Mostly I write of the big moments that happen in our lives, but the seemingly mundane events are what make life where we live great. Take for instance this one day in the life of the Hamiltons.
I wake up to our dog Jinjer, who sleeps in our bed with us, wanting to go outside to potty. I rise and grab my robe. On the way through the semi-dark kitchen I get a glance at the time, 5:44 a.m. Pretty typical time for Jinjer to get her urge. I let her …

While out browsing through thrift stores with Sharon and Nora, Pensacola was inundated with HEAVY rainfall. At one point the lightning was so severe I was worried about getting struck as we drove down the road. But it turned out that was not as dangerous as the flash floods we would have to dodge as we tried to make our way home. I had never seen it rain that hard, for that long!!
The first encounter was on Ninth Ave near PSC. Vehicles were already trapped on the road ahead in …

When I say under attack, unfortunately I have to include myself as one of the attackers. Here is another entry into the misery and triumph section of the diaries. Many who read the last entry regarding transporting N.O.A. (Nora’s Other Ark), our free boat given to us by loving family, know how much trouble we encountered during that adventure. Well this entry picks right up where that one left off.
Not but a week after we got back, I noticed that one of the windows in the Ark had been shot …

I know that many of my frequent readers like the stories of travel where we have something crazy happen to us but we eventually overcome it. If you are one of those people then you are going to love this story.
Sharon and I decided it was time to go down south to visit her sister Rachie. As a bonus, her other sister Aimee was also going to be down there visiting as well. At first we thought about just having Sharon go down and I keep Nora for a weekend, …

I took the title from a line in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. If you have ever seen the movie, which I cannot imagine anyone that has not, you probably recognize that quote from when the mother, Ellen Griswold, and daughter, Audrey, were fighting about the Grandparents sleeping in her room, and that she would have to share a room with her brother Rusty. The reason I used that for the title of this blog is because half the time, we really feel like the Griswolds. But sadly, this season we …

Sharon’s aunt’s partner’s son’s wedding was to be held outside Bowling Green, Kentucky in conjunction with their annual hoedown and we were invited to attend. Also going was Sharon’s sisters, Cookie and Rachie. The Frog Farm Hoedown was going on its 20-something anniversary and has a history of being a lot of fun so we were excited to hit the road. The only accommodations there was a large field in which everyone was to camp in. Luckily the Ark is perfectly suited for “roughing it.”
We did the usual and got …

Many times when some of the Gang gets together we like to reminisce about the old times, we retell stories from our past of adventures and sometimes-stupid exploits. We always ended up laughing until our faces hurt. But rarely do we all get together in one place, and even more rarely do we get to create new stories to be retold. This past August we got to do both.
It was Sean’s wedding and Skippy, Jason, Mark, Gary, Scooter, Dink, Trish, Kevin, Jeff and I all went out to L.A. for …

After checking out the Baltimore Aquarium we made the short walk up Pratt St. to visit the Pratt St. Ale House for lunch. First off I was impressed with the ambiance of the place. But then again I am into older buildings who take advantage of exposed interior brick walls and tall, open beam ceilings.
The Ale House is home to Oliver Brewery who makes some great brews. I only tried a couple, and looking back not sure why I didnt try more.
Cherry Blossom Ale: A fantastic wheat ale with pureed …

After visiting Baltimore many times and living in Florida I have tried quite a few crab cakes, but none have come close to the ones at Koko’s pub.
Koko’s is somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall kinda place. The food is served on paper plates and only recently have they changed over to actual silverware instead of plastic. It is away from the beaten path of downtown and pretty much only locals know of it. The funny thing about this place is if you want to eat dinner there you better make reservations.
Sharon’s …

We woke up and got the Ark ready for departure and headed out of Charleston to Seneca State Forest. Things were going great for the first hour or so, then we got side tracked and the fun began.
I did not realize we were going to be going by the New RIver Gorge until I saw a sign for it. It had been years since I have driven up this way. I was excited to show Sharon the bridge as it is a monster arch bridge over the gorge where one …