Happy Trails!

It's been so nice having my sister and her family come home to Orlando, even if only for one week.

Today, though, they hit the road on their way back up to South Carolina.

Safe journey, Simmons clan!

Come back soon and often, and try to avoid all the crazy holiday travelers on the interstate!

The Magic Kingdom will never be the same

Not after these two mousketeers get a hold of it!

According to my spies, their parents are having a pretty good time, too.

Mom has ridden Space Mountain 7 times since the gates opened, and is back in line for another go-round.

And, Dad is riding the bumper cars at Test Track to hone his driving skills for the trip back up I-4.

Fun times in this little corner of heaven today . . .

A day at the Disney Studios

I thought ye socks might get a kick out of this picture my brother-in-law took of the niblings today, using his handy-dandy new Blackberry.

They were visiting the Disney Studios, in case the background befuddled you and the title of this post escaped your attention.

I believe that's the fountain in that mock-up version of New York City they have on property.

A pretty photogenic pair, no?

Vroom! Vroom!

Just thought I'd share this photo my brother-in-law emailed me from his fancy new Blackberry yesterday afternoon.

That's my nephew atop all that horsepower.

I'm wondering if this is the vehicle he's planning on using to come visit his favorite uncle next weekend . . .

Turmoil in Tampa

Condolences go out this morning to my brother-in-law Keith.

His beloved Clemson Tigers got their collective hats handed to them at the St. Pete Times Forum down in Tampa last night.

And, by #12 seed Villanova.

Wow.

I actually tried to watch the game for his sake, but pooped out at half time. It seemed a safe thing to do. The Tigers' full court press really had Villanova on its heels. They had them down by 18 at one point, and by 12 at the half.

But, apparently, the Wildcats owned the second half. The final score in today's paper says they won 75-69.

Ouch.

I guess Keith is going to have to concentrate on that Zoo Poo we discussed yesterday instead of all the basketball he had planned on following during March madness . . .

Last full day in Mount Pleasant

And, it was a good one.

Not only was it Mom's birthday, we celebrated it by skipping cake in favor of a big steak dinner! I guess, you have to take you calories where you can get them after Thanksgiving . . . Actually, my brother-in-law and I were hoping for a big old rack of ribs, but Publix up here apparently doesn't carry such delicacies. So, he'll have to wait til his next trip to Florida for an education in Cracker grillology.

Of course, it wouldn't be a fall Saturday in the South without some college football. I was actually more than a little irritated by the quadruple overtime in the Tennessee-Kentucky game, because it delayed coverage of the annual Gator romp over the 'Noles. By the time they switched to The Swamp, it was already the second quarter and I missed Tebow's first big touchdown run.

The South Carolina-Clemson game was actually the most exciting game of the afternoon, and not just for the opportunity to watch The Evil Genius stalking the Gamecock sidelines. It was a real nail-biter, went down to the wire. Fortunately, it turned out the way Keith wanted it, so he can hold his head high in church tomorrow.

All in all, a good day. Kinda dreading the drive home tomorrow. But, all this makes all that worth it.

Not-so-black Friday

The day after Turkey Day, and we're all still recovering from the feast my sister prepared last night.

We had turkey, mashed potatoes, carrot soufle, and some zucchini casserole she made from a magazine recipe. Oh, and Keith made some Easley dressing (not stuffing!), and Mrs. Smith made THREE pies: minced meat, pecan, and pumpkin.

Yes, we are all bloated this morning.

But, mostly we're all just grateful that Alice didn't follow-thru on her threat of dragging us all out of bed during the wee hours of the morning to participate in all the Black Friday shenanigans in thriving downtown Mount Pleasant.

If left up to her, we'd have been at Kohl's at 4 AM!!

Turkey, shoot!

Well, as soon as I got up here to Charleston last night, my brother-in-law Keith took me to a turkey shoot with some of his friends.

I was a little concerned, hoping that our Thanksgiving feast would not be dependant upon our marksmanship skills (or, the lack thereof).

Fortunately, my sister had a back-up plan, because the waiting list was so long that none of us ever got to fire a gun!

Anyway, I hope all ye socks are enjoying the first full day of the holiday weekend.

And, pass the gravy!

How 'bout them Red Raiders?!

Judging by their performance at Jones Stadium this evening, I can only assume the O in Oklahoma stands for "over-rated."

Mike Leach and his motley crew from Lubbock really put the hurting on "the #4 team in the nation."

But, then again, they did have The Donald on their side, so failure was not an option for Texas Tech.

And, with the deadly combination of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, the Sooners really never stood a chance, did they?!

Oh, yeah, and the Gators won, too. So, all in all a good day for college football . . . unless, of course, you're a Clemson fan. (Sorry, Keith, but there's always next year!!)

My 2nd favorite team won their season opener!

If, like me, you were unable to stay up to watch the carnage in Death Valley last night, you missed a great Nole drubbing.

And, no, the Clemson Tigers are not my new 2nd favorite team. That illustrious distinction changes every week of football season, depending on who FSU is playing.

I do have to salute Junior for beating Daddy this week, a great way to start the season. My only criticism is that he could have at least done what Wake Forest did last year and handed that lumbering dinosaur a shut-out.

Nevertheless, last night's performance should push the Tigers into the AP-25. (Not to mention, drop the Noles out of it!) So, congrats (and thanks) to all the Clemson fans out there in the blogosphere, especially my brother-in-law Keith.

Editing and videos

Spent the better part of the day editing my manuscript for NEHGS.

Particularly wanted to update information on the RINES family I uncovered on a lark after breakfast with Doug Doudney on Thursday.

Anyway, as all this "excitement" was going on, I was also semi-watching two pretty good movies.

One was "Holiday," with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslett, Jude Law, and Jack Black. The other was "The Last King of Scotland," with Forrest Whitaker. Both were pretty good. But, not enough to completely distract me from the manuscript editing . . . how's that for a ringing endorsement?!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law Keith. I think he's turning 55 today . . . or maybe that's just the speed limit. I don't know!