Halloween Hauntings in Williamsburg

BOO!

And Happy Halloween to all you "trickses" or treaters!

I have been a busy bee... While I haven't posted in a few days I have been reading my favorite blogs every day. Sometimes even leaving my two cent comments on them. Speaking of two cents, what is it with people shopping for furniture in October? Is there a constitutional amendment against it too? It was by far one of the slowest months I have ever experienced, and not just in Newport News, my old store in Richmond was slow too. Oh well, November is another month, and another opportunity to make the budget (my own and the stores')...

My daughter came down for a short visit over the weekend, and a small group of us went into Colonial Williamsburg for the "Ghost Tour". It's an hour and a half walk through CW with a guide that shares stories about the hauntings and history of the old city. I kept looking for the blue glows and lights that our guide referred to several times, to no avail... The stories were very entertaining and informative, and it was nice to hear tales of the history of Williamsburg (and the surrounding areas) that were not Civil War related... My friends in Richmond certainly know what I am talking about... I have always been a history buff, and always had a hard time with the focus on civil war history that abounds in the capitol city... I mean, I know it's filled with it, but come on folks, there is a lot more history to be touted and proud of in Richmond and the surrounding towns... Anyway, so we are strolling through the town, listening to our leader, when out of the corner of my eye, in one of the "most haunted" buildings I catch a blue glow out of one of the windows on the side of the old structure. I tap Jim on the shoulder and point over to the darkened home - just to make sure I am not imagining. He verifies my observation and we fall back from the group a little - which we had been doing some anyway, as Jims back was bothering him a little - to check it out. We work our way down the street a little so we can see more clearly into the side window... and... you won't believe what we witnessed....

We didn't take any pictures and have no proof, but coming from the inside of this historically preserved, and reconstructed home, was the most amazing thing...

Tune in tomorrow for the revealing and horrifying answer...

Over on "Out" for today, from Haunted Williamsburg (Toano), VA!!!

and Happy Halloween again to all!

BALLOT QUESTION NUMBER 1

This is the exact wording you will see on your ballot, Tuesday, November 7th (in the Commonwealth of Virginia):

Question: Shall Article I (the Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to state

"That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.
This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage."?

Why on earth do we need an amendment to our constitution that is so ambiguous? Check out the following videos if you would like to see some of the answers/questions this amendment might raise...

Vote NO Virginia!

Stepping off soapbox now!

Over and "Out" from Toano, VA

Emergency!

This is the most current ad by the Commonwealth Coalition for educating Virginia voters about the Marshall/Newman proposed Virginia Marriage Amendment. On ballot question #1 VOTE NO!

Burning!

This is the first ad used by the Commonwealth Coalition to educate Virginia voters about ballot question #1 the Virginia Marriage Amendment.

Ok it's Official, I'm Gay!

Remember the line in "Steel Magnolias" about all gay men having "Track Light'n"? Well, I must be gay then... I installed track lighting in the kitchen yesterday. Not the boxy square flat tracks, but a curvy piece of modern art with brushed metal fixtures that meanders it's way across the ceiling. Oh yeah, I even added a dimmer so as to make sure my "gay card" never gets revoked.

Meanwhile, Jim and I spent an hour or so moving some art around in the entry hall and living room to finish off the look we were trying for. It turned out great. The final result is the living room has some very traditional elements, with some very contemporary pieces in it. It's done for now!

While at the grocery yesterday, I found a cute little yard sign for Halloween. It is a scarecrow with small signs with arrows that says "Welcome to our Patch". Since my schedule at work changes on Monday, I will be home on the 31st, so I thought it appropriate to decorate a little for the trick-or-treaters. I thought about doing this:

But rethought it after I realized how many $4.99 pumpkins I would need to buy to fill the bodies. Still, a very cute idea, maybe next year? I am working the next few days so expect a small delay in posts, unless something really exciting happens.

Over and "Out" for now, from Toano, VA!

Complaint Department

OK... I am now the complaint department of my blog... Yes, it appears there are some that rely on "this here thing", to keep up with me... You know who you are... Of course I am too cool and well mannered to mention any names (Bryan, Crystal, Philip, Sean, et al...) so I will only type (not mention) a few of them...

Life has been good... I got the RED living room painted (the color is called radish). The ceiling is a "wet sand" color like the hall and kitchen, and the trim is bright white. The photo below is after the new sectional arrived Friday, but before I re-stained and re-hung the mantle and a really cool mirror, Jim had hidden in a upstairs closet, over it. The accent colors in the room all revolve and reflect the colors in the area rug you can see on the floor. The carpet in the room is an "off white" almost beige tone, while the sofa and window treatments are cobblestone (grey).

What you can't see in the picture (since I am standing in the doorway from the kitchen, right next to it) is the new 42" LCD HiDef television that Jim bought last week... He has been glued to it all weekend while I worked and after I got home. Fortunately there is now a comfy sofa that will accommodate the two of us (laying down even) and the dogs - Yes Kelly, our dogs like the new (Value City) sofa as much as yours do your new sofa/loveseat...

So, between work and my projects at home I hope you all understand why my blog entries have been slow in coming... I am off the next two days and will try to fill everyone in!

But for now I am:

Over and "Out" from Toano, VA

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Ok.... I know.... Too many days between posts.

Jim and I received two complimentary passes to Busch Gardens (this past Sunday). I had never been, so we spent most of the afternoon/evening walking, window shopping, exploring, and people - one of my favorite past-times - watching. Oh yeah, we rode a few coasters too, starting with Apollo's Chariot, first in the front car - then in the rear. We did the same for Alpengeist, including one time in the dark, and finally the original Loch Ness Monster.

In between we met up with the couple that got us the passes and joined them for a private beer tasting - She works for Busch at their resort and spa in Williamsburg. We learned how to prepare a glass properly for beer, how to pour it correctly (not that I pour beer into anything other than my mouth). Additionally, we got to taste a few new concoctions coming out soon to a grocery or ABC store near you. Seems Mr. Busch was down last week and wanted the hostess at our sampling to give him some direct feedback on the new stout "Bare Knuckle" when it is layered in a glass with a more traditional ale (like Michelob Amber or Budweiser Select) in "black and tan" fashion. We were all happy to oblige...

I will be painting the living room today, RED... I have all the prep work done, and Jim started on the trim work last night while I was working.

We are doing great! While we are getting more comfortable with each other, we still have a honeymoon atmosphere that feels wonderful... We spend most of our free time together and still haven't gotten too much of each other... A good sign, since I plan on being near him for a long time!!

More soon!!!

Over and "Out" from Toano, VA

From a Sow's Ear...

Ever have something in your yard that you just don't know what to do with? Well we did... The back yard used to be mostly trees and over the past couple of years Jim has had them cleared to about 50-60 feet from the house. He planted (and replanted) grass in the cleared space after having a couple of dumptruck loads of topsoil delivered and spread on the hilly terrain. After all that, there was one spot that still had a couple of tree stumps showing... Right in the middle of the yard... He tried accenting them by placing a small bird bath on top of the stump, but quite frankly... it looked very much like... well... a small bird bath sitting on top of a tree stump...

So yesterday... while shopping at the Home Depot... I got an idea. I know, Jim gets scared when I get ideas... but he does recognize my ability to "accessorize". He worked all day yesterday and I came up with the following as a solution to the "hide the stump" dilemma..

The yard statue is actually a pair of cherubs with very cute faces. When I saw it, I was not particularly drawn to it. As a matter of fact, I kind of gave up on finding anything that "did it for me". As I got ready to leave the garden section, I glanced back at the yard art one more time. Behind the statue of what looked like the little Morton Salt Girl - umbrella and all - I spotted two little butts... From the back, the sexless cherubs were actually more interesting than they were from the front. Well, the rest is his-tory! The statue sits on top of an upside down cement planter (hiding the stump) and the cherubs are facing the woods, with their little fannies mooning the house. It is much smaller than it looks in the photo. The total height is about 3 feet, as is the diameter of the stone border. Discrete, but purposeful with some meaning...

Who woulda thunk you could get a gay(ish) piece of yard sculpture from Home Depot? I was quite proud of my find, and the final creation.

My two days off have been dedicated to the beautification of our outdoor spaces... Now it's time to go back to work and help others work on their indoor spaces - selling furniture. I work Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and I think Jim and I are going to Busch Gardens on Sunday. It will be another first for me. I look forward to the adventure and the coasters!

Over and "Out" from Toano, VA once more!

ps: I was reminded last night that it was One Year ago that I moved "out" and totally came "out" . Was October 11, 2005 "National Coming Out Day" too? I never knew, nor planned it that way...

Always a Good Reason!

It's been a few days since my last post and I have good reasons... I've been a very busy guy!

This past weekend was "MY" work weekend - every other one I work the whole weekend - which includes Monday. It was pretty busy considering all the rain we got. I - and others I'm sure - was preparing to build an ark and start gathering animals two-by-two. I think shoppers were willing to brave the elements in hopes of finding a bargain over the Columbus Day "SALE". I got my fair share of them.

Jim spent his long weekend painting the kitchen walls, trim and ceiling. I felt bad that I wasn't helpful but made up for it yesterday... It is Fall, and what does any self-respecting Virginian do in the Fall? Why, over-seed and fertilize the lawn, of course!!! The house here in Toano sits on about an acre. Half of that area is lawn. Not a rectangular, easy to mow and service lawn, but one with curves, hills, fences, trees, and numerous other obstacles. After visiting the local "Homo Depot" for advice, and purchasing the necessary seed and fertilizer, I began mowing, raking, and shoveling - evening out the dog paths along the edges of the fence and beds - before spreading the 100 pounds of seed, then following that up with 50 pounds of starter fertilizer... Whew... I am sore and tired again just thinking about the walking, pushing and pulling I did... It was 6:45pm by the time I finished. This better be the best damned looking lawn in the "gayborhood"!!!

Otherwise I have been following, with interest, the unfolding events over at Brent's Blog: "A Journey by Myself". I realized yesterday that it was a year ago that I left my home and exited the relationship I had been in for almost 20 years. Brent has so much to discover about himself and the real "Gay" world... Take it slow and enjoy yourself Brent, you have the rest of your life to figure out who you are and your purpose in the grand scheme of things!!!

I added a "StatCounter" to my blog, and find the visitor details, maps, and to/from links quite interesting... It's fun to track those that visit, how they got there, how long they stay, which posts they read, and where they were when they left... HOW DO THEY DO THAT!!!

Today I have some grocery shopping to do, then I am going to go out in the yard with a cold Miller Lite, and watch the grass grow... I've always got a good reason!!!

Over and "Out" from foggy Toano, VA

Taking the Hobbits to Isengard

Can you tell I am off today and it's raining outside? Of course you can, because I spent my morning looking at YouTube videos. This one has me now humming the "Lord of the Rings" theme... Over and over!!! You will be doing the same if you decide to play it!

Otherwise, things are wonderful in Toano... I am going to try to paint the kitchen today, if I can get off of this computer. Hopefully the weekend (Columbus Day) will provide for some brisk sales at Value City Furniture in Newport News, VA. Last month was kind of slow, which September seems to be every year. October has a tendency to start out slow and pick up, I certainly hope it does just that!

Be good, Be true to yourself, Watch the above video, and turn it UP!

Over and "Out" from Toano, VA

The Outer Banks of NC

All I have to say is WOW! I had never been to the outer banks before this past weekend. I had been up the Intercoastal Waterway before, delivering yachts up and down the east coast, but had never actually spent time on the spit of land just east of Arbermarle Sound.

Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and the other resort towns along the sandy swatch of land known as the outer banks were beautiful. The home we stayed in was 3 floors. The ground floor had a pool table, bar, carport, and swimming pool in the back yard. The 2nd floor had 2 master bedrooms off the deck with a hot tub, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a guest room with another queen bed, and a bunk room with 2 sets of bunkbeds. The 3rd floor is where all the action was, a huge kitchen, dining area and livingroom, with sliding glass doors out to the deck with breathtaking views of the area and the ocean.

We arrived late Friday, settled in and headed out for dinner at a nearby restaurant. The majority of us spent the day Saturday lounging by the pool consuming large quantities of assorted lagers, and soaking up the remnants of the Summer sun (albeit Fall)... We all did a relatively fair job of turning our fading tans into something closer to the color of a scarlet rose... ouch... It felt so good though. Sunday started a bit slower, as you might imagine. After packing things up and reloading them into our respective vehicles, Jim, Mark, and I headed down to the Wright Brothers Memorial. I had no idea, that this was the actual place where those first flights back in 1903 actually took place. The memorial itself, sitting high atop Kill Devil Hill (The Big Hill) was awesome. It wasn't until I saw an aerial photo of it that I realized the base was in the shape of a star. The tower itself looked like the tail of a 747, except five or six times the size. After reading and listening to the stories of the trials of the brothers Wright, I was amazed to find out several facts that I had no clue could be attributed to these first flights. While the walk around the memorial and grassy national park was quite long, it was well worth the time and energy.

I now see why so many Virginians vacation in the Outer Banks, and why I see so many OBX stickers on cars in our area. I'll go back, there are many more things to see and places to go!

More to come on our escapades...

Over and "Out" for now, from home in Toano, VA