Bo  Smith's Blog History

December 8th, 2010-February 24th, 2011
 
Jacksonville, Florida
February 21st-24th (Monday through Tursday)
 Linda and Diana drove up from south Florida on Monday and we all met at our Monday "watering hole" Lulu's which features great oysters and mussels on Monday nights. We had a great meetup on this occassion with Diana and Ginny and her husband John on ther left, Alec and Alice center right and Linda and Seth on the right.

Nothing significant to report for the rest of the week.
February 18th-20th (Friday through Sunday)
 Diana and her sister Linda (on left) drove in Linda's new white Toyota Solara convertible to Hollywood, Florida for the weekend and stayed with Linda's friend, Linda Anderson (on right). They were supposed to be going to a conference dealing with spiritual matters but in this picture Linda is studying a spirit of a diffrent kind. Thay had a great experience at the conference and enjoyed relaxing with good food and some wine.
Meanwhile, fortunately I was able to spend time with friends while Diana was gone. On Friday night, I went to a dinner party at the San Jose Country Club put on by one of my best friends from my first Navy squadron, Dave Thornhill. "Thorny" and I started flight training on the same day at Pre Flight in Pensacola, got our wings at the same time, checked out in the A4 Skyhawk in VA-44 together, and flew two Vietnam cruises together in VA-15 in 1966 and 1967. Later, "Thorny" flew with the airlines after getting out of the Navy. A few of his VA15 friends and some of his close friends from those days (all of whom flew in the Navy also) along with their wives were at the dinner. He married a "Villagewood girl" , Jane, who has put up with him all these years!

A group of dinner guests. Jane is next to me!





 

Dave Thornhill is on the left and I am on the right. Jerry "Possum" Terrell is left center. I flew several hundred missions with "Possum". At right center is Pete Schoeffel who was our Operations Officer until he was shot down in September 1967 and served his country as a POW until February 1973.
On Saturday night, I had dinner with our good friends Marianne and Lehman Barnes at Singleton's Seafood Shack in Mayport. The were on their way to their second home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Lehman is my surf fishing buddy and he and Marianne will be returning to Jacksonville in April to fish the Pompano/Bull Whiting/Redfish "run" in April nd May.
On Sunday, I went to the Jacksonville Gem and Mineral Scieties' pot luck dinner which featured "Herkimer Diamonds".
February 10th-17th (Thursday through Thursday)
This week was pretty quiet. I worked on and submitted our taxes on Monday and Tuesday and went to a RETCAPTS (Retired Captains) lunch on Wednesday. Both Diana and I had some medical appointments and Diana was busy preparing for her upcoming weekend conference in Hollywood, Florida.
February 4th-9th (Friday through Wednesday)
Our weekend trip was very successful. A family friend, Nancy, stayed at the house with the 5 doggies which was a great vacation for Diana. We arrived in Tallahassee Friday afternoon in time to check in to the LaQuinta Inn and have dinner at a great french style restaurant. On Saturday, I interviewed 8 Cornell applicants at the Red Elephant Pizza Restaurant in mid-town while Diana visited her friend Carolyn.  We joined up, had dinner and drove to Thomasville and stayed with Diana's sister, Linda, and her husband, Edwin. We stayed in Thomasville with Linda and Edwin until Monday when we drove to Americus, GA to visit another of Diana's relatives, Sam Hunter and his wife. We left the next morning (Tuesday) to drive to Atlanta to visit with Diana's son, Hampton, his wife Susan, and their children Malachi, Aubrey, Jacob, Ethan, and Ellie. On the way, we stopped at the site of the confederate prison at Andersonville and visited the POW Museum there.
If you have never visited Andersonville and the POW Museum, try to add it to your intinerary on your way to Atlanta sometime. It is an inspiring experience!
We had a wonderful visit with the Hampton Groover family in Atlanta. We spent most of the time in the kitchen and on the back deck. We enjoyed cooking, scotch, cigars, and great conversation.  I found out that Ellie has really taken an interest in science and rocks and minerals so I will continue to feed her information to kindle her interest.
 We returned home to find Nacy on the couch with 4 of 5 of our doggies and Lindsay's ChiChi. 
(Tut was in a dog bed nearby)
February 3rd (Thursday)
Diana and I are off on a road trip. We plan to drive to Tallahassee tomorrow so that I can conduct some Cornell interviews at the Red Elephant Pizza in Midtown on Saturday from 11:15 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or so. Then, we are off to Thomasville, GA to stay with Diana's sister Linda and her husband Edwin.  We will drive to Americus, GA on Monday to stay with family friends Sam and Reba Hunter. Then, it's off to Atlanta to spend a couple of days with Diana's son Hampton, his wife Susan and their children. We are leaving the doggies in Jacksonville with Nancy who is a good friend who comes to the rescue cooking, cleaning, and house/sitting for various members of Diana's family.
January 31st (Monday)
The 'big event' of this past week was the wedding of my daughter Jessica and Tom Scangarello last Saturday, January 29th.
I will be adding pictures of the wedding as I get them, but these will have to do in the mean time.

Check out Deanne Dunlop's Photography website for official pictures; click on Visit Blog (Yes, that is Jessica!)

ich
Tom and Jessica's first dance at the reception

Jessica and Dad at the reception
Family and friends began gathering toward the end of last week in St. Augustine.
 Most of my family and friends stayed at the Casa Blanca Inn on Menendez Avenue.  My friend Jeff Lapic and his wife Gerri Calderola; daughters Heather, Laura, and Stacy and Stacy's husband Jed and son/grandson Oliver stayed here with Diana and me. Lindsay stayed with the bridal party as she was Jessica's Maid of Honor. My friend Jerry "Possum" Terrell and his wife Sarah stayed at a nearby hotel.

Jeff and Gerri with Heather, Laura, and Stacy

"Possum" and Sarah with me at the reception
The rehearsal dinner was held at the Columbia Restaurant on Friday night, January 28th and the wedding was held at Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church at 4:30 Saturday afternoon, January 29th.

Daughters Laura, Heather, Jessica, Lindsay, and Stacy at the reception
January 22nd (Saturday)
Well, I'm off to another round of interviews with prospective Cornell students today. These interviews will continue throughout January and February. Diana and I are planning a trip to Tallahassee the weekend of Feb 5th so that I can interview 8 students at the Red Elephant Pizza there on Saturday afternoon. Diana is planning to visit her good friend, Susan Amiss, whom Diana has known for more than 30 years, while I am doing my interviews.  We then hope to continue our trip to Thomasville, GA to visit Diana's sister Linda and her husband Edwin; then to Americus, GA to visit Sam and Reba Hunter (another member of Diana's extended family); then on to Atlanta to visit Hampton and Susan Groover (Diana's oldest son and wife) and their family. Diana is also planning to visit her friend Carolyn Meyers, another longtime friend of Diana's. We hope to have a friend, Nancy,  house sit and take care of the doggies while we are gone.

I had lunch with my daughter, Jessica yesterday (Friday) at the Beaches Dinner. We had a great visit and went through my role for her wedding to Tom Scangarello in St Augustine next Saturday.  Tom is from the south Jersey shore where they are both currently living. We are anticipating a great time celebrating their wedding.  My boyhood friend Jeff Lapic and is wife Gerri (from Marin, CA) and daughters Heather, Laura, and Stacy (with husband Jed and grandson Oliver) are coming to take part in the wedding. We are all staying at the Casa Blanca Bed and Breakfast which should be great. Our good friends Jerry (Possum) and his wife Sarah Terrell will also be coming. My daughter, Lindsay will be the Maid of Honor and will be staying with the bridal party along with Jessica and my ex-wife Cathy. Many of Cthy's side of the family will also be there, of course.

Highlights for the week include: Monday; Diana had minor surgery and we had a get together at Lulu's to recognize Ginny's daughter  Pilar's selection for the President's List for her outstanding GPA while getting her AA at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Pilar has been staying at our house with us since about last June house sitting while we were at the cabin in North Carolina.  Pilar is planning on leaving us in April or May to attend the University of Colorado either at Denver or Boulder to complete her BA. Tuesday; I had a relaxing day around the house with Diana as she rested up after her surgery. I did sneak out of the house for a few hours to watch the great movie; "The King's Speech"!  Wednesday; I attended my monthly meeting of RETCAPTS (Retired Captains).  One of the members volunteers their house to meet up in the late morning and then we go to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. The conversation includes national and local politics (retired Navy Captains are mostly conservatives), war stories, the latest books we are reading and unfortunately health issues :-)
Thursday; Diana has been going to Navy Mayport recently to workout and shop at the commissary (she finds it about 2 of 3 attempts). I had a follow-up appointment with my new nephrologist (kidney doc) to go over blood work and review my diet, liquid intake budget, and exercise program. I now have a team; cardiologist, Internal Medicine doc, and a nephrologist coordinating the task of keeping me healthy and capable surf fishing with my friend Lehman Barnes, living of life at our cabin in the mountains of North Carolina conducting my new business, Bo's Mine Tours!

January 15th (Saturday)
I spent the afternoon interviewing applicants to Cornell.  I am the Chairperson for a committee from the Jacksonville Cornell Alumni Club which conducts student interviews as a part of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN).
 I interviewed four very intelligent and academically talented students today. These interviews always make me feel optimistc about our future when I meet such capable and interesting young adults.
January 14th (Friday)
I had a case of the flu on Monday and was 'out of action' until mid-Tuesday. I was well enough though to go see the movie "Country Strong" Tuesday afternoon.  I enjoyed the music and the chance to relax. I went to Reddi Arts and picked up my Bo's Mine Tours business cards on Wednesday afternoon. I watched Laura's latest production; "Eliza's Backyard" on streaming video on an Austin website on Wednesday night. Thursday was aday of medical appointments.  I had lunch at Magianno's Italian Restaurant at the St Johns Center on Friday with Gerry Grady and Nina Goodwin from the Cornell Club and two people interested in pitching an an educational project that they hoped we would be able to support. I took that opportunity to do some advanced planning at Magianno's for a Cornell Club dinner in April that I am woking on.
January 9th (Sunday)
It's been a busy week since our great dinner with the Barnes' and Conlons. I've spent a lot of time working on my Bo's Mine Tours website which is now online. Check it out and if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please let me know.  I think that Angie Ramirez at Reddi Arts did a great job on the graphic design of the logo turning my ideas in to a finished product. Diana and I enjoyed a Cornell Club lunch at the Plantation Club in Ponte Vedra Beach on Thursday.  I will be very busy this month and next with my coordination of interviewing students who have applied to Cornell. We have 100 applications from northeast Florida already. I attended the monthly meeting of the Jacksonville Gem and Mineral Society (JGMS) on Friday night. I have offered to coordinate a JGMS rockhound trip to the Spruce Pine Mining District sometime this summer.
January 4th (Tuesday)
We had our good friends Marianne and Lehman Barnes and Joe and Diane Conlon over for dinner this evening. I cooked a standing rib roast with Yorkshire Pudding around the roast using my grandmother's recipe. The Barnes' and Conlons brought delicious cabernet and chianti and a grand time was had by all. The excuse for the party was the Sugar Bowl and Joe and I actually watched some of it before they had to go. Diane had her first day of the new term today.

Lehman and Mariane Barnes on the left; Diana in the middle; Joe and Diane Conlon on the right
January 1st, 2011 (Saturday)
 Happy New Year
I had an enjoyable day relaxing and watching the bowl games. I was very pleased that the SEC did so well versus Big 10 teams.
 Congratulations Florida Gators with great send off for Urban Meyer by winning bowl game against Penn State.
December 31st (Friday)
 We bagan our New Year's Eve by attending "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" at St. John's Cathedral in downtown Jacksonville with our good friends Marianne and Lehman Barnes

Our next stop was Billy's Boat House.  Some of you might remember that it is where we had our Rehearsal Dinner.

A pleasant surprise was when Billy's provided champagne and favors for an "early ball drop" at 9:00 p.m. :-)
December 30th (Thursday)
This was a relaxing week. We took in a couple of more movies; "The Black Swan" and "The Fighter" and had a great Christmas party with Diana's Bible group on Wednesday night.  I bagan working with Reddi Arts on the design of my Bo's Mine Tours logo.
December 25th (Saturday)
We spent Christmas Eve at John and Ginny's new townhouse in San marco and had
Christmas dinner at Alec and Alice's house in Marsh Landing.

Some of us congrgated around the dinning table: Diana nd Ginny with their backs to the camera, Virginia (Alice's daughter,a junior at RPI), Alice and me.

The 'boys" took to the couches; John, Alec, Josh (Virgina's boyfriend) and Levi

Back at the table, Alice is playiing with her laser pen

Time for home videos; 
Josh is fascinated with Virginia at 2 years old!
A great picture of Diana and Ginny on Christmas Day.
December 23rd (Thursday)
I spent most of this week (Sunday through Wednesday) in the hospital. We were trying a new medication which resulted in difficulty breathing due to edema. A good outcome of my hospital stay was that I now have a team of doctors who will coordinate my healthcare. After I got out of the hospital, the next day we went to another movie; "True Grit" took Bella and King Tut to a new groomer.

Bella

Bella

King Tut

Little Bear and Bella
December 17th (Friday)
I haven't had much time to do any blogging this past week. Since getting back from the cabin, Diana and I have been busy
unpacking, going to medical appointments, and taking in a few movies ("Unstoppable", "The Tourist", and "Last Three Days"). Diana is enjoying getting back with her church group (New Day JAX church).  We attended a couple of Holiday parties; one at a navy friend's house (which we attend every year) and the second one was the annual Cornell Club Holiday season party. We are busy getting the house ready for the Christmas season. We have successfully moved the North Carolina fraser fir from the car into the house. Diana also purchased a flat screen TV for the living room (She was tired of me watching football games)

December 8th (Wednesday)
We arrived in Jacksonville from the cabin about 5:00 Monday afternoon, dropped off the doggies, and went straight to Lulu's for their Monday night oyster special!

Left to right: Levi, Haley, Seth, Alice, Diana, and Alec
 We try to get together with family and friends at LuLu's on Mondays whenever possible. On Monday, we were joined by Alice (Diana's daughter) and Alec (Alice's husband), Seth (their son), Levi (older son) and Levi's friend Haley.
Tuesday was devoted to getting Lindsay and Chi Chi settled in our house,  They will be staying with us for awhile this winter/spring. We enjoyed a nice dinner and a quiet evening watching TV.