Thursday, January 17, 2008

Loss of a childhood friend

Pigeon Forge Police chief's son dies in jail

Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals has announced the death of a prisoner at the jail by apparent suicide.

Bradley Baldwin, 36, was being held at the jail on theft charges. He was the son of Pigeon Forge Police Chief Jack Baldwin.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating his death. No foul play is suspected.



That is so sad. Brad was one of my childhood friends growing up in Pigeon Forge. I can vividly remember playing at his house often. Making chili pies with a whole pack of crackers. Him singing Elvis. Destroying his room full of toys.

It is so odd about the choices he made. His dad has been police chief for more than 25 years. I remember his mom and dad to be very kind. My heart goes out to them today.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Augusta

The weekend saw our travel to Augusta, Ga. for Bob's (step-dad) 70th birthday surprise party. We stayed at cousins Pat & Sam's. We got to see their kids, who are our age, and their four grandkids, who are Rigby and Lucy's age.

Tobi, Corey and Nellie were there, as were my step-sister Susan and her husband, Walter.

We also got to spend time with Great Uncle Lonnie Wilder (87-years-young), the last of the Wilders that we named Rigby after. He still goes deer hunting. We talked about WWII and his experiences in Augusta, where he has lived since 1943.

We left on Saturday and returned on Sunday. Although it was a quick trip, it felt like several days because we really made it count. We stayed up late catching up.

We had good Augusta bar-be-que and hash. Beer was available as we watched the NFL wild-card playoff games.

Rigby and Lucy had a blast with their newfound cousins. They ran and played all over the back yard and inside the house.

We left on Sunday afternoon back across I-20 towards Atlanta. We stopped in the small town of Social Circle, located 45 minutes east of Atl. Stacy's maternal grandparents lived there. We saw the house her grandparents lived in as well as the nearby famous Blue Willow Inn, a tasty southern restaurant.

We had a great weekend to kick off 2008!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Sweet Dreams 2007, Happy New Year 2008

We leave a great 2007 year behind us and welcome the new 2008 parcel of our lives.

All the best to friends, family, coworkers and acquaintances.

May you be healthy and prosperous in the year ahead.