The 10 year website

Hey Gang,
The 10 year website as I like to call www.gogobus.cc has a couple of more links done. Why do I call it the 10 year website? Well it seems thats how long it will take to complete it. You know what? I think it has been 10 years, hmmm maybe 8.
So many people have come and gone through my revolving door. So much time has passed and here we are still working on it. What I thought at one time may actually turn into something is now more or less a hobby. People look at it, but not many use the message board as I hoped would. I always hoped it would turn into something where all of you and my many connections would post events from where ever you live. Oh well.
The links completed are the diners and Jeff is busy putting back up the postcards link that will show the many cards I received from you. Also Jeff put the rest of the Cookout/Freezefest photos on.
I am sure you can figure it out but let me help you navigate to these different links.
First lets take a look at the cookout photos. Go to www.gogobus.cc - click on EVENTS SHOWS PLACES TO GO - click on EVENTS - click on FEBRUARY

When you are done click on the EVENTS, we are now going to take a look at the Diners & Restaurants, I don't have all the states filled in, just the ones I have travel to or through and ate at. Click on PLACES - will use Ohio as a demonstration, click on it - click on Diners & Restaurants.

When finished there click on the little green house that takes you back home and lets head to the POSTCARDS.
Click on DAD AND FRIENDS ADD PHOTOS AND LINKS - click on Postcards. Jeff only has a few up, in time we will have all the postcards received from you.
Thats at for this tutorial. Give me feed back on how you think the 10 year website is doing and as I have only said only a million times know of something happening where you live or have a website post it and link it.
Gotta GoGo!!
Carey

Winter Cookout/Freeze Fest wrap up

Hey Gang,
Another year, another Winter Cookout/Freezefest, and another night of chaos, well sort of. I wanted this years event to be well planned, things set up early, more food, I just wanted it nice. But, of course it didn't work out that way. BUT - there was a divine intervention that without it we would of been left out in the cold, literally.
The delay in planning it was because of the ridiculous law against bringing in and gathering firewood. By the time Rich had come up with a plan to buy Dura Flame logs I only had 5 days left to tell everyone that its back on and get everything.
Saturday afternoon Rich drove to the park after church and left a report on my answering machine. Hey it looks like we are going to have some company, Friends Church is have a party there. They said we could join them though.
I panicked a little, OK a lot. If everyone showed up and with the kids running around and our brand of humor, I just didn't see how this was going to work out. So Jeff and I scooted over there about 3. Sure enough there was this man sitting in a lawn chair close to the fire on sentry duty, at least thats how he acted, remember the Alamos, hold the fort at all costs.
I approached him and said my name is Carey. He replied oh you're Carey so am I Cary. According to Rich we could join them, according to this guy, this is our space - GO - use the outside tables. I tried explaining to him that I have been doing this on the same date for years, we are going to have to share as there is no way to get a hold of everyone I invited. NO, use outside. Back and forth. A lady shows up, this is weird, her name was Cindy, my sisters name. So there I was going back and forth with Cary and Cindy. I was saying to myself boy is that Cary feisty and mean. He had to be saying boy is that Carey feisty and mean.
Jeff and I grabbed the other table and started to unload tarps etc... Cary said sarcastically what are you planning to do spend the night, I looked at him and said yep. Their group started arriving. The Pastor came over towards us and calmed the waters. He said sure use the other table we will be out of here by 7. I took one look at them and whispered to Jeff... look at them shivering, they won't last, we have nothing to worry about. I left Jeff behind while I ran home to grab a few more items including Jeff's Spaghetti and potato salad. About 30 minutes later Jeff calls my cell, well they left we have the place to ourselves. So the miracle was they had wood delivered and hardly used any of it. I worried all week what to do about firewood for nothing. How about that!
It was a decent turnout. Mark & Becky and their kids, Walt & Jamie and their kids, Jeff B., Jeff M., Jamie, (hmmm 2 Jamie's, 2 Jeff's and 2 Cary's OK not the exact spelling but still), Joe, Rich & Suzanne, Brian, Bruce and Keith. It was a little disorganized, the grill was almost impossible to light and Jeff some how removed the glass knob for my percolator and made the coffee go all over my cd and stereo. Stereo? Oh yeah, driving around the week before looking for wood I saw an old stereo console on a tree-lawn so loaded into my van and brought it. I was hoping to spin records but didn't have time to fix the player so hooked up a cd player to it. Hated to mix old with the new but it worked. I offered it to the Pastor but he said uhhh thats OK I have a MP player. I can't win. I just started switching to CD's and now they are becoming obsolete. OH BOY!
Enjoy the photos. The one with Jeff on the ground is after he fell off the wall while hanging the tarp. I yelled Jeff please don't move, just lay there, let me get my camera. He's OK just a little sore. The one with the smoke you can hardly see anything is Marks breath while trying to snap a photo of the gang, temp outside was a chilly 18, insides a balmy 140 of course directly in front of the fire. Maybe next year you can join us..

Gotta GoGo!
Carey
we will be posting more soon on the website

flaaaaaaaaash back - Winter Cookout/Freezefest 2006

Hey Gang,
Well the 2006 - 4th Annual Winter Cookout/Freeze Fest went
GREAT! My quickly erected homeless shelter for the
most part stayed intact. A couple of times when the
gale force winds hit things went flying BUT we all
survived and I don't think anyone got frostbite.
About 12 showed up and it seemed like this time we
had the most food, almost to much. There was
stuffing, salad, peppers, beans, Mary's fantastic
tasting chili, grilled corn & potato's, Doritos,
pretzels, bread (real and fake), yogurt, cookies,
coffee, pop - what a feast. Of course we all grilled
something, those were just the side dishes. We never
did figure out what to do with the cauliflower Eli
brought, anyone have a recipe for grilled cauliflower?
Besides the 12 that stayed I had a mysterious drunk
guy show up, or maybe it was an angel who decided it
wasn't worth freezing just to get his wings. Whoever
this guy was he stumbled into the shelter, grabbed the
staple gun from me, helped hang up a sheet of plastic,
yelled for his girlfriend to join in and when she
didn't come he disappeared, literally. Mary and I
both were asking "where did he go"? Strange??
There wasn't enough time to decorate the place like
I usually do but I am sure glad I grabbed the bath
robe that my niece dropped off for me to give to the
Godwill on my way out the door to the cookout. (I bet
you have to read that sentence twice to understand
it!)I hung it up and everyone wanted to know why the
bath robe? Well it was one of those premonitions I
guess because as it turned out it was needed by
someone, I'll get to that in a bit.
The best dressed award went to Allen who
left a wedding reception to attend the cookout dressed
in his finest. That was a treat.
I have to go through my archives but I think that
Jeff and Rich have attended all of these cookouts,
either they enjoy it or feel sorry for me and don't
want me outside in the cold alone!
There was some rookies in attendance, Eli, Chris,
Dave who finally made it to one of these Go Go Events
- Hey Dave did you thaw out yet and will you be back
for more?, and Allen.
Once again Nancy DJ'd the event
And a BIG thank you to Mary for all the help.
OH - who wore the bath robe? Allen, he put it over his suit.
Thanks everyone that helped and attended, those
that didn't - there is always next year!!


Your Frozen Food Server Friend,
Carey
Gotta Go Go!!
www.gogobus.cc

overheard at the cookout....
Carey to Dave... Dave do you know what the best
thing about a cookout in the winter is? There is no
flies
Dave - You're right and you don't have to worry
about salmonella, its to cold for the food to spoil.

Carey to anyone - hey does anyone have a lighter to
light these matches?

Mary - this food is still cold
Jeff - it all is

Chris to whoever was listening - when I was in gym
class, we were outside and a little dust devil
appeared like a little tornado, I went in it and it
was warm, and I got dust up my nose and on my clothes

One more look back

Hey Gang,
This was suppose to be posted last week but I had computer trouble. Sort of my fault. I couldn't remove a CD from my computer so I hit it. Well the CD drawer came open with the CD still spinning at a million revolutions per minute but the computer was knocked off line and I couldn't reconnect. I got it running again, actually Mom did, she has more patience and faith then I do. I was ready to throw the pc away not her, she wasn't about to let up.
Anyways, here are a few of my favorite photos for the year 2008. These are just scenery. Tomorrow I will send out another with just people.
Enjoy!
Gotta GoGo!!
Carey


1.Letchworth State Park
2.Birch Rd. Salt Fork, Ohio
3.Country Road - Kentucky
4. Flats of Cleveland
5. Snowstorm in March, my house
6. Letchworth State Park
7. Mead Park in Cory, Pa.

My year in review - 2008.

Hey Gang
My year in review - 2008.
Another year of way up to wayyyyyy down to back up, in that regards it was a normal year for me. And another thing that was also the same was I did something I keep saying I would never do again - get involved in politics. Even though this was at the tail end of 2007 it carried over into 2008, being a delegate for Governor Huckabee. If I am correct I was the first on his band wagon for this area. My hopes seemed they could become a reality but unfortunately the media and establishment did Huckabee in. 2008 saw a few of my past predictions come true. I said a few years back McCain would grab the GOP nomination and ultimately lose it from lack of support from the Christian Right and I also said the time was right for a black as president. Even though I was not a McCain fan but for the good of the party and this country I volunteered for his visit at Mentor High. I also met and spoke with Dennis Kucinich twice. I hosted a backyard party for Mike Guitierez who ran for state representative. So I was fairly active in the political realm. In 2008 saw my other warnings of the demise of the domestic auto makers and how this country is broke become closer to reality.
Business was horrible to OK back to bad to a leveling off near the end of the year. The upside coincided with the decline of the fuel prices. During the lean months a good friend bailed me out with a healthy cash gift to make it through. That was a real Godsend. And some of you may remember that business that owed me $2,400 from way back in 2006, they finally paid me.
Minor and near major legal issues hounded me. Two traffic violations, one I represented myself I won, the other got an attorney and lost. I challenged the late fee for my property tax and also won that. Then there was the legal problem with the big brother government of Euclid and my rentals. I succumbed to paying a partial registration fee on one house but argued and defended my right to block them from entering the house for an inside inspection. It was a busy year fighting all this.
As for traveling, my wings were clipped again but I started to realize gas prices weren't coming down this past summer so I plated the GoGo Bus and decided to travel in it once again, shorter distances but I was out and about in it. Kentucky in February to pick up Millard - Salt Fork, Ohio with Mark & Becky and family with Lisa and Millard coming along also - Cory, Pa. to visit Dennis and enter a car show - back to Kentucky - Letchworth in the Fall with Dov and Lisa, something I've wanted to see for years. And a few other little trips nearby sprinkled in, like Geneva on the Lake, Presque Isle, Pa. and the Geauga County Fair.
Though I am not the best swimmer and for sure know nothing about scuba diving, Walt had me attending functions with the scuba club he belongs to, the Aqua Amigos. We went to the Commodores Club for a spring picnic, a month later the USS Cod sub where we got to spend as much time as we liked after hours touring it and most recently a trip to Huron to attend the Bay Area Divers 25Th Anniversary banquet where I met two famed divers, David Trotter and Jim Kennard.
We lost Grandma this year, she died in her sleep, still relatively heathly at 97, thats the way to go. My cat also passed on from poisoning, that was horrible.
A couple of old friends got in contact with me again, Lisa from Erie and Dennis of Cory, Pa. whom I haven't spoken with in a couple of years. Its good to have them back around.
2008 saw the end of a couple of events I annually hold, the Winter Cookout, a Memorial day cookout/camp out, and My Christmas Spaghetti dinner party because of a conflict of scheduling with my sisters Christmas party. I hope to be able to revive them in '09. The relatively new tradition of cooking spaghetti and spending Christmas eve with Walt and his family though took place again. After dinner we went to this old church in Mentor called, Mentor Christian Church. The congregation started way back in 1828. The new church, if you can call it that, was built in 1915. It was so cozy and such a throwback to earlier days, what a wonderful way to spend Christmas eve. The church is rectangular, with a balcony above. They still play the organ. For the close they lit candles, shut of the lights and sang Silent Night. Walt said he kept looking around to see if John Boy from the Walton's was going to appear. Christmas it self was quiet but Friday I made another pasta dinner and had friends over and gave them their gifts. And tonight, Tuesday, I was invited by Walt and his brother Steve & his wife Monica to see Trans Siberian Orchestra. WOW what a show, the best way to describe it is its like a religious acid trip. You have to see the show, everyone needs to at least once. What a audio and visual experience.
So it was an up and down - up and down year, lots of good and some bad. Wonder how '09 will play out.

HAPPY NEW YEARS FRIENDS!!!
Gotta GoGo!!
Carey

Merry Christmas Friends!!

Hey Gang,
So I was going to send out another Christmas memory but in all this last minute frenzy of shopping, making sauce, making chocolate, doing dishes, wrapping gifts, packing the van I got inspired with something else instead. How many renditions of the Night Before Christmas do you know? Well this is my half finished version. I would love to finish it but when I wake I need to fry pizzelles, buy a few more last minute items, and be at Walts with all the food before 4 for an early supper so we can make it to church before 7. And its now 6:39 am. Oh Boy, am I in trouble.
Here it is, my version of the Night Before Christmas:

Well its the eve before Christmas eve and all through my house the spaghetti pot was stirring, I was busy as a mouse. The stocking were stuffed with the utmost of care, in hopes that the chocolate wouldn't melt from my place to theirs.

The Kellys were nestled all snug in their bed, while visions of spaghetti and meatballs danced in their heads.
With Momma in the kitchen, and I on the stove
She had just opened more jars and I added the cloves.

When out of the pot arose such a splatter, I sprang from me feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the stove I flew like a flash, lowered the heat in a mad frenzied dash.

The sauce had landed on the gifts with the bows,
Also on our tree from the tippy top to below.
It was getting late I said with a snear,
Just let the sauce sit, if we wipe it will smear.

I kept on stirring so lively and quick
I knew if it wasn't cooked well, we'ld all be sick.
Sniffing like a beagle, my scents they came
It needed more seasonings I shouted them by name:
Now dishes, now dashes
Now stirring and mixing
More garlic, and pepper
More parsley and basil
To the top of the pot
All the way to the top
Now dash, dash away
Dash away all

As the sauce was still cooking away I did fly
To stuff more socks and wrap gifts I did buy
Then off to my van with much cleaning to do
It had to be emptied, the gifts wouldn't fit there was just no room

And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof
What sounded like horses or at least all their hoofs
As I drew out my head and was turning around
Down came the sleet and rain with a bound

It rained so hard I got wet from head to my foot
But I couldn't stop, the gifts to the van had to be put
A bundle of gifts I had flung on my back
I looked so disheveled I was all out of whack

Thats it, maybe I will finish it like the other 127 short stories I started - maybe.

Good Night Friends, I am tired! MMM, it does smell good over here!
Carey

A Hey Gang Christmas, another memory of mine

Hey Gang,
This memory only goes back to last year, it concerns Connie in N.C. who collects dolls.
I had these two little old dolls that she was interested in purchasing from me. Months had passed and I never mailed them to her. Christmas was approaching and I thought Connie always responds to my writing, sends prayers for those in need, always uplifting, why don't I just send her the little dolls as a Christmas present and forget selling them. Little did I know how special this would turn out to be. I will let you read what she wrote last Christmas season when the dolls arrived in her mailbox.

CAREY .....THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! Thank you for making my Christmas so much brighter. I was really depressed because this is my first Christmas without Mama and getting my yearly Christmas Doll from her. I couldn't believe when I opened your box and saw those two adorable little dolls. I would have been glad to have paid you for them, but receiving them the way I did made them even more special.

I also want to thank you for your Christmas wish for me. Believe it or not, but my Mom's everyday wish was for me to get a home big enough to display my dolls. If God allows me to live, in the next few years that dream will come true. I also like the part about the old convertible. I love classics and I would love to have a classic Mustang convertible. And yes, even to travel the USA in. IT COULD HAPPEN!!!!!

Thank you again Carey.......................Connie


I am still thankful I sent those dolls as it made someone very happy and another lasting memory.

Gotta GoGo!!
Carey