The next place for walking 🚶♂️happened at the Rest Area on I-40, just before Hickory, North Carolina. That set things up nicely for a stop ✋️ at the Hickory Motor Speedway, where our Dakota is set to race 🏁 one week from today.
I’m not sure of my schedule for next Saturday yet, but anytime I can try to move the needle for the Walls family, I do my best to do so.
We are proud to play a small role in their efforts and are thrilled about next Saturday !!!
Boogity, Boogity, Boogity….
North Carolina Welcome Center
Good morning, kind Sir. I’m in Richmond for S/O state games. Saw these shirts, made me think of you & your beautiful wife.
God Bless you, Sherry Slaughter !!
Principal Chuck Thompson is THE gatekeeper to The Hill ! I miss out on some folks wanting to visit my site because of non-negotiable appreciation for both The Man 👨 and his job !
I am okay with that because I want to stand for something, not become popular. Mr Thompson has a job that most people think that they could do better than him, and I can only pray for those folks.
The task of being held accountable for the number of people, young and old, that he is required to care about on a daily basis is unfathomable. That is what I call a S.A.T word, and I was lucky to spell it correctly.
Folks should view the position in the same manner that they do the pilot on their flight ✈️. To root against your pilot just lacks common sense.
When we honored 🎖 Mr Thompson this year, there was no better place to do it than Cavalier Park because over there, we have more than a few card carrying members of the ” We support Chuck ” club !
Cavalier Park is a special place, in the same manner as Tommy Thompson Field and Bill Worrell Field. Any day that Mr Thompson has the time to cross the Boulevard, it makes it just that much more special !
Fifty years of dealing with athletic directors and various levels, there are certain characteristics that you hope and pray 🙏 for. Two of them that top the list are caring and consistency, and our Kevin DeHaven possesses both of those in abundance !
I don’t think a person can ” fake ” caring about people, and if Mr. DeHaven has had a bad day, I wasn’t around to witness it.
Yesterday afternoon, when I was able to capture the video 📹 of Brenden Fariss clearing the bar on the High Jump, the one that landed him in the Top Ten, I immediately thought about who should I send it to ? It was a short list, it went on my site, and it went to Mr DeHaven.
One of the things that makes the world 🌎 a better place is the unconditional love and support Kevin receives from his Bride 👰♂. While our paths don’t cross that often, anytime I see Mrs DeHaven, I immediately think about fortunate we are to have them as a package deal !
While I couldn’t pick his Mother out of a crowd, I greatly appreciate your opinion of my writing ! It fuels ⛽️ the fire 🔥!!
In the springtime, our paths are even further separated because Baseball is his baby, and my first ❤️ is softball, but I would like to think that we have mutual respect for each other.
The Hill is in good hands 🙌 because of the DeHavens, Mom included !
Now, here’s the tough part for me. Yes, I dreamed about folks waking ⏰️ up to the site and reading this type of support, but the reality is I’m dependent upon sending a link to the correct person so it can be shared on social media.
Now, who else out there feels the same way I do about the first couple of Cavalier sports ?
Samantha Reed, maybe Deana Burcham could be?? I’m pretty sure that Casey Burcham feels the same way, but like me, he doesn’t spend time on social media. Rick Nester again falls into the category of Casey.
Kevin doesn’t have a Nike shoe contract and probably makes .18cents per hour and he is good at his job !
Whoever ends up with this capsule, please get it to his Momma, I know she will like it !
The Greater Fool is an economic term that has a special meaning to me because of my appreciation for Aaron Sorkin over the years. Sorkin, along with God, Tim Tebow, my father 👨 and Jimmy Buffett combined to create the person who my site has belonged to for the past 18 years.
Anyone who pays attention to my work will notice that my name doesn’t appear anywhere on my site because this effort is not about me in the slightest. It is about my efforts to show God my appreciation for the life that I have been blessed 🙌 to live.
Find a need and fill it – The six word message came from a Southern Baptist church service that I listened to almost 50 years ago, and I have tried my best to follow those words to the very best of my abilities.
There is no shortage of folks holding a camera around here, and a large number of them operate on a very high plane. We are blessed to have the likes of Mike Turner, Craig Worrell, and Velvet Leonard, just to name a few. There is no ” need ” there, that is for sure.
I consider myself skilled in a number of areas, but when it comes to photography📸, I am just a guy who uses his cellphone.
Ryan McCafferty is an answered prayer, and I have done everything I can to assist him during his transition into our area. It’s been a hot minute since The Carroll News has designated a staff position to solely cover Sports in our area. He is young and energetic ➕️ he has an understanding of his surroundings. We needed that in a BIG way, and now we have it.
We are halfway through year six living in the suburbs of downtown Laurel Fork, and every day, I wake up and ask myself, “What can I do today that will give another person hope ?” Can you make someone smile or laugh by showing them a random act of kindness ?
Where that gets tricky is the fact its hard to put a tag on the effort. Everything that I attempt to do is because of my Faith and because I will never have the ability to Preach a sermon, I do my very best to let my actions speak for me.
Love Thy Neighbor is part of the thought process as well. We live in a very unique place, and if everyone had the mindset of watching out for each other, Wow, just Wow !
The Laurel Fork Coconut 🥥 Telegraph is our sister site, and that name is in tribute to both Jimmy Buffett and the place we call home !
https://aroundthevalleyin60days.blogspot.com/2026/06/softball-is-great-way-to-grow-up-can.html
This site is designed for a quick hit smile when a photo can tell a story on its own. The photo 📸 there makes an impression, and it is one of our current players. If someone sends me a picture, it is because it matters to them. By extension, it then matters to me, and if it doesn’t need 500 words, it goes on the Coconut Telegraph. If it needs a story, a story is created!
By the way, can you tell me which player it is ?
Alone in a Crowd – Allen Worrell, Anthony Barnes, Greg Talley, Martin McKenzie, Marion Harris, and Shannon Dalton are some of the people who were an absolute pleasure to interact with over the years and I miss them very much. Yes, I have to include Marion on the list because there was a time when he was contributing material to our efforts. I miss interacting with Kris Richardson, but that falls into a different category as my neighbor and friend is also way too busy.
Removing the photo 📸 of the school 🏫 from the banner of the site was a natural thing to do. Yes, the original design was to build a safe place, free of bullying and hate, for people to wake ⏰️ up to. But the percentage of the school that was involved with this was less than 5%. Using my photo of the school was the equivalent of false advertising.
The one in its place is a special one to me as a shop owner down in North Carolina, used a laser to combine our logo with the shape of The Commonwealth.
The new title is a temporary one, and the site itself still has the same address it had back on Day 1. Aroundthevalleyin60days.blog
Other names will include :
The Bill Gallimore Sports Report
The Road Less Traveled
Greg Bolen is a Rock Star
I hope that Kevin Burress never grows up
Joe Walsh once had an album in which he titled it ” You bought it, You name it.”
Clever stuff !
Things that you should know about my efforts going forward are :
I am trying hard to act like a smaller version of Tim Tebow.
I am trying to write ✍️ every word like Jimmy & Aaron.
I am serving God.
I love ❤️ the following things not already listed : Educators, anyone who wears a uniform – Police or Military, anyone trying to coach a team without a Nike shoe contract.
EVERY word I write ✍️ will always be in a positive manner because the World 🌎 needs more of it !
Longer read than normal, but the focus has to shift to the folks who want the interaction.
The softball capsules are fun to do, and they tend to make people smile. All I ask is that if you want one for your family, just let me know by sending me a pic or 2 that you love.
As folks like Travis Osborne and Travis Leath know, Softball is the Greatest Show on Dirt !
Let’s wrap this up by saying that, Yes, I truly believe that their is still time to make a difference in this World 🌎 and I proudly accept the label of The Greater Fool for believing that we can still get there !!!
Yes, the Morning 🌄 Brew will still include Travis Osborne with his Bible Verse of the Day :
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
If you believe what I believe, I welcome 🙏 the interaction, but if not, that’s okay too, just change the channel.
Through the eyes of a Greater Fool 