Pre-Game Party At FSU President John Thrasher's House

That white haired guy is FSU's President John Thrasher -
we just had a great party at his house before the game

Today we play Wake Forest (5-1) at 3:30. The president of FSU invited us to a tailgate party in his back yard. The band played - we ate - just had a nice time. After the party we drove home to change vehicles. Lulu and I take the scooter to the game for the free party.

We do not have tickets yet - but StubHub has tickets on the 50 yard line for $28. We hope to do better than that.

Here are a few pictures form inside the president's house

Bronze statue of a real Seminole Indian.

Dr. Susan MacManus Talked About The Election

One of the nicest things about living close to a college campus is being able to hear free speakers. Last night Dr Susan MacManus presented "2016: An Election Like No Other." She said Hillary Clinton should win according to the statistics - but this is an election like no other.

Homecoming At Florida State University

Chief Osceola on Renegade -
voted number one college mascot in the country

Grand Marshall Devoe Moore
2003 Stingray with 1953 Corvette body
50 years of Corvette history

What a beautiful day for a homecoming parade in Tallahassee. We enjoyed the parade today - volleyball and block party tonight - football game against Wake Forest on Saturday at 3:30 - and another volleyball game Sunday. 

It is hard to believe this is the 13th homecoming weekend for us - it almost feels like home. 

FSU President John Thrasher

Seminole Homecoming Princess

Seminole Homecoming Prince

Class of 1966 in a 1966 Mustang

Asian Student Club 

Chain gang cleaning up poo

Eckley PA - Life in a Coal Patch Town

All pictures taken with iPhone 7.

Thanks to my Dad working in one of these - the
only dirt I got on my hands was chalk

Lulu loves shopping - I wonder if she
would have liked just one store

I am one generation removed from living in a coal patch. Both my Mom and Dad were raised in these tiny company-owned villages during their formative years. Mom grew up in the Vulcan - near Mahanoy City - and Dad forever called Seek - the capital of Coaldale - his home.

Patch towns were set up near the mine and breaker so that workers could walk to work and back. This was before automobiles were the normal way of life. When Ford made the car affordable to the masses - it took autos a while to hit these company towns. 

On my visit home to Tamaqua PA for my 50th reunion last month - we had a little time to spare. We were staying at a Residence Inn near Hazleton - so a visit to Eckley Miners Village fit the bill. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I was really surprised when we found the village empty. The museum was open - we paid our $8 admission. But what we really wanted to do was walk the main street from end to end. 

My First Classroom - Dorset School in West Penn Township

Harry visited his first school - Dorset School near Snyders PA

Map of my house - Dorset School - Snyders PA

This pictures was sent to me by Luella Reed (the baby in the picture).
The women on the left is Leah Wertman Fritz - my
first grade teacher

Last week Lulu and I visited Tamaqua PA to see friends and family and also to attend my 50th class reunion. I really enjoyed seeing my old classmates. We also enjoyed introducing our friends and family to Max Everhart - our third grandkid.

We had a few hours to kill before our plane left Allentown - so we drove around and looked at familiar sites.

I first attended school in September of 1954. I was 6 years old and had spent the first 6 years of my life in the farm house I was born in. It was very common then to be born at home. Dr Weissner charged $15 to come to the house and deliver me. Dad tried to be a coal miner and also run a 10 acre farm.

At the time West Penn School District was made up of a series of one room schools. I remember that sometimes a teacher taught all 8 grades in one room. By the time I was in school - they decided to put all the first graders in one school - second graders in another and so on. 1954 was also the first year they used school buses to take the kids to school. So I never walked to school in the deep snow storms. The school bus picked me up right at my door.

Volleyball With Our Friends

We love watching FSU Volleyball. After a barbecue supper - Josh and Melissa shared an FSU victory over Syracuse -  3-0. The event opened a busy Parents Weekend.

Today - Sunday - we play Boston College at 1 PM. What's not to like? Admission is free and pretty athletic young ladies competing for FSU.

Tully Gym holds about 1000 fans. At one time - this is where FSU played basketball.

Seminoles Come Back From Down 21 To Lead In Last 30 Seconds - Then Blew It

Chief Osceola on Renegade

After the flyover - it was all down hill.



Osceola planted the spear - but the last 30 seconds was all Tar Heels.


The baby blue North Carolina team has been coming to Tallahassee over the last 25 years - and have gone home usually black and blue. But this time it was different. The Tar Heels jumped out to a 21 point lead - only to watch FSU pull ahead in the last 30 seconds. But 30 seconds later - a 54 yard field goal put Carolina on top for good. The Tar Heels circled the field doing the Tomahawk chop as the ball easily clear the goal post from 54 yards away.

Our day started around noon as John - Michelle - and Kristine came to our house for a pre-game lunch. We watched a bit of the Miami game on television since they follow their hometown Miami Hurricanes. At about 2 PM - Lulu and I dozed off for a little nap - and we almost missed the game.

We had tickets that our good friend Marge gave us - so at 2:30 - we hopped on our scooter and rode over to Doak. We parked in the lot our friend Joe Shiver owns - and walked to our seats - plenty early for the band and kickoff. Our seats were in the corner - looking down on the goal line - see the horse picture above.

Our Seats - North Carolina at FSU

This Is What It Looks Like Te Be A 68 Year Old Coal Cracker

I am 68 and out of high school for 50 years. I moved out of Tamaqua 12 years ago to Tallahassee Florida. I am trying to figure out an angle for the story of my trip to the class reunion on Sunday.

I had a great time - I loved seeing everybody. I must let all the feelings settle down before I write. A story is coming.

We Bought New iPhones in Richmond

Here we are at the Apple Store new Richmond VA. We bought new iPhone 7's. I got flat black - Lulu got rose gold. We chose phones with 128 GB of memory.

Son Drew just did full restores for us - taking the data from our old phone to our computers and then back to the new phones.

We will be shortly selling two iPhone 5S's on Craigslist. Lightly used by two senior citizens :-)

Our Friends Just Spent 10 Days in Sunny Panama City Beach FL

Dick and Jan Davis - Coal Crackers from Tamaqua via Arizona - had a wonderful vacation with family at Panama City Beach.

I Am Selling This 2010 Coleman Travel Trailer For A Friend

I sold Joan's Motorhome. The buyer of her motorhome asked me to sell her travel trailer - so here it is. We are asking $10,000 for this 2010 Coleman 18 foot trailer. I wish it weighed a little less - because I would buy it and pull it with our Honda van. Although it is 6 years old - it is in perfect like new condition. It has a full bathroom including a tub. It has a full kitchen with both gas oven and microwave oven. It has a gas furnace - and an electric air conditioner with heat strip. It does not have a generator. It sleeps 7 people. This trailer weighs 4300 pounds - my Honda van can only pull 3500 pounds. Everything works. Nothing is worn. No dents - no scrapes - no scratches - no fading. It was kept under a car port its whole life. 

One time - when Lulu and I were building our home back in 1973 - we lived in an 18 footer just like this. My Mom used to say - Everhart's have gypsy blood in them. Don't say that too close to Hitler.

One Last Chance - Getting In Shape At 68

This is what 68 year old Harry looks like
after 20 minutes of pedaling


Sunny Health and Fitness Bike purchased
at Amazon.com


In the last 3 years - I have gained 35 pounds. It is very simple - I eat way too much - and exercise too little.

When I moved to Florida 12 years ago - Weighed 225 pounds. Through exercise and diet - I had reduced down to 190 pounds using a program on my iPhone called Tap and Track. I was so proud buying pants with a 34 inch waist. It seemed too easy. Lulu and I did it together - walking a lot and recording our food intake. Then we slipped.

In no time at all - I was back to 225 pounds - where I am today.

I have flat feet. So if I walk farther than 2 miles - my feet get sore. So I contacted my exercise expert - Dr Katy Tran. You may remember her when she was a tenant at our brick rental house - before we built our new home. Katy is now working for the Buffalo Sabres. She and her husband Jared are expecting a baby in December.

Katy suggested a stationary bike. She has been using a Sunny Health and Fitness Bike for 5 years. She suggested I try one. So I went to Amazon and for a little over $200 - I bought this ver professional machine.

I just got done my first 20 minute workout. Even though I exercised inside my air conditioned home - I am sweating profusely. I did not measure my heart rate but I felt it thumping. It is a long process - but it starts with one spin. It must be co-ordinated with eating less.

We are going away today for a week - to my 50th high school reunion. We will also ge tot see the kids and grandkids. So the bike will have to wait a week.

Jimbo Says It Was A Game Of Inches

After further research - I agree.

Our Electric Consumption - Tallahassee Public Utilities

Tallahassee Utilities is owned by the city. It makes 95% of our electricity using natural gas. 5% is made at our hydroelectric dam just west of town. Recently they reduced the price of electricity because the price of natural gas has fallen thanks to the process of fracking.

We use electricity to heat and cool this home. We do have a tankless gas water heater. We leave 14 LED bulbs on outside all night long.

Above is our chart of electric consumption and the cost. This is for a new home of 4600 square feet if you include the garage. Just 2 people live here. We spent Feb - Mar - Apr in Germany but we left the thermostat set at 75.

Tallahassee has been given awards for being the best publicly owned utility in America. I know it is comparing apples and oranges - but stack this up to your electric bill.

PS - This bill also includes charging our Nissan Leaf Electric Car every night.

GlowBowl Lights Up Your Bathroom With Smiles

We just had a great visit from Jan and Dick Davis - the Coal Crackers that now live in Arizona. They are always good for a great laugh. Their household gift of the GlowBowl just keeps on giving.

GlowBowl is very simply a light you put in your toilet. It is motion activated - whenever you "make a movement" the light comes on. It can be set for just one color - or be a medley of colors. The device hangs on the outside of the bowl. An internal reflection plastic tube carries the light into the bowl. The device is safely outside away from the water and contents.

Every time you use the bathroom you think of your friends that bought you such a device. "You light up my life."  Three AAA batteries were included.

Today Lulu and I Went to See Snowden - The Movie

If you are very concerned about your rights to privacy on the Internet and Cellphone - you will enjoy Oliver Stone's movie called Snowden.

You may recall that Edward Snowden was a computer genius that worked for the CIA and NSA. After years of working on the inside of the computer spy world - he chose to expose several government projects of paying on US citizens without a court order. This proved very embarrassing to the federal government. Snowden copied millions of government documents and traveled to Hong Kong. He then released the information to the world press.

While he was traveling from Hong Kong to Bolivia via Russia - the USA withdrew his passport and he was stuck in Russia. He claims he did not take any secret documents with him to Russia. Russia has allowed him to stay there. His girlfriend from the USA has moved to Russia to be with him.

The government wants Snowden to return and stand trial. Several groups are seeking a pardon for him.

It seems that director Oliver Stone followed the story pretty straight. Edward Snowden is covered sympathetically. Since his exposure - the government has passed laws disallowing monitoring of computers and phones without a warrant - but I am guessing all this stuff still goes on.

We went to the Sunday morning at 10 AM show for $5.50. Our AMC theatre has installed elaborate reserved seating - along with 8 way power seats.