rockover

Wow, didn't realize it'd been so long. Where to begin. Still getting most of mom's stuff packed up. Had a few people interested in the house, but we're not ready just yet. Sue will stop by next week for a vague appraisal. Had a great Fourth in Jersey. Spent the week in Mt. Laurel and Ocean City, NJ. Rain two days, which wasn't too bad. Gave us a break from the beach, although it cooled off the already cold ocean some more. Also, since the state government shut down, we weren't able to do any gambling at Atlantic City. Kids were a blast as usual. Dad showed up and I'm sure he had fun. Sad to say this, but with mom not being there, it was a more relaxed atmosphere that it has been. She had a way of putting tense in tension. Most everyone went body boarding, including the kids. Got some video and might get it up on the web site before long. While in Mt. Laurel, we visited Famous Dave's BBQ joint, not once, but 3 times. Azucena's fault, really. They have some great BBQ and Memphis style Pulled Pork sandwich. After inquiring, there is a Famous Dave's in El Paso, but we figured it'd be quicker to fly to New Jersey, than drive to El Paso, but much cheaper to drive. I compare the ribs to Damon's, but alas, they moved out of Texas. Nearby for Dad and could be for Gary, though.
Uncle Ed
Tomorrow the Rockstead clan head to south Texas for a burial at sea. Well, sort of. Uncle Ed Rockstead passed away last week and his wishes were to be cremated and Azucena and others decided a Viking Funeral Pyre is in order. Sort of. Azucena and Jim has built a small boat (about 1 1/2 feet) that will hold his ashes in the bottom half, then the top half will have a rocket housing to send it further out to sea (a small port in south texas is where we'll do this, so it's not really out to sea). We are hoping the rocket that propels the boat, will ignite the rags that will have been soaked in a flammable fluid. If all this works, and we'll do this at dusk, then we should get a pretty good fire, the boat will get mostly burned up before sinking and Uncle Ed will float with the fishies.