Heart Attack Scare

Sherry's father had a heart attack day before yesterday. Fortunately, he survived. He was air-lifted to the UVA Medical Center immediately on Thursday, and Sherry and I dropped everything we were doing and drove to Charlottesville. When we arrived, he was conscious and nearly completely lucid. Amazingly, he said the heart attack didn't really hurt, and that it was the pacemaker that they installed on him in the helicopter that actually caused the most pain. In fact, he claimed he felt well enough to already want to leave the hospital. He is one tough guy.

We later learned that his heart actually stopped twice, and was resuscitated successfully both times - once in the helicopter and once at the Cardiac Care Unit in the hospital. The doctors subsequently placed a stint within the problem artery around his heart which worked wonders. Thank God he survived.

Sherry's dad is now undergoing tests at UVA, and with a little luck, is set for release on Sunday. I'll keep you posted.

40th Birthday

I turned 40 on July 22nd. Yikes!

I went fishing with Joe and his brother-in-law Rob, as well as two of his friends down here on vacation from Pennsylvania. We left early in the morning and tried a few 'hidden' inland spots first. Caught several decent-sized flounder and a few really small redfish, and decided to try another spot near Mann's Harbor.

As we approached our designated spot, I threw my lure out an instantly hooked up a speckled trout. As we anchored up, we saw loads of bait swarming around us being chased by trout and bluefish. It was about the best fishing I've ever experienced... every single cast I'd get at least one hit and often hook-up (and lose) a fish, and every other cast I'd land a fish. We caught well over 50 trout ranging from 8" to 20", and a number of small (but voracious) bluefish, but kept only the decent-sized ones. It was an absolute blast!

When we returned home, Sherry and I had a quiet afternoon together, and she gave me a Playstation 3 as my birthday present. Sweet! During the evening, we had a fantastic dinner at '1587' which is one of the best white tablecloth restaurants in the area.

I had a great day, overall, and turning 40 doesn't phase me a bit. Hopefully, I'll make it to 50. ;-)

Met Andy Griffith

Yesterday, my neighbor Joe asked me to help him take down the eisenglass curtains from his pontoon boat in our nearby canal. When we arrived, he noted that the boat lift next to his boat was owned by Andy Griffith. However, the boat lift was empty, and a nearby jeep suggested that perhaps the boat was in use.

While just finishing up the curtains, sure enough, Andy Griffith's boat returned. At the helm was Mr. Griffith himself accompanied by his wife. I helped them moor their boat back into the lift, and we struck up a conversation.

Mr. Griffith is quite old at this point, but still very recognizable. He indicated that he doesn't walk much, and uses a rascal around the house. I had been told by friends before that there was a certain protocol that existed when one ran into him, so I had the heads-up to basically not pry. He and his younger wife were very interested in Joe's dog, Monty Python, so we mostly compared notes on each other's dogs.

At any rate, he and his wife were very pleasant, and it was great to meet them both.

Jones' Visit

The Jones family came down for the weekend again. Ryan, Jared and Jaelyn had a fun time together, and spent a good portion of their time in the pool. We also went to the beach on Sunday, but the winds were gusting close to 30 MPH from the SW. Made for good surf, though.

Jon and Jenny brought their new golden retriever puppy, Jewel. She's only 9 weeks old, but is already a strong swimmer. Naturally, Izzy bullied her non-stop.