Santa bought us exactly what the kids wanted this year.

Nana and Papa with all the grandchildren.
Christmas at the in-laws.

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I wish everyone health and happiness in 2009. I am looking forward to a wonderful year.

Til next year,

Bayou

Merry Christmas from the Bayou.

Ok, it may be late, but it still is the Christmas season.

We went to Christmas Eve church at FUMC. I love the contemporary service. It is up beat and geared towards a younger (am I still young?) crowd. The message is the same but delivered a little different.

The Bayou family had a great Christmas. We started off the day bright and early here at our house. Santa brought the family a Wii. The kids really wanted one, so we are happy he brought us one. After showers, we were off to my parents house with everyone. It is a tight squeeze getting all 19 of us in the living room. It was tough to watch the kids open gifts with the other grandkids gathering around the one opening the gift. It may be time to re-think Christmas morning at my parents. It might be time to look at different times for each family to spend quality time with nana and papa at Christmas.
After Christmas morning we were off to Teresa's parents. We ate, opened gifts, ate and played the Wii. We headed back home around 10pm.
The day after Christmas, we hit Toys R Us. B and K bought DS games with gift cards. We did some unpacking and clean up around the house. We are planning to take down the tree in a couple of days. But, the Christmas lights will stay on until I return to school.

Til next time, Bayou.

Beignet Breakfast 2008

Dig in!

As in years past, we eat beignets for Christmas Eve breakfast. We have past the tradition on to K's teacher this year. She had asked her students some of their family traditions and K told her about eating beignets. I hope she made some and enjoyed eating them this morning.

We have a busy couple of days, just like most of you. Tonight we will attend church and watch The Polar Express. Hopefully, after the movie the kids will be ready for bed. B had already informed us everyone will be up at 7am tomorrow morning.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Today I took the kids to Atwood. We left T behind to do "Christmas stuff", if you know what I mean. It was about 24 degrees, so we did not stay outside too long at any one time. We checked on the camper and it looked fine. We walked to the shoreline. They lower the water level down 10-15 feet during the winter months.

Lot 667 is our summer home, but in December it is a vacant lot.

In the summer the kids would be under water.

These are our steps to our dock. The dock is in storage for the winter.

The kids "helped" T ice the cookies tonight.

Yesterday, I went to Columbus to watch the basketball Buckeyes. It was the first time I saw them play hoops since the Final Four in Atlanta. My buddy Rick called me about 11am and invited me down. It was a good time. The Buckeyes defeated UNC-Ashville.

Happy Festivus from the Bayou.

Christmas vacation and it feels like Christmas. It was 8 degrees this morning when I woke up. The wind chill was in the -15 degree range. We have a light dusting of snow on the ground. I am not sure we are going to get measurable snow fall before Christmas, which is too bad. I enjoy having the white stuff on the ground at Christmas time.

Some things from last week. The annual MHS Talent Show was the best in the recent years. I stayed in Mogadore and took pictures of the basketball game. The Cats are better than last year, but have a long long way to go before they become a .500 team. But, with basketball it is tough to win if you don't have some size and we don't have it.

Saturday night I went to the Winking Lizard to watch the Cowboys game. The game was on the NFL network and I don't pay to see that channel. I met up with Jeff, Liz and her dad (both are Cowboy fans). We had a good time until the fourth quarter. Somewhere I thought the Boys would pull out a victory in the last game at Texas Stadium, but I was wrong. I am glad I didn't spend the money on a ticket to the game.

Sunday, T had to work. We stayed at home and watched football. As it works out, the Cowboys will make the playoffs if they beat Philadelphia next week. I am not sure that will happen, but it is nice to know they control their own playoff fate.

We have a few things to do before Christmas Eve, Day, Day after. Tomorrow, I am taking the kids to Atwood to check out the camper. If the weather is warmer we may take a short hike. T had things to do (wrapping) and she wants the kids out of the house for a few hours. Christmas Eve morning we will enjoy a "Beignet Breakfast". It is our Christmas Eve breakfast tradition. K told his teacher about it and she is going to make some beignets over break.

Of course tomorrow is Festivus and I would love to post my "airing of grievances". It would be a nice long list, but in the spirit of Christmas (which, according to someone I have none) I will let things in the past stay in the past.

I am off to relax and enjoy my vacation.

---Bayou

Merry Christmas from our little SAND-tas!

I did some work on to our pictures and couldn't wait til Christmas to post one of them.

I did forget to mention, B had strep throat last week. She wasn't feeling well on Wednesday night. She stayed home on Thursday and went to see her doctor. He comfirmed she had strep and told her to stay home from school on Friday. I stayed home with her on Friday as T had to sub at Lohr Elem. She was feeling better Saturday and she went to school today. I hope she did not spread it to anyone else.

It is Monday and only 5 days left til Christmas break. This year we have 2 full weeks off school. I am sure T will be happy to get me and the kids out of the house on Jan. 5.

I am in a little better mood today. The Cowboys won last night. It always makes my Mondays better.

Saturday was a long day. I was up early to drive to Mogadore and pick up the junior high wrestling team. We were at Fairless Middle school. We had a couple of guys do really well. The newer guys are working hard and will develop into solid wrestlers as the season advances.

Saturday was also my sister's Santa party. T had to leave B's baton Christmas party, so B could sit on Santa's lap. It sure beats standing in line at a mall. I will add some pics later.

Speaking of B's baton party, she earned a huge (3' tall) trophy for marching in 20 parades this year. She was a busy little girl. I know she enjoys it, even though she will complain about it being too hot or too cold to march. T was asked to be a marching mom. We will see if she does this.

The family Christmas cards went out on Saturday. You should be receiving one shortly. I did not included a Christmas letter because I write this blog. If you want a review of the year, go back to January and start re-reading my posts.

One last thing, the Bayou Steelers lost in the MNFFL playoffs. We lost to the Pimpin' Pioneers again this year. It look like we will be playing the Basement Boys for 3rd place.

Blog you later,

Bayou

Do you ever wonder what people think about you or your family? I would think we all wonder about it, but really don't care if we ever knew it or not. Remember, the movie, 'What women want' with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt? Mel's character gains the ability to hear what women are thinking. Now, I am not going review the movie, but imagine if you had that power. You could hear what other are saying about you, your family, your spouse, your kids, your house, your car, your clothes, etc... First, would you want this power? Second, what would you do with the information you heard? Third, would you treat people different bases on what they think about you? Interesting things to think about. Don't forget to look at it from different points of view. People only like you because you have money. Or, they only like you because they have to.

Just something to think about.

Well, a week has past since my last blog. The routine here has not changed much during the last week. T and I put up most of the outside Christmas lights. We put up a "light" tree in the front yard complete with light up presents under it. We put up the tree last night. We still need to add lights and the trimmings. We would have done it today, but B had an overnighter last night and did not return til after 5 today. My brother came over to watch the Cowboys-Steelers game. his friend and children come over as well. It was tough to watch the 'Boys give away a 10 point lead and lose on a pick 6. We hope to decorate the tree tomorrow, in between B going to baton.

The Buckeyes are heading to AZ again this year. They will play in the Fiesta Bowl against Texas. It is the 4th straight year they are playing in a BCS bowl. Go Buckeyes----Hook them horns!

I have a busy wrestling week coming up. I am taking the junior high to Streetsboro. I have my van driver's certificate and we only have 7 wrestlers, so everyone fits in the school van. The other coaches will drive themselves to Streetsboro. It save the athletic program from paying a bus driver. I am trying to help out the wrestling team as much as I can this season.

The varsity is at home on Thursday. I will stay and take pictures.

It is my Christmas prayer that those who see $$$ at Christmas time, take a moment to realize what is the true meaning of the season.

Time to play catch-up.

Wednesday. The kids had school, but I did not. The big event of the day was the Leon's Day Before Thanksgiving No-Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament Classic. I won this event back in 2005 and won it again this year. It came down to me vs my brother. I had him out chipped and won the tournament. We played other game after the main event, but I wen tout early.

Thursday. We ate lunch at Dawn's and dinner at my in-laws. I was able to watch the Cowboys beat Seattle. Everything was going well until B wanted to eat an apple around 9:45pm. She used a potato peeler to peel the skin off the apple. But, she used the peeler to peel off part of her left index finger. Thankfully, it was not deep, but we could not get it to stop bleeding. We ended up taking her to Robinson. They were able to control the bleeding and wrapped her finger and hand up. She went to see her doctor on Saturday and he rewrapped the finger. He said it looks like it is starting to heal.

Friday. K and I went to the Division VI State Championship game at Massillon. Delphos St. John's beat Hopewell-Louden. After that game, I met up with Keith Moore for the Division IV game at Fawcett. It was cold, but not too bad. After the games, T and I went to dinner with her aunt from PA. We ate at LeFever's in Cuyahoga Falls. We had a very nice time.

Saturday. T had to take B to the doctors. So, me and the boys stayed around the house. We took the kids to T's parents while we went to T's high school reunion. It was a fun time. T had not seen most of the people in attendance since graduation.

Today. I don't know why I bother to watch the Browns. They found a way to lose today on this overcast, rainy day. The kids have tomorrow off. B will head back to the doctors to have her finger examined and rewrapped.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

T had to work Saturday and Sunday. So, the family did not do too much this weekend.

The kids and I went to my parent's house to watch the Buckeyes destroy Mich again, 42-7. Jeff and the boys were there, so the cousins played nicely together.

Sunday, I could not stomach the Browns game, so I cleaned up the backyard and put away any remaining article of outdoor furniture away. I would have raked leaves as well, but they were snowed covered. Thankfully, the Cowboys beat-up the 49ers.

Gas is down to $1.63 near our house.

If I don't blog before Thrusday....Happy Thanksgiving from the Bayou.

First off, gas is $1.79 near our house. I can't remember it that low in a long long long time.

Second, The big D is complete for my brother. I am glad for him that it is over. I am sure things will work out for the best for him and his kids. UPDATE: My brother just called and he is very happy with how things went this morning. We are going out tonight to celebrate and watch the Steelers.

Third, we have an agreement in principle on a pontoon boat. We had thought about buying late in the fall, but we did not like any of the boats we saw for sale. However, a camper friend of our has been having medical trouble and is selling his boat. It is a beautiful 21' pontoon boat that can hold 11 people. So, we will be able to take more people out on the lake than in the old boat. It also comes with an enclosure, full cover, and trailer. We will work out all the details and sign papers at a later date. I wish I had a picture to post, but when we get it into the water, I will post a pic for everyone to see.

It is lunch time, so----Bayou out.

There was another afternoon/evening of black ice on the roads. I drove from school to Dover and the weather and road conditions were terrible. However, once I was south of Canton, the weather and roads improved. Then on the way home, bad roads returned once I hit Stark County. I did not see one salt truck on the road, in either direction, on I-77. I hope this is not an indication of things to come this winter.

The Bayou Steelers are in the MNFFL play-offs. There are still 2 weeks left in the regular season. We will be battling for a first round-bye in the play-offs. The top two teams earn byes.

The Browns added a W to my sports weekend Sunday night. But, this weekend is the big game---Ohio State-Michigan. It kicks off at noon from the Horseshoe. T has to work, so I will watch the game with my mom.

-Bayou

With the weather turning cold, here is a picture to remember the summer. Here is J with on our neighbor's boat. We really like their boat. It is a 21' pontoon boat. It has room for 12 people. We would like to have a boat to take our friends and family all at the same time.

This past weekend was a good sports weekend. Ohio State-won, Dallas-won, Michigan-lost! The Browns play tonight and we will see what will happen there. I am not expecting a W from them.

The weather turned a little nasty today. An Alberta Clipper came across Lake Erie. Now, we did not get a measurable amount of snow, some up closer the the lake got dumped on. We had to deal with road freezing----black ice. It always take time to get used to driving in winter conditions.

--Bayou

http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/4465973

It is not everyday an athlete from Mogadore signs with a Division 1 program in any sport. So, when it happens it is newsworthy. Nate is a great kid and I am glad he is going to the best golf program in the state. I wish him nothing but the best at KSU next year.

Not too much is going on here at the Bayou household. Wrestling season starts tomorrow and I will miss something about it, but I will be glad to be home before 4pm everyday.

--Bayou

16 years. It has been 16 years since T and I went on our first date. It was just a week after Bill Clinton defeated George HW Bush for the Presidency. T and I are not planning anything special for tonight. I am sure we will try to go out soon to celebrate.

Here are some fun facts about 1992:
Gas was $1.09 a gallon in Nov. 1992
Golden Girls and Cosby went off the air.
Johnny Carson left the Tonight Show and Jay Leno replaced him.
The Dallas Cowboys we on their way to winning Super Bowl XXVII in January 1993.
The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series,
Ohio State and Michigan played to a 13-13 tie. The QB for the Buckeyes that day; Kirk Herbstreit. OSU President (then and now) G. Gorden Gee said "A tie is one of our greatest wins ever," Who said the leader of the largest university in the country needs to be a smart man?

Mogadore's season came to an end Friday night. The Hopewell-Louden Chieftens beat them 30-0. I am really impressed by this group of kids and coaches. They could have quit after the homecoming game when 5 starters were kicked off the team. But they hung in there and won the league again and hosted a play-off game. 10-2 again this year, not too bad.

Ohio State rolled. After the OSU game, I took the kids to Christie and Mike's. We had not seen them since the cruise. (T was scrap booking so she did not go). The kids love playing together. K played on their Wii most of the night. He is hoping Santa brings one this Christmas.

Yesterday was a bit different. The Browns and the Cowboys did not play. So, with no real interesting game on, I did things around the house. T went back to her all-day scrap booking event. I even had to wait til 4 to watch the Steelers play.

Dan called me about his boat. He is going to sell it. He is giving us first shot at it. He would like something down to know we are serious about buying the boat. We are, but putting something down before Christmas it tough. I had hope to wait til after we got our taxes back, but we might need to do something soon. His boat is a 2004 21' pontoon boat with a 4-stroke 25 horsepower Nissan outboard motor. He wants $12,000 for the boat, enclosure and trailer. The boat is in tip-top shape. But, if we don't buy it, I am sure we can find something else next spring.

--Bayou

It is going to be a raining evening in Mansfield. I am heading there to see the Cats play Hopewell-Louden in Round 2 of the play-offs. We lost to them last year in Round 2 at Ashland College. It will be a tough game for the Cats.

The Buckeyes are back in action this week. I hope they can run the table and get an at-larger BCS bid or share the Big Ten title with Penn State and possibly go to the Rose Bowl.

The Cowboys have the week off. (Thank the Lord). The Browns let another game slip through their hands last night. Denver beat them 34-30. So, I am not sure what game I will watch. I guess I will be rooting for the Bayou Steeler players.

--Bayou

It is just past 10:30pm on election day and Senator John McCain lost in his bid for President. It looks like the Democrats will gain in both the HOR and Senate. It is going to be a long 2 year and even longer 4 years. I am sad because people who supported the President elect can't tell me one reason why they voted for him. They must want 1 trillion dollars of new spending. Who is going to pay for it? Well, 95% of us will get tax breaks, so I guess it is on the top 5%. But wait, he wants to redistribute the wealth. Well, again, where is that coming from? The top 5%. But, don't forget small businesses. You will get tax increases as well. And all business will pay more taxes. I wonder what those companies will do? Maybe, raise their prices. So, I guess it is an increase for everyone who buys anything. I guess I am glad I am not in the top 5% of the wealthy people in the United States.
I could go on and on. It is just not worth it.

K went to a wrestling clinic this week. They had a "tournament" this morning. He placed 2nd. The kids that beat him, wrestled for the Perry Youth Wrestling team last year. He enjoyed wrestling. I think he will join the youth team next year.
You might not be able to tell he lost a tooth last night. It was the tooth next to the front tooth that is missing.

T took this picture today. It was the first station in the area to go under $2 a gallon.

Mogadore beat Leetonia last night 30-14. They will play Hopewell-Louden next week. HL beat us last year.

I mowed the grass for the last time this year. It was more to mulch up leaves than cut the grass. T and I cleaned out the barn and packed away stuff for the winter. It was a beautiful day. We could have gone camping this weekend and not been too cold. It was almost 60 today and it should be 60+ and sunny tomorrow.

Til next time,

Bayou

I guess I can report on the first snow fall of the season. The was snow on cars as I pulled into the parking lot here at MHS.

I did golf on Monday. It was cold, but no rain. Butch and I did not keep score. There was no one on the course, so we "hit'em til we liked 'em" I did hit some good balls of the tee and sank of couple of long putts. It will be a long time til golf season opens again.

The Bayou Steelers are 7-1 in fantasty football. We are a game ahead of Deez Nutts (my brother in-law). Monday night LenDale White carried the team to a victory. Hopefully, we can ride this good play into the play-off and win our 4th MNFFL Super Bowl title.

Til next time,

See you Down by the Bayou

Well, the Cowboys and Browns saved my sports weekend.

Yesterday, was trick or treat. We were out for only an hour. B was a yellow M&M. Kent was a Cleveland Indian and J was a pirate. The kids enjoyed it, but after an hour they were ready to go home. Since they trick or treat at Atwood, they get their fill of candy early. Of course, there was plenty of candy for me and T.

Mogadore will play Leetonia this Friday night. I would like to go see either Canton South or Canton McKinley play on Saturday. But, I might just stay at home.

Tonight will be the last week of free golf. Hopefully, the weather will hold out.

There are 8 days left in the election. I can't wait for it to be over. The media has crowned Obama King of the United States. I believe with him in the White House, we are starting a march toward socialism. Why do I want my wealth to be spread around to everyone else who is to lazy to get a job? Why would anybody want to work, if the government just spreads the wealth around? I guess I am the idiot who will continue to work to support all the deadbeat democrats on welfare.

John McCain will get my vote. Kirk Schurring will get my vote.

Bayou for President.

It has not been a good sports weekend for Bayou so far. Mogadore lost. The Buckeyes lost. The Rays lost game 3. The Cowboys have a tough game against Tampa Bay and the Browns are the Browns.

Leetonia will travel to Mogadore for the first round of the playoffs. Mogadore have made the playoffs ever year I have taught. They have hosted 8 first round playoff games.

T worked yesterday at the hospital. When she got home we attended a benefit dinner for one of K's cub scout friends. He is in need of new hearing aids. His dad is fighting cancer and the family is struggling to pay medical bills.

When we arrived back home, we started getting ready for the Buckeyes' game. We had a fire in the back yard. My brother and his boys came over along with the Hallgrens. The Tolins were invited but the oldest son broke his collarbone and they spent the evening in the ER.

I would rather listen to the Buckeyes on the radio than the TV. We ended up sitting around the fire for 3 quarters. The weather was crisp and cool, but very enjoyable.

---Bayou

Some more truth about ACORN.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/22/voter.fraud/index.html?iref=topnews


Now, the article says no voter fraud has happened yet, but does that mean it wont happen this year? If a person has a list of 20 people registered in 20 different locations and votes 20 times, this is voter fraud. If ACORN has 1,000 people voting 20 times each, that is 20,000 votes which will be more than enough to win Ohio. If they do this in every battleground ground state, the election will be a victory for Obama.

Go McCain/Palin!

Christmas is coming early for the Bayou children. I purchased a Wii system from jjhuddle.com. I will go to Salem to pick it up after school today. The kids will be so happy on Christmas morning. They loved playing it at Missy and Tim's when we were there before the cruise. I think I will need to purchase Rock Band. T loved playing it.

I was almost Christmas at the gas pump yesterday. Gas was down to $2.29. I don't think it has been that low since early 2007.

There was a McCain/Palin rally at Green HS yesterday. They focused on national security. Senator Biden believes we will be attacked within the first 6 months of an Obama presidency. He said they will test him to see what he does under pressure. I don't think anyone will test John McCain. They know not to mess with him. My question to everyone who wants to vote for Obama; Why put American lives at risk with him in the White House? His supporters want the USA out of Iraq, yet an attack on the USA would put us in another conflict. So, instead of bring home soldiers, we would be sending more soldiers into harms way. Go job, Senator Obama.

The Rays lost Game 1 last night. I let K stay up and watch some of the game. I hate that the games start after 8:30pm here in the east. I am sure I will be flipping channels Saturday night between the world series and the Buckeyes.

The Bayou Steelers lost there first game this past weekend. It is going to be tough couple of weeks without Tony Romo and Reggie Bush. They have been big point producers for the Steelers. We still have a 1 game led on Deez Nutts.

Go Rays. Go Wildcats. Go Panthers. Go Buckeyes. Go Flashes. Go Cowboys. Go Browns.

First off, Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Rays! K and I root for the Rays (when they are not playing Cleveland). We saw a game in Tropicana Field in 2006 before our cruise. We were one of the first groups to visit the touch tank full of cow-nosed rays. I took both K and B to see the Rays play the Indians this season. The tribe sweep all 4 games in Cleveland this year.

I did not write anything about the way the Cowboys played last week in Arizona and I will not write anything about how they played yesterday. Hopefully, it was a case of playing on the road and some good home cooking will turn things around this week.

I went down to Atwood and helped move and load the Buss's camper and boat. It was a beautiful weekend. We could have camped this weekend. A nice big campfire would have kept us warm.

B spent the weekend at my in-laws. T and the kids went up there yesterday while I was at the lake. It sounds like they had a good time.

Saturday afternoon and evening we visited with the Moore's. We watched the Buckeye's spank the Spartans. The entire team looked good. I hope they look that good against PSU next Saturday night. If they win that game, they will have the inside track to the Big Ten title again this year.

The Mogadore Wildcats have locked up a home playoff game again this year. The Cats have made the playoffs every year I have been teaching. I think they have had home playoff game 8 of those 10 years and have won 9 of those games.

It looks good for golfing today. That is, if Jarret feels well. He might have an ear infection. He was up a couple of times last night. He finally total T that his ear hurt. He has a dr. appt. this afternoon. If he is not feeling good then I would need to stay home with him while T takes B to baton.

Go Rays!

--Bayou

T is starting to work more as a sub. Friday she worked all day in the Jackson District after 2 days at Mogadore. She will be at Mogadore all next week. I hope this will turn into a full-time job next year. She will be added as a sub for Perry next week.

Dad and I closed the camper yesterday and took the boat out of the water. We could have gone camping this weekend. It is a great fall camping weekend again. I will head to Atwood tomorrow and help the Buss's closed their camper and take their boat out of the water.

Mogadore rolled to 9-0 last night with a win over Waterloo 35-6. They will go for 10-0 next week against East Canton. SkyFox made their annual appearance at the game. When we watched the highlights on Fox 8, K and some kids he was playing with were on TV. He thought it was really cool.
This link might work http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7672698&version=1&locale=EN-US

GO Buckeyes!

--Bayou

ACORN strikes again...

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/14/mickey-mouse-tries-register-vote/

I just want to see someone come in and try to vote as Mickey Mouse.

This past weekend was fabulous. We went to Atwood for the weekend. It most likely was the last weekend to camp. Dad and I will tear things down this Friday. I really can't say more about the weekend other than near perfect. It will be a long 6 months until we can camp again.

It looks like T's time at the hospital is going to come to an end. She is on 3 sub list for local schools. I would like for her to work at least 2 days a week at the schools. Mogadore wants her for the next couple of days to train her, that is if one of the other schools doesn't call her in. I think she will continue to work every other Saturday through the end of the year and then decide what she wants to do about working there.

I play golf last night. I shot a 46, but no great shots to write about. I can still golf two more weeks, if the weather holds out.

The Bayou Steelers are 6-0 in MNFFL play.

Mogadore is 7-0 and has locked up a playoff spot. If they win this week, they should have a home playoff game.

Here is an article from the Canton Repository and their endorsement of Kirk Schuring for the 16th Congressional District.

http://cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=434437&Category=3&fromSearch=yes&subCategoryID=37

It does mention his opponent has moved into the district so he can run for this seat. I have heard he did not buy the house, but is renting it. I guess if he loses he can return to his "other" house in the Youngstown area. I don't believe we need a carpetbagger for the 16th District. He is just using the same talking points as other Democrats running for office. I hope it doesn't work and a native son will represent the 16th District.

Turn next time,

--Bayou out!

I think everyone knows I lean more right than left, even though I belong to one of the largest unions in the United States. However, I believe the Democratic nominee is the wrong choice for America. In my mind, he is not qualified to be President. Here are a couple of articles about ACORN and what they are doing to get him elected. It is sad that this group has to break the law to get their candidate elected. I guess Senator Obama can't win this election on his own merit, so he needs people to break the law to help him win.

http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=76355CF4F6DB1CAFBE25F970E3FB9294?contentId=7599386&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/07/acorn-vegas-office-raided-voter-fraud-investigation/

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/09/judge-orders-ohio-elections-chief-verify-voters/

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/09/acorn.fraud.claims/index.html

I will post more articles on other topics later, including ones about the race for the 16th Congressional district in Ohio.

-Bayou for President

If you take away Wednesday, this has been another beautiful week in Ohio and it doesn't look like it will change any time soon. The 70s will be here through Monday.

The kids have been enjoying the outdoors after school. There friends come over and they play for hours. It is better than them watching TV after school.

The Mogadore golf team headed off to Columbus yesterday. Who said Mogadore is just football? This is the third straight year the team has earned the right to golf at the state meet.

Speaking of the football team, they head to Windham tonight and should beat them. The Cats are currently #1 in Region 21 at 7-0.

Go Cats! Go Panthers! Go Flashes! Go Buckeyes! Go Cowboys! Go Browns! Go Rays!

First, here are a couple of pictures.

This one was taken the Sunday the leftovers from Hurricane Ike hit NE Ohio. The kids played in the yard all day. It was about 85 degrees with 60 mph winds.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080914_036.jpg
Here is a picture of B. She marched in 20+ parades this year.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080927_023.jpg
Here is one last shot of me and K at an Indians game. This is the game we both got a ball during batting practice.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080917_064.jpg

We went down to Atwood for Fall Festival. The campground was packed. There were people camping in place they don't normally let people camp. It was must of the same as the last few years. This year B and K wanted to go on the haunting hayride. So, I was elected to ride with them. It was not too scary. They had fun.
Saturday. We had to leave early. I shot my 4th wedding of the year. It went well.
Sunday. B went with another family to her parade. The rest of us enjoyed the car show. The model airplane airshow. We watched the airshow from the lake. It might have been our last boat ride of the year. We had a late lunch or early dinner and then a couple of games of corn hole. But, it was finally time to leave and pick up B. We are hoping to head to the camper again this weekend. We need to start packing things up.
I golfed a 44 tonight. The shot of the night was a 60 foot putt for birdie on the par 3 #2. We will try to golf again next Monday as long as the weather is good.

Just a quick post today. I shot a 41 last night in part to a good night putting the golf ball. I parred 4 holes on the night and shot bogey golf on the other 5. I hit the ball well with all clubs. Thankfully, this round of golf will not follow me over to next season, so my handicap will remain high for the start next season.

Another weekend, another trip to Atwood. The weather was not as good as last weekend, but nothing fell out of the sky while we were camping. It was trick or treat weekend at the campground and the whole family made it down to the camper. But, before trick or treat, B marched in the Sugarcreek Swiss Festival. Thankfully, they were #15 and were done before the last unit left the staging area. We made it back to the campground in time to change and start trick or treating at 4.
Sunday's weather was overcast and cooler, low 60s. But, still no rain. The family took a long boat ride to the East Marina to look at a pontoon boat. It is an older, 28 foot pontoon boat. It looks really good for its age. The seller seems to be asking a bit much for a 30 year old boat with a 30 year old motor and no trailer. We may give them a price we are willing to pay. We will see.
We had dinner at Olive Garden for T's birthday. Her parents meet us there. After dinner, we all went to welcome B home. She had a bus trip to Geneva for the Grape Festival. She has marched in all but one parade Carol Koontz Baton troupe has entered. She is suppose to march at the Wolleybear (sp?) Festival next weekend, but it is Fall Festival at Atwood. We will see.
Tonight is golf Monday. I can golf on Mondays through October. I hope to play each Monday til then.

Til next post,

Bayou

I went to dinner with a friend I meet while working at SDMI. He was my contact at a paper mill in Mississippi. He was interviewing with a company in Mt. Vernon. He is not sure he would take the job. I drove to Lexington, Ohio and we had dinner at a sports bar. The 3 hours passed by quickly. I hope it is not another 10 years til I see him again. But, until then, email works.

Today was day 10 of the perfect weather in Ohio. We have not had rain since before Ike hit us last Sunday. There is only a 30% chance of rain this weekend, then even some good weather forecast into next week.

--Bayou

The regular season for golf ended last week, but I can play through the end of August. I played last night and shot a 45. The score was the best round of golf since I returned from the cruise. It also included my second EAGLE of the year! I hit a monster drive on the par 5 #3 at the Sanctuary. I followed that shot with a beautiful 7 iron, 8 feet from the pin. I made the putt for eagle!
The good weather is still hanging around NE Ohio. It looks like another wonderful week. Of course, that means I will need to mow my grass this week.

The Bayou Steelers are all alone in first place of the MNFFL. We are in quest of our 4th MNFFL Super Bowl championship.

--Bayou

What a weekend. It was a perfect Atwood weekend. The weather was great. It was sunny and mid-70's. We went for bike rides, walks, boat rides, played corn hole and just had a great time.

Today, B had a parade in Louisville. T replaced one of the marching moms. She said her legs are a little bit sore. K and I went to Progressive Field for the last home game of the season. The Indians won and both of us strolled the bases after the game.

I will try to post some pictures soon.

--Bayou

Quick blog tonight. I went to the Indians game with K tonight. We sat in section 103 row C, right center field. Both K and I caught batting practice baseballs tonight. K received one courtesy of a Twins player and I caught mine on-the-fly off the bat of Justin Morneau. Yes, we both brought our gloves and I am glad we did. I would not have caught the ball from JM with my bare hands. This baseball marks the first baseball I have ever caught or fielded at a baseball game. I have come close a few times in the past, but this is the first one I got to take home with me. I will post pics later. Oh, by the way, the Indians won, 6-4.

Bayou is off to bed.

Happy Birthday to my brother.

Football recap:
Mogadore beat Rootstown to go to 4-0 on the season.
Ohio State lost big time to USC.
Cleveland lost again to the Steelers.
Kent State beat a D-1AA team.
Akron lost---that always makes my day.
The Cowboys beat the Eagles last night.
And the Bayou Steelers have won their first two games of the MNFFL season.

Bayou, DDS struck again last Thursday. K has lost 7 teeth since April 27th. He really does look like a jack-o-latern.

Again, there is no need to write about my golf game this week.

I saw Sarah Palin's plane as it was landing at CAK yesterday. She was in Perry Twp for a fundraiser. I am sure the GOP ticket will be in Ohio more and more as the weeks roll on.

T should get approved to start he new job tonight. I am not sure when they will first call her to sub, but it will be sooner than the hospital will call.

--Bayou

SNOW DAY!!!!! well not really, but leftovers from Hurricane Ike hit NE Ohio and caused many, not mine, schools to close today due to damage or no power. My kids are going to enjoy their first snow day today, while I am at school. T is going to love having them home all day today.

I will get to football in a later post. There is not much to write about anyways,

--Bayou

Did you forget? I have not and hope you haven't either. The fire station down the street from my house has their huge American flag flying from the ladder truck. It is a beautiful reminder to everyone what happened 7 years ago today. Here is my blog for last year, scroll down and read my entry from Sept 11.
http://bayousteelers.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html
Here is another link you need to read.
http://www.webloggin.com/william-r-ruth-remembering-the-victims-of-911-by-big-dog/
I hope you take time to remember those who lost their life in the attacks. Say a prayer for their families who have spent the last seven years without loved ones. I remember watching TV at my parents house after school that day. It was just something we needed to do. We needed to be together and comfort each other. I hope we never have anything close to those attacks again, but I am sure people said that after Pearl Harbor.
Here is a link about the Pentagon Memorial. It is being dedicated today. It looks beautiful and I can't wait to visit it and pay my respects to the victims.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/11/pentagon.memorial/index.html
Now, I do not get political in my blog, because if you know me, then you know I will be voting the McCain/Palin ticket. I believe Senator McCain wants to keep the military strong and prevent any future attacks against the United States. I believe he is the right candidate to lead our military for the next 4 or 8 years.

God Bless you,your family, and God Bless America

-Bayou

Weekend recap---We did not go to a football game Friday night. But, Mogadore, Massillon and Perry won.

Saturday. I took Kent up to Mogadore for the JV game against Norton. Mogadore won. It might be the only JV game I will see this year. T and I went to my 20th high school reunion. I had a good time visiting with some of my classmates. It would have been nice to see some other friends there, but with them living out of state I know it is hard to travel back to Ohio for a weekend. It was a good time none the less. In football action, the Bobcats of Ohio U gave the Buckeyes a scare. I think the Bucks had a case of "looking ahead to next week's opponent".

Sunday. Sue and Rick from Vienna stopped by to pick up some of their stuff from the cruise. We took a bag of stuff from them in our van, since they were flying back to Ohio after the cruise. We made plans to visit them next month to share more cruise pictures and videos. Then it was football time. Jeff came over and watched the Steelers beat Houston and then Dallas beat Cleveland.

Today is J's first day of pre-school. It is hard to believe he is big enough to go to school already. Last night he was excited about going to school, I just hope it is that way when T drops him off.

I will post MNFFL game results tomorrow.

Ok, back to the cruise...

Day 5---Grand Cayman.
We ate breakfast in the Windjammer. We needed to be on shore for our excursion by 10:30am. We tendered ashore in plenty of time. The Pirate Ship excursion was neat and the kids had a wonderful time. You get a good idea how big cruise ship are when you sail by them in a smaller craft. The pirate ship we were on was 3/4 the original size of Christopher Columbus's ships. After the pirates gave the kids the Pirate's oath and made them clean the deck, we were able to swim. Everyone (me, T, B, K, J and my cousin's boy, M), but my mom, went for a swim. Most of us walked the plank for a 6-8 foot jump into the water, while me and M jumped from the top rail of the ship 15-18 feet above the water.
Once we returned to shore, we did some shopping before return to Mariner. Tonight was the second formal night. I broke out my Dallas Cowboy bow tie. I received it as a gift from my aunt and uncle before my wedding. I figured since my aunt was on the cruise, it was a good time to wear it.

Day 6---Cozumel, Mexico
This was our first time to Cozumel. I was not sure if I would like it or not. Boy, was I surprised. It was much better than I ever thought. It was beautiful. The local taxi driver said the hurricane a few years ago wiped out much of the "eye sores" of Cozumel. Us and the Westcarrs spent the day at Paradise Beach. The kids had fun using all the water toys, snorkeling gear, kayak, bungee trampoline and floating mats. We did some shopping in the port area. We found the prices there to be some of the lowest on the trip. Dinner tonight was lobster. I think they were better on Mariner than Enchantment, but that is just my opinion. Briley watched the kids tonight after kid's club. T and I went to the Quest and as they say--what happens at the Quest--stays at the Quest. All I will say, if you sail Royal Caribbean, go to the Quest.
B did a good job watching the kids in our room. She is getting so big. It wont be long now, til she is babysitting. My little girl is growing up way too fast.

Day 7--At sea
We tried to pack in everything we wanted to do before the last day on the last day. It was nice to go for a swim. We meet up with the Lyons and Millers. We took pictures and packed:(
It was a wonderful trip. We counted down the day from 400+ to this cruise and now I have cruise withdraw. We chatted with so many people on cruisecritic.com on a daily basis, I miss it. We are looking forward to our next cruise. We hope to be on Freedom of the Seas in July 2010 cruise to the eastern side of the Caribbean. I will be letting everyone know dates on cost later because it was a blast cruise with friends and family!

The drive home was quick and painless. We did overnight at Missy and Tim's. It is great having them live half way between our house and the port.

There you have it, our "can't wait til '08" cruise review. Now, you just need to see the 700+ pictures and the hours of video we took on the trip...Lucky you!

I'm sorry I have not finished the cruise review. I will finish it soon. Here is a review from one of the people T and I met on the cruise http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=46038

Mogadore beat Holy Trinity Catholic 52-31 Friday night. HTC is from Canada and played very well against the Cats. The Cats are now 2-0 on the season.

This was the weekend for out annual Labor Day Baseball trip. This year we travelled to Cincinnati and watched the Reds beat the SF Giants 9-3. After the game, we (Jared, Erin, T and I ) went to King's Island. T and I went there 15 years ago on our first ever baseball road trip. It was only $15 for twilight admission. We went on a handful of rides in the 5 hours we were in the park. The groups favorite ride was the Drop Tower:

Drop Tower
Feel your heart drop when you plunge 26 stories from a height of 315 feet straight down at speeds of over 61 mph on the tallest Gyro Drop in the World!--from Kings Island website.

Congratulations to Cliff Lee of the Indians on winning his 20th game of the season last night.

The MNFFL draft was held last night. This is the 9th year for the league. I will try to keep you posted on the the Bayou Steelers as they try for their 4th MNFFL title.

Day Four----Ocho Rios, Jamaica

We had a nice proper sit down breakfast in the main dinning room. I like the sit down breakfast better than the push-pull-trip-and-shove buffet breakfast.

Two years ago, we spent the day at Margaritaville and we would do it again this year. It would be nice to see Jamaica, but the kids love the freshwater pool and slide. We also did some shopping. B got her hair braided. She looked so cute. J even had one braid put in.

We made it back to the ship in time to play some putt-putt golf before dinner.

Tonight we saw the ice-show. It was amazing what the skaters could do on such a small rink. Before we went to the ice show, J and K were in a Pirate's parade. They both looked the part. I beat they will be pirates for Halloween again this year.

We pass the Freedom of the Seas late at night. It was sailing from Grand Cayman to Ocho Rios as we were sailing to GC. It was too dark to take a picture. I have a feeling FOTS will be the next ship we sail on in 2010.

Next Stop: Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

Day Two--Sea Day

This morning was the Meet and Mingle for the "Hurricane Dodgers". That was our cruisecritic.com nickname. We had over 40 people meet in one of the bars. RC gave out some prizes. The fun came after the RC people left and we had time to meet the people we had been talking to for the last year.
The 6-9 year old kids club had a circus parade toady. K was a magician and he made his asst. disappear. It was cute. T went to a wine tasting seminar. B and J went for a quick swim before getting ready for the first formal night. The boys (me included) dressed in tuxedos for both formal nights. The girls looked lovely in their dresses.

Day Three--Ladabee, Haiti

Ladabee is RC private Island. B went ashore early with my aunt to play in the water park. The rest of us made it ashore to watch B in the park. We swam for an hour or so and had some lunch. I did some photography around the island while the kids went to kids club.

T and I had dinner with Craig and Martha at Chops. It was nice to have a kids free dinner. B watched J in our room. He fell asleep at dinner. This was the first time we let her watch her brother. She ended up calling us twice, but we were happy with her babysitting J.

I will keep adding more about the trip so check day in a day or two.

My first teacher day was last Friday. I have another one tomorrow. Kids will arrive on Tuesday.

We went to Atwood today. We went down just for the day. The kids swam at Boater's Beach. I was glad to be back at the lake. It has been about 6 weeks since we were there. We will be back down there in a couple of weeks. There are only a few camping weekend left.

Some score from Friday night:

Mogadore 27-7 over Mineral Ridge
Perry 48-14 over Barberton
Massillon 48-24 over Butchel

We had a small delay getting onto the ship. B was staying with my mom and my mom was on her way from Orlando. RC would not let B board until the adult in her room checked in. I finally talked to the Pier Coordinator and B received her Seapass card. We boarded about 12:30. The Ocean Adventure crew greeted us as soon as we stepped on to the ship. B, K and J all signed up for kids club. After they signed up, we headed to Windjammer for lunch. During this time I was talking to my mom to see when they would arrive. My aunt from Texas was going to surprise my mom by cruising with us. She booked the trip in January and only I knew about it. I am a great secret keeper. Once my mom arrived, she headed to the WJ for lunch. I waited in our room for my aunt who was checking in at the pier. I finally met up with my aunt and my cousin's 2 kids and took them to WJ. My mom was on the phone with Kerri. Mom could not believe what she was seeing! She was almost in shock! After a quick bite for the Texas travellers, it was off to see Dawn. It took a second to sink in, but she realized who was knocking at her door. You should see the video. I might have to put it on youtube.

The sail away party was fun. We were on the pool deck with Craig and family. We had some time before dinner so we explored the ship.

Dinner was good. The Texas travellers had their own table tonight, but it was changed for the rest of the cruise. The kids checked out kid club.

Bayou, DDS was put into action. I pulled one of M's (my cousin's son) front teeth. Not, to be outdone, my mom pulled the other one. The "cruithfairy" left 5 dollars for him.

We did see some of the "Hurricane Dodger" on board. We all were wearing our bright teal blue t-shirts. It was fun meeting people we talked to on-line for the last year. If you are going to cruise anytime, check out cruisecritic.com. It has all the answers for cruisers. There is a section for meeting other cruisers that will be on your ship.

Day One ended and we all fell asleep in our very comfortable beds. More tomorrow.

--Bayou Cruiser

The kids are off to school. I will be off to MHS shortly as well. I am going up to drop off stuff for my classroom. My first teacher day is Friday and I will have students on Tuesday.

Pre-cruise drive to Florida. We left on Thursday, August 7 at 10am and arrived in Fort Mill, SC about 7pm. We took our time and ran into some traffic. Missy's girls were happy to see the kids. We visited the rest of the night with them. On Friday (08/08/08) were did some swimming in the neighborhood pool. B loved the 2 water slides. After dinner, Tim and I went golfing at Carolina Lakes CC. It was a challenge to golf with someone else's clubs on a course I have never played. It is a tough course, but we had fun. We spent the night playing Rock Band all night long. We were up early on Saturday morning for the drive to Port Canaveral. It was about a nine hour drive due to a couple of traffic tie-ups. The Radisson at the Port is a beautiful resort. The kids loved the pool and the food was delicious. We meet up with Craig and Martha. They arrived about 10 minutes before us. After dinner, we did see Sue and Rick. We had driven a bag of theirs down because they flew down.
I was up at 6am on Sunday morning ready for the cruise. I wanted to go out to the beach and see the ship come in, but they were already in port. The Mariner of the Seas made the other two ships (Disney Wonder and Carnival Sensation) look so small. We had breakfast at the hotel and then it was hang out until 11:30 to get the shuttle to the port. We waited with Sue and Rick. Craig was on the 12:00 noon shuttle. Finally, our names were called and we boarded the bus for the short ride to the port.

Next entry will be the first couple of days aboard Mariner of the Seas.

Here are a couple of pictures from the cruise

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/08cruise_350.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/08cruise_537.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/08cruise_551.jpg

I will start writing about the trip later today or tomorrow when the kids are in school.

Bayou has reutrned, but is way too tired to blog about our 7 night cruise. Please check back in the next few days to read about our vacation.

Bayou has left the building.

Bayou has left the building.

It has been a couple of days since my last post. I was busy Friday night and Saturday morning/afternoon with weddings. The weddings went well and the pictures turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

Sunday we were invited to Lake Mohawk with the Poormans. We had a picnic lunch followed by tubing. Everyone had a couple of turns riding the 2 person tube. K was not going to ride the tube, but he finally gave it a try and loved it. The Poormans have a beautiful 24 foot pontoon boat with a 90 horsepower engine. It was fast! We are use to 25 horsepower engine on our boat at Atwood. Both T and I woke up this morning a little bit sore in the back and arms.

Today was golf day. I think I need a week off. I played 3 holes really well, but the other 6 were not good.

Update on the San Angelo Colts. They are in a tie for first place. They are going to be the second seed in the post-season even if they finish in first place. The regular season ends on August 18. I might need to head to San Angelo for the playoffs later this month. I have been know to do crazy things like that in the past.

Here are a couple pictures from the last two Indians game I attended.

From Sunday
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080727_037.jpg

From last night with my nephew
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080729_002a.jpg

I was wearing a t-shirt my friend is selling in Detroit. So don't think I was rooting for the Tigers last night.

I would write about my golf game, but it is not worth it right now.

The parties yesterday were a fun time. The baseball party was from 1-4pm and the 80's party started at 4. It was fun to see everyone in 80's dress. Matt and Lauri won the trivia contest. The Hallgrens won for Best Dressed and my sister won for Best Hair/Best Food. She made McRibs sandwiches! My mom even went as far as buying a pack of cigarettes to complete her dress. Here is a picture of her: http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080726_011.jpg
I dug out my Bill Bates jersey I wore in my senior pictures. T wore her Kent State tank top she wore to the first day of band camp in 1988.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080726_023.jpg
Our cruise friends from the Youngstown area made the party. They were happy to meet some more cruisers.
The only downside was the rain storm.
K and I went to the Indians game today. They lost 4-2 to the Twins.

--Bayou

Here are a couple of pictures. Just click on the links:

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080723_021.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080724_121.jpg

We watched an amazing t-storm hit the area. It dumped an inch of rain in a short period of time causing flash floods. It was still raining when we got up in the morning. We left for Shea and it took us almost 2 hours to get to the Journal Square PATH station. We wanted to go to Ground Zero before the game, but due to the massive traffic jam, we passed on visiting the WTC site. We made it to our seats at Shea in the bottom of the first. It took us over 3.5 hours to get there. It should have taken, maybe and hour and half or so, but traffic was bumper to bumper and stop and go. It was a quick game, lasting only 2 hours and 20 minutes. We left Shea at 2:30pm and we were home 10 hours later.

It was a fun trip and I just might have to plan one next year.

I arrived home early this morning. We had a safe trip. I think, for the most part, we all had a fun time. There are many reason why I would never want to live in the greater New York area. I don't want to list them, but I would start with the traffic.

The drive to NY was smooth. The boys watch dvds or play video games most of the trip. J only took a small nap during the drive. We ate dinner at a local mall. We did some shopping and picked up some All-Star stuff 50% off. I did not book a hotel with a pool. I cant believe there is a hotel without a pool anywhere. But, that was the only downside to the hotel.

We drove over to Staten Island and caught the ferry into New York. The sky was hazy and overcast. We did see the Statue of Liberty and the skyline. We caught the 4 to the Bronx. The Yankees beat the Twins. After the game, we ate dinner at the ESPNZone in Time Square.

More later...

Bayou is taking a couple of days off from blogging. Please check back on Friday.

I am just checking in from Ann Arbor. I golfed in the rain today and it show. My team did not win the outing toady. We were only 18 shots off the lead. I did golf with my buddy Jared. We had a good laugh throughout the day.
My back held up really good during the drive Michigan this morning. I did hit a few golf balls once I arrived at the course. I was pain free and remain pain free now. I hope that is the case tomorrow for the drive back to Ohio.

--Bayou

Bayou, DDS was not needed to remove K's tooth yesterday. He lost the tooth to the right of his missing front teeth. So, he now has a 3 tooth gap! I told him he will need to eat dinner through a straw. He was playing on a float toy in my parent's pool. Thankfully, the tooth was sitting on the float and not on the bottom of the pool.

My back is feeling much better. The meds are doing their job. I hope I will be able to swing a golf club this weekend.

The kids are in Bible school this week. They are having a good time so far. B went to the Great Lake Science Center today. Tomorrow she is working at the Calvary Mission.

Of course with this warm weather, we are spending more time in the pool. This is the weather we have been waiting for all summer along.

I went to BW3 tonight and won more glassware for the TX Hold'em tournament. It is fun going out with my brother and meeting some new friends.

Til next time,

Bayou

No trip to Atwood seems complete without some rain. After having a nice dinner with the Buss's, a t-storm rolled in. It lasted about half an hour but it was long enough to flood everywhere. Then, more fun on Sunday morning. I sprained my lower back to the point I could not move. T had to help me get into the camper. I could not help her pack up and head home or unpack when we got back home.
I did go to the doctor's this afternoon. He gave me some anti-inflammatory drug and a pain killer. I hope I am able to golf this weekend. I will be staying off my feet for a couple days, except for some exercises the doc wants me to do every day.
The kids have Bible School this week. I am sure they will have fun.

Here are a couple pictures from my last two games at Progressive Field. The Indians beat the Rays in a 4 game series.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080710_004.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh172/bayousteeler/20080711_013.jpg

---Bayou

K and I went to the Indians-Rays game last night. The Tribe scored 13 runs, en route to a 13-2 victory. It is by far the most runs I have seen the score all year. I will post a picture of me and K with our Tampa Bay hats and Indians jersey when I get a chance. My brother was also at the game with Marc and his mom and step dad. Marc is not a blood relative, but we have called him a cousin. So my aunt in Texas had her sister, brother-in-law, 3 nephews and a grand-nephew at the game, while she was home in Fort Worth.
Speaking of Texas, the San Angelo Colts made the playoffs. They tied for second place in the first half of the ULB season. But the league awarded playoff spots to both teams in second place. Who knows, I made end up travelling to TX for a championship series like I did in 2005.

Til next time,

See you Down by the Bayou

Week in Review.

Wednesday. We headed down to the camper earlier than we originally planned. Dad was not going down because he picked up an extra day at work. We made it to Atwood in time for dinner.

Thursday. We had a nice family boat ride in the early afternoon. We were going to swim, but the rain started and did not ended after dinner time. The Buss's came over and enjoyed our fire after the rain.

Friday. Happy Fourth of July. B marched in 2 parades. I went to the first parade. T's parents drove down to see her march. I then went and shot a fraternity brother's wedding. The weather was great. It was at a local golf course. I made it back to Atwood about 11:30pm. T let the kids stay up until I returned. They made it back to Atwood to see their fireworks.

Saturday. The weather was fantastic. Sunny and in the 80's. We went to Boater's Beach on the Buss's boat. I enjoyed riding in the pontoon boat. I'm normally the driver and don't get to just relax and let someone else drive.

Sunday. The Necko's came down for the day. We had fun with them. Christy is one of just a handful of friends from Perry I see and talk to on a regular basis.

Monday. The boys and I did some fishing in the morning. I was the fisherman of the day with 4 fish. K and J did not catch anything this time. We packed up and made it back home by 3. B went to baton and I went to golf in the evening.

So there you have a recap from last Tuesday to today.

I was not surprised when I heard the Indians traded CC. I was surprised it was to the Brewers. I figured it would be the Cubs. I figured the Cubs would do just about anything to win a World Series this year. It has only been 100 years since their last championship.

Our cruise documents have not arrived yet. They should arrive soon.

--Bayou

Picture Time

I took my mom to see the Indians play the SF Giants.

B and her baton troupe in the Bolivar parade.

This was not J's first fish he caught, just the largest. He did catch his first fish today at Lake Muncy. It was a small bluegill he named Nemo. So, I guess you can say...J found Nemo. J was the fisherman of the day. He caught 10 fish. K caught 2 and I caught 3. I was too busy baiting hooks and taking fish off hooks to do much fishing.

Til next time,

Bayou

Wednesday. K's team lost their playoff game. They did not play well. But, they have improved from week one. The team's end of the season party will be here next month. I will take K and his friends to the field and let them play.

Friday. K and I went to see the Indians beat the Reds in the Battle of Ohio. CC pitched 8 great innings, 4 hits and 10 strikeouts. The fireworks show afterwards was spectacular. I am not sure when I last went to a fireworks night in Cleveland, but it wont be my last. Uncle Jared drove down for the game. Thanks to a rain delay, he was able to make it to the game before the first pitch.

Saturday. We headed to Atwood for the night. It was more to get ready for the 4th of July camping trip. We boated for a little bit before heading to the regular beach. We got to swim for about 15 before we headed back to the camper. I am glad we left when we did. It started to rain as we were pulling into the dock. The storm hit in full force a few minutes after we got back to the camper. It was so bad a tree near our camper fell into the lake. Tent campers near us had their tent flatten and stuff blow all over the point.

Today. T got up early and went to work. She was back about 3:30. We had rain on and off all day. Nothing as bad as yesterday, but enough to keep everything soaked. We did have a fire and pie irons for dinner. We could of had fish. K catch a nice size white bass.

---Bayou

I am sorry I haven't posted picture lately. There is something wrong with our computer and we need to get it checked out.
Monday, I went golfing at 3. It was to play next week's match early. The weather did not look good for us to complete the 9 holes. However, after some rain on the first hole, we did not get wet. There was bad weather all around North Canton, but none on the golf course. During the round, I received a call from T. She told me K's game was moved to Tuesday due to the weather. I thought great, I can golf at my regular time as well tonight. I don't know the last time I golf 18 holes of golf at one time. But wait, if K's game is moved to Tuesday, then I can't take my mom to see Omar Vizquel return to Cleveland for the first time since he signed with SF in 2004. I never finished the second 9 holes due to a thunderstorm rolling across the area. I did shoot a 43 for the first 9, much better than the 48 from last week. Shortly after I arrived home from the golf course, Coach Tom called and let me know K's game was being moved to Wednesday. Yea, I can take my mom to the Indians game.
Tuesday was my mom's b-day. I took her to the Indians game. It was nice to spend time with just her. Omar received a nice ovation when he was introduced to the crowd. The Giants went on to beat the Indians 3-2.
Tonight is K's game, but the weather might PPD it again.

-Bayou

Has it been 10 years already? My sweet little girls hits double digits in age. We has a small gathering to celebrate B's b-day. Right about the time the storms hit, T took B and her friend to see a movie as part of her birthday. She is saving her birthday money for a Nintendo DS system. K used his Christmas and birthday money for his, so B is following his lead.
I will post a picture of B from her party in a later post.

Happy Birthday B!


Love,

Daddy Bayou

K had his first baseball tournament game tonight. They scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th inning and held the other team scoreless in the bottom of the 7th to force extra innings. We went on to score 7 runs and needed each of them. We got the 3rd out after they scored 6 runs. K through the runner out at first for the last out. He did not have a great game at bat, but he was real solid in the field. We play again on Monday.

Final Score
Gold 24
Grey 23

Welcome to Bayou's Travel Service, or the latest baseball trip I have scheduled. This will be the first baseball trip without my buddy from Michigan, but he has prior plans the week I am planning this trip. I am taking my 2 boys and going to NYC with a friend and his boy. We will be seeing two day games, one each in Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium. It is the last year for both stadiums. My sons have both been to Yankee Stadium, but not Shea. My friend has never been to NYC at all, so it will be 2 new stadiums for him and his son. We are heading to NYC in July for this trip.

Here is the list of stadiums I have seen a game in, plus any other family who were there as well. The word retired by a stadium means baseball is no longer played in that stadium or the stadium is no longer standing.

Tampa (T,B,K,J)
Boston (T)
Baltimore (T)
NY Yankees (T,B,K,J)
Chicago White Sox (T)
Minnesota (T,B,K)
Cleveland-retired (T)
Cleveland Progressive Field (T,B,K,J)
Detroit-retired(T,B)
Detroit Comerica Park (T,K)
Kansas City (T)
LA Angeles (T)
Oakland (T)
Texas-retired
Texas Ameriquest Field (T,B,K)
Seattle-retired (T)
Florida (T)
Atlanta-retired (T)
Atlanta Turner Field
Philadelphia-retired (T)
NY Mets (T)
Washington-retired (T,B,K,J)
Chicago Cubs (T)
St. Louis-retired (T,B,K)
Houston-retired
Pittsburgh-retired (T,B)
Milwaukee-retired (T,B)
Cincinnati-retired (T)
Arizona (T,B)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado
San Fransisco-retired (T)
San Diego-retired (T)
Montreal (T)

T: 34 stadiums
T: 29 stadiums
B: 11 stadiums
K: 8 stadiums
J: 4 stadiums

Toronto is the only major league I have never visited. T and I will increase our stadium count on our Labor Day trip this year. Maybe next year I will plan a trip to Chicago and Milwaukee and get my boys to Wrigley. We'll see.

--Bayou

This week T and I did most of the landscaping we wanted to complete before our party next month. Speaking of the party, we are hosting K's baseball team post-season party the same day. The baseball team will be here from 1-4 and then the 80s party from 4 til ??? It will be a busy and fun day. T said "We might as well have both parties on one day, because I have clean the house once before the party and once after the party".

Saturday. We went to the Bolivar Strawberry Festival. B marched with her baton troupe. Afterwards, we went back to the camper with some friends.
Sunday. It was both Father's Day and my wedding anniversary. T and I have been married for 12 years now. The kids gave me a card and my new gas grill. The grill was also part of my anniversary gift. K and I went to see the Indians beat the Padres 7-3. T, B and J went to T's brother store in Cuyahoga Falls. There was an Irish Festival going on along the river walk. We went back to the camper for another night at Atwood.
Today we made it into Nana's pool for the first time this year. I went to golf from there. I was rusty and shot 48.
Tomorrow went are going to plant grass in the back yard and put mulch in the front yard. So, if you are not busy and want to help...come on over.

--Bayou

Friday was the last day of Cub Scout Day Camp. K caught 2 good size catfish. We could of had dinner with what he caught. He ended up having a fun time all week and is looking forward to camp next year.
We had less than a hour after camp to get ready for the season ending baseball game. We only had 9 players show up for the game. But the nine who showed up came to play. K went 2 for 4 with a couple of RBIs and fielded his position well. Then, the lighting came. With 1 out in the top of the seventh, the ump called the game.....with K's team holding onto a 2 run lead......YES, WE WON!!!!!!!! We scored 5 in the bottom of the 6th to take the lead and held on to the lead.
But with the thunderstorm in the area it meant the after game party here at the house was cancelled. We will try to rescheduled it after the tournament game next week.

Happy Flag Day (today)
Happy Father's Day (tomorrow)
Happy Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Bayou, 12 years! (tomorrow)

One last thing, the big announcement will not happen. SD Myers called me last week and wanted to know if I would consider working for them over the summer. I said I would think about it. However, they would want me to do some training. With this training it would not be worth me going to work for them this summer. My old boss said I could do the training in December this year and work next summer. I am open to the idea as long as it is not every week. So, we will see what happens later this year.

-Bayou

Here are a couple of pictures from Cub Scout Day Camp. I did not attend on Tuesday and Thursday, but I did "walk" Monday and Wednesday. I am planning on going tomorrow. Here is K's den for the week. We are at the North Industry Sportsman Club.

K has caught 3 fish so far this week. Here is #1 and good size largemouth bass.
You can't go to camp with out learning to use a bow and arrow. Today they used a bb gun.

Tomorrow is the last regular season game. We are hosting snack time here at the house after the game. We are going to have a campfire and smores. It should be fun.
T and I did landscaping on Tuesday and today. We are getting things in shape around the house. I will post pics after it is all done.
Til next Blog, Bayou

Tonight, K's team snatch a defeat from the jaws of victory. They were up by 7 runs going into the top of the 7th inning. The other team scored 8 runs, including 3 after 2 were out. K's team did not score in the bottom of the 7th. It was very frustrating as a coach. The defense look like we were playing our first game. K had another solid game at bat, 3-4 with a double and a couple of RBIs. He did good in the field, minus one play in the 7th. We have one more regular season game on Friday.
K also spent the day at Cub Scout day camp. It was fun for him, but not so much for the adult "walkers". The highlight of the day for him, was catching a largemouth bass. He is going back tomorrow, but I am taking the day off. We need to do some things done around the house.
I have updated the San Angelo Colts standings in the ULB. Check out their website at sanangelocolts.com They are a game or so about .500 but in second place. The top two teams in each half of the season make the playoffs.
Also, no new news on my big news. I hope to find out something tomorrow. Stay tune.

---Bayou

Time to get caught up.

B had 2 teeth pulled by Dr. G. Her orthodontists wanted them out to help her adult teeth moving into place. It was not the way she wanted to start summer break, but it needed done sooner or later.

K had another game on Thursday night. They lost, again, and looked good in the first couple of inning but things went downhill fast. K had an ok night at bat 2 for 4 and scored a couple of runs. He did a good job at 3rd base. We went to Kremeland in Navarre after he game. (The game was in Navarre)

Thursday was my last day of school. T came up and helped me move all my stuff in storage for the summer or home. Earlier in the day, 2 of my wrestling mom's brought in some gifts for me. They wanted to thank me for the year's coaching.

Friday, Jerry S. arrived at the house at 7 and we were on the way to Columbus. We arrived by the start of the 4x800 relay. It was hot and sunny. It was the first 90 degree day of the summer. Presley did not advance to the finals of the shot. She is only a freshman and hopefully, will be back in Columbus next year.

Saturday was a better day for track. It was overcast, 80s, and breezy. We left about 6 and were back here by 8. It was a fun couple of days watching the best in Ohio run track.

It is summertime on the Bayou.

---One last thing, keep checking back for a big announcement and no Mrs. Bayou is not pregnant!.

K's team lost another game last night. It might have been K's best game, both in the field and at bat. He threw out a couple of runners at first and he caught a pop fly. He played 2nd base the entire game. Coach L is letting the players keep the same position to help them understand how to play the position.
Yesterday was the kids' last day of school. I am still in school til Thursday. We have exams tomorrow and Thursday. I have been cleaning up my classroom the last couple of days. It is difficult to "store" stuff when the maintenance department has taken over my shop and storage space. I am promised it will be out of there by the start of school. We will see.

Here is an action picture from Thursday night. K beat out an infield grounder. They lost the game and are on a 5 game losing streak. They have 2 games next week.
In track action last night, Presley did not advance to the state meet in the disc.
Today is going to be busy. K had practice this morning and B has a parade in the afternoon. We also have a family graduation party for cousins on my dad's side. Today is the first day T has worked in a few weeks and she might have to work tomorrow as well. I get some quality time with the kids.
B and K are down to one day of school. I have 4. I will miss the teacher in-service on Friday, as I will be in Columbus for state track.

See you next time--Down by the Bayou.

K' had a baseball game last night. They lost 22-20. But, K had a good game both at bat and in the field. He played catcher and pitcher's mound. He caught a fly ball and got two batters out at first. He hit the ball well. He reached based with 3 solids hits and one grounder he beat out. They have another game on Thursday.
Track season came to an end tonight. The 4x200 relay team finished 6th in their heat and Ryan finished 7th in his heat. The top 4 in each heat advance to Friday's finals. However, Mogadore will have a state qualifier. Presley Destro finished in 2nd in the shot put.
6 days of school left!

What a beautiful weekend at the lake. We made it to the camper about 2:30pm. K had baseball practice and we left after lunch. The weather was great. We got to see our friends from the campground and catch-up on the winter. The Moore's neighbors bought a new fifth wheel camper and it is beautiful. They must have spent a pretty penny on it. They bought a Salem at the same time dad bought his. But, they were have problems with it from day one. We did have a big picnic on Sunday. the entire family was down at some point. The Moores came down as well. We ended up sitting by the campfire til midnight. It would be nice to have the Moores back down camping again. Monday, B had her first parade with her baton troupe. It is one of twenty or so on the schedule. She will not be able to all of them, but she will be in many of them. On a sad note, K's fish died over the weekend. He was heartbroken. It was his fish in his room. He had to feed it and clean the tank. He was responsible for it. Swimmy was buried at sea, well in Atwood Lake.

This is the photo finish of the 100M dash last night. My guy was in lane 4 and he advanced in 4th place edging out lane 3. It is an amazing shot and by less than half a foot, he runs next week and the other runner doesn't.

The track season will go on for another week. We had the 4x2 team advance to next week along with a 100 meter sprinter. They will run next Wednesday and if they are the top 4 in their heat they will advance to the regional finals on Friday. Here is a link to all the results: http://baumspage.com/tf/ne/2008/norwayne/res08.htm

We are down to 8 days of school left!

K and I are off to baseball practice, so til next time,

--Bayou Out!

B's class sang the National Anthem at the Akron Aeros game today. It was a chilly day for baseball but it sure beat going to school. The picture is from our seats in section 102 Row A seats 1-3.

After the game, we went to AAA and paid off our cruise. It is hard to believe it is in 80 days.

Last night after the track meet I went to BW3. I won the final game of texas hold'em. I won a BW3 hat! The track meet had its ups and downs. I thought my disc guy would advance, but he threw 20 shorter than normal and missed going to the finals. However, we have runners in all events except the 110HH and 3200 meter run. Hopefully, we can get someone to advance to next week. Here is the link to the results http://baumspage.com/tf/ne/2008/norwayne/res08.htm

The final results will be posted after the meet tomorrow night. I will post it in a later blog.