The Beach Trip 2009

Our usual vacation is a trip to the beach and a few day stay at the Springmaid Resort and this year was no different. We drove down Sunday morning and arrived about 2 PM and check in and got settled in our room.

View from our balcony

After a little rest and a short walk around the grounds and on the beach we headed for our favorite restaurant Sara J's in Garden City http://www.sarajs.com/ and by the way unless you are a big eater and you order the fish plate choose the senior plate it is more than I can eat for one meal . We always choose a table inside but there outside tables on the  porch and the view of the inlet and buildings in the back ground are breathtaking . Just to the left of the restaurant is also a great place to take pictures  here are a few .

The next day after a buffet breakfast at Marlins restaurant we headed for the beach. As usual we did not come with the chairs and umbrella , because we had always rented one on the beach which is easier than setting one up and taking it down ever day and washing and drying it off before putting them back in the car. Well to our surprise the rental service on beach at the motel had closed for the season. So day one and two we sat on the beach sand and Delores spent time looking for shark teeth while I walked to Myrtle Beach State Park pier and back several time each day. We decided to spend the last couple of days around the pool where there was plenty of chairs and nice cool water. Stopped in Columbia at the mall on Harribson Rd.on the way home at streached our legs and did a little shopping . We had a great vacation and can't wait till next year .

The Last Ride

Ride on my Friend.
My friend took one last ride today. A lonely ride , a solo ride.
I was not there but, I am sure he rode it easy in the saddle with his hand strong on the bars and his head high and firm facing the road ahead. John was that kind of a man . He faced the battles of this world like he did the rides that he rode. He had fought the good fight now he is riding to his reward. The bible tell us of all the beauties of heaven , the gates of pearl, the walls of jasper , the crystal sea, the many mansions, the streets of gold and so many treasures untold. The bible also tells us it will be a place of complete happiness . Happiness is doing what you love to do, so I am sure that happiness for John is to have that street of gold lead to a high mountain with hairpin curves so he can spend all eternity doing what he loved to do Ride… Goodbye my friend, and Ride,Ride,Ride

My Friend

The night air was becoming chilly and we slowly made our way along the narrow winding road. It was dark and the only light was the moon and stars that appeared as the sky would open occasional between the trees overhead and the bright red tail and head light of the bicycle shining on the black \top road ahead. There was a silence that was next to total deafness as we were biking some where in the mountains in western North Carolina around Cashiers/Highlands area . The only sound was the slow hum of the chains as it slipped through the derailleur of our bicycles. We had left Spartanburg earlier in the day and were on two night and two day counterclockwise trip into the mountains and back into western South Carolina around Oconee and then by the back roads though Greenville and home to Spartanburg. It was a very challenging adventure for me but not for my riding companion. He was a burly man about six foot two inches tall with legs like pistons on a steam engine. He was a very experienced cyclist having rode the Paris / Brest / Paris, The ride across Missouri and The ride across Ohio. Once he rode from Chicago to Denver for his vacation. He was the best long distance bike rider that I have ever known. Put another way I guess what I am saying is he was the best that I have ever had the pleasure of riding with. On one of his long daily ride I was forced to quit the ride. Once we had left early in morning and were to ride to Union and down old 176 though Whitmire and to a small town of Pomaria and across to Prosperity to Saluda to Clinton and back to Spartanburg. All was going good until somewhere around Saluda I bonk out big time. After a call to my son in Spartanburg, my companion and I decided he should go on ahead and finish the ride so he left and later my son got there and we headed back to Spartanburg we saw him sitting on the curb at Hardees in Clinton having a tea. After a short chat we headed home with the promise that I would, after a shower, backtrack and make sure he was doing ok, which I did. He was just about 17 miles from home and greeted me with “Boy sure wished you had brought me a Coke“I went to the nearest store which was about ten miles away. Back with coke in hand he was now about ten miles from home. After making sure he was ok and that he was riding on in I left. The next day he informed me that he got back to the departure point just as it was getting dark. Total mileage 160+he rode that day.
Through the years I rode many miles with my friend with out ever having a disagreement with him. I recall sitting out side of many country stores on all the back roads that we have cycled, the churches that we walked around looking for a faucet to resupply our water bottles,the road side picnic tables that we sat at and laid on just for a moment of rest in the shade and feel the breeze blowing,if we were lucky. Time that is forever gone, never to be reclaimed, vanished as the morning dew.
All these times and more I thought about as I looked at my friend that is now just a shell of the person that I knew. Sickness and the treatment of cancer have taken its toll on this man among men he is no longer that man. I don’t know what will happen in the days ahead for my friend of all the years, I hope they will be easy and good, without pain and suffering. I know one thing talking to him I still see that ever so dim glint in his eye and I know that he also thinks about that night long ago as we traveled up that road with the stars shinning, the humming of the bicycles chains and water running down the side of the mountain and I hope it brings him some comfort and pain free moments in the days ahead.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERRY LEE

Happy Birthday Terry

Hope this is a great day for you and that the years just get better.

We Love you .

Mema and Papa

Ashley's Birthday

Happy Birthday Ashley

For a Very Special Girl we Hope you have a Great Day.

Mema and Papa

A Cold Run at Croft State Park

January 17, 2009...6:02 pm
Running at Croft State Park
Running or jogging which ever you want to call it, is something that I have done for the last twenty years . I was already in my early 50 by that time. Was somewhat athletic out of high school and continue to play sports mostly baseball and softball till my late twenties , but was very inactive for the next 20 years . So started running and cycling as a way to get back to my younger days.
So today was a trail run in Croft State Park. We have had some rain in the last week or so and some of the trails were a little on the damp side to put it mildly. Ran about 6 miles and took a few photo shots along the way and here are a few.




Steve ahead on the trail

Bridge in Croft State Park

FALL IS HERE

Fall

You know fall is here when the first frost is on the lawn, when the leaves start to change from that green to the vibrant shades of golden yellows and orange , to the sunset reds and browns like the sands of the beach. You also know when Fall is Here ,when you see pumpkins , ghosts and goblins, and kids Treat or Treating. When most people have packed their shorts away and the long pants are the style. when the steam rises from the heads of the players in the cool of the nighttime football game. You know Fall is Here when you see the harvest displays with bales of straw,pumpkins and Indian corn displayed through out the neighborhood. But I know Fall is Here when it is down to the final Cross Country Track Meets that are being held all around the country. I just love to run . Running is something I got into twenty or more years ago. Running was a way that I could stay in somewhat of a decent shape though the winter months when it was too cold to ride the bicycle. Over recent years I have been a little more dedicated to the running than that of biking tho I still love both. Just that time allows more opportunity for running , where biking take 3-4 hours for a good ride you can get a good work out running in just one to one and a half hours . This morning I went to Milliken Park which is a spacious area just about a mile north of town and about a mile from home that is owned by Roger Milliken who opens this beautiful grounds to the public. On the campus ,if you want to call it that , is about every species of trees you can think of . At this time of the year The Fall the colors are just breath taking.This was the setting for the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships. So thought I would post some pictures of the event .

Click on pictures to enlarge



These guys and gals are fast... as a matter of note
I went back to the course today and ran the 5 mile men's course... Now the slowest male runner finished in just under 30 minutes . I ran the course in 1 hour and one minute... I was over twice as slow as the slowest male runner..
Like I said These Guys and Gals are Good....GWH

A Trip Back in Time (John dela Howe 2008 Reunion)

This Saturday started a little different than our usual Saturday. Lois and I were waiting on Cindy to arrive for our trip to John dela Howe School for the 25th school reunion, which happens to be 5o years since we meet every two years and was started with the first in 1957.

This is not a reunion just for one class but a school reunion for anyone that was ever at John dela Howe, students, staff, friends and just about anyone who would like to join the fun.

Most Saturday I go for a run with some of my friends and fellow Running Club members and Delores and Cindy go to yard sales for their Saturday morning venture. Cindy arrived and she was elected to do the driving . After a stop at Hardees for breakfast we were on our way to John dela Howe School for a bi-yearly school reunion

Arriving at the school we registered and were given our name tags and a roster of Alumni members . I met some of my old classmates that I had not seen in 50 plus years . After looking at a lot of photographs dating from the twenties to the present day and finding some of my old classmates and friends from long ago later went to the dining hall for lunch.. The Old Main Building





Original Old School Building

After lunch we walked around the campus and saw some of the buildings . Later we had the business meeting which lasted about an hour and finally ended with a gathering on the front steps of the Old Main Building for a group picture. A little time was spent talking with all the old classmates and friends we had made during the visit. Then we headed home . I was just a great day and one we will remember for a long time....




Here are some photos of the day

This is Palmetto Cottage where I

stayed for several years




This was an ice sculpture of the
school's logo



Reunion picture 2008

Bird Watching on the Deck.

The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a medium-sized thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards.
Adults have a white belly. Adult males are bright blue on top and have a reddish brown throat and breast. Adult females have lighter blue wings and tail, a brownish throat and breast and a grey crown and back. Eastern Bluebirds are found east of the Rockies, southern Canada to the Gulf States and southeastern Arizona to Nicaragua.
The bright blue breeding plumage of the male, easily observed on a wire or open perch, fluttering down to the mowed grass to capture a grasshopper, cricket or beetle makes this species a favorite of birders. The male's call includes sometimes soft warbles of jeew or chir-wi or the melodious song.
That is the encyclopedia definition of the eastern bluebird. My definition is a little different .
To me the bluebird is one of the most colorful bird in the bird kingdom . He is smart , energetic, hard worker , protective , and very devoted to family.

Once you have the bluebirds take up resident in your yard the joy begins. Watching the male come and pick a spot for the nest , which in our case happens to be one of the bluebird houses that we have place in our yard. Early in the spring when the male first appears watching him searching around the area for the best house to show his prospective mate hoping she will say yes and accept his offering . If she does she busy herself with the chore of building the nest and laying and hatching the eggs. All this time the male is busy supplying the food to the female.

This is the time that we really enjoy the birdwatching as the male is busy supplying the food while the female hatches the eggs. Several years ago we started helping them out by feeding them what is known as meal worms we buy from the local bird supply store. We place a small dish on the rail of the deck in which we have put some worms. Watching the bird as he goes back and forth feeding his mate while she is on the nest you observe the devotion he has . This goes on till after the eggs have hatched and till the birds leave the nest. You have heard the old saying

" When the bird leave the nest" or something to that effect , meaning that when you leave the nest you are on your own. Well that is not the case with the bluebird. The male will still feed the chicks while at the same time taking them to the safety of the bushes or trees near by. We put the worms out and he will come down and get his beak full and fly to the trees where the chicks are waiting with open mouths. Over several days the chicks venture farther and farther away . I don't know how old papa bluebird know but he is able to keep track where each is located and take turns feeding each. Soon the chicks come down to the dish of worms themselves and sit there while they are still fed. Slowly as if a light is turned on they start to peck at the worms . At this time you know it will be just another day or so and they will be on their own.. But the birdwatching is not over . Much to our delight the bluebirds will have two and sometime three broods a season that is the good thing about My Favorite Bird . The Eastern Bluebird they are here for the entire summer to enjoy...

Mema , Andrew , Ashley and Christopher at the Beach In line for dinner ...

Family Snapshots

Click on picture to enlarge


Delores and Gaines
1955

Delores and Gaines at Donnie's and Madaline's in Welford 1955

Gaines and Delores


Suzanne , Andrew and Terry

Cindy , Kerrie, Ashley and Rick
Gaines and Stan #9 and Melvin Hill Rd.

Gaines and Jeff at Melvin Hill Feb. 06

Mema , Christopher and Papa
Christopher

Andrew and Christopher at Woodfin
Golf Course

Mema in the kitchen


Old school building at John dela Howe

Kerrie

Top L to R

Gaines 1959 ,Tom and Gaines in front Barber shop 1984

\Bottom Ashley and Delores . 1985 Gaines at the start of The Mount Mitchell Ride.1993

Ashley 1974 Bottom Picture Gaines front friend back... 1995 Max Patch near NC/Tenn Line

Two Special Visitors

A few days ago we had the pleasant suprise of a visit from one of our friends(Evelyn) and she brought a another visitor with her BEAR is his name . Can't describe Bear so will just show you the pictures of this little rascal.

Mema and Bear

So Evelyn you and Bear come back again our door is always open....Gaines and Delores

The Construction Is About Finished

Preparing for a days work...

Bob hard at workWell the construction has enter the last days I hope. Bob a neighbor of ours has taken the job of painting the parts of the house that we feel like needs to be painted to finish the construction or the destruction of the wall that stood between the den/kitchen portion of our house. This project started a week or so before Thanksgiving and is about to be finished here the second week of January, but having this kind of work done you learn not to get in a hurry , just sit back, take a good breath and wait. When you are dealing with , the contractor and he has sub contracted the electrical , the cabinet work, and the floor work , you learn to be patient , because they work on their time table not yours . This will be the last blog on this venture. I will show picture from the start to finish. All in all I guess the job went on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it an 8 so which is not bad for this kink of project.

Before Mema's Dolls in the living room side of the wall

Before the Den /Kitchen wall

After the wall is removed from the Living Room side.

After from the Den/Kitchen Side

So after about 2 months of the house being upside down we have decided to take a few months off from the construction business and give it a rest. We still need to do some (or have some ) work done on the hall , but that can wait till spring when we can get outside while most of it is going on... So until then will see you in the Spring.... on the next home improvement venture.

Christmas Day

Look at all those presents , hope a few are for me.
Ashley , Andrew, Terry and Cindy
Suzanne,Andrew and Terry
Ashley, Suzanne, Andrew, Terry and Kerrie
Mema and Terry . Look at all those presents , they must have been good all year.

Christmas , what a wonderful time of the year. Some people say that Christmas has been too commercialized and I guess in some respects Christmas has with all the buying and gift giving . I guess we do . On the other hand Christmas is the one time of the year when all the families try to be with each other , which I think is good. Our family get together at our house around 12 noon on Christmas day after our children have had Christmas morning at their homes. Cindy , Rick and Ashley arrived here about 11am . Cindy and Ashley got busy helping Mema with the dinner . Soon Terry, Suzanne , Christopher and Andrew arrived . Then Kerrie and Jerry arrived. We had dinner and then opened the presents . They all left soon after that . They all had other stops they had to make.. They all said they would come back later which they did. Christopher and Haley Christopher,Terry,Andrew and Suzanne

It was a good day which Mema and I enjoyed very much and look forward to each year. So I think you can buy presents and enjoy dinner with family and also remember and give devotion and honor Christ on the day we call Christmas.

Christmas Eve Ritual ... The Things We Do Ever Christmas Eve

Mema shopping at Walmart Christmas Eve morning.
Leaving the Waffle House after breakfast
Sam Evatt good friend and my haberdasher( as they were called years ago) .



Well for several years now Mema and I have done the same thing every Christmas Eve .

We start with a quick trip to one of the stores here in town. This morning we decided to give the Walmart in Boling Springs the honor of our time . Now very seldom do we have to buy anything but we go and look and if Mema sees (what she thinks is )a bargin we will buy it . Mostly we are just looking around and looking at the people as they go about their last minute shopping. This store usually takes about a hour of our time then it off to get a breakfast somewhere. We picked a Waffle House in the same area as the Walmart this morning. After we left the Waffle House we stopped by a local grocery store where we picking up two trays of food for a friend of ours that is home bound recuperating from back surgery . We spent some time with them helping her to get her ham and turkey in the oven. After that we went to a sporting good store on the west side of Spartanburg . Mema did buy me a pair of running shoes there. While we were in that part of town we stopped by a friend of ours that has sold me many a piece of clothing over the last 25 years of so. Sam Evatt ( Sam Evatt's Store for Men) a good friend and an expert on men's fashion. From Sam's we went by a local Bible store here called Christian Book Supply where Mema bought some DVDs that she had been wanting. Our last stop was The Big Lots Store which did not take long, but we love to look at all the things they have. Mema headed to the Big Lots Store


After that we went back home and started getting the ham and food ready for tomorrow.

Then about 5 we left to go to a restaurant that we have been going to for years now every Christmas Eve. Guess you might say it is our anniversary dinner . We were married on Christmas day 1955 ,52 years ago. Now each year some and sometimes all the family is there . At times some have other plans . This is a day that we look forward to ..... Merry Christmas to everyone....

The Christmas Season

Well tis the Christmas season, The Halls are a little late getting started this year due to some construction that has been on going for the last month . That is about finished now or near so that we have started putting up the Christmas decorations . My main job is to get the decorations out of the attic and garage and putting the lights on the tree. Delores (Mema) puts the ornaments on the tree. Mema also has a collection of Byers Carolers dolls that she displays on the mantel and other locations around the house. A few years ago Mema was in to ceramics and one of the things that she made was numerous Old World Santas that she also uses to decorate the house with.. Today that is about all we did worked the house over getting it into the Christmas look. So I guess some more shopping and then get ready this weekend for the Christmas dinner . Our son Terry and our daughter -in -law Suzanne will be here with the two grand boys Christopher and Andrew , also our daughter Cindy and our son-in-law Rick will be here . Granddaughters Ashley and her boy friend Will and Kerrie and her husband Jerry. We also look forward to having a family friend Larry here , Larry is just like one of the family and has gave us the pleasure of sharing Christmas with us for the last number of years. Usually there are several more that show up.. We all have the Christmas meal and then spend time opening out presents... Will keep you posted on the post Christmas events . So The Halls wish one and all a very Merry Merry Christmas .. And let's all pause and take time to remember the
ONE who is the Reason for the season. So hope all of you have a Christ like Christmas.

THE COTTONWOOD TRAIL

The Cottonwood Trail is located on the west side of Spartanburg near Spartanburg High School along the bank of the Lawson Fork Creek. It is maintained by the Spartanburg Area Conservancy (SPACE) . SPACE was founded in 1989by the citizens concerned over the loss of green areas and open scape in Spartanburg County . Initial funding for SPACE was provided by the Spartanburg County Foundation.SPACE is a private not-for-profit land conservation organization.The trail is used by walkers , runners, bicyclist. Cottonwood is about 1 1/2 miles long but, with all the side trails you can make an outing about any distance that you like. I use it mostly for running and any run will pass people running , walking or people just out with their dog. Like this morning when I ran into Mr. J. Gallagher and his dog Precious . At other times you will be out there by yourself. Just the slight sound of the creek rippling along , a squirrel rustling the leaves , birds winging it to their nest,a hawk in hot pursuit of a small duck darting in and out of the curves of the River this morning he or she as the case might be was lucky and foil the attempt of the hunter and was spared to fly another day. The woodpecker pecking away on the old tree that stands out in wetlands over which runs a foot bridge from which I was observing him busy at work . They say that the woodpecker is looking for bugs and other insects , but I think sometimes that red headed rascal is just making music with his rat-tat-tat for all to hear. Here are a few shots from the Cottonwood.

Recycling at its finest..good use of an old power tower

Nice smooth trail good for running or bicycling .

Basketball Game

Christopher and Haley enjoying the game ??

Tuesday night basketball was on the menu for the evening . So after work we were off to Chesnee High School to watch SCA play Chesnee High School . We arrived early and to our surprise the girls were playing . Our girls team are young and small so Chesnee girls were ahead by a wide margin. The girls were playing hard but went down by the score 57-35.

The boys game was a different story it was a see-saw battle through out the contest and came down to the last seconds of the game before the outcome was decided . With Chesnee leading 40 -37 and 8 seconds left a steal by Demorris Chambers and with a slam dunk cut the lead to 40-39. After a 5 second violation on the inbound play gave life to the Warriors and an inbound pass by Mason Crow to Bryan Keaton on a backdoor cut and a layup to make the score 41-40 and seal the victory. With about 5 seconds left Chesnee was not able to get a shot off.... Game over...

Construction Continues The Floor Men

The Construction Continues Well it is Saturday Morning , and no construction has taken place this week, which is just as well because with my dogs here it would have created a problem . So the hard wood floor men are supposed to come today and repair the floor where the wall was between the den/kitchen and living room. They came by late yesterday to look the job over and see just what needed to be done and it was decided that to make the new blend in with the old hard wood floor in the living room the best thing to do was to refinish the floor in the living room. I am sure that would look the best , it would also cost more. As any job that you undertake it always runs more than originally plan , so it is with this job. Delores and i ( you noticed that is with a small i) decided that the best plan was to have the whole room refinished. The only question was the time element . We would like to have it done while they were here, but they have jobs line up till the 10th of December and that will be pushing the Christmas season . Delores likes to have the Christmas tree up by now. Or will can wait and have a mix match floor till after Christmas. We are pretty tire at the present time of having the house torn up and are ready to get the furniture back in place and the house back to normal . We will make that decision this morning when the workers arrive . Stay tune.... to be continued.....

Thursday December 6th

The floor men are back to repair the floor after a few days of will be there won't be there . The job did not take long and went about as well as could be done with the problem of two different height floors . The old den floor is about 3/4 of an inch higher than the living room and that is a lot to make up in a 4 inch span. So now wait till Monday to start the refinish of the hard wood will keep you posted...

Wednesday December 12th

Well I think the floor is finished the men put the last coat on the floor yesterday and came back this morning and finished the trim around the room with 1/4 round. It looks good and as for the job I will not comment . Did have some issues with the job , but decided that I was tired of the house being in a mess . Was glad to get them out of here so thing can get back to normal. With just 2 weeks till Christmas we have a lot to do . So tomorrow it is putting the furniture back ,

and getting the Christmas tree put up. Will start a new post tomorrow on the Christmas season..

and will come back later when all the details of construction is finished...

Gone to the Dogs (or a week with the dogs)

Lexie...

Gretchen and Bit Well Cindy and Rick left on a cruise Sunday , so Delores and I are Dog sitting for a week.Now these are not just three dogs... These are Three Dogs.... One big and I mean big is Lexie a Boxer and all muscle and she does not know when to stop playing . I think she would retrieve a tennis ball as long as you could throw it. she will also knock you down when she is greeting you by jumping on you standing on her hind legs and look you in the eyes... She is all dog.Next we have Gretchen a little long haired Dachshund , she is getting a little old and not any trouble at all. She will eat anything and everything . She is the ultimate dogie garbage disposal . A loner mainly wants to be left alone and let her sleep. Then but not least is Bit(name has evolved over time) a Beagle/Dachshund/Jack Russell mix that is the ramrod of the trio, smart as a whip and knows how to get his way. Learned how to get to stay with me on the days that I am in the barber shop. Knows when I take a shower in the mornings that if he whines he gets to go to Hardee's to get two sausage biscuits for him and the other two dogs ... and this has got to be a ever morning thing. So the three together about wears us out by the time the week is over.... You know how it is , about like grandchildren spoil um and then send then home... Lets see this is Tuesday , just five more day till Saturday and they are gone.... Wheeeeeee!!!!

THANKSGIVING DAY 2007

The day started off real well , Mema was up early getting some of the food prepared . This year we are doing something a little different . In years passed we have not had a big day on Thanksgiving . Usuallly the children Cindy and Terry are elsewhere for Thanksgiving dinner so Delores usually eats dinner out with a friend and I stay home and start getting the Christmas decorations down and put up but, this year Terry's family was going to be at the beach because Andrew is playing in a golf tournament so Cindy and Mema decided to have Thanksgiving at our house, without all the cooking the turkey and ham and such so they ordered the dinner from a local restaurant here in Spartanburg . Which was a smart thing to do saved a lot of work on the ladies. Cindy and Rick got here pretty early and started helping Mema get things ready. Then Tommy and Cathy(Rick's Sister and brother-in-law) arrived with some pies and sweet potato yams. Soon Amanda and Les (Cathy and Tommy's daughter and son-in -law)arrived with Seth their 2 year old son . Then Larry a friend of the family arrived and Ashley our grand daughter and her boy friend Will arrived and we sat down to a great Thanksgiving Dinner.....

Picture ... L to R Rick , Cathy, Amanda and Ashley

A Day at the Trophy Shop

Terry working at one of the engravers
Christopher at work Cindy in the office
Trophies ready to go.
Trophy work bench

One of the laser machines
The show room
Terry still at work
computer Center.

Typical Day at the Barber Shop

The work week starts on Tuesday morning at 8am and usually the first customer every otherTuesday is Mike pictured here. Been trimming Mike's locks since he was in middle school his dad was a patron and very close friend of mine for many years till he passed away several years back his name was Bud. Now I could count on Bud for about anything , running errands for me , he would stay at the shop if I had somewhere I had to go. He would stay and sometimes when I would return he would be sitting there talk to several customers that he had held there with the promise that I would be back shortly. Of course this was at another shop not where this shop is . He was a true and very loved and missed friend and of course when I see Mike I think of Bud. A little history started barbering in 1954 after about 18 months of barbering school. I worked at one shop with a man, who befriended me and was like a second father to me, and his son who was like a brother . Worked there for 20 years till 1974 and deceided it was time to operate my own shop. I bought a shop from a barber that was retiring and moved to that shop. This is where I first met Bud. Stayed there for 26 years till 2000 when I simi-retired to the shop here at the homestead. So I still have some customers that have started coming to the shop since I have been here and some that have been retained form the two other shops that I worked..

2nd Day Construction

The second day of the project got under way pretty early. The first job was to build the other support wall and take out the original wall. This also called for a trip into the attic to reinforce the ceiling joist . When that was done the support beam was place in and the temporary wall jacks were removed . Then some trim work was done and is to be finished tomorrow . Also the cabinet man is supposed to be here and start on the bar. then the electrician is to be here Friday

so maybe in just a few more work days we might be finished . Will see how tomorrow goes..

DAY 3 OF CONSTURCTION

Missed a few day of the remodeling ,but the electrians got here today and did the wiring that had been planed which included replacing some of the outlets and the thermostats that were in the wall that was taken out also they put in an overhead light and fan that the old living room did not have . Also they routed the cable for the television in the wall so that the wires are not seen and also hung the television on the wall with a wall bracket. All in all the day went well . The only problems were minor , misunderstanding where the tv was going and the worker cut one of the wires in the ceiling heat system that had to be replaced. They had to improvise on the lights that we had pick out to hang over the bar. With the beam at 14 inches below the ceiling there was not enough space to use the downrod so they had to mount them directly to the beam . No big problem and they look just fine ... about one more day work left repairing the floor and some trim work and we will have the job finished... we hope it will be soon , but have learned to expect the worker when we see them.... later..

Day One of Construction

Day one of construction has passed and went very well. The crew show up with trailor and went to work taking down the wall . Just a few problems here and there but all in all went pretty good. Was a lot of dust and plaster chips . Had to disable a few receptecals and the electrical heat themostats and in doing so it cut the power to the other receptecals in the den which will have to be fixed on the next work day ,I hope . Will see how it goes on day two ..Will update tomorrow...

The Walls came down at the Halls

So now after 39 years we have decided to have the wall between the den/kitchen and the living room removed. When we moved into this house in 1968 the living room was the one room that we wait and took our time to chose just the right furniture ,so it was several years before it was furnished completely. The living room has served us well over the years it is where the Christmas tree that Mema decorates so beautifully stands. It is where we have for all these years passed out the presents . It is the place where most of the pictures were taken. The furniture is just as new as the day it was placed it in the room. Our house is a ranch style (as you can see from the pictures on our post) constructed like most in the 60's . Three bedrooms ,two baths, den/kitchen and living room. The Gold Medallion of the day. The trouble now is the living room hardly ever get used except on Christmas the rest of the time the door is usually closed. So to utilized the space we have decided to open it up and make a great room .We will have to get rid of some furniture and buys some new , but mostly it will be a matter of rearranging what we have. The plan now is to convert the den area into the dining area and the living room will be the den. I am sure it will take some time to get everything in the right place ,but Mema and Iare sure it will work out... Anyway the destruction starts Tuesday will keep you informed... Mema and Papa

The Homestead

This is the home that Delores and I share. We have lived here since 1968. We have raised two children , Cindy and Terry here and still miss them since they married and left. We have the same close neighbors that we have since we moved here , in fact of all the neighbors we are the new comers. All of the families have children that have married and left the nest also . So you might say we are a neighborhood of old fogies. We would not think of living anywhere else too many memories to even think about leaving .

Introduction

Hello my name is Gaines . I am 72 years of age, married, wife's name is Delores (Lois) . We have been married 53 years this Christmas day 2008. We are the parents of two children, Cindy 51 years of age and Terry age 49 . More on the children and their families later.We all live in the Spartanburg, SC area. This blog is an account of our lives and the events of such starting 1936 till the present day....

Chapter I The Early Years

I was born on December 22, 1936 in Spartanburg SC. My parents were Fred Lee and Joanna I had one sister and one brother , Peggy( 1932-2001) and Harry 1934-1990) they will be mention through out this blog. I guess I am like most people my first 4-5 years I remember bits and pieces of the time , nothing continuous until my first year in school from then till now I remember. I came from a broken home , my parents were separated and divorced before I can remember at different times lived with each parent.
The time is 1943 the place is Columbia,SC I and my brother Harry are living with our Dad and his wife ( later I discovered was just a girlfriend). Don't know how or why but in the next short period of time Harry and I were living with foster parents in Horrell Hill , SC on highway 378 just southeast of Columbia. As well as I remember we were happy there . They had an old mule that they let us ride . Years later around the early 60's my wife and two children and I were traveling to the beach when we passed the school that I attended while staying in the foster home. To my surprise and don't know why I looked off the road and saw the school house. I told the family "I went to that school when I was young" . I turned the car around and went down the road a short distant to the school , It has since been demolished and a new school built, but at the time it was still as it was in 1943. It had an auditorium in the center and two classrooms , one on each side . Oh how it brought back memories . I drove down the road knowing the house that I lived in was just a short distance . There it was just as I remembered , a little more age ,not as big as it seemed years before, the trees and bushes were bigger , that old mule barn was still there but falling in. Well I was not going to let this go by without knowing if the people that shared their home for me were still there or not , so I knocked on the door and a lady answered and said they rented the house from a lady whose family had owned the house since it was built and that she now lived in Baltimore Md. I guess I should have got her address and wrote to her and thanked her for the kindness that she gave me during that time of my youth. Well that is hind sight and now it is too late. That is one reason for this website is to keep the record for members of my family . A short time later there was a hearing in Spartanburg where it was decided that my brother , sister and I should be place in care of the state. Now my sister had for the most part been care for by an aunt and our grandmother , but she said she was going where her brothers went . That was the way my big sister was , tho we didn't live with each other in the early years she always was there when she could. The courts place us in a state run school. (John dela Howe School) in McCormick , SC. which as it turned out was one of the best blessing of my life.
I attended school there for 5 or 6 years , while there though love and care and understanding and sometimes discipline the lessons of life, faith , courage , love of other, and loving others was instilled in my core and fiber that was to serve me through out my life time. (See the John dela Howe Days in another part of the blog)

The John dela Howe Years Lethe Cottage

In January 1944 the three of us arrived at John dela Howe late in the day and were placed in the old infirmary just inside of the campus next to the Branch House for the first night . Sometime during the night I guess I may have been crying and maybe scared being in a strange place and not knowing what was going on and what was going to happen to me. Peggy my big sister must have heard me and came from her room and sat on the edge of my bed , I remember it like it was just night before last, said " baby brother it will be all right ,because I am here with you and always will be." Just a few years ago at the cemetery sixty-five years later as the people gather around to hear the preacher say some last words as my big sister was laid to rest those words were all that I could hear and think about " Baby Brother it will be all right , because I am here with you and always will be." So all through the years she was there for me to give advise , to help me anyway she could , I always knew that I could call on Peggy my Big Sister. Never a day goes by that I don't think of her. The next day Harry and I were placed in Lethe Cottage . The matron was named Miss Morrow. Stayed there for I don't know how long I know I was there through the summer because I did not go home that summer and the kids that stayed on campus that summer went to Cherry Grove for a week . It was some kind of camp( found out years later as my wife and children and I were vacationing at Myrtle Beach for some reason we rode up to Cherry Grove and sure enough the camp was still there, of course this was just about 20 years later. The camp was owned by the 4H club of Florence , SC. It has been demolished now I guess to make room for progress. On the way back to John dela Howe there were two buses full of children . I was on the bus in the rear and the bus developed trouble , I remember we pull the bus into a church yard . The bus in front had no way of knowing our predicament continued on. What ever was wrong with the bus what not a speedy repair. So there we were about 30 or so kids and several adults sitting in a church with no food or accommodations . Some how the powers that be got in touch with the right people and the church was opened for our use and some very nice people brought in sandwiches and refreshments. I have often wonder who those nice people were so I could thank them . The bus was repaired hours later and we traveled on to the school , got back after dark the other bus had gotten back in time for the afternoon swim. So sometime after that summer I was placed in Palmetto Cottage . I think Harry had been placed in Carolina Cottage sometime earlier...

BOY WILL BE BOYS AT JOHN dela HOWE___

As the old says goes “Boys will be Boys” and was never more true than with the boys at John dela Howe. There was never a day that went by that we were not doing something not necessary bad thing or wrong things just endeavors that left memories and thoughts of the fleeting days of our youth. We played, worked and I mean some hard work, we went to school, we went to church, we ate and we slept. There is a story in each one of these activities and they will be told at a later time. The story for this writing is about a cabin that we built in the woods and the camaraderie the bond between friends that I still remember to this day and the good times that we had as we played and explored the woods just like the early settlers had done before. I hope that the boys that came after us had the same life and bond as the band of brothers of our youth.
THE CABIN
Abbeville, the name of a town also the name that was given to one of ten cottages that were space around a circle campus, Abbeville cottage is on the right side of the road that leads to highway #81 toward the dairy. Some of us boys during one of our excursions in the woods which was about every day ,but more so on those Saturday mornings that we were free to do our own thing ,decided to build a log cabin. We had gone into the woods behind the cottage and crossed over highway #81 in to the woods on the far side. I don’t remember who or what made us have the brain storm to come up with the idea to build a log cabin but it was a great project for about 5 or 6 eager house builders. We picked a spot in a ravine and started to work I am sure we had some saws or hatchets. The plan was to make it two stories (now that shows we were ambitious ) but we lived in the world that taught us to do the undo able , dream big nothing was too hard for us to do.
The plan was, as I said to build it two stories. The first story would be completely in the ravine with the top room being at ground level. You would enter the top room and go to the bottom chamber through a hole in the floor. I hope you get the picture. Even to this day I can close my eyes and the image of our cabin is seared in my brain. One day if possible I would like to return to that part of the woods and see if I can locate the site. I am sure it is not there, but if by chance I could stand in that old ditch where we as boys built our mansion so many years ago.
We got the cabin built, don’t remember how long it took several weeks I am sure. Now don’t get the impression that this was a cabin built with foot thick logs. No this was build with pine saplings about 3-4 inches diameter. The cabinwas built we set out to outfit it with the comforts of home our stove and coffee pot consisted of a couple of gallon cans that we got at the kitchen. We bought coffee and bread at Cades grocery store. The dairy supplied us with butter and some cream and also some molasses. This molasses was used at the dairy to pour over the cows feed they said to sweeten the milk. All this was done of course without Mr. Blake the dairy boss knowledge. With our booty in hand and our cabin in all its splendor waiting we were ready for a feast. A campfire was started and the coffee was poured in the can with water, now don’t asked where we got the water, I don’t remember, but I guess we took in into the woods from the cottage. The coffee boiling we then wait for the grounds to settle to the bottom. Sitting there in the woods drinking coffee from cans eating butter and molasses sandwiches with the trees swaying in the breeze and nature all around us we felt like kings and I guess we were because, we were rulers over our domain. Our Cabin in the Woods.


THE LAST DAY WE RODE THE TREES DOWN
Trees, one of God’s great and wise gifts to man. We use them for about all of our needs , the build shelters , to burn for warmth, in some cases for food that they bear, for wood to build all sort of things such as furniture , we use them for shade, and they are necessary to filter and replenish the oxygen that we breath but the boys at John dela Howe used them for another purpose. We would climb up to the top of the young saplings and swing them over. Some times they would bend all the way to the ground and you would drop off. Some times they would just bend so far and you would have to drop the rest of the way to the ground. Sometimes they would bend so far and then break and down you would come to ground. So you learned to expect about any of these things to happen as you were in the top of the tree swinging it to a fro to get it swaying so that it would go over with you and once it started you maneuvered to the ground side as extra weight to carry the tree on over and hopefully to the ground.
This was how we would spend time, usually on Saturdays and days when we had some spare time and were not working or in school. At the time I was in Palmetto cottage and the wood that this story is about lies between the cottage and the dairy. There was a path which was a shortcut as opposed to the road when we had to go to the dairy. This patch of wood is the setting or stage if you prefer of the story.
We were in the woods swinging the trees over and having a good time as we always did, shouting and yelling “Ride em over boys”. Well as I said before sometimes the sapling would break so all through the wood were these stumps of popular trees protruding into the air, some 8 or 10 feet high and some with sharp spikes on them where they had broken off. If you are getting ahead of the story you probably realize what was about to happen. One of the boys as he was riding to the ground his tree broke and as he was falling he hit one of these spike on one of the previous broke tree and the spike luckily broke off and he fell to the ground. As we rush to him the shiver of tree had entered his back and was close to exiting the front of his body. Not sure if we carried him out of the woods or went to get help. Either way he was taken to the infirmary of course it was not equipped to handle anything like this so he was rushed to the hospital in the near by town. His injury was serious but not life threading . There was no damage to any of his vital organs and as I remember he was back at the school in a few days..
To my knowledge that ended the sport of tree riding. Not sure if it was not allowed after that or whether we just did not see the fun of it any more. All though we never rode the Trees over again I for one thought of that day each time I walked through that patch of woods. More than 60 years have passed and I can’t remember the name of the boy that got injured or for sure the other boys that were with me that day. I do though remember the events of that day crystal clear. I recall them often , On that The Last Day We Rode the Trees Down.

..Gaines