Hello Y’all!

[Nandy]

Guys, I appreciate you let the door open and the light on for me to get back to say hi to my old family. I hate it that some undesired people tagged in behind me but my Russian is a bit rusty and muddy… lol!

Some of you know me, I bet the rest don’t, so let me introduce myself to some and take some of you thru memory lane…

I was born and raised in a little island in the Caribbean named Puerto Rico. Im a country boy just like most of you, just from another country. You would not believe the parallels that I see now between the our country folks and the good ol’boys here… Anyway…

I have 2 kids. Esteban, my oldest, is 24. He goes”hunting”, fishing and camping with me. He has autism and he is the reason I moved from PR to NC. My second is my daughter Myrta, she is 23 and currently in college at Johnson & Wales Charlotte and will finish her bachelor in Culinary Arts and Hospitality (or something like that, don’t ask me, I just pay the bills…) next summer.

Around 1996 while I was working 2nd shift at General Instruments I started visiting an outdoor website. The name was All Outdoors if I recall right. There I “met” a bunch of interesting people, jackasses and trolls… In essence, what is still the internet today… I got picked on quite a few times because of my grammar and spelling (which y’all can tell is still horrible) however I still got support from more understanding souls. Amongst them a Canadian dude that went by the name of Frenchie and at least 2 other good ol’ boys, Bill “mauserman" and Larke “Captain” (Larke, do you remember your handle for back then?).

Later on my now exwife and I made the decision to move out of the island in search for better treatment for my son autism. Our 3 options were NJ, NC or TX…. I had my brother living in Charlotte NC so this was our first choice. I also had that crazy American dude Larke that helped me quite a bit. By April of 1997 I had sold as much as my stuff I could and was in an airplane to CLT airport by myself. I was lucky to have backup here waiting for me, my hat is off to those that do similar treks and have no one waiting to help them. Few days after arriving in Charlotte I got to meet Larke and his beautiful family.

It was time for adjustment, you see, although I have “learned” English in my school days it was not the English that I was used to hear (Yankee) and I had as much problem adjusting to the accent as many had the same problem when trying to understand what I said (till happens today, but it is generally one way). After working in the electronics field for so long in PR and had my own electronic security and computer business I found it easy to find a job here and eventually, on the summer of 98 I landed a job with BellSouth. A year after that I got a promotion for as internal technical support. Also, around that time I started to go back to my hunting and fishing hobbies. Bellsouth was sold to AT&T which I still work with as Senior Specialist – Network Support for Access. If that don’t mean anything to do then you are normal! Lol! I being the hot bachelor I was I did not keep by myself for long. I hitched this poor Yankee girl named Elizabeth (she tries to be country but you can still see her Yankee roots) with me and she has been wonderful with my son.

Since then except for the divorce (it was a friendly divorce, no lawyers nor drama) that has been my life for the most. Work a lot, play a little. I belong to a fly fishing group since 2005 and we do 3 to 4 trips as a group around the SE. Esteban goes with me to each one of those if he is with me. As of last year his biological mom started to take him on vacation which is a good thing but he might miss a trip.

Nowadays I am involved in fishing, hunting, shooting (looking for a 300 yards or more range y’all), camping, riding my motorcycle (metrics rule, sorry Harley’s riders) and…. Sewing! Lol! I wished I was at home and could dig some of them old photos but I tend to find more “spare” time while at work waiting for the next call of support… But let me entertain you with some more recent photos.

My other half and I at OBX a few years ago.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/121.jpg

DW (the wife) and I on last year trip to Hunting Island State Park, SC.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/20140322_162932.jpg

Deer tenderloins Nando style!
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/20141014_132118.jpg

I made this jacket for the wife.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/20140801_101401.jpg

She needed headgear also...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/20140801_101747.jpg

Esteban ready for Prom
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/20130503_150805.jpg

This is my deer buster, a Savage 110 Switch Barrel Action, SAV-2 trigger, Choate Varmint Stock with a custom made Brux 7MM RM, 1-9, 26", Varmint Barrel, Brake, it has a Leupold VXIII 3.5x14 50mm with illuminated reticle. I shoot hunting VLD Bergers out of it at 2900 fps and if I do my part each bullet hole will touch each other at 200 yards.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/20120812_183615.jpg

My vegetable garden a few years ago, I have to get it going this year... Im late!
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/20120604_140442.jpg

Shooting box at power line.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/IMG-20111113-00171.jpg

Little later...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/1113111042.jpg

Esteban Fishing in TN
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/IMG-20111008-00147.jpg

Another successful fishing trip, Esteban and I.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/e_dad_cannoe.jpg


Finally, a short video I made of one of our fishing trips, this one is from 2012
https://youtu.be/mv2JxuFV_lk

[Arty]

Nandy!... Not gonna lie, I knew the handle, but couldn't place you. Once I started reading, everything came back crystal clear!
Welcome back!

[LJ3]

Welcome home Nandy! Good update. For the life of me I can't remember what my handle was back at AO. Was it just LJ?

Kribbs is still here but he's busy doing marilyn monroe on the bridge of the love boat right now. Pretty sure he's making Elvis watch, too.

[Big Skyz]

Welcome back on board. Those hunting and fishing pictures will likely confuse half these guys. They'd rather talk about baseball, car racing or politics. There are a few of us still casting and blasting though.

[Nandy]

Thanks for the welcoming y'all!
Arty, we used to visit to your side of the woods often. DW dad lives in Suffolk so every time we visit we go to VA Beach. She was born in Akron, OH, but spent her adolescent years in the VA beach area. She still has family there too.
Len, I also think it was LJ. I frankly dont remember mine.
Sunshine, im glad you are still around, you add class to this "motley crew".
Oh yeah, helen and her Hulking Men Child.. lol! I use that phrase every know and then...
Big Skys, that means this bunch has not changed much.
Aww, the memory of the glory days...

[Captain]

Glad you got back in here Nandy. Good thing you still had my cell number. I cannot for sure remember my handle at AO. I think it was Carolina Country Boy? But that has been awhile.
This old group sure has been together a long time.
Been some really good friendship made here that otherwise would have never met.
Take Care, Captain

[Niner]

Hey there Nanndy. GLAD to see some of the old timers coming back online!!! :rockon

You may not remembder me, we met one night in a Carolina soybean field and Cap'n and I helped you look for a deer you had shot.

[Buckrub]

Welcome home, buddy.

I LOVE it that you call your deer stand a "shooting box". I bet you learned that from Cappy!

Great story, great pics, and I wear a size XL if you sit around nights sewing stuff. :rockon Kribbs wears a XXXXXL.

[Fido]

I remember you! Like the way you do your deer tenderloin, ooh and loose the red tie, go with a sky blue. Glad tooo have you back!!!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Can you sew Bucky a muffler?

Please?

BKB

[Buckrub]

Won't be needed.

[Captain]

Won't be needed.

You mean it want be used...
Needed is another matter. :D

[BarryBobPosthole]

And I meant it for the other end!
What he has now sounds like an old glass pack.
BKB

[DeputyDog]

Welcome back Nandy. A friends daughter graduated from Johnson & Wales last year. What a great program with the two years of culinary then the two of business. Gets them ready for just about anything in the culinary field.

[Bwana]

Welcome back sir.

[Nandy]

Cappy, I tried it but I thought it was hopeless to be honest with you. People tend to change numbers back in the day when they changed carriers. Glad it worked out.
Niner, I do remember you. I still have the picture that Larke took of us. Do you still have those pet deers you feed and the wife wont let you shoot?
Buky, there is no enough fabric at Joanns to cover up Kribo's butt, plus my sewing table is not that big... Maybe when I get my industrial compound machine I will be able to handle sumbrella or canvas.... :smileinbox
BBP, im not going anywhere around that end of Bucky... Period, if you are so kind to provide measurements I could, im not sure either of my 3 current machines can do Kevlar..
Deputy, she wants to start her own restaurant possibly having Puerto Rican comfort food. I tell her she needs to go and work for someone else for a few years before she jumps that gun. College prepare them well but real life experience will be great and unmeasurable on top of that college degree.
Bwana, I feel welcomed!

I need to find the power supply for that old backup hard drive where I have some oldies...

[Arty]

Thanks for the welcoming y'all! Arty, we used to visit to your side of the woods often. DW dad lives in Suffolk so every time we visit we go to VA Beach. She was born in Akron, OH, but spent her adolescent years in the VA beach area. She still has family there too. Len, I also think it was LJ. I frankly dont remember mine. Sunshine, im glad you are still around, you add class to this "motley crew". Oh yeah, helen and her Hulking Men Child.. lol! I use that phrase every know and then... Big Skys, that means this bunch has not changed much. Aww, the memory of the glory days...

Next time you are down here hit me up we can find some trouble to get in to

[Thumper]

Dang Nandy ... I thought you'd abandoned us for good! Welcome home!