virtualDavis

Bumped into Carrie MacKillop at the Old Brick Store in Charlotte, Vermont this morning. She’s a firecracker! And… she’s interested in the Essex Inn project. Exciting news, and it means that there are more and more neat folks coming together to try and save the Essex Inn.

Anybody else have a great plan for how to save the Essex Inn? How to turn this handsome, historic property into the heart and soul of Essex?

Day actually became colorful a little later on, but these tones were almost richer than the bright blues and yellows of high noon. Any idea what’s missing from this photo?

Docks and boat hoist are in. Doug and I spent the better part of Sunday morning seeing to that awkward task. And then changing out the moorings for winter. And neither of us fell into the drink!

But docks, boat hoist and moorings aren’t the only missing pieces of this puzzle…

I saved this image to my desktop within the last year or two. Now, cleaning up my desktop, I’m still enthused about the t-shirt, still want it, but I can’t remember where in the world to find the clever merchant.

I saved it as a reminder to buy the t-shirt, but now I’ve lost track of where to buy it. And yet… the shirt is GREAT! Any leads?

Every month or two I find a good image of our house on eBay, mostly old postcards from the first half of the 20th century when it was an inn, restaurant and bar. (Called the Sherwood Inn.) Kind of a weird feeling actually, so I try to win the auctions for our collection and to take them out of circulation.

Although the porch was removed a couple of decades ago, and the big maple trees have mostly succumbed, much of the house looks the same today.

Ever have that feeling that you’re late to the party? Like everyone’s already had a cocktail and an appetizer or two, and then you stroll in with your hair still wet from the shower and your shirt buttoned up crooked?

I’ve been feeling that a little bit lately. Especially while trying to decide whether or not to join Facebook. It rose rapidly and quickly eclipsed all equivalent social networking sites during the last couple of years that Susan and I renovated a pair of old buildings in Essex, NY. Prior to catching the residential rehabilitation bug — or at least prior to the last 3-4 years during which I’ve been 110% consumed with revitalizing five distressed buildings from the early 1800s and 1900s — I considered myself at least near the vanguard of the new media movement. No longer. While I blundered around in a dusty, plaster splattered purgatory, the wired world has catapulted forward. Now, fumbling around like a man blinded by sunlight after too long among the troglodytes, I’m trying to get my bearings. And there is no question; I’m very, very late to the party!

LinkedIn happened to be my first encounter. I was at Susan’s Hamilton College reunion a year and a half ago, and I met Dan Nye who was the much heralded CEO of LinkedIn at the time. He made a presentation about the service to fellow alumni, and by the time I connected with him that afternoon I’d already joined. The concept fascinated me, and his down-to-earth pitch and sharp wit convinced me to act. Since then, my LinkedIn profile has proven to be an invaluable networking tool.

Twitter was next. I’d toyed with it a couple of times before, mostly because it seemed simple and serendipitous. And because it was viable from Blackberry which was indispensable this last couple of years. But it also seemed frivolous during a time where I was rationing minutes for eating and sleeping. So it slipped. Until a few weeks ago when I posted my first tweet to virtualDavis on Twitter. I’m still a newbie for sure, but I’m having a blast. I’ve been really surprised by how quickly I’m connecting to all sorts of great tweeters, and frankly it was the incredibly welcoming atmosphere that I’ve experienced with Twitter that prompted me to take the Facebook plunge. It’s sort of ironic since the Twitter vs. Facebook debate surfaces so often online. For me, a great Twitter experience is what motivated to set up a virtualDavis on Facebook account. And they seem like totally complimentary services, each so totally niched and overdelivering w/in their niches.

So, last night I finally accepted an invitation to join Facebook and I’m off and running! I’m taking a little ribbing from friends who have mocked me for not getting on sooner, but it’s been in good spirits. And I’ve been overwhelmed with the positive response and with the number of friends who’ve quickly connected me. That tells me I’m lucky to have good friends, but it also serves as a gentle warning. These folks must be on Facebook all the time! I’ve been amazed at how instantaneous interaction is on Facebook, which makes me wonder how anyone gets anything else done… Late last night, I realized that I’ll have to learn how to close the browser and go to sleep!

To everyone who’s welcomed me into the 21st century, thank you!

It’s happened again, another memorable forward. Read these puns aloud, and you’ll likely chuckle a time or two. If not, check your pulse. And then ingest a goodly chunk of dark chocolate. Then reread these clever puns. Aloud. And enjoy!

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: ‘You stay here; I’ll go on a head..’
14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: ‘Keep off the Grass.’
16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said ‘No change yet.’
17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
18. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
19. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a  seasoned veteran.
20. A backward poet writes inverse.
21. In a democracy it’s your vote that counts.  In feudalism it’s your count that votes.
22. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
23. Don’t join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!

Did these tickle your punny funny bone? Did they inspire to conjure up a pun or two of your own? Feel free to share.

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