Mayberry, NC

Barney Fife: [Barney is writing a song, doesn't know Andy is standing behind him, sung to the tune of Clementine] "In a jailhouse/down in dixie/fighting crime and risking lives/live a sheriff/ and his buddy pistol packing Barny Fife. Oh my daring/oh my daring/ oh my daring Barney Fife/He's a deadly crime stopper/what a copper Barney Fife. Then one day there/came a ridin'/two bad men to rob a bank. But Fife was tricky/a deadeye dickie/now they're locked up in the tank.... Andy Taylor: ...Oh my Barney/Oh my Barney/had a jail but couldn't lock it/had one bullet for his pistol/had to keep it in his pocket" - From a great episode of the Andy Griffith Show

I love The Andy Griffth Show and especially the Don Knotts character Barney Fife. There are so many great moments in the show and they are still funny today after all these years. I have always wanted to visit Andy Griffith's hometown and Mayberry inspiration, Mt. Airy, North Carolina. After almost six years of living two hours away from the place we finally took a day trip earlier this month. It's nothing major but it was fun to see some of the memorabilia, from the show, meet the real life Floyd and eat at Barney cafe! Enjoy the pictures.

Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government

A voice of reason, A shot heard around the world or another yellow light towards the end of freedom and the end of western civilization?

Patsy and the boys star on the big screen

Patsy was recruited to be in an intro video for a sermon series Parkway did called God's Drive Thru window

Three days after their adoption Pastor Ott dedicates David and Chase!!!

Adoption and Dedication

The monkeys

This is a little video we made for Patsy cuz we love her!

Big changes for Brendan

We got to meet Brendan's new parents this weekend and they are super nice and love Jesus too! Brendan took to them right away also. God has really put this together and we feel such peace about him moving next month sometime.You can tell they are nice people just by looking at them.

Top 10 list - the Bucket list

We recently watched the movie the Bucket List about two men with cancer who are dying and decided to do all the things they want to do before they die. Of course it is sort of en vogue to make up these sort of lists, so I am putting mine in the form of yet another top 10 contest. This time I will give away a $5 Amazon.com card!



So here it is my Top 10 things I hope to do before I kick the bucket (may that day be far from today).



10. Take a cruise to Hawaii. Patsy can't fly but we would still like to go there someday.

9. Hike or ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then white water raft on the Colorado River.

8. Hike to the top of Ayers Rock in the Land Down Under. I have no idea how I can get there without my bride.

7. Meet Maureen McCormick, with my wife there of course!

6. Drive to Alaska on the Alaskan highway

5. Go whale watching

4. Have Harrison Ford sign my leather bomber

3. Welcome at least one daughter-in-law to my family

2. Hold my grandchild

1. ??????

Two additional books for review

Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

THE BOOK, NOT THE MOVIE

Blake 3 1/2 stars - it was funny and adventurous, but it was kind of bizarre

Tanner 2 stars - it was all mixed up and a mouse could never love a princess

Marty 3 stars - good fun, but a little dark at times for kids

Patsy 4 stars - There were good moral values. I was a little sad about Migory Sow, but I like how Despereaux did the right thing in spite of peer pressure.

Warriors - Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

Blake 4 stars - Packed with adventure and you could never figure out what was next

Tanner 5 stars - I loved this book. It was full of fighting, surviving and adventures

Marty 3 1/2 stars - very well written , but for me cats as organized warrior clans just was a lot to swallow. Better if they were fighting dogs that other cat clans maybe. But this was a book that kept my boy's interest.

The sticker door

With the selling of the house we have had to make as many improvements as we can - of course. In the midst of the painting and packing and cleaning we had to let go of a Martin family icon, a little piece of Americana, the Sticker Door. Blake and Tanner wanted to collect stickers. In their old room there was a door leading into the attic that I told them they could stick their stickers on. Over the past six years this door amassed a large amount of stickers. Everything from Spider Man, Veggie Tales, Mickey Mouse and Smokey the Bear!

I always liked to think of it as the Smithsonian of stickers. Alas and alack all things must come to an end and so the needs of the many (our family) outweigh the needs of the one (the sticker door) and ti was stripped of its glory with a little soap and water and a butter knife! Six years of of kid culture and nothing to show for it but a little faded stain on an attic door!