26 Hours of Family Fun; 9-12 March on Washington

On Saturday September 12th My Wife and I along with our teenage daughter and teenage son hopped in the family car at 12am and headed to Winston-Salem, NC to meet up with hundreds of folks from the area fed up with excess government expansion and out of control spending. This was the beginning of a very long day. We got on bus #2 of 7 around 2:30am and headed north to Washington.

We got dropped off around 9:30 and told the march would start from Freedom Plaza at 11:30.

We decided to do a little site seeing first. This headed us in the opposite direction of the march. First the Washington Monument then the Lincoln Memorial.
And all places in between, World War I Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial then finally we stopped in front of the Whitehouse.

Time to head over to start the march. The only thing we didn't know was there were so many people crowding into Freedom Plaza that they had to start the march a full 2 hours early. In our infinite wisdom we thought we had just missed the start of the march and tried to catch up to the North Carolina groups. Here is a time lapse of the crowd starting in Freedom Plaza and then marching down Pennsylvania Avenue.



Upon cruising the web my Sister-in-law spotted us in the following video. We are in the first 2 seconds of the video. You can see us in our bright green shirts from left to right Me, my son, my wife and my daughter. Even if we weren't in this video it is an excellent short overview.



Here is a large group of photos from the march that I found on flickr.



Last but not least is another excellent video of the event, it is amazing how many people came from all over the country.



After the march we got back on the buses and headed back south to North Carolina.

We ended up getting back in the house a little after 2am on 9-13. All told we had 26 hours of family fun that none of us will ever forget.

The Demon You Know (The Others, Book 3)

The Demon You Know by Christine Warren


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Call me slow, I'm just starting to figure out that many of the books I'm reading are Romance novels first and paranormal second. This series by Christine is a good balance of the two. The mythology in this urban fantasy is well done and the romance while sexually active doesn't over reach into pure porn like some stories I've read.

Bottom line is this is an entertaining series and I'm sure to read the next two.

Cheers!

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She's No Faerie Princess (The Others, Book 2)

She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Christine Warren's second book in The Others series. Like Cynthia Eden's Midnight series there is quite a bit of sex in this book, but the sex here was integral to the story, and told with an intensity and purpose that both stimulated and amused us at the same time.

This is a world of Urban Fantasy. Through 2 books we have been introduced to various types of Shapeshifters, some pack oriented others not so much, Vampires, Witches, Demons, Faeries, Pixies, and Imps. I have enjoyed her mythology and by the end of the second book we have much history revealed and we're learning more each story.

Well Done Christine, I can hardly wait to start the next story.

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Midnight's Master

Midnight's Master by Cynthia Eden


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The third in Cynthia Eden's Midnight series. I continue to think she is too preoccupied with sex and making it graphic must make it better? The sex in this book though like her first Hotter After Midnight is constructive to the story and so I'll forgive her for being a little overzealous in this department. That aside I do love the mythology that she has setup in her world and thoroughly enjoyed the story.

I'm tossed up though because I think she is getting to be a tad too predictable, so while I enjoyed this book it may be the last of this series that I read.

Of course since this is currently the most recent book she has written in this series I have a year or so to change my mind before she comes out with another. :)

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Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you're this far into the series you either think this series is just plain fun or you're frustrated with the ever changing boyfriend situation and the many side stories that some think as filler.

Me I like the side stories and think this series is just plain fun.

Before you read this it might help if you track down the short story "One Word Answer" in the anthology "Bite". If you don't there is a short paragraph that back fills you about a previous incident, but it is a big enough gotcha that you might think you missed it while reading the books and wonder if you are reading them out of order.

On to the next.


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Dead to the World

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was the second book in a row that had the higher level of mystery and suspense that I enjoy in my favorite paranormal reads.

In this book Charlaine expands her world with the entry of witches and a closer look at Pack structure and shifter lore.

Add to this a surprising romance and you end up with a very entertaining read.

On to the next.


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Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This story was more to my liking. Varied characters, suspense, romance, action and some mystery. It has taken three books but the author is finally adding some depth to her creations. This book is also the first that I've read that is a total departure from the TV series (which I love). I'm glad I have finally out distanced the screen writers. Although season two already is diverging in many ways from Book two.

Both the books and the HBO show True Blood are worth the time.

Looking forward to the next book.