States Visited...

Debbie thinks that you have to spend at least three nights in a state to count it as "visited". OK. So below is a map of the states I've spent three nights in (dark green). I believe if you spend a night in a state, you can count it. The light green states, I've spent 1 or 2 nights in... for example, I've stayed in Laramie and Cheyenne each 1 night, so I'm up for 2 in Wyoming. And some people think that if you've been in a state, it counts. The yellow states, I've been in enough to drive around and see stuff. (I'll admit that changing planes in an airport probably doesn't count. I waited for several hours in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport but didn't count Minnesota as visited until I drove to several cities in the southern part last year. I haven't yet been to Oregon, North Dakota, or Hawaii at all. Three out of 50 isn't bad, I guess. And if you count the District of Columbia, I'm down 3 out of 51, since I've spent many nights in D.C.

Some Pics from my Trip...

Taken at Disney Studios "Streets of America" light exhibit, January 2011. Below: Grandma Fordham's Christmas Tree Below: The "Brick" that will be installed in the entrance walkway of the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History (formerly the Jacksonville Children's Museum) honoring Lawrence Fordham, who operated the planetarium at the old museum from 1952 to 1966.

Happy New Year

Let's see. Enjoyed Christmas with CatKim and Jack and Sarah. Oh, and Akeela and Blitzie, too. Had a great New Years with my loving wife. She's setting up her new business. I hope. Got a new calling, but wasn't released from EITHER of my other two callings. Three at one time. Sheesh. Flew to Dulles on January 2nd. Stuck at Gate C17 for over an hour's delay caused by some dumb lady on the incoming flight who let her stupid dog out of his dog carrier, and he pee'd and pooped on the plane, so the airline had to delay 218 people for over an hour while they cleaned and disinfected the plane. If they'd told us about this before all the passengers had disembarked and disappeared, I'm sure that at least some of the 218 waiting-to-board passengers would have been happy to take care of the lady's dog to make sure it never happened again -- at least not with that dog anyway. Finally got to Orlando. Bopnopper picked me up without problem. Spent next morning with her at Animal Kingdom, said hi to Pooh, who needed a ride to the airport the next morning. Got to see a spectacular musical based on Finding Nemo... I mean Broadway-quality stuff. Spent the afternoon in Disney Studios watching an awesome car stunt driving thingie, had a nice lunch at "Mom's kitchen", spent an inordinate amount of time enjoying Walt Disney's museum, got to enjoy the Fantamic light-laser-flames-water-fountain show, and topped the day off by spending almost an hour just standing in the street fascinated by the Osborne family lights on the building. Pictures later. Took Bopnopper and Poohbear to the airport the next morning. Pooh overslept a bit, but still made it to her flight on time. Both of them made it in to SLC airport okay. Drove to Jax to have dinner with my mom and sister at Sonny's barbecue. Some jokester had removed the cap from the BBQ sauce squeeze bottle and simply placed it loosely on top of the bottle, so when I turned it over to squeeze some sauce onto my pulled pork, the entire bottle splashed out, all over everything on my plate, the table, in my drink, all over the napkin holder, etc. Reminded me of the good old days when my sons were young. Oh, CatKim: I picked up the case (the real case) that actually goes with your trombone! The old ratty case you have app arently isn't the right case that goes with it. I've spent 15 hours of the last 48 on school business. Making up exams, grading projects, etc. Drove the back roads through central southern Georgia in the rain and mist and fog all day, arrived in Macon, Georgia just in time to start giving oral examinations to my students over the phone. Drive to Atlanta tomorrow, checking in to the conference, presenting a paper on Friday, maybe having dinner with my other sister Saturday evening. Busy, busy. And school starts Monday.