Decison 2008

Our neighborhood is replete with election signs in anticipation of Election Day, November 4, 2008. This is one of the more interesting ones I've seen.

My friend, Hal Humphries, and John Patrick, on Hal's front porch on a lazy, fall Sunday afternoon.

Sunday Afternoon Stroll

This afternoon, I took John Patrick for a long stroll on an absolutely gorgeous fall afternoon. The cloudless sky was a deep shade of blue, there was a slight breeze and the temperature was right at 70 degrees. Perfect.

I was anxious to spend some time with John Patrick, since I had gone to Knoxville yesterday to see the Tennessee vs. Alabama football game. The Vols lost badly, of course, but I stayed overnight at Warren and Jennifer Sanger's newly renovated house, along with Todd Blankenbecler and his wife, Kristin. Warren and Jennifer have three boys (Josh, James and David) and Todd and Kristin have two girls (Caroline and Charlotte), so there was a lot going on.

This morning, I was in the Sanger's living room, watching David bang on the piano, when I saw some framed photographs on the wall of Jennifer at their wedding. I was in the wedding, more than 14 years ago, which is hard to believe. Jennifer looks so young in the photographs. When David asked me what I was looking at, I explained I was there when his parents got married. He looked at me for another couple of seconds, then started banging on the piano again.

Warren, Todd and I are fraternity brothers and have been friends for more than twenty years. We sit together at the Tennessee football games and, in fact, have had our season tickets together for ten years. We've been through a lot together, over the years. I hope John Patrick has friends like that some day.

Anyway, as we left the house this afternoon, I thought we might stroll down to Sevier Park. I stopped by my friend Hal Humphries' house on Halcyon Street. He saw me peering over the privacy fence and came around to the front porch for a chat. When John Patrick awoke, I lifted him out of the stroller and he sat up on the front porch between Hal and me, as we talked. After a while, we left, then strolled up to the Frothy Monkey, then back home.

That's just about a ideal afternoon.

A Ray of Hope

Every spring, when my law partners and I go to Las Vegas, I make a long shot bet on a major league baseball team to win the world series. Typically, I pick a team I wouldn't normally have any other reason to pay attention to during the baseball season.

Last March, I missed the annual trip to Las Vegas, since John Patrick's birth was imminent. So as not to break with tradition, I asked Mark (Puryear) to bet $50 for me on the Tampa Bay Rays to win the world series. Keep in mind, of course, the Rays had never had a winning season in franchise history. Well, out of nowhere, they won the American League East, beat the White Sox in the division championship series, then beat the Red Sox in seven games in the league championship series.

Now, here they are, in the world series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Rays won tonight to in Tampa to even the series at 1-1. Three more wins and John Patrick has $4,000 in his college fund.

John Patrick, exhausted after a morning at the St. Louis Zoo. Boy, was he tired.

I'm not sure who was happier to visit the St. Louis Zoo today - John Patrick or Jude.