Kings of L'Yonne

No I am not referring to the band with similar name,

I am referring to the royalty of the land of L'yonne, home of the Green Knight and all things evil. The same land that challenges the soverignty of the good guys. So I guess that would make us bad guys since that is who we represented last night on our epic trip to Medieval Times. It was fantastic: there was Umair, the Prince of Persia and his lovely concubine Brandi. Genevieve the Conqueror, Nate the Pure of Heart, Hughes the Sleepy, and Princess Celia the Sassy Muffin.

It was a grand time, being the rowdy section of crowd fight against all that is good. I even heckled the King as he walked by. Good times. We ate with our hands, drank out of chalices,

enjoyed eachother's company and for one night,

we were royalty.

The Sun is out again and breaking through the trees; both physically and metaphorically. Here in a few minutes, I leave to go pick up the Killer Bee. Three weeks and over $6000 later (Thanks State Farm), Clint called and said he is 100% and ready to go. So here we go, it's time for greatness once agan. Now we just have to figure out a way to protect the boat. We have discussed everything from motion lights to game cameras with signs saying "Smile, You are on Camera." Who knows what we are going to do.. All I know that is for today, all is good with the world. I am going to throw some random pics in here from Arkansas, my back yard, Oklahoma and other stuff.

Later on,

jth

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Welcome Monday

Who would ever write that? Welcome Monday? That is stupid.

The reason for my madness is the fact that this weekend was a BEATING! We moved Richard which hurt my back enough to where I can't really walk without looking special. It was over 100 degrees but we got it done. Also saturday morning, Celia orchestrated the greatest garage sale in history. There were TONS of folks there and almost everything sold. There was well over $1000 made. Well done C. Max's party was fun butI was only there for a couple of hours because my back was hurting. So I guess, welcome monday... I'm glad that weekend is over with.

Dr. Robert Joseph Hughes Jr. returned safely from another cross country solo motorcycle trek. He went up through Oklahoma to Missouri. I think he had a good time. It kind of reminds me of one of my favorite songs of all time by Tracy Byrd:

If you really love me if you care at all you'll gladly step aside

I've given you the best of me and now the rest of me is gonna take a ride

There's a gravel road that turns into a two-lane blacktop highway

That stretches out for miles and miles and miles

And the mileposts and the road signs are pointin' out a white line

To a man I haven't been in quite awhile

There's a half a tank of freedom in my Chevy and I'm leavin'

And there's nothin' in this world you can say

So don't insist on standin' in my way

I can't find me if I stay

Great song for a solo road trip. He took some pics on the way and I have included them. These were all taken in Oklahoma.

So Nate is coming into town on Wednesday and we are looking forward to that. I am hoping the Bee will be ready by thursday so we can ride on friday after work.

I will catch up with you folks later on this week; who knows where our road will take us in between now and then...

Pura Vida,

jth

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Sorrow Breaks Seasons..

Sorrow breaks seasons and reposing hours, Makes the night morning, and the noontide night. - W. Shakespear

Child of mortality, whence comest thou? Why is thy countenance sad, and why are thine eyes red with weeping? - Mrs. Anna Letitia Barbauld

For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been. - John Greenleaf Whittier

Ok so what's with all the sadness and sorrow? Well I'll tell you, the great Killer Bee is still out of comission and we miss him greatly. No failed tricks, no getting outside the wake and feeling like you are floating on a cushion of undisturbed air, no gliding across liquid glass, stereo pumping, with family and friends. I know I said it the other day but it really feels like an imbalance. I get so used to looking forward to being out there that when it suddenly goes away, my life isn't as fun. I am sure I sound like a drama queen but it is the truth. I think we all miss him. Hopefully it won't be long. Clint has the money from the insurance company and hopefully has started is surgery on our injured friend.

So, what to do then? Well I say we focus on what is in front of us. And what do we have in front of us, one might ask? Plenty: The Garage sale of the century is tomorrow, Richard is cleaning and moving, and Max's mohawk party is saturday night. Busy weekend. And most of the crew is going to be involved in atleast 2 of the 3 above mentioned activities.

The Garage sale: Celia has amassed items on a CostCo-esque level. It is going to be quite the deal. That of course means labelling everything and getting up super early or the garage sale crazies will be breaking down the door at around 6:30 am.

Cleaning and moving Ferrari: It starts tonight; most of the work that was being done inside the "Anchorman Hideaway" is completed but from what I understand, there is cleaning to be done on a massive scale. I guess thats why he is offering free drinks for whoever joins in the campaign. People will do almost anything for free beer: well done Richard. BTW - I cancelled my 3pm massage to help you move....YOU'RE WELCOME!!! Nah just kidding, I just rescheduled it for next week.

And finally, the mohawk party: What can I say,,, Max is an animal. I think he is turing 6 but there will be adult beverages there. It shall be a textbook example of summertime Bacchanalia. We are all excited.

On another note: I found an awesome recipe for Carne Asada on the internet and grilled it right up. Of course we used ours for fajitas. It was awesome!! Here's the recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/carne_asada/

Farewell friends, talk to you later/ jth

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The Doldrums

I am sad today. Work is a beating and the boat is still out of comission with no end in sight. I feel imbalanced; no wakeboarding in the near future, plus no breaks either. Richard came through last week with a great picker-upper. It was a video he took while we were in Mexico earlier this year. A couple of local musicians came by and played us a great song as we were having lunch on the beach. It was great. Check the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dicmontgomery/3435397538/

I need a vacation and luckliy we have started planning our trip for November. It appears that

we will be going to Nicaragua. I have never been but I bet it will be great. That's all I have today folks, not feeling much like talking. Just dreaming of warm winds and slow days...
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2 Thumbs and Five Fingers

Well, that's an odd title. Don't worry little birdies, I will feed you...

Let's start with the 2 thumbs part of the title. Monday was my fair sister's thirty... er... 24th birthday. She was out partying in Houston with her crew and I get the following text message: "Who has two thumbs and is celebrating her birthday??? THIS GIRL!" The picture was attached to the text and while it is hard to see because it is dark, it is obvious that my Samantha has 2 thumbs and effectively wields them in jest.

Moving on to 5 Fingers: I am not sure you are familiar with the expression, "5 Finger Discount" when referring to petty larceny. I you haven't, it means to steal. And steal someone did this past week. About $3000 worth of stereo equipment and wakeboarding stuff out of the Killer Bee. I went out with Dr. Sweet Air and "Walks on Water" Wendy (that's her Cherokee name) on Friday afternoon to do some riding and as we were walking up to the boat, I noticed that the cover was half off and the ski locker was open. That's a strange feeling. I pretty much knew what the deal was before I got to the boat. A quick inspection confirmed suspicions. After reporting to the Marina and reporting to the Dallas Police, It was back to the house to try and start sorting out what to do.

Aside: I must say that the ineptness of Bay View Marina was paramount. But more importantly, my interaction with the DPD was really impressive. After I called them, they promptly sent an officer out to meet me, inspect the boat and make a report in the 100+ degree heat. He was friendly, professional and understanding. Great job DPD.

Anyway, the rest of the weekend passed without incident and now after speaking with State Farm and making a claim with them, Ferrari and I are going to pick the boat up after work and deliver it into the capable hands of Clint and Texas Vessel Repair http://www.texasvessel.com/. Hopefully the KB will be back to proper fierceness soon. We will miss you buddy, get well soon...

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Made in the USA

There's no way to ease into this... LAST NIGHT I ORDERED CHIA BARACK OBAMA OFF AN INFOMERCIAL!! I am not quite sure how I feel about it. I do know this: I had a few drinks before I saw the ad and made the call. In hindsight, however, I would definitely do it again. Hell I might call and purchase another one. I ordered the "determined expression" Obama. I might want to experience the other option: "The Smiling Obama". Although that one has the teeth showing and it reminds me of how Han Solo's teeth looked while he was frozen in carbonite in Return of the Jedi. Creepy. Oh man, I shouldn't have made that comparison: everyone is giong to give me crap about being a Star Wars geek. Of course since I am typing this, I have the option to change it before people read it, but the fact that I am leaving it on here because it is f-ing brilliant further speaks of my geekiness.

I guess my confusion of feelings on the topic comes from the absolute absurdity of the product, and the borderline racist nature. Our first black president and the folks over at Chia get all excited because chia plants mildly resemble the texture of african american's hair? I mean forget the historical significance... Only in the USA my friends, only in the USA. Either way, I think both Chris and I decided to focus more on the ridiculousness of the thing and proudly display Obama in the living room.

Soundtrack of the morning? Dave Matthews Band - "Old Dirt Hill"

Ride my bike down that old dirt hill

First time without my trainin' wheels

First time I kissed you I lost my legs

Bring that beat back to me again

Scream and shout out loud our innocence

Days when all we did would never end

Great song.. talks about growing up and wanting to go back to being a kid again. Richard has been being a wiseguy lately and I have had to put in his place with my vicious rhetoric! After yesterdays blog ended with me saying that I looked forward to falling asleep with Celia, his response was:

"Dude that is the ****** **** ever. Unsubscribe me from this thing."

My reply? "Don't make me burn down your new house..."

I'd say I dominated that one. and then, the following email exchange regarding me transferring money to his account for my half of the boat payment:

Richard: This is the amount of the boat payment. Make sense to you?

John: OK its in your account… and I gave you 1 cent too much… SO NOW I OWN YOU!!

Richard: Consider that the Juice! Its been runnin since the first!

John: Ok, I just transferred another 11 cents. ADVANTAGE, HUGHES!!!

Richard: "No Reply"

When the kids get out of line, you gotta put 'em back in. I mean hey, I don't want to be a mean father-figure but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. BTW, do what this email says. It's our good friend Damian G and we want to get him as much press as possible. see email:

"Hey guys,

My music is now featured on the 106.1 KISS FM website as an up and coming artist. I need everyone’s help to get their attention and possible air time. The program director is paying attention to how many plays I am receiving. I am asking you to please click on this link once a day and play my songs. Also, please forward this to your friends asking them to do the same! I can't do it alone and would really appreciate the support on this! thanks guys! "

-Damian

http://www.1061kissfm.com/new2/artists/damiangiglio

Ok so that's enough for now. Have a good weekend and holler at me if you want to do anything. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------END

Thursday 7pm and I'm Still at the Office

But this is for another reason.. going to shoot a video this evening. So no big deal. What's my soundtrack of the day? Well right now I am listening to Nine Days "Bob Dylan":

"Stop depression of my own

walk the only road I know.

if I am only dreamin' then I am not that far from it.

Sow the strength that grows from seeds

worship creativity. If I am only dreamin'

then me an' Bob are not that far today.

So long as I'm young."

Great song, Damian G tuned me onto that band. Oh, I believe we have a first time reader today... a Mr. David Elmore. What's up Elmore. Tell your preggers wife I said hi.

SO yeah, tomorrow is Friday, I am only working til noon then it is out to lake for this guy. I have a date with Dr. Sweet Air and the fair Wendy (Tom and Wendy). Gonna do a little work in the Texas sun. Maybe get a little burned.. maybe pull off a backside lipslide.

Either way, it is now 9:30 and I am going to cut this short. BTW, Ferrari's house is sweet. I'll put some pics on here.

Tom, congrats on finishing your test, don't drown yourself too deep in margaritas tonight, we've got work to do tomorrow afternoon.. you know, walking on water.

Sorry this isn't deep or insightful or entertaining tonight...my brain and heart are tired. It's been a long day and I need to go home and see the lovely Mrs. Hughes. See you soon baby, can't wait to fall asleep next to you tonight...

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Long Weekends

Are just fantastic. There was so much that we did, and yet, we spent alot of time relaxing. of course there was wakeboarding on Thursday afternoon. Celia, Chris and i went out. It was a great afternoon; the water wasn't the best but it was still great because no one was out. After watching the wakeboarding videw, Chris was awewome getting up everytime he tried. Celia nailed the switch and riding goofy.

Then it was over to Richard's new house that he had begun working on. He closed a week ago and has been in the thing everyday since. There is a lot of work to be done but it is going to be SWEET!! More wakeboarding early Saturday morning followed by breakfast at Barbec's and a nap. That evening with all the tv's in the house tuned to the Boston Pops 4th of July Extravaganza, we fired u

p the grill and cooked a feast worthy of,,, well worthy of a bunch of starving people that like meat. There was corn on the cob, potato salad, brats, steak and the fanciest 4th of July cake I had ever seen.

Sunday we relaxed and here we are once again, facing down another week. No worries though, good friends and good times are waiting for us on the other side.

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Stillwater, OK

Today is Wednesday, 4th of July is right around the corner. This past weekend we were in Stillwater for Earl and Katrina's wedding. What a blast. It was great seeing everyone and the ceremony was fantastic. Of course the reception and after party were even better,, or so I'm told as memory of the event... little fuzzy. Nah just kidding, I remember it all and it was legendary. Everyone acted a fool, there was the John/Tyler/Chris fued next to the bar at about 1 am after 6 hours of drinking, Celia making suggestive gestures for the camera, and of course HUNTER. You have to whisper his name it is so epic. Like "Sanjaya". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJZQVDRj4XA

Either way, we are all pretty sure that Gen will get her shoes back.

We ate at Mom's Place, Mexico Joes and we even visited the only winery in Stillwater (Red barn is winery). We all bought several bottles.

I found it strange to be back in the town in which I grew up. It was very different as it has changed drastically. There is alot more there, so much that it didn't feel like the same town. I went by the house I lived in on Orchard St. It seemed smaller and whoever lives there now has let it run down; the garden is grown over, the windows need to be repainted, the deck in the backyard needs to be completely replaced. I went to the back yard that I used to run in and do linebacker drills and I could hardly remember it. It was too far away or maybe it looked so different than it did when I was there. Either way, I guess it's true what they say: Once you leave home, you can never go back.

Congratulations Earl and Katrina and thanks for making all of us feel so welcome. Now it's time to begin my 4th of July vacation. Take us away oh chubby Lord of the Dance and Son!!!

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