The largest outdoor cocktail party in the world

Wow, things got pretty scary for the Georgia faithful up in Jacksonville yesterday.

41-17.

Richt and his Dawgs are just going to have to own those numbers.

Meanwhile, Superman . . . er . . . Tim Tebow now owns Herschel Walker's former record number of rushing touchdowns.

Can ye socks smell what Urban is cooking?!

Gaines genealogy: A brick wall of sorts

Ok, I know some of ye socks out there get a little bored with my occasional genealogical posts. But, you're just going to have to deal with this one, because this little mystery is what has been occupying my spare time lately.

In comparing family trees with a friend recently, I discovered the GAINES surname appears in both of our direct lines.

My line goes back to a Richard Gaines of Charlotte County, Virginia.

His goes back to a Hiram Gaines of Elbert County, Georgia, a native of Virginia.

The men were contemporaries, in that they were of the same general age. Don't know if they actually knew one another, or if they were related. But, would like to find out if they were!

Anybody got any clues or suggestions?

Hanging on by a thread

We can all breathe a great big sigh of relief this evening as poll results trickle in from Georgia.

It appears that Saxby Chambliss will hold on to his US Senate seat, and thus deny The Disaster in Waiting a fillibuster-proof co-conspirator.

What makes Chambliss's victory even greater is that his liberal opponent actually lost about 4 percent of the vote he got last month, despite stellar appearances by Mr. Hillary and Al Bore. What were they thinking?!

It's not much to be happy about, I'll admit it. But, in 2008, you've got to grasp for whatever straws you can find.

Now, let's just hope that idiot Al Franken is thwarted in his efforts to steal a seat up in Minnesota so we socks can breathe even easier . . .

Visions of a National Championship Dance in my Head

Christmas came early around here yesterday.

First, the Gators whooped the Dawgs at the largest outdoor cocktail party in the world.

Then, just past my bed time, Texas Tech used the last 1:29 remaining on the clock to score a winning touchdown over the #1 (over-rated) Longhorns in Lubbock.

Now, if Florida and the Red Raiders can win out the rest of their seasons . . . my two favorite college football teams could end up playing in the national championship game down in Miami in January!

Talk about your divided loyalties . . .

Don't put the cart before the horse, though. Alabama still looms large as the likely opponent for the Gators in the SEC title game. And, Tech, well, you know the Big 12 . . .

Still, it could happen . . .

On the road again . . .

Well, ye socks, I am sorry to report that our Thrashers suffered a rather humiliating defeat at the hands of the Alabama champs last night.

Mercifully, they ended the diaster on the diamond in the 5th inning when it became clear they were running away with the game.

The good news is, the boys have played so well up to this point that they secured a wild card spot against the North Carolina champs.

The bad news is, it starts at 1pm today, and yours truly had to get back on the road this morning to make it back to our little corner of heaven and get ready for the work week.

But, we're keeping our fingers crossed for Bowden and his teammates! As I reminded them last night, the mighty Gators had to suffer a loss in both their national titles . . . of course, that was football, but I think they got the point.

Anyway, headed south, and will be glad to cross the border back into Florida today!!

Killing a day in Alpharetta

Well, the game against the Alabama team doesn't even START until 8:30pm, so we had a day to kill up in this little corner of . . . well, Georgia.

The not-so-aimless wandering eventually led us to the little village of Crabapple Crossing, where we found the neat little bistro pictured here.

And, just down the road, we met two of the nicest people in Alpharetta: Millie and Robert Huckabay.

It may be that they are originally from Central Florida, or maybe it was the striking similarity between their surname and that of our favorite former presidential candidate. But, whatever it was, we struck up quite a friendly conversation that ended up with them drawing us a map to their homestead outside of town.

There they have collected some early 19th Century cabins from Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, on ten of the most beautifully secluded acres I have seen in these parts. And, they invited us to return in September for a fall festival they host on the grounds. A tempting offer.

Anyway, now we're back at the hotel and getting ready for the big game against the Coosa team. I'll let you know tomorrow how it turned out!

Smashing day, just smashing!

This was the scene along I-75 today, just north of Ashburn, Georgia. Somebody cut-off a truck full of watermelons, causing it to flip and lose its cargo.

It was our only hiccup on the big roadtrip today, and really was not much of one. Surprisingly, it only delayed us about 5 minutes, and it looked like everybody walked away from the accident itself.

Anyway, we were excited to get to the Ripken League regional play-offs up in Alpharetta to see my cousin Bowden Francis and his team represent Florida. Last night, they defeated the hosting Georgia champs, 2-0. Bowden was the starting pitcher, and also scored one of the games only 2 runs. So, he was pretty much the star of the show, in my humble opinion.

We arrived at Ocee Park just in the nick of time to watch the opening pitch against the Virginia champs this afternoon. Unfortunately, Bowden was being held in reserve and only played first base for one inning. But, the team pulled off an astounding 7-0 rout against the boys from Tri-River.

Needless to say, we're all excited in this little corner of . . . well, Georgia. Tomorrow night the Winthrop Thrashers will again represent Florida in the tourny, taking on the Alabama champs . . . and, that will be no easy task from what I hear.

Stay tuned for more notes from the road!

Death of a state icon?

Scientists in this little corner of heaven are stumped.

From the University of Florida to the state's Division of Plant Industry, no one can figure out what is killing the Sabal Palms.

The tree is an official symbol not only of the Sunshine State. It appears both on our flag and on that of South Carolina.

And, some insects are killing them with some microscopic phytoplamsic disease that the eggheads can't as yet identify . . . much less cure.

The disease is often misdiagnosed as malnutrition or excessive trimming, but is much more dangerous than those two reversible maladies.

So far, the worst of this is confined down in the Tampa Bay region.

Let's hope a cure may be found before it spreads to other areas, lest they disappear from our landscape altogether and leave the terrain looking like . . . dare I say it . . . Georgia!

Perish the thought!

Let "Save the Sabal Palm" be our cry!

Super Tuesday Song Dedications

To Mitt Romney: "West Virginia Mountain Mama," by John Denver. And, if you'd like a little cheese with that whine, we'll see what we can do for you in that other W state of Wisconsin . . .

To John McCain: "Georgia on My Mind," by Ray Charles. Close, but no cigar.

To Wolf Blitzer: "Tennessee River," by Alabama. Aren't you glad you didn't call one state before all the precincts came in?!

To all the prognosticators (especially Gloria Borger) who said there was no other alternative for conservative Republicans: "Sweet Home Alabama." I'll let them choose their own cheesy cover band.

To Hillary: The N'Sync song of your choice, since you look like Lance Bass in drag.

And, as the results tonight looked so good for Mike Huckabee, I'd also like to send this one out to all my Cajun friends who will be voting this weekend: "Louisiana Saturday Night!"

Get down your fiddle, and take down your bow, y'all!

Henry Oliver Burden (1933-2008)

Condolences go out to the Burden family following the loss of their patriarch early Thursday morning after a long bout with Alzheimer's Disease.

Mr. Burden was born 7 March 1933 at Thomaston, Georgia, and lived in Atlanta until 1979, when he moved to Orlando.

Recently, he moved to Marietta, Georgia to be near his daughter.

He will be remembered as a humble man with a warm smile, as well as for his kindness and devotion to his family.

Preceded in death by his wife, the former Anita Nash, he is survived by his three children, Randy O. Burden (Alice), Angela B. Smith (Billy), and Gregory H. Burden (Beth Anne); sisters, Helen Singer and Barbara Ray (Jesse); grandchildren, Amy S. Thompson (Toby), Elizabeth B. Ariko (Griffin), John O. (Kristen), David W. (Jessica), Garrett O. and Sarah Beth Burden; and great grandchildren, Tanner and Ansley Thompson, and Jack and Anna Wells Burden.

For ye local socks, a visitation will be held at Carey Hand Funeral Home (Curry Ford Road, right around the corner from my office) on Tuesday, January 15 from 6-8PM.

A graveside funeral service will be held at Greenwood Cemetery on Wednesday, January 16 at 10:30AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to

Workforce Advantage Academy, Inc.

2113 E. South Street

Orlando, Florida 32803

On the road again . . .

I couldn't believe how easily we made it back to The Sunshine State today.

Yes, it did take nearly 7 hours. But, the traffic was nowhere near what it was cracked-up to be.

There were only two "slow patches" along our 400-mile stretch I-95.

The first was in Georgia, between Savannah and New Brunswick. No surprise. People in Georgia don't know how to merge.

The second was in Palm Coast. But, it was at least anticipated and familiar. They've been doing construction there for an eternity. So, we knew what we were getting in to , and it didn't last very long.

Anyway, we got home with plenty of time to decompress, unpack, etc.

But, now I see the date on the calendar: 11/25. That means only one more month til Santa arrives.

My, how this year has flown!

Time for the annual cocktail party

Looks like that poor little dawg got chomped by a Gator!

Hopefuly, a lot of that will be going on up in Jacksonville this afternoon.

ORANGE AND BLUE, Y'ALL!

Brick Walls - - - genealogically speaking

Anyone who has engaged in the pursuit of genealogy for any amount of time has encountered a "brick wall."

That's the term we root-searchers use to label "end of line individuals," those most elusive of ancestors who seem to have appeared out of thin air because we can't find any documentary evidence of their origins.

Anyway, one of my brick walls has been a young lady by the name of Mary Eliza Robertson. She married a fellow named John Patrick in Wayne County, Georgia, back in 1836. Sadly, she was killed by those dastardly Seminoles who were raiding Nassau County up in North Florida in May 1840. And, that's about all I know of her.

Her widower John quickly remarried to his sister-in-law Linnia Robertson, and the two of them came down here to Central Florida. In fact, they homesteaded land not far from where I live in Apopka.

But, I digress.

Despite many years of digging, I have not been able to find anything about the origins of Mary Eliza. (Or, her sister Linnia, for that matter!)

That is, until today. I think I am finally beginning to assemble enough pieces of the puzzle to at least form the hypothesis that they were daughters of a dude named Josiah Robertson.

Here's a link to the notes I've collected so far. Any input would be appreciated!

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~oldpinecastle/robertson/robertsonnotes.html

Where's Smokey the Bear when you need him?

All the smoke around here from the Georgia forest fires is wreaking havoc with my allergies.

I feel like my sinuses are going to explode.

Think I'm going to call it an early night and hope for better tomorrow.

uggggghhhh

Is it "SMOKY" or "SMOKEY" ?!

I don't know what the proper spelling is.

But I do know that it is smoky/smokey down here in Florida today!

Seems they've got a huge fire burning . . . way up in Waycross, GEORGIA!

Must be a real inferno for the smoke to be reaching all the way down to these parts.

Hack. Hack. Sputter. Sputter. Cough. Wheez!!

Can a tree own itself?!

Ok, I've long thought the folks at and around the University of Jawjuh were a little "touched."

But, now I have incontrovertible proof:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_That_Owns_Itself