No football today?!?

I think this is the closest that yours truly has ever been to PTSD.

With the recent losses of both my beloved Gators and the Apopka Blue Darters, and given the pathetic nature of the Bucs this season, I just didn't know what I would do with all my spare time this weekend.

Forutnately, my little sister came to the rescue with this snapshot of her son's flag football game up in South Carolina.

Not quite the same as watching an SEC gridiron battle on cable TV, but I'll settle for anything at this point.

And, given the scouting reports of Junior Simmons' fierce running game, methinks Tebow's records may fall in about 15 years. Ye Noles fans should also be quaking in your collective boots!

Florida 24, South Carolina 14

Well, ye socks, looks like the Gator Haters are out in droves, whining and crying about how a win isn't a win if it's not pretty.

Piffle.

10-0 is still 10-0, and even more impressive if the record includes going undefeated in the SEC. The fellas in orange and blue haven't done that since 1996! This is a great team, deserving of its #1 ranking.

Three highlights from this afternoon's win over the Gamecocks:

1. Riley Cooper's 68-yard TD run cut thru the host's D like a hot knife thru butter.

2. Tim Tebow's rushing TD now has him tied with Kevin Faulk for the SEC's combined scoring record. (Remember, he already beat Herschel Walker's rushing TD record.) He is well on his way to winning another Heisman.

3. Justin Trattou took the wind out of SC's sails when they were threatening to hang some more points on the board. The lumbering defensive lineman intercepted a deflected pass and racked up 53 YAC's in what proved to be the nail in Steve Spurrier's proverbial coffin.

Get ready, Gator fans. Ignore the haters. Urban and crew have something cooking that I think you're gonna like . . .

Gators (9-0) school Vandy, 27-3

Ok, so maybe it wasn't quite the Romp in the Swamp that a lot of the Orange and Blue faithful were expecting out of this match-up.

But, at least it was a welcome distraction from all the disturbing news headlines.

The biggest news in Gator Nation occurred hundreds of miles away from Gainesville, though.

Alabama defeated LSU to clinch the SEC's western division.

That's right, Gator fans, we're gonna have to face The Tide in Atlanta once again.

The prospect has me shuddering . . . just a little.

And, that's probably because today's play at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium seemed so uninspired.

Steve Addazio's offense allowed Tim Tebow to get sacked no fewer than four times. Meanwhile, Charlie Strong's defense managed exactly ZERO in that category. Let's hope Urban Meyer can get them to flip those stats when we go up against The Evil Genius next week . . .

Sidebar: congrats to ye Northwestern, Navy, and Clemson fans out there in the blogosphere. You know who you are. I'll bet you all wished you had the same things to fret about at 9-0! XP

Orange and Blue!

Headed home

Ok, I've decided South Carolina isn't a complete waste of space, but I'd warn ye roadtrippin' socks not to bother venturing north of I-26. All the sites worth seeing seem to be confined to that stretch of Highway 17 from I-95 to the crab shacks beyond Mount Pleasant.

The capstone to my current jaunt thru the Low Country was Frampton Plantation.

Really, it was just a glorified tourist information center, but after the torturously long and slow drive from Charleston, it was at least a welcome opportunity to stretch ye olde legs.

Turns out the original plantation home was burned by the dastardly Yankees during the War Between the States. The current structure was erected on its (smoldering?) foundation in 1868, and you can see the remains of the earthworks residents threw up in the back yard in their vain attempt to save the home.

The grounds featured some awesome magnolia trees with the best smelling blossoms I've found north of the St. Mary's River.

There was also a huge, moss-laden oak tree to contemplate from the "joggler" on the front porch.

Touring the house and grounds is self-directed and free of charge. But, they did get me to buy a jug of cherry cider to tote back to the Sunshine State.

Hope to get back before the rains start!!

Ye Palmetto State

So, after a later-than-I-would've-liked start to the day, I-95 did eventually carry us out of North Carolina this morning.

For ye socks who have never enjoyed that experience, you're missing out on several thousand entertaining Billboards by Pedro along the way.

Bypassing all the tourist schlock, I figured a stop at the South Carolina Welcome Center was in order.

I though--rather foolishly, as it turned out--that someone there might be able to give us some suggestions as to where would be a good place to kill a few hours since ye rendezvous in Mount Pleasant wasn't scheduled until late afternoon. You know, maybe a town within easy driving distance of 95 or 26 that had some historic site, some decent restaurants to choose from, etc.

The recommendation: "Well, um, I 'thank' they's a Shoney's in Dillon . . . they's got a buffet . . . it's only $4.95!"

I do not have a poker face, which evidently led to the second recommendation: "Maybe, you'd like Florence better?"

Florence, for ye socks unfamiliar with this little corner of . . . well . . . South Carolina, is a fairly decent sized town. There weren't any of those brown and white signs one usually sees along the roadway to point out interesting historic sites. But, it was full of a bunch of national chain restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. Just great, because we don't have any of those in Orlando . . .

So, lunch was had at the Cracker Barrel. (Chicken and rice for me, thank you, followed up with a chocolate cobbler.) Not altogether the unique traveling experience I was looking for, but it did fill the void and carry me thru to this afternoon's rendezvous.

Spending the night here east of ye olde Cooper River at my sister's place, chillin' with the Simmons clan. I'll try to get a few pictures posted. If not here, then on facebook.

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!

Not just an echo.

Well, it was a yucky rainy day down here in usually-sunny Central Florida. So, yours truly ended up watching CSPAN.

Go ahead and laugh.

But, I found myself wrapped-up in the network's live coverage of the "Black State of the Union," organized by Tavis Smiley over in New Orleans.

I really tuned in because Hillary Clinton was scheduled to address the crowd, something Barack Hussein Obama declined to do. And, I wanted to see what kind of reception she would get after all of her husband's antics in South Carolina.

Anyway, Mr. Smiley's lead-in was a panel discussion of some sort. I didn't catch the entire thing. But, it was really quite interesting, and I was actually inspired by the words of one of the panelists.

He was a professor from Princeton University. He looked like a "nutty professor," and I could tell by most of his words that he and I probably disagree on just about every topic of political debate. However, he did (inadvertently, I'm sure) inspire me when he encouraged the audience to use their own voice, and not simply be an "echo of the past."

The substance behind this exhortation was the professor didn't want his listeners to rest on the laurels of the generations that came before them. Instead, he encouraged them to become actively involved in their community and nation.

I would take his argument one step further, in a direction I'm sure the professor would not like. Don't just do things because your parents and grandparents did them. Think about it first. Make your own decisions. Really speak with your own voice. You might just discover that voice doesn't belong to a single political party. And, you might find that independent voice resonates much more deeply than the echoes of the past.

SC Dems hear my prayers!!

I can't believe Barack Hussein Obama clobbered Hillary Clinton in the South Carolina primary today!

Isn't that awesome?!

I hope the Dumbocrats in a lot of other states follow suit in their upcoming primaries and caucuses, too!!

I would just LOVE to see this guy win the nomination and proceed to the general election this November.

He will make Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis look like they were serious contenders.

Remember them? No?! Well, I suppose that's my point!!

Notes on the South Carolina primary

Well, the final tally was McCain 33% to Huckabee 30%. Pretty tight race.

A couple of observations for those of you who are unfamiliar with the process in the Palmetto State.

1. They let ANY registered voter participate in today's "Republican" primary, including Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Communists, Fascists, Monarchists, Anarchists . . . whatever. Didn't matter. As long as you had a valid registration.

2. A large chunk of McCain voters were from these non-Republicans. So, he did to Huckabee in SC what he did to Romney in NH, thwarting true Republican opinion by encouraging outsiders to muddy the waters. I give him credit where credit is due, but his successes in these two states were not won with a majority of Republican votes.

Ok, enough sour grapes. It is clear the GOP is still engaged in some soul-searching here. Who will be our standard bearer in '08 is still an open question. But, I don't think there can be any question that John McCain should NOT be that person.

* He voted against the Bush tax cuts of 2002.

* He partnered with liberal Russ Feingold to legislate against free speech.

* He advocates pardoning 10,000,000 illegal immigrants.

* He was one of the Keating Five.

Let's hope Floridians and Super Tuesday voters keep these facts in mind when they go vote. I think some Republicans-only primaries will yield some truer results of what the party faithful actually believe.

And, I'm still hopefully optimistic that verdict will be Mike Huckabee!

Hopefully optimistic

That's how I'd characterize my overall mood today.

The day started off with my usual breakfast place, but actually got to meet a new face. (Hey, that rhymes!) Anyway, I am hopeful the new contact will generate some more business around here.

I am also hopefull about the Mike Huckabee campaign. The numbers are looking pretty good up in South Carolina, and today's national poll actually has him slightly ahead. It's going to be tight, but I look forward to seeing the results tomorrow. Reminder to self: call your sister, and get out the Mount Pleasant vote.

But, what has me looking forward to this weekend more than anything is this pending cold front all the prognosticators are talking about on the cable weather channel. That will make for some good football-watching weather . . . another note to self: remember to go get chilli fixin's!

I hope all ye socks out there are fighting pessimism, too! Have a good weekend!

SC Republican Debate Re-cap

For ye socks who couldn't stay up late enough to watch last night's Republican debate up in South Carolina, yours truly sacrificed precious hours of sleep to provide you with the following observations--sorted by candidate:

1. Ron Paul - Why is this guy even on the stage? He's not a Republican. He's a Libertarian. And, a kooky one at that.

2. Mitt Romney - Poor guy. He spent all that money for nothing, and apparently he's lost all the fire in his belly. He barely showed up for the debate. If he doesn't win his native Michigan next week, look for him to pull out of the race altogether.

3. Rudy Giuliani - By sitting on the sidelines so long, he has rendered himself irrelevant. Pinning his hopes on Florida, where we don't even vote until 1/29, was a foolish plan. He keeps dropping in the polls down here, precipitously. He'll be gone by the end of the month.

4. Fred Thompson - Wow, can you smell the desperation?! He came out with both guns a-blazin'! But, he just came off as cantankerous and mean. Plus, it's awfully easy for someone like him who has NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE to criticize those who do . . .

5. John McCain - American hero, I agree. Best adjective for him: venerable. He deserves all of our thanks and admiration. But, his time is long past. He appeared so disoriented at times, even muttering to moderator Brit Hume about the confusing lights on the stage . . .

6. Mike Huckabee - He bore Thompson's attacks like a gentleman, and defended his 10.5 years as a governor with statesmanlike efficiency. I was also glad to see him rebuke Ron Paul, something nobody else on the stage had the guts to do. In a word: presidential.

I hope this analysis will help ye socks in making up your primary choices, particularly those of you in the Palmetto State . . . and you know who you are!!

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!

Road trippin'

Wow, I can't believe it's already been a week since I was getting ready to go on the big Labor Day road trip up to South Carolina.

I also can't believe it's taken me this long to post one of the pictures we took while we were there.

That's my mom, sister, nephew, and niece, in case you were wondering.

Nothing quite so exciting planned for this weekend. The road trip just leads HOME this afternoon. And, that's a good feeling, too!

Hope all you socks out there have a good weekend yourselves.

Cheers!

Thanks, Cousin Patricia!

Happy Labor Day to all the socks out there.

I'm still up here in South Carolina visiting my sister and her kids, but will be back in the fun and sun that is Central Florida later today.

In the mean time, my cousin Patricia Rivero sent me this really cool family photo she scanned over the holiday weekend.

That's my great-great grandmother Lola Blakesley Morgan (1872-1954), otherwise known as "Mammy," wife of the ORIGINAL William Swinney Morgan. The four girls are their daughters Agnes, Laura, Lola, and Isabel.

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm probably the only person you know who marked at least part of the day in contemplating mitochondria.

Abbreviated "mtDNA," it's the part of your unique genetic code that was inherited exclusively from your mother. And, she inherited it exclusively from her mother, and so on, and so on, ad infinitum.

Anyway, from a genealogical standpoint, it is much harder to trace these maternal lines--at least in western cultures--because surnames change with each generation.

I've only been able to trace my own mtDNA back to an Irish emigrant named Elizabeth Gallagher, who lived in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1850s.

My dad could trace his line to a Sarah Brown, who was born in the old Fairfield District of South Carolina in 1768.

And, my cousin Joanna can trace hers all the way back to 1600s Connecticut.

Well, before I get off on too much of a tangent, I hope those of you reading this in the blogosphere take time today to think about the unique things your mom passed on to you!

Oh, yeah, and two words for my mom: Ham and Cheese!

Weekend picture gallery

Took the guy at CVS wayyyyy too long to get these "one hour" pictures developed, but here they are:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=ow3xb1l.amncshxp&Uy=fnn903&Ux=0

Headed South

After getting some last-minute quality time with the niblings this morning, I had to get on the road home.

Talk about a whirlwind tour!

Literally!

We had some high winds to contend with, pretty much the whole way home. But, the worst were when we had to cross those way-too-high bridges over the Cooper, Ashley, and St. Johns Rivers.

So glad to be back in Florida!!

Berkeley Museum, etc.

Spent the morning at The Berkeley Museum in Monckton, South Carolina. As the sign notes, it is the home of The Little David.

When I got inside, I also found it was the home of the taxidermic remains of the largest catfish ever caught. 110 pounds!!

The reason I added this place to my itinerary was I hoped it might contain some information--and possibly some relics--from the plantations our ancestors owned in the area. I was not disappointed in that regard, and walked away with a pretty outstanding book as a souvenir.

Afterwards, met up with Sister and the Niblings (sounds like a bad 80's techno group, doesn't it?!) for some Low Country grub at Seewee.