The Circle of Life

I'm sure if I tried hard enough, I could find songs/lyrics from Johnny Cash or June Carter about the "circle of life."  Those events that seem to be so far removed, but really just brings you back to the beginning of your history.

I guess, to some degree, although, I'm not becoming a country music person, that's how I felt this past weekend with the birth of our sixth grandchild, Anthony James Swegle, born Sunday, October 5 at 6:49 a.m., weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and measuring  21.5 inches long.   He is the newest, Anthony Swegle.

I find it odd, that Tony and Marie can't decide on what to call him.  Marie says that to her, the name, "Tony," is her husband.  To Tony, it's himself and "Pops."  I just laugh and say to myself, if you can't decide on that to call him, why did you name him, Anthony?  But, I know what they mean--it is a name with history and honor.  It is a Swegle name and tradition--Anthony Francis had Dennis and Anthony John, Anthony John had David and Anthony Michael and now, Anthony Michael has Coleton and Anthony James.  Second sons of second sons. 

 

I'm guessing that Deuce (Tony Jr's football number and of course, number 2 son!!) as I call him will fare very well no matter what they call him.  He is a sweetheart. 

 

Big brother, Coleton, was fun too.  It was our job to get him up and off to school in the mornings and pick him up later in the afternoon.  That way, Marie could rest better and we got more face time with Deuce. 

 

Just like Ben and Sam were at this age, Coleton is a "Papa" fan.  They played together, rolled around on the floor, stacked building blocks and made car engine noises together as they "drove" the toy cars over furniture, the dogs and me.  We took Coleton to his soccer game on Saturday and he and Papa kicked the ball around before the game.   Coleton has really good eye/hand/foot coordination and can maneuver the ball around the field quite well.  Last Saturday, he learned the "kickback" move--where you put your foot on the ball and roll it behind you so your teammates can get it if they have a better chance at making a goal than you do.  I was very impressed with the Coach.  His team may have been a bunch of two year olds, but he taught them like they were seasoned soccer veterans.   He used correct terminology, he demonstrated teamwork and by using "lets-be-your-favorite-animal," taught them how to take direction and follow him around the field.   We had a blast.  It brought back memories of taking David and Tony to soccer early on Saturday mornings many years ago. 

 

We had a great time during our visit--I lost 3 pounds and Tony lost 4.  Chasing after Coleton is good exercise!

 

Take a look at "our" new baby...and our old one too!

 

Anthony James.....Is that a cute face or what?

 

Papa, Deuce and Mo-Mo

Three Generations of Anthony Swegle's

 

Pretty Mama, Pops, Deuce and Daddy

Alright, she just gave birth ten hours ago and she looks this good?  Not fair!

Papa looks at the future

 

Coleton sits on Papa....that's fun!

Dixie was feeling left out, so Papa gave her a ride on Coleton's balance bike!

Everyone wants to be around Papa!

 

"Soccer shot," he yells!

Following Coach's direction, he keeps his eye on the ball

OK, I admit to being a doting grandma, but check this out...he is the only one on the field doing the "kickback" move, just like Coach.

 

"Score for Mommy," he says!

Driving around in his car...

Dixie love!

 

The "big brother" and the "other big  brother!!"

Coleton is being exposed to his faith very early....here he is doing, "In the name of the father, son...."  I love when he puts his hands on his shoulders for "Holy Ghost!"

And, now, the prayer!

 

 

School Days!

Going to school and dressed just like Papa!

There he goes, ready to learn new things!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Our Way.....

...to Charlotte!!!   We'll have a new grandbaby soon.....more to come!

A Fun Date

I've written before about Gallery Walk--where art galleries in downtown Wilmington stay open late and offer light appetizers and wine while you check out their latest exhibits.  It's always fun to see what's new.  Our friend, Bruce Bowman, often shows at one of the galleries.  He is an architect, so his work has a linear, almost blueprint type feel to it.  His work is modern, but not like Picasso or Kooning. 

I used to criticize modern works that I saw.  To me, they were a blur of color, broken black lines and chunks of paint dribbled down the canvas. I would tell Tony that Ben, our  grandson, could create better artwork than what we were seeing.  But, the artist in Tony defended the pieces.  He wasn't crazy about the work either, but he told me that art, in its true form, makes people talk.  It evokes an emotion in people.  It makes you look at it.  And I found that he was right.  We were talking about what I saw and it did evoke an emotion in me; probably not the one that the artist was targeting, but the pieces did hit a nerve. 

I look at modern pieces differently now.  I tend to look at them in smaller "frames" rather than the full piece.   I follow the lines.  I examine what colors are mixed together.    I don't think I like them any more than I originally did, but now I recognize them as art. 

After going to several galleries, we went to a place called Level 5.  The story goes that Dennis Hopper was filming a movie in Wilmington and fell in love with the city.  He bought a building in the downtown area and restored it.  The top floor, the 5th, is now a small theatre and bar.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  Wilmington has a lot of empty buildings that are in disrepair.  Even those who are occupied are not in good condition.  They are old, small and have creaky steps. 

When we got to the Hopper Building to go to Level 5 we rang for the elevator.  The elevator was narrow.  The sign inside said no more than 5 people could be on it at one time or there would be serious delays due to too much weight!!

 

You could only tell that it was a theatre by the billboards and costumes displayed as the elevator door opened on 5--that and a few red doors with section numbers printed on them.  The bar was on the roof...there were metal tables and chairs around the edge overlooking the river and bridges.  It was getting dark so the city lights twinkled against the water.  It was cool and breezy.  We paid $1.00 and we are official members of Level 5.  Wow...what a hoot!

 

After that, we headed to the City Club to see our friend Greg, the manager,  and for one more glass of wine and then home.  I was teasing Tony about singing to me on the way home.  Getting Tony to sing is much like trying to push a huge boulder uphill--it just doesn't  happen very often.  But, I was lucky, he did indeed sing to me all the way home--99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.  It was a long, long ride, but a really fun date.

 

I worked on Saturday and today it was football, chicken wings and corn hole.  A perfect day.   I work tomorrow and hope that Marie can hold off on having the baby until Tuesday. 

 

This evening we will be sitting out on the lanai, listening to music and maybe light a fire in the chiminea.  Yes, I work tomorrow, but my weekend was lovely.  

 

 

 

Rain, Fire and A Really Cool Pink Hat

We are slowly creeping into fall.  We've had more rain, the early morning temperatures are cooler and we need a jacket when we sit on the lanai in the evening. 

 

Tuesday, the rain was steady so we went to the Cape Fear Museum downtown.  It's a really neat place.  It's mostly about the history of the area but also about how simple things have changed over time.  It was really funny to see a transistor radio that said, "circa 1969."  It made us feel really old. 

 

We came home and had shrimp cocktail and cheese and crackers for dinner in front of the TV while watching a favorite movie.  We also had our first fire of the season.  I used to tease David when he came to see us and complained about being cold when the temperature was in the mid 60's.  He would sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy the heat.   I think my blood must be thinning to Southern standards, as I, too, am getting cold when temperatures are still warm if you are in Cleveland. 

 

Today we went Christmas shopping.  Yep, Christmas shopping.  We are going to see the kids in early December, so we got a shopping list from Jenna and ventured out.  It was fun, but surreal to be Christmas shopping in September. 

 

One of the highlights of today was finding a real cool pink hat for Dixie.  It's a Halloween hat for dogs.  She tolerated it for a bit and then started to bite it.  That's OK, I got pictures of her in it and that's all I wanted.  

 

All in all, it was a fun day...a quick sandwich at McDonalds, people watching at WalMarts, teasing each other and shopping for our babies. 

 

Time marches on, damn it!!

 

 Our first fire...warm and inviting!

I love the pink hat....Dixie...not so sure!

She wears it more square on her head with Tony--either way, she's pretty!

Can you see the expression on her face...."Oh yeah, I love the hat." 

With me, she wears it more like Greta Garbo--hiding from the fans!

On her own, she wears it to the side--how did that song go?  "I'm too sexy for my hat???"

 

It Makes Me Smile

Tony has told me that I really smile when I am at the beach--not my typical, stiff, OH GOD I HATE HAVING MY PICTURE TAKEN SMILE, but a real smile.   He's right.  I love the beach.  I love watching the waves, the birds and people who shouldn't be in beachwear!  I love the sounds, the smells and the feel of sun on my face.   Now that I have my camera, I love going to the beach even more.  I see something that looks like it would be a good picture, I aim and shoot.  The fun is going home and downloading what I captured to see how close I came to the vision I saw.

 

We went back to the beach yesterday and it was great.  Mid September is the best time to be in North Carolina--it's cooler and easy to be outside.  The beach isn't  crowded and the car isn't the temperature of hell inside once you decide to go back home.   I relax when I am there and feel rested and recharged.

 

Here are some of the images I captured yesterday.  I took over 1100 pictures in 2 hours.  I deleted over 800 of them and really only have only about 20 good ones, but I had a blast just taking pictures and being by the ocean.

 

Clouds over the ocean

A bird running from the waves

Standing at attention

The sun peaks through the clouds

A pelican scopes out lunch

Great legs!!

Follow the leader!

 

By The Numbers

Don't you hate it when chunks of time fly by and you don't even notice?  It's September already.  I feel like we've been living by the numbers!   As always, we have been super busy.  Fritz and Steve left August 15 and Sarah and Steven on the 16th.  I worked the next four days and then left for Blowing Rock on the 21st.  We had a few days of down time after we got back and then 4 days straight of work again. 

 

Rose and Joe came in on September 3 and left on the 7th.  I didn't get to see them a whole lot since I worked the 6th, 7th and 8th.  We left for Hilton Head, South Carolina  to see Donna, Bob, Chris, Shannon and Emma on the 9th and left on the 11th so I could be at work at 7:30 a.m. on the 12th.  We are having company on the 14th from Ohio and then it's back to work.  And of course, during all of this activity, we have been on baby watch as Marie is due September 21st.

 

We had a great time in Hilton Head.  Emma and Dixie were cute playmates.   Dixie learned real quick that sitting by Emma's chair at the dining room table was a great place to be during meals! 

 

We went out for Chris' birthday to a restaurant called Crane's.  Watching Emma eat spaghetti was a blast. 

 

After that, we went down by the water and had a glass of wine.  The yachts that were docked there had to be worth millions.  It was a beautiful night, breezy and cool. 

 

Donna and Bob rented a beautiful home.  Each bedroom had its own bathroom and it had a great pool and hot tub.  Donna and I had a great shopping trip.  We saw designer sleepwear for over $300.00--it's still on the hangar there but it was fun to look!!   We did get some good cute tee shirts and I got a trendy beach bag and some girly stuff for Emma.  It was great to relax and I wish we could have stayed longer.

 

October is just around the corner and we are off again to the Winds Resort plus work, work, work.  I know I'm going to blink and it will be Christmas.

 

Check out the highlights of the last few weeks.

 

 

A good dinner at Havana's with Rose and Joe

Rose and Joe at the beach

Checking out the waves

At the maritime museum at Southport

Tony checks out chicks at Southport with the maritime periscope

Joe checks them out too!

 

 

Emma in the hot tub with Mommy and Daddy at Hilton Head

Uncle Tony messes with Emma's hair

Emma and the hello, kitty beach wrap

Emma and Daddy on his birthday

 

Miss Pasta Face...or do you see Katie Holmes?

Emma, star of stage, screen and hot tub!

Walking in Uncle Tony's shoes

Swimming with Godfather, Tony

Enjoying the day with Uncle Tony, Daddy, Papa and Nana

 

Walking Dixie...all over the house...over and over again....

Dixie hiding under a bed saying, "no more walking, please, I'm pooped....

Emma reads while Dixie keeps her safe!!

Time to say "the end" to a great visit....

 

 

Red Shirt

Star Trek fans will know that wearing "the" red shirt isn't a good thing.  Typically, a Star Trek episode would start with Captain Kirk beaming down to a planet in distress with a small landing party. Spock is with him, and sometimes, Scotty and there is always an un-named crewman for extra support. 

 

The Captain has his fazer (or is  it phaser!!) ready just in case a hostile being challenges him.    He is cautious.  He glances around just in time to see the crewman in the red shirt wandering away from the landing party because of a noise behind the rocks.   "Crewman," the Captain barks....."Get back here."    But alas, a flash of light and a scream later and the crewman is reduced to a pile of red fabric.  Tragic....if only he had worn the blue shirt.

 

Tony found a Star Trek red shirt and decided to do some acting in the backyard.  I think he missed his calling.  He would have made a great red shirt crewman!!

 

 

He sees the beast......

 

He offers a friendly wave.....

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

He realizes that the beast isn't looking for friends.....

The beast shoots killing beams from his eyelids......

 

 

He can't breathe!!!
 

Here comes the beast....

 

 

And it comes into for the kill.......red shirt is done!