Sheep Guarding Llama

Our fourth of July tradition has long been driving down to Waverly for the Doty family reunion and Fourth of July celebration.  This morning we drove down straight to the party.  This is my first year that I am able to go for several days rather than just going down for one day like I always have in the past.  Liesl and I missed the longer party last year because we had to leave early to drive down to Texas together.  This year we all get to stay.

Today was a small gathering for food and stuff with the family on the farm.  This evening we all went over to James’ place for the big bonfire where they burn a couch and chair and stuff.

The kids had a great time playing with all of their extended cousins all day long.  We figure that they will sleep really well tonight.

We stayed at the Gutherie tonight.  It’s a Best Western, now.  Same hotel that we stayed in many years ago.  Normally we stay in the Hampton, but they were full up tonight.

We got in late and several people were hungry.  Emily sent me out to find McDonald’s which ended up being closed and so I went across town looking for Wendy’s, which I was told was open late. Liesl was hungry so went with me.  We ended up being gone for about an hour.  We got food for the teenagers from Wendy’s, then went to the gas station across the street from the hotel to get food for Liesl.

Wendy’s ended up getting all of our food wrong and none of it was edible that Dominica and I got.  We were rather unhappy.  I at least managed to eat the small salad that I got but had not ordered.  Liesl at her snacks from the gas station.

We were in bed around two.

It is Friday and tomorrow morning we are heading down south to Waverly, New York to spend the fourth of July holiday with the extended family.  It’s the annual Doty family reunion down there.

I spent the day writing and posting, nothing special.  Most everyone went out to the movies today, so I got a bit of quiet time to get things done.

This evening we ordered in pizza and the family watched a kids’ movie in the back yard.

June flew by like nobody’s business.  I can’t believe that we are nearly into July.  It seems like just yesterday that we were in Galveston for Christmas!

Today I have SpiceCorps of Auburn to go to.  Technically it is SpiceCorps of Syracuse, but it is being held in Auburn, as it often is.

The drive out to Auburn is about an hour and a half.  I have not been in Auburn since I installed the servers at the Wegman’s there in 2005!  That might be the only time that I have ever been there.

I got down there early and met up with one of the guys at a local Mexican restaurant.  We had a nice time getting to know each other over tacos.  He’s been with NTG for most of the year but we have never met.  Most everyone else has known him for quite some time since he runs the SpiceCorps Syracuse group.

After dinner we walked over to the bar where SpiceCorps was getting set up.  This is a venue that they have used in the past.  It’s a bar but we get a private room there and it seems to work pretty well.

I am the featured speaker this evening and NTG is the sponsor of the event.  So I spoke for about an hour on career development and some other stuff.  I think that it went pretty well.

It was a good meeting and I think that everyone had a good time.

We got done probably around nine thirty.  Then an hour and a half drive back to Frankfort. So it was getting on towards bed time by the time that I got back.

I’m still at the kitchen table working today.  There is no really good space for me.  Everyone sneaked off to Utica for something today leaving just Madeline and I behind so we got pizza from Big Willy’s. My first change to get Mohawk Valley pizza in quite some time.

Mostly a quiet day.  The video game laptop running Steam is quite busy all of the time in the living room.

Tuesday in Frankfort.  My first full day in Frankfort this year.  The Grices are here and the kids are pretty much fully engaged with each other full time and barely even know that I am here.  At least I get to see them from time to time.  But they are all over the house, always playing some game and sometimes running around in the yard – which is in the process of getting fenced in.  A new, large, vinyl, white picket fence is being installed this week at the Toccos’.

I spent my time camped out in the kitchen in front of the air conditioner window unit with my laptop trying to write and post from the kitchen table.  Not the most comfortable of places but I make do.