End of Honeymoon! Forgot to post this earlier.

So, our last days at the New River Gorge and Summersville lake were mellow. The wife was not feeling well on Sunday. Good day for it to rain. On Monday she was feeling better but not great. I wanted to visits the place on the highway where we use to stop for breakfast during climbing trips to the New. It was closed down, out of business, gone. Across the street there is a new Wal-mart strip mall and a Bob Evans. Probably what killed the local eats place. So, we ate at the Bob.

Then we went back to the cabin and we waited a little bit for the clouds to clear. I loaded the boats and we were off to the lake. First we put in at the Summersville Lake marina and paddled. The landscape is wonderful but at the same time boring. It is a lake with trees going up a ridge. There were no birds or wildlife to be seen. So, we paddled back to the marina and put the boats on the car and drove to the ramp near HWY 19. From there we paddled under 19 to Pirates Cove and to the Summersville Lake climbing area. I showed my honey the area where we use to cliff dive. Then we paddled on up the lake for a mile and a half or so, then back down to the ramp. We got some great pictures.

On a side note, reading things posted on official boards is a bad thing. We use to always cliff dive off the face betweens Pirates Cove and the Coliseum climbing area. It is straight along the lake and has several ledges at various heights to dive or jump and the water is between 30 and 50 feet deep. We would climb early and spend the hot part of the day climbing and diving watching out for boat wakes and no care about who saw us. It was wonderful. So, we are at the marina and my wife reads a notice that cliff diving/jumping is illegal. Now, I can’t dive without worry of who might see me and the fact that I am a fairly lawful guy. I have a paladin complex or something. So, my wife got some shots of me climbing from my boat with full intent to down climb the route but I was on the ledge getting ready for the down climb and lost my balance. That is why she has a picture of what looks like someone about to fall and a large splash. Really, I would not have jumped if I had not lost my balance. Really, that’s my story and I am sticking to it. I would have done the climb barefooted if I had intended to dive.

Then we tried to have dinner at the Acropolis but, it appears that it is out of business. So, we hit Applebee’s fine dining establishment. Then home to the cabin.

Tuesday, we hiked down to the Summersville Lake climbing area and spent the day swimming. We put our stuff in dry bags and took to the water. No sooner than I started swimming my camera fell out of my pocket. Good thing the water is clear. It was down about 12 feet or so at the edge of a crack between two rocks. I swam down and grabbed it then tied it to my shorts. Good thing it is waterproof and shockproof. Check, Olympus camera is fully tested and working great. We took photos and swam and saw wildlife. I had some balance issues while on the top edge of swimmers rock and managed to fall off into the water. I should have that balance problem checked out.

After a full afternoon of swimming I took the wife on a tour of the Coliseum area and then we made the hike out. After we showered and got our dinning duds on we were off to Fayetteville to find food. That evening we had dinner at Pies and Pints. Good beer and great pizza. Then back to the cabin to go through our photos of the day and to do some packing. Then it was off to bed.

Wednesday was an uneventful drive home. The next few days were rest and work around the house. On Friday we saw "The Dark Knight" and then went to a friends house in the evening to watch Machine Girl ( www.imdb.com/title/tt1050160/ ) ( Trailer - www.youtube.com/watch ). Nothing like Japanese gore cinema. Saturday was dinner with the mother in-law. Now I am back at work bored and bruise.

The End – Honeymoon over…….

Honeymoon, Second installment

(typed earlier.... Posting after returning home.)

The honeymoon blog continues...

Today, Sunday, August 10, we are at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. A storm is passing through and we are having a rest day. This will be posted at a later date since we do not have Internet access here in the mountains. Now, I just need to get you to this point of our trip. Should I give a blow by blow of every days activities or just hit the high points?

I left you with the fact that we went kayaking on Monday. We put in just south of Avon at the public use access. We noticed some clouds in the distance but did not concern ourselves with them. We pushed off and headed north to see if we could find some inlets to explore. We were hardly 15 minutes into our paddle when the rains started. The wind started to blow to the south and swells started to form. Our boats were tossed and water splashed over the top of the hulls. The skies grew darker and there we were in the mist of a squall on the sound. Keeping the boats on track was becoming a challenge. This could have been an adrenalin pumping experience except for one very important fact. For hundreds of feet around us the water was only about 3 feet deep at the deepest point. The worst possible outcome would be hitting our heads on the sand as our kayak flipped over. It lasted about 15 to 20 minutes and was over and we never stopped our journey. Not much in the way of scenic excitement yet, it was nice 3 or so miles of boating.

That evening we had dinner at Coastal Blue. After a years wait it did not live up to expectations. It was good but not great. We had a nice server named Becca. The riesling was very good, ashame I can not remember the name.

Tuesday morning, after the rain passed, we biked from Avon to the Hatteras light house. It was not a bad ride. Only a little more than eight miles each way with a head wind coming and going. A nice fellow biker offered to take our photo at the light house. He had come from Salvo. Then we went to the old lighthouse location then back to Avon. Once back in Avon we stopped for coffee and a bite to eat at the Uglie Mug. Becca waited on us and accused us of following here. Yes, the same person that waited on us at Coastal Blue.

(taking a break, more to follow)

Just back from dinner and a relaxing soak in the jacuzzi tub. So, I left off at the end of our bike ride. After we got home we changed and went to the beach. It was a great day at the beach. Playing in the surf and some frisbee on the beach . Then off for lunch. It was a trick to find something open after 2pm. We finally found one place open, Bubba's BBQ. My wife hated it but I thought the Carolina BBQ was great but the beer selection sucked. Now off to home and napped and played around then we got calzones from Nino's. Then we played with photos and GPS tracks then off to bed.

Wednesday it was kayaking at New Inlet. We had kayaked here last year. It was a nice day of kayaking and photography. This was the day of the suicidal shrimp. The trip went well until we started to head toward the launch site. We had to cross under or around and old bridge that connected the main island to the small island in the inlet. I chose to go under it and shoot some pictures as my wife went around the end where it had collapsed. My wife was caught by the current and waves and dropped on a submerged pylon. It put a huge gouge in the bottom of her boat. She was a little freaked out by it. We got to shore and packed up. Then we met an old friend of my wife's at the craft show in Buxton. We went to an early dinner. Afterwards my wife and I went for an evening walk on the beach.

Bored yet?

That brings us to Thursday. We planned to go to Ocracoke but the ferry wait was over 2 hours so we turned around and checked out the beach on the way back. Finally we ended up kayaking to Big Island near Buxton. Then we had dinner at Avon Cafe that evening. Great lamb. We stayed and listened to the live music and chatted with people at the Bar. It was a great evening.

Friday was the beach all day after coffee again at Uglie Mugs. It was a wonderful beach day. That evening we had dinner at Mack Daddy's. Our server was Becca, again. That girl worked everywhere. The boy could learn from that example. The food was great and we had a St. Christopher Gewürztraminer that was also wonderful.

Saturday morning we got up at 5:30 and went to the beach for sunrise photography. We got some great shots. The we packed up and drove to New River Gorge, West Virginia. That drive sucked!

That brings us to today. A rest day. We had lunch at Cathedral Cafe in Fayetteville, WV, then took photos at the New River Gorge Bridge. Then drove to check out the launch site at Summersville Lake. Then the rain started and we went to the cabin to nap. Later dinner at a Mexican restaurant then home and finished this blog.

Next blog will cover the last of our honeymoon adventures.

Honeymoon, first installment

(Typed earlier.... Posting after getting home)

Honeymoon!!!!!

So it is Tuesday of our honeymoon and I sit here next to my wife at 7:28am waiting for the rain to pass so we can bike from Avon to the Hatteras lighthouse and back. My wife has been typing for a bit now and has a page full of text already. Hopefully she is only saying good things. I have had a great time and I think she has too.

So, a quick update. We arrived here in Avon on Sunday just before noon. Unpacked and went to the beach. We like this rental better than the one we had in Salvo last year. We came in and showered and went to do a little shopping and get dinner. The plan was to go to Coastal Blue for dinner. We tried to go there last year but the boy would not eat anything on the menu so, we left and the worst dinner ever at Dirty Dick's. Well we were denied because Coastal Blue was closed. We ended up having dinner at Dolphins Den. It was pretty good. Not great but good. It is hard to find really good food at the beach.

Monday morning we got up and biked to the coffee shop, Uglie Mug. The coffee was good and so was the blueberry muffin we shared. Then we biked to the Village Grocery. We then went to the light house then had lunch at Froggy dog. Later in the afternoon we went kayaking.

(storm passed and time to bike... Story to continue with Mondays kayaking report and todays adventures.)

Bored yet?

Tied the knot

So, I did it. Something I always said I would never do. I got married on July 26, 2008.

The wedding was wonderful when it finally happened after a 25 minute delay, due to a bridal wardrobe malfunction. Thanks to Chip’s quick thinking all turned out well.

It was a stressful road getting to the wedding day. My now wife did a wonderful job with the planning and pulling it all together. Not that there were not problems along the way.

Our first problem was the venue, where we planned to hold the ceremony, canceled on us 6 weeks before the wedding. So, we had to find a new venue. We found one but it was outside of Richmond and we had to move the wedding up one week. This worked out well because it was close to the brides grandparents. Then there was the general dress finding and fitting issues. I was having trouble finding a proper Prince Charles Jacket. But all that worked out.

The rings and license were no problem. Then on Monday afternoon 5 days before the wedding I called the celebrant, that was to deliver the ceremony, and left a message. She called my now Wife later that evening (8:30PM) and said her father had died and she would not be able to perform the ceremony. We both freaked out. On Tuesday morning we were both calling people the find a celebrant. I found one through a referral from another celebrant. So, Virginia Moore ( http://www.creativeceremonies.biz/ ) worked with us over the next couple days and created a wonderful ceremony for us. She was great and I recommend her if you are getting married in Charlottesville or Richmond, VA.

It was a small service and reception and it was wonderful. It did start about 25 minutes late due to a wardrobe malfunction. My now wife's zipper on the dress broke. It was not repairable. I am amazed that she held it together after that. I did not know what the hold up was at first and was standing up front making jokes (did anyone remember to lock the back door). Thanks to Chip’s (friend and wedding photographer) quick thinking and sewing skills the wedding was able to go on with the bride sewn into her dress. Chip ran to the store bought a small sewing kit and sewed the back of my wife's dress shut. It made it a little difficult to get her out of the dress later that evening but where there is a will there is a way. There were plenty of jokes about giving the groom a seam ripper for a gift but no one actually did it. I wish they had.

The reception was lovely and the food was great. The wedding cake was a cheese cake, actually 3 cheese cakes. They were tasty. Every one appeared to have a great time. And now it is all over. Glad this is only going to happen once in my life.

Chip said it will be a few days before the photos will be available for purchase; we will keep the family and friends posted. We have put up pictures that my wife, the boy or I took during the reception and ceremony on our smugmug site. If you know us and want to see them and do not know how to find our smugmug site, contact one of us for the link.

Thank you to all that attended and made it a wonderful celebration.

And for all those people that thought I would never get married, shows how much you or I know.

Intro and why......

So, I decided to write a blog and title it “An Ordinary Life”. Now, I know people that say my life is far from ordinary but, they are just the dullest of people. I have to work for a living and I do all the ordinary things in life.

You might ask why start a blog now. Simple answer, I am getting married and that marks a huge point in my life where I never thought I would travel. Mostly because I can not see throwing money at the state to be given the privilege to exchange vows. I always believed it was a scam by the church and state to take money out of the pockets of people who want to spend their lives together. I was right!

So, from here on out I will post things from my life that no one really cares about or wants to read. “Then why even bother?” Simple, because posting your life online is the ordinary thing to do. Who cares if anyone reads it?