Things just got kicked up a notch!

I took a liesurely ride our to Gray Court and Laurens last weekend. It was awesome to go somewhere new. I pulled off in downtown Gray Court and snapped some shots of the fizzer. Here's my favorite!

I have some pretty cool news, even though most of you have probably already heard me blather on about it. I have been given the unexpected opportunity to get back into drum corps...on a very short notice. I had been looking into the two all-age corps (aka Senior Corps) in the Atlanta area. All-Age corps rehearse once or twice a month throughout the season, tour only on a handful of weekends. I submitted my name for more information with the two groups. The next morning, I received a phone call from the director of the Alliance Drum & Bugle Corps. He lost a lead baritone the day before and wanted to know if I'd be interested in filling in for the rest of the season through Labor Day. At first, I thought about it and figured with my schedule and fitness level, it would be out of my reach. Through the gracious support of my wife and friends, I can proudly say I am committed to marching that spot....and learning an entire show in two weeks. On my own. I have all of the music and drill and have been working out vigorously every night. It's amazing what a good goal will do for a person. I have no choice. In order to make this work, I have to go into emergency mode! The corps is a young one, organized to give anyone the opportunity to experience a junior corps mentality and show design on a limited schedule or budget. They've been on the field since 2005 and have grown every year. What an opportunity to become part of something awesome! Most of the members are high school and college age, but there is a smattering of people my age on the field and in the staff, so I'm sure I'm make some new friends.


Three years since they began marching, they captured the Division A championship title at DCA finals. This year, they moved up to Open Class and have already moved up into finals contention. Wish me luck! This is going to be a fast ride...




Speaking of drum corps, Erin and I went to NightBeat, in Rock Hill, SC. We went last year, when the show was held in downtown Charlotte. This is it's new home. Something funny was spotted on the walk to the stadium, though: a tiny tiny gentleman's club. What do you think this means about the men going there? Feel free to speculate.

A gorgeous night for drum corps! The stadium was packed.

Opening ceremonies.

First up were my folks from Pioneer! They really showed up tonight, with a great show and great performance. I wish they would have moved up in the ranks this year, but the competition is fierce this season.

Jersey Surf...wow, where did they come from? They sounded great, I love to see new faces on the field (well, not a new face, but new to me in the World Class.

Crossmen looked and sounded great, too. The drum major was pretty, it didn't hurt.

Colts were up next, they were fantastic.

Scouts ripped our faces off with a show about a super hero...pretty neat!

Cadets ditched the voiceovers this year (thank you!) I even didn't mind their implementation of electronics. It actually enhanced the show, which is more than I can say about all of the others.

Here's a neat shot with some slower shutter speed.

Phantom, Phantom, Phantom. The show was gorgeouos, but didn't pack all of the punch that you had last year. The conductor was superb. You can just see the energy in these shots.

Another action shot. Awesome!

Cheering for the home team: Carolina Crown! They may not win it this year, but they have been a crowd favorite for the last couple years.

Tony grabbed a funny picture from one of the fire stations in Greenville which made me chuckle.

I found a similar one in our office. I almost got stuck in the room, what do I do??

We've had some nasty storms roll through this year. This one looked like it was going to pack some punch, but it went right past us.

Late one night, Erin and I ordered some breadsticks from the Papa. We had to order at least this many to qualify for delivery.

Look closely at that label. Do you see who managed our pizza experience? Click to enlarge.

Erin and I went out to P.F. Chang's for her birthday. Yum! Because the dinner was a gift, I didn't mind overpaying for their food! The chocolate cake "Great wall of chocolate" didn't dissapoint, though.

I spotted this sauce at Target last night. I think it's a way to sneak around the liqour laws in our county.

Well, that's it for now. I'll keep y'all updated on the Alliance, work situation, quartet, motorcycle and everything else that's going on for me right now. At work, things are crazy. We are helping to train the new city IT employees, and I am being pulled between the city and CAT sites like a rag doll. I can do it!!!! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We can't wait to have some guests down in SC. We're making new friends, but it's not easy! I'll always have the voices in my head to talk to.