So-So-So Excited

I have finally gotten started on a web site for my family genealogy. Have been struggling, learning (some) and chewing my nails (a lot), and pulling my hair out for some time now. It wasn't until I 'found' - was it really lost, or was I the one lost? - this great blogger spot with Google. Decided to try their premium web builder and off I am running; finally. Got to do some 'stuff' before I put the link to the web site here - but I will be adding it here soon. So, is there is anyone out there wondering what the Matthews Family is doing? There surely must be droves - I will have it up and running soon. In the mean time, let me introduce you to my four sons:

The pictures above - in order of their appearance - are:

Top left: Gordon McCormack, better know to all as Dutch, in the Roadster he built; right: Scott McCormack and his son Bobby. Bottom Left: Mike at Oshkosh, WS - at the airshow, standing beside a plane like the one he is building - in his garage; right is the youngest son, Doug McCormack and his daughter, Brittney at the Parthenon in Nashville, TN

What Does Your Music Say About You?

What Your Taste in Music Says About You

Your musical tastes are reflective and complex. You are intellectual to the point of being cerebral. You are very open to new experiences, and even more open to new ideas and theories. Wisdom and personal accomplishment are important to you. You are naturally sophisticated. You are drawn to art, especially art by independent artists. You are likely to be financially well off... and not because you were born that way.

href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourtasteinmusicsayaboutyouquiz

What's your pirate name

Your Pirate Name Is...

Lieutenant-Colonel Fanny La Bouche

What's Your Pirate Name?

Going To Kansas City - Kansas City Here I Come

THE REASON FOR THE TRIP

Hey, Hey! This Scorpio is going to Kansas City. Back home, so to speak. Got my tickets and am all but on my way. I have 10 days to spend in KC and points south (AL and TN) visiting friends and relatives and going to the family reunion. Got kids, Grandkids, and Great Grandkids there. Son Dutch and his wife, Jan are going to TN to the reunion too, so the drive down together will be great. Do some kayaking while I'm down there, as cousin Bill has two. And if the sailfish is in working order, Dutch will probably do some sailing. Will have to check with Bill on all that. Haven't seen to KC since we had to evacuate the coast for Hurricane Rita - when was that? - three years ago? Going to do some geocaching in the Liberty area, and in the Killen, AL area (I hope), hone my skills a bit maybe. Hey, Hey - I'm on my way!

Geocachers in Phlocker Land

Any 'crazy in love with Geocaching people' out there? I am just getting started and am hopelessly, kind of lost in it all. I know there is a club in Houston but that is so FAR to drive. Anything of that sort going on in Clear Lake area? Meetings or clubs of geocachers? There are a lot of caches in this area, so is there a place to meet? I am having trouble finding a patch cord for my serial GPS cord to my computer - guess I will do some more hunting for that before I start hunting the caches. Would love to hear from some of you. For those of you who don't Geocache, go check out http://www.geocaching.com/ to see what it is all about. Maybe you will get all excited too.

Family Stuff

Matthews Annual Family Reunion is coming soon. The first Sunday before Labor Day (August 31st for those of you who don't have the calendar handy) is the big family day this year. We meet in the Seniors Center in Loretto, TN (N 35° 04.699 W 087° 26.924 for you Geocachers and other GPS users). We meet around 12:00 noon for an afternoon of meeting and greeting, exchanging year long pleasures and events, updating the family tree that stretches across one long wall, sharing good food - stuffing ourselves into an afternoon nap - sharing pictures and taking pictures to share next year. The group picture with the banner was taken at Floyd Matthews reunion site in Pensacola, FL in 1993 and the other two pictures were taken at the senior center in 2001 and 2006 (Uncle Floyd with Margaret Ann Slagle Clark, her grand baby and Helen Matthews). Uncle Floyd was 103 years old at this reunion. He also attended reunion in 1907. He passed away in March after he turned 105 yeas old.

Current Phlocking

Hey Phlockers - you know who you are - get in to your Meet the Phlockers page, click on the support the Phlockers website link and send a contribution to this great growing, fantastic spot of ours. They are so generous with their time and skills - and money. Wear this badge of honor on your home page. Use their links of your music, video's, badges, etc, on your other web pages or blogs - spread the word.

Cutter to a Sloop

When I bought ny 'new home', her name was Redondo Peach (mentioned earlier) and she is now my second Smiles To Go - or as I named her this time Smiles II Go, since she is the second one. I had been living on her for about a year and the last half of that year griping about not having enough room. I didn't have as much stowage space on this 37 footer as I did on my 32 O'Day - and I was about ready to put her up for sale and get another O'Day. About that time Mike arrived on the scene and looked her over, in his nautical/areonatutical way of thinking said "Mom, you have an awsome boat and I will get you some more storage space". So it was in March 2005 when the refit began. One thing lead to another, taking out old air conditioners that were using both my hanging closets and replacing two smaller units in more acceptable places, giving me two hanging lockers. The wiring was such an awful mess, so Mike, being an electronics technician for FedEx, wiring and rewiring planes a lot bigger than my boat, began the complete rewiring of the boat - 12 volt system and 120 volt system. I now have two 120 volt connections to marina power, two new control panels and a new 12 volt panel. My computer surge protecter even has it's own circuit and is wired directly into the 120 volt panel. Lots of terminals around to control the power surges and the wiring down through the mast is new, as well as new mast lights. They are really cool - one points to the bow of the boat and the other onto my favorite reading spot in the cockpit - so I can read outside at night - that is when the bimini is not up! Then we started on the wood and some more storage place - lots of teak dollars. The aft cabin now has two hanging lockers (instead of one), a 'foot locker' at the foot of my bunk for bedding, an extra medicine cabinet in the aft head (smaller than the original), a long row of cabinets along the port bulkhead with four door openings into it - for folded clothing, a small cabinet under the original hanging closet which has an electrical outlet for charging flashlights, or other handhelds that need charging, and one other cabinet (not sure what for yet, as it isn't finished - but I'm sure I will find something for it). I have posted a LOT of pictures on Flickr during this refit. They sure do need organizing, but I have nearly 1200 pictures and that is big time organizing.

My Musichttp://smilesiigo.blogspot.com/

Island Sounds of Phlockers

Find more music like this on Meet the Phlockers

Meet The Phlockers

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Looking for my next home

I started south from Indianapolis, through Kentucky, Tennessee, AL and on down to Florida, looking for my new home. It had been a long time since I had done any camping, so decided to do that along the way. I had my bike with me of course, a companion I have come to love when driving all around these United States. When you get tired of driving, just stop somewhere interesting and go for a bike ride. Went to Pensacola and worked with a broker there; not really finding what I was looking for, my searches took me to North Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas; where I finally found the Irwin 37 ft Center Cockpit in fair condition; which is what I wanted and is now my home. While in Florida a hurricane was predicted and the camp ground where I was camping was being evacuated, so I headed out of Florida in front of the storm in drenching rain and howling winds - for LA and TX. Decided not to stop in LA; much too close to the storm for my liking, so I drove on over to Texas, stopping overnight 'somewhere' and got to Kemah/Seabrook where my soon to be new home was laying in at the Blue Dolphin Marina. I decided I had enough camping - almost two weeks - so rented a by the week motel and set about the closing process for my boat. My broker, Jerry Muldar and his wife Karol were a big help not only by getting me into my new home but they introduced me to the Galveston Bay Parrot Head Club, which I joined - what a great bunch! Getting moved aboard was interesting - I learned how much extra (I can live without this) stuff I had and settled in to learning, once again, how to live aboard. What a great life once you "get the hang out of it" (as my German daughter-in-law re-phrases). The boat's name was Redondo Peach - anyone know what that means? But that is still another story!

Landlubbing in Nashville

I had come to the conclusion I couldn't even think about being without a boat, so I bought this 'little' - well, it was littler than the O'Day - 26 ft. Pearson. I didn't live aboard her, of course, but she was a delight to sail, even though I didn't get to do as much of that as I wanted. It was my 'escape' from reality. My sister was well enough the first year I lived with her to get out for a few sails and some get togethers at the club. I hosted a Women Aboard meeting at the Harbor Island Sailing Club House (where I kept my new Smiles To Go) and Kathy was well enough at that time to attend. It went downhill for her for three years, and my involvement with a US Coast Guard Auxilary Flotilla in Nashville went downhill as well. Even though I couldn't get out and do much on the water with the Flotilla, I was able to serve as Secretary/Recorder and as Publisher for Division, as both jobs could be done mostly from home. It was my pleasure to be associated with them. My oldest son, Dutch and next to the youngest, Mike, came for Thanksgiving after I bought the boat and we all went sailing. Dutch has a 22 ft McGregor in Kansas City, so this was a 'big' boat for him to play with. One of the really great places to visit - my favorite - in Nashville is the Parthenon in Centennial Park. The statue of Athena is overwhelming. You have to see it to believe it. When Kathy went through her transition I packed up my stuff and moved in with Mike at his home in Indianapolis until I once again got my bearing - before looking for my next live aboard adventure. The picture on the top left is me standing on the rail holding my Women Aboard burgee' (http://www.waboard.com/Content.aspx?page=HomePage) the picture next to it is the Thanksgiving sail and below is one of my granddaughter and I at the Parthenon, standing in front of Athena - she is big, as you can tell by the comparison. On to another story!

My New Love - A 32 Ft. O'Day Center Cockpit Sailboat

I fell in love with 'living aboard' when I lived on my youngest son's 30 ft. Catalina for about three weeks at Sun Harbor Marina in San Diego. What a wonderful little marina that is, everyone is so friendly there. When I went home to Kansas City I announced to my other three son's and my daughter "When I retire I am selling the house and buying a sailboat to live on". Of course they all thought I was crazy - and aren't we all just a wee bit? I did it; I retired in 1998, sold my house and took off for San Diego to look for my new home. I was raised until I was eleven years old in the Southern CA areas, mostly around San Diego, so it was like "going home". I had been researching (deciding) what I considered would be best for living aboard for almost two years, so the search was as much fun as it was work. I lived on the internet for most of my information; joined Women Aboard, The Newwork For Women In Boating; talked to people with boats; and read everything I could get my hands on - My decision was made, the boat was bought and I moved in - er, I mean on. Sailed two or three times a week, learning what needed to be tied down for bay sailing and other stuff that needed tied down when we went into the ocean. I went bay sailing mostly, but did venture out into the ocean, where the sea rolls and the ride is wonderful. One time out the small TV got 'dumped' onto the settee - nothing broken and I was learning. Came back from an evening at my son's home to about 3 inches of water on the cabin sole. To you landlubbers, that is the floor in the cabin. My bilge pump switch had quit working. I put the pump on manual and got rid of the water - my first 'adventure' into TGW' (Things Gone Wrong) on a boat. Installed a new switch the next day. The water had come from a fast dripping packing glan on the drive system that needed repacking. Another lesson learned. I got some charting tools and a chart and I was going to take my first off shore adventure - to Catalina - and all was going smoothly until March, when I was called to Nashville where my sister was very ill. Got her in the hospital, learned she had lung cancer and stayed with her for three years until she went through her final transition. While in Nashville for the three years, being the addict I had become, I bought another boat - and that friends, is another story.