I'm Always Mentally on Vacation

Cool Beans

This was ordered Monday.

STX is the airport code for St. Croix. I am a scuba diver.

It will look good on the Jeep. Cool beans I say.

Cool beans.

© 2011 wReggie’s I’m Always Mentally on Vacation. These Terms and Conditions of Use apply to you when you view, access or otherwise use the blog located at www.wreggie.com (the “blog”). Terms and Conditions can be found at http://reghunnicutt.com/terms.html.

A Review

I love a good open air eatery. The problem here in Charlotte, NC is it is too hot, or too cold, and the best view is a parking lot or busy railroad track (I do like trains).

Once in a while an open air eatery opens at the lake but usually it is a place for drunks to hang out on Sunday afternoon and the food is terrible.

There is one such place in Southport, NC called the Provision Company. Casual, open air, only open seasonal and it has a great view of the water way and marsh. The food is good too but the service is hurried. They want to turn over the tables because there is a bunch of folks like me in line.

To me the quintessential place to eat good food, with a great view and an unhurried meal is Eat@Cane Bay. Oh…and they have a dive shop connected to the property.

I guess I’m getting a little home sick. A made to order gourmet burger with a cold beer, a view, and conversation about the morning dive is a hard combination to beat.

Return to The Saddle

I am back from California and I must say it was a good time. I really enjoy being a human being sometimes.

The meetings went well, the Ritz Carlton was fabulous and the food good as always.

If you ever get to stay at any Ritz do not pass up the chance. It is elegant and friendly and service is like you dream about.

I pulled up in a cab at the Ritz and the doorman rushed to open my door, and then proceeded to the truck to remove my luggage where he saw my luggage tag and exclaimed “Welcome Mr. Hunnicutt!” He then radioed ahead to the lobby where all employees are wired, and I was greeted by three employees like I was a celebrity.

The room was upscale and well outfitted with every need plus a well stocked bar and fancy coffee machine.

Friday I got a rental car and proceeded inland from San Francisco to the land of Phfrankie.

Phfrankie and his lovely partner reside at The Shack which is a small but efficient home plopped on 2 acres of God’s country. Black soil, fruit trees and a frigging river at the mail box surround the compound.

Phfrankie had a fire roaring in the pit when I got there. We drank some wine and put the chicken on the rotisserie. This is spinning a chicken according to Phfrankie.

I’ll let the video tell the storey but let me say the food was even better than it looked. The friendship of both sincere and I slept like a baby in front of their wood stove.

Life is good. Thank you guys.

wReggie wRoad Trip

I’m headed to San Francisco in the morning. It is maybe my 10th trip there. San Francisco is a great city, like New York and Chicago.

If San Francisco is matter, then Los Angeles is antimatter. I just hate going to Los Angeles. The rest of California is great.

It will a quick trip. I will bring back some sourdough bread even if it is stale. It makes damn good toast.

And I will meet a fellow blogger and his trusty dog. We will break bread together. And laugh.

I Gotta Get Outta This Place....

I’m in town today and hit the west coast tomorrow. It is a lot of flying and moving in a short time but I’ll learn some new stuff, eat some good food, drink some good wine, meet some friends and get some serious air miles.

Somehow I find it therapeutic and relaxing.

Livestock Complex Renovations

Repaired and improved water spigot. I didn't have to dig it up after all!

New exterior plumbing and window trim.

Another new shed onto the barn structure. One can never have enough dry spots.

Convergence of roof lines. More changes coming.

New Stickers

Two new stickers for the Jeep's 2011 season.

State Dinner

On Friday of this week I shall attend a State Dinner at the residence of Phfranklin Albert Bondo.

I have a meeting in San Francisco Thursday and thought it a shame not to meet a fellow blogger just up the road.

So I extended the return a day and will rent a car for the short drive up to his estate known as The Shack.

I should be there mid afternoon Friday.

The accepted traditional custom for a State Visit is some kind of meaningful gift. What should I bring?

What the Heck?

This disturbing looking thing is a chicken egg that was taken yesterday. It has been called a testicle, and comments from Facebook suggest I find some resemblance to Jesus and sell it on eBay.

I think it looks like it should be in the asteroid belt.

I called a trusted chicken expert last night and he said that it is normal and a chicken farmer like me will see an egg like this from time to time. The egg inside is fine but the shell shows she is going through some hormone imbalances.

That figures. Females.

wReggie Inflation Index

Diesel $3.99 a gallon X 10 = $39.90

Groceries $46.08

Total $85.98

We actually got a break on some groceries this week with in store sales but Oscar Mayer jacked us on the Variety Lunch Meats by offering 8 ounces instead of 16. The price per ounce went up.

Coffee also had a climb as well as diesel fuel.

In the end our weekly costs went up 1 penny.

Blog by Hand

What Every Man Wants and Needs

This is the last of my Christmas bacon from Burgers Smokehouse via the kind and thoughtful gift of my sister in law.

She gave me what every man wants…an assortment of fine bacon.

Every pound of bacon had a unique flavor. All of the bacon was well seasoned and dried so that the bacon separated easily. It cooked evenly and it was fantastic.

Match this up with some fresh from the yard eggs, an over ripe and sweet naval orange, some sourdough toast with real butter and you have a feast to start the day.

Mighty fine!

Family Stories

Nu ba nab ba nu.

New Bern Avenue.

Nu ba nab ba nu.

New Bern Avenue.

“Where do you live little boy?”

What my father said to a stranger that asked him in 1926.

Galaxy

What a great little girl is my Galaxy. She has fit right in and won our hearts. She is the smallest of our dogs and has the least herd instinct so far.

Galaxy has a great sense of humor and is always clowning around.

We are lucky to have her. Thank you East Tennessee Border Collie Rescue.

Yesterday

Micky-T said, "You should really take more walks in the woods without any device at all".

And so I did. A nice round of golf.

A Special Offer

3 North Carolina Style hot dogs (mustard, chili, onions, slaw) to the first person who can correctly guess what this purple object in the foreground is.

The winner will actually be treated to the hot dogs at Greens Lunch of Charlotte, NC at the date of their choosing as long as I am still alive.

I Want You to Meet....

Lawrence Welk

wReggie Inflation Index

The past couple of years the feds in my opinion have been fudging numbers when it comes to inflation. Just look at Social Security cost of living benefits and you’ll see denial on the part of the feds.

Prices are going up but the government and the press seem to ignore this.

So I have invented for my own satisfaction my own inflation index to track the cost of goods.

The list of items is simple…basic stuff any guy would buy once a week to sustain himself.

Diesel $3.88 a gallon X 10 = $38.80

Groceries $47.17

Total $85.97

I will update this list from time to time just to see how prices are rising or going down.

I tried to keep it simple but it omits a lot of common items like fresh meat, paper goods, frozen goods, snacks, soft drinks, etc. The fuel includes all state and federal tax and the groceries do not include the local sales tax of 8%.

FOR IMEADIATE RELEASE

MIDLAND , NC - I was without internet connectivity today for like an hour and 6 minutes. It was a living hell.

I called the provider and a guy in India literally found me a cable guy in my neighborhood. He brought me a new modem and set up it.

Joy is restored to my life.

The Broad Side of a Barn

This old 3 stall barn I built 21 years ago with southern pine actually cut and milled on my property has taken on a whole new life.

Gradually it has resembled the International Space Station with the additions of the past few years and the nearby coop.

Here I make repairs to the water lines and get ready for summer. Winter here has all but given up and I don’t expect any more hard freezes but it is possible to the 15th of April on average.

In the back you can see the fuel depot (gas cans) that is set for a modernization to adhere to west coast standards.

At nearly $4 a gallon I am giving serious consideration to putting in a tank for Biodiesel. I can buy Biodiesel for $1 off the market price of regular diesel.

www.skyauction.com

Remember the fabulous vacation I booked last year at The Buccaneer in St Croix? The Buccaneer is a fabulous old school resort reminiscent of Lucy and Desi heydays.

The Buccaneers cheapest room now is a parking lot view at $380 plus 18% room and electricity tax.

Last year they put Gigi and I in the honeymoon suite which goes for over $1,000 a night.

The cost of the vacation to me was $700 for everything for 7 nights. We flew down on air miles free so I got a luxury vacation on the cheap.

This year I saw the offer again and I won again for a grand total of $752. I paid when I won and decided to book yesterday. This is the email I got back:

Dear wReggie,

Re: Fulfillment #bla bla bla, Item #1 bla bla bla

I'm sorry, we only have 3 nights left on our contract with this hotel. Are you interested in booking 3 nights?

Please send any necessary replies online at:

http://www.skyauction.com/members/action/CommentReply?FR_ID=115

We thank you for using SkyAuction.com and look forward to hearing from you soon. bla bla bla

If you are unable to use the link above, you may contact us via email at reservations@skyauction.com or via phone at (212) 355-3660. Agents are available from Monday through Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Sincerely,

bla bla bla

Are you shitting me? Do I want to be homeless for 4 days? No.

I won 7 days at The Buccaneer and paid for 7 days. You took my money (I get real shitty when people steal from me) and yet you don’t deliver.

I wrote back and called. I had to leave a voice mail and haven’t heard back from the email. I told them no I want 7 days or a full refund.

Come Monday I expect a satisfactory answer or I’ll reverse the charge from the credit card company.

Stay tuned.

Check Out This Bad Boy

Check out this bad boy. It is a JBL Mini Carbine spear gun. 28 inches long and will fit in my dive bag for shipping. Lion fish are not safe now.

As Seen on Google Earth

The Peaches Hunnicutt Memorial Livestock Complex continues to grow with the addition of a soon to be named tack room.

A phuel depot will be rising up this summer based on the design from Phrankie Bondo.

One of My Regular Hangouts

Look at this sorry excuse for tomatoes. Yes that mound of pink cubes to the right is actually an example of a winter tomato at its worse.

No flavor, bad texture and an ugly presentation. A substitution is clearly in order.

This was lunch yesterday at The Moosehead Café in Charlotte. The food here is actually good, the atmosphere is as casual as any beach bar in the Caribbean and there are dozens of brands of beer on tap. Lunch is $8 with a drink. 50 cents more if you use a credit card.

This place is in my regular rotation of lunch stops.

Hot News From The Internets

We said goodbye to a hen last week. In my absence one of the hens started doing back flips. She was separated from the others and put in intensive care by Gigi. Alas her condition worsened and she was euthanized.

So I’m down to 10 hens.

But wait! It is spring you know and that means... spring chickens. We will acquire 6 chicks any day now to replenish the flock.

Yesterday in Charlotte, NC I took some clients out to lunch and a rather nice Italian restaurant and I paid for it with my credit card. Hours later in Locust, NC I was declined at Wal-Mart using the same card.

I called the company and they were suspicious having used the card at an upscale eatery and then using the card at lowly Wal-Mart so they froze the account temporarily.

But the same card company didn’t think it was strange that I was using the card all last week in St Croix.

Good Times Revisited

I know you get tired of me grinning like a mule eating briers but this picture was shot while down on St Croix with my favorite dive boat with my favorite dive crew.

Good Morning

Today’s’ post will be deferred and I will refer you to another blog for a very important message that should concern us all.

Normal blogging will resume on Tuesday.

I Need One More Thing

Make no bones about it; I am a gadget and bling freak. Look at my Jeep or Diving Vest and you’ll see stuff that is absolutely not necessary but it expresses who I am.

So last week while on the island I noticed all the dive masters carrying and using spear guns. The purpose is to kill as many Lion fish as possible in hopes of controlling their numbers. Lion fish are very unwelcome invaders from the Pacific Ocean. They have spread throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic waters and wreak havoc on small fish that live about around reefs. Most folks believe they came into our waters from the bilge in large cargo ships.

These spear guns were rather elaborate contraptions consisting of springs and rubber bands that basically hurl a 3 prong projectile through the flesh of a Lion fish. The guns are expensive too.

What I noticed while diving is the Lion fish stands out like a sore thumb. It is territorial and holds its position.

To kill a Lion fish one must see it and move in almost at point blank and shoot it. This is not that difficult as long as you have a projectile with enough velocity to penetrate the body.

Then you cut the fish in two, scrape it off and look for another victim.

Care must be taken because these fish are very venomous and can cause painful and sometime fatal stings if one is allergic to the venom.

Now I have a mission for my next ocean dive whether the Carolinas, Georgia or the Caribbean….help eradicate the Lion fish.

I’ll be looking at buying a simple pole spear, one that is collapsible and portable.

Party

I like to have a good time and I like to be around happy people. This photo was last night when we had some friends over and they started clowning around in our guest bathroom with Galaxy.

This other picture is last week at a beach concert. My friend just had to get a picture of this adorable Teddy Bear.

Groceries

Weird word is groceries. They reside in a grocery store. You choose the groceries you want and put the in a buggy (shopping cart for those that need a Southern translation).

Groceries sound a bit gross to me. Not something I would want to collect and bring into my house. Yet I do it.

Groceries remain groceries when taken out of the store in grocery bags. Once you bring in all the groceries and remove them from the bag they transform into food items and paper goods and cleaning items. They are no longer groceries.

Flaws

God knows I have plenty of flaws….moral, spiritual, physical, work ethics you name it I’m far from perfect.

Maybe that is why Christianity suits me so….redemption in spite of my flaws.

Sometimes I pay someone to look for my flaws like when I go for my annual physical. Gone are the days that I get a slap on the back and a comment like, “Why son, you’re as healthy as a horse!”

It is more likely that the doctor asks me if my mother and sisters are still alive and then he’ll tweak my meds. He no longer asks if I have sex and it been decades since he asked if I had extramarital affairs. Then he’ll tell me to loose some weight, exercise and lead as boring life as possible so that I can extend my life as long as possible.

And so it came to pass yesterday that I had my annual office audit. I hate these audits. I get nervous because I know everything isn’t perfect even if my intensions are good.

This year we had a new guy and he seemed extra sharp. We gave him everything he asked for, we had lunch, and then he concluded the audit.

Never has an audit been so brief. I was sure this was bad but it wasn’t. He found one little paper that wasn’t filed and that was it. In fact he said we run a tight ship and everything looked in order.

I couldn’t believe it. Damn near perfect this time.

So True

You Can Be My Buddy But I'm Watching My Own Back

Yesterday I order a custom redundant air delivery system for scuba. At the heart of scuba diving is the buddy system where one closely watches for the welfare of another person while diving and makes himself available to assist with breathing if your buddy runs out of air or has equipment trouble. All standard scuba regulators come with a primary and secondary breather just for this.

I on the other hand I adhere to the fundamentals of the buddy system, but prefer having a complete backup system of my own. So I have carried around a small backup breathing device since diving and it has been the bain of my existence. I have endured ridicule by more experienced divers whenever they see it.

I left the back up system down on the island and yesterday purchased a more effective and higher capacity system of backup that in the case of an emergency should give me ample time to surface even if I am at the maximum depth of 130 feet.

So now instead of having an 80 CF primary tank and a 3 CF backup, I now have a complete backup with a 30 CF capacity. It has a real regulator and pressure gauge. It straps to my primary tank.

I know now the ridicule will continue and I will be accused of being a tech diver wannabe. But you know, I feel safer and have an option that most divers ignore.

My Poor Left Ear

I have my first case of swimmer’s ear and it is quite uncomfortable.

I went to the doctor this morning and walked into a room of sick people only to be asked to put my hand on a palm reader that all the sick people just used. That makes no sense.

I did the palm reader but in my usual dramatic fashion I protested the stupidity of the germ spreading they have created in the guises of privacy.

Sure enough my ear canal and drum are very irritated and I got a big old shot in the butt to start off the treatment. A few drops in the ears and $100 lighter in the pocket and I am feeling much better.

This last video was my last dive on the island. It came out well especially the colors.

A Week of Diving

I just finished a week of diving in St Croix, VI. The water was warm at 79.5. I didn’t wear a wet suit at any time. The skies were sunny the entire week and air temperatures during the day hovered around 84. Visibility was good on all dive sites.

In total I had 12 dives, which consisted of two pier dives, four boat dives, and six shore dives. I dived the F’sted Pier, Butler Bay, Sugar Beach, Salt River, Scotch Bank, Eagle Ray, Cane Bay and Carambola. I had one night dive under a full moon.

IT was a great combination of deep wall dives, shallow pier dives, and long reef dives.

We speared 4 lion fish and marked two others. At Sugar Beach I swam up on a 10 foot Nurse Shark resting on the bottom.

I made my first attempts at underwater video. My setup is a Flip HD recorder with a two hour recording limit. The camera is housed in an Ikelite case made especially for this camera.

I had difficulty operating the camera at depth. It wouldn’t respond well except for on/off at 60 plus feet so I began just turning the camera on and leaving it on. Once I heard the case pop at 80 feet. It never leaked.

The camera responds okay on shore and at shallow depths so I am wondering if this could be an Ikelite engineering problem.

Schedule

Mental Vacation will resume its normal schedule soon.

I have lots of underwater video to process.

The Week is Moving Along

Dive 40 last night and you guessed it, a nearly full moon, bright stars and calm seas. I am blessed. What fun to pop up a few hundred yards off shore in warm waters, darkness with all the natural light above and talk with other divers as we slowly swim back to shore.

So far I have done 8 dives on this trip, got a buddy certified, ate fantastic food, not overdone any adult beverages, seen several great bands, many old friends and my body is achy and sore in a good way.

Sunset at St Ctoix

Two dives in the day and a Sunday afternoon concert at sunset. Nice. Can't believe I was there to see this.

Alive and Well

Can't post from underwater.

Stay Tuned

Landed in St Croix. The motorcade begins soon. The vacation is now.

Scuba tomorrow!

Stupid

I resolve that today, I will not get so upset over other peoples stupidity and incompetence.

Like last week with Direct TV screwing up my order and triple charging me, or yesterday when the airline managed to botch a 3 month reservation of mine and then acted like they were doing me a favor to rebook for free in the middle seat in the back of the plane. I’m glad I tried to check in early. I would have been very disappointed today.

No, I can’t help stupidity and incompetence. No need to get all worked up because I can’t control stupidity with reason.

I guess at the root of it all is money. People, companies and government will gladly fleece you now and work out the details later. Usually is is to my disadvantage. I get frustrated trying to get my money twice. Once when I earned it and again when I try and get it back for services not rendered.

Eventually I will inevitably find the one person up the food chain with basic common sense that will straighten it all out. It takes so much effort to fix stupid.

This morning I will go to the airport armed with a paper trail proving they are stupid just to recover a $25 baggage fee. The $25 does not belong to them but I will not get upset if they can’t comprehend this fact. Rather I will stand in amazement at their stupidity after I explain my position logically with supporting documents.

That $25 will be spent on wings and beer at Fort Christian Brew pub. I will get my $25 back, maybe not today.

I need a vacation.

Rednecks Invade St Croix!

NORTH CAROLINA - Literally a plane load of Red Necks are set to fly non-stop from Charlotte, NC to St. Croix to share cultural diversity with the local inhabitants.

The packing, day dreaming and planning is done.

Weather next week looks awesome. Saturday through Thuesday looks hot with highs around 86. High winds will keep me diving in the west end of the island until Wednesday when the winds are set to die down and so will temperatures with highs around 82.

“I’m writhing like a worm in hot ashes”, exclaimed local Red Neck and guide wReggie.

A Milestone

Big Red is a Sr Citizen now.

2011 wReggie’s I’m Always Mentally on Vacation. These Terms and Conditions of Use apply to you when you view, access or otherwise use the blog located at www.wreggie.com (the “blog”). Terms and Conditions can be found at http://reghunnicutt.com/terms.html.

Dive Planning

The eastern point of the island of St Croix and the United States know as Point Udall.

I have 32 dives in my dive log and they have been accumulated since I got certified back in May. It is a combination of warm water, cold water, high visibility, almost no visibility, wreck drives, night dives, fresh water, salt water, wet suit, no suit, dry suit, deep dives and shallow dives.

Still this is so new to me that the thrill of diving almost anywhere is a rush alone. Being weightless and breathing underwater and seeing things that no one else is seeing drives me.

Plus I have to admit there is a danger thrill drives me and I obsess about contingencies.

I am configuring a complete redundant backup system that will use a 30 CF cylinder, strapped to my 80 CF cylinder, and it will have it own regulator and pressure gauge in case of the main system failure.

I am going to make it from a spare set of regulators I have down on the island, a new cylinder and a connecting strap.

This will give me and anyone near me another safety bailout option. Regulators can and do fail. A failure at 130 feet is much more critical that a failure at 45 feet. I have a 3 CF Spare Air cylinder that would work okay for shallow dives but not beyond that. At great depths I would suck that small cylinder dry in about 2 minutes.

There lies the motivation for a lager bailout system.

I still want to dive the graveyard and it is 130 feet. So I think on this upcoming trip I want to push the depth a bit to see how I do at 130. It may not be for me mentally or physically.

Going Home

This rock on my desk ...

came from this place ….. and it is going home where it belongs.

Diver Humor

Decompression stop.

Keeping You in the Loop

To Direct TV

I got a call this morning from Direct TV to follow up on a service call. As usual a major screw up. The installer was great but he had the wrong instructions. You don't listen to your customers. Now I have been double billed and have an extra receiver that I didn't authorize and $200 lighter in the pocket with nothing to show for it but anger. It takes so much of my day and energy to call back and talk to someone that I have decided to stew a few days. Here is what I ordered...one DVR for the whole house. What I got was two DVRs and one installed and you didn't send the equipment for a whole house install. Plus you charged me for two DVRs. Unfortunately this is very typical of what I get from you. I am a long time customer and am used to being treated second class but it gets very old and I grow weary. Call me if you want but have a plan to fix this. Don't say you are sorry any more, it gets old and you don't mean it. And cut out the corny "Have I answered all you questions today?"

From Direct TV

Response (Aubrey S. - 100126090) - 02/06/2011 08:11 PM

Dear Mr. wReggie,

Thanks for taking the time to write us.

I see you've been with us for many years and I would like to let you know that we appreciate your business.

I completely understand your concern for getting a correct equipment order. We strive to provide the best customer service possible and I understand what a disappointment this difficult experience must have been. Please accept my apology on behalf of DIRECTV.

I personally want to help you in getting this matter resolved and I have forwarded your information for special handling. Rest assured our team is reviewing your email to ensure that all steps were taken to guarantee a timely resolution. A specialist will respond as soon as an agent is available (likely within 24 hours).

Thanks again for writing and we appreciate your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Aubrey S.

Employee ID 100126090

DIRECTV Customer Service

Adventures of wReggie and His Chickens

Happy Birthday Mr. President

I am glad I voted for him, twice. What a wonderful man he was. Ronald Reagan was born 100 years ago today.

Ronaldus Maximus as we conservatives call him. A statesman in his own time.

He would pick up the phone and negotiate policy with majority leader Tip O'Neil. He knew when to negotiate and knew when to stand his ground.

In Case You Were Worried....

Yellow boys will go.

What I Learned this Week

The Democratic National Convention is coming to my town in 2012.

Egypt falls after two weeks of bitching in the streets.

If we can get the DNC convention and weather is not an issue IE Jet and Giants hosting an upcoming Super Bowl, then Charlotte should go after hosting a Super Bowl.

I kind of like the idea of riding a camel through town with a big whip striking out at those you oppose.

I would really hate to die by a Chimpanzee eating my face off while alive.

About Me

Archive

The man...wReggie