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Saturday, September 27, 2014

Noles Beat Wolfpack Going Away

FSU victory!

Lulu took these two pictures on her phone and figured out how to post them directly to my web page.

We had a great time at the game with - Liz - Keith - and Drew. Tickets were hard to come by but we got in for $40 and $25 per ticket.

FSU started out in a hole losing 24-7 - but then stormed back to beat this 4-0 NCSU team 49-31. This was enough to convince some coaches that FSU was not the real deal. After 20 straight wins - they were dropped from Number 1 in the Coaches Poll. I have a feeling the SEC coaches banded together on this one. The ballots are anonymous.

Lulu hacking the blog. We found our friend from Tallahassee, Rysa, NC State sophomore.

Tickets were tight. Wolf pack ahead 17-7



Wednesday, September 24, 2014

We Are Calling It The Elvis Seminole


If the Redskins fall - can the Seminoles be far behind? The FSU Seminole have changed their logo to be more politically correct. Also - Nike wanted to make more money on shirts.

The is the old Seminole logo - 




ESPN and SEC Out to Torpedo FSU and Jameis

Copied from "SEC Exposed" Blog -


Why ESPN Needs You to HATE Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles

FisherWinston2014
It has been a wild and crazy past week for the Florida State Seminoles. Their QB, a magnet for controversial news ever since his stint as quarterback for the reigning national champs began last year, once again was at the top of the headlines after being suspended by FSU for a half, then a whole game, for being spotted in the student union yelling a vulgar popular online meme. While we have seen the outrage on TV and on social media forums, and even the anger coming from a small contingent of FSU alumni, we are going to tell you all something you probably didn’t realize and that never occurred to you.
ESPN and the SEC-enamored media desperately WANT you to hate Jameis Winston. They need you to despise him. They’ve been working for you to hate him for a long time. If you don’t hate him by now, you are either an FSU fan or really disconnected from the online and sports entertainment television world. Is it because Winston is one of the most disgusting, criminal minded, moronic menaces to society in sports history? Or is it because the sports media, especially ESPN, is manipulating the public into believing what they need you to believe for their own benefit and the benefit of the SEC? We are going to show you in this article why it is the latter. We are going to lay out why we believe that ESPN and the mainstream media are working overtime to destroy this kid’s character and bury his school so that they never “steal” another championship from the SEC in the near future. And we are going display to you their hypocrisy in encouraging this witch-hunt of a player whose greatest faults pale in comparison to some SEC stars who came before him.

FSU Star Jameis Winston - My Rape Accuser Tried to EXTORT Me

Jameis Winston's lawyer has fired off a letter to Florida State University ... claiming the woman who accused his client of rape demanded $7 MILLION to buy her silence.

David Cornwell, the lawyer for the Heisman Trophy winner, sent a letter to FSU, saying Winston will fully cooperate with the University's ongoing investigation into the handling of the rape charges. The alleged victim claims the University engaged in sexual discrimination by sweeping her claims under the rug to protect its prized athlete.

According to the letter -- obtained by TMZ -- the alleged victim's lawyer, Patricia Carroll, demanded $7 MIL to settle her client's claims against FSU and Winston, telling Cornwell, "If we settle, you will never hear from my client or me again -- in the press or anywhere."

Cornwell says he rejected her offer and 4 days later she went to the media.

Cornwell also says Carroll claimed her client's sexual encounter had to be rape, because she would never sleep with a "black boy."  Fact is ... the alleged victim's boyfriend at the time was black. The criminal case fell apart, partly because the alleged victim had semen from 2 different men on her shorts.

Cornwell ends his letter to FSU by saying, "Mr. Winston will cooperate with the Investigation. He looks forward to clearing his name. But Mr. Winston will not walk into a honey trap.  The Investigation must be a legitimate investigation."

Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz3EEjJEtzT

Monday, September 22, 2014

Coke Fan Cam Proof I Was At The Game


Big Brother is watching you. Coke has a web site where you can see the whole crowd at an event. Lulu and I were sitting in Section 8 at Doak Campbell Stadium. Lulu is obscured by the big hat in front of her. It was a pretty night in Tallahassee - the Noles got lucky. 

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Florida Beat Clemson With One Quarterback Tied Behind Their Back


It was not pretty last night - but ABC had the scene set for one very large upset - but a little luck got in the way. 

It was a prime time night football game in Tallahassee. Clemson was coming to town with upset on their minds after being beaten by 40 points last year in "Death Valley." The fate doctors tried to even up the sides a bit on Friday night at 11 PM - by suspending the Noles' Heisman trophy winning quarterback for the entire game. He dressed up for the game just in case it went into overtime - he must have thought his suspension was just for 4 quarters. 

Lulu and I had a late supper at home. The weather was perfect - clear blue sky - temperature 80 - low humidity for Tallahassee. At 7 PM we decided to take our old white Honda Helix scooter to the game - we can weave thru traffic with it - and park anywhere free of charge. By 7:10 - it was parked behind some old brick building on Jefferson Street next to a dumpster. We parked there before - and after the game it is a quick straight shot east to our home. 

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Jimbo Fisher Call-In Show


We just got home from the Jimbo Fisher Call-In Show. We took our neighbors Marge and Tom along. During the whole hour - not one question was asked specifically mentioned Jameis Winston. 

It was a full house - nice crowd - and Jimbo answered all questions in a forthright manner. He talked a lot about the backup quarterback starting this weekend. 



Jameis

Will the suspension be extended to a full game when the video comes out?

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Taking Lulu On A Walk In Tallahassee Mall


Nice sky lights. The air conditioning is still on.

Lulu and I take a two mile walk everyday. In the heat and humidity of the summer - we like to do it inside. Since Tallahassee only has two indoor malls - our choices are limited. 

The Tallahassee Mall is almost closed down for major renovations. I company form outside the state has promised to spend $100 million renovating this place. 

There are still a few places that will remain open during renovation - one is the movie house. We like going there in the afternoon when there is a substantial senior citizen discount. Last week we saw Boyhood for $5. 

One lap around the mall is a mile. We do 2. It takes about 40 minutes for us to get thru two miles - about stroll about 3 miles per hour. We saw maybe 20 other people during the entire time. 

Jewelry stores.

The thriving gourmet gumball business.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Lulu - Paul - and Michelle Promoted To Full Professor - Last Night We Had a Big Party at the Old President's Home at Florida State University

Lulu - Paul Marty - Michelle Kazmer

The acceptance speech by the trio

It was 10 years ago when we moved to Tallahassee when Lulu was recruited to be a professor at FSU.  A lot of fun and work has gone thru the turnstiles here in the Northern Florida town. 

Last night we had a party at the Old President's House on campus to celebrate Lulu - Paul - and Michelle being promoted to full professor. This is as high as you can go without becoming some kind of administrator. All three of the candidates grew up and did their undergraduate studies in Pennsylvania. 

About 60 people came to the party - mostly fellow professors - former students - college staff - friends - and neighbors. They enjoyed a buffet including roast beef and turkey. About 8 PM - the cakes were cut and a few speeches were made. Dean Larry Dennis cut the cake. 

Lulu's first PhD candidate student - Melissa Johnston - flew down from Tuscaloosa Alabama for the event. She is now an assistant professor of library science at the University of Alabama. 

I should add that although Paul and Michelle met at college - he is originally from Illinois. 



Wanda Brown - Barbara Heusel - Dennis Moore

Friday, September 12, 2014

Lulu and Mimi At Alligator Point

Mimi Johnston and Lulu Everhart
Mimi is our weekend guest. She is one of Lulu's former students and now a library professor at Alabama. 

Lulu is being honored this week for being promoted to full professor at FSU. The party commences tomorrow night at the old president's house on campus. 

Both ladies are obsessed with sitting at the beach. I am glad Mimi is here to "talk library" with Lulu.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Jimbo Fisher Call-In Show - Wednesday Nights

Harry took this picture last night from the second row at the call-in show.

Every Wednesday from 7 to 8 PM - Jimbo Fisher and Gene Deckerhoff host a call in show at the Four Points Hotel in downtown Tallahassee. They have a studio set up in the basement with about 200 seats. The show is broadcast on TV - radio - and the Internet. People call in questions - Jimbo answers them live in front of the audience. Members of the audience are given a chance to ask questions live on TV also. 

Last night I went alone - Lulu was busy. Last week we went together. Each time I found seats in the second row. 

Admission is free. A dinner basket is offered for a fee. Beer is available for $3 for 16 ounce cans. Prizes are given out for audience members who  correctly answer quiz questions. They gave away game tickets.

On the first night - Gene Deckerhoff spent about 5 minutes chatting with us. We both have owned Road Trek campers. He still has one and drives it to Tampa Bay to announce their football games. He sleeps right in the parking lot - my kind of guy.

Jimbo also signs autographs during the commercial breaks. 

House For Sale - Saint George Island - Our Day At The Beach

Lulu on the porch at JP's beach house.

Last Friday we drove our convertible to the beach. We wanted a little road trip - and it is only 80 miles from our house to one of the nicest beaches in the world. 

Our buddy JP Brown owns a very nice beach house two streets back from the beach. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It is up on stilts and easily has survived hurricane floods. It has a large deck facing the ocean. It is an easy walk to a fantastic beach. 

The beach there is perfect. We had it virtually to ourselves - except for two other families. The sand is super white and fluffy. The water is very clear - so clear you can see lots of fish . 

The temperature was 92 on our visit and the water was 86 degrees. We spent a lot of time in the warm water. We took our beach tent because the high sun was pretty hot. 

To get to Saint George Island you skirt the coast west on Highway 98. Just before you get to Apalachicola - you turn left and travel 5 miles on a free bridge to the island. 

JP is asking $220,000 for the beach home. It is well kept and would make a perfect full time home. If we wanted to live full time at the beach - I would buy it. 

JP's Home is on stilts to avoid storm damage.

The underside of the home is lined with plywood to protect the plumbing. You could easily park cars under there or create a party patio. 



Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Garage Attic Fan Keeps Things Cool

This is the 1300 CFM exhaust fan in our detached garage. Note the thermostat on the right. 

Our new home is lined with SucraSeal - a liquid foamed in place insulation. The roof has an R60 rating and the walls are R30. But our garage is a separate building with no insulation at all. Therefore - it can get very hot in the garage with the doors are closed.

Yesterday - I used my thermometer gun and it said the roof plywood was 112 degrees. So I built a plywood box in the eave over the vent and installed an exhaust fan. It is an electric fan that draws 2 amps of power (about 2 cents an hour when running) - and moves 1300 cubic feet of air a minute. In 7 minutes it can drain the garage of all of its stale air. The fan has a thermostat that I have set to turn on at 95 degrees. So when the air in the attic of the garage gets to 95 - the fan goes on - and cools the garage. 

Of course if the air outside is 95 degrees - the garage is never going to get below that temperature. You are simply sucking fresh air from outside - to the inside. 
When the temperature gets above 95 degrees - the fan goes on automatically. 


You can set the thermostat to go on at any temperature.


The attic in our detached garage is 6 feet high - 16 feet wide - and 36 feet long. It is a great place to store excess lumber or other things you do not need ready at hand. Presently access to the attic is a ladder. 


The fan is hard wired to the circuit box in the garage. There are 4 - 120 volt circuits and 1 - 220 volt circuit. The 220 volt circuit is for a future electric car charger. 

The exhaust fan is directly behind the white vent in the garage roof eave. 

Saturday, September 06, 2014

My Builder Gary Shiver Built This Barn - I Love It

Gary Shiver can build anything. Show him a picture and pretty soon you have one of your own. I like the metal roof - the large overhangs all around - no places for water to hide. The rough sawn pine boards are vertical - stained - well-protected - and ventilated. A nice high chimney provides plenty of draft.



Note the party room with fireplace and screened area.


I love the sliding barn doors - note the ones covering the upper windows.


Stained beams and a couple fans create a homey atmosphere in front of the fireplace. 


I love the sliding doors with upper glass panels.


This is a wood burning fireplace.

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Noles Spike Gators in 5 Games - Our Friends From Britain Enjoy Their First FSU Event


Here is the final point in the rubber game - Noles won it all. 


Lulu - Jennifer - Elle - Simon - we all had a great time. 

Tully Gym was packed to standing room only as the Seminoles won their home opening by beating Gators 3 games to 2. Jennifer - Elle - and Simon saw their first Florida State game and had their first ride in a convertible ever. 

They live just down the street from us at 1607 Seminole Drive. If the address sounds familiar - it was because it was awfully strange dropping them off after the game - and not pulling into their garage. They live in our old house. 

The match was touch and go all the way. Both the Gators and the Noles are ranked nationally in the  Top 10. FSU has yet to be defeated this year. The Gators won the first game that went into extra points. The second game the Noles won but the match looked over when the Gators took games 3. The crowd urged the Noles on to take the final two games. 




Mahanoy Area board approves 'Coal CrackerJazz Band'

MAHANOY CITY — The Mahanoy Area School Board approved a request from the high school band director to establish the “Coal Cracker Jazz Band” and its related activity club.

The board approved the bylaws of the activity club as presented by middle school band director Jason Wenrich.
“Jason is voluntarily starting up the jazz band,” Superintendent Joie L. Green said, adding that there had been a jazz band, but it was not a formal band as this new one now is.
According to the bylaws, “The goal of the ensemble is to educate the students of Mahanoy Area the jazz genre. The students will learn jazz standards, basic jazz methods and jazz genres. The education will come through written music, recorded audio music, recorded visual music and any other medium deemed necessary by the band director.
“The goal of performance includes that the band will annually perform two school concerts. They will be Christmas and spring concerts,” Green said.
The band will also be available for out-of-school performances at the discretion of the director, and payment for these events will be accepted, if offered, but will not be requested. If asked, a standard donation of $50 to $100 would be suggested for a standard 45-minute playing session.
In other business, Green reported that a $4,900 grant was received from the Center for Safe Schools for “go-buckets,” which are also called “go-kits” and “go-bags.”
“We ordered 77 go-buckets, so every classroom in the district has a go-bucket,” Green said.
According to the CSS website, a go-bucket is a large bucket with a lid that is frequently used with it. The bucket serves multiple purposes. While it will be used primarily as a container for supplies, it can also serve as a temporary stool for the teacher when outside the school building. Additionally and as a last resort, when fitted with a plastic trash can liner, toilet paper and plastic tarp or shower curtain (as a privacy barrier), the bucket can also be used as a temporary lavatory.
“A bucket has all the safety things for a class of 25,” Green said. “It also comes with a toilet seat that can be placed on the bucket so if there was a major emergency and the students are stuck in a classroom for days, we have those available. Every classroom has one of the those and the teacher has a backpack, which has an emergency kit.”

From The Pottsville Republican

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Yesterday We Visited Bellevue - And Catherine Murat Appeared To Greet Me


Harry and Catherine Murat


Catherine was a very influential person - even after the death of her husband Prince Achille Murat. She was the great grand niece of George Washington. The Prince's mother was the sister of Napoleon. 


Bellevue was the inspiration of many of the details of our home - Seminole View. 

What does a man do that has not labored in 11 years - do on Labor Day? He convertibles with his lovely young wife to the Tallahassee Museum to enjoy a vacation from a vacation. Lulu wanted to tour Bellevue one more time. To our surprise - waiting at the door - like in a dream - was Catherine Murat. 

Catherine told us about the house - and about her husband Prince Achille Murat. She told me how she bought the house from her sister after the Prince died. She just sat on the back porch with a long and lonely look. When I told her about our home - she commented that she saw it on Seminole Drive.

The house is made of wooden beams. It is covered by lapped siding that also forms the interior walls - there is no plaster covering them. Upstairs is one large open room. Downstairs is a center foyer - and on each side is a large room with a fireplace. All the rooms have very high ceilings. The front door and back door are lined up to allow breezes to blow thru the home. This is often called a dog run. The front and back windows are shaded by two long porches. There is a kitchen in a separate building behind the house - connected by a walkway.  

The house is built over a high crawl space where air conditioning ducts have been added. It was moved to the Tallahassee Museum from its original site near the FSU Stadium on Bellevue Drive. 

Monday, September 01, 2014

I Love LED Lightbulbs - I Am So Cheap

Last night the moon lit up the sky over our new home. The LED lights lit up the yard. 


These 4 watts LED bulbs cost $7 at Lowes. They put out 240 lumens.


Yesterday I installed 5 outdoor lights on our garage. I used LED lightbulbs - just like I did in the rest of the house project. Do not get these mixed up with those swirly bulbs. LED bulbs are brighter - dimmable - have no warmup period - and last a long time. I almost forget to say they use way less electricity. 

I bought my LED bulbs at Lowes - but you can shop online too. People might complain they cost too much. I bought mine for $7 each. My bulbs use only 4 watts of power. They put out 240 lumens - about the same as a 25 watt regular bulb. The package says they will last for 50,000 hours! I hope that means 50,000 hours of being turned on  :-)

4 watts of power is 25 times less used than a 100 watt bulb. A 100 watt light bulb cost 1 penny an  hour to run. That means my bulbs can burn 25 hours for a penny. 

In my opinion - light bulbs are the best burglary prevention you can have. Like cockroaches - burglars hate bright lights. They simply pick someone else's house to rip off. 



A total of 5 - 4 watt bulbs light up our garage. They are on a timer that turns them off and on as many times as you want. 



As you can see from this chart - our home had the lowest consumption for homes of similar size in our neighborhood. Even though we have left 10 LED porch lights on at night - our bill is very low. Most of our energy use is by the heat pump/AC unit.