More Christmas at Jerry's

One of these pictures shows the tree, and the other has both Isacc and Christopher.
kind of hard to pick out good pictures just by looking at thumbnails, but these kind of capture the essence of the day.
Merry Christmas 2008, and looking forward to a fine 09.

Chkristopher and Rachel

Christmas at Jerry's house--always a typical Christmas, with lots of kid activity with their new things.

these pictures show Christopher in one, and Rachel in the other.

This year as usual, they had a huge, high-ceiling scraping tree that emply filled up a corner of the room and provided a huge target for Santa.

christmas decorations, 2008

And all through the house, etc., ... the tree is ready, and old santa sits on the piano bench watching and waiting, with an empty saucer beside where he already ate the cookies.

But, remember that the message of Christmas tells us that from the darkest of times, the light of hope will always return.

We can expect better days and times ahead,but they will only be as good as we make them.

we all want to do well, but Christmas is a reminder to all of us, thatTHE BEST WAY TO DO WELL IS BY DOING GOOD.

So, end the year by doing good, but make every day an opportunity to do good for someone.

Merry Christmas

more 2008 Christmas Parade

more views of the parade line-up. one is of Rachel at the fin end of the Cadillac before we left the house--and being bothered by the sun squinting her eyes, , and the other is the front of the Cadillac in parade dress at the parade line-up.

Hard to believe that this car is 50 years old, and still going strong.

As everyone has heard me say, they haven't built any good cars or made any good music since the 50's. (Of course, there are a few exceptions, but none come to mind.)It is also hard to believe that with all that kind of heritage and history, our car industry may

be on its last legs. And, much of that is thanks to government intervention in the design and production of American cars--and who can seriously belleve that they can, or will, now solve the problems they have created?

Well, merry Christmas anyway, and we can only hope for the best in the coming year, although the government created problems will only get worse.

havahappy

christmas parade 2008

Well, it was another beautiful day for the Vienna Christmas Parade. as usual, Rachel and the Cadillac were both well decorated and looking Christmasy.

In the spirit of gift-giving, Rachel enjoyed herself by throwing candy out to children along the parade route. Also, as part of the Christmas giving spirit, entry into the parade was a case of food for the food pantry, so, like everyone else in the parade, we gave a generous donation of food.

sort of seems backwards, doesn't it. You buy and maintain an expensive car that folks enjoy looking at, and then, for them to have that opportunity, you pay for being in a parade.

sort of like a car show, where the participants pay to take part, and the spectators get in free. Oh! well, that is the nature of the hobby.

Since it was such a nice sunny day on Saturday, rachel was having trouble with the sun making her squint as she looked at the camera, so she had her hat kind of low.

Merry Christmas to all from the Murphys.

A WALK IN THE PARK

Fall is certainly beautiful in West Virginia, but sometimes some of the best scenes are right over our head.

I enjoy looking up at the tree tops against a bright blue sky, and September and October seem to have the bluest.

Here are some tree tops taken in Parkersburg City Park on an especially brilliant day. Some are pine, with big cones, and some have just begun to turn.

I was also lucky to get the flag fully extended by the wind.

Tracy and Rachel at Tracy's Birthday

Tracy just had a birthday, and Rachel helped to wrap up some gifts, and to pick out her cake.

She was very excited about her Mom having a birthday party, and couldn't wait for Tracy and Jerry to get here.

The top picture shows Rachel, Jerry, and Tracy.J

Rachel had also picked out a birthday card for her Mom.

at the cruise in

Okay, i fixed the sideways picture and added one. (Sept 17. 08)

Saturday, September 14, 2008, another cruise-in at Wendy's. the day started out kind of questionable, but ended up being a beautiful evening. we had 128 cars registered, and some that weren't Carol ann and Bernie came down with their Cordoba to enjoy the Elvis themed cruise-in, along with all the other car fans. here are some pictures of carol and me, along with both of our cars. as you can see, she dressed for the occasion. .

tracy's flowers

Tracy has a great flower garden which she has put a lot of work into. here is a couple of pictures of the results.
One picture is a vase of the most beautiful flowers you ever saw, and the other is the same vase, but with Rachel standing beside it.

some more reunion scenes

i tried to upload several at once, but couldn't do it. so, will show pictures in several postings..

but, needless to say, reunions are important, and it would be nice if more people would attend.

family reunion june 22, 2008

here are some scenes from the Family Reunion on Sunday, at Tuscora Park, in New Philadelphis.
it was a nice day, lots of kids, and great food. lots of fun for all.
.

tracy's flower garden

Tracy has done a beautiful job with her flower garden, and here are some individual pictures of some of the flowers. plus, one shot of the cherry tree. Although the cherry tree is not in good health, it is full of cherries and they are almost ripe. Very pretty.

Rachel's 4th birthday pool party

For her 4th birthday party, Rachel wanted a pool party and a ballerina cake.
these are some pictures of the cake, and her new back yard pool.
She is enrolled in dancing lessons at Tina's Dance Studio, and just last week had her first dance recital.
Hence, the ballerina birthday cake.
She had several friends and cousins in for the party, and, also brothers Christopher and Isacc were there to help her celebrate.

murphy website and reunion info

http://www.murphy.pobox2020.com/

I always have trouble remembering the website, so for those like me, here it is, and you can connect to it from here.
Everybody should try to make the reunion this year.
It is unfortunate, but true, but almost every year, there is someone in attendance for whom it is the last chance you will ever have to see them.
Also, unfortunately, there is no way to tell which one it will be.
An opportunity missed, may be an opportunity never seen again. so, don't miss any opportunity to visit with friends and relatives.

down at the home place

the old neighborhood in the spring time is also fun to visit. yesterday, May 7, I went down to Clay County and mowed weeds, briers, and grass on the old home place.

But here are some views of spring time, long, long, ago.

The picture with Me, Charles and Nancy in it was taken near the time of graduation. the hat i have on is a purple one that Ifound somewhere. The armband is for the Natiional Honor Society which i had just recently been inducted into, sothat is another reason why I know it was probably May. The bottom left picture is my Mother at the fence, and the one on the right is Poppy, standing on the front porch.

Yesterday, while I was sweating, working, and getting brier scratched, there was nothing there but weeds, grass, and briers.

But, in my mind, all these images were there, and i could almost see them all again.

THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE OLD HOME PLACE.s

no place like home in the springtime

Cherry pink and apple blossom white--great memories. Home is always a place in the heart, it may be real or imagined, it may come from an image remembered, or a song replayed in the mind.

Like CHERRY PINK AND APPLE BLOSSOM WHITE. Well, these aren't cherries or apples, but the pink and white dogwood in spring bloom bring bac, and make new, memories.
Here is how the niighborhood of 1215 20th st. Vienna looked on Monday of Mother's day week, 2008.

Meeting JoAnna and Brian

Sunday, April 20, 2008. What a nice day--some rain, some sunshine, and a lot of nice flowers. Met Joanna and Brian at LaVale, and picked up the cabinets they just took out of their kitchen. Pictures are at Ruby Tuesday's where we had lunch and transferrred the cabinets to my truck. They had some real nice azaleas in bloom, so i took pictures of them. Also--shock-shock, the old familiar McDonalds next door is no more. Put a picture of the demolition here to show the destruction-construction.

Trip both ways was uneventful, stopped at Mountwood on the way bac

k to look things over.

instructions

for anyone looking at the blog for the first time, to see everything you have to click on the items listed on the right of the page, under archive, to open up everything.
and clicking on the pictures brings them up to full screen size.
jvm

wednesday, april 16

Well, tax day has come and gone. I always thought that when one retired, taxes would be less. Ha.
That certainly has not worked out to be the case.
I hear a lot of talk about the proposed "FAIR TAX". My view is that no tax is fair. All taxes are thievery, so far as I am ocncerned. I recognize that some level of taxation is necessary, and that all are legal.
Unfortunately, there are far too many taxes extracted (or is it extorted) from us for purposes that in no way necessary.
We have those that tell us that more taxes are needed. That is clearly untrue. What is needed is a cut in spending.
I will gladly vote for any politician who will promise less spending, and less taxes. (I should live so long).
Enough of that. It is a good week going on, and, today is the day i collect back just a little of what i have paid in--Social Security is due today. (And thanks to the good politicians in Washington, I now have to pay income taxes on most of it.--doesn't seem right-they give me back some of my money, and tax me for getting it.)
Oh! Well. Party on.
jvm

SUNDAY, APRIL 13

SUNDAY IS ALWAYS A DAY TO ENJOY. I START OUT WITH THE SUNDAY PAPER, AND THAT INCLUDES DOING THE CRYPTO-QUIP AND THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE. THEY ARE NOW DONE.

HAD THE B. C, AND G QUARTERLY MEETING YESTERDAY, AND THEN WENT TO A RAMP FEED AT WIDEN. If THERE IS EVER A NATURAL GAS SHORTAGE, ALL THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS FEED EVERYONE RAMPS--THEN THERE WILL BE PLENTY.

THIS WAS A GOOD WEEK. THE TOASTMASTERS CLUB HONORED ME WITH THE TOASTMASTER OF THE YEAR AWARD, ALSO KNOWN AS THE TED ROMINE AWARD IN HONOR OF ONE OF OUR LONG TIME MEMBERS, FOR WHOM OUR CLUB IS NOW NAMED.

I WAS VERY SURPRISED-HAD NO INKLING THAT IT WAS EVEN GOING TO BE PRESENTED, MUCH LESS TO ME.

BUT I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE ALONG WITH BEING SURPRISED.

WELL, SPRING IS ALMOST UPON US, AND THAT IS ALWAYS A PRETTY TIME OF THE YEAR.

THE LOVE OF BEAUTY IS A DIVINE GIFT TO US, AND ONE WHICH WE SHOULD ALWAYS APPRECIATE.

GOD WANTS US TO LOVE BEAUTY, AND TO DO BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

I PUT A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST SPRING FLOWERS ON THIS BLOG, TO SHOW HOW BEAUTY BLOSSOMS RIGHT IN THE MIDST OF THE DARK FOREST FLOOR, AND SERVES TO BRIGHTEN NOT JUST THE FOREST, BUT THE DAYS OF THOSE WHO SEE IT.

b c and g meeting today

Went to clay to meet with the Buffalo Gals of the B, C, And G Co-op.

Good meeting. also went over to the campground, and drove up the road across buffalo creek, and just looked at the creek.

Tthe beauty of that scene is just overwhelming. I wish everyone could see it.

I am now going to try again to put a picture of my mother and dad on here, and get them right side up. let's see if it works.

Okay, it appears to have worked. The picture of my Dad with Jimmy and Nancy on his lap was taken at the Alum Rock curve, just before getting to Crestmont, going toward Swandale. he was about 38 at the time. He died the next year. My mother is in her 60's at the time of the picture--maybe Nancy can give me a more exact age.

Picnicking with the old truck

One of our favorite things to do was to go on a picnic. this is one of those occasions. As I recall, Clifford probably drove his car, and i drove his truck, pictured in part here, which was a 1941 Chevrolet with a lot of miles on it.
My mother would cook up a turkey, with oyster and chestnut dressing, and let it simmer overnight. I am guessing that that is what we are eating here. Best is can tell from the pictures is that I am standing on the left, then Nancy, Charles, my mother, Mary, and probably Mike reaching up at the pan, and jimmy in the foreground.
It may have been an old truck, and it may have been a scruffy area to picnic--but--we had fun. and that's what it's all about.

enlarge the pictures

Just a comment. the picture will enlarge, sometimes to full screen size, if you just click on it. makes the detail really stand out.
jvm

J. G. Bradley campground

here is a view of the cabooses which were purchased for use in the campground. this is at Dundon, and the cabooses will eventually be turned into campers to rent out by the night.
for those who remember Buffalo Creek being black with coal, just look at the beautiful water in it now. it was a little muddy on this day, but it is usually crystal clear now, almost pure enough to dring, and has lots of fish.
Makes you want to get out the old fishing pole, doesn't it.