It has been quite a while since my last posting. Trips to Florida, Nebraska, and Alabama and working seems to fill up the days.

With the IRS closing down in September, 2011 I have moved to a new job in the Exam Department of the Compliance Division. Yes, this is the group that sends letters to tax payers advising them that their tax return is undergoing a review and asks that certain information be provided to support items such as their income, deductions, exemptions, credits claimed, etc. Very intensive training - 4 weeks on tax law, 2 weeks on computer systems, 2 weeks of practice exercises and then 2 - 3 months of personal coaching and observation.

Pixye continues to be a joy in our life. Sandi has made our Florida condo a wonderful place to stay. Great decorating and improvements which will serve us well in the long run. The latest addition is a new washer/dryer that features a "ventless" dryer.

Enjoying TiVo and ITunes

I am really having fun with TiVo and Itunes. We have a TiVo which can records two programs at the same time. Tonight I am transferring programs from TiVo to DVDs for my moms 90th birthday, August 25th. The shows are an historical review of early television programs and Walter Cronkite Remembers. Hopefully it will be something she will enjoy watching on evenings when regular TV programs leave something to be desired.

Lately I have been recording audio books to my Apple IPod and Sony MP3 player. I am able to listen to the books while at work. Also, I have copied many music recordings to my pc and then select a few to transfer to my IPod or MP3 player. Also, it has been fun to copy a few songs to CDs and play them at events during work. It is great to be able to pick a few of the oldies but goodies and listen to them.

Sandi and Pixye have been at our condo in Florida for the past month for her moms 87th birthday. They are coming home tomorrow (Saturday, Aug 1) and it will be great to have have them home.

Old Tom

Just finished watching Tom Watson, age 59 yrs 10 mo, almost win the British Open golf tournament. He bogied the 18th hole for a tie and lost in a playoff. Had his approach shot on the 18th stopped two feet shorter he would have had an easier put and most shurly would have made par and had the win. He continues to be an inspiration

Sandi and me

Thanksgiving 2008

It was great to have Sandi's kids and grandkids with us again this year. It is so much fun seeing them change and listening as their interests change and hearing about their current activities. This year we had three dogs present and they got along fine. Pixye had an especially good time with Lucy. We could hear them running and chasing each other around the house. We especially enjoyed many spirited games of Wii. Jacob, age 5, was the winner at Cars and Mario Cart. Here are a few pictures.

Sweet Swinger

On July 14th last year (2007) I realized every golfers dream and had a hole in one. I hit a pitching wedge to a hole about 114 yards away. The ball hit the green on an upper ledge and rolled down to the cup on a lower tier. While I did not see it go in the hole, a foursome on the next tee started yelling, "hole", "hole". And sure enough, when we got to the green, no ball was in sight. It WAS in the hole. As a surprise Sandi had the ball mounted in a specially designed trophy.

Pixye's Day Trip

Monday was a beautiful Fall day so we decided to take a day trip to Dehlonega, about an hour North of Atlanta. We go there about once a year, usually in the Fall, to see the change in colors and enjoy cool air in the Georgia "mountains". We walked around the town square, had an ice cream cone at our favorite shoppe, browsed through other shops and enjoyed passersby admiring Pixye. Shown here is a little boy and his father getting to know her.

We left Dehlonega and started to Helen, GA, a town futher North in the GA "mountains" that we had yet to visit. On the way we saw a sign for

"Gold and Gem Grubbers Mine". Of course we had to stop. When we pulled into the parking lot and started to get out we were greeted by a pack of dogs that let us know that Pixye was not welcome "on their turf". To protect these dogs, we left Pixye in the car.

You buy a bucket of ore for either gold or gems and go to it. We got quite a few "gems" and brought them home. We will use them to supplement our retirement income.