Moonlights Blog

Century 21 Mid State Christmas Party

2007-12-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

This year we were invited { Lyons Valley Termite and Pest Control }to Century 21 Mid State Realty's Christmas party held in Tullahoma. As you will be able to see in the pictures , we were told to dress in the 50's style.

I elected to wear a blond wig , sunglasses, leather black jacket, black jeans, white socks with black shoes. Upon entering the building I was met by the owners of Century 21 , Mr. & Mrs. John and Pam Peck who didn't have a clue who I was and thats the way it went for the rest of the evening with everyone else I met. Center picture above from left to right is Pam , John , myself and Nancy. On the right is Mr. & Mrs. James Walton who just happened to shut there eyes at the same time when this was taken.

We really enjoyed our time with all of the different agents from the four different offices. Some of our time was spent on the dance floor which I haven't done in over 10 years. Now I'm paying for the fun as in sore legs and a very tender back but I now know how to train for my next backpacking adventure. Those Gal's from the Monteagle office really know how to GET ER DONE as they danced non stop into the night. Best advice I could give you is to NOT mess with them mountain ladies !

NOTE THE 6 PARTY ANIMALS ON THE RIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I.B. Poe has 4th year birthday party today

2007-12-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

We all celebrated young I.B. Poe's 4th birthday this afternoon in Tullahoma with all Grand parents and two GREAT GRANDS. We first found little Poe outside ridding his new bike with trainer wheels up and down the paved drive. He had a new helment on along with, what

I think was spidder Man knee pads.

Nathan Poe Family less one on the left. The 3 Batman crime fighters center along with birthday boy preparing to attack his cake. Little Poe wasn't interested in his other food which was hotdogs and chips and went straight for the sweets.

Four Years Old and going STRONG into 2008 !

Tennessee vs Kentucky game

2007-11-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

TENNESSEE - 52 KENTUCKY - 50 In {4} OVER TIMES

We spent the afternoon in Lynchburg and took all the left over food with us from last nights Thanksgiving meal. Picture on left is Horace , the farm hand Billy and Mrs. H. Center picture of Horace and yours truly leading cheers and singing ROCKY TOP. Photo on right is Horace's and Elaines dog , Miss Kattie Wiseman from Jackson , Tennessee.

Talk about a wild and wicked game that caused much stress , this was it !

NOW WERE ARE OFF TO ATLANTA , GEORGIA Next weekend for the-

S.E.C. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hiking in Montana in the works

2007-11-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken and sent to me by my friends Bette and Ben Donathan who live in Eureka , Montana. Walter { Brown Bear } Clinton and I are trying to get a trip up for the last of June of 2008 to this area in hopes of doing some hiking and picture taking of this area. Ben offered us his 5th wheel to stay in while there. Be sure and click on the above pictures for these views !

Christmas Tree goes up in Lynchburg, TN

2007-11-24T06:03:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving day doesn't start untill the day after so that everyone can be together so Nancy and I went to mothers and helper her put up her tree and other decorations .

Thanksgiving Celebration at the Grahams in Estill Springs, TN

I had cooked my hen { Chicken } before I left the house this morning then headed to Tullahoma to meet my brother Richard who had driven in from Florance Ala.and my mother at the Tullahoma Golf and Country Club to play 18 holes of golf with a T-time of 9:30. No one in there right mind would play golf with it being this cold outside. We had a great time together and Richard gave me a WHOOPING , beating me by over 10 strokes. I then went back home to make my Chicken and Dumplins that everyone request at this time of year.

Above left is the pot of Chicken and Dumplins I made and in the center are two different kinds of roasted pecans. Our grandson wanted to use my digital camera to take that picture and did a great job for a two year old. Photo on the right is of Mrs. H trying to decide how to fit all that food on her small plate. In the background is Horace , Nancy's brother , tryin to start some trouble.

Mother { Nan } attacks the DUMPLIN pot on the left, Richard , Horace and mother gather for the center picture around the butcher block , notice Richard doesn't take his eyes off the food below , lol. On the right is Julie Poe and Horace clowning around with eachother, they never miss a chance to exchange hugs. Notice how full his plate is compared to her's .

Nancy with Nathan , this is a rare picture because Nancy's eyes are never open as Nathan upholds the family tradition with keeping his closed. Center photo of me , six pounds heavier, mother and Richard and the photo on the right is of Mother and Horace who are practicing for DANCING WITH THE STARS.

I missed getting everone's pictures but Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure I'll catch the rest of you is some kind of embarasing pose then ! Many stayed untill 10:30 to watch the men's basketball team eek out another win from a non ranked team and saturday afternoon we all will watch the UT Vols play Kentucky. If we win that battle we will go to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. Hate to pitch us under the bus but we will be very lucky to get away with that victory, keep your fingers crossed !

Colors of Fall close to Thanksgiving

2007-11-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Excitement is once again in the air as this time of the year brings thoughts of days gone past . They were special times in all of our lives as young children and even more recently as adults that we remember back going to our Grandparents home and sitting down with the entire family at the table to eat that feast before us. I remember and miss more than anything the smell of the turkey , cakes and pies but most of all my grandmother Nell's Chicken and Dumplins which was a special treat anytime of the year. If your like me , every once in a while during the year you catch a whiff of something that reminds you of that smell and you smile to yourself as you go back in time to that event or that home. This brings to mind the farm house of my Great Grand parents in Fredricktown , Missouri on Thanksgiving long ago. After over filling at the table we would go sit in the living room which had a wood buring stove in the middle of that small room and it wouldn't be long before you were sound asleep from the heat . To this day I still enjoy the smell of that wood burning.
All of these pictures were taken in my back yard and some you can click on to enlarge

One week removed from Thanksgiving and the LORD has his eternal paint brush working everywhere. I wanted to post these pictures as a reminder to us all that even in the dark and gray days of winter he is constantly with us working his paint brush. Our lives have many many seasons and in each season only he can provide the color.

Even Shelby, our black Lab enjoys this time of the year as she now has her own private area covered in new pine needles. She tends to scrape herself out a bed each night and sinks down deep in the bedding , staying warm as toast.

Steven { Moonlight }

SMOKYS-Newfound Gap to Clingmans Dome-Oct.

2007-10-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Left Estill Springs , TN thursday morning and went to Louisville , TN and visited with Dobbie Mathews at his place of business then stoped by Bo Mathews farm to see him but he wasn't home. On to Towards Townsend but just inside of Maryville I stoped at an outfitters store just to see what new clothing they might have or { New Toys }. Enjoyed talking with the owner and learned that there would be no water close to the shelters where we planned to hike the next day which could cause us a real problem during our two and a half day hike. I also had other concerns but will get into that later. I found a room at the Econo Motel and I can tell you that the price I payed for one night didn't match the Motel name ! From there I enjoyed a visit at another Outfitters shop inside Townsend , TN then found a little restraunt off the beaten path to eat at called Lilly's where I enjoyed hot coffee , salmon , baked potato and slaw before going back to my room where once again I had re-packed my pack changing what food I would take because of the water shortage . Called the front desk asking for a wake up call at 5 the next morning which would be 4 my time.

I had showered and was on the road by 5:30 friday morning looking for a place to eat breakfast but couldn't find anything open in any direction for another hour , setteling for less than good food at a gas station / grocery store in Townsend. I was worried that JR hadn't got us our permits from the Nalt. parks ranger station so I drove to one at Elkmont ranger station and picked blank ones up for all four of us which was a good thing because JR hadn't. Drove on up to Newfound Gap parking area and at 8:18 that morning JR, father and brother pulled up. JR didn't have the required permit nor remember the permit number so I was able to call the parks number and at least get the permit number. As required by the Nalt. Park we were to keep one copy of the permit in our possesion and deposit the other in a box at a ranger station which at this point we were unable to do being to far away from a ranger station at that time. Feeling very uneasy about this combined with the fact of not being able to find a shelter because of over crowding and complicating this with water problems I had decided before we started the hike that I would hike the seven miles straight up to Clingmans Dome and would hitch hike back with some tourist to my truck and not have to worry about the possibility of recieving a $5000 fine from the Nalt. Parks service.

The uphill hike was every bit as tuff as I had remembered with many rocks and to my susprise very wet slippery conditions. At one point I had stepped on a flat wooden step cut and placed in the trail by a trail work crew and found myself sprawled out face down on the ground , more embarrased than hurt. Another in our group began to have problems due to the lack of knowledge of pack weight and what the trail or hiking in the Smokys really detailed and decided after that tuff climb that he had best call it a day and go back home after reaching Clingmans Dome. The four above pictures of each of us was made while sitting in the back of a man's pickup truck while traveling down the mountain. I believe it was a good experience and one that much was learned by all. By the look on everyone's faces above I'd say we'd had a time of it , LOL.

The below pictures were made from my truck window as I was driving back down the mountains towards Gatlinburg then on towards Townsend before returning back home.

You can CLICK on any of the above pictures for a better and larger view of each .

Note : JR , thank you for another great time and in giving me a chance to meet your brides family. Everyone should be as blessed as you to have a father In law , Trail name {Indiana Jones } and brother In Law , trail name { Tiger } that you can enjoy and share in lifes adventures , two really GREAT persons that I hope to spend more time with.

MOONLIGHT

Visiting Richmond & Elizabeth in Raliegh , NC

2007-10-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

Around the 19th of October Nancy , her mother and I drove to Raliegh , NC to visit with Richmond and Elizabeth. The trip took us about 8.5 hours driving time. While we were there we first visited with Richmond at his work and watched him in action as the head banker of a branch Bank then headed to Wake Forest to visit with Elizabeth who gave us a tour of her college.

I was happy to be able to meet up with JR Isham who is also a working student at the college and is a Backpacking / hiking partner with me along the Appalachian Trail.

We were able to go over our future hike which will take place in another week in the Smoky Mountains and we will also be joined by his Father In Law and Brother In Law on this trip going from Newfound Gap to Cades Cove , a 2.5 day trip.

After the College tour we drove downtown to Wake Forest to this Fu Fu { Tea kinda resturant / shop } not exactly what I'd call my kinda place but one that all the ladies seem to get a kick out of for some reason . I had some coffee with some type of lemon cake that I'll have to say was GREAT ! Elizabeth paid the tab which was sweet. In the pictures below we toured the State Capital in Raliegh which was a treat I enjoyed. We next went to see Richmond's and Elizabeths new home they had just purchased which is about 10 years old. This house fits them to a { T } and we all are very proud for them and excited for them and the next step in there lives together.
After touring the new home we drove around looking at other homes in that area before going to a local Sports Bar so that we could watch the TENNESSEE , ALABAMA football game where JR , Lindsey and other family members met us. Alabama put a WHOOPING on us.

Tennessee / Georgia football game 07

2007-10-28T04:36:00.000-07:00

Ariving in Knoxville four hours before the game we were able to eat lunch at a Hotel we had parked close at then sit outside and watch other UT fans and talk before making the long walk to the stadium. In the picture on the left Horace and Nancy were clowning around together with there mother.

Nancy and her mother Mrs. Helen began the long walk towards the stadium hand in hand. Mrs. H wearing her UT orange and white shirt and what I call a skid Lid on her head. We had hopes of meeting up with Richmond and Elizabeth who had also driven in from Raliegh , NC for the game at some point but they were with friends down on the Tennessee river and part of the VOL NAVY on this day making it hard for them to hook up with us.

Horace , Mrs. H and Nancy posing for another picture before the game. The temp. today was in the high 90's , horribly hot, making the water in the background look good enough to jump into.

About two hours before the game we all waited in the heat for the traditional VOL walk. Many players walked over to shake hands with us and the fans before going into the stadium. In this picture coach Phillip Fulmer had just shook hands with Nancy and Horace as he walked by. You can see Nancy here to the right of Fulmers shoulder wearing her ball hat and sun glasses.

While sitting up below the jumbo screen in the nose bleed section I was able to get this action picture durning the game. This was the beginning of a drive from our 20 yard line that led to another TENNESSEE touchdown.

The picture on the right shows the score board after starting the third quarter , GEORGIA -O

TENNESSEE - 21

Horace and I had some problems with three Georgia fans above us who were using some bad language but two of them left the game at the end of the third quarter.

2007-10-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

Crockett Golf & Country Club, Almo , Tennessee

2007-08-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

Now you know what I really look like when it's so hot that your golf clubs burn your hands ! Thats right , I didn't shave all weekend and loved it !!! We didn't shoot our low score as we had wished on the second day but did end up one stroke better than on the first day thanks to Stan chipping one from off the green into the cup , just like TIGER ! I had a fun time with both Horace and Stan and hope to be able to repeat it again very soon. Thank you both for inviting me and to Elaine for putting up with us, LOL

Crockett Golf & Country Club, Almo , Tennessee

2007-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

Horace is watching his best friend STAN do something I won't comment on but I think he did get a golf ball out of the experience ? This was a three man scramble event and after the first day we managed to shoot a score of 66 which is six strokes under par which put us at the top of the first flight going into the second day on sunday. The humidity was at least 95 % fffor both days with a high of 97. We thought that if we could shoot at least a 12 under par score on the second day we could win a cash prize.

Two Day Golf Scramble around Jackson, Tenn.

2007-08-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I left work early and drove to Jackson , Tennessee and spent the night with my brother In law Horace and wife Elaine. Got there around 5:30 in the afternoon and we all went out to eat together . After the meal we went back to the house , got into our relaxing clothes and watched TV before retiring to bed right at 9:00. Horace gave me his bed to sleep in which is a water bed , a first for me and I think I'm still suffering some form of motion sickness ! I was up right at 4:45 the next morning , showered , made coffee and we were soon on our way to the Golf Course that was about 20 minutes away.

We were the first golfers to arrive and I was able to get the last golf cart the Country Club had , paying for both days in advance. The plans were for all three of us to ride in Stans cart which would have been a weeeeeee bit tight.

2007-07-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Wagon rides for the kids

2007-07-28T12:17:00.001-07:00

ACTIVITIES- Wine Tasting *Mule driven Hay rides *Primitive farm skills demonstrations
* Scythe Demonstrations * Axe throwing * Oxen Team *Swiss
Cheese making demonstrations * Story Telling * Dutch oven
cooking * Arts and crafts * Farm animals .

Pick-en IT !

2007-07-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is a five group band that intertained everyone in attendance today. Don't think any of them were Swiss but they sure knew how to pick a tune while I was there. The Swiss Historical Society has done an outstanding job with this celebration as there was people from all over the county here today. The event is very laid back and a great time to meet new and old friends.

Oxen Team

2007-07-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of an Oxen Team , the wood piece across both animals hold them together in order to preform many different task. Today they were giving children rides in a wooden sled that was attached behind the Oxen as the demonstrater walked beside the Oxen , holding what looked to be leather reins and holding a stich in the other had while guiding them in the direction he wanted them to go.

Celebrating the Swiss Hertiage

2007-07-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Today I drove up to Grutlie-Laager , Tennessee which is hidden in the Cumberland mountains of Grundy County to attend the yearly Old Swiss settlement celebration that is put on by the Grundy County Historical Society.

This is the old farm house located on the property

Termite Inspection Seminar

2007-07-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Jerry Seabolt who is the Structural Supervisor of Agricultural inputs & Pesticides for the state of Tennessee also attened this seminar and had several comments to make during the seminar. I've spoken to him several times over the years by phone and it was a pleasure to be able to meet him in person. Most people don't want to ever hear from Jerry because if he calls you there is a problem to be addressed but what few understand is that he is there to help you resolve a problem before it gets out of hand . It was really nice to see the department of Agricultural take an interest in this seminar

Termite Inspection Seminar

2007-07-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here I'm talking with the guest speaker Dr. George Rambo , Ph.D with GRCS Pest Management Consulting. Dr. Rambo also writes articles for one of our industries publications every month and has extensive knowledge not only in our field of work but in problem areas involving lawyers and law suits that are a result of Termite inspections that may or may not have been done in a proper manor. Inspection for WDI or organisims is the most laden and regulatory watched service we perform. He said record keeping is the most abused parts of the process.

2007-07-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

2007-07-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

There was over one hundred people in attendence
today which included companys from Alabama,
Georgia and Tennessee. The picture on the right
was taken during our lunch break.

Termite Inspection Seminar

2007-07-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 25th, Kelly Allen and I attended a GREAT siminar in Chattanooga , Tennessee that covered TERMITE INSPECTIONS. This siminar was sponsored by Jim Orr with Univar and covered every topic concerning the above and much more. I would have to say that out of all the seminars I've attended in the past sixteen years in order to get my required points per year that this one is at the top of my list and one in which I have asked for many times. The above topic should be a required course for anyone in the Termite Business.

2007-07-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

2007-07-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

2007-07-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

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