Launching a new company in this economy!

Hello,

For the last several years we have been working on a secret new product. Much time, energy, and finances have been invested in this project. The economy doesn't help much with so many people in financial difficulty. But we were ready to go, and decided to go for it! We think this is a great product because you can choose your team logo, and the lid is interchangeable. So if you have a football team logo, you can then change it over when baseball or basketball season starts!

So with out further ado.... drum roll.... the product launched at a convention in Reno this week. Initial reaction has been fantastic. We have already been approached by an NFL team wanting to get in the action. You can check us out at teamgrill.com. Once you see the photos, you know you are going to want one, especially you sports fans! Make sure to click on the logo to see what your custom grill would look like.

Why are some parents so competitive?

Got to thinking about the recent swim championships. We have a team who wins the league championship every year. The parents of these star swimmers have gotten a bit pompous about their undefeated status. Sure, they are a great team with great swimmers who consistently do a good job. I will give them credit for that achievement.

Here is why the pompous parents were getting on my nerves..... Let's say little Mary wins her event and gets the gold medal. Are her parents satisfied? Not with this bunch. I repeatedly heard the parents congratulate the kids with an addendum tacked onto the end. "Oh honey, congratulations you swam a really good race, too bad you didn't break the league record." I heard this at least 5 times during the championship event. You could see little Mary all happy with a smile on her face, and then you could see it in her eyes, the sting of reproof. The blank stare realizing that winning first place just wasn't good enough.

What is wrong with these parents? They need to stop this ridiculous behavior and notice what they are doing to little Mary's self esteem. Jeez, enough already! Give the kid credit for the achievement and keep your competitive comments to yourself. Shame on all of the parents who did this to their children.

My child, the one with a physical disability, was also swimming that day. She had overcome great odds to be seeded in third place overall. These same twitty parents were looking at the psyche sheet, talking about my kid, saying "oh our swimmers can crush her." OMG was I mad, I blurted out "don't count on it." My kid did win third place as seeded. Whoo hoo for her!! I couldn't have been a more proud. I hugged her, kissed her, patted her on the back, and then took her out for dinner to celebrate. Not once did the thought, oh, how come you didn't win enter into my thinking.

My message to the overbearing, self esteem damaging parents: "Cut it out, little Mary is a star who took the Gold medal, be proud and celebrate her accomplishment, get over yourself, it's not about you."

Old North Bridge

This is the Old North Bridge in Concord, MA. The previous post was a picture taken from the center of the bridge. So if you stand there you can get a good look downriver. It is a very peaceful place to visit. Notice the water marks on the bridge support beams, sometimes the water is another foot higher than what is shown here. This makes for some fantastic canoeing or kayaking on this scenic river.

Concord River

Hope you are enjoying looking at some of my photographs. This picture of the Concord River was taken while standing on the Old North Bridge looking downriver. I vividly remember my first trip to visit the bridge, sight of the start of the Revolutionary War, and the "shot heard round the world." As I stood there, I contemplated the men who fought there to free us from religious and political oppression. It was a "goosebump" moment. The Minutemen assembled on the left side the Redcoats on the right. This is a place that is definitely worth the trip.

Photo was taken by a pocket canon camera.

Butterfly Photo

Hello,

We like to go to the local botanical gardens to take a look at the various flowers. While we visiting we found a group of monarch butterflies. What a beautiful sight. I love the symmetry in their coloring. There were about 12-15 butterflies in the same grouping. This one was by itself. We took this photo with a simple pocket canon camera.

Pileated Woodpecker in my Backyard

Hello,

Ever hear a woodpecker in one of your trees? You know the sound, its a tap tap tap. The bird bores it's beak into the wood to eat bugs under the bark or nesting inside the wood. Well for awhile I have been hearing one in my wooded backyard. One day, while on my porch, the elusive bird flew into a tree directly across from my backyard porch. He began his tap tap tapping on the tree. I ran for the camera and got it's picture!! I was rewarded for my efforts when I realized that the bird in question was actually a very rare pileated woodpecker. The local bird watchers actually report sightings and keep a log of where and when they are sighted. I had my own personal showing. This bird was a whopping 18-20 inches tall. A real beauty. After I got too close it took off never to be seen again, but not before I got him on film.

Pool Side Beverage Service

Hello,

So my kid likes to swim. Perhaps you have seen this in my previous posts. I am very proud of her for her dedication and perseverance. It is extra hard for her with a shoulder disability. In her latest meet, her shoulder actually popped out while she was swimming the backstroke. It took skill to get it to go back into place without skipping a beat. She still managed to gain about 15 yards on her competitor.

One of the drills her coach taught her was to balance a half full cup of water on her forehead and swim a length of the pool without it falling off. This technique was used to demonstrate the principle of not moving to much side to side which causes drag and slows you down. This is my favorite picture of her. She did manage to complete the drill and swim 25 yards without spilling a drop.