On June 1st, we celebrated Kristin's "20 something" birthday. I only say 20 something because she now complains that she's "getting old." I can only say, you know you're getting old, when your kids start worrying about being old. Anyways, we're very proud of her. She's working for TMobile as a customer service rep, so if you call in with a complaint, be nice! 
On June 4th, we celebrated Nathan's highly anticipated 13th birthday. I've never known a boy more excited about growing up and gaining "teen" status. And, don't even think of offering him a kid's menu at the restaurant...I mean it. We had a great day. We went to the beach at the Isle of Palms, and had dinner at Outback. He ordered off the adult menu, naturally.
On June 4th, we celebrated Nathan's highly anticipated 13th birthday. I've never known a boy more excited about growing up and gaining "teen" status. And, don't even think of offering him a kid's menu at the restaurant...I mean it. We had a great day. We went to the beach at the Isle of Palms, and had dinner at Outback. He ordered off the adult menu, naturally.
Around the third week of June, I took a few days off, and took the family, and dog, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for a few days. We did all of our usual Gatlinburg stuff like driving out to Cades Cove, eating at the Pancake Pantry, and walking along the river. One treat for me was all of the fireflies, or lightning bugs, as we used to call them. I haven't seen hardly a one in several years, so it was nice to watch them out floating about at dusk over the fields and streams. I had the joy of teaching Nathan how to catch them gently without harming them while we watched them light up in our cupped hands. Nathan and I rode the chairlift at night. I tried not to act scared since Nathan wasn't so sure about it only seconds after take off. Still, it was lovely to see the town at night from way up high on the mountain, even though it was lovelier getting off the thing at the bottom. We had a great trip, and our Boston terrier, Neener Puppy, and the rest of us, cherished the family time in one of our favorite places. .
We started July off with a visit from one of my oldest and best friends, Danny and his folks on the 4th. We walked the streets of Charleston and then returned for a cookout, and fireworks. The home fireworks show was something I hadn't done in years, and another first for Nathan. Getting to fire them off with Danny in the front yard reminded me of a 4th we spent together years ago as kids in his front yard the day before we went to Boy Scout Summer Camp together at Camp Old Indian. Danny came back down a couple of weeks later and spent a few days with the family. I took him out on my route, and we made time for a couple of fun outings between work stops. The first was a hot, hot, sweltering hot day out at the Old Santee Canal State Park. 
I'd been threatening to take him there for years, and finally made good on it. It was fun, but did I mention it was hot? The second trip was a little more bearable down to Beaufort and the old lighthouse at Hunting Island. That is one more beautiful place. Oh, and I just had to share this photo of an old Texaco that still stands as reminder of days gone by off of Hwy 17 just North of Beaufort. .
Our big trip of the Summer also came in July as we drove up for nearly a week's tour of Washington, DC, and surrounding areas. For me it was a trip back to familiar scenery where I was stationed for a while in the Air Force, but it was nice to finally get to share some of my favorite places and experiences with Bobbi. I took her and Nathan out to Fredricksburg, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian. We ate at some of my favorite places in Alexandria, and met up with a friend, Jacquie, for dinner. 
We drove up on Sunday to Philadelphia where we saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and had dinner at the Old City Tavern. It was nice to take our time visiting the museums, memorials and Ford's Theater. It was also a necessity. The temperatures were in the upper 90's and 100's, so outdoor movement had to be calculated. Plus, there were literally thousands of Boy Scouts on the Mall. The National Jamboree was actually the reason we drove up, and every museum was lined with hundreds of scouts competing with us to see our nation's treasures. In addition to the things listed above, some additional highlights include dinner at Hard Times Cafe in Alexandria...love their chili, the chimi del oro at Don Pablos. Yeah, 
I know they're a chain, but we don't have one in Charleston, so it was a treat, the crystal glass maestro street musician in Alexandria, photographing our family mascot, Gollum, in some crazy locales, and a moonlight drive along the Potomac down to Mount Vernon. On the way home, we drove out to Fort A.P. Hill and spent a few enjoyable hours at the National Jamboree. It was good for Nathan to see it, and this one was special since 2010 is scouting's 100th anniversary. .
With August came Bobbi's birthday, and another lovely night out with the family to celebrate. The next week, I took off a couple of days for a quick visit with my old friend, Howard, up at Surfside. 
We enjoyed a great buffet in Murrell's Inlet, and cruised Myrtle Beach's Ocean Blvd in his convertable while listening to the delightful sonic explosion that is Parliament...yep, two middle aged white guys jamming to a 70's funkadelic icon. Toward the last part of August, we got word that our favorite apple farm, GrandDad's Apples in Hendersonville, NC, had their first harvest of honeycrisp apples. In the mood for Fall, already, we drove up and fed our craving. 
We stopped at Chimney Rock on the way back down, and then had Dinner with Danny and Kristie at the Olive Garden in Spartanburg. We didn't get in until nearly 2:00 am and I had to play guitar for both services at church the next morning, but it was worth it. The last adventure of August was our scout troop's Siege of Charleston hike. It was 11.5 miles in all, but a great time, and Nathan earned his first trail medal.
We enjoyed a great buffet in Murrell's Inlet, and cruised Myrtle Beach's Ocean Blvd in his convertable while listening to the delightful sonic explosion that is Parliament...yep, two middle aged white guys jamming to a 70's funkadelic icon. Toward the last part of August, we got word that our favorite apple farm, GrandDad's Apples in Hendersonville, NC, had their first harvest of honeycrisp apples. In the mood for Fall, already, we drove up and fed our craving. 
We stopped at Chimney Rock on the way back down, and then had Dinner with Danny and Kristie at the Olive Garden in Spartanburg. We didn't get in until nearly 2:00 am and I had to play guitar for both services at church the next morning, but it was worth it. The last adventure of August was our scout troop's Siege of Charleston hike. It was 11.5 miles in all, but a great time, and Nathan earned his first trail medal.Now it's finally Autumn, and today's my 44th birthday! We've already started our Fall list of events with a scout campout at Lake Warren over this past weekend, and the best is yet to come. Next month, my sweet Bobbi and I will celebrate a wonderful 25 years together. I could've never dreamed of such a beautiful marriage, and all I can do is thank the Lord for it. We plan to celebrate with a trip out to Phoenix and the Grand Canyon next month, but both the anniversary and the trip deserve a blog all of their own. With that, I end thanking the Lord for a beautiful Summer, a beautiful family and blessings overflowing. Thanks for reading!
