spotted terrors

Took the dogs to see the family a few weekends ago. My sister brought her Dalmatian over to play, and what a good time we had!



I think I'm about to get plowed!



Why are sticks so fun?



Luckily, there was no contact this time!



What's that they're all chasing?

Sticks and pinecones... nature really does provide the best toys...

... and the best entertainment!

Until the treats come out, that is. Sit, Booboo, sit! Good dog(s)!

cake updates...

I have done a handful of cakes since Darth Chocolate...

a John Deere cake for a John Deere fanatic...

a Dale Jr cake for, go figure, a Dale Jr fan...

and another Dalmatian for another cute puppy lover.

I feel a little Hokie...

...feeling so deeply what has happened at Virginia Tech, but that's MY home. I didn't grow up there, I didn't go to school there, but that's still MY home. Tech is the closest state university from my hometown, so it's MY school. My friends went there, I visited my friends on campus numerous times... I cheer for the Hokies, only second to my Gamecocks!

I have some email friends, some actual close friends, others I only know through cyberspace... but all are Hokies. Even knowing how I feel about the situation, I can't imagine what they feel. They lived in those dorms and had classes in those buildings...

I can't fathom what this guy did to those people. I can't imagine how they feel. But this I do understand...

Darth Chocolate

Here's my latest cake picture... pardon the quality, but it was taken with a cell phone. My digital camera is out of commission, hopefully only until this weekend. This time at least I can blame any mess-ups on the camera! =) Notice this is the same pan used for the deer cake below.

New

So, someone i know had a heck of a time with his blog recently because Blogger decided to make him go new or something... the next time i logged on, it looked like it gave me an ultimatum, too. So... new it is. Just get off my back. This better not suck. (my buddy is still having a time, so i'm not holding my breath...)

Speaking of new, here's my newest cake. I had a picture from a cake book that I went by, so the design isn't mine. The art, however, unfortunately is: "my" reflection looks somewhat drunk, and that hand is awful! Give it a quick look - I'm surprised the mirror hasn't broken yet! =)

Happy 13th, Alpineman!

Today is a special day for Alpineman... it's a second birthday, of sorts. Well, his 13th second birthday, to be exact. Happy Birthday to you!!

cake update

I've done some more cakes recently:







I did another Dalmatian cake for my sister














I also did another freehand for a guy I work with. It looks like a 3-year-old drew it, but it tasted good. That's what matters, right?!? =)

Old or new?

So, I've been away because I didn't really feel like dealing with the "Old Blogger or New Blogger" question. Yeah, that's lame, but it is what it is. So, here is some catch-up stuff:

Go Cocks!! We won the Liberty Bowl in Memphis... got to visit with a good high school buddy while there... good friends, a good game, and a good time on Beale Street - what more could you ask for?!?

TOUCHDOWN!!

VICTORY!!

I participated in my first ever College Football Bowl Pick-em... my dad and I picked our teams, and we did fairly well! I may have to teach him to do his own next time, though I really liked being on his side. Competition would be fun, but... we'll see. I've now gotten into personalizing my sports news on ESPN's website - how fun is it to have all that information at your fingertips? NASCAR headlines, College Football rankings, SEC standings, NFL, NBA... whatever you want, and all personalized with your team colors! Now, I don't really care a lot about the NFL or the NBA, but my dad's teams are my teams, and I'd like to know how they're doing when I talk to him. He keeps up with my Gamecocks, so the least I can do is help cheer his teams on to national championships. Speaking of... =)

My dad is probably awful to live with these days. The St Louis Cardinals AND the Indianapolis Colts both won their respective championships this season... he's in hog heaven! Too bad the Celtics aren't doing so well... but it's probably a good thing. I don't know if any of us could stand him... =) I need to get him a Colts Chamionship shirt or something. It's been about 30 years since they were in the Superbowl, and my poor dad has stuck with them through thick and thin. And there was a LOT of thin... so he better enjoy it while it lasts!

Woohoo!! Go Cocks!!

In case anyone at Klempson was wondering, THIS is how you kick a field goal:

photo credits: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/photos?gameId=263290228

Ike Crofoot holds the ball for the winning field goal kick by Ryan Succop

For the first time in several years, and the first time probably in nearly 10 years, USC beat Klempson AT Klempson yesterday!! And thank goodness Klempson kicker Jad Dean missed a 39-yeard field goal (after, might I add, the QB was sacked for a loss of about 10), or I would have had to learn a quick lesson in OT. And I'm not sure I'm confident that would have turned out well. Though... who really knows: I've been pleasantly surprised about this season, that's for sure! Let me count the ways...

1. Mississippi State 15-0

It wasn't pretty, but we got the job done, AND we didn't let them score.

2. #12 Georgia 0-18

Let's not count this one - this one sucked.

2. Wofford 27-20

It wasn't pretty, but we got the job done.

3. Florida Atlantic 45-6

We needed this one. A little big, but a good win.

4. #2 Auburn 17-24

Yeah, we lost, but it was dang close. 7 points close... especially for the #2 in the nation.

5. Kentucky 24-17

Yeah, we won, but it was also close. This still counts, but only barely.

6. Vandy 31-13

This definitely counts. After beating Georgia at their Homecoming the week before, this could have been ugly.

7. #8 Tennessee 24-31

Again, we lost, but it was pretty dang close. We beat ourselves, yet we still hung in there. To count or not to count...

7. #12 Arkansas 20-26

Another loss, but look at the point difference. Can you say 1 TD? Since I didn't count Tennessee, I think I'll count this one. Besides, it's within 1 TD of a ranked team. Yeah, that counts.

8. #6 Florida 16-17

This one was the biggest heart-breaker of all. ONE FRIGGIN POINT!! And it came down to a field goal (which would have given us our first victory AT Florida, I think EVER)... lucky for us, Succop (pictured above) didn't miss... unfortunately for us, Florida has this 10-foot-tall man that blocked the kick. Grrrr... but this one still counts. ONE POINT AT FLORIDA!!!

9. Middle Tennessee 52-7

Ok, this was a little big, too, but it was a win that we needed. One - now we're bowl eligible. Two - we've had three close, crappy losses in a row, and this was a good pick-me-up before the big rivalry game.

10. #24 Clemson 31-28

All I can say is - GO COCKS!!

10 Good Reasons... that's more than I'm used to having! With all that, our record is 7-5, and our SEC record is 3-5. Unfortunately, that is only good enough to rank us next to last in our division, just above Vandy. It's hard to be excited about that, but given the details of our season, I'm ok with it. I mean, how can you - an unranked team - compete with 6 ranked teams - half of your schedule - and 5 of those in your conference?!? I just hope we play well in whatever bowl game we go to.

One last time: GO COCKS!!!!

the beauty of fall...

So the colors peaked and browned in quick succession, but such is the quickness of life. Enjoy some colors, frozen in time:

popcorn

Alpineman loves popcorn beyond belief... luckily, my popcorn-growing trial worked fairly well! For some reason, I still have trouble growing corn... I have yet to be very successful with corn, weeds or not. So... here's what i got, which might last Alpineman a week...

Happy October!

For me, the best month of the year! Fall is here, and that means that Christmas is coming. It's pretty much smack into the heart of "birthday season" in our family. Halloween is close, and that's always a fun time. Then Thanksgiving, colder weather, and a month of Christmas. With luck, we'll see some snow... and that generally makes the arrival of spring and summer bearable, if not enjoyable.

Happy October!

My most recent hobby...

Ok, so I started with a SpongeBob cake about two and a half years ago for a special occassion for Alpineman, and then made two more (for kids this time!)...




















Then I did some other characters for other people. I really enjoy doing these, though they take a little time. They are far from perfect, but it's still fun to do. With the help of a buddy, I've actually accepted payment for one now... for some reason, it doesn't seem right to take money for them! Oh well... I could use some extra cash right now, so maybe I'll get over that. I'm afraid the downside is that the smell of the icing is now permanently lodged in my nose... and that really shouldn't be a bad thing! Anyway, here's my portfolio, if you will... =)




In case you don't know, this is Boba Fett from Star Wars. Colors aren't perfect, but they'll do.



Obviously, Jeff Gordon. I had to free-hand this one, so I kindof messed up with both 24 numbers. At any rate, it was very difficult for me not to smash this cake right into the wall...


Special request for a Largemouth Bass... used the racecar pan above. (yes, I know the worms aren't "hooked" correctly!)







R2D2 from Star Wars, though he is probably more recognizable than Boba Fett if you aren't a Star Wars fan





This is a liver-spotted Dalmatian, and is supposed to be modeled after my own liver-spotted Dalmatians, rather than the more common black-spotted ones. The brown really should have been darker... and getting the correct colors is one of my weak spots (no pun intended).


This was requested for some local volleyball teams (duh!). The R2D2 pan shown above was used. I'm not very good at smoothing the icing!

A game for you...

Here's an addicting game for you that will also help you perfect your parking skills:

http://www.107.peugeot.co.uk/peugeot.swf

Enjoy!

Fall is here!

Today is the first day of Fall... I welcome the cool air, the changing colors, and the anticipation of winter. Gamecock football is in the air, Halloween is coming... I love this time of year!

Always a day late...

For some reason, I had it in my mind that Constitution Day was today. Oops! It was actually Sunday, but was celebrated yesterday. I guess that's kind of sad that I couldn't tell it was Constitution Day, though I'll admit that I didn't watch much of the news yesterday. So, here it is, a day late... but better late than never!

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/Bookstore/bookstore.cfm

Go ye and order a free pocket-sized copy of the US Constitution! You only pay $2 shipping. I received a copy in my college government class, and we have kept it on the coffee table for several years now. It's a good reference. Get one! (HODAR, if you're reading, that means you!)

Race time!

Well, a couple of weekends ago was race time... Richmond, baby! I missed last time, but this time was worth the wait! Not only were we lucky enough to go to the race, but we were also lucky enough to get to go into the pits! We also had hospitality tickets (thank you, A's mom!), and we got to see Scott Wimmer, driver of the 4 car, and Mark Martin, driver of the 6 car. Martin, of course, is my favorite driver! So, here are a few pictures for your enjoyment...

Let's learn a little...

I watched CNN Pipeline today "realtime", when it actually happened. Yuck. I didn't want to watch it, but I couldn't look away. I know that many people are just wallowing in their pity and sorrow of what happened... some more justifiably than others. It was a big day in American history, though, and we all need to reflect with a little more objectivity on the events that happened before, on, and after Sept 11, 2001.


If only we could learn something.

Misc photos... enjoy!

Last weekend was our family reunion... here are some pictures taken throughout the weekend:

We went biking on the Virginia Creeper Trail. An outfitter drove us and our bikes from Damascus to White Top, and we rode the 17 miles back down. Being that the Creeper Trail is an old railroad bed, the grade is low, and mostly downhill in this direction. So the 17 miles isn't nearly as bad as it seems, and there is some beautiful scenery at almost every bend:

My parents have some hummingbird feeders on the front porch, and while we were waiting to eat Saturday night, we witnessed some very interesting hummingbird interactions! There was a red-breasted hummingbird that seemed to be a little mean and territorial... when other hummingbirds tried to eat from "his" feeder, he'd fight them. They would fight and peck each other continuously, while also climbing so high in the sky that you could hardly see them! Crazy... but, after trying desparately to get a good picture, I actually got a couple of decent pictures. Maybe a little lightening of the picture will do some good, but... here are a couple of pictures of the hummingbird:

We went on a hay ride Sunday morning, and this was just another beautiful scene in southwest Virginina... such a beautiful place!

Sunday afternoon we went shooting... yes, I should probably be posting pictures of that, but instead I'm posting a picture of some blackberries... I can't believe they are still around, and that there are still some red ones!

Garden of Weeds

Ok, so I'm not usually good at weeding my garden to begin with, but this year has been extra bad. Just too many things going on and not enough effort on my part to get out there and "get 'er done", so to speak. However, I am starting to get a few things out of it... we ate the first tomatoes tonight, and I should have a handful of beans probably read for the pickin', too. We've already had squash and zuchini... hopefully my corn will turn out this year. (I'm not holding my breath.) I have some beautiful sunflowers, though, as well as a mutant or two:

This is one flower, but i think i saw another one out there today. On this last shot, you can see little sunflowers budding out of just about every leaf stem... I've never grown sunflowers before, but that seems a little, uh, "nucular" to me. Maybe this belongs with that three-eyed fish from Springfield... =)

One more pretty picture... it's not as pretty as it should have been, but still colorful and pretty nonetheless. Nature, after all, is beautiful in just about any condition!

Off to water my garden of weeds... it's been really hot - here, and everywhere else. Hopefully i won't get fried green tomatoes out of it, and hopefully we won't taste the weeds.

Farm Wars

Fun at the farm the weekend of July 4... don't try this at home! =)

Congratulations, Alpine!

Alpineman is now, officially, a Certified Nurse Aide! Got his letter Friday indicating that he was on the state registry, and then got his "scores" from the school... seems like he got 70 out of 75 right! Rock on... I knew you would kick ass! =)

Next stop: LPN school this fall. And in December of next year, you can move on to the next phase - RN, or whatever you wish. Good luck!!

Happy Birthday, America!

Hope you had a great 4th of July, and took a little time to review (or learn) some American history. (Image above found here: http://www.globalfuture.com/images/declaration.jpg I have no idea what this website is about... I just wanted the image)


I watched Richard Dreyfus narrate a pretty interesting little bit on the Hamilton - Burr duel... the only thing I really knew about it was what I saw in that commercial that aired years ago: I think this guy gets a phone call from a radio station, asking him to answer one trivia question, probably to win something really cool. The question was something like "Who shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel on July 11, 1804?" Unfortunately, the guy had just taken a bite of peanut butter... his answer was: "Awah Buh! Awah ... Buuuh!!" Too bad his answer wasn't clear enough to win the glorious prize... =) Needless to say, I learned a lot. =) Go here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton-Burr_duel



Another cool thing happened today... the space shuttle Discovery lifted off for a 12-day mission to space! It tried to launch Saturday and Sunday, but was cancelled each time for weather. Today, however, was a timely opportunity to watch some "rockets red glare", NASA style! Go to the NASA website for more information on this mission: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/sts-121_front/index.html



Last, but certainly not least, today is a good day to pick up your copy of the US Constitution that should be on your coffeetable, or within quick reach, and read a little of it. Heck, read the whole thing... it doesn't take long. Understanding it... well, that might take a little longer. =) And if you don't have one, order one... you can get a pocket-sized copy (which also includes the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights) for free! http://www.constitutionfacts.com/bookstore/bookstore.cfm

For more info about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, go here: http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/charters.html

Enjoy, and Happy Birthday, America!

Right Now !

Right now, you will watch this video...

Go Cocks!