Diego's First Summer Camp

Diego left Sunday for his first Boy Scout Summer Camp.  7 days at Camp Rainey Mountain up near Clayton GA in the northeast corner of the state.  He is going to have a blast.  Here are a few pictures we took of his troops facility which is actually property of the local VFW who is the sponsor.  It's a really cool place for Scouts. 

Fun in the Pool Early Summer 2010

Very thankful to live in a beautiful place with a really nice swim/tennis facility.  We love our house in Georgia!

Peachtree Dekalb Airshow 2010

Peachtree Dekalb Airport on the north east side of Atlanta holds an annual "Free Air Show and Open House" every spring.  I have been to many airshows that were much larger, but, this was pretty darn good for "free".  The kids had a good time.  It was Marco's first airshow.  I have been taking Diego and Antonio to airshows since they were in diapers.  In fact, they both have attended the big one up in Oshkosh WI and even camped on the airport grounds with me.

There were lots of nice planes flying and on display.  My only major complaint was that they warbirds that were on display (and in flyable condition) did not perform.  I always love hearing the sound of an old radial engine or a Rolls Royce V-12 Merlin singing.  Oh well.  There will be others.

Brianna's Dance Recital 2010

She is a princess - I think pictures say it all!

Tail of the Dragon - US 129 Deals Gap, NC

Back at the end of May, I squeezed in a trip I have been wanting to do for a long time.  I rode up to Robbinsville, NC and rode "The Dragon".  This is an 11 mile stretch of US Highway 129 at the northwestern corner of North Carolina that has 318 turns.  It's a "magnet" for bikers, sports car enthusiasts, and hooligans of all sorts.  It's one of those places that you kind of have to ride at least one time to say you have done it.  However, I found it fairly stressful trying to ensure I didn't get run over but some idiot who couldn't say in their lane.  Nevertheless, it was a blast.  I went up on Saturday AM, checked in and set up camp and a really cool campground called the Ironhorse.  Then I set off for an afternoon of riding.  I got back to camp around dinner, took a shower, and met some of the many bikers staying at this campground.  It was a very clean and friendly place.  Not a rowdy place at all - I would call it the "over 40 crowd" - so I guess since I am 40 I sort of fit in.  At sunset, they lit up the firepit, and 2 guys that worked at the lodge came out to sing songs on their guitars.  It was pretty cool.

I got up early Sunday and made it home in a flash as Antonio had his final football game later in the day.  In all, it was a short 24 hour "mental health" break that I really needed and enjoyed.

Memorial Day 2010

We had a very nice Memorial Day weekend.  There was an end of school year party at the pool to kick things off on Friday.  On Saturday, Belinda's dad, sister, husband and nephew arrived for a short visit.  I cooked ribs for our BBQ, and then on Sunday we headed up to one of our favorite places, Amicalola falls for a hike. 

5th Grade Graduation

Diego graduated 5th grade this year and is headed to Middle School in the fall.  We are so proud of him.  He is growing into a very responsible and mature young man. 

5th Grade Trip

Diego's 5th grade class went to downtown Atlanta for their 5th grade trip.  They had a really good time visiting the CNN Center and a few other stops.  They had lunch at the Varsity - an Atlanta tradition
(seriously greasy overprice dive - love it).

Cub Scouts Pack 8307 End of Year Picnic

I am a little behind on blogging.  This was from the 3rd weekend in May.  We held the Pack 8307 end of year picnic at the Sawnee Mountain Preserve.  It was really nice - almost 100% attendance.  We received new pack flags from the American Legion post that sponsors us, had a nice dinner, and went on a hike.  We have a very nice group of people!