Hello everybody,

Hope all is well with everyone!

Looks like I am not going to be able to post much for the next week or so. We don't normally do this but we planned our vacation early this year, like starting tomorrow. We were able to get a cottage at the beach for a week at a reduced rate for going a little early. So we are off to the beach. It's the same one we always do to called Holden Beach. I am looking forward to some relaxing times. I will have limited internet access so I really don't know what I'll be able to do short of answering email.

One thing about vacation is that you have to work three times as hard before and just as hard afterward. I have been putting in 14 hour days since Monday to get everything done so I can head out for vacation. I am sure that I will have a stack of work waiting for me when I get back.

I had a run-in with one of the nice critters that inhabit this area of the south. It's called a fireant. Normally I keep my eye out for these rascals. You can most of the time easily spot the nest as they can be large and hilled up. Well, the other day I was taking pictures of a house I was appraising and I had to stand in some leaves to get the picture. Little did I know that I was standing on a fireant nest. I was lucky. I felt them on me quickly. I was able to brush them off. Except for one. I didn't see her because she was under my pants. She climbed up the inside of my pants leg. She got pretty high up before she transferred to my skin. Well, she got me on my knee. Thank God she stopped there. Any higher and getting stung might have been a lot more interesting!

Anyway, one sting was not bad. For those of you who don't know what a fireant is look it up. Those of us who live below the Mason-Dixon line know about them for the most part. Luckily for most of you they cant stand cold so North Carolina and Virginia are about as far north as they go. Well, I finished with the house and left. So now I am finishing up my work for the week and looking forward to a nice week at the beach. I'll have some pictures I am sure.

Take care everybody.