Total Knee Replacement Surgery

Today starts the third week of recovery from my knee replacement surgery on June 9, 2010.  It has not been a fun experience.  Pain is the key word to describe all aspects of recovery.  There hasn't been a single moment when it wasn't there, usually at level 8 or higher, even while under the influence of Vicodin every four hours.

I've been trying to find that happy moment between sleep, therapy and pain to record my experiences but until now my brain hasn't been functioning well enough to write about all that I hope to be able to record here for the world to see (at least for those who may want to read about my experience before they do it themselves).
I have to say though, everyone, including Doctor Fitzgerald's staff, Tops Surgery Center staff, friends and neighbors, and especially my Judy, have gone well beyond what I expected from them.  In fact, they are the energy behind where I am today.  And they constantly assure me that where I may be disappointed in my progress, the truth is that I am coming along well.  At least I was until the last three or four days when my energy level dropped to near zilch.  Where I consider it a disappointing setback, they look beyond it and say there's tomorrow and the next day and the next day, until I can truthfully feel that I have recovered from what has to be the most difficult surgery I have ever encountered.

I will try to briefly explain why the need for surgery in the first place.

I've had bad knees for as long as I can remember.  Nothing dramatically wrong with them, they just ached a lot when standing on hard surfaces for long periods.  Then about seven or eight years ago I had a serious pain in the left knee that would not go away.  I went to Doctor Fitzgerald, an orthopedic surgeon at KSF Orthopedic Center. He diagnosed 'torn meniscus' as the cause and suggested orthoscopic surgery to repair it. 

During the surgery he recorded clear images of the interior of my knee, pointing out each step he was taking and showing images of a growing arthritis problem which I would eventually need to address.  Seven years later I told him, "I'm back."

(continued later when I get my wits back)

I'm now into my fifth week of recovery.  Yes, it still hurts, but not nearly as much as before.  I'm having a lot of problems with cramps.  My therapist told me that it may be due to a lack of hydration.  Could be, I pee a lot, mostly due to the drugs.  So I try to drink a lot of water.  Even that doesn't work well because if I drink a cup or a quart I almost immediately pee a cup or quart.  I just can't keep it in me.  Anyway, the cramps hurt a lot.  But I've also got a problem with my sciatica.  All the way from my hip to my toes is in constant pain.  Nothing helps relieve it and to make matters worse I can't sit for very long anywhere.  We went to a burger place a couple of days ago and I had to stand up a number of times the pain was so bad.

I'm also behind on my therapy progress, mostly because I was anemic for about three weeks and could not complete my therapy sessions.  The timing was bad because it was when I was suppose to be making the most progress.  As a result, the doctor ordered a device which I will wear on my knee a few hours a day.  Each day I tighten a screw or something that straightens my leg.  The last measurement showed I was -5° off plumb.  I need to be 0°.  I'm told that it's very important or I will always walk funny and be less than stable.

I'm still taking Vicodin but in considerably less amounts.  On average, I take maybe one tablet every six hours, but if the pain is bad enough I will take one at four hours.  At least I'm not taking two at a time like in the first few weeks.  I supplement the Vicodin with Tylenol or use Tylenol only if the pain isn't that bad.  I would like to be off Vicodin completely by week seven.  That's when I end my therapy sessions at the health center.

Even with all the problems I'm having now I still plan to have the right leg done later this year or early next year.  I think the right leg will be much easier to deal with because I've never had problems with cramps or sciatica in the right leg.  Plus, I've kinda learned what works and what doesn't work.  Hopefully, they will give me some other kind of pain meds.  Vicodin just doesn't do the job that well for me. 

I'll update again in a few days.

Pool

Yesterday was Memorial Day and it was HOT! So we talked about what we’re going to do to cool off during the summer now that Judy is retired. Eventually, the discussion came around to pools. And that led to us remembering just how much we enjoyed having our pool in Florida. And before long we decided if we would forego some of the planned cruises, trips and high-tech toys we probably could afford one.

That’s when we decided to take the plunge.

Judy is officially retired

Yes, I know it is before June 4th, her original 'last day.'  But her boss was kind enough to tell her to go home and don't come back on Thursday, May 27th.  Not only did he send her packing a week early, he made a nice little goodbye speech and presented her with yet another token of appreciation, a very nice check for a job well done and wish for a wonderful future. 

The timing was perfect too because we had friends from New Orleans arriving later in the evening.

And wouldn't you know it, by 10:00 the next morning she wanted to go to the Social Security office to make sure her application for Social Security was completed properly.  The nice lady explained a few things we didn't know, corrected a couple of things in the application and promised a check deposit in our account in Mid September.  Good idea to visit with them.

So my Sweetie and Soul Mate is now mine and only mine forever.

And what has she done since Friday, her official first day of retirement?  Rearranged the kitchen, organized the maze of computer wires in our office, and planned a whole slew of projects for us.  I think I'm in trouble.  But I'm going to love doing it because my Sweetie is by my side all day, every day.

Ain't life grand?

Knee Replacement Surgery

This is one of those stories that started long ago.  In fact, it could possibly be traced back to my childhood because my knees have always seemed to hurt more than any other party of my body.  But for the past ten or so years the knee pain has continued to grow worse each year.

About seven years ago I was treated orthoscopically for a torn meniscus in my left knee.  The surgeon actually made a video of the interior of my knee as he repaired the damages.  In the video he was talking to me as if I was awake, casually pointing out the various steps he was taking.  Then he showed me some arthritis and commented that one day that was going to be a problem and that I would be back.

Here's the video they made while inside my knee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibTky1PhFuA&t=32s

Seven years later I told him, "I'm back."

Naturally, they took x-rays of my knees and it took only one glance for me to see what the problem was.  The inside of both knees had no cushioning whatsoever between the upper and lower joints.  It was clearly bone-on-bone with considerable 'spurs' indicating extensive wear.  No wonder my knees hurt.

The doctor said my only recourse now was to have both knees replaced with artificial knees.  He also pointed out that I needed to do it soon because at my age and medical history I could incur yet another medical condition that might disqualify me from ever having knee surgery.  I would most likely be wheel chair bound within a few years.  Meanwhile, I would continue to incur increased pain and loss of mobility.

It didn't take long for me to say, "Let's do it then."

This is what it will involve:

Because Judy's retirement was already set for June 4th, we selected the following week after her retirement for the surgery.  That way she could help in my recovery which could take as much as three months.

There were a number of medical steps to take first, including watching a video, getting clearances from my primary care and cardio doctors, more x-rays, blood tests, donating two units of blood for use in surgery if needed, arranging for walkers and braces and follow-up therapy and the endless paperwork so that it could be covered by Medicare and my supplemental insurance.

The surgery will be performed at Tops Surgery Center on June 9th and will only address the left knee.  The right knee will be done sometime in the near future.

Needless to say, our plans for travel this year came to a halt.  Now we will just wing it.  If I can move about and travel well we still might get in an Eggfest or two, or perhaps a trip to see family.

I am amazed at how many people have undergone this same surgery and every one of of them say it was the best thing they could have done for themselves.  Most claim it only takes a few weeks before they are able to get around quite easily, even playing golf after three weeks.  That's a good sign.

Judy's Retirement Party

Judy's retirement date, June 4th, is fast approaching and she's counting down the days.  Meanwhile, her boss, Denny and his wife, Kathy, hosted a retirement party on May 8th for her at their home in Tomball.  Only employees of the company, Highlander Financial, and a few relatives and friends were there to offer their best wishes for an enjoyable retirement.

The 'Retirement Cake' above reflects our plans to visit Eggfests around the country in years to come.  Each balloon represents an Eggfest. We're both 'Eggheads' and love getting together with other Eggheads to cook on the Egg.  Pretty creative idea for a cake huh?  A friend of Jennifer's made it.  Jennifer worked at the company for many years until she had triplets.

Another former employee, George and his wife Verla, drove in from Jacksonville, Florida for the party.  It was another big but wonderful surprise as they walked into the room.

May 8th was also Judy's sister, Joyce's, birthday and she and husband Allen, from Metairie, Louisiana flew into town to celebrate.  It just happens to be my birthday as well, so Joyce and Judy's brother, Curtis (Skipper), from Kerrville, Texas was also in town with his wife Sandra.  Our good friends and next door neighbors, Pam and Tom, were also there, another nice surprise.  It was like a triple celebration.

Not only were there some very nice and sometimes fun gifts for Judy, but the word was secretly put out to a number of the company's clients and associates weeks before that if they wanted to offer retirement wishes they could send their cards directly to Kathy.  Great idea!  So I also let it be known to our Egghead friends what was going on.  The result was an avalanche of cards dumped on Judy as she sat totally unaware of what was happening.  It was fun watching her look at the pile of envelopes then but even more fun watching her read the cards in a quiet moment at home.  She was truly touched by the outpouring of best wishes.

Needless to say, there was plenty to eat and drink to celebrate the occasion.  Everything turned out perfect.  It was one of those very memorable parties that lasts only a few hours but produces smiles for a lifetime.

Here are some photos that I thought reflected the spirit of the moment.  Just click on 'Slideshow' and sit back for a few minutes.

http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y279/leroymcmillin/Judys%20Retirement%20Party%202010/

Oklahoma Eggfest 2010

We made it up to Oklahoma City again for their Eggfest last weekend, April 16th and 17th.  It rained pretty much the entire time but not enough to dampen the spirits of those who came from miles and states around to get there.  It was great.  A lot of fun and a lot of new friends made. 

Needless to say, I had my share of adult beverages but the damage was minimal and I'm already getting ready for the Texas Eggfest in 10 days.  I'll be doing the same things I did there but with considerably more experience at it.

I only took video this time and it is still in the editing stage.  I'll post the link to YouTube as soon as I finish it.

Meanwhile, I won a Mini Big Green Egg and "Most Creative Entry" for the FireWire contest.  Here's my entry: 

Yea I know it's a little risque but so is life these days.  If you look closely, I made a BBQ pit with a grill on top.  In the pit there's some lump charcoal and some red and yellow cellophane that looks like flames.  The Object on top is a, how do you say, "modified wiener," or a cowboy with a large Ding-A-Ling.  The entry won me a set of FireWire Skewers and a lot of smiles, smirks and winks but no public acknowledgement.  I didn't care.  All I was there for was to have a good time.  I did that for sure....

Another Weekend, Another Project

Last year we dismantled the old wooden deck and sidewalk behind the garage replaced it with concrete.  Before they poured the slab I connected some drain pipe to one that stopped at the edge of the wooden deck and ran it across the back of the garage to just outside our fence.  In doing so it helped to relieve some minor flooding on a sidewalk.  But my plans were to continue the pipe ninety feet to the street and place a pop-up head for the water to flow out at the edge of the curb and on to the street.

Well we got a guy to do it yesterday and just in time.  There's an 80% chance of rain tomorrow.  Hopefully, it will be enough to check out the new drain.

This is one of those projects we wish we had done twenty years ago.  Now it's done and I shouldn't have worry about it anymore.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to finish up Judy's new plant potting stand and the counter behind the garage.  I've built the frame and louvered cedar doors and now I'm ready to install porcelain tile on top of both.  We bought the tile and probably would have started tomorrow except for the rain.  I'll just work on another project inside. 

There's always something to do around here.

A few days later...

Take a look at what we did.

Judy Is Retiring

After four and a half decades of commuting to work, making sure customers and bosses are happy and all the stuff in between, my Sweetie is finally ready to retire.  It wasn't an easy decision.  She agonized for weeks over the exact date and time: June 4, 2010, 4:30 PM or June 4, 2010, 4:00 PM by skipping lunch. But 4:30 won out because the last day was no reason to start making changes.  Any changes in her life would start when she arrives home at 4:55 and then it's MARGARITA TIME...

She asked me to set up a countdown calendar so she will know just how long she's got.

Judy's Retirement Countdown

Meanwhile, her boss is throwing a little party for her at his house on May 8th.  That should be fun.

Oh yea, and she's got all these ideas about seeing America and Canada and Mexico and other places yet unnamed, but which include Big Green Egg fests all over the country.  I suppose I'd better not start any new projects just yet.

It's going to be nice to have her all to myself for a change, but I may have to take on a second wife, younger of course, who has a good job that pays enough to afford us.  (Can I do that???)

Snow

It doesn't happen often but it snowed in Houston and we got some of it here. Of course, it didn't last very long but it was pretty for a few minutes. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46yRMky0kVM

Maybe we can get some more before the winter is over.

iPhone Has Found A New Player

We have been looking at changing our increasingly expensive accumulation of 'electronic necessities' to see if we could take advantage of some of the 'bundle' packages the phone, TV and Internet Service Providers are offering.

We were using AT&T for our home phone, Verizon for our cell phones, Comcast for our ISP, Direct TV for our satellite TV and Comcast for our cable TV. Yea, satellite and cable TV. A little overkill is what we think too.

But get this, we've had 450 minutes of family cell phone minutes and rarely ever used over one or two minutes per month between us. And we don't text messages at all. We concluded it was more horsepower than we needed, especially now that Judy has given notice of her intentions of retiring in June 2010. One good cell phone will be enough, possibly with a pre-paid backup cell phone for emergencies.

Next, we were paying more than a few bucks for cable TV because when we originally signed up for High Speed Internet services the only carrier in our area was Roadrunner. They required that we purchase at least their basic cable TV service in order to qualify for their Internet service. Comcast took over from Roadrunner and does not require the basic cable service. We just never got around to changing it, mostly because we can see cable programs on other TV's throughout the house, including on my computer.

Finally, we were paying a goodly amount for our home (land-line) phone service because we didn't want to worry about long distance bills. Well, we could have talked for a very long time being charged by the minute and probably had money left over.

So we decided to try Vonage. They were one of the first to offer the new computer/internet based VoIP telephone servces. (That was a few years ago.) Their price is certainly right. After taxes and stuff it was only going to be about $34 a month and came with unlimited local and long distance calls. We also liked it because it had some neat features we could turn on or off as we wanted. But then we learned that their service was not compatible with our Brinks alarm system. Plus, it slowed our Comcast Internet download speeds to the point of 'crawl.' By then we had had enough.

Back to the drawing board.

Meanwhile, we wanted an iPhone, with the emphasis on "wanted" rather than "needed." Only place to get one is ATT so by the time we finished talking to a salesman we had agreed to go with their ATT Uverse package that gave us TV, Internet and telephone services. And we could apply a promotional credit toward the iPhone, essentially making it free.

Then things started getting complicated. We heard that ATT's Uverse would not work with our alarm system unless (too technologically complex to understand) and we might have to change our phone number because we still had Vonage.

We suddenly realized that we could lose our phone number and our email addresses we had had for many years if we changed, not to mention possibly losing Internet connection speed and TV viewing in each room unless we paid a fee for a box in each room. By then the costs savings by switching was gone and we ended up with less service.

We went ahead and got the iPhone but tomorrow morning I'm calling to cancel all the other plans for converting the telephone and television to ATT Uverse. Instead, we're probably going to cancel Direct TV (satellite) and increase our cable TV services. Meanwhile, we will disconnect Vonage and ATT will re-install basic land-line phone services here at home, mostly to keep the Brinks alarm system working. Any long distance calls will be charged but we have lots of minutes on our iPhone we can use for that.

If it doesn't work for us in the long run, at least we will have given it our best shot of getting the right services for our money. And we learned a lot in the process.

Live and learn...

Meanwhile, we have our new iPhone and love it. It is absolutely amazing what all it can do with the apps we've downloaded (mostly free and one for $ .99). And it is a pretty decent cell phone (which could be a plus one day).

Coop at Night

Halloween 2009 was one of the best Halloween's ever. The weather was perfect, the moon was huge, the mood was right and the Coop could not have looked better. So I got my camera and started taking pictures...

Eggtoberfest 2009 - Atlanta

Once again we made the trip to Atlanta for Eggtoberfest. And once again we had a great time. The weather was a bit cool and damp but not flooding like the days before.

This year we were part of Team Mexico. Some Egghead friends from Monterrey, Mexico have been sharing some really great south-of-the-border recipes so we tried to stick with that theme by cooking Jalapeno Pie and Pollo ah la Palancha. Here's a photo of us with one of the Jalapeno Pies:

Our neighbors, Pam and Tom, are now Eggheads and decided to join us in Atlanta. They had a great time too.

We also had a surprise visit from someone we haven't seen since about 1975. Henry and Gay Leland from New Orleans were camping in North Georgia and decided to drive down and surprise us. Boy did they ever... It was great. They arrived after the Eggtoberfest was over but just in time for the After Party. They were so impressed with the food and friendly atmosphere that they immediately ordered a Big Green Egg to be delivered when they return home.

Henry hired me to work at Wells Fargo Armored Service back in 1970. Judy was already working there. He introduced us and the rest is history... a very nice history too.

Here's a picture of Henry:

Now we're headed to Plano on November 6 & 7 for a small 'gathering' of our Egghead friends. Should be fun.

CNN Article On Eggheads

Some time ago CNN announced that they were doing a story about backyard Grill Masters. One of the Eggheads posted something about it on the Big Green Egg Forum so I decided to throw my two cents in.

So I wrote about cooking in The Coop and added a few embellishments to tell the story as I see it. Here's the link to my entry as a CNN iReporter:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-269624

Wouldn't you know it, they picked up on the theme of Eggheads and cooking on a Big Green Egg. They decided to do a separate story about us Eggheads.

A few Eggheads had already entered photos of some of their cooks or told how they enjoy 'Egg'n,' but their reports were kind of tame compared to what I entered. And I spread it on thick, with emphasis given to the Chicken Ranch, my "Girls" (my Big Green Eggs), and the red light that burns whenever the girls are working.

Anyway, the story was published while we were in Alaska, so we didn't get to read it until later. Meanwhile, a bunch of our friends read it and thought it described us well. I did too.

Without further ado, here's the link to the story.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/07/09/eggheads.irpt/index.html

Enjoy

Leroy
aka Spring "Proprietor Of The Chicken Ranch" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Skipper's 70th Birthday

Judy's brother, Curtis "Skipper" Conrad, celebrated his 70th birthday on August 21, 2009 and we surprised him by showing up at his favorite restaurant ahead of his arrival.

Judy and I met Joyce (the other sister) and Allen at the airport in Houston and drove straight to Kerrville, Texas, checked into our hotel and headed to the restaurant. Got there just in time as he walked in along with his daughter's family. It was great and I got it on video.

We later met up at his home where I cooked his favorite snack on the Big Green Egg which I brought with me.

Anyway, here's his celebration made into a movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht1qM29tQYc

Our Alaska Trip Photos and Videos

I took 1501 photos and over 200 video segments of our Alaska trip. It is taking some time to edit and compile it so that it is suitable for viewing.

So far I've only done day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day 6, 7 and now day 8. Day 9 was spent in Vancouver touring the city and generally waiting for a very late flight back to Houston. I also plan to put together some unforgetable moments both on and off the ship.

Here they are for your viewing pleasure:

Day One (Getting there)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-mlgQvk32c

Day Two (Denali National Park Adventure)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XfFK8Wo1pA

Day Three (Train Ride From Denali To Anchorage)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytftZv9mHj8

Day Four (Ride to Whittier and Glacier Tour Boat)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAl3afCGGQw

Day Five (Glacier Bay)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_4ZkJQJlUY

Day Six (Skagway)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5HnZzVY3IU

Day Seven (Juneau)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O3SNSEZE1Q

Day Eight (Ketchikan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ASTMJmv76Q

North To Alaska

In just over three hours we will be departing Houston and headed for Fairbanks, Alaska for a 11 day vacation. We've been wanting to do this for thirty years and now we're actually doing it.

We will be meeting others in Seattle for the flight on up to Fairbanks. Judy's sister, Joyce, and husband, Allen, along with some of their friends from New Orleans and our tour guide will be in the group.

We will have dinner in Fairbanks and then a bus ride to our lodge near the entrance of Denali National Park.

Early Thursday the adventure really begins as we board a bus that will take us deep into Denali National Park and fairly close to Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America. Judy and I will be returning to the lodge by small airplane that will take us up and around Mt. McKinley so that we can see it up close. Opportunity of a lifetime and we didn't want to miss it.

From there, we travel by train to Anchorage and then on to our ship, the Diamond Princess, for the inside passage cruise with lots of stops before arriving in Vancouver. By then we will be ready to head for home.

I have enough camera gear to make a Hollywood type movie so there should be plenty of pictures and videos later on. So stay tuned.

The adventure begins...

Plantar Fasciitis

Ever hear of Plantar Fasciitis? Well I have and it's not a fun subject.

What is Plantar Fasciitis? It's a painful foot problem. Simply stated, on manmade surfaces we often roll inward (pronation) flattening the arch and overstretching the plantar fascia (a thick, powerful layer of ligament-like tissue that fans out over the sole of your foot). Your feet strike the hard, manmade surface an average of 5 to 10 thousand times a day. With pronation, the plantar fascia tissue gets continuously overstretched and inflamed and that's why it hurts!

And it hurts like a SOB sometimes. Enough that I finally went to see a foot doctor after two months of suffering. After exploring the options I ended up getting an anti-inflammatory, cortisone injection directly in the area of the heel where it hurt most. I can't take regular oral anti-inflammatory medication due to my heart problem.

Well it continued hurting the rest of the day but the next day I was 100% free of pain. That allowed me to really get after some of those projects I had been trying to do before we left on vacation July 8th. The most pressing project was to finish up repairing the irrigation system so our plants and lawn wouldn't burn up while we're gone.

Wouldn't you know it, the following day the pain was back and has remained so without letup. Looks like I may be hobbling around like a beat up war vet wherever we go while we're away, which, by the way, includes a lot of walking in Alaska and then a lot of walking on board the ship. Walking is definitely going to be a problem.

Anyway, I learned a lot about "heel pain" in general and a lot more about Plantar Fasciitis. The only way to treat it is time and doing some stretching exercises. You can bet I'm doing those. Even so, it still hurts and as of right now has knocked me out of doing anything but sitting and waiting for the pain to let up some.

Oh yea, if you have a stone bruise that doesn't get well in two or three days, you may well have Plantar Fasciitis. And if you allow it to go untreated for a long time you may create other more serious problems with your feet. See a doctor. Then stay off your feet, except for those stretching exercises, for a while. Hopefully, it will go away in less than a year. Yea, a year... Good luck.

More Construction

Yes, more construction. Actually, 'de-construction,' for the time being because we first have to remove the old wooden deck and sidewalk behind the garage. About 300 sq ft in all. It's done.

I put it in myself about 15 or 16 years ago and we've had continuous problems with critters wanting to live under it, rotting boards that needed replacing, drainage problems under the deck because of the critters, and leaking irrigation pipes because roots cracked the pipes.

So we hired our yard-mowing guys to take it down. Bad move. They didn't have a clue as to how to demolish anything, didn't have the proper equipment or truck to haul off the debris, nor the drive to get started early in the morning while it was relatively cool. We'll call in some experienced people to do the concrete work.

Meanwhile, I've been rebuilding the irrigation plumbing which includes completely rebuilding the six-zone valve array. Tomorrow I will connect the six pipes to the individual valves, then wire the valves to the controller, turn on the water and see if it all works. I think it will because I took great pains to make sure every connection was proper.

I also have to make sure the deep sink supply lines and drain pipe are visible, along with the 12v outdoor lighting wiring conduit, so that the pipes and wire will not be accidentally cut. All of it will eventually be under concrete.

Next, I need to connect about 50' of 4" drain pipe to an existing drain pipe that will run under the concret around the end of the garage and down toward the street. That will help solve a serious flooding problem near our back entrance.

In order to even start on this project we had to destroy Judy's plant stand (also old and rotten) and my shed I built about four years ago (starting to show signs of rot). But that's fine, I will build new ones with a better design and better features and this time use Hardy-Plank.

All of this is really doing a number on the lifestyles of hundreds of roaches and at least one nocturnal creature of the night . Perhaps we won't have to worry about them anymore.

Pictures will follow.

Chim-Chimney's Cookout and Big Green Egg Demo

Judy and I thought we would ride down to League City, Texas (near NASA) yesterday for a Big Green Egg promotion they had planned. Our neighbors, Pam and Tom, went along for the ride. We thought we would have a nice seafood lunch while we were down that way.

It was HOT! Very HOT! But we had a great time, met a lot of nice people and had a very delicious lunch in a waterfront restaurant in nearby Kemah.

The day turned out to be very lucky for Tom as he won the big door prize, a medium Big Green Egg.

Anyway, here's the story made into a movie...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UFPYqXDYWA

And this is a followup story showing our neighbor cooking on his newly won Big Green Egg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4yLYiirL3g

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

A Few Of Our Early Adventures

Since getting my 'Flip' camcorder I've been learning how to make movies. I've learned that I can also give new life and enjoyment to all those old photos from years gone by simply by making them into a movie. Here are a few I've put together and posted on YouTube. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed giving them new life.

The first is of our attempt to join the sea-faring set while living in Miami.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JKNS0AYy_U

And this one was when a friend at Continental Airlines offered us the chance to 'fly' a big Boeing 777 Jumbo Jet. No, not the real thing but close. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iBrr4sG0sA

And while we're 'up in the air' check this out. Judy gave me a ride in a hot air balloon ride one year for my birthday. We were living in Jacksonville, Florida at the time. The balloon just happened to go over the apartment where we first lived (beautiful place on the water) and then over our home. We could even hear our dog, Punkin, barking at us. We ended up on the fairway at Baymeadows Golf and Residential Community where Judy's Mom lived. So we woke her up real early and told her about our adventure. It was a fantastic experience...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w726CZK8JiU