2011 Dublin, GA St Patrick's Parade and Festival are Over :(

Today is the first day of spring, 2011. Came in like a lamb. The sun tried to peek through the clouds earlier today but the skies remained mostly cloudy. The temperatures got into the 70s. Not only was yesterday, Saturday, the super moon, the first in 18 years, but also the warmest day so far of 2011, with a high of 88 degrees with bright sunshine with light and variable winds.

We got to the parade at 10:00 am to get our yearly spot in front of the
Morris Bank sign. The parade started at 10:30 am and ended around 12:30 pm. It was a very enjoyable parade and longer than last year. About midway through the parade, someone got heat stroke and the paramedics were called in. It was a young man who probably forgot to stay hydrated. We brought bottled water with us in order to stay hydrated throughout the parade so we would not become heatstroke victims ourselves but to also prepare for our two tennis matches that we were scheduled to play over in Stubbs Park for the St Patrick's Tennis Tournament later that afternoon. Success. We made it to the final round of mixed doubles and went three sets of a nearly 2 hr match this morning however our old bodies could not outlast our younger, more fit opponents.

After my match today, I went home showered and came back to watch the finals of the other matches. The show of support reminded me of my Atlanta ALTA days less the enormous supply of food, fruit and drinks. Looks like everyone had a great time playing. The winners and finalists got trophies and all participants got a t-shirt. We went to check out the festival at Southern Pines. Most of the fun was under roof at the AG complex. Most of the vendors that came to Stubbs Park last year came to the AG complex this year with a few new ones.

All and all, a great weekend and perfect weather. Thanks for visiting my blog and be sure to check back often   on what is happening in Dublin, GA and at the Capt Hardy Smith house.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY...SEE YA AT THE PARADE

2011 St Patrick's Day Parade and Arts and Crafts Festival

Erin Go Braugh! The time to celebrate all things Green, Irish and Dublin, GA's history. As you drive down historic Bellevue Ave into the downtown area, you will notice huge green bows adorning homes and businesses. Are you ready to go 'Green'? We are. Come on down to Dublin with your family and friends and enjoy some good, old fashioned Irish fun with a Southern Twist. You will be glad you did. Bring cash for purchase of St Patrick's beads, toys and drinks because most mobile vendors moving through the crowds only accept cash. The mobile vendors will be easily accessible before, during and after the parade but selection is the best before the parade starts.

So get ready! Only 5 days to the 2011 St Patrick's Day Parade to be held in downtown Dublin. Parking is free and is on a first come, first serve basis. Parking fills up fast so be sure to get here in plenty of time before the parade starts at 10:30am. Seeing the parade is free. There will be about 100 entrants in the 2011 parade. Enjoy marching bands to various dignitaries to beauty queens and many beautiful and decorative floats representative of various community organizations in Dublin and Laurens County as well as other cities in Georgia.

Right mouse click on this link for all events happening this week: The Ultimate Dublin, GA St Patrick's Festival Guide2011  Once you click (one time) on the link, you will see the actual link. If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste this link to your browser:                  http://issuu.com/thecourierherald/docs/big_green_guide_2011_issuu/1

If you cannot see the link while viewing my blog,  position your mouse over the blank spot (after the words: '...for all events happening this week: ..') when it changes from a hand to a cross then click it.

A quick highlight of major events this week. The parade. Plan to get your spot on the parade route by 10:00am. From the courthouse to the history museum on Jackson street, on both sides, are good places to watch and enjoy the parade. Plan about 1 hr and 45 minutes from start to finish of the parade.

The arts and crafts events. After the parade, jump in your car and head out GA-441 towards I-16 to Southern Pines Rec Center Complex and enjoy the arts and crafts festivities. The arts and crafts festivities start at 9am and end at 7pm on March 19th. The entry fee is $5.00 for adults and children $3.00. Children 6 years and under get in free. Important tip: If you like to collect lapel pins, you can buy the 2011 Dublin St Patrick's pin for $5.00 which will get you into the arts and crafts festival for free. You must wear your pin upon entry. To purchase a pin, subject to availability, contact Andrea Payne at (478) 272-5202 or (478) 277-1500. The pin for 2011 is pictured to the right. For information about the parade, contact Civitan Club member Robert Drew at 478-277-5030. Be sure to check out the guide for other events you and your family and friends may be interested in. It is a .PDF file, so make sure you have Adobe on your computer to print out the guide to take with you.

Enjoy the Dublin St Patrick's Festivities this week. Thanks for reading my blog and check back often for things going on around Dublin and at the Capt Hardy Smith House.

Ten truckloads later

A beautiful sunny and warm day in Dublin, GA today. The temperatures got into the 70s. We worked in the yard this past weekend in preparation for new topsoil that will be added  for the new grass to fill in the bare areas. We removed about ten truckloads of leaves and debris from the yard and put it in a huge pile on the street for the city to pick up tomorrow. We raked most of the yard by hand using a rake and an electric leaf blower. Doing an 1/2 acre by hand like this is very hard. A riding lawnmower would sure come in handy. The city is charging us $19.00 to remove it. Isn't that what city and or property taxes are used for, to pay for debris removal?


For the first time in my life, I used an old bedding top sheet to rake the leaves onto to carry to the curb. I don't know if that is a southern way of how to remove a pile of leaves. Growing up on the family farm, we used the tractors for most of the hard work of leaf removal. I remember dad having a push leaf mower that had a catcher with a brush in front that would pick up stuff in the yard. We could sure use one of those now with the year around shedding of magnolia leaves and those black things that look like hand grenades that they drop.


The 'Gone With The Wind' room is now officially ready for the trim work (ie: crown molding, corner molding and the gold leaf molding) to go up. We will be making a trip to our hardware store probably this week to select the appropriate trim to complete the task. Then we will select the paint for the room. We will have at least two types of color on the walls. The final color selection has yet to be finalized. We are getting closer though.


The bee's and mosquitoes are out. Ick. I have my zapper nearby in case they try to want to bite me. My bug zapper looks like a miniature tennis racket with an electric string like pattern on the face. The zapper will take out wasps and hornets flying through the air. The best $10.00 ever spent. You can buy them at a gardening store. I got mine at Base Pro Shop in Macon. Kept the doors open with the ceiling fans running to let the warm, spring air come in. Since Day Light Saving Time began sunday, yesterday, my body is still on slow time. In a few days, it will catch up. The first day of Spring officially arrives on March 20th at 7:21 EST. The days and nights are 12 hours long and the sun is at a midpoint in the sky. As summer equinox approaches, the sun will rise higher and higher in the sky. On June 21st, the sun will be directly overhead, at around the 12 o'clock position. 


The day is done, another beautiful spring like day has come to an end. Tomorrow is another day. 

Looking forward to the official start of spring after a long winter for most of my northern friends. Thanks for stopping by and check back for continual updates on the Capt Hardy Smith House and the latest of what is going on around Dublin, GA. 

Dublin, GA: Signs of Spring

Good Afternoon All. A cool, sunny, windy day in Dublin, GA. This past week, the signs of spring were in full bloom. The Dogwood and Bradford Pear trees are in bloom, even the weeping willow tree in Stubbs Park is bursting out its green leaves. There are bee mounds all over the yard. They are starting to come out of hibernation. Come to think of it, those may be fire ant mounds. Fire ants here in middle GA are very aggressive.
Just nasty critters. I am looking forward to getting in the yard before it gets too hot.

Spring cleaning is in full swing. The kitchen is completely cleaned. It smells like Pinesol on the floor. A good thing. Went to our local home improvement store and bought a much needed freezer to store food and ICE in. Ice cold drinks will come in handy very soon as the weather will turn hot quickly. Spring is short in Dublin or Georgia for that matter. John racked the backyard of the leaves from last season by hand. It was too windy today to finish racking so he will finish another day. One day, we WILL get a riding lawn mower to mulch the grass and leaves. It won't be a 'Grasshopper' like my dad had on the farm to mow around the house but I will settle for a little riding lawn mower. Our leaf blower is about gone. We got it from a garage sale. Oh the supplies and equipment we need to keep our house and yard in good shape. John does not mind racking the leaves now nor do I, but was we get older, it will become more difficult physically. The tree directly behind John is our 300 year old cedar tree. Check out the trunk. Just to his left or to the right in the picture is part of the oldest graveyard in Dublin so you can get some perspective how close we are to it. That is where the dogs like to run and play. The church next door took down the fence in front of the graveyard. I presume a replacement fence will be going back up sometime in the near future.

To learn more about Dublin, GA, click on the link below. Keep checking back for updates for the latest in Dublin and the Capt Hardy Smith house. Thanks for stopping by. Erin Go Braugh!

We dodged a bullet in Dublin

Erin Go Braugh! Another beautiful although cooler day in Dublin, GA. It is 65 degrees. After a series of severe thunderstorms yesterday afternoon and last night throughout Georgia, March for the Dublin area came in like a lamb. We got moderate rain and some wind but no thunder that I could hear. We got lucky.

March 20th is the first day of spring. I am already thinking about getting out into the yard and begin my planting. Until spring officially arrives, we could get a few more freezing nights. Banners and giant green bows have sprung up around town in preparation for a month long celebration of St Patrick.

Masterbedroom window at the
HSH looking out at the first
Methodist Church. The
windows have a wave look.
Photo courtesy of: Scott Thompson

Get excited....March is here and spring is a little more than 2 weeks away!