Graysburg Hills

Played Graysburg Hills with Murph and Kent on Wednesday.  Pretty nice course in Chuckey, TN.  This was the first time that I have ever played it.  We played 18 of the 27 holes at the course.  Here are a couple pics (crappy) that I took with my phone:

Knobs #8

Fodderstack #2

Inception

I'm sure most everyone has by now but if you haven't, GO SEE INCEPTION IMMEDIATELY.  It is one of the best movies I have ever seen.  Make sure you bring your brain along to see the movie.  Trust me you will need it.

HullabaLOU

Wow, what an incredible day of music in Louisville at Churchill Downs. HullabaLOU was an absolute blast. 10 hours of non-stop music.

This was the first music festival that I have ever attended. Sara, Abe, Jenny, Ben, and myself made the commute from Knoxville to Louisville and got into town around 2 o'clock. We ate some lunch and headed straight into the festival. We wanted to soak up as much of the music as we could. After parking and walking to Churchill Downs we got inside around 2:30.  Sunday was the third day of the three day event. There were about 20 bands that played on Sunday across the three stages. Four of these stages were in the infield of the racetrack. We couldn't believe how big the infield was. I now think it would be pretty awesome to attend the Kentucky Derby.

The first band that we caught was Hog Operation. We picked this band solely because Ben and I thought the name was hilarious. They were a bluegrass band. We listened to a few of their songs and then decided to move on. Our next choice was Taddy Porter. Again, chose them because we liked the name. They were a pleasant surprise though. Southern rock band. I'm gonna have to look into them a little more. After these guys we started going to different stages because we actually knew who the bands were. First we went and checked out The Black Crowes. I had heard a couple of their songs before so they were pretty cool to see live. Then it was time for the main stage.

I was pumped for all three of the main stage shows. The stage was set up with some seats on the infield, some on the racetrack, and then the rest in the stands of the racetrack. I thought it was a really cool setup. We had greats seats on the racetrack. The Avett Brothers were the first band on the main stage. I have been listening to them for a couple years and have a few of their albums so it was awesome to finally see them live. They played a bunch of songs from their latest album, as well as some from older albums, and some that I have never heard before. I thought their live show was great Would definitely like to go see them again.

While Zac Brown Band was setting up on the main stage, we went to see the Steve Miller Band briefly. Pretty cool to see a band play from mom and pops era. Pretty interesting how some bands last and others don't. They still sound good.

Zac Brown killed it on the main stage. I knew he was gonna be good from all the texts I was getting from McAuley the night before and he did not disappoint. He played a lot of songs from his new album that is coming out in September. I will definitely be scooping that one. Great, great stuff. ZBB played for about an hour and a half and then it was time for the encore, Dave Matthews Band!

I don't really have too much to say about DMB other than they were incredible, which was no surprise to me at all. I absolutely love their shows.  Dave, Stefan, Boyd, Carter, Jeff, Rashawn, and Tim are all incredible musicians.  Zac Brown came out and played a couple of songs with Dave including the best version of 'All Along the Watchtower' that I have ever heard. It was insane. Here is the setlist:

Funny The Way It Is
You Might Die Trying
Stay Or Leave
Seven
Crush
Don’t Drink the Water
Why I Am
Spaceman
Corn Bread
#41
Gravedigger
Lie In Our Graves
You and Me
Shake Me Like a Monkey
Aint It Funny How Time Slips Away
All Along The Watchtower
__________________
Some Devil
Ants Marching

I couldn't have asked for a better setlist.  They played all of my favorites.  It was a great first show for Sara and Jenny.  I know Sara loved it.  I took a bunch of video of the concerts so hopefully I will be able to get something put together here pretty soon and get it posted.  HullabaLOU was without a doubt a great success.

Buffalo Mountain

Here are a couple pics from Mom's and my trip to Buffalo Mountain yesterday...

View of Johnson City the beautiful from Huckleberry Knob (2500')

View towards Unicoi Co. from Tip Top (3300')

1 Month...

1 more month to the day until the day to day mental and physical beating that is graduate school starts back.  I am not excited about this but I thought this was a pretty cool picture of LSU's campus that I found on the interwebs.

Beauty Spot

Sara and I went up to Beauty Spot in Unicoi Co. yesterday afternoon to relax for a few hours.  It was overcast so all the mountains off in the distance were a little hazy but it was a perfect temperature to just sit and relax.  A nice breeze with no baking sun.  When it is clear you can see for miles in almost every direction.  The AT crosses Beauty Spot providing some stunning 360 degree views coming out of the forest onto the bald.  Beauty Spot is one of many overlooks on Unaka Mountain.  Incredibly beautiful.  I would love to be able to visit the area in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.  

NBA Free Agency

Now that the major part of the NBA free agency period is coming to a close, I want to offer my thoughts on what transpired, specifically for the Bulls...

First, 'The Decision' was a complete and utter disaster.  I have no idea what LBJ was thinking going on national TV to stab all the people of Cleveland in the back.  Shows a lot about his character, or that he's just not that smart.  Of course I am disappointed that he didn't go to the Bulls but I thought the whole special was a complete joke.  Narcissism at its finest.

Now, on to the Bulls.  At first, I was not happy that they didn't sign any of the 'big three' that they were going after.  The media convinced me that they were gonna sign at least a couple of them, if not all three, and when they didn't get Wade, LBJ, or Bosh I was pretty let down.  Moving past these guys though, I think the Bulls have done a nice job filling in the holes with all the money that they had prepared for the 'Summer of 2010'.

I think the Boozer signing was a great one.  Fills a significant low post need that the Bulls have needed for years.  Him and Noah together will be a rebounding machine.  Hopefully he can just stay healthy.  A Boozer and LBJ combination with the rest of the Bulls roster would have immediately vaulted them to championship contention but thats water under the bridge now.  I think the Bulls are doing good things with the money they have left after missing on LBJ.  I really like the signings of Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer.  The Bulls have become Utah-east.  Korver brings a huge three point threat that they badly needed.  Brewer will come in and contend for the starting SG spot.  I think he will really excel playing with DRose.  And last night, they signed C.J. Watson (VOLS!) to backup DRose.  Beautiful signing IMO.  The Bulls now have $4.5 to $5 million left to sign one more key component.  I would love to see them to sign another PF/SF type to compliment Boozer/Noah.  I know the Heat are gonna get all the hype this season upcoming but watch out for the Bulls, they have greatly improved.

Asheville

Took a trip over to Asheville on Friday night for Sara's BDay.  Sara, Sandra, Carla, MC, and myself went for the celebration.  We got a late start to the trip as people had to work and such so we ended up not getting there until about 8:45.  Luckily though, we made it in time to see the Asheville drum circle in Pritchard Park.  We had no clue what was going on at first.  Here is a little taste of what it was like (except much crazier since it was later at night).  Entertainment for days:

We ended up not eating dinner until about 10 due to long waits at every restaurant.  That was fine by me though.  We got to enjoy the Asheville scene a little more.  We ate dinner and indulged in some fine Asheville brews at Mayfel's restaurant.  It was some good stuff.  Kinda had a New Orleans flair to it.  Had some of the best fried green tomatoes I have ever eaten in my life.

After dinner we walked around a little more and then settled in at the Lexington Ave. Brewery for a little while.  LAB is one of many microbreweries in Asheville.  Asheville was voted BeerCity USA for 2010.  CHECK IT OUT if you don't believe me.  Goldmine for craft beer.  We stayed at LAB for about an hour and then decided it was time to head home.  Asheville is a really unique city.  I can't believe that I haven't spent more time there.  Lots of interesting stuff right in the heart of the mountains.  More time needs to be spent there, go check it out.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to this beautiful young lady!!!!!!

National League

They finally did it.  The National League won the All Star game for the first time since 1996.  It's about time.

Let me show you a little simple math that I learned from Petersen and Hemphill (the ultimate AL homers):  the NL beat the AL in the All Star game, therefore the NL is a superior league.  Very simple.  I am now glad that they taught me this kind of reasoning.

Now, you may be wondering why I posted the above picture.  Marlon Byrd, the lone Cub in the game, scored one of the three NL runs and then made a beautiful play in the outfield to throw out big David Ortiz at second base for the second out of the ninth.  The way I see it, this has gotta be a positive omen.  The Cubs are gonna turn it around in the second half and make the playoffs.  See ya at Wrigley Field in November.  Thanks NL.

Kayaking - Watauga River

Went kayaking today with Pops and some people from church.  It was a perfect afternoon to float the Watauga river.  We put in right outside of Elizabethton and floated for about 3 hours down the river.  They weren't generating any water at the dam so the river was relatively calm.  Most of the water was flat but there were a couple small rapids to make it interesting.

The river was beautiful.  Most of the water we floated through was trout trophy waters so we saw a handful of fly fishermen.  We also passed by a bunch of rental fishing cabins and farms.  It was really relaxing floating through the East TN countryside.  

Battle Captain

I ride 100% with Derek Dooley now.  Man is a champion, no doubt.

Hen Wallow Falls

Abe and I took a short hike to Hen Wallow Falls on Tuesday.  We had planned to take a backpacking trip to Big South Fork but Abe's little incident with the bottom of a pool had to put those plans on hold.

Hen Wallow is located in the Cosby area of the Great Smoky Mountains NP.  The hike was 4.4 miles round trip starting at the Cosby campground.  The hike was relatively easy passing through an old growth forest most of the way.  The Falls is about 90' of cascading water.  There wasn't a ton of water due to rain not wanting to make an appearance in East TN for about three weeks.  The falls was still pretty nice though with one small stream spreading out over the rocks below.  Pictures were tough to get while we were there due to the sun but here's one of the best I could get:

Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

This album, ladies and gentlemen, is a gold mine of good music.  There is absolutely no reason to not have this one in your lineup, it is a gem.  I give it a 4.98 out of 5 stars.  Get on it.

** Another great find by Mr. Anthony Hopkins.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July my fellow Americans!

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Under the Overpass

I finished reading Under the Overpass:  A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America while at the beach a couple weeks ago. It was a really interesting story about two Christian college students who intentionally chose to live as homeless people on the streets of six American cities for five months.  Mike and Sam, the two 21 year old students, decided to embark on this journey as a way to challenge their faith in God, better identify with the poor, and to grow in their walks with God.

I found the book to be very interesting.  These guys acted in a pretty radical way to share their faith in God with others and to fully put their trust in Him.  The journey that Mike shares through the book is a very interesting peek into the day to day life and struggles of homeless people.  It made me look at homeless people in a whole new light.  Its a great book to examine our view on mercy ministries.  Mike also gives several practical, simple ways to help comfort local homeless communities.  Very eye opening.  Its a great read.  Check it out.