I'm Always Mentally on Vacation

Da Weekend

The weekend was filled with chores and watching the Masters.

The usual yard work and animal care also included the yearly Jeep detailing and a lot of cooking. Friday I grilled salmon and tuna, Saturday and spun a chicken on the grill, and Sunday I gave a shot at homemade pizza. It was all good.

This year I have painted the overhead basket on the Jeep battleship gray. I’ll post a picture when it is remounted.

© 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.

Sunday as It Should Be

I have negotiated an egg for fresh home grown vegetables swap this summer that should keep me in ripe red juicy summer tomatoes, green peppers, squash most of the growing season.

I was in the mood for breakfast spuds this morning so I boiled up some redskins, sautéed some onions and green peppers and then added the cooked cubed potatoes and they turned out mighty fine.

Then I added some fresh eggs, buttered sourdough toast, fresh coffee and orange juice (extra pulp) and poof! Nirvana.

Tanner Enforcement

Tanner doesn't much like the leaf blower.

The Ride to Work

More fun than riding in the bed of an open pickup truck… too little power to go fast…..peel away the parts at needed….I love my Jeep.

Am I too old for this nonsense? Hell no. Fun is fun no matter what the age.

Shut Her Down

Saturday I had planned to visit Yellowstone and then take a windmill powered bullet train to the Smithsonian. But it looks like the government could shut down over a “few billion dollars” Friday night.

" A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money"? -- Everett Dirksen

The Way I Feel

Old Memories

This is a winter day in my home town of Durham, NC that I would guess the time in the early 1960’s. Obviously good times….the kids have new bicycles and good clothes, the store is a hub of commerce.

One kid’s wagon is in front of the mail box. I too used to have a red Flexible Flyer wagon.

The sign that has Long Meadow Milk was a very familiar brand back then. We called these stores “cow stores”.

The curbs on the street are granite rock. Much of Durham had granite curbing.

Blogging By Candlelight

A big line of thunder storms hit last night and I am waiting for daylight to see any damage. We never lost power but did loose broad band some time in the night.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Old Camden Rd,Midland,United States

A Good Weekend

I had this long to-do list this weekend which I all but finished with the last chore being done this morning. I even dived in a pool Sunday morning.

Why would I dive in a pool? I guess for the same reason a golfer goes to a driving range or anyone practices their sport. It ain’t real diving but the setup and takedown is real. I am breathing underwater and I get some exercise.

I rotisseried a chicken Saturday that was to die for…. so moist and tender.

I watched two whole baseball games. This is more baseball than I have watched in my entire life. I guess my body is preparing me for no NFL.

Finally The Masters is this week. I am not going this year but will be watching. Do yourself or me a favor and watch some of the tournament this week. There is no other golf event as rich in tradition and southernism.

I love spring.

My Saturday

The finished product....cold beer anyone?

I built this picnic table about 10 years ago with plans off the Internet. I liked it because the plans were free, the table is 8 feet long, and it was simple enough for even me to follow along and build.

But after I built it I became frustrated with the bench and table top. Why so many 2X4s and why such a narrow bench? It hurt my butt and drinks would spill over easily with all the board joints.

Then I thought It would be darn nice to have a big umbrella mounted in the middle but the way it was built wouldn’t allow for a hole in the center.

So I thought….what would Mic do? By God he would build a new one out of African Mahogany and pin stripe it before he applied a mirror gloss finish.

But I decide to add a few new wider boards, reuse what I could and off set the middle support so I could build a center support for an umbrella.

Yes part of that table top are boards that once sat asses. My guests will sit on that side.

All Very True

In Front of My House

The dogwood and redbud are in full bloom. The leaves are getting on with it and my grass needs cutting.

Our house is barely seen in the middle of it all.

Bits and Pieces

My darn computer was not coming on last night so I packed it up, called India (HP) and they will send me out my 5th power brick. This version of a laptop has a really shitty power brick.

I finally got Gigi an iPad 2 yesterday. This piece of technology is outstanding. Truly amazing.

I swore that I would be able to help my mother in law sign on remotely to her Gmail account. After 15 minutes of coaching and instructions by phone I realized that I had as much hope as coaching a chimp in Spanish to cook a gourmet meal.

wReg Gets a Bit Mushy

Its funny how getting older motivates me. In less than 90 days I will be

55…double nickels... Sammy Hagar “I can’t drive….55!”

I see some friend my age acting very old. That is okay. I see some friends my age getting diseased and dying. Again it is natural.

I am the youngest of three siblings and am fortunate to have them all around to this day and I even have my 86 year old mother around who is a bright, alert, funny and incredible woman. I love to talk to her.

She is very independent and one of her favorite sayings when she does something completely on her own is, “I didn’t even need a penis to do that”, referring to her “can do” spirit and outliving two husbands that she relied on more than she needed to.

Life for me is enjoyed more the older I get. I guess it is like a tootsie roll pop when you lick through the hard shell and start getting to the soft center. Chocolate on chocolate is my favorite.

I know now that good times and bad times will come and go and both will pass. I know that friends and family are very important. Love binds everything.

I still feel very good physically and mentally my brain is alert and still about 17 years old as far as motivation and outlook.

So, I guess I am okay with 55. I’ll enjoy 54 for now.

Take a Hike

I don’t buy “hiking”. When did taking a walk become hiking?

What defines a hike over a walk? Is it equipment…special shoes or a backpack?

People say, “There is great hiking at blab bla.”

As long as there is gravity then you can walk or hike…..as long as you have feet.

I’ve been walking 3 miles a day in the spiraling parking deck beside my office. There are no vistas, just cold gray concrete and I enjoy the hike. It is great hiking I must say and there is a Marriott Hotel next door for you out of towners that enjoy a great hike want to join me.

There are difficult walks and easy walks. I suppose the same can be said for hiking.

I Need A Pizza

There’s nothing like the anticipation of a pizza when it is picked up, and driven home. Better yet, that someone else is driving and the warm moist box is resting on your lap.

What Do Ye Fancy?

Last night I decided to spin another piece of meat on the grill and this time selected pork tenderloin.

I divided it into thirds seeing that it is just Gigi and I. Then I applied crushed garlic and wrapped the sucker in bacon.

After and hour I took it off and let it rest 15 minutes.

Oh my….tender, moist, not at all greasy and the flavor of garlic and charcoal.

Now it occurred to me that if I bought a beef tenderloin and cut it in thirds, add a third pork tenderloin and a chicken in the middle then I would have the making of something very special.

A big chunk of salmon on the grill along side and I have covered the basic meat groups at once. This would be damn nice at a dinner party and not much trouble at all.

Tailgate item maybe?

Kurt Schindler

Back in February on my last to St Croix the stars came together for the perfect visit. I saw and met some great friends, it never rained, it never got over 84 in the day and mid 70’s at night, the water was clear and 79, there was a full moon on the last night, I did 12 dives including a night dive, I saw two sunsets and I saw Kurt Schindler perform live Sexual Healing.

I forgot how much I liked Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye until Phfrankie played it last week several times at the Shack. We danced around and laughed.

Then I remembered that when Kurt started playing Sexual Healing back in February that I grabbed my iPhone and ran up to the stage to film it. I was standing in front of a deafening speaker and the lights were bad but the video came out pretty darn good.

Kurt is an amazing high energy performer who was born on St Croix, then spent time playing and recording in the San Francisco Bay area before returning to the island.

Enjoy.

Video used with permission of Kurt Schindler.

Our Creek

This is our creek that runs along our property. It ties me to the sea. It sold me on the property 22 years ago yet I spend very little time here.

Eventually this creek works its way down rivers in North Carolina and South Carolina and dumps in the Atlantic Ocean about 175 miles southeast in Georgetown, SC. The head waters are about ¾ miles away near a railroad track.

I used to imagine I would build a deck overhanging this creek and sit and listen to it trickle. I never did. I still might do it because I like this place. The waters in this creek run clear and run all year even in the dry summer.

We have had over the years many dogs and horses that played and cooled down in this creek. The creek is home to a variety of fish and crayfish, turtles and snakes.

Most of you don’t know that we live in gold country. Two nuggets were found right here in Midland, NC in a similar creek nearby and yielded a 17 pound and a 28 pound gold "nugget".

Midland, NC was the gold mining capital of the United States until the California gold rush of 1849.

I used to run gold panners off and now no one pans the creek anymore.

Enjoy my creek.

This Weekend

SPECIAL WEEKEND EDITION – We’ll travel up Shit Creek and will leave our paddle behind.

Yes by order of the grand exalted one and property baron wReggie, the creek known as Pharr Branch and runs through said property of wReggie has been renamed to be forever known as Shit Creek.

Stay tuned for this epic documentary as we explore Shit Creek. Coming this weekend on a special edition of Mental Vacation.

This Is How it Went Down

With great fanfare my Weber Rotisserie arrived and I headed home mid afternoon to set it up. On the way I picked up a rather large chicken at 6 pounds.

The chicken was moist and delicious. It took about 2 hours and rested 20 minutes.

The addition was typical Weber style…sturdy and simple.

I consulted the culinary experts at Bondo University in California for some mid cooking coaching. Weber directions called for the dome to be on but we concluded that it was too hot and we risked a dry chicken. The dome was removed and the chicken saved.

Time to Set up My Grill Game

Tonight I will be spinning a chicken stuffed with fresh herbs from the delta, for UPS tells me so.

Soon I will be adding a smoker accessory.

The trusty old Weber will never be the same.

It makes me regret that I am in my declining years and I only have a short time to enjoy my new flavors. Alas, I will push on.

A Road Trip

I love a good road trip. Last Friday armed with 2 GPS I headed to the Shack from downtown San Francisco.

The rental car was a Hertz and it had a good proprietary GPS installed. I brought my own GPS that I have taken all over the country and St Croix.

As much as I have customized my GPS I got to say the one built in the car was better. It gave live data about traffic and weather and was a bit more insistent when I needed to make turns.

As it turns out the drive was beautiful and I got there about on time. My iPhone pings out a location tracking signal which recorded the drive to and from The Shack.

I love gadgets.

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.

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.

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