Gkikas Rotating Header Image

Picture stories

Frog Suit

After baths, Althea likes to prance around the house in her frog suit.

Althea in the frog suit

Althea in the frog suit

She's Althea, but she's also a frog.

She's Althea, but she's also a frog.

Look At This Dude’s Name

utterli-image
Harry Balzer. LOL. Who names their kid Harry Balzer!? I thought “Gkikas” was rough!

.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Mobile post sent by gkikas using Utterlireply-count Replies.

Don’t Shoot!

utterli-image
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Mobile post sent by gkikas using Utterlireply-count Replies.

Sacked the Eff Out

utterli-image
.
Elise is a Barcelona fan, too.
.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Mobile post sent by gkikas using Utterlireply-count Replies.

Rusty discs

utterli-image
This was the last time I threw my Champion Beast distance driver.

You know, the green and purple fly-dye I’ve had since forever? Yeah, that one.

7th hole, pulled really hard right, two houses into the ghetto.

RIP
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Mobile post sent by gkikas using Utterlireply-count Replies.

Double Belly Time

utterli-image
Ok, as I write this from the Blackberry I took the photo on, Elise and Althea are still sleeping. On my chest. I am posting this directly from my BB.

Idoia’s napping on the other couch. She has no idea I’m accomplishing/enjoying this.

First I was napping alone. Then, Elise starts whimpering from her swingy seat. I check and sure enough, poopie diaper, so I change her and sure enough she pees all over her onesie. Skin to skin time, yay, so we’re back to the couch for 30min of nap.

Then, Althea starts muttering from her swingy chair, and this idea crosses my mind… Maybe I can get them BOTH on me…

Elise goes to the bed. Holding pattern. Althea gets snagged and changed without even waking. Whip off the onesie and set her next to Elise.

Gingerly, I scoop them both up, one in each arm, and we make our way back to the couch, where I gracefully land with both of them where they still lie, chuckling in their sleep, happily warm on Daddy’s chest.

.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Mobile post sent by gkikas using Utterlireply-count Replies.

You Can Pick Your Friends

And you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.
.

Rig and settings:

60th Anniv American Fat Strat Deluxe
Fender Hotrod Deluxe – clean channel
Volume 2/12
Treble 9
Bass 5
Mid 8
Reverb 3
Presence 9
BBE Green Screamer
Boss DD6 echo

Disc Golf in Little Rock – Burns Park

I’m in Little Rock for a week on business. Being the disc golf nut that I am, one of the top things on my list of things to find here is a disc golf course, and lo and behold, there is Burns Park.

Burns Park Disc Golf Course

A mere 10 minutes away from my hotel on Markham, just by the Arkansas River, this ENORMOUS city park is home to two rather exceptional disc golf courses. The blue course, which is longer and more open, is the one I’ve played twice already (in two days). The red course, which is shorter and on the side of a (to me) mountain, is more technical and wooded.

Yesterday was my first round. I got out of work and high-tailed it back to the hotel, eager to get out there and throw some discs. I had no trouble finding the place, and was thrilled to tee off on a course with elevation. For a Florida flatlander, this was like an excursion to disc golf nirvana.

Burns Park Disc Golf Course - Fifth Hole

After the first hole, I knew I’d get lost, so I mustered my social skills and jogged up to a couple that were playing two holes ahead of me. As politely as I could present myself as a regular guy that wouldn’t rob or beat them, I introduced myself and asked it they minded if I join them, since I was new to the course and liable to get lost. They were Nate and Amy, a couple that proved to be perfectly in line with all the people I’d met in Little Rock so far — super friendly and terrifically hospitable. I was not disappointed in my decision to approach them.

On the 11th hole, after finding a huge pine tree had crushed the 10th basket to smithereens (see photo), I threw my Champion Beast forehand right into a tree about 75 feet in front of the tee. It looked like it dropped straight down, but upon reaching its alleged landing place, it was nowhere to be found. Nate and Amy searched for this disc for almost thirty minutes…. and five minutes after I’d given it up for lost, not wanting to cut short their round on my account. Then, Amy FINDS my disc!! This, ladies and gentlemen, is what Little Rock people are capable of… going way beyond the basics of friendliness!

Smashed 10th Basket

Today I played again, this time by myself, thinking that I’d learned enough of where the tees and baskets were. I was mostly right. I ran into a group of guys playing made-up holes, just screwing around, and they pointed me towards the 13th tee, which I couldn’t find. I was proud, incidentally, that my only birdie of the day happened right near them. I outdrove the basket with a nice forehand flick, and sunk the twenty foot birdie putt. Aw yeah!

I finished at 12 over par, which included no less than three dinked-out putts from near range. Not the best scoring round for me lately, but given the circumstances, I’m pretty happy with the score.

As I sat in one of numerous pavilions by the parking lot before motoring back to the hotel, a group of five guys wander off the red course and have a seat next to me. Again, they’re very friendly and approachable, and we made great conversation for half an hour or so. One of them, “Corndog” (I’m not making this up) offered me a beer along with the rest of his buddies, and we shot the shit for a while, talking about disc golf, how they’d played 72 holes that day (!!??) and how disc golf’s got to be one of the greatest pastimes on Earth. We shook hands and promised that if I’m ever in Little Rock again, I’d look them up with the business card Corndog handed me.

Seriously, when a friendly guy who plays disc golf, who goes by “Corndog” says to look him up next time you’re in town, you DO so.

Wanee Fest 2008 – Junior Brown and Warren Haynes Jam

Photos from Wanee Festival – 2008 – Live Oak, Florida. I do not know the names of the guys in the campsite jam photos except Tony Tyler, the blonde headed fella on the right side. That dude could PLAY, folks lemme tell ya. He reminded me of a young Trey Anastasio. When I met him while waiting for Junior Brown to come onstage, I told him so. His face lit up, thankfully, as the weight of this conpliment didn’t escape him. Really, really nice guy… from somewhere up in Georgia. Apparently, all these dudes in the photos are musician buddies from wherever they live. I’d love to visit for a show or two, as these guys know their shit. They were remarkably friendly and approachable, all of them.

[album=3]

Citrus Bowl – Florida Loses in Tight Match

Well, it was our first Bowl Game experience. It wasn’t what we had hoped, unfortunately, and the reason only occurred to us after the fact, after we’d wondered what was missing. The game took place in Orlando — not Gainesville. Had we been in the Swamp, the game would’ve likely had more of its desired, characteristic craziness, that thing we’d been longing to experience. Overall, we had a good time, but next time it’ll be in the Swamp, with REALLY LOUD Gator fans.

Go Gators - Citrus Bowl 08

Florida Citrus Bowl 08

Go Gators

Chris at the Citrus Bowl