The Boxing Day Blizzard

      The day after Christmas is traditionally known as Boxing Day.  We celebrated by playing host to Erin, Kris, and David and then shoveling.  I sang in church on Sunday.  The kids came over for a light lunch and games.  All the while we kept our eyes out for the start of what the National Weather Service had predicted to be a major storm.  A few flakes started around 3:00, so the girls returned to Petersburgh, while David decided to spend the night.  We were glad he decided to stay.  Overnight we collected 20" of snow.  As a result we spent most of the AM clearing the driveway and making trails for the dogs in the back yard. 
     This is our 8th year in this house and this is the most snow we've had to clear

      The first year we lives here in Averill Park, we had a Christmas Eve snow storm.  Fortunately my dad's snow blower was available to us,  which made clearing the driveway much easier.  We blessed Dad again on Monday as it continues to work.

      The other task which created a bit of labor was raking the roof.  The snow had drifted at several points on the roof and we decided it was important to get some of the weight off the roof so we didn't have a Metrodome experience(snow crashing through the roof.)  David's height came in handy.

     Of course, when the snow stopped and the snow came out, it was a winter wonderland.

Christmas 2010 II

       Wednesday December 22nd I went out to Schoharie County for the courthouse Christmas party.  Schoharie was a great place to work and many of my best friends work at that court(including two of my former assistants)  As always, the food and camaraderie was great.  I got to meet my successor. I think I had met him before at some point in my career.  It was a bit eerie to find out that we both have some of the same interests.(I'm sure that has made it easier for people to adjust to him)  It was also good to catch up with Tim, Bill, George, and Chris.  The conversations around the lunch table during my work years in that county were the best part of the day. (There's a play in there somewhere)

    
      Erin, Krista and Spike drove into town on the 22nd also.  We met on Thursday for our annual pre-Christmas bowling outing(actually it's only the second year for our annual pre-Christmas bowling outing)  A good time was had by all.  Erin and Spike both recorded their high scores ever.  It was Spike's first time using real bowling balls and pins.  He usually bowls candle pins.  David doesn't use the thumb hole on his ball.  He cradles it on his wrist to get a bigger hook.  Of course by the end of the 2nd game he was suffering from carpel tunnel.  He almost beat me this year.

Thursday night I went to choir rehearsal even though I wasn't going to be able to attend X-mas eve services. It was fun to sing and listen to the hard work the Church of the Covenant Choir puts in.  I've got to find a choir in Durham!

      Christmas Eve was at my sister's house in Saratoga.  On the way up to dinner we stopped off at our friends Tom and Jackie Citriniti for their open house.  A bunch of  members of a men's discussion group I was in for awhile were there and we got a chance to talk.  It was good to see them.
       My sister sets a beautiful table(the food is pretty good too.)  In addition to Erin, Kris, David, and my brother-in-law George we were joined by mountain climbing friend Tony and Jane.  It was a nice evening.
In addition to setting a nice table and preparing great food, Suzanne has developed an artistic side which shows itself in the way she wraps package.  Krista's package presented a tableau, Nan's a tower, and mine was in 3-D.  Sue used to be the Queen of Bows, but now the whole package gets a treatment.  It's great fun.

        We got home around midnight.  Christmas morning we went over to our neighbor Mary Caulfield's home.  She has suffered a broken ankle and we helped her and her grandson get ready for the rest of her family.  From there we went to the Pine Bush to meet our friends Dag and Tom for a hike around the Pine Bush.  It was a beautiful day.  The last present was opened in the twilight by the fire.

Christmas Week Part I

       The week leading up to Christmas is always busy and this year it seemed particularly so.  Between shopping, visiting friends, and trying to clean up the house the hours just flew by.  We spent Monday shopping for a rug for the living room and some curtains.  Last fall we had new floors put in the living room and hallway.  We decided at the time that our furniture was a bit past its prime and had moved it all to our basement for use in the "family room of the future".  As a result, the only items in the living room were two book cases and two patio chairs from the deck.  Our search for items to add to the room started with the purchase of curtains and deciding about the type of rug.  So Monday was pick up and installed the curtains.
      Tuesday David joined us for a few hours.  His cell phone has broke and he was told that only the phone "owner" could make arrangements to get it fixed.  So we went to A T & T. It turns out it was cheaper for Nan and I to upgrade and let David take one of our phones.  We had talked about getting each other new phones with Internet capability.  We are now the proud owners of Blackberry Torches.  We spent our first night a phone owners in bed, each with our own directions (quite romantic).  Tuesday night we had dinner with our friends Helen and Larry.  Nice time.
     We've always been pretty aggressive about Christmas decorations (not like throwing Christmas bulbs at each other - but in the amount of decorations)  Since we now just sorta "blow into town", we've cut back substantially:  one lighted wreath outside, a small 4' tree inside, and just half of my Christmas village.

   

  

Busy Holiday Weekend

     One of the nice things about being home is seeing our friends.  One of the tough things about being home is seeing our friends.  Since we're only here for three weeks, it's difficult to find the time to do all the things we want to do and see all the people we want to see.  On top of all those desires comes the incidents of life that require your time, energy, and empathy.  There seems to be an unusual number of deaths and illnesses which have occurred affecting our lives and those of our friends.  My good friend Katherine Wells died last week, and the family has contacted me with a number of questions regarding the estate. Our neighbor Mary has broken her ankle and has been practically immobile.  We've been over several times to help out and are making her dinner tonight.  The wife of a lawyer friend of mine has had a recurrence of her cancer. On top of these the 18 year old son of some Berlin friends died in a car accident last week.  I tried to go to the wake, but it was so crowded that after waiting 50 minutes I had to leave to pick-up Nan who was waiting for me.
     Last Thursday I went to choir rehearsal at the Church of the Covenant in Averill Park.  It was good to see everybody and actually sing.  I realize I miss using my voice and I can assure you that my voice misses the exercise.  On Friday Val Gray, Jim Miller and I went out for lunch at the Town Tavern.  (This was formerly known as the Park Tavern and had a rather unsavory reputation - it has cleaned-up very nicely.)  It was good to talk with these old friends, both of whom are also retired.  On Saturday, after a little shopping, we went out to meet Tom and Jackie at Vapors, a nightclub at the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway facility in Saratoga.  We went because a group "The Refrigerators" was playing.  We have seen them play a number of times and have always enjoyed them.  They are a pretty good cover group, which usually plays a number of oldies.  Such was not the case on Saturday night.  They went a "funkadilic" route.  Every song had about the same sound and beat.  The only oldies they played were "O, What a Night"(Four Seasons -disco phase) and "I'm a Soul Man" (which gave everybody the chance to dance like Dan Ackroyd in "The Blues Brothers").
     Yesterday was church in the AM with a chance to say "hi" friends in attendance.  David made a guest appearance in the PM and went to a RPI hockey game with Jim Miller and I.  We met Sue and George there.  RPI played the US Junior Team containing former RPI player Jerry D'Amico.  It was a very good game and went to a great shoot-out which RPI won in the 12th round.  Afterwards we headed to downtown Troy dinner at the brewpub.
     The weather has been reasonable (for upstate NY) - a little light snow and cold(but not super cold).  A busy week ahead.  Merry Week Before Christmas to All!

The Midnight Ride of Nan and Phil

      We left Durham at 5:00 P.M. last night and headed north for the holidays.  We had pretty good success last year doing a night ride home so we decided to try it again.  It was a pretty full day even before we hit the road.  We went to the gym early to get one last good workout before sitting in the car for 11 hours.  Then I did a couple of loads of laundry(I hate coming home to household chores).  Took the dogs for an hour walk over at Eno, where the trails are no all frozen, to try and tire them out for the trip.  Then I tried to nap, but couldn't so packed the car instead.  The next thing you know, it's time to go.
     The dogs were great.  Every now and then Hattie would stick her nose between the front seats just to make sure we were still there.  Finn slept most of the way.  We stopped four times for short breaks to feed and water them(and ourselves).  Reached D.C. around 10, and it was a breeze to get through.  No snow, but it was blustery.  Reached home at 3:30 A.M. and found 3 inches of snow.  Deciding to shovel (oh how I hate that word) in the morning fell into bed and slept instantly.

Comin' Home

  Yesterday was a clear, sunny, cold day.  The major event was a trip to Greensboro to audition for the Triad Stage.  It's one of the few equity companies within reasonable driving range.  This was one of their semi-annual general auditions.  Nan came too and we both did our standard audition pieces.  They only have two shows left in their main stage season - Steel Magnolias and Masquerade.  I don't think there are too many roles available.  Anyway, it felt good to get up and run a few line, albeit for less than 3 minutes.  The nature of the beast. 
      The theater itself is in downtown Greensboro and looks a little like Cap Rep.  I think they have a second smaller stage as well.  The drive is about 49 miles, but time wise it's about the same as driving from Averill Park to Bennington.  Time will tell.
      Today was all about getting ready to head north.  To avoid the DC gridlock we're leaving at about 5:00PM, which will get us to AP about 3:00 AM.  Weather looks clear.  Only possibilities of flurries and squalls when we hit NY.  Wish us luck.  It will be the dogs first trip north, so I'm anticipating a few stops.

Misty,Moisty, Mornings

    Over the weekend the temperature rose a bit, but so did the humidity.  There was still a distinct chill in the air. Took the dogs for a good AM walk on Saturday, then ran 3.5 miles around noon.  The Duke v. St. Louis game was on TV when I got back followed by the RPI v. BU hockey game at Houston Field House in Troy, NY.  It was the national game of the week on the NHL channel.  Both my teams won ,so it was a good PM.(I spent most of the RPI game trying to see if my sister and brother-in-law were in our old seats. - No luck)    Nan was having some of her girlfriends over to say Merry Christmas, so I went to see Harry Potter.  Not bad.  Does make you ready for the final chapter.
     Sunday was another misty,moisty morning.  Again the dogs got a good walk, then church.  The church I started to attend is a United Methodist church close to East Campus.  A good group of students attend and the minister has been very outgoing. One of the things I have found interesting about the churches I have visited is that they are still somewhat segregated.  Of course, the Methodist church in the 19th century had a battle over abolition and there are a number of AME churches in the area which are the result of the southern UMC churches excluding blacks.  It seems strange though that in this region which appears pretty liberal politically there isn't more diversity within the churches.
    After church, I met Nan at the gym and we worked out for almost an hour.  From there she went to the shelter to walk dogs.  The number of volunteers has fallen off.  So even though she has papers to correct, the dogs are getting walked.  (I took ours for a PM hike)  At night we went to see the Narnia film, Voyage of the Dawn Something or other.  I never read the C. S. Lewis books, but Nan said that this movie stayed very close to the book.  It was very entertaining.
     By nightfall the cold front had passed and the winds had picked up from the northwest.  I'd be looking for lake effect snow, but there's no lake.
    

Last Rounds

     The weather has finally moderated a little - got into the low 40s today.  So I went out to Occoneechee Golf Course to play what will probably be my last 18 holes before we head north for Christmas.  I got there about 10:45 and the course was still not open, as the green were still "frozen".  The pro estimated that they would open within the hour.  I drove over to Willowdale, which is another course I play, and they were closed too.  I stopped off at a part of Eno State Park that I hadn't explored and went for a short hike.  I decided to drive past Occoneechee one more time.  If it was open, I'd play.  If not, then on to Christmas shop.
    It was open and I played my last round of the year.  Played the first 9 with some regular members - nice bunch of guys - good golfers.  Fortunately I had my best front nine of the year - 43.  One of the guys estimated that he had played over 200 days last year.  Some of those days he would play 3 rounds.  No wonder they were good.  They had another friend join them for the back nine, so I finished up alone - 48 for a 91.  My best round in quite awhile.
    Today was the last day of classes for Duke students and we were invite to a house party at one of Nan's fellow faculty members for a celebration of the end of the semester.  We stopped off shopping first, then on to the party for a round of goodbyes.  I find such get-togethers very interesting. (Probably because I have so little interaction with people down here.)  Had a long talk with a cultural anthropologist from Liverpool (the one in England) who is a fellow at the American Academy for the Humanities in Raliegh(who knew there was such a thing).  He's an expert on Peruvian culture.  Also chatted with Art, another cultural anthropologist  who has just finished a book on the Tiger Woods scandal.  He said that he had been working on a book looking at the cultural aspects of golf, but when Tiger's incident occurred - so he centered on the cultural aspects of that affair (or affairs). Finally, talked with one of Nan's co-worker, a Colgate grad. He has Kyrie Irving in his class and says he's a really classy kid.  Anyway, so much for  making the last rounds here in Durham.

No Contest

      Still a bit chilly here in Durham.  Manage to get to 40 today, but the sky was blue and the sun was warm.  There are various shades of blue acknowledged in these parts.  There is Duke Blue, of course, and Carolina Blue(the color associated with that other institution 8 miles down the road).  But there is nothing as blue as a sky without any clouds in it on a brisk day.  That's my favorite blue.  You can see it on a cold winter's day in the ADKs or at 7,300 feet in Glacier or like today from my study window. 
     Today featured a trip to Brodie Gym on the East Campus of Duke for an hour of lifting.  The I took the dogs on an hour and half hike over at Eno.  We climbed Cox Mountain.  The concept of a mountain in this section of NC is somewhat abbreviated. They are more like a rolling hill or ridge.  I don't think we got above 1,000 feet and the elevation gain was only 200' to 300', but it was pretty - still some snow in the woods and a little ice forming on the river.
     Tonight we went over to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the Duke v. U Albany women's basketball game.  Contrary to the men's games, you can get good seats for the women's games.  Duke is currently ranked 5th in the nation and they beat the Great Danes by 40 points.  The game was close for the first 10 minutes, but Duke's full-court pressure eventually wore the visitors down.  U Albany committed 25 turnovers and shot only 33%.  Their leading scorer was the shortest person on the court 5' 4"(that's being generous) Felicia Johnson with 18 points.  Albany didn't attack the full-court pressure very well and also didn't attack the basket when they did get the ball up-court and had numbers(Sounds like I know what I'm talking about, doesn't it).  Anyway, It was no contest.  I would like to know why the Duke coach continued the full-court pressure with her team ahead by so much.

     Cameron is a neat place.  It was opened in 1940 and at the time was the largest indoor arena south of Philly.  Today around the concourse are a number of great historical exhibits featuring great moments in Duke basketball history.  It is like going to a museum.

Kyrie's Big Toe

      One of the campus unifying activities here at Duke revolves around the men's basketball program.  The men's team was generous enough last year to welcome Nan and I by winning the NCAA  men's basketball championship.  We even got tickets to one of the games last year.  I went over for the celebration after they won last spring.    Seeing a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium is quite an experience.  The student section is noisy, abusive, and clever.  When the conference games start after the first of the year, a tent city rises outside Cameron where students tent out to be in line for tickets to the home games.
     This year we are off to a great start being led by a freshman point guard by the name of Kyrie Irving.  We're 9 and 0, having defeated a couple of top 10 teams already and being #1 in the polls.  Can anybody say "Repeat"?  Ah, but the basketball gods have been unkind.  Kyrie has injured his big toe and is out indefinitely.  We still have a pretty good team, but we'll have to "hit on all cylinders" in every game to make it back to the top.  It will be fun to watch.
      It remains cold here, mid-30s during the day.  Did a little Christmas shopping and took the dogs for a walk over to Eno. Took the night off from out concert tour, to watch the Duke v. Bradley BB game on TV and get ready for tonight's Duke women's BB game against U of Albany - That's right the Great Danes will be at Cameron tonight. - I'll be reporting tomorrow.

Buehler, Eno, and Another Concert

       It's been a bit chilly in Durham the past few days.  Last Saturday's snow is still around in shady areas, and the wind has a bite.  But it is December.
      Yesterday the dogs got up early so we took them for an early morning walk on the Al Buehler trail around the golf course.  It was almost empty, except for the Duke lacrosse team on a training run.  I use the word "run" loosely.  It appears that the team was divided into squads of about six each.  They each had a wheelbarrow containing a couple of sacks of concrete mix and they had a large rock which they were passing back and forth. One group was loosely chained together.  It was a bizarre scene as they were trying to run, pass the rock back and forth, and push the wheelbarrow up and down the hills of the trail.
     Nan spent a large portion of the day doing the first read-through of the papers she is correcting.  I wrote and worked on a re-write of several scenes in my play.  Later in the P.M. we took the dogs for another walk over at Eno River State Forest.  During the week this time of year you have the place pretty much to yourself, and the dogs love it.  Finn loves "the hunt".  When he gets a scent or sees squirrels or deer he wants to take off on the chase.  We'll never see him again if the leash ever breaks.

     This evening I went back over to the Duke Chapel for the Christmas Concert of the Duke University Chorale.  We had gone last year, and enjoyed it.  This year's concert was very similar to last years in terms of content.  They blend was excellent on most pieces.  There were a few pitch problems on a couple of the numbers however.  It is difficult for a large choir to hear each other in such a massive venue, particularly on the accapella numbers.  The other distracting thing was the number of crying babies.  The acoustics seemed better for the babies than for the choir at times.
     In any event, it was another nice way to spend an evening and get in the Christmas spirit and do a little singing as well as the audience got to sing some carols.  Admission was the donation of can goods for the Durham food pantries.  Last year they collected over 2000 lbs of food.  Good job Duke Chorale.

Another Day, Another performance

     Last night we had the opportunity to see a preview of a new, one-person play entitled Art Tatum:Piano Starts Here, at the Kennedy Theatre in The Progressive Energy Center over in Raleigh.  It was our first trip to downtown Raleigh and to the Energy Center which is an impressive venue featuring four separate theaters.(They have both  Christmas Carol  and Christmas Story up at the same time)  The Kennedy is a small black box theater seating about 170.
    The play is the story of Art Tatum, legendary jazz pianist of the mid 20th century.  His life story is told  by the owner of an imaginary jazz club in Harlem. (If you sit at the tables down front and on-stage you get served beer all night - which I'm not sure sends the right message as there are indications in the play that both Tatum and Fats Waller died of illnesses related to alcoholism. Anyway, It's a cute bit and allows the bar owner to interact with the audience.)
      For those of you who aren't aware, Tatum was a blind black man who hailed from Toledo, Ohio, and became one of the nation's premier jazz musicians.  The fictional club owner, called Doc Hanley, tells Tatum's story through a series of anecdotes.  Other than a few obvious line miscues (haven't we all been there) the actor playing Doc does a nice job. (There were no programs, and I didn't catch his name.)
      There is another character in the play. It's a grand piano that sits stage left.  The piano has been programed to play Tatum arrangements of at least 10 songs.  It is simply amazing to hear these masterpieces played, and are crafted into the narrative very well.  The piano is well lit. It truly feels like you are watching an actual presentation by the long-dead Tatum.
     The technology for this amazing feat is provided by Zenph (You can go to Zenph.com to find out more - I'd link it if I could figure out how to do that).  They take audio recordings from any source and convert them into "precise, nuanced keystrokes and pedal motions.  This is done in data formats which can be played back with phenomenal reality on a high-resolution computer controlled grand piano."  You could close your eyes and really feel Tatum's presence.  The play is directed by Jay O'Berski, the "wunderkind" of theater in the Triangle.  Jay is a professor at Duke, but also directs, acts, and consults with a number of small theaters in this area.
     The play is being marketed as a merger of theater and technology.  I think this is unfortunate because the piano really does become a character in the play.  It is more than a "player piano".  It represents the life of an under appreciated American genius.   

The Adventure of Finn and Hattie

        Very soon after Nan arrived in Durham, she began to volunteer at the Animal Protective Society of Durham.  The APS is the dog shelter for Durham County.  It also shelters cats and rescues many other animals.  They even had a domesticated pig up for adoption at one time.  As long as I've know Nan,she owned dogs.  Will and Tuck were part of our family when we wed.  Both have moved on to doggie heaven.
       Nan began as a dog walker at APS.  She wrote an op-ed piece for the Durham Herald Sun which was very well received.  Last Spring we began to foster some of the dogs that were having a hard time living in the kennels at APS.

       Petunia, now known as Zara, was our first foster.  She was so afraid to come out of her kennel that we had to drop a trail of treats to get her to the door.  Once home however, she blossomed into a loving and energetic pet.  She has been adopted and we've become friends with her new owner.  She's doing great.

      Our second foster was Finley.  This was also a dog traumatized by life in the kennel.  We had to carry him out of his cage.  He is a very submissive dog.  Little is known about his past as he was found wandering downtown Durham.  He has many scars around his throat which leads us to believe he had been in some battles.  At home he is quite docile, but on the trail his fox terrier roots come alive.  We adopted him about two months ago and shortened his name to Finn..

       Our third foster is Bella, soon to be know as Hattie.  She is a cocker mix.  We were asked to foster her because when she was surrendered her prior owner indicated that she was unmanageable and had nipped at the prior owner's boyfriend (perhaps Bella was making a judgment call that her owner should have considered).  The woman in charge of the dogs, Alison(who has a great Scottish accent), asked us to work with her.  It turns out that the prior owner worked in health care and had long shifts.  We believe that Bella was crated all day and then probably most of the night.  She gets very defensive when something out of the ordinary occurs and we're working with her.  Otherwise, she is a loving and affectionate(if insecure) dog and she hasn't nipped me yet.  We'll probably adopt her as well.
      Having two dogs again does restriction spontaneity - you just can't drop everything and go to the beach for a weekend.  But to think that all these dogs were on death row makes one glad that they'll have a shot at life.  It also help with our physical conditioning.  For instance this AM 3 miles around the Al Buehler X-country trail and another couple of miles this PM.
      Oh, by the way, Nan has been named the APS volunteer of the month.

The Messiah and Other Christmas-like Things

     As the semester gets closer to ending, the number of campus activities here at Duke increase greatly.   All the choral and orchestral groups plan holiday concerts. There are dance recitals and dramatic presentations.  Of course the athletic department tries to squeeze in a few basketball games before exam week.  You may have heard, both our men's and women's teams are undefeated.
    Anyway, our participation in the festivities started Friday night by attending the annual presentation of the Messiah at Duke Chapel.  The term "chapel" is of course a misnomer.  It really is a cathedral.

    The performance was outstanding.  The choral work was impeccable as were the soloists.  I particularly enjoyed the bass and the soprano.  One of the interesting aspects of this production was the use of a counter-tenor rather than a mezzo-soprano.  For those of you who aren't aware, a counter-tenor is a man who sings in a strong falsetto voice.  Although the counter-tenor was fine, I'm afraid I prefer a strong mezzo anytime.  The Messiah is preformed three times in the chapel usually during the first week of December.  The three hours flew by.  Of course the setting adds so much to the enjoyment.

       Saturday was an interesting day as well.  I've been a bit sadistic bragging to my northern friends about the great moderate weather we have here.  Well Saturday seemed like we were back upstate.  I started a 3.5 mile run around two with overcast skies and ended 32:16 later in a snow storm.  It's the first snow I've encountered down here in the 16 months I've been here.  Actually it was kind of nice.  It's my thought that snow before Christmas is okay as long as I don't have to drive in it. (This from a Support Magistrate who only missed one day in 15 and 1/2 years because of bad roads.  Here's a look from our balcony.

      Fortunately the snow didn't stick to the roads in most places.  It's a good thing because I've been told there are only 30 odd snowplows for use in the entire state of North Carolina.  The snow did not prevent me from attending the Duke v. Ohio vollyball match at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  The Duke girl's Vball team won the Atlantic Coast Conference  (ACC) championship and are seeded 12th in the NCAA tourney.  They won their first round match and yesterday night they defeated Ohio in 5 sets.  It was a great match to match - very even competition.            Well enough for now.  Tomorrow - The Adventures of Finn and Hattie                                                               
                                                                   
                                                    

Why am I doing this?

      What in the world has possessed me?  Here I am actually writing an entry for a blog.  Why?  I really don't have an answer.  I certainly don't think anybody is really interested in what I'm doing with my life now that I have left regular full-time employment and am living part-time in Durham, North Carolina.  If I thought that, I'd be making more posts on my Facebook page.
      One thing I miss most from my days as a full-time regular employee is the camaraderie that existed with fellow workers and friends. As a Support Magistrate, I did have a pulpit(well bench) from which to entertain, andthere was a constant flow of people to talk to and deal with. Right now my life is devoid of those relationships.  I miss the opportunities I had to talk life over with friends.  Maybe a blog will help and it's less expensive than therapy.
      For the past ten years I have on a semi-regular basis kept a journal.  Entries usually consist of the weather, amount of exercise, and my activities of the day.  My blog will contain this trivial minutiae, along with reports on events in our lives and the life of our community.
      It has been almost 16 months since I left the employ of NYS.  About half those months have been spent in Durham, North Carolina where my wife teaches at Duke University.  We have had a great time enjoying all that the area has to offer and taking advantage of "perks" available through the first class institutions in this region.  I've auditioned for various theater projects during that time (gotten one role) and finished a play and two short stories.  I play golf weekly and go to as many Duke sponsored sporting and cultural events as I can.
     So, into the wonderful world of blogging I go.  Krista, one of my daughters, has her own blog and is one of my inspirations for this project.  If you want to read about her life in Boston see Pickles Unite here on Blogger.
                                    WELCOME TO PHIL'S DURHAM DAZE