Month: June 2005

Glenn and Holly

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 27, 2005

CDF and I went to Glenn and Holly’s wedding this weekend. It started 11:00 AM and was held at the new First Free Will Baptist building on Gum Branch Road.

They had a lot of silver and white in the decor. The candle sticks (and there were a lot of candles) were all silver. CDF said that those were the colors — silver, white, and rose accents. The bridesmaids wore rose colored dresses (it might have been another shade of red…) that looked very nice and stood out really well against the silver and white.

We had great seats, two rows from the front on the Grooms side. It wasn’t intentional, but CDF made sure we got their early enough, and we were one of the first few people to be seated. I ended up sitting right beside the center isle, and I had a full view of the procession (and would have had a great shot if I was rude enough to take pictures during the ceremony).

The ceremony was short — CDF said 30 minutes — but it was traditional and touched all the important points. They had two songs, one before the father gave the bride, and one during the lighting of the candles. If I remember correctly we had at least one more song than that (and more talking by the minister).

The reception was held at the country club. It was raining when we got there and we had a little trouble finding a parking spot. But we got one that was within running distance of the door. The ballroom where the reception was held was decorated nicely.

The wedding cake they had was fairly elaborate and, as we found out later, was made up of four different flavor of cake (chocolate, vanilla/strawberry, carrot, and something else). Glenn also had a “Groom’s Cake” to the side that looked a lot like a chocolate snow man. I don’t think they cut into it though.

The wedding cake

They had a meal served, turkey or beef on a roll, fruit, cheese, crackers, enough to make a good lunch. The most interesting was the “star fruit” which looked like a star-shaped apple, and tasted somewhere between an apple and sweet peas.

I really don’t know how they spotted me — unless it was Dom and CDF cutting up as I tried to take the picture.

Friends

Down the Dirt Road

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 22, 2005

Last weekend (June 18 to be exact), I stopped by Matt’s new place on Highway 258. It’s a small trailer park situated just off the main road, and beside a dirt road that apparently lead into the woods (more on that in a moment). He’s living with his dad in a trailer now, number 4 I think. It’s next to last on the gravel driveway. The trailer is an average single-wide, but what was interesting is the land it’s on. Well it was interesting to us anyway. One of the objectives that day was to explore down the dirt road that borders the trailer park on one side. Matt had never been down it, though Dom and Pop had driven down it, mistakenly thinking it led to the trailers.

The road to nowhere.

Once you get away from the highway, the road is quiet, and you get a nice “in the woods” feeling. The trees on either side shade the road, which was nice since it was hot enough that day. As you go further down the road is bordered by ditches, one side deeper than the other. Matt tried his hand (foot?) at jumping the shallow one on the way back.

Jumping ditches for old times sake.

A ways down the road opens up again, and there are at least two side roads where they’ve put more trailers (and maybe modular homes), though not quite like a trailer park. One road said “Keep Out,” so we stopped there and turned around. We met a few people driving down the road, but they went slow and were polite enough to wave.

On the expedition.

After being attacked by deer flies we decided not to dawdle and headed back to his trailer for respite.

Family

Burgaw Park

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 21, 2005

This past Sunday, CDF, MDF and I biked over to the park in downtown Burgaw. We went in the afternoon, after MDF got up from her nap. It’s maybe five or six blocks away, down Walker St, just past a Baptist church.

It’s a nice little park. It has a playground with a jungle gym with, I think, four slides, swings, benches, etc. There are two tennis courts beside the playground, and another picnic area across the street.

MDF spent most of the time going down the slide. But we did head over to the swings for a few minutes and I pushed MDF in the swing while CDF sat on another one.

Fun on the swings.

Enjoying the slide.

I found it amusing that after she went down the slide a couple of times, the static electricity started building up.

She’s Electric!

Daughters

Home with Dad

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 20, 2005

This past Thursday CDF went out with the girls and I stayed home with MDF. I met CDF at the church and traded cars. Then MDF and I went over to Walmart to pick up some pictures a buy a VCR for the church.

When we got home it was 6:00 PM and time for supper. After supper though, we went outside to walk around and look for blackberries, bunnies, and whatever else we could see.

Sitting on the Bench

The crabapple tree she’s sitting beside has a lot of “baby apples.” It’ll be something if they all ripen this fall. I hope they’re good to eat.

Around the House

Clowning Around

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 20, 2005

This weekend I was playing around with MDF and I had the camera handy. I don’t remember what I was going to take pictures of, but we all ended up in this informal portrait.

Pictures with the Dog

Work

Pictures of Downtown

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 15, 2005

I took a stroll downtown during my lunch break (actually it was last month, May 17) and took the camera to try to get some pictures that captured a little of what I see everyday working in Wilmington.

Sidewalk

I still find it difficult to picture how scenes will look to the camera lens. Supposedly our eyes have the same field of view as a 38mm lens (or 50mm if you’re talking about a single eye). But sometimes I feel like I make a better match with a 400mm lens, because I selectively focus on an interesting subject and tune out the rest of the view. If I stop to pay attention to what’s around the subject that caught my interest, I realize that there’s a whole lot of detail (i.e. clutter) that would show up if I took the picture and the original subject would end up lost in all that clutter. Maybe now that I’m realizing how I’m “seeing,” I can start working on finding better views, especially finding perspectives that simplify the background and cut out the clutter.

I don’t always get it wrong. I think the following picture came out well. I was interested in the texture of the water and how the buoy and anchor contrasted with, and reflected on the water.

Buoy on the Cape Fear River

Rambling Thoughts

Jamming Again

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 14, 2005

Rick came over last night to jam. It’s been at least six months since we last got together. I set my drums up in the living room and he plugged in at the bay window. It took us a little while to get warmed up, but eventually we got going, playing some 12 Stones, Switchfoot, SFB, and just jamming for a while too.

I’m looking forward to see if we can get something going.

Daughters

Sunday Afternoon With Dad

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 13, 2005

Yesterday afternoon CDF went with her mother to pick up Mrs. Joy from the airport. So MDF and I had the afternoon together. CDF left from the church and I headed home with MDF in the van. On the way we sang the song, “Deep and Wide,” that MDF had learned that morning while in the Nursery with CDF. I’m still amazed at how fast she learns and retains things.

We had ham, noodles, and corn for lunch, and despite her protests about the noodles, she ate pretty well. We had mango cake with cherry ice cream on top, and she like the pineapples in the cake the most.

After lunch she took a nap and I watched Lord of the Rings (pt 3) for a couple of hours (and still didn’t finish it… that’s a long movie). After nap, she was ready to go out an play in the sand box. CDF had set out the beach umbrella so she could play out there and not get sunburned.

MDF loves to play in the sand (June 11)

We played for a good while, and she didn’t stop even when Pop and Ruth stopped by for a visit. Eventually though it was time to go inside and get something to drink. Then, after cleaning off her feet, she went inside and played with Ruth (and got her to read books).

Making sure they’re clean.

Later that afternoon MDF and I went for a walk around the block. Actually we first went down toward the hospital to the empty lot to find blackberries (“black raisins” according to MDF). Then we went down S Walker and to the first right after Campbell Street. There are some nice houses down that street, including a very cute, tiny, two story house that looks like it dates back to colonial times. I’m sure it’s not more than a thousand square feet, and maybe smaller.

Afternoon Walk

On a side note, MDF missed her mommy all afternoon. She actually talked to CDF on the phone — more than she’s ever talked on the phone — and MDF couldn’t get enough of her when CDF finally got home at 6:45 PM. She just wanted to hug CDF and sit on her nap.

Daughters

Sprinkler

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 10, 2005

A couple days ago, Tuesday to be exact, CDF and MDF were out in the back yard and CDF set up the sprinkler. Then she and MDF ran around in the water… well MDF actually preferred just to stand in the water and talk to “Mama” about the rain!

“Rain, Mama!”

Wife

Five Year Anniversary, Part Three

Post author By jmodule
Post date June 10, 2005

On Sunday, after church, CDF, MDF, and I went up to Raleigh.
We at lunch at the church, leftovers from the Sunday School party at
CDF’s Parents’ the day before, and then left directly for Raleigh.

We first went to Pullen park, where we had spent time while we were
dating. We were worried that we didn’t remember how to find it, but got
there fine, with out making even one wrong turn.

We walked around some, looked at the train car, and the miniature train
the runs around the park, and then went to the playground to let
MDF play for a while.

Later I held MDF up to watch the Carosel go around. She was
facinated by it and didn’t want to leave. But it was getting hot and
muggy and we wanted to take a few pictures beside the lake before
heading back.

On the way back we met a couple with a yellow lab and a terrier mix.
MDF stopped to pet them, and we chatted with the couple for a few
minutes before moving on.

Leaving the park, we went to meet CDF’s nephew, Amos. He had
apartment about five minutes away from the park. After visiting a
little, and looking at his apartment we left to go find something to
eat. The original plan was to eat at Brothers Pizza, but it has just
closed down a few months back. So instead we went to Two Guys’ Pizza,
which was only a few doors down from Brothers. The pizza we ordered
looked a lot like what we would have gotten from Brothers, so we were
not as dissappointed about them closing.

After dropping Amos off at his apartment, we headed home. But since it
was still early we didn’t want MDF sleeping an hour before her bed
time and then keeping us awake later that night. So we stopped by a
shopping center just outside of Raleigh. Unfortunately most of the
stores had already closed, but we found that Target was still open, so
we did some shopping there. We wanted to wait until about 8 o’clock to
leave for Burgaw, so that MDF could sleep on the way home.
Ironically, on the way home I sat in the back, and kept MDF so
entertained, that she never went to sleep.