Between the Hedges

Here are some pictures from the Georgia-Tennessee game October 7. Jake flew in for the weekend in Georgia and we all drove to Athens on Saturday for the football game. Unfortunately, Georgia lost. I was briefly worried that Jake was bad luck and could never come back, but we lost again this week, so he's off the hook.

The guy in the red pants certainly is handsome. This picture was taken at Katie & Chad's tailgate spot. Their tailgate featured an omelette station, mimosas, and an intense game of bean bag toss.

Cousins. We're all smiles before the game.

Standing in front of Sanford Stadium. This picture was taken around 11AM, and the game started at 7:45.

After the picture was taken, Jake bought a red Dawg tshirt. However, dad could not be persuaded to join in the spirit of the day. We must ask: would it kill him to wear red?

Posing in front of the inflatable bulldog. This picture was at my tailgate spot. The red tent flaps keep the glare off the TV. We had bbq pork, chicken & ribs. When this photo was taken, Jake was probably inside the tent trying to watch the Detroit Tiger baseball game, but as you might expect, the Georgia fans were enjoying watching Auburn lose too much to seriously consider his request. Would it kill dad to wear red? Why risk it? Good thing he avoids such risky behavior.

Uncle Mike's True Diary of the last couple days in Asheville

August 3, Thursday
I finally found time to do a few more days. The only good thing about allowing so much time to elapse is that I get to make up more stuff. Thursday was our big interview day. We had Uncle Riv and Cathy, Aunt Melva, Aunt Patty and Uncle Ralph and Aunt Judy to talk about the old days. We are in the process of working on the videos from the interviews. We had a blast listening to them sing Mam’s old songs. Those songs covered a time and period almost long forgotten. Our “panelists” were great in that they talked about some of the old homes where they grew up and where they went to school and who was good (all of them) and who was bad (everyone but the person talking). This was a fun afternoon and hopefully we will be able to provide a family record of the events. I also can’t wait to get Uncle Mark’s video on all the proceedings.

All this was even more memorable because Katie had brought Aunt Melva’s new hearing aids. No one could talk about her any more.

I can’t say enough about the delicious dinner that night when we met at Bill’s. These were the best hot sausage sandwiches and pasta ever. I thought I had died and gone to Italy. Just the right ingredients…those delectable sausages, the hard Italian rolls, the perfect blend of spices. I could go on forever. Kudos to the cook! Oh yeah, it was me. I think Patti puttered around and got in the way a few times. Oh yeah, some folks helped with the pasta and salad.

After dinner we piled into vehicles and went to the Asheville tourists play against the Baltimore (I forgets). A good time was had be all. Our car had Josh driving, Jacob, Bob and maybe Bill? The Moore/Hargrove infallible sense of direction got us lost after the game for about half an hour. It was Josh’s fault mostly since he was driving. And his navigator, Jacob, didn’t help. We finally made it back and found that the women had one of their hot tub and wine adventures. I think this one was at Aunt Melva’s.

August 4, Friday
Friday was fun and we all relaxed. First, Bob cooked omelets and for all of you out there who said Bob was good for nothing…you’ll have to take that back. We found he was good for something. The omelets were great. Especially with the El Phoenix hot sauce.

We had a basketball game in the morning. The Bus driver drove the Hargrove’s to school. It was a good thing a nurse practitioner was present for Ryan. Bill too had to bow out. Uncle Mark had his major working and Mary and Lenora were a one-two Symczak punch. Jacob had some moves but mostly he’s unmovable. We had lunch at my place and then we held the big bocce tournament. This was a lot of fun. There was a lot of trash talking and that lucky stiff Wil shouldn’t be allowed to play. We had Katie and Chad out there and most of the clan. It was a good thing Aunt Melva wasn’t around to hear what some of my mean cousins were saying about me. I only wished Charlene had been there. I know she would have stuck up for me. But like a good trooper, I put up with it. The weather was nice and it was fun to be outside.

That night we ate leftovers that were just as good as they were the first time. Next time Tom and Linda have to bring more ribs and Bob should also bring along a few more pork chops…well add the lasagna too and fajitas as well. Some of our folks took off for home so we said good byes to Tim and family and to Uncle Rivets, aunt Cathy and Aunt Judy.

This was the night that Bill’s house started belching peaches…seriously…it really did right out of the roof and we had to call a plumber who checked it out and said he’d rather have a beer with us and check it out tomorrow. We chatted with the plumber and found out that we were all tired from a long week of having fun and we turned in early.

August 5, Saturday
We were up and at ‘em early. We had to get Bill packed and underway and we could have used an army for that. Then we all helped each other out and said good byes and hit the road. It turned out to be a fast week, but a really fun time.

Life in Dallas and Detroit

The following two pictures were taken as Bob Hargrove and Brother Bill began talking about their lives in the big city.

Mike's True Account of Events-Wednesday

August 2, Wednesday
Another rousing breakfast and off we went White water Rafting. Bonny put this event together and we drove about an hour and a half to the Nahantahala (I think that’s it). I drove with Patti, Aunt Judy, Bob and Josh. We arrived without incident. Bob got to benefit from older and more mature world vision and he suddenly declared in the car that he was switching from the Republican to the democratic to be more like Mike.

Our clan commandeered two rafts. In the first raft were a lot of Hargroves and Daniel. This raft had a guide from the raft company. Since the rest of us looked rugged and tough we did not have a guide and Josh with his vast white water experience became our fearless leader. Actually, Josh did a pretty good job. Since he was captain he was looking for a marriage to perform, but everyone on our raft was either married or not engaged (Timmy and Ryan). To say the water was cold would be an understatement. We had no idea how could it was because all our feet went numb inside of five minutes on the water. In the front of our raft we had Nikki’s husband, James and across from him in the stern was Timmy (This was a huge mistake as I shall relate.). Next came Patti and Wil was across from her, then me and Ryan with Josh on the tiller. The idea in white water rafting was to go frontward and paddle around obstacles. James and Timmy got a little confused over the paddling part. James lost his paddle and Patti had to rescue it for him from the current. Then, the front guys are supposed to paddle in unison. This was not happening and whenever there were words from the back about these phenomena, James and Timmy would stop paddling altogether to discuss the concept of paddling. This resulted in further dialog from the back of the raft. Fortunately, Wil was able to get James’ attention with his paddle. However, once we got going, the next time we came to another obstacle, the whole paddling problem would start again. Patti, whose profession it is to save lives, wondered aloud that if she killed James would the current keep him from view. I persuaded her against violence in that we would miss dinner if we had to explain James’ disappearance. We tried to trade James and Timmy for Daniel in the other raft but the Hargrove raft already knew a good deal when they saw one (Daniel). When we hit the final rapids, James fell out of our raft. There was a picture of this. Josh, however, wondered if there were any pictures of him paddling. However, in the other raft, Billy Hargrove took a fall into the river. See the other pictures on the blog for a true account of what happened in that conspiracy. We all had a good time. If you want to know about the other raft, then I challenge those others in that raft to post accounts on the blog.

We finally made it back right on time for a delicious dinner of ribs, chicken, corn, and all sorts of good stuff. Tom and Linda did the honors and we again sat around and told stories, hit the hot tubs or collapsed in sheer exhaustion.

Mike's True Account of Real Events...Tuesday

August 1 Tuesday
Clearly the highlights of Tuesday were Aunt Melva’s birthday, Mary’s knife demonstration, and the Cochran/Hargrove Tex/Mex dinner. I had breakfast that morning at Uncle Riv’s and aunt Cathy’s and after that at Aunt Melva’s. Patti and I went to scout around Asheville for a place to buy sausages for our dinner night on Thursday. I think most people just enjoyed the down time. Our little area had a boche court, putting green, chess board with players outside that stood around two feet high. Plus people had to sleep in and others that were up early had naps to take. I think Bill, Bob, Mark, Will, Aunt Judy and Shay went golfing. Word has it that Will won…lucky stiff.

First, Mary’s knife demonstration for Cutco knives was held Aunt Melva’s, Bob’s and Cathy’s. Mary made an excellent salesperson and was quite professional. She sliced that penny with the scissors faster than a lawyer assessing a billable hour. A number of us participated and got to cut things which was fun. No one lost any digits. We all left with the same number fingers and toes so this was a successful venture. Since then, I have received my knives and now have five band aids on each hand. So these things are sharp.

Next, we had dinner at Aunt Judy’s Will and Bonny’s place and ate good Mexican/texican food. Hats off to the chefs. We also had Aunt Melva’s birthday party and the highlight was the money tree. My job was to get Aunt Melva out of the kitchen/dining room so this tree could be made and be a surprised. Getting Aunt Melva to do what you want is a bit like getting a straight answer from someone from Detroit. It’s hard work. Aunt Melva didn’t want to sit outside and she didn’t want to sit somewhere out of the way. I did my best with help from some of the kids and she was surprised! She wanted to know why everyone went to all this bother. I reminded everyone that I had a birthday coming up soon. We had cake and ice cream and sat around and did what we do best…relax and talk. I think there was another hot tub group gathering somewhere later.

Update on Uncle Mark

Mark is home and doing well. He did a jolt of chemo on friday and goes back into the hospital on september 13. I've uploaded a new pic of Mark since Sue didn't like the last one!

Mike's True Account of Events-Day 3-Monday

July 31 Monday
Today we formed a large caravan and proceeded to the Biltmore Estate. That was after another round of breakfasts and lots of coffee. This caravan-involved people (Tim) flagging down our wayward group so we could all be together. We all enjoyed the tour. I kept wondering how many 514-32nd streets would fit into the Biltmore. My best guess is about 18 and a half. Then I wondered how many 417-39th streets could fit in there. I figured about about 17 because of the broader cellar. Then I wondered what it would be like to live there with all those servants and all those rooms. Could you imagine how more spoiled Josh, Katie and Zak would be? I kept wondering what kinds of chores I could make them do. I’d make josh polish the bowling alleys. I’d make Katie make all the beds, and and I’d make Zak polish all the antlers on the various animals in the great room. I did like the cigar and brandy room. (I’d have a big sign, No Girls Allowed.) I also thought the bowling alley was cool. We could have had a family league night. I would want Will on my team because he is so lucky. After the tour of the house we went to lunch at La Paz. Not everyone went because we lost a whole bunch of our people in the Biltmore. I thought I saw Bob taking a nap on one of the beds upstairs. We later went back later to the winery and had a nice tour…a little tasting and a visit to the wine store so folks could stock up for their hot tub evening soirees.
We again had dinner on Bill and Debbie’s deck. Dinner came via the Philadelphia Express. Andrea (and Tim) brought Lasagna from the City of Brotherly Love. Italian night was a success. We celebrated Jacob’s birthday. We had a nice cake and everyone was nice to Jacob. We all made an agreement to let Jacob win at poker that night (except Will).
We had to play Texas hold ‘em Poker at Aunt Judy’s, Bonny and Will’s house. Will won and Jacob came in second. We had a good time. Mark and Shay were poker novices so we wasted no time fleecing them although Mark gave us quite a scare for awhile with his “I’m not sure what to do” routine. It was fun for me lasting longer than Josh and Bob. We trundled back down the hill. Someone else will have to tell you about the various hot tub locations and what went on. The pictures today are of our Monday.

Conspiracy Theories

Please check the three newly loaded pictures courtesy of Bill Hargrove. The pictures show a stable ex-bosun, retired Coast Guarder firmly established in the raft. The second picture shows the ex-bosun exiting the raft and the third picture shows a complete exodus from the raft. We immediately heard that Bill's exit was caused by his brother, Bob, who claims he was protecting his mother and that Bill's departure was inadvertant, but necessary. However, close scrutiny of the pictures lends one to a different interpretation. In the first picture we see Aunt Judy. What we don't see is her right arm. This arm may already planted in Bill Hargrove's back. Note the second picture. Although we can't see her face clearly, it appears that Bonnie is laughing and she has just pulled her left arm back after assisting her mother. (We don't believe for a minute that she has aimed the oar at Bill's head.) Picture three shows the newly departed ex-bosun, brother Bob and Bonnie but no sign of Aunt Judy who has collapsed to the bottom of the raft in dibilitating laughter. Bob has moved to his right as his part of the conspiracy was to take the blame. Bonnie's left hand is rising to cover her mouth so that Bill won't see her laughing.

I believe these pictures provide proof positive of a Hargrove conspiracy. The forth coming Oliver Stone film should bear this all out. We do wish Aunt Judy and Bonnie would come clean in terms of their parts in the conspiracy.

The pictures tell the story.

Cousin Mike

Mike's True Account of Events-Day 2

July 30, Sunday
The one thing about Alfred and Lily’s kids is that no one sleeps late. The Aunts and Uncles are up before the roosters. If you want a good breakfast you’ve got to get up early. Aunt Judy, Aunt Melva and Cathy all had breakfasts fired up. Some of us smarter ones learned early you could get a couple of breakfasts with judicious visiting. We decided today we would take a walk on the Mountain to Sea trail right by Aunt Judy’s and Bunny’s and Will’s cabin. There was a large group of us lead by Kellee and Shay’s son, Daniel. Daniel and Madison were the Hawkeye and Natty Bumpo of the Moore-Hargrove group. Daniel even stopped to help some of the older relatives across the creek. He tried to help me and I tried to smack him but he ducked out of the way. We went pretty far because I could just begin to smell the ocean. Then we turned back. Had we listened to Robert Hargrove in terms of directions we would still be on the trail. Thankfully, those born without the Moore sense of direction were able to figure the way back.
For lunch a bunch of us went to the Asheville festival called Belle Chere. We have no idea what it meant, but it was a happening festival. There was lots of music, food and crafts. We got to watch the super shopper, Aunt Patty, go into action. You could tell Uncle Ralph had seen all this before. It was fun but hot. We also had to hurry back to help Bob with supper. Bob brought pork chops all the way from Texas packed in dry ice. Of course after asking my assistance we got those chops going on three or four different grills. We ate at Billy’s and Debbie’s again and had more than enough. We all then sat around and told mostly untrue stories. This is when Uncle Tom had some VERY CALLOUS words for his brother regarding a dog I had to take care of for Patti’s daughter, Alexis. It almost made me cry to think of all the good, brotherly advice I gave Tom while growing up. It was a good thing that I could tell that his conscience was bothering him. Then we told more stories and finally all drifted off to cabins. Some of the women started their hot tub routines. This became a nightly ritual involving either wine or peach drinks and lots of conversation. Aunt Melva says she really misses those hot tubs. Of course for at least one of our ilk the “hot” part of hot tub was not satisfactory. Debbie Hargrove filled hers with ice so the experience was a bit different there. Remember, this was the house that would erupt peaches now and then as well. More on this one later. (The picture is from the group on Bill's back porch.)

Mike's True Account of the Real Events...

This Being the True Events of the Moore-Hargrove Reunion: Asheville, NC-July 29-August 4.

July 29-Saturday
We began our day nearly packed and ready for the drive from Statesboro to Asheville. All we had to do is pick up route 25 in Statesboro and follow it all the way to Asheville. We found a nice roadside stand and bought some great peaches that everyone enjoyed. Patti reminded me of how much my cousins looked up to me and admired my sparking personality. Yes, I agreed it was quite a responsibility.

We arrived in the mid afternoon and inhabited Mom’s Place. Josh informed us that he couldn’t make it until later so we took the best bed and the downstairs bathroom. Others started rolling in and it was great to see everyone. Tom had a caravan with him and was responsible for transporting two aunts and an uncle. Bob and Cathy arrived and moved into Mike’s which must have been a special treat for Bob. Uncle Rivets, Cathy, Big Kel, Gary and Madison were with them. Going down the line downhill was Tom and Linda, Shay, Kellee and Daniel, James and Nikki. Then down at the end was Aunt Sue, Uncle Mark, Mary and Lenora and Aunt Patty and Uncle Ralph. Aunt Melva was with Bob and Cathy. Going up the hill after Bob’s place came the Billy/Debby Hargrove clan. Jacob, Ryan and Amber filled this place. Their place had the biggest deck area so this became the meeting place for many dinners until they started blowing peaches out of the roof (more on this later). At the top of heart attack hill was
Aunt Judy Will and Bonnie. Their place was a good place for the poker game. You’d think Will would be a better host and not win…but nooo. I think he and Jacob were in cahoots. I thought I saw a couple of high signs being exchanged. More on this later.

We ordered pizzas all around and everyone congregated at Bill and Debby Hargrove’s. We had a nice time catching up with everyone. We decided to take a hike in the morning and then maybe go to the Bele Chere Festival in downtown Ashville. Josh finally arrived and we all said our goodnights a bit early.

Stay tuned for further adventures…

Tim, Andrea, Tim and Arica

Some of Tom's and Linda's Crew

I had to fix the camera after this picture!

Family Shots

Putting Aunt Melva to work

A couple moore pictures

Who is that guy with the hat? He seems to have that look of command and deft intelligence.

A Special Thanks to Aunt Sue

Reunion Pictures, Pt. 1

Group Photo. You can click on the photo to see the full size.
I've gotten a lot of emails from people asking 'who is stunningly handsome guy on the second row, far right?' Apparently, the good looks skip a generation.

One person in this photo is basketball hoopster with mad skillz, and the envy of many. The other lives in Atlanta.



I'll post more pictures later in the week, but I wanted to give you an idea of the kinds of posts that are possible. For instance, if there is a noteworthy newspaper article, you can link it to the blog for us to read & comment on.

Re-launch

We are trying to re-launch the Moore family blog. I want to give detailed instructions on this blog post so it will be clear how we can all use it to keep informed and share with each other.

First, if you want to post to the blog, you will need to create an account with Blogger, then email me or dad. We'll add you to the list. When you log in to your blogger account, you'll see the "dashboard", which will list Alf & Lilly's Kids blog, plus any other blogs to which you may have posting permission.

Click on "Create". Think of a title for your post, then type the content. You can upload pictures from the "create" page by clicking the picture icon and locating your photo's file location. When you are done, you click the "Publish Post" button at the bottom of the page and it loads your new post in reverse chronological order (Hargroves: that means newest posts at the top)

If you merely want to leave a comment for an existing post, you do that from our family blog web address. If you don't have a blogger account, it will display your post as "Anonymous".

My next post will share some photos from the reunion.

love,
josh