Check Out Lon and Carolyn's New Rig

Lon and Carolyn are full-timers. They live in this fifth wheel trailer spending a few weeks here and a few weeks there. They visit their family in Florida - Michigan - and Alabama. Since the only pictures I had of their rig were taken at night - Lon sent me these pictures. They pull the fifth wheel with a Chevy Turbo Diesel full size pickup. Since they usually spend a couple of weeks at a time in each location - they are able to disconnect the trailer and use their truck as a car to tour and shop.

I think this camp site is near Gulf Shores, Mississippi. Note the water in the background.

Lon and Carolyn spent a night in Tallahassee where we had a nice visit.

Stephen King Read A Short Story to Me

Yes - the pictures are blurry - it was dark there - and I did not want to flash the camera and ruin the effect.

Last night Stephen King - the best selling author in the world - read a short story to me. He appeared in Ruby Diamond Auditorium at FSU. Some folks might say why is such a great writer wasting his time in Tallahassee. He did it to fill in for a friend who was scheduled but got ill.

The place was packed to the rafters - I do not know how many but I am guessing 2000. The place was pitch black - then all of a sudden he appeared - dressed casually in jeans and shirt. With his very thick glasses - it makes his eyes appear small and beady - very much like James Watt or my mother-in-law Betty. :-)

I was surprised all the great books he wrote - many turned to movies - like Carrie - Shawshank Redemption - Pet Cemetery - Christine - The Shining - on and on.

What impressed me was that he was my age - graduated from high school in 1966 - and even tried his hand as a public school English teacher for one year.

I am a devoted listener to Howard Stern on satellite radio - but Mr. King dropped more F-bombs in his appearance than Howard ever does on radio. But the crowd giggled and loved it - saying "He is just like us."

He read a short story called "Memory" to us - 40 minutes. The audience was quieter than I ever remember - quiet enough that one could nap.

We had Bob Brooks and Corinne Jorgensen over for supper and they went with us to the "concert." Bob has a really neat Infiniti - and a new GPS that impressed me to no end. It had one wire to the lighter outlet - a color screen - and it talked to you. It also had a trip computer in it and it was dead accurate. Santa are you listening.

In King's story - the character had $40 million before he was 30 - back when $40 million was something :-) If I had that kind of money - I would have this GPS on my scooter.

What a nice night we had.

Tonight at 7 PM - We See Stephen King

Nancy got four tickets to see Stephen King tonight on campus. She invited along two fellow faculty members. The highlight of the evening for me will be using the Navigation System on Bob Brook's new car on the way to the "concert."

You Remember Our Gal Sal from the Orange Bowl - She just called from Philly

I just got off the phone with Sally Bair calling us from Philadelphia. You may remember that Sally is the biggest Penn State sports fan in the world. She also is a cool IT person back in the schools of Pennsylvania. Sally had to tell me a story where she "pulled a Harry."

She had the nerve to take her niece from Schuylkill County to the Duke at Temple game in Philadelphia without any tickets. So the two ladies got to the Wachovia Center in South Philly and started looking for tickets. Scalpers were asking a fortune. She tried the old "will call window" trick that Nancy taught her. Finally - her niece started negotiating with a big burley scalper. He wanted $200 for a pair.

While that was going on - a guy walked up to Sally and said do you need tickets. Sally said yes - how many he said - Sally said two - and the guy handed her a pair and said they are free. They were given to him and the people that owned them could not go to the game. He refused any money.

When Sally got into the arena - she nearly died. The tickets were center court - row 22.

We all know the news - Duke won by 10 or so - and JJ Redick broke the ACC scoring record.

But better yet - Sally is on a "ticket finders" high. She could conquer the world right now. She was rushing back to Pottsville to see her favorite girls team play - and karma helped again - the preliminary game went to two overtimes just so Sally could see her game. As Sally was calling me she was searching for a place that sold lottery tickets. They say good luck travels in threes.

Man - I love when that happens. Way to go Sal.

The Dawsons are off to Antarctica

We just dropped our good friends - George and Joel Dawson - at the airport. They are on the way on a three week trip that will end up in Antarctica. This is the only continent left for them to visit.

Someone once said that even if you die in Tallahassee and go to heaven - you first must stop in Atlanta. They will fly to Atlanta today - have a three hour layover before they fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then they get on an ice breaker at Tiera del Fuego. The water trip from South America to Antarctica is two days - then they will cruise the coast. Three weeks later they will be back home.

George has a little bit of cramps - I hope the overnight trip to South America agrees with him. He just e-mailed from the airport and they have a delay already - thunder storms.

Sometimes We Must Stop Time to See Beauty

The Winter Olympics, 2006

Harry Makes Ebay Presentation at Tally Apple Club Tonight

Harry bought and sold many items on ebay including motor homes.


The Tallahassee Apple Users Group meets twice a month at the Hartsfield Elementary School which is directly behind Pier One Imports on Apalachee Parkway. This club has been going strong for over 20 years.

Tonight Harry Everhart will be doing a presentation about "Using Ebay."

Items in the presentation will include - registering with ebay, browsing for items to buy, listing items to sell on ebay, writing successful ad copy, taking pictures of items to sell, establishing a good reputation, paying for items, receiving payment for sold items, and shipping of sold goods.

Harry will give examples of things he bought and sold, and also some of the reasons ebay is such a successful media.

If you have been tempted to buy or sell things on ebay - come to see the fun that Harry is having using his computer, internet, and imagination.

If Prejudice means "to pre-judge" Color Me Green - A Visit With Full-Timers Lon and Carolyn

Do you know what a full timers is? Nancy and I had a wonderful visit with Lon and Carolyn - two folks that gave up the "tied down" life and spend 24 x 7 x 365 in the RV. Before you "pre-judge" that - let me tell you about it and them.

I met Lon on a special interest group on the internet. We have been writing on the group several years off and on. Lon generally likes to play the part of the "ultra conservative" and I am his shill as a "supra liberal." We talk on the group about a variety of topics - but more often than not it gets back to politics. So - I envisioned a rickety old trailer pulled around by a big old smoke belching pick-up and a couple of old gray fuddy duddies in house coats and slippers with a coffee in one hand and a camel in the other.

I got a call from Lon saying they had the RV parked at the Elks Lodge in town about two miles from our home. I said I would come to pick them up and take them somewhere neat to eat - and meet my wife.

I drove to the Elks - and behind the lodge - there is a line up of about six very upscale rigs. Giant motor home buses - pop up tent trailers - and then I saw Lon's Chevy Turbo Diesel Truck. Next to it was this beautiful new Sunnybrook five-wheeler. Before you go looking for the "fifth wheel" underneath - the fifth wheel is actually the hitch type wheel where the "trailer" sits in the middle of the pickup bed. I walked to the front door.

I had to be at the wrong place. This pretty, petite, trim, dark-haired, tanned young lady said, "You must be Harry." I felt like saying "Yes - and I am sure you are not Lon!" Carolyn is Lon's wife. They have been married forever - have five grown kids and three grandkids. I think it is impossible - but I will take their word for it. All of a sudden I heard Lon. As Gomer would say, "Surprise, Surprise," Lon is a young looking handsome and funny guy. No - I am not gay - I just expected Aqualung.

On the newsgroup - Lon likes to say he is "to the right of Attilla the Hun." But reality plays tricks on him. He is a very smart, liberal thinking guy. He has made many very astute life choices that are not very liberal. He is different - and not afraid to do something different - and that makes him liberal - a thinker.

We got in the car - I promised them a tour of the town. I took them to see the Capitol - the FSU campus - the Bobby Bowden statue at the football stadium - and many other points of interest. I think Lon liked visiting the Supreme Court Building where Kathryn Harris rigged the election for George Bush. I think both Lon and Carolyn were stunned about seeing the sorority house where Ted Bundy killed the six co-eds. Lon was happy to hear I went to Stark in 1988 to celebrate on the day they "fried" Ted Bundy. It is amazing all the things we agreed on during the visit. I forgot to take Lon to see the home of Jeb Bush - but we left that for another trip.

We went to Nancy's office and Carnegie Library Wayne happened to be in his office "pretending" to work because he was expecting other visitors. Wayne, Lon, and Carolyn hit it off like they were from the same "good old boy" clan. Later - I surprised Lon by telling him that Wayne is one of the great movers and shakers - in that left wing pinko insurgent group - the ALA - American Library Association. Wayne doesn't like folks to know this - but it is nothing for a group to drop 5k on him to give a talk to thousands that sit as his feet as he dresses up as Melville Dewey - and espouses all that pink revolutionary dogma. Again - pre-judging is an amazing thing.

We had supper at the Suwannee Room - the old oak-beamed dining hall one would expect where liberals meet and plot to overthrow the government. There we all sat - had a nice supper - in the "groves of academe" - and discussed our kids - grandkids - hometowns - jobs - cars - trucks - batteries - propane heaters - tools - and other RVers. We had a blast.

After supper - we went back to Lon and Carolyn's home. The Sunnybrook is unbelievable. It reminds me of the old cartoons where you went inside a little Arab tent - and inside it was so big and beautiful. The Sonnybrook has two big slideouts - making the home easily 20 by 40 inside. They have a separate bedroom with a king size bed - a basement full of goodies - a full kitchen - big screen TV - two computers - two leather recliners - a dinette - two bathrooms - one with toilet and sink - the other with a gigantic fiberglass shower. They have a propane "fireplace" propane that heats without using a electricity. The cabinetry in the kitchen was solid wood - as nice as any stick built home.

The truck they use to pull it is a Chevy Turbo Diesel. It has gobbs of power and none of the smoke and noise you would have expected from the "old diesels" of our childhood. He backs it under the "fifth wheel" hooks up - and away they go.

Nancy was teaching a late class from 8 to 10 - so we had to rush home. But we had so much fun with Lon and Carolyn - we made them promise to stay at our house the next time through. When they do - we hope to have a party to introduce them to another bunch of "egg heads." Our buddies would love to see how Ron and Carolyn live.

Lon's email is - RVnFT@wmconnect.com. They have a mailing address in South Dakota - a place to collect the bills.

PICTUREs - Ron is doing his best Nixon imitation while Harry is flashing the peace sign he used at Woodstock in 1969. Note Harry is on the left and Lon is on the right. The picture was taken right after Lon showed Harry his autographed collection of Joe McCarthy pictures and we sang all 20 verses of "Give Peace a Chance." Lon played John Lennon while Carolyn did Yoko. :-) The other pictures were quick pictures of their rig in the dark. Next time through - we will do a full web page suitable for "Home and Garden and Road." I wish I took more pictures at 5PM when we started our visit - not pushing 8 PM and having to get home for Nancy to teach. Lon and Carolyn are a cute young happy couple.

Back in the real world - Lon used to be a wholesale food salesmen. I am sure he was a big success with his warm easy way with people. Carolyn - spent years as a registered nurse - Lon is so lucky to have her. I wonder if she has one of those "little nurse outfits" - oh never mind I digress. They spend 24 hours a day together - and could not be more suited for each other. They enjoy organizing RV Rallies - where folks with common interests gather and do lots of neat things together. They are both officers in an RV Club - and have a lot to do with "Escapees VCR." They follow the sun. They were on their way from Bartow, Florida where they lived near their family there and now they were going to Gulf Shores, Mississippi - to visit other family. They will eventually work their way back to Michigan where they lived near Lansing before they were reincarnated.

We hope Lon and Carolyn make Tallahassee a regular stop - we might even have an ALA tailgate for them at an FSU football game - when the snowbirds return to Capistrano.

Coach Sue Will Tent For Tickets

Starting late Thursday night, Coach Sue will camp out in front of the Tucker Center until 3,000 tickets are sold.

An area outside of the Donald L. Tucker Center ticket window will soon become a home away from home for Florida State women's basketball head coach Sue Semrau. Coach Sue will live in a tent outside of the Tucker Center beginning Thursday, February 23rd following the Wake Forest home game until 3,000 tickets are sold for the women's final home game of the season vs. 20th-ranked Boston College on Sunday, February 26th at 1 p.m. The game is sponsored by Alltel. If the goal is reached, it will break the single-game home attendance record.

I Love Mail From Readers I Do Not Know

Dear Harry,
Your blog is so interesting! I found myself reading about total strangers and feeling so proud when your son completed his masters! As I read, I thought about how our lives are quite similiar. I'm also a teacher...I would love to retire at 55 but started teaching as a second career so I'll be a little behind on that one. We love the motorhome (your scamp story touched me) and we sure do love our scooter! Last week we took our first cruise to Mexico for my 45th birthday. Couldn't you just live on a cruise ship? Our dream after retirement is to travel to many of the same places you've visited. We're talking about Europe in a motorhome now. It's actually quite cheap if you figure the cost of hotels & rental car. (I wonder if I can strap a scooter on the back of a European RV?) Anyway, I'll save your blog and check in from time to time.
Best wishes,
Linda Quinn

The World Turns Upside Down - Boscov's Moves Into Lehigh Valley Mall

-The Morning Call

Ken Lakin is beaming as he stands outside the main entrance to the Lehigh Valley Mall, and it's not because of the balmy, springlike weather.

''We've been trying to get in here for 30 years,'' the chief executive officer of Boscov's Department Stores said. ''It's really a thrill to be here.''

Boscov's, the Reading area chain, said this month it would buy the Strawbridge's store at the Whitehall Township mall. Bos-

Boscov's will buy 10 mid-Atlantic stores from Federated Department Stores — the largest single growth burst in Boscov's 85-year history.

Interesting Creed

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

I didn't say that - but I wish I did.

Ponce de Leon, DeSoto, not Balboa and Harry Everhart Discover the Fountain of Youth in Florida

After slugging it out through rugged Northern Florida Woods, Harry Everhart like his European ancestors before him searched for and discovered the Fountain of Youth in Florida. It took a year of chainsawing, stump grinding, clearing brush, chipping, and shredding - but you can finally promenade from the house to the lake. The land was covered with thick mixed groves of pine, live oak, palm, magnolia, and camphor trees. The worst part was the thick underbrush and invasive exotic plants - the ground was laced with roots and vines. There is still a lot of work to do - grading - planting - cultivating - landscaping.

DeSoto may have drawn water out of our lake. During the winter of 1539 - DeSoto made his winter encampment about one half mile up Seminole Drive in DeSoto Park. Isn't it funny that he found a campground in a park that had the same name as he did. It is sort of like Nancy "the FSU Seminole" finding her dream house on Seminole Drive with some of her friends living just down the street. One can just imagine DeSoto saying, "Let's plant some of these bushes with the little red berries on them to give Harry fits when he tries to clear this area out."

See DeSoto's Camp just up the street

Leon County - the home of Tallahassee is named after Ponce de Leon. Many explorers of America passed through this area searching for the Far East. If they would have just looked a little harder - they would have found a great Thai restaurant less than a mile west of here on Monroe Street.

Life is stranger than fiction. Ponce de Leon was the name of the first police officer that was killed in action in Tallahassee. He was killed on the day that we moved into Tallahassee in 1988 when Nancy started her doctoral studies here. There were over 200 police cars in that funeral from all over the state.

We have plans to put a workshop behind our home to take advantage of our new view of the lake. Will our posterity realize all the sweat and suffering that occurred here so that they could paddle boat on the lake - listen to the owls in trees - and see the turtles line up on the logs - and watch "Norman listening to the loons on Golden Pond?"

FSU's Derrick Brooks Pro-Bowl MVP in Hawaii

Former Florida State linebacker, and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Derrick Brooks was named MVP of the Pro Bowl after he intercepted a Trent Green pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. The Pro Bowl is held every February in the Aloha Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Aloha Bowl is famous for having the world's only moving spectator stands. The stadium has four sections - and they are moved on air cushions from football to baseball configuration.

Johnson Leads Seminoles Past Minutemen, 73-63

Al Thornton - Top
Alex Johnson - Bottom
Alexander Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Sunday as Florida State pulled away in the second half to take a 73-63 victory over Massachusetts. The 6-10 Johnson dunked on his own miss with 10:59 left to give the Seminoles a 47-45 lead - and they never looked back on their way to consecutive victories for the first time in a month, leading by as many as 16 at 72-56 with 2:53 left.

The game was a 5:30 PM Sunday start. Nice crowd. Nancy and I got in on free tickets. We sat on the sidelines in about row 10. It was cold and windy at game time - 49 degrees and sunny. Everyone was bundled up as if it were winter.

Now That You Sold the Saturn - Where are you going to go? - We're Going to Greensboro!

Nancy just booked rooms at the fabulous Motel 6 in downtown sunny Greensboro. On March 9th to the 12th is the ACC basketball tournament and we expect the FSU Seminoles to make some noise. So Nancy went on the net looking for hotel rooms at the biggest event in ACC sports - the basketball tournament in the Greensboro Coliseum. She was surprised that "hotel rooms" could be gotten so cheaply - that she went back on and booked another room - just in case friends wanted to come along.

Now the hard part - finding tickets. This will be a challenge - finding cheap tickets at this event. Keep an eye on this blog to see if Harry and Nancy fall flat on their faces - and end up watching the games on their 19 inch hotel TV enjoying their free coffee maker in room.

Tickets will be at a "super-premium" because this is the first year where there are 12 teams in the ACC.

Who Do You Distrust More - Harry or a Used Car Salesman?

On Wednesday - our good friend Darrell (FSU professor with Nancy) - asked me if I would sell his old car for him. He bought a new car and just didn't need the old one. He told me what he paid for it one year ago and I was amazed. He asked me to clean it up and market it. He said I could keep any money I made over what he paid for it.

So I spent 3 hours - washing - scrubbing - shampooing - polishing - waxing. I put up a web page - and put an ad in the paper for $22. I also put a sign in it out in front of our house. On Thursday - when the newspaper ad appeared our phone was ringing off the hook. When folks called - I would tell them the pros and cons of the car. The second guy that came to drive it bought it - full price. He was so tickled that he beat all the others to the punch. So far - 26 people called about the car!

The buyer paid cash - one hundred dollar bills - Darrell signed the title -and the deal is over.

The car was a 1997 Saturn with 97,000 miles - it had a big dent in the hood. The car ran like a bandit - 5 speed - lots of pep - 30 miles par gallon. The neatest part was it had a fiberglass plastic body. It shined like new.

I got $1200 more than we expected in one day. Oh yes - and "thrifty" Harry called the newspaper up and got $9 back when he cancelled the ad. Now who do you trust more?

Do you remember the movie five years ago featuring Nicholas Cage called "Gone in 60 Seconds"? How about "Gone in 24 hours!"

Here is the Sales Ad

FSU Beat Georgia Tech in Last Two Minutes - GT led by as many as 14 in the Second Half

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Alexander Johnson led the Seminoles (14-6, 5-5) with 14 points, including a slam dunk that tied the ragged contest at 77 with 2:06 left.

Andrew Wilson's 3-point shot with 1:31 left capped a 24-9 finish Thursday as Florida State defeated Georgia Tech 80-79, handing the Yellow Jackets their eighth consecutive loss.

Neither team managed to score in the final 91 seconds and Jeremis Smith's desperation shot from midcourt bounced harmlessly off the backboard as the buzzer sounded.

Georgia Tech (9-12, 2-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) got the ball back for that final shot with 4.4 seconds left after Florida State's Ralph Mims missed two free throws. Mims had made 39 of 42 tries this season before the misses.

Wilson, a sixth-year senior from the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Ga., made 3 of 5 tries from 3-point distance and finished with 10 points.

Nancy and I attended on "complimentary tickets."

FSU Hosed at Duke by Refs

Alex Johnson - Florida State University's star power player did too good of a job of covering Duke's Shelden Williams. The refs - who often favor the Duke Blue Devils in close games - decided to retire Johnson early. After getting fouled to the floor - Shelden Williams got up and tried to pick a fight with Alex - Alex put his hands up and turned away - but it did not stop the refs from calling two fouls on Johnson - one for the hack - and a technical for fighting. Johnson fouled out at that moment. Duke went on to win the game in overtime without Johnson's help. The next day - the ACC suspended the refs for a game - but the damage was done. Duke - unfairly got the victory. The whole thing plays to a national consensus that referees favor Duke almost all the time. In this game Duke got to shoot 43 fouls versus FSU only shooting 11. If Duke did not get all those "free" calls - they would have lost by 20 points on their Cameron Arena home floor.

I like Duke - but fair is fair.

I predict that in the NCAA tournament - where you lose one game and you are done - that a couple of refs will decide to make a name for themselves - and unfairly end Duke's and Shelden's season.

....And unfair is unfair.

Florida A&M Band Performs at Grammys

This band practices less than one mile from our house. They are the only American band to be asked to perform in the Bastille Day Parade in Paris. Now they have gone to Hollywood. They are one of the top attractions here in the Capitol City.

LOS ANGELES - Members of the Florida A&M Marching 100 were more than a little star struck as they rubbed elbows with superstars like Jamie Fox and "Konyay" West on Wednesday at The 48th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

But when their curtain call came, it was time for business. If the Grammy Awards is the Super Bowl of awards shows, the guys were tuned up and tuned in. Just before leaving his dressing room at the Staples Center and after shining his tuba like his 1984 Buick Regal, Miami native Jean-Paul Ralph asked the production crew, "Are You Ready for Us?"

Ben Houser Staying With Jack Nicklaus in New Zealand

Ben Houser - my Macintosh buddy from Tamaqua - likes to go to New Zealand every winter to fish. Many years ago - he met Jack Nicklaus there at the Cedar Lodge - and they have been fishing together ever since. Ben sent this picture of his family and Jack's family at the dinner table in Cedar Lodge. Ben asked me if I knew the other guy at the table. I said no - but I noticed that Ben was on his third glass of wine. You may re-call Ben from when he was starring in "Weekend at Bernie's" on our trip to the Florida Keys.

See Ben in New Zealand

See Ben and Carol Houser's great pictures from New Zealand -

Ben's Pictures

Today Harry is Retired Three Years

It seems like yesterday that Nancy had my big retirement party - but it was three years ago. You all know the story of how Harry retired on his 55th birthday. Panther Valley School District - where Harry worked - offers Blue Cross Medical Insurance to retired teachers and their spouses for free when they retire at age 55. That was a great incentive.

Since then - Harry and Nancy sold their Tamaqua chalet and moved to Tallahassee where Nancy was recruited to be a professor at Florida State. Also during that time Drew and Robin were married in Balitmore. Drew earned his doctorate at the University of Miami and Keith earned his Masters at Florida State University.

During the past three years - Nancy and Harry have visited the following places - Hawaii - China - Korea - Thailland - Hong Kong - England - Ireland - Scotland - Italy - France - Germany - Denmark - Iceland - Sweden - Mexico - Canada - Bahamas - Washington DC - San Diego - Las Vegas - Boston - Orlando - Tampa - Durham - Syracuse - Death Valley - New Orleans - Alaska - Key West - and Castro. Most of the visits were related to Nancy's new job.

At 5:00 AM on the day I retired - I received an e-mail from Mr. Homer Hickam. He is the author of the book "Rocket Boys" and the movie "October Sky" was based on his book and his life. I had recently written to Mr. Hickam and told him how my life was similar to his. I told him how my Dad was a coal miner like his and also how I ended up teaching Earth and Space Science for 33 years and launching rockets at school. I told him how the launching of Sputnik inspired me and how I admired the work that Werner Von Braun did for our space program.

Homer told me that he worked for NASA for many years and he retired on his 55th birthday too. He said that "the five years since my retirement were the most exciting and best ever." He wished me five years as good as his.

Well Homer - so far you are a prophet.

Martina Navratilova Stopped By to Visit with FSU Tennis Team

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State women's tennis team received a nice treat Sunday morning when they arrived to Scott Speicher Tennis Center and were welcomed by tennis legend Martina Navratilova. Navratilova, who showed up to practice on the tennis courts at Florida State while passing through Tallahassee, socialized with the coaches and players and posed for pictures. Here is Martina and the coach.

After the visit - FSU went out and beat Florida A&M and also Bethune-Cookman. The Noles are now 3-0.

Tonya Harding - One of My Favorite Athletes

She's one of the most controversial figures in professional sports, and now TONYA HARDING talks to ET's JANN CARL in a no-holds-barred interview about her past, present and future.

"I think it's about time that people see who the real me is," the 35-year-old Tonya tells Jann. "It doesn't matter how many times life brings me down to rock bottom; I'm not going to give up on life. It's too precious."

Tonya looks very different these days compared to the lithe young woman with the skater's body. What happened? "I had the beginning of pneumonia and, along with my asthma, I was put on prednisone," explains Tonya. "Everyone knows when you're put on it, it makes you gain weight ... I was easily 35 pounds overweight, and now I'm like 15 to 20 overweight."

So, if "Celebrity Fit Club" called Tonya, would she do it? "Absolutely," she says with a smile.

An Oregon native whose figure skating prowess and triple axle put her on top of the skating world, it all came crashing down in 1994 when Tonya's ex-husband, JEFF GILLOOLY, attacked Tonya's teammate, NANCY KERRIGAN, at a practice session during the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Tonya was implicated in the conspiracy, although she avoided any jail time, and was banned from the world of professional skating.

"It's been a really long time since I've talked about it because I've gone on with my life," says Tonya. "[Nancy] was my friend; teammate. Yeah, we were competitors, but, hey, I'm very happy for her and all her successes in life. It's just a really unfortunate incident that happened and hopefully other people out there will learn from the mistakes that I've made and realize that they should go on with life. But think about your choices that you make in life, because if you get going down the wrong path, sometimes it's really hard to make it back on the right path."

FSU Plays at Duke Saturday

Another "Everhart Bowl." This time the "other Everhart team" Florida State University takes on number 2 Duke University in Basketball. The game will be played at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University. The game will be played on national TV.

Nancy got her doctorate at FSU in 1990. Keith got his masters at FSU in 2005. Drew and Robin got their bachelor's degrees at Duke in 1999 and 2000. I am guessing the Everharts are in favor of FSU - 3 to 2.

Construction Started on New Panther Valley Middle School - I worked in Old One 33 Years

Old PVMS








BY SHAWN A. HESSINGER
Pottsville Republican

SUMMIT HILL — As heavy equipment labored in the background Wednesday, Panther Valley School officials and students gathered to formally announce the beginning of construction on the district's new $15,580,500 middle school.
Sixth-graders wearing hard hats and carrying shovels helped with a groundbreaking ceremony behind the existing high school for a project officially begun Dec. 30.

"We felt that would be appropriate since they will be one of the first classes in the new middle school," said Panther Valley School District Superintendent J. Christopher West.

Maintenance Director George Krajnak estimated the completed structure, located northeast of the high school, would take up an estimated 80,000 square feet just outside the borough of Lansford in rural Summit Hill.

West said work on the new middle school is expected to be completed in July or August of 2007.

"So we would be looking at occupying the new school by the 2007-08 school year," West said.

He said the new building will also include connected administration offices where West and the rest of the district's administrative staff will also relocate from the current middle school in downtown Lansford.

The new middle school project stirred some controversy in the Schuylkill County portion of the district.

In April 2003, the borough council of Coaldale, the only municipality within the school district to be located within the county, voted by narrow margins in a special meeting to study joining the Tamaqua Area School District instead.

The move to leave the school district, though short-lived, was motivated by concerns over the new middle school and the possible new taxes that could result.

In October 2003, the existing three-story Panther Valley Middle School was granted Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone status, creating tax abatements to encourage economic development once the building is vacated.