Perfect for the McRae stalker

Now I know how to find you.

Gone for good?

A debate continues down in Hope Mills on the future of what was once a great lake.

At that particular point in time, everybody I was dealing with, the commissioners and even residents that we were talking to wanted the lake restored,” said Eddie Maynor, who was on the town board. But a lengthy permitting process and soaring construction costs after last summer’s Gulf Coast hurricanes have pushed the estimated cost of a new spillway from $6.3 million to $9.3 million. Now, for the first time, some residents are starting to ask whether Hope Mills really needs a lake — especially if it is going to cost the town millions of dollars.

Davis on cam ... in the tub

Jay Jordan and family are having too much fun with the web. They have video posted of Davis in the tub.

Riley and Gabrielle

The next generation of Nazarios and Robertsons fight for the remote! They also compete for the attention of one of the state's top teachers: The two future best friends got along just fine.

Hanging with the Sherwins

I spent last weekendin Fayetteville. Got to catch up with Bob and his wife, Debbie. Nice to see Bob has calmed down ...... a bit.

Celebrating the national champions

One month ago today Appalachian won the state's first NCAA national football title (take that, UNC!). Saturday they celebrated the national title with a massive autograph session by the players and coaches. They also had the trophy on display for photos. I took Gabrielle with me to the party and had a friend snap our photo with the I-AA trophy: One of the MVPs of the team - THE MVP in my opinion - is Jason Hunter, a senior defensive end from Fayetteville. In the title game, with Appalachian trailing, the pride of E.E. Smith and Massey Hill Classical School picked up a fumble forced by Jack Britt grad Marques Murrell and ran it in for the go-ahead touchdown. Mountaineers win, 21-16. I asked Jason if he'd sign Gabby's shirt. He did! I think she likes it!

Tiger dresses the Bears

I read today that Tony Medlin, SVHS class of 1978, is the head equipment manager with the Chicago Bears. This marks yet another crossing of alma maters, as I recently learned an Appalachian graduate is an assistant coach there. Still, I'm glad Steve Smith helped made the Bears cry yesterday.

In memory of a great Mom

Some of my fondest memories from high school revolve around visits to the home of Steve McRae. The basketball games ... the bull sessions ... the asparagus crop ... the food ... man, oh man, the food. Steve's mom, Linda, knew how to cook. Actually, she didn't so much cook dinner as organize a small banquet. I remember having dinner at Steve's house one night during which his mom tested the strength of the kitchen table with a plate packed full of french fries. Wow, I thought, she must think I'm a pig to have dished that out. Turns out I was lucky to snag the ones I did. Steve and his brother made that fried mountain disappear faster than David Copperfield. Before I knew it, the rest of the food - including what I am convinced were the original Thickburgers - was gone as well. I also remember how Steve's mom always took an interest in how I was doing. I shared many a conversation with her about school and her son's mad skills on the court. She was always kind and always quick to throw together a snack. She always had a smile. Mrs. McRae passed away June 15, 2002. I still remember the impact of reading Steve's e-mail the next morning. I still get a lump re-reading it today. These thoughts are inspired by the news that Linda McRae's memory will live on at East Carolina:

Edward C. McRae of Hope Mills recently made a $25,000 gift to create and endow the Linda Haddock McRae Memorial Fellowship scholarship in memory of his wife, Linda.

She was a 1966 ECU graduate with a bachelor's degree in library studies and educational technology. She was originally from Greene County and taught in the state public schools for 30 years.

She taught in Richmond County and Cumberland County schools and spent most of her career in Pitt and Greene counties. The McRaes have three children.

The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarship support to deserving graduate students who are pursuing a master of library science degree in the College of Education. First preference will be given to candidates from Greene or Cumberland counties.

“By providing scholarship funds to educate future generations of librarians, the McRae scholarship enables the College of Education's Department of Library Science and Instructional Technology to support ECU's mission to train the leaders of tomorrow,” department Chairman Al Jones said.

Checking in with the Jordans

This was too nice a photo not to share - Jay Jordan with son Davis.

Jacobs at Busch Gardens

Thank you Carla Carter Jacobs for the nice photo of you and your sons, Jacob and Jared, from Busch Gardens this summer. And it always makes me smile when you type "Yes...it's Jacob Jacobs, Robert Robertson." I know he must love the first day of school when the new teacher reads the roll for the first time. Odd looks and pronunciations will follow him through college, so he'd better have his one-liners ready. When I got that verbal double take and odd look, my standard reply was to shrug and say "My parents stutter."

Can't forget my Halloween photo

Here's Gabrielle Robertson dressed up for Halloween. We went trick o treating at Boone Mall. We entered a costume contest, but the idiot judge was obviously blind and inept and probably paid off. We didn't make it past the preliminaries. Actually, upon closer examination, maybe my presence impacted her appeal, kind of like when you park a sweet Lexus next to an silver Subaru Justy. I should have had her momma hold her. Still, she got plenty of candy and, since she has no taste for sweets just yet (just sweet potatoes), she kindly donated her goodies to the rest of the family.

Halloween with the Nazarios

Here's another nice photo from Halloween, as Riley Nazario got into the true spirit of the holiday - threatening to leave pumpkin poo on the doorstep of any who refuse to give up some quality Skittles! At least, that's what her dad probably taught her. I have only met Riley once. I hope to see her come Christmas when I make my annual belated holiday excursion down the mountain. She's looking good Greg.

Coach Capel

Following up from an earlier post, Appalachian did indeed beat Jeff Capel-coached VCU last Monday here in Boone, 51-47. I had my photographer friend snap me a photo of Jeff while he roamed the sidelines. I wanted to start a chant to catch his attention (Steve McRae suggested yelling "Ron Miller!") but the crowd - though small - was actually loud enough to drown out a lone dude making no sense. Besides, my buddy preferred yelling "Jason's better!" I'll let you Carolina fans figure that one out. The photo above really doesn't do justice to the fact Capel is starting to resemble Coach Miller. Gut? Check. Thinning up top? Check. Yelling nonstop? Check. Nasty underarm sweat stains? Oh my stars and garters, check. Still, it was cool seeing a youngster from SVHS roaming the sidelines.

She's my sunshine

One of my great friends here in Boone is a great photographer who owns the lens behind Blue Ridge Blog. Here's a photo she sent me this week from Homecoming weekend. I love the way she caught the sun.
This is the same photographer who snapped away at my wedding last year. She make anyone look good, even flatlanders.

A sweet Fairy Princess

Christie Palmisano Lockwood's little girl Abigael turned 18 months old yesterday. She was quite the princess for Halloween:

Mayor Dees

I didn't know about this until Saturday. Congratulations to Mayor Eddie Dees:

Eddie Dees won the mayoral race Tuesday night with more votes than his two opponents combined. "I'm kind of shocked, to tell you the truth," Dees said after the returns were posted in the Town Hall. Dees, 51, is a teacher and softball coach at South View High School. During his campaign, he focused on restoring Hope Mills Lake.

Checkin' in with Bruce

The McRaes' pride and joy looked sharp for Halloween:

SVHS versus Appalachian

Actually, it's former South View standout and Duke starting point guard Jeff Capel versus my alma mater. Capel is the head men's basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth. His team tips off against the Mountaineers Monday at 7:30 p.m. here in Boone. His bio is a great read:

The name Jeff Capel will always be recognizable in college basketball. What’s less of a certainty is for which role NCAA fans will remember him. ...

Capel was named an assistant coach for the 2005 USA Men’s World University Games Team, joining Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez in assisting Villanova head coach Jay Wright. The United State won the gold medal in Izmir, Turkey, in August. ... At 27 years old, Capel became the youngest head coach in Division I men’s college basketball after being promoted from assistant in 2002. After leading the Rams to a 12-6 CAA record and a No. 2 seed in the CAA Tournament, he was selected as the CoSIDA Coach of the Year for the State of Virginia. The team’s 18 wins tied Capel for the most victories by a first-year head coach in VCU history. ... As a point guard at South View High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Capel set school career records in points (2,066), rebounds (668) and assists (663). As a senior in 1993, he averaged 23.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, guiding South View to a 31-1 record and a state championship.

Capel’s father, Jeff Capel Jr., currently serves as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. A former college coach, he spent eight years as head coach at Old Dominion. Capel’s brother, Jason, played basketball for North Carolina.

What a small world

I maintain a blog for the Appalachian Alumni office. Each day I do a variety of net searches for the phrase "Appalachian State." Today that search led me to a post regarding an alumnae and her running career. The actual post I found linked to a long interview with the alumnae, which I then in turn linked. Per netiquette, I went to put an acknowledgment at the bottom of my post to say thanks to the person who led me to the article. The name of the blog is The Lockwoods. I happened to glance at the name of the poster. It was Brandon. Brandon Lockwood? Faster than I could think "what are the odds" I noticed that his co-blogger was Christie ... Christie Lockwood ... aka, Christie Palmisano! I posted a shocked hello and sent some love. You can browse their blog here.