A FEW PHOTOS

Hey there! I had a couple of photos that I wanted to add to my blog. Here Dave and I were at the annual Swindall Family Reunion. Everyone enjoyed the lyric and song of David. In addition to David....we were joined by Jeremy Swindall (who I didn't show a pic of...but wanted to mention him). Also, we had a couple of songs from Molly Knight. It was a wonderful affair.

This past weekend we went to Blue Ridge Georgia to a cabin of a friend of mine. Here in the photo you can see Carolina, Ivan (front) and Andrew (rear).....my two nephews who live in Dalton Georgia. The kids had a wonderful time. The cabin was beautiful and the scenery even more so. We had a blast.

SEVEN IS A GOOD NUMBER

What can I say? I was totally blown away by the Deathly Hallows. It was more than I ever expected. I won't give it away...for anyone who looks to read the book. I will say this.... it's the deepest and most emotionally wrenching of the seven. Everything was settled. No loose ends were left in the end. I expect to go back and re-read the book in the next few weeks.

You should have seen us.......Denise, Carolina and I were on vacation in Blue Ridge Georgia this past weekend. We left out at 11pm last Friday night to go to Wal-mart hoping to get a copy of the book. To me.....Elijay Georgia seems to be pretty secluded and out of the way of 'big cities'.... but there was a line. I was shocked at the number of people who showed up for the book release. Denise and Carolina got in line.....I would like to add that Carolina was such a trooper.....it was late and she was so tired....yet she hung in there. I left them to buy our groceries for the weekend.....as I finished up my list....I saw Denise round the corner and coming down the isle toward me....with a huge smile on her face.....she had gotten us two copies.....there was no sharing with this book. She read her copy in no time at all.....it took me a day longer. It was a nice adventure with a great reward. I recommend the book and the series to anyone.

As for the weekend....we had a wonderful time. My mother, sister and two nephews came to join us at the cabin. I would like to add that the cabin was so beautiful.....with a mountain stream and beautiful scenery. We had a blast. I'll have some pictures in due time.

AREN'T WE RELATED?

Greetings. It's time for my weekly update. We had a wonderful weekend......a very busy weekend.......but good. This last Sunday was the annual Swindall Family Reunion in RBC. In my opinion.....it was a success. This year I had the pleasure of having David Finlayson there. He provided back ground music for the event. I'm still hearing how much people enjoyed the music. I fixed up a DVD-slide show for the reunion of old family photos. People really enjoyed viewing the photos. Other than that......which seemed to take up the whole weekend (preparation and all)......I spend some time this weekend helping Brian Robinson move his church from Anniston to Jacksonville. This is something he's been looking forward to for a long time. Needless to say......there was lots of moving heavy objects involved. As far as a relaxing weekend.......didn't happen......but it was a good one.

H.P.&T.O.O.T.P.

Opening day.....we were excited to finally watch the new Harry Potter movie. Carolina even accompanied us (I think the movie was too much for her.....she was restless and sometimes looked 'left-out' not knowing what was going on). I may not be the best person to give a review of the movie. I say this, because Weds morning I had just finished re-reading the book. The movie seemed to me to be a little fast paced (by this I mean....the plot was rushed).......I imagine so.......there was so much to fit into the movie. Many actions were unexplained and events undefined. Of course....there were some plot changes....but this is expected from Hollywood. Saying this......I still think the movie was good. Denise even commented that this was her favorite of the H.P. movies. I remember the first movie or two... I liked the 'light-ness' of the characters.........not so in this movie. There seems to be an underlying angst throughout this movie. The visual effects were excellent. Overall...I give the movie a 'GOOD' review. Just don't read the book right before you see the movie......messes with your head a bit!

REALLY WILD AT HEART

I've really taken to watching this guy on TV nowadays. To top that....I've got Carolina watching him as well. It's an adventure to see what this guy ends up doing to survive. We especially love it when he eats something 'raw' or 'wiggly'. The down side of this is..... I've been successful at driving my wife and mother-in-law from the room. After this happened....it got me to thinking......'Why do I like this show?' Then it dawned on me.

A book that I really loved was 'Wild At Heart' and 'Journey of Desire'. What Eldredge says about men is that they have a need for adventure.......they have a need to rescue the damsel and basically to overcome 'something'. I know that I'm really condensing his point, but basically that's it. Personally, I love adventure. Years ago in college, I spent a lot of time camping. I would enjoy camping now....but I don't do it.

Back to the show. The host of the show/survivor is Bear Grylls. He has his own blog if you're interested: http://www.beargrylls.blogspot.com/ I just happened to come across it while looking for a photo of him. I don't know when I'll ever be lost in the Amazon or parachuting out of a plane into the Rocky Mtns, but what I love about the show is what I learn about people. Today, in this age and time, nobody has to eat grubs.......snakes.....or go long periods without food and water. At least not in this country. It's amazing what the human body can do and what it can take(physically). What he does is show people that we can get out of our comfort zone.........we can survive in any situation. In one episode....he shows the viewer how to escape quicksand. To me that's amazing. We're capable of a lot more than we give ourselves credit for......all we need is a little knowledge and common sense. I think that applies to any area of our life! -JGR

A SIMPLE ENTRY

This week has been a good week. There's been a lot going on. We're all doing ok....just a bit tired and wore out. Denise has been gaining ground in the house......I've been working on a few houses and a 1962 Nova. The Nova has been fun to work on. It's a simple car. I like that. Nowadays....cars have computers and sensors...all of which can disable the vehicle in a heartbeat. The Nova is a breath of fresh air. When I get a chance I'll post a few pics of the engine and you'll see what I mean. The car is 45 years old and still runs.......I'm not saying it's perfect....but it runs.



Today is July 4th. I am very thankful that I live in this country with my family and we enjoy freedom. Freedom is not a noun.....it's a verb. It cost many lives over the past 200+ years. Even though I don't fully comprehend the magnitude of the cost of freedom.....I appreciate it and am very thankful for it. There are those who are fighting now to preserve freedom.......a big THANK YOU to all of you. -JGR