Dennis & Marie of Johnson City

2011-04-24T18:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a simple way to cut down a tree without dropping it on the house!

2011-03-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

Signs of Spring
For those of you waiting for signs of Spring, here are a few daffodils growing in my front yard!

2011-02-05T17:05:00.000-05:00

A Trip to Florida

Last weekend we went to visit Larry in Florida. As you can see Gordy had a great time, you can also see that there are some big shrimp down there and the Beer Club tasted 17 beers!!!

I also thought you would enjoy the picture of the headless electrician!!

2011-01-15T23:25:00.000-05:00

What can I Say?

48 -21

Way to go Pack!!

2011-01-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

More Snow in Johnson City

We had about 1.5 inches of wet snow over night. I thought I would share a couple of pictures I took this morning.

2010-12-26T12:34:00.000-05:00

Snow in Johnson city

I took this picture yesterday afternoon as the snow started to fall. As you can see Gordy was very interested in watching it snow. We now have about 5 inches and it is still snowing. The silver lining is a promise of near 60F next Saturday!

2010-12-21T10:12:00.000-05:00

The Moon and the Washington Memorial

Last night there was a special eclipse of the Moon. I am sure everyone who watches the news knew all about this eclipse. One picture I saw today I found most enjoyable. I hope you like it.

2010-12-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

Tree Felling

One of the trees in our back yard was beginning to split so my neighbor came over and cut it down. The fence was rolled back out of the way but if you look carefully you can see that the fence should have been rolled back just a little more! The tree is now cleared away and the fence is back looking as good as new.

2010-11-05T10:15:00.006-04:00

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

2010-10-08T16:20:00.002-04:00

A Driveway Makeover!

Here are some pictures of the work I had done on my driveway today

Just starting

Smoking!

A new vehicle for the Copes?

It Just fits in my car port!

Rolling!

Looking Good

2010-09-17T17:35:00.000-04:00

Beers from Washington

I didn't spend all my time sight seeing. I (with Marie's help) did find 8 beers I had not tried before. The one in the middle called Dominion Ale was the best.

2010-09-16T17:57:00.000-04:00

One last sight from Washington.

I believe this guy must be a Redskins fan!!!

2010-09-16T17:44:00.000-04:00

Our Trip to Washington DC

The Capital

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

JFK's Tomb

The Lincoln Memorial

The Washington & WWII Memorials

A Tee shirt from the National Cathedral

The Metro!

The Ford Theater

The White House

The Smithsonian

The Supreme Court

Mt. Vernon

Very Tiring!!!!

2010-09-01T20:14:00.000-04:00

Beer of the Day

The beer of today is from Yorkshire, and has a very unusual name. The name is Old Leg Over! The name was used to describe what happens when walking in Yorkshire and refers to the many walls and stiles that you have to put your leg over.

It is a gentle beer with enough hops, but not sharp like an IPA with a pleasing, but not really exciting flavor. However, after an afternoon at the Shepherd's Storehouse it went down very easily!

2010-08-08T17:06:00.000-04:00

Finished!

Today, Sunday, we used our new shower for the first time!!! I am not sure what my next project is!!!!!

2010-08-05T19:23:00.000-04:00

Walls & Beer

Today I finished gluing the shower walls. I also checked out the third beer (number two was OK?!) Below is a photo of the shower wall with controls etc. The second photo shows a beer from Lancashire called English Owd Ale. This, like the first one is really, really good.

2010-08-03T16:47:00.000-04:00

Green Board, Corners and Beer
Since my last entry I have completed the green boarding, a little filling and glued the corner sections into place. To complete the day I am drinking one of six new beers I found at The Libation Station. The beer of the day is Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale from the Black Sheep Brewery. It is very good, see the last picture.

2010-07-30T21:30:00.000-04:00

Shower Tray Installed

Today I completed the drain pipe work and then installed the shower tray. What you can't see is the 50 lbs of mortar that was needed to support the base.

2010-07-29T20:44:00.000-04:00

Hot & Cold Plumbing Complete.

I have spent the last few days putting in extra 2x4's to have places to fix the new sheet rock and grab bars (thinking ahead)! I have now completed plumbing in the new shower valve etc. The pictures show compression joints connecting to the old pipes and all the new pipes etc.

2010-07-24T16:49:00.000-04:00

My Latest Project

On Thursday I started my latest project which is removing the old tub and surround and replacing it with a 30" x 60" shower.

I started by removing one of the three wall panels

Then I removed the other two leaving just the tub.

The next step was to cut the tub in half using my sawsall

The last picture shows the tub removed and a view of the plumbing which has to be replaced.

The project continues on Monday!!

2010-06-25T13:15:00.001-04:00

A Present from England

Imagine my surprise when DHL delivered a package for me today containing 8 cans of HSB! Now I know my Brother was going to send me some but I didn't except them to arrive for at least another week and I was not expecting EIGHT CANS. Many thanks to my Brother Ray.

2010-06-17T08:48:00.003-04:00

Road Trip

My brother Ray, Sharon & Sharon's Mother made a trip to London to visit the Fuller's brewery.

The pictures tell it all!!

2010-06-15T14:01:00.000-04:00

Happy 40th Anniversary

Yesterday was Bo & Lyn's 40th Wedding anniversary. As you can see they were both enjoying the occasion!

2010-05-29T16:59:00.003-04:00

Something Different

I am sure that most of my readers have been on road trips at sometime or other when the trip included looking for vehicles from as many different states as possible. Finding a vehicle from Alaska was always a great find, but whoever saw one from Hawaii!
Imagine my surprise when I came across a vehicle with an Hawaii plate just 100 yards from my house. I took my camera this afternoon but the car had already left.
This morning the car was back, see below

2010-04-15T17:02:00.002-04:00

New to Me
Today was an adventure into many new things. I started the new experiences by going to the Mellow Mushroom, a new restaurant in town, with John & Bo. The Mellow Mushroom boasts 48 tap beers, so you can imagine there were a few I had never tried. I decide on a Thomas Creek river valley red ale from Greenville SC. A very good ale that I would recommend. The picture show us enjoying our beers with a plate of Bruchetta for an appetizer .

Later in the day I got to try two more new beers. The first is a Cocoa Porter, very tasty with a definite chocolate flavor.

The second beer is a brown ale, again very good. I am not sure how well you can read the label on the second bottle but it is amusing. The name is HE-BREW with Messiah Bold in the curved area. Now there is a little more to the story. For the last year or so Marie and I have been seeing an acupuncturist who likes beer as much as I do!!! So I take him some of my favorite beers and today he sent home with Marie the two beers I have just tasted.

2010-03-19T19:22:00.003-04:00

Spring has arrived.
By late March in Johnson City, many flowers are usually blooming, but after the Winter we have just experienced daffodils blooming looked very good. This photo was taken in our front yard.

2010-02-25T19:10:00.002-05:00

A Mountain Top Experience.
I have often heard this term and wondered what it meant, well today I found out. Today we traveled back from a short vacation in Florida knowing that we might see some snow near the end of our journey.
As we approached Asheville the snow was falling and the nearer we got to the TN border the more it snowed. But, as we neared the top of the climb the snow suddenly stopped and the Sun came out! The Sun was reflecting off the snow and it was beautiful! Soon after passing Sams Gap and the long run down the hill to Johnson City the Sun disappeared and it started snowing again.

Now that's a mountain top experience!!!!!

2010-01-29T12:12:00.004-05:00

Are You Ready for the Storm
We have been promised 6-10 inches of heavy snow Friday night into Saturday afternoon! So I did a quick check. The first picture shows that I have bread, butter, cheese beer & wine. The second picture show my 4Kwatt generator ready to save the day.

2010-01-17T20:00:00.003-05:00

And Now the JETS!!!! What a great day of football.

2010-01-17T16:16:00.003-05:00

Way to Go!!!!!!

2010-01-05T23:39:00.002-05:00

How about those
HAWKEYES!!!!!

2009-12-25T08:41:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my readers.

2009-12-22T09:30:00.004-05:00

SUNSHINE!

After four days of clouds the sun has made an appearance in Johnson City.
Here are a few photos

2009-12-19T16:36:00.002-05:00

How to Survive the snows of Johnson City!

2009-12-19T14:39:00.003-05:00

Gordy in the snow

Gordy has had a great time today

2009-12-19T12:30:00.006-05:00

SNOW!
Here are a few shots around our house showing yesterday afternoon and this morning.

The last shot below is our back yard from our deck.

2009-12-05T14:37:00.003-05:00

Winter has arrived!

Here is the scene looking from the road at our house. As you can see Johnson City has received its first snow of the season.
I did hear a few people saying how much they were enjoying the snow. But, the majority hoped it would soon melt away.

2009-11-05T10:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Guy Fawkes Day

"Remember, remember the fifth of November..."

In case you needed an excuse to have a couple of cold ones, burn stuff and light fireworks, look no further. November 5 is Guy Fawkes Day.

Wikimedia CommonsGuy Fawkes was tortured and later hanged for trying to blow up the British Parliament the day it was slated to open, November 5, 1605.On November 5, 1605, England held a celebration for the opening of Parliament. Guy Fawkes tried to spark a revolution by blowing up the building – and the royal family along with it – in what is known as the Gunpowder Plot.

The plot was foiled when one of Fawkes's co-conspirators sent a letter to a friend telling the friend to stay away from Parliament that night. The letter was intercepted and Fawkes was found in the basement of Parliament getting ready to light the fuse on several dozen barrels of gunpowder.

He was tortured for a list of his co-conspirators, and was hanged in January of 1606.

Fawkes was born a Protestant but converted to Catholicism at a time when Catholics were persecuted in England. He hoped to incite the country to revolution in an attempt to gain equal (or better) recognition for Catholics. Here is a link to the article

http://www.syracuse.com/have-you-heard/index.ssf/2009/11/happy_guy_fawkes_day.html

2009-10-23T13:49:00.004-04:00

Bob's Your Uncle
I remember hearing this expression back in the old country but I was taken by surprise when I noticed a store in Savannah, GA with that name. The owner of the store told me she had been to Australia and heard it over there and thought it would make a "memorable" store name. So here I am proudly wearing my Bob's your Uncle T shirt.

Bob's your uncle is a commonly used expression known mainly in Britain, Ireland and Commonwealth nations. It is often used immediately following a set of simple instructions and carries roughly the same meaning as the phrase "and there you have it" or "quickly"; for example, "To make a ham sandwich, simply put a piece of ham between two slices of buttered bread, and Bob's your uncle."

2009-10-08T13:59:00.005-04:00

Surprise!

This afternoon I made my daily trip to the mail box expecting to find the usual junk mail etc. But, SURPRISE, there was a large parcel with a customs form and a printed stamp from England. On the customs form were the wonderful words "Bottle Beer"!! Inside was lots of packing, a note from my brother Ray & his friend Sharon wishing me a happy Birthday and a large bottle of beer!

The picture shows the paperwork and the bottle of beer. I will report later on the beer after drinking it!!!

2009-09-27T19:49:00.003-04:00

Last Friday's Project
We decided that some of the windows in our house needed replacing. So we ordered one to start with and here is how Friday went!

First you remove the blinds, topper and the trim.

Next you take out the old window

You then put in the new window and remove the old storm window from outside

You then replace the trim topper & blinds and go to Lowes and order two more windows to replace the other windows in the room.
When the other two windows are in we will redecorate.

2009-09-06T13:44:00.004-04:00

Recent Activities

Marie has made two more of her fancy bags so I got to make holes in them, add grommets and attach the handles. We have also been cleaning up around the yard, pulling weeds etc. Unfortunately Marie can find poison ivy anytime she works in the yard.
The two pictures below show her leg, (which may have been a bite) and her arm which is poison ivy.
The drugs are working so she is already feeling better.

2009-08-15T17:10:00.005-04:00

Some Excitement at the Copes
On Wednesday I noticed that the large tree at the end of our driveway seemed to have a crack appearing where the truck splits. By Friday afternoon the split could be seen from our front porch! So, Friday evening I asked my neighbor, who knows about trees, what he thought we should do. In his opinion the tree would split in two come the next strong wind and it should be taken down as soon as possible. He then said he would take it down in the morning!! So at 8 o'clock this morning I left for my Saturday morning job at the Storehouse and arrived home at 12:20pm. The first picture shows the split in the tree and the second one shows me arriving home in my truck. Please check out the following link for more pictures. http://copesofjc.embarqspace.com/

2009-08-02T15:32:00.007-04:00

Another Project.
The church needed a place to display brochures and other information. Many stores have free standing units that hold various sizes of brochure holders that hang from slots spaced at 3 inch intervals. The basic material is called slat-wall. I found some places that sold slat-wall but the closest was 170 miles from Johnson City! So I decided to make my own. The following pictures gives you some idea of the fun I had.

First you take a sheet of plywood 2' x 4' and add 18 strips of 1/4" plywood about 1 1/2" wide. Then paint all the spaces black.

You now add another 18 strips of 1/4" plywood about 2.6" wide over the first strips.
You repeat these stages four times!

Next you make a frame from 2" x 2" timber which is 2 foot by 2 foot by 5 feet. Now you fix the four sheets of slat-wall to the frame.

Here I am putting the last of the panels onto the frame

Here is a picture of the slat-wall on the frame.

I added some trim and then fillers at the bottom and....

The finished item looks quite at home in our church Gathering space.

2009-07-20T18:40:00.003-04:00

Another Critter

As the rain was coming to an end this evening this really neat bird landed in my neighbors yard. The picture was taken from my deck and the bird is about 30 yards away.

2009-07-20T16:49:00.003-04:00

Critters!

I noticed this cool looking insect on my screen door this morning.
After taking the picture, Gordy was ready to go outside. I opened the door and Gordy walked as slowly as he could! I looked ahead of him and there by the grill was a rabbit!
Soon after I had taken the second picture Gordy moved a little too quickly and the rabbit, with Gordy after him, disappeared into my neighbors yard.

2009-07-18T21:43:00.005-04:00

World's oldest man, WWI veteran dies

LONDON – Only death could silence Henry Allingham.

He went to war as a teenager, helped keep flimsy aircraft flying, survived his wounds and came home from World War I to a long — very long — and fruitful life.

But only in his last years did he discover his true mission: to remind new generations of the sacrifices of the millions slaughtered in the trenches, killed in the air, or lost at sea in what Britons call the Great War.

Henry Allingham, who was the world's oldest man when he died Saturday at 113, attributed his remarkable longevity to "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women."

Way to Go Henry!!!

Here is a link to the whole article.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090718/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_obit_oldest_man

2009-07-09T14:14:00.005-04:00

Gordy

Gordy has a new cap and an old car. The Cap is 2009 model and the car is a 1968 Ford Mustang!
As you can see he is very serious when sitting in the drivers seat!

2009-07-01T19:43:00.003-04:00

Now this is Different
For once TN is looking good. We may not be best at Education, Heath care, etc BUT at least we are managing our money a lot better than many other states. Notice our short fall is less than 10%, not great but a lot better than California!

2009-06-20T16:53:00.002-04:00

Government at Work!

I would think that the British are delighted to see how their pounds are being spent!

LONDON – It's a spelling mantra that generations of schoolchildren have learned — "i before e, except after c."

But new British government guidance tells teachers not to pass on the rule to students, because there are too many exceptions.

The "Support For Spelling" document, which is being sent to thousands of primary schools, says the rule "is not worth teaching" because it doesn't account for words like 'sufficient,' 'veil' and 'their.'

Jack Bovill of the Spelling Society, which advocates simplified spelling, said Saturday he agreed with the decision.

But supporters say the ditty has value because it is one of the few language rules that most people remember.

Here is a link to the article

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090620/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_spelling_shake_up

2009-06-08T19:09:00.003-04:00

Gordy, the Therapy Dog

Today, After 6 weeks of training classes, Marie and Gordy went to be tested to see if Gordy could become a Therapy Dog. Both passed with flying colors so Gordy was awarded this very neat scarf which he will wear when he goes visiting.
As you can see from the photos Gordy was very excited about the day!! Marie was so excited that she stopped on the way home and bought me some really great beers that come from Wales and Scotland!
The first picture shows Gordy wearing his scarf

The next picture shows Gordy enjoying a rest and excited about passing the test!

Here is a photo of the scarf. He will wear it with pride.

2009-06-05T08:44:00.004-04:00

Not enough Engineers, Teachers and Nurses!

I just had to post this piece of information! ( We maybe a strange bunch, but the world needs us!)

For the second year in a row, engineer is the hardest job to fill in America. Why are engineers so hard to find? "We have whole generations of people loving liberal arts, not going into science and math," says Larry Jacobson, executive director of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Here is a link to the whole article which says that Teachers and Nurses are also in short supply.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107149/the-hardest-jobs-to-fill-in-america?mod=career-leadership

2009-05-11T08:26:00.003-04:00

A Great Weekend
On Saturday May 9th we celebrated our friend Ruth's 60th Birthday. Not only is a 60th Birthday a reason for celebration, but Ruth chose to fly to Johnson City with another one of our friend , Rhonda, to share it with us! To make the party extra special Michael played and sang some of his songs. The first picture shows Ruth drinking from a Birthday mug, decorated with candles. The second picture shows Michael playing and Leesa keeping time.

On Sunday the sun decided to make an appearance so we spend the afternoon in the yard putting blocks around our flag pole.

2009-05-03T13:06:00.003-04:00

Gordy Running.
I took this video of Gordy running in our back yard. He had seen a squirrel from our family room and was excited to chase it!

2009-04-16T18:33:00.005-04:00

The Latest Project.
Our second bathroom, off our family room, was in need of a paint job and a new floor. On Easter Sunday we turned off the water to the stool, removed the stool, placed a cover over the hole and started painting. We put the stool out on the deck and put two coats of paint on the walls.
Monday and Tuesday found me laying the new floor, Wednesday was a rest day so today I put the stool back into place and was just about to connect the water supply when I remembered the cover I had placed over the hole!!! So, after trip to Lowes, for a new wax ring, I removed and then refitted the stool. The second picture shows the stool on the deck (it needs a refrigerator to complete the picture) and the third picture shows the new paint job and floor.

2009-04-09T20:39:00.003-04:00

Gordy enjoying the Sunshine

I was enjoying it as well. What a beautiful day after the snow of Tuesday.

2009-04-07T16:32:00.003-04:00

Spring in TN

It seems that the winter of 2008/09 will never end. Last week I mowed my yard for the first time this season. On Sunday I put on my tee shirt and shorts, put fertilizer on the grass and walked my dog all with sunshine and a temperature of 80F!
This morning the temperature was 31F and there was a little SNOW on parts of the yard!!!
The picture shows Gordy checking out the snow.

2009-03-17T19:18:00.003-04:00

Happy St Paddy's Day!

First I want to wish everyone a happy St Paddy's day. It was indeed a great day in Johnson City. We had Sunshine, temperatures near 70F and green beer!
Even better our friend John Q had his long awaited back surgery today and the Doctor reported that the surgery went very well.
We visited for a short while after John was brought to his room and he really did look good.
Let us all thank the Lord for great Doctors, and ask that John's back will soon be as good as new!

2009-03-07T16:27:00.003-05:00

Another shelf unit

I built another shelf unit for the daycare at our church this week. I thought it would be fun to show it in use. I have requests from two of the daycare works to make them each one. I guess I am going to be busy!

2009-03-01T19:11:00.003-05:00

March 1st!

Yes, here we are, March 1st, one week away from daylight savings time and it looks like winter!.

2009-03-01T16:16:00.003-05:00

There is a new beer in town

There was a brewery in southern MN that made a seasonal beer called Schmult's Alt. Sometimes my friend Ruth would visit Johnson City when Schmult's Alt was available and bring me a few bottles.
It has been at least 2 years since I had a glass of Alt beer so you can imagine my delight when I found an Alt beer in Food City! This beer is from a brewery in PA and is called Southampton Altbier.
On the left is a picture of the bottle and a glass filled with the beer. If you can find this beer in a store near you I highly recommend that you buy a 6 pack. It really is an excellent beer.
CHEERS!

2009-02-26T16:10:00.003-05:00

A Good February Day
This time of year there does not seem to be much to blog about but today I had a road trip! The storehouse was offered a large quantity of clothes for children if we could pick them up in Greeneville. So I borrowed a friends truck and allowed two of the ladies that work in the Storehouse to drive my truck, and off we went to Greenville. My friend Joe Gann rode along with me and brought his GPS system with him. It was a good road trip with the GPS guiding us at every turn and two pickup trucks full of clothes for the Storehouse!

I didn't get any pictures but y'all know what clothes and trucks look like.

I did however take some pictures of Gordy enjoying himself in our back yard.

Did I mention that the temperature reached 70F today!!!

2009-02-07T15:57:00.002-05:00

SPRING!

Looking out from my front porch I noticed a sign over by the flower bed.
In amongst the mulch and small bushes we planted last year I noticed the first "signs of spring"!
On further inspection I was delighted to see that some spring flowers were already looking for the sun.

2009-01-29T12:27:00.001-05:00

It has been a couple of weeks since my last posting. Things have been quiet in Johnson City. We have had a little snow, a few days of cold temperatures and some much needed rain.

Tuesday was a rainy day and after taking Gordy for his afternoon walk I left my umbrella out on the porch to dry. During the night the wind increased and I awoke Wednesday morning to the sound of wind chimes.

When I looked out I could see many of the garbage containers were tipped over (Wednesday is garbage day) and a lot of trash blowing around. Then I remembered my umbrella. I went out expecting to find it torn and in one of my bushes. I was wrong, it was no where to be seen. I have walked all around the neighborhood with Gordy and there is no sign of it.

So, if any of you happen to find a dark blue umbrella in your yard, it might be mine!

2009-01-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

Gordy on the Beach.

Here is a short video of Gordy playing on the beach.

2009-01-01T14:27:00.001-05:00

How about those HAWKEYES!!!!!!!

2008-12-28T19:44:00.003-05:00

Gordy

Here are two pictures of Gordy. The first shows Gordy enjoying his back yard and the second one shows Gordy wearing his Christmas present from John & Sandy. The present is a red collar with bells!
The scarf seen in both pictures was given to him after he was groomed last Tuesday.

2008-12-25T21:26:00.005-05:00

A Tennessee Christmas Y'all!

In Northeast Tennessee we didn't have any snow for Christmas. But, as you can see we did have a really good time!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Marie, Bo, Sandy, Lyn, Dennis & John.

2008-12-22T16:23:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas!

This is the photo we used for our Christmas card this year. I just wanted to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
For those of you in live in the politically correct 21st century this means Happy Holidays!!!!

2008-12-13T15:52:00.003-05:00

More Visitors

This morning as I opened the living room blinds I could see 6 deer over in my neighbor Dave's yard! Before I could get the camera they had moved across into my neighbor Bob's yard. I am sorry about the picture quality but it was still not full daylight and as you can see the deer were standing in the back of his yard. Don't strain your eyes there are only three in the picture as the others were already running away. You would think I was pointing a gun not a camera!

2008-12-09T18:22:00.003-05:00

An Early Christmas Present
Today, the second Tuesday of December was of course, the December meeting of the 4 o'clock club. One member, John Q, brought each of us a Christmas tree ornament. As you can see all our names are written on the hats.

Everyone was here and we had a really good meeting. What that means is that there was lots of laughter and drinking!

For the drinkers that read this blog, the Acoustic Cafe now has 1554 on tap!!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone from the 4 o'clock club members.

2008-11-25T22:13:00.002-05:00

Just Resting

As you can see Gordy has found a comfortable chair to rest in.

2008-11-25T08:43:00.002-05:00

Safe Havens

With foreclosures skyrocketing and home prices plummeting, real estate has had a tough year. But in certain pockets across the country the damage has been minimal -- if nonexistent. We found six cities with slow, steady growth, using data from Fiserv Lending Solutions, a home-price research company. These cities' local economies have kept unemployment and foreclosure rates below average. Plus, their affordability index -- a measure of home prices versus family income -- is low. For comparison, we also pinpoint an average market and the worst market in the country. (Here are the six cities, don't miss number six!)

Lancaster, Penn.

Clarksville, TN

Albuquerque, NM

Burlington, VT

Pittsburgh, Penn.

Johnson City, TN. (Home sweet home!)

Here is a link to the complete article

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/safe-havens-in-real-estate.html

2008-11-24T16:25:00.002-05:00

What happened Gordy?
On Saturday evening our friends Bo & Lyn came over for supper and conversation, It was a great evening, sharing stories etc. As many of you know Bo likes guns, so Marie decided to bring out her collection, all two of them. Gordy had been paying attention to all the goings on and seemed very contented until the first gun was taken out of its carrying case. Gordy moved quickly to a corner with his tail between his legs! After the guns were put away Gordy's tail went back up. I wonder what happened to Gordy that made him so afraid of guns.

2008-11-10T19:08:00.004-05:00

This says it all

2008-11-10T16:10:00.002-05:00

A Gordy Report

Today we took Gordy for his check-up. Gordy is now in good health and has put on 1 pound!
He is now well established in the Cope family and as you can see from the pictures he likes to stand at the top of the steps and check out his land.

I promise that I will make entries on my blog that do not include Gordy, but at this time it is hard.

2008-11-05T16:32:00.003-05:00

Enjoying Life

I just wanted to tell y'all that Gordy is fully recovered from his health problems and is enjoying life. He really loves spending time in the back yard.

2008-10-28T17:12:00.002-04:00

Gordy, part 2
Unfortunately we got a little more with Gordy than we wanted. After a visit to the Vet yesterday we found out that Gordy had kennel cough and worms! He was very unhappy yesterday evening, through the morning today. The good news is that the treatment for his cough is working so he is a happy boy again. He played in the yard this afternoon, even in the snow flurries! It was too cold for me today but the 60's are coming back for the end of the week and I can't wait!

2008-10-25T18:05:00.003-04:00

"GORDY"
As most of you know our beloved Gordon Setter "Maddy"went to Doggy Heaven in August. We decided that life in our home was not the same without a dog so we decided to adopt a Gordon Setter from the rescue society. After filling out a very long form including the name of the Vet we had been using (yes they checked with our Vet) and having a home inspection we were finally approved as suitable parents! So yesterday, Friday, we drove to Greensboro, NC so that this morning we could drive on to Apex (near Raleigh) to meet Gordy.
The first picture shows Vicki (Gordy's foster mom) giving him a goodbye kiss. The second picture shows Gordy ready to leave NC. The other pictures show Gordy enjoying his new home.

2008-10-17T10:09:00.003-04:00

Early Morning Visitors

When we opened the blinds this morning we were greeted by three deer! By the time I got my camera one had moved out of sight.

2008-10-15T17:55:00.002-04:00

A Trip to Charleston, SC

We have just returned from a long weekend in Charleston SC. We visited the market, downtown Charleston and took a harbor cruise. We also found lots of great places to eat and drink!
The first picture shows the market with two people weaving baskets, this is one of the main attractions of the market.
The other pictures show a really neat bridge and some activity in the harbor.

2008-09-26T17:10:00.002-04:00

A Pleasant Surprise

In recent weeks I have noticed an advertisement for an American Ale produced by Budweiser! The other day in Food City Marie pointed out that there were a number of new beers including the American Ale. I picked up a six pack saying "I am sure I can give this away if it is like other American beers". Well SURPRISE, this is a very pleasant ale which I recommend to all my beer drinking friends.
The second beer is from the Left Hand Brewing Company out of Colorado. It is also an ale, with a more bitter taste than the Budweiser, but worth buying.
There were more new beers but I had better wait until tomorrow to try them!
One more piece of information you can now buy Fat Tire and 1554 beers in 12 oz bottles at Food City. Johnson City is doing much better with it's choice of beers!!!

2008-09-23T08:39:00.003-04:00

The Knitting needle attack

It was just after 10pm last night when we received the call from Joe. Roz has been attacked by a knitting needle! So, as all good Parish nurses and their husbands would do, we jumped in the car and headed over to the scene of the "attack".
The first picture shows where the needle attacked! What caused this attack you are wondering, well Roz tripped over her knitting bag which had a number of needles in it.
Marie decided that it would be best to go the hospital, but Roz was in no mood to walk to the car, so we called for an ambulance . My very first 911 call!

The other two pictures show Roz waiting for treatment.

The good news is that the needle had not cut any veins etc. So after an x-ray the Doctor just pulled the needle out!! A quick clean and bandage, and we were on our way home.

2008-09-11T08:06:00.002-04:00

An Entry from our friend Felix
I was checking blogs this morning and I found this entry on Felix's blog. Felix is the Chinese student who stayed with us for three days when he first arrived in the US. WOW!

Followed is for Maddy,

You are pretty and beautiful,

You are lucky to be with Cope's,

You are obedient,

everyone loves you.

You are also peaceful and wordless,

I guess because there is fear in your body,

God forgot a curtain in front of your face,

God prepared more happiness in heaven for you

when he lessen your happiness here.

Wish you happy all the time.

2008-09-02T16:39:00.003-04:00

I have been trying to work out how to add a link to music on my blog. So far all I can do is link you to my Website with Embarq. Once you get there you can play the one song I have uploaded. Guess who the artist is!!!!
http://copesofjc.embarqspace.com/

2008-08-21T13:51:00.005-04:00

What a Wonderful Gift

As many of you know, Marie & I help with the thrift store at our church, called the Shepherd's Storehouse. I have lots of fun talking to the customers and playing them music that most have never heard before (yes that would include Neil Young).
Yesterday, one of the church members who helps with the store, brought me the small card that you see in the picture. I looked at it and thought that is very nice of her to sell some clothes and give the money to the Store. How surprised I was when she said that everything at her garage sale had one of those tags on it and then she gave me a check for over $500!!!
Wow, what a gift, thank you so very much......

2008-08-19T10:27:00.003-04:00

"Home" at last

Continuing the story from yesterday we finally heard from Felix and Roz about 5:45pm! Joe and Roz were going to take Felix out for supper and then bring him to our house.
When we all got together after supper the days events were described. There were a number of different departments to visit at ETSU and each department had different rules etc. The biggest problem was knowing which order to visit the departments!
A lot of time was wasted because ETSU didn't have a simple introductory page explaining the order you should visit the departments. Once the order was worked out Felix and Roz arrived at the first department only to be told that the office was closing for lunch!!!!
Anyway, after many hours of frustration, Felix finally had the keys to his "home" in Johnson City.
The picture, taken this morning, shows Felix in the doorway of his apartment. Soon after the picture was taken, Roz and Felix drove off to spend some more "fun time" in the administrative buildings of ETSU!!!!

2008-08-18T16:42:00.004-04:00

A Visitor from China

About this time international students start arriving in Johnson City to attend ETSU. Felix, shown in the picture, is one such student.
Now Felix, Chinese name Qi Fenyi, like so many others arrive late in the evening at the Tri Cities airport and need somewhere to stay until they can check-in at ETSU.
On Friday evening Felix arrived at TRI at 10:45pm after traveling for over 24 hours!. Marie & I along with Roz and Joe met Felix and brought him back to our house. After a short visit on Friday night Felix went off to bed knowing that we would be gone early Saturday morning to the Storehouse and would not return until about 12:15. When we returned home Felix was still sleeping but we made enough noise and he was up and ready to start his first weekend in Johnson City.
Food was very much on Felix's mind so our first trip took us to Food City for an adventure finding food that he would like. For the evening we were going to an Indian restaurant to meet up with about 22 other people to celebrate Joe's 65th Birthday. As we were relaxing around 4pm, talking about America and China, we received a phone call from another church member who needed me to pick up the remainder of her garage sale in my pick up for the Storehouse, you have guessed it, Felix got to ride in my truck and help with the pick up!
Felix was interested in our strange habit of going to church on Sunday mornings and decided to come and see for himself. We were pleased that he wanted to come and he seemed to enjoy himself. Sunday afternoon I took Felix for a ride around ETSU and Johnson City, including a stop at the Harley Davidson store on the motor mile, before supper and an evening of conversation and TV.
Today Felix left at 8:30am with Roz to get checked into ETSU. It is now 5pm and they have not returned!!!!!

2008-08-10T12:41:00.002-04:00

Humming Birds

We have recently added a humming bird feeder to our deck. Near the deck is a planter with a plant that has red flowers.
As you can see the humming birds sure like the red flowers.

2008-08-02T17:17:00.002-04:00

A Change in the Weather

During the afternoon I had heard the sound of thunder, although at home the sun was shining and the temperature was about 84. Within 30 minutes it was down to 72 and the yard was covered in hail stones!
The rain has now stopped and the hail stones have all melted. I think the sun is coming out!!!

2008-07-19T15:42:00.004-04:00

Another Vacation (part 2)

Before going on I should mention that the purpose of this vacation was to celebrate a special birthday that John was having.
Happy Birthday John!

If you look closely at the go-cart you will recognize the driver!

We did get to see a neat sunset.

For a moment I thought I was blogging for Roz!!!

An almost full moon showed up on John's Birthday

and to finish the vacation we hiked 1.3 miles to see this waterfall. Along the way to the falls we saw a bear and two cubs! Each time I pointed my camera at the bears they would find a way of hiding!

2008-07-19T15:10:00.003-04:00

Another Vacation (part 1)

For the last 7 days we have been on vacation with our friends John and Sandy, and most of John's family, in the Smokey mountains of Tennessee near Gatlinburg. The first picture shows the mountains with clouds, not smoke! After a day of rest we went to ride "The Zorb". Now when I say "we" that does not include everybody and definitely NOT ME! The following three pictures show that the Zorb is a large ball that a person climbs into and then rolls down a hill!!!! (really, I am not joking!)

Later we went to the Nascar go-cart track. Here you see John wearing his Zorb tee shirt in front of Tony Stewart's car.

2008-07-11T19:27:00.002-04:00

Old Dog!
As most of you know our dog, Maddy, is getting old. Well she seems to be in need of extra cooling lately.
This picture shows her laid out in the corner of our living room near the TV. what you can't see is the vent from the A/C system that she is laying over!!!

2008-07-01T09:00:00.005-04:00

Vacation in Colorado (part 7)

On the last day we visited the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Here are some flowers I liked.

And here is another.

Three of the group, Steve, Ruth and Rhonda went White Water Rafting earlier in the trip and these pictures were taken by the rafting company.

I call this shot "expectation"

Ruth(pink hat) is on the left with Steve(pink hat) and Rhonda(yellow hat) on the right.

This one shows how much work is involved in staying safe

2008-07-01T08:38:00.002-04:00

Vacation in Colorado (part 6)

While we were at Seven Falls we saw some friendly critters

Here is a humming bird coming to feed.

One morning as we were leaving for the day, Marie & Steve saw a bear passing by in the woods behind the house!
Well, Friday morning we were given proof that not only was there a bear but he/she was hungry!!!

The bear was not the only one hungry. On the porch was a bird house and here is a shot of mother/father feeding baby bird.

We also saw some turtles.

2008-06-30T22:45:00.003-04:00

Vacation in Colorado (part 5)

This day the aim was to climb up about 240 steps to see the Seven Falls. The first picture shows us all together before the climb. Notice the relaxed look!

Here is a look at the falls and the steps.

And here is Rhonda making the last few steps to the top! ( Now before I go on let me explain that the steps were all metal.)
There were a number of warnings about health etc. but the one that caught everyone's eye was the one about lightning! That's right, it seems that the steel steps are a good place for lightning to strike.
You can image how quickly we traveled down when the sky turned dark with clouds!!!

2008-06-30T20:19:00.002-04:00

Vacation in Colorado (part 4)

The following two pictures could have been taken in other states BUT I was interested in these two safes. The first safe was used to transport small, but very valuable, items on 19th century trains. As you can see there was a lot of metal around a small hole.

This safe, which you can walk into, was used by the bank that had been on this site before it became a gift shop!

In keeping with safes and banks here are Rhonda & Marie trying to win enough money to need a safe!

2008-06-30T17:22:00.004-04:00

Vacation in Colorado (part 3)

Remember all the excitement about seeing elk in Rocky Mountain National Park? Well the next morning we were able to see an elk walking through our yard!

Our next adventure was a visit to the Garden of the Gods. This is a beautiful area with red rocks showing through the ground in very exciting shapes.
Just as we were driving through we noticed that one of the rocks was falling over. I rushed up and held it until some other people could come and help. It is now safely fixed for others to see!

Here is an example of the rock formation

We did a little culture tour of a Victorian Castle and as we wonder around I could hear some music. We went into another room and found that the music was coming from.... (see below).

This player has a metal disc with holes in it to reproduce the sound. I was surprised to see such a machine still working!

2008-06-29T19:28:00.002-04:00

Vacation in Colorado (part 2)

To complete the day in Rocky Mountain National Park we were lucky enough to see some moose. After taking lots of pictures I think this one shows the handsome creature as good as any.

The next day found us taking a train ride and visiting a silver mine.
Here is a view of the train going across a bridge.

Here is the little engine that could!

As you enter the Lebanon Tunnel (the silver mine) you are told that the temperature will be about 45F and that you have to wear a hard hat!

It is a scary place!

2008-06-29T19:07:00.002-04:00

A Vacation in Colorado (part 1 of at least 6 entries)

We have just spent 10 days on vacation in Colorado. We flew into Denver Airport and where surprised to see that you really were supposed to wear a silly hat. After pleading ignorance they let us in .
For the first four days there were 7 of us sharing a house and taking trips. The first big adventure was into Rocky Mountain National Park.

As you can see from this photo there really are rocks!

Here we all are about 10,000ft above sea level standing in front of a pile of snow! Not sure why, but some one had to do it!!!

We were lucky enough to see some elk....

so we stopped for a while to reflect on the beauty of the park.