. I soaked him with the hose and left him a nice wet path to the puddle I made in the grass.
Butch hadta back the Elk outta the garage. Oh crap, every time I hear that grumble it is a beautiful thing. Just like the twisties, Athens, the beach and the smell of a woman, it is breathtaking and never gets old.
This old Trans Am was ready to be recycled anyway, so it was the perfect candidate for the engine, etc.-hauling. We loaded it down, whoo. Five engines, a handful of transmissions, intake manifolds, crankshafts..., needless to say, it was a heavy biotch by the time we were through.
That T/A under the awning in front of the garage is also a piece, ready for recycling. However, it has a sweet newly rebuilt engine that Butch needed a home fer.
Butch hadta get a few things offa this engine before we loaded it, so I grabbed us a couple Cokes and sat down for a few.

Ok, apparently, I did supm with this batch of pictures. I can't type below this one again.

So, Butch went inside to go potty er supm, so I laid under the canopy next to the house and uhhhhh....

Listening to: My theme song, I'm Broken, by Pantera.

Damn, I love being a fixer

I told Butch that, since he's disabled and takes enough Morphine every day to kill a frickin horse, and doesn't get much help, I would do whatever I could to help while I was up there. I am also a disabled-type, but, while I have the fatigue-thing in common with Butch, I thankfully don't have the pain challenge to deal with.

Anyway, before the engine-moving, etc, we went up to Sears to get supm, so I browsed the crack-like offerings of Craftsman, uhhhhh.

Ok, another one, I dunno what happens, but sometimes I can type below the last picture. Ok, so pretend this next part is below the next picture.

We returned to start engine-moving. We got the few out of the garage. They were either picked of useful goods or just not worth the effort to keep them in the way anymore while someone is around to help get the f***ers outta the way.

Listening to: Immune, by Godsmack.

I will write later, I'm going to make a sleepytime now.

I took a ride with Butch over to a relative's house. We, of course, because we could, took the El Camino. Damn, this car is a frickin beast, 500hp of pure joy. We, of course, obeyed all traffic laws and did nothing untaught. ;-)
Standing at the end of the driveway while Butch talked some life words with someone, I looked around and enjoyed the very country-ish pictures to be had. I loved this big ol' mailbox. And, ya know, I don't know what it is, but I hate the repitious nonsense that is all too often the majority of 'pop' music, yet I frickin love dance/house/club music.
...another view...
As I assumed one of my favorite positions, on the porch, in my beach chair. That's a pretty sweet truck. It made me consider having a truck again. However, I am really digging the curve-hugging, zippy little coupe that gets in excess of 30 mpg. I frickin love that car. I am so thankful that this life experience has aligned in such a way that I was able to have it.
Cousin Art let me borrow this Newsweek to read this article about Saturn. Good stuff. It was an awesome company, just like GM, just like the frickin Wolverines, taking down the toilet by bad management.
I enjoyed some afternoon minutes, shaded from the 94 degree sun of death, in my favorite position.
The next morning, I got up, said hi to GiGi who was readying for a work departure, and assumed the position on the porch with a coffee.
Damn, that morning sun blasts right in yer face on the front porch. I moved the beach chair right in front of the porch under a nice tree providing some shade for a few.
Ahhh, yeah, much better.
Butch and GiGi had some bidniz to take care of in town, which required the use of the truck, so we taked it. GiGi, at the proper time, said that it was time to gits our grub on, yo. Since they, of course, were aware of my intense fondness of Bell's, we went there, yay.
Yeah, so she'll prolly want to do bad things to me after seeing this picture, which caught her in one of those contorted-face moments, but I don't do posed pictures, so such is my lot in life and anyone in the view of my camera, hehe.

I really have no use for those menu things here. Every time I get the same thing. An opportunity to have the best burger in the world cannot be missed. It's kinda funny, actually, Butch gets the same thing, too, yet still opens the menu to look. Ok, force of habit. I open the damn menu, too, for a second, before I say, 'what the hell am I doing?'
Wow, a glorious backdrop for one of my favorite signs. I love this place.
Today is the big day. Hadta hannel sum bidniz down in Athens. I arrived nice and early, the way I like to for most important things, so I had some minutes to spend downtown, drinking a coffee and watching my favorite people, Athenians.
This is a really cool Starbucks.
I love downtown Athens.
Frickin awesome.
Heading back up to Toccoa was an exciting, twisty-filled experience, as always.
This farm is beautiful, but I've always thought it looked like a lot of work to keep the massive, forty acre or so, front yard mowed, without grass chompers out there, whew. It sure is nice to look at, though.

Listening to: Rock and Roll, by Led Zeppelin.

FL is nice, but still second to NE GA

I gathered up some things and departed. I wanted to bring Snickers, I almost left with her as a mattafack, but fortunately I remembered just before I left, she has a vet appointment for a heartworm treatment next week. So, she gets to stay with my mom, who loves her anyway. Hell, I don't see how anyone could not love her.

The trip up here was nice as it usually is.
Ooh, cool, an old Monte Carlo.
Hadta stop at one of my favorite signs. What a face...
There was supm going on, I don't remember what, an accident or something. The traffic just stopped and averaged around 10 mph, so subsequently, the breeze I had been enjoying, which made the 90+ degrees not so bad, stopped. uuuugh, 94, 95, 96, ok a bit too much, time for some A/C. I used it for about 10 or 15 minutes, then once the traffic passed the bottleneck and flowed again, so did the breeze.
I got lost in my thunks, so I didn't even take any dern pictures of the hilly, mountainous part of 85 on my way up here. It is so amazing. I have marveled at how the sky is always so breathtaking down in FL, but while there is less sky up here, it is because there are so many trees and hills. I love the green and the curves a bit more. This road, the home stretch, is a primo example of one of the things I love up here. It is 55 mph and full of hills and curves.
I arrived at just the right time, the sun was going down.
oh, the twisties, frickin bliss.
...and on and on...
Ahhhh.
The next morning, Butch wasn't feeling too good and I had an hour before I hadta run down to Athens, so I invited Dori, the ex-sister-in-law to my favorite place, in the world, repeat, the world. I was quite dismayed to find out she doesn't like burgers. Aaaagh! "Thas'so'k, I make lamb." Sorry, a quote from one of my favoritest movies popped into my head. Anyway, whuh-evah. She had shrimp and I had the best burger in the world. It was kinda nice to have company. The last few times I've come to Bell's, I came alone, which really doesn't impair my enjoyment, but, ya know.

We talked about her college, and subsequently life, plans and possibilities. She is a young whippersnapper ;-), 21 and she isn't looking forward to finishing school and entering this job market. I sure don't blame her. We talked about various things and I gots the idea that maybe a friend I was planning to see down in Athens after my bidniz might be able to assist her career searching. He works in a field that is related to her degree, which is very valuable, regardless of the job-market, economy, etc.
Oooooh, there was a sweet 60 supm Chevelle to oogle on the way in.
I dropped her off back at the house and made my way down to Athens. Another opportunity to ride the twisties ride. Woot!
Damn, I love this road.
After my bidniz, I went to see my frayins, Claudio and Tham. Again, I failed to take many pictures. Tham, pictured here, is from Vietnam. Claudio, who I failed to picturize is from Argentina. They make an interesting couple for a food lover, such as myself. I always love going to their home. There is always something amazing for my belly. This time, she invited me to come have dinner, she was making lasagna. Mmmm, as usual, it was good.
140 pounds. Holy crap! I've never seen a dog this big. Its paws were like a bear cub's. This dog belongs to their son and his wife. I was reminded of how long it's been. She said on the phone, before I came, that I could meet her grandson. Huh! From who?! Esteban, the oldest, I think, now has this son that is coming up on a year old. Whoa. Time flies, mang. Another reminder of how I failed to take pictures.
The ride back was, once again, at the perfect time for sunset.
I was thinking the other day, as I was walking around the lake downtown, marveling at the sky, how all the negative experiences in my life were washed away in this one moment, being able to experience such awesomeness. Well, here I am again, feeling the same way. Any negative experience I've had has been blotted out by this opportunity, this experience.
Oh, the twisties, they never become less awesome.
Ooh, my favorite roadsign.
Oooh, my other favorite.

Listening to: The A/C kick on.