Vacation Post #4: The Events

Our week at Tybee Island was packed with activities. Well, maybe not packed. Sprinkled with activities but with plenty of time left for leisure. Ashley, Bode, and I would start each day with a walk on the beach. Bode really seemed to enjoy the ocean, although the one time we tried putting him in the water, he cried like he was being given shots. However, provided he remained in his stroller, he was quite content.On Monday, we went in to the city of Savannah. It's very beautiful there, and since there would be so much to photograph, I forgot to bring my camera (stupid, stupid Jeffy). The parks and houses in the old section of town are quite charming. For lunch, the entire group ate at Paula Dean's restaurant. Afterwards, we walked around town, going into various shops but not really finding anything that tickled our fancies.

On Tuesday, seven of us went golfing (Milton, Josh, David, Jason, Frank, Ashley, and me). Nana et al. were kind enough to watch the children. Fortunately, I did remember to bring my camera . The following sequence shows Ashley smashing one off the tee.



Ashley had her best day ever on a golf course and shot a 48-56 for a 104. The 48 was the first time she broke 50 for nine holes, so it does seem the less she practices, the better she gets. Ashley was kind enough to take a picture of me mid-swing. I think the shot was actually quite bad (I blame shutter noise).

On Wednesday, a gaggle of us went to the movies (it looked like it might rain). Dave, Kathy, Jason, Ashley, Josh, and I saw The Dark Knight while Chelsea, Cricket, and Callie went to Wall E. We thought The Dark Knight was great--the Joker was really cool. We did think Batman could have used a lozeng (you'll get the joke once you see the movie); otherwise, it was top marks. Wednesday night, we feasted at a sea food joint called Uncle Bubba's Oyster House (again, I forgot the camera). Thursday was another day to relax, and Ashley and I spent some quality time swimming in the ocean and hanging with the little man. We also took some time to shoot some family photos.Friday, six of us went miniature golfing. Josh managed to win with Jason a close second (the rest of the finishing order is not important, but you can probably guess that since I'm not mentioning it, I finished near the bottom).


Friday night, we again dined on seafood at The Crabtrap. Ashley and I ate shrimp and crab legs, and realized cuisine in Ohio is severely lacking. After dinner, Ashley went on a ghost-tour of Savannah with Penny, Milton, Chelsea, JoAnne, and David. Ashley loved it and highly recommends it to anyone that is going to Savannah.

Sadly, the vacation came to an end early Saturday morning. Ashley, Bode, and I hit the road at 0600 and got all the way to Kentucky before having to stop. Sunday morning, we got home to two excited doggies and a mountain of mail. We are amazed how well Bode did in the car. He napped a lot and seemed content to sit in his chair and play with his toys. Here's a final shot of Bode napping while holding his giraffe.We had a wonderful vacation and look forward to the next one. When do we leave?

Pleasant day to all.

Vacation Post #3: The Setting

As stated in previous posts, we just returned from Tybee Island. While there, we stayed with 14 of Ashley relatives (reference Vacation Post #2). A big question on your mind is where exactly did we stay--did we try to be frugal and squeeze all 17 of us into three discount motel rooms (no, that wasn't my idea--sheesh!)? Heavens no. Ashley and Penny managed to find us a beautiful house right on the beach (well, very close as you'll soon see). First, a shot of the house with my favorite two people standing in front.Note Bode's head-attire--it's an Auburn hat for those not able to figure out how to zoom. In the next picture, I simply turned to my right. That bridge at the end of the street leads over the sand dunes to the beach. Thus, we weren't right on the beach but certainly were within spitting distance.There were six bedrooms inside, each with their own bathroom. I'd show a picture of one of the bedrooms but it's nothing too special--just a queen bed with a flat-screen TV (thank heavens the house got Versus so I could watch Le Tour). The kitchen and living areas are shown below.



There were decks on each floor. The third floor deck is where folks spent a lot of time--it would have been utopian had the ceiling fan worked. As it was, it was still very relaxing especially since the bugs tended to feed on JoAnne and Ashley. Obviously the blue in the distance is the ocean.



Finally, a shot of the ocean. I found the beach to be quite serene in the morning . The tide cleanses the beach by wiping away all traces from the previous day. It's like a new canvas, full of endless possibilities (not to mention void of almost everyone except we, the early risers).
To Be Concluded...

Vacation Post #2: The Characters

Our primary destination for this vacation was Tybee Island, Georgia, which is right next to Savannah (known by many due to the book/movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). Many members of Ashley's family were joining us at Tybee. To prevent confusion, I will introduce all parties. Think of this post as a dramatis personae (Latin for "The Masks of the Drama").

First, we have Frank "Papatank" Rankin, shown here with Ashley and Bode. Frank is Ashley's father and spent many hours watching Bode while relaxing on the porch. Bode really loves his Papatank.Next, we have three of the six Watsons. In the middle is Penny "The Good Planner" Watson, who is Ashley's first cousin. She is married to Milton "Big Oil" Watson, named because he works for one of those evil oil companies. Penny and Milton have four children. Their second oldest, Chelsea "The Running (Wo)man" Watson, is on the far left holding Bode. Chelsea is going to be a senior in high school and has been made captain of her cross country team.
Continuing around the porch, we again have Chelsea holding Bode (evidently Bode had a bit too much to drink). To Chelsea's left, we have Penny and Milton's oldest child, Josh "The Couch" Watson, called The Couch because this picture was the only time he wasn't on it. To Josh's left is JoAnne "Nana" Rankin, Ashley's mother. Finally, we have Patty "The Godmother" Barnhardt, Ashley's Aunt and de Facto boss of the family.
Next, we have Dwight "Boss" Barnhardt, who is Ashley's Uncle, married to Patty and thinks he's in charge. Dwight is a big fan of the Houston Cougars. Obviously in this picture, he's talking about his favorite team, while Ashley and Bode "listen" attentively.Here we have pictures of Callie "Wii Apprentice" Watson and Cricket "Wii Master" Watson (with a name like Cricket, do you really need another nickname?) Callie and Cricket are Penny and Milton's youngest children, starting the third and fifth grades this fall respectively.
Up next is Ashley's brother, Dave "Maverick" Rankin (he works for an aircraft company) and his son, Teddy "Every Day's a Party" Rankin. Don't ever mention birthday party around Teddy. If you do, it is your responsibility to ensure he gets some type of birthday cake or ice cream.Teddy's Mommy aka Dave's wife, Kathy "Plus One" Rankin, is shown below hanging out with Bode. Bode loves his Aunt Kathy. On the couch is Ashley's other brother, Jason "Light Sleeper" Rankin, who for some reason got mad because we kept putting the dishes away at 0700.
Ok, that does it for the introductions. Bode loved meeting everyone, but he was a bit overwhelmed by it all and needed a nap before exploring our new surroundings.To Be Continued...

Vacation Post #1: The Prologue (18-19 July)

Sorry it's been so long since we posted, but we've been unplugged from the world the past couple weeks. We took a vacation down to Georgia. These next few posts will detail the adventures of our trip.

Our odyssey began very early in the morning on Friday, 18 July. We were driving to Atlanta to visit some friends (to be shown later). The alarm clock rung precisely at 0500, to which Ashley immediately says, "Hey Jeffy, why aren't we flying?" I replied, in my best Clark Griswald impression, "Because getting there is half the fun." Bode was excited from the get-go, and while we prepared for the deployment, he worked on his standing up skills.He can't really pull himself to a standing position, but he is able to get into that half-standing slouch shown above (I see him like that and my back just starts hurting). Before we left, Bode needed a drink, as trying to stand up is very strenuous.
I told the kid he better not drink too much because we had a long drive ahead of us. He looked at me and said, "Daddy, that's why I wear these diapers--just like that astronaut lady." Anyways, without further adieu, we were off at 0613, an amazing seventeen minutes before my targeted departure time.

Google tells us the trip to Atlanta is precisely 506 miles, with an estimated driving time of 7 hours, 55 minutes. In the years P.B. (pre-Bode), I'm sure we could have arrived at Dave and Cathy's house by 1400. However, as many of you with children know, driving with a small child requires a number of stops. And we quickly learned one cannot wait until the child is crying to stop, because there is no worse hell than riding in a car with a screaming baby as you pass a "Next Rest Stop: 43 Miles" sign. Here is a picture of us feeding Bode at a rest area in Kentucky.
We thought about stopping and buying some property in Tennessee, not because we found a great house or anything. Rather, we simply liked the names of the streets. For example, who wouldn't want to come visit us if we lived on Little Skunk Road? Or what better way to address a letter than to the McGuirks who live on Stinky Creek Highway (yes, these are real names of roads off I-75 in Tennessee).

The drive to Atlanta proceeded without incident. We arrived just before 1600, so we covered the 500 miles in just about 10 hours total time. Not bad, but certainly not going to qualify for the Cannonball Run.

It was great to see Cathy and Dave. They have a son named Westin who is two months older than Bode. Westin really flies around the house, looking a little like a bear because Westin crawls while standing on his feet and hands. It terrified me to see how quickly a kid can move. The phrase, "Constant vigalance!" (from Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter series) kept echoing in my mind as I tried to follow Westin from room to room and seeing what all he could get into (everything). Here are some pictures of Bode and Westin playing together. Note Bode's lack of mobility while Westin can go wherever he desires. I sort of hope Bode is a late bloomer--I really like his current sedentary lifestyle.

Friday night, we all stayed in and had pizza. Dave invited Gary and his daughter Sam to join us. Ashley hadn't seen Gary in three or four years, so she was very happy to see him. A few years ago, Gary had a stroke. He's had to relearn to do almost everything, but he seemed to us to be the same old Gary. He explained to us how the stroke affected him: "Basically, it's like a computer after a lightening strike. The input is ok. The output is ok. It's just there are some chunks of memory that are gone forever." As soon as he said this, Dave tried to convince Gary that he owed all of us $1,000 dollars but Gary wasn't buying it. Below is a picture of Ashley, Gary, and Sam.
Had this trip occurred ten years ago, I'm sure we would have all hit the town and ended up at the Waffle House for some greasy drunk food. Now that we're all "older," the night ended with us going to bed around 10 pm after tucking both kids into bed. Of course, ten years ago, we would have all slept in to noon or so. Now that we have portable alarm clocks (aka kids), we were up at the crack of dawn. Dave and Cathy took us to nice place for breakfast (I can't remember the name but it was wonderful). After feasting, Ashley, Bode, and I had to hit the road for our next destination. Before leaving, we snapped some photographs in the parking lot. First we have the proud mothers.Next, we have the four bulls. Note how Westin is already striking that Heisman trophy pose. Surely Dave and Cathy have a fight in their future regarding Westin's higher education, as they are a "mixed" marriage (Dave went to Auburn while Cathy attended Sh*tsville University, I mean, Georgia).We had a lovely visit with the Bledsoe threesome and hope to see them often as our boys, Auburn Future Class of 2030, grow up (Cathy, don't even think they're going to Georgia). We left Atlanta at 1100 Saturday morning. Next stop: Tybee Island, Georgia aka The Beach!

Long Time No Post

It's been almost two weeks since our last post. I do apologize for the lack of Bode-pictures, so to make up for it, you will be treated to ten (10) amazing photographs of Bode in action (well, 9 because there's one picture of just Mommy and Daddy).

For the July 4th holiday, Ashley, Bode, and I make the trek to Chicago to visit my Dad. My brother and his family (wife and three kids) also came up from Albuquerque, so this was the first chance the four McGuirk cousins had of being together. Our journey started early Wednesday morning. We managed to get out of the house and on the road at 0634, only 4 minutes beyond our target departure time (I blame Ashley for our tardiness). The drive started smoothly, and Bode did great in the car (and we made great time). He slept for a couple hours, played with his toys, and was quite pleasant. At 1100 EDT, we (Ashley) decided we should stop at a Cracker Barrel for lunch (stopping really puts a dent into our miles per hour average). However I decided it would probably be nice to let her and the boy feed. Unbeknownst to us, we had crossed into Central Time, so the waitress gave us a strange look when we asked for the lunch menu.

Bode sucked down a bottle--here's a shot of him and Ashley sitting in the rocking chairs in front of the restaurant.After topping off our tanks (the car included), we hit the road again. We were passing Gary, Indiana, about 90 miles from our destination when Ashley says, "Jeffy, it's getting hot in here. Is the air conditioning on?" I placed my hand in front of the vent and felt hot air. The dial was set to cool, so I checked the gauges. The service engine soon light was glaring at me, and the temperature gauge was pegged beyond H. "Oh Fudge!" I said (but I didn't say fudge). There really was nowhere to pull over, so we quickly shut off the air and cranked on the heater to help vent the engine. Fortunately, the temperature came back down, but we did drive the rest of the way with the heat on and the windows open (sort of unpleasant), and we also kept the speed to a very reasonable level (needless to say, we didn't set any time records for the Dayton to Chicago journey). Thankfully, a Nissan store was only a few minutes from Dad's house, and we were able to get the car fixed (they also offered to recharge the Halogen in the lights, but they couldn't fool a car-guy like me and get me to bite on this :-)

Fortunately, that was the only drama on the trip. Everyone made it safely to Chicago, and the kids had a grand time getting to know each other. Brenna (age 7) and Sean (age 5) were sooo good with Bode. They were so gentle and cute when they played with him, so much so that Ashley decided she wants at least three more kids (only "kidding"). Here's a shot of the three cousins playing in the yard.
There was a little park within walking distance, so we strolled over and played on some of the equipment. We managed to pry Brenna and Sean off the jungle-gym long enough to take the following picture.Next, we have "Aunt Ashley (aka Mommy)", Brenna, and Bode. If only Brenna had on some type of Auburn attire, we'd consider her part of our family. As such, she's just some vagrant from New Mexico...Here's Uncle Pat holding his 1-year old daughter, Devin, while watching Bode (sort of looks like he's more interested in his i-Phone, doesn't it?)Devin is actually walking, so seeing her was like a glimpse into what the future holds for Bode. The two of them were very cute together. Obviously in the picture below, Devin is saying, "Daddy, why don't I have a cool Auburn Tigers hat?"A cute one of Bode and Daddy.Another cute one, this time of Bode and Mommy. Evidently one of Bode's cousin's stole the Auburn lid...why else would Bode be wearing that goofy sun-hat?One of the day's, Ashley, Dad, and I managed to sneak away for some golf. Here's a shot of Ashley and me on the first tee (obviously the first tee because we are still smiling). I think Dad ended up winning (home-course advantage), but we had fun. Ashley shot a personal best 54-51 for a 105. Evidently having kids improves her golf game...After a hard day on the course, it was Miller Time (someone call child services!)We had a nice time in Chicago, but since we haven't won the lottery, we had to return to Ohio for work. Actually, Ashley spent less than 24 hours in Dayton because on Monday, she flew out to Colorado for the week, leaving Bode and me to fend for ourselves (thankfully Auburn and Dudley were here to help me). We had a fine week--nothing exciting (i.e. no fires). Ashley returned Friday and we had a nice dinner Friday night. Unfortunately, Bode got sick on Saturday--he wasn't screaming or crying or anything like that, but he just wasn't himself (no smiles at all). We took his temperature and it was 101.5. He slept a lot yesterday and most of this morning. Thankfully, he's smiling again, and we're so happy to have our little guy back. We may go to the park or to hit some golf balls this afternoon. It's a short week at the office for us, as on Friday, we leave for a week-long vacation to Georgia.

Pleasant week to all.

Scheming

You'll have to tell me if you think I'm being a bit paranoid. You must watch this video and tell me if you notice anything suspicious.

Did you hear it? If not, listen again. Note how Bode seems to be communicating by mimicking the sounds of birds. Right at the end, in the background, did you hear Dudley bark? It would seem these strange sets of noises Bode makes are somehow hidden messages to Dudley. No doubt the two are plotting to overthrow the existing regime. Bode probably feels he is not getting enough "Juicy" while Dudley probably thinks we are skimping on the treats. We'll have to keep our eyes on these two...

We have some exciting pictures of Bode in action. First, we have him in his little play area in the sun room. He really seems to like it...and what's nice is he can't yet get out of it, so it's like a little cell.
Unfortunately, those walls won't be able to contain him forever.
Next, we have Bode mugging for the camera...he's just too d*mn shy.
A recent afternoon, Ashley said she'd "watch" Bode while I did some work. Evidently watching really means taking a nap in Ash-speak.Finally, we have a shot of Bode in his crib. I remember when he looked so small in there, all swaddled up, his head no bigger than an orange. Now, the crib seems tiny, and it's only a matter of time before he figures out how to scale the walls.
We hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Summertime

There's a old saying: "Love is blind." I don't know who said it (Ray Charles?) but I've realized it must be true. Case in point. You all know our beloved rottweiler, Auburn. To me, she still looks like a puppy, her face unchanged since the day we got her when she was six weeks old (well, she has started to gray around the whiskers, but that's not point). Could this dog really frighten anyone? Evidently, the answer is, "Yes, that beast can scare the p*ss out of people." On a recent Saturday morning, Ashley and I decided to take Bode and Auburn for a walk. It was still early--to give you an idea how early, only fishing shows were being shown on ESPN. Anyways, we headed down to the garage because that's where we keep the stroller. Auburn is with me, and Ashley is carrying Bode. I go to get the stroller while Ashley hits the garage door opener. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a van in our driveway which I find curious but not alarming. Then, I see Auburn bolt out of the garage, running like she'd just seen a cat. I then hear two of her deepest, "Protect house!" barks. I go flying out to the driveway and see Auburn standing between this van and the very frightened newspaper guy who was delivering our paper to the front door. The fur on Auburn's neck was standing up, and she looked upset; damn she has some big teeth. Anyways, this poor guy was not moving an inch. I don't know if he was frozen with fear, or if he simply had the sense enough to remain still and hope the dog lost interest. I apologized and tried to laugh it off. The newspaper guy didn't find it funny because our paper is no longer delivered to our front door; every morning it now gets only as far as our driveway.

Last night, Ashley and I went to dinner at the MCL cafeteria. To give you an idea of the patronage at this establishment, if one were to go eat dinner at 4:30 pm, the line would be huge. Anyways, lots of "elderly" folks there. Well, everyone was extremely nice to us, and they all loved Bode. However, at least five people said, "Boy, he doesn't miss a meal does he?" At first, I thought it was funny; after awhile, I started to think, "These septuagenarians are calling my boy fat. The nerve!" After we left, I asked Ashley if Bode is "a little on the heavy side." "Oh yeah," she replied. Well he may be tubby, but I don't know a lot of fat people that can do this. Mmm, mmmm, feet. Also note the tree trunks for legs. He's got the makings of future linebacker. Here are some pictures of Bode's trip down to Florida. He loved hanging out with his Nana and "Papatank," which is Granddad's new nickname. Why Papatank? Well, his first name is Frank, and JoAnne and Frank have been foster parents for a number of years to a number of children. One of them, Cherry, told her Mom she "wanted to go see Papatank." Cherry probably needs a phonics lesson, because she meant to say, "PapaFrank." We think Papatank is much more fun.
Next, we have a cute one of Bode and Mommy. Neither one of them really got a tan; Bode is kind of a bone-white while Ashley is a cream-white. Of course, there's nothing wrong with fair skin...We've had a busy weekend. We hooked up our tailwind, which is a stroller that we can attach to my bike. We tested it out and took Bode around the neighborhood. He seemed to like it, and Ashley seemed to like it. Did I like it? Well, it was fine except I get the joy of hauling around fifty more pounds (the tailwind is 30 pounds and Bode is 20). Actually, it's really not that bad, except for the hill near our house. Next weekend we plan on taking a nice ride and maybe a picnic. We also shot some baskets on our new basketball hoop. While Ashley was away in Florida, I successfully installed a new backboard and rim (the old one had fallen off during the winter). You'd think maybe I could clean myself up a bit for a picture...
After doing some chores, Ashley tried to nap. Auburn had something else in mind...Bode is changing every day. He can't yet sit up on his own, but he rarely topples over and he even seems to understand things. He doesn't quite yet having the drooling thing solved, but that'll be soon enough. We imagine he'll start crawling in the near future, so we better start baby-proofing the house.
Pleasant day.