Goochland Drive-In

Last night Patty, Tommy and I went to the Goochland Drive-in Movie. It was truly an experience that needed to be shared. It was the one year anniversary of the Drive-in so they had a band playing, a bounce house, and replica automobiles from different movies. They had “Herbie the Love Bug” and The Bandits Trans AM. I could not resist having my picture taken. Tommy was there for the movie. It was Toy story 3. He enjoyed seeing Woody the cowboy and let out a hearty laugh every time he would say, “you’re my favorite deputy.” When the sun went down the temperature dipped down to the lower 70’s which made it a very nice evening. There were hundreds of children and families from the areas just west of Richmond. The Drive-In was the dream of a man and his family to provide affordable entertainment for those who lived in this rural area of Virginia. www.goochlanddriveintheater.com

Tommy and the Bullet.

In the 1970’s Dad was a typewriter repairman and he drove a powder blue Ford pinto station wagon. He referred to this automobile as “The Bullet”. In the 1980’s the advent of the PC caused dad to find work as a computer repairman, they gave him a silver Ford Escort station wagon which he called, “The Bullet”. In the 1990’s he graduated to a burgundy Ford Taurus station wagon which he called… “The Bullet”. The funny thing about these cars was that they all had the same familiar smell of greasy tools and cardboard. It was often that you would see him pass by on the roads of Sumter, SC with his arm propped up in the open window going to the next service call. His attire was also predictable, a long sleeved shirt and tie, even in the heat of summer; dad goes by riding in “The Bullet”. I sure do miss him.

Theme Park Fun

This weekend Patty, Tommy and I had some friends up from South Carolina. On Saturday we all piled in the car and took a trip to Busch Gardens. We all had a grand time. Tommy ran into his Pals Burt and Ernie of Sesame Street as well as enjoyed riding the rides with his dad. We went on the tea cups twice, while this is a mild ride, I found myself a bit queasy after the second go; I must be getting old. The highlight of the day was having supper with the cast of Sesame Street. It was a dinner show geared to the children of course but provided fun for us all. It was a beautiful day the temperature never got too hot and there was a cool breeze all day long.

Blue Eyes

Through the eyes of this boy the world is all true,
and even through tears his eyes remain blue.

His dog is his pal and his dad does no wrong,
and after he cries he asks for a song.

His mother she holds him, and sings baby mine,
his eyes close in peace when he hears the first line.

He sleeps deep in love as he lies in her arms,
with dad and dog close he is safe from all harm.

Through the eyes of this boy the world is all right,
and when he awakes those blue eye are so bright

Tommy meets Willy Wonka

Tommy and I had a great day today; we started out the day at the library, then we accidentally crashed a child’s party at the local park; then this evening went to a historic theater to see The original, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” We got in for the cost of one dollar a piece and it was well worth it. Henrico Theatre, located in Highland Springs, originally opened as a movie palace on April 25, 1938. Tickets were $0.25 for adults and $0.10 for children. The theatre was designated as a bomb shelter during World War II. For us it was a fun night out and as we were leaving the theater Tommy says to me, “that was really cool.” I am not sure where he picked that phrase up but it was worth a million bucks to my heart.

A Perfect day for the Zoo

This morning Tommy and I woke up early to a beautiful morning in the upper 60’s. It was Sunny and a perfect day for the Zoo. Tommy was eager to get to the Zoo early so he could, “wake the monkeys up.” Much to his dismay it seems that monkeys are early risers. However early in the morning they are much more vocal and active this made us both laugh to hear the monkeys make such a racket. We both were able to ride on the zoo’s train and the chair lift rides. Fearless Tommy found his ultimate fear, bats! We went into the “Bat House” it was a smelly dark room lit with a single amber bulb. The room was crawling with large bats; it really upset Tommy, and I admit I was not to comfortable with the experience. Tommy ran out! Daddy followed closely behind and managed to maintained some composure. YUCK!

Fun with pancakes

When my sister Amy and I were very young our grandmother Davis would cook pancakes for us. She would make the shapes of animals and spell out our names in pancake batter. This evening I was trying to come up with a good plan for supper when I thought about pancakes and eggs. Well the result was, as you see in the pictures, spelling out Tommy’s name in batter. I am pleased to note that he ate almost every letter in his name not to mention an egg a sausage and apple juice. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6