River Day 12/28/2020

 So we were able to get together to celebrate River Day on the last Monday of 2020, and what a strange year it's been.  Jay, Tim, Ted and I got together at Jay's for a nice quiet afternoon.  The weather was pretty mild, especially since we just came out of a weekend with temps dipping into single digits and dropping several inches of snow.  We didn't have a prayer meeting this past weekend since it was Christmas.

Nothing much going on, just discussing the holidays and having the usual laughs.

This post certainly sets a high record for the most in a calendar year.  Hope to carry on with that in the upcoming year.

On behalf of the Rivertarian party, Happy New Year to all our readers, wherever you may be!

River Day 12/21/2020 - Christmas Edition

 

So we were able to get together on the last Monday before Christmas for a little celebration.  Jay, Ted, Tim and I met at Jay's for a little holiday cheer and camaraderie.  Nothing says Christmas like a bunch of Rivertarians and some beverages.

We were also joined this week by Jay's son William, William's son Liam, and Jay's grandson Logan.  Lori popped in and out a few times and even hand delivered a little sandwich toward the end of the evening (sorry to you guys that missed out on this part).

Although we get together as often as twice a week, there are two events that I can't imagine missing: the Fall Camping Trip and our Christmas celebration.  Both were spectacular this year.

I would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to my friends and their families!  I hope to celebrate with all of you for many years to come.

Here are a few photos from the evening, along with a short video (this time with audio).

River Day 12/14/2020

 Another cold, snowy River Day celebration this week attended by Tim, Ted, Jay and me.  We had a couple of inches earlier in the day and it never warmed up enough to melt.  Obviously that didn't stop us from enjoying another gathering of Rivertarians.

The theme of the evening seemed to be all about sharing: dream catchers, calendars, and turkey basting.  Maybe a little too much sharing on that last one.  I don't know about everyone else, but my sides still hurt from laughing.  Ted brought his collection of 2021 calendars to distribute to anyone that needed one.  He's apparently on a pretty extensive list to receive them.  He even had some that had a few extra months in them.  Who knew?

We also tried out a little technology this week, just to see how it worked.  Never know when you might need to call an emergency video chat meeting for the group.  And other than the expected shenanigans, it seemed to work pretty good.  Might come in handy one day.

I wish Jay and Tim safe travels this week, with another snow/ice storm coming in on Wednesday through Thursday morning.  Hope you guys have a great visit with your family.  Be safe.

Happy River Day to everyone!

Prayer Meeting 12/11/2020

 Hard to believe the week started with snow, and then ends up with 60 degree temps, but that's what we got for this week's Friday gathering.  Jay, Ted and I were able to meet for another great evening.  

Ted and I got to help Jay and Lori move a dresser from the apartment to the top floor.  I say "got to help" since Jay rarely asks anyone for help, so I was honored that he asked.  As you might imagine, it worked up a bit of a thirst, but we took care of that.

We're thinking about a road trip at the first of the year to the "secret" bunker at The Greenbrier Resort (January or February) and Jay had some material to look over from a previous trip.  It's kind of funny that what was made public in the 90's was well known to West Virginians for a long time - the 70's for me.  That said, I've never been on the tour and am looking forward to it.

We got into a few dart games again this week and Jay was nice enough to decorate the area with lights.  Added a special touch to the evening.

I am always thankful to spend time with my fellow Rivertarians and brothers.  Great evening as always.

River Day 12/07/2020

 Ted, Jay and I got together for a snowy River Day this week.  Temps were somewhere between 26 and 74 degrees depending on which thermometer you looked at.  Or when you looked at it.  But it was cold with about an inch of snow on the ground.

Jay's grandson Logan was there after school, and he got to do (or try anyway) something that very few people have had the chance to try - sled down Milly's yard.  There wasn't really enough snow for a good run, but he bundled up and gave it a great go.

Jay's cat knows when it's time to stay inside.  I don't think he moved much while we there there.

The three of us got in one good round of darts to top the afternoon off, then it was back to reality.

Always enjoy a great River Day!

12/4/20 Prayer Meeting

 This afternoons prayer meeting was celebrated by Jay, Ted and me (Tim). We welcomed in the first December post with a rainy overcast weather day, however in the true spirit of the rivertarians, we didn't allow the lousy weather outside to dampen the atmosphere inside! Conversations were, as usual, covering a wide variety of topics, from the building of a pretty cool wooden clock kit that Jay and Lori completed, to this crazy tortilla chip challenge called the "PAQUE ONE CHIP CHALLENGE". One of these chips was introduced to us by Ted during the fall camping trip this year, we did have a few of the guys try a small piece! CRAZY... We had a few good laughs watching some YouTube videos of people actually trying the challenge, one that actually caused the "challenger" to start bleeding from the mouth!! OUCH

Anyway, another great way to end the work week, certainly missed the other guys.

River Day 11/30/2020

 

With the season's first winter storm on the horizon, we celebrated this week's River Day on the last Monday in November.  Jay, Tim, Ted, and I got together for the now expected good time and lots of laughs.  It was actually snowing a bit as I walked both to and from Jay's.  I took it as a sneak preview.

Since snow was in the forecast our conversation partially focused on memories of sledding when we were all growing up; locking boots in sleds, bread bags over socks, that kinda thing.  Stuff you don't see much of anymore.

We know if won't mean much to our readers (whoever they may be) but this blog post marks a milestone for us.  We started this blog in 2010, and we've tried to be faithful to keep it up to date.  Previously, the maximum number of posts in a calendar year was 41, and that was in 2012.  Over the years the number of posts has varied, with the lowest in a year being 7 (ouch).

So with this post we've set a new record - 42 (so far) in a single year.  And we still have a month of River Days and Prayer Meetings to include.  Plus any other get togethers that might accidentally happen.

Thanks to all who read this stuff and enjoy our pics.  I know that I do!

Happy River Day!

No phones forgotten this week!

Post Holiday Prayer Meeting 11/27/2020

 Since most of us were off work for the holiday, Prayer Meeting started a little earlier this week.  And I have to say, it was one of the best ones we've had.  Jay, Ted and I got together and spent time on a project (haven't had one for a while), and a couple of rounds of darts (haven't done that for a while either).

So I was recently given a vintage Christmas decoration, and sometime over the years someone had made some modifications to it that I wanted to undo.  The power cord didn't feed through the hole it was intended to go through, and some of the light "bulbs" had been glued in by a previous owner.  

Our project involved us rewiring the base,  and removing the bulbs that were glued, without damaging the piece.  And yes, we were successful.  I even brought along a bag containing replacement lights.

Once we had that done, Jay took it a step further (doesn't he always?).  We replaced the 7 watt bulb that provides the light with a 60 watt LED bulb that uses the equivalent of 6.5 watts.  If you scroll through the pics below, you'll see the difference it made.

Once the project was complete and we had the workbench decorated for the evening, we moved onto a few games of darts.  

All in all, it was a great meeting of Rivertarians.  Sorry the rest of the gang couldn't make it this week.

I'm posting more pics than usual this week because they kind of tell the story of the evening.  All photo credits go to Jay.  The one evening I really "needed" my phone, I forgot it at home.  You never realize how addicted to those things you are until it's not in your hand.  Or until one of your friends constantly reminds you that you forgot your phone!

Enjoy the pics!

Let there be light!

River Day 11/23/20

Hello all! Sorry for the late post; Tim,Ted and I did get together for some relaxing and some good conversation on Monday. No pictures but we did have some fun and lots of laughter.On a different note I would like to wish all of the members and followers of this blog a Happy Thanksgiving. J

Prayer Meeting 11/20/2020

 Ok, I thinks it's safe to say that we had the best fire on the street/in the yard/in the neighborhood this evening.  Temps were a little chilly despite the sunshine and blue skies, so we moved from the front to the backyard this evening at Jay's.

Ted, Tim, Jay and I got together for a nice little after work meeting.  Well, maybe I had to do a little work while there, but it wasn't too bad.

Everyone there planned on watching the space station this evening at 6:16, but I for one missed it.  Not sure who all actually got to see it (except for Tim).  

I also had this great idea that I was going to climb the extension ladder that is forever tangled in vines in Jay's yard, but after I hit the third rung, it became apparent that that was a stupid idea.

Pretty sure I was supposed to remember something else to add to this post, but...   Hope someone else remembers and adds to this.

Gotta love our get-togethers.

River Day 11/16/2020

 

We had a great River Day celebration this week at Jay's.  Tim, Ted, Jay and I were able to make it for an indoor session.  Temps are finally starting to feel more like fall, with colder weather on the way.

Lots of talk again about the recent camping trip, where we learned a dark secret about Tim: he secretly bogarted all the ice cream bars that were intended for the group.  Guess he was playing catch up from a few years ago when he missed out.  No, it didn't exactly happen like that, but it was a great story and a great laugh.  

We did practice a sneak peak at what the group pic is going to look like on Jay's wall.  Great to see the tradition carried on.

Wish I could remember all of the conversations, but I know we laughed a lot this week.

Thanks to Jay for supplying this week's photos!

Prayer Meeting 11/13/20

Well Friday the thirteenth's prayer meeting seemed that the entire gang would be present when the day began, all of a sudden it took a different turn! Tim was involved with some work issues and Mark was busy with his family.We spent some time watching the Master's Tournament,and did some praying about what may happen in mid January 2021.We certainly missed Tim and Mark but that's what the blog is for. I hope everyone has a good weekend!

River Day 11/09/2020

 We had an unusually warm day for this time of year to celebrate River Day this week: blue skies and around 70 degrees.  Jay, Ted and I got together at Jay's for a few hours of relaxing and going through the pics from the camping trip.  We even had a little sneak peek at how the group picture would look in Jay's shop.

One of the best parts of the evening was that there was zero political talk - hard to escape these days, but we managed it.

Sorry, but I don't think there are any pictures for this week (I didn't take any, not sure about the other two).  If any surface, I'll be glad to add them to this post.

Another great River Day get together!

Fall Camping Trip: Oct 28 - Nov 1, 2020

 

Well, it's hard to believe, but we've just finished up with yet another Rivertarian Fall Camping Trip.  This year's crowd was just a tad smaller than some of our previous trips: Jay, Ted, Tim, Pat and myself were able to make it.  Pat's son Matthew took leave and was able to join us for half the trip (Wednesday and Thursday nights).

The weather this year was all over the place: from overcast and mild to clear and cold.  We even had a full day of serious rain (1" - 2" forecast).  The low was on Friday night where it dipped to about 26.  

The camping trip was held at the traditional, and favorite location: Sherwood Lake in Greenbrier County, WV.  Except for Pat's rocket run to drop Matthew off in White Sulphur, we never left the campground.

Activities around the camp was varied, with lots of walking,  some boomerang throwing, pumpkin carving, and the usual fire tending and cooking.

As usual, I (and others) took a lot of photos.  I've tried posting them in chronological order, and I've edited the list down so as not to bore with the same picture over and over.  There are also a couple of short videos at the end of this post.

These get togethers become more and more important as the years go by, and I hope for many more to come.

Long live the Rivertarians!