Todd and Rob Go Jump in the Lake

Those Blue Ridge boys take a break from their phantasmagoric gardening to paddle around a beautiful mountain lake.

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Sunday Drive: Fields of Gold

Eva Cassidy's timeless performance:

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Cavalcade of Food: Summer Display and Cool Cocktail

Kevin shows off his new summertime display windows at his appliance museum in Croswell, Michigan.

Bonus:  Kevin shows how to make his idea of a classic Cuba Libre - i. e., rum and Coke:

 

This is actually your Head Trucker's favorite drink, on those very rare occasions when I have a cocktail nowadays.  But I ask for a Captain and Coke on the rocks, no lime.  Simple and delicious.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Mon Prince Charmant" by Clint Collide:

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Ten Years On: Marriage Equality Day

June 26 should be a red-letter day on every gay and lesbian calendar - the day the Supreme Court extended marriage equality to all Americans in these momentous words that will ring through centuries to come:

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.

—Justice Anthony Kennedy, Obergefell v. Hodges majority opinion (emphasis mine)

Here's the NBC news report on that day and President Obama's eloquent remarks:

Here's your Head Trucker's post on that day.  M.P. and I were teary-eyed with joy.  I thought, finally -- it's over, we won, now life can flow on smoothly and happily for us gay folks, as it should.

But of course life doesn't always go as we expect.  Now we face new challenges.  Let's stay united, firm, and courageous.  Our love is here to stay!

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Restoring Sean: Derailed but Determined

Big, beefy, hairy guy with a sweet smile is renovating an old house he bought.  Come watch.  

If you're pressed for time, get the best view of his body of work starting at the 27:00 mark.

 

He's also into interior design. Check out his website at restoringsean.com.

(P.S. -- Where did all these home-repair bears come from?  In my day, everybody was into disco, not DIY.)

Growing Up Gay: Bullied but Unbroken

Insightful story by a woofy guy from my generation who came out in the 70's but led a very different life in the big city:

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Father David: On the Road Again

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Second Sunday of Pentecost

Father David shares a very timely message today, as the world recoils in shock from Trump's overnight bombing of Iran.

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Jeffrey Kevin: Butterfly Tablescape

To welcome the first day of summer, Jeffrey Kevin sets a lovely table in shades of pink and teal - and lots of pretty butterflies in all the colors of the rainbow!

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Strong Enough #2" by Clint Collide:

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What We're Watching: Spotted Dick

Witty food historian Max Miller gets down to the nitty gritty with that British favorite of most peculiar nomenclature.  But relax - it's not what you think!

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Pleas for Peace: Senator, King, and Pope

For the record, I'm presenting clear sight and plain speaking from three good men - but who will listen?  The world has been warned.

1.  Senator Bernie Sanders, always a voice of reason and justice for all:

2.  King Abudllah of Jordan, who was educated in Britain and the United States, is the longest-serving monarch in the Muslim world and one of the most respected, and has always been a voice of tolerance and peace in the Middle East:

3.  Pope Leo also calls for peace, warning of a return to savage barbarism if peace is not preserved:

The world is sitting on the edge of a volcano. It's too awful to think about.  God help us all.

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Royal Ascot 2025

Ascot Racecourse is part of the Crown Estate, just down the road and over the hill from Windsor Castle.  It was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne.  Since 1825, the June races have been marked by a daily carriage procession of the reigning sovereign and assorted guests from the Castle to the course - a splendid old tradition that the horse-loving British are quite fond of.  It's also a marvelous occasion for ladies to dress up in their fanciest formal frocks and hats - think My Fair Lady. 

None of this has anything to do with the government of the country - but isn't this much nicer than a gloomy parade of tanks and guns and vainglorious bluster from a pompous buffoon?

The history of Royal Ascot:

Yesterday's royal carriage procession for the opening day, described by a couple of chatty newsgirls. Wait for the reveal of their hats at the very end:

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Kinzinger: A Warning for Democracy

Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger has an urgent message for all Americans:

Your Head Trucker is aware of the numerous horrors going on in the world at this time; but this weary old man can't bring himself to blog about them.  Not that it would do any good, anyhow.  Kinzinger says what needs to be said; let those who have ears, hear.

BTW, I just learned that Kinzinger, who represented an Illinois district in Congress, recently moved to a suburb of Houston.

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Todd and Rob Canoodle On

Those Georgia mountain boys are getting all hot and sweaty as they continue with their canoe project.  But will they shuck the shirts?

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Sunday Drive: Holy, Holy, Holy!

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

First Sunday after Pentecost:

Trinity Sunday

Lyrics are found here.

Bonus:  Father David's sermon for today has a profound message for believers and unbelievers alike.  I recommend it to all my truckbuddies.

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Trooping the Colour, 2025

Now this is how you do a real King's Birthday Parade.  Sky News covers the whole shebang, which took place in London this morning:

Note:  the British monarch and all other European monarchs are the good guys - constitutional monarchs.  Their powers were clipped centuries ago, and now they reign but do not rule, as the saying is.  It is hard for an American mind to grasp the concept of a king with all the glory but very little of the power, but that's the way the British like it.  (They don't think like we do.)  And as the 70-year reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II amply demonstrated, in a parliamentary democracy a figurehead monarch can be a strong force for good and an anchor of stability amid the to-and-fro of politics and social change.

For background on the evolution of the monarchy in Britain, start with the Bill of Rights 1689, which preceded our own Constitution and Bill of Rights by a century, and was very much in the minds of the Founding Fathers when they were getting our country off the ground.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Strong Enough #1" by Clint Collide.  A short, eclectic mix of the weird and the wonderful.

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New Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge Nears Completion

It was scheduled to open sometime this month, but there's no word yet on just when that will happen.  The new bridge is not exactly what I would call pretty, but it's an impressive structure:  over half a mile long and more than 500 feet tall.  See what you think.

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"I Loved Lucy": An Interview with Author Lee Tannen

Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth interview with Lee Tannen about his friendship with Lucille Ball: 

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I just want a reality check here: is everybody in the world turning gay? Or has the YouTube algorithm finally got my number?   I'm like, WTF man?  Lately, it's been throwing lots of homo-centric videos my way, so I figure I should share them with my truckbuddies. 

Intervewer Harvey Brownstone is a most unusual person. After 25 years as a family court judge in Toronto, he retired and has made a second career for himself as a celebrity interviewer. And most of the people he interviews are people I would like to hear from. Gay minds think alike, I guess. There's lots more interviews and commentary to be found on his blog.

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Blue Heaven Tablescape

As my longtime truckbuddies know, we love setting a pretty table for our Sunday dinners here at the Blue Truck - chef de cuisine M.P. is also the man in charge of decor, though I have bought numerous items of china, crystal, cloths, and tableware over the years to enhance our collection of pretties.

But Jeffrey Kevin has us beat all to slap.  Oh my, he does have a penchant for all that.  It takes a special talent to make something as grand as this Blue Heaven spread he shows us today, with lovely old-time porcelain, French crystal, and even blue hydrangeas to match the Wedgwood.  Beautiful.

BTW, if you're pressed for time, you don't have to watch the whole show to get the effect, just the first couple of minutes. 

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Sunday Drive: I AM PRIDE

What a great gay anthem.  Ought to be the gay anthem, I say.  I'd make a few tweaks to the lyrics, but overall - I love it.  Thanks to my truckbuddy Frank for posting it first.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"The Heart Knows, #1" by Clint Collide:

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Rodney and Jake Roof the Coop

Or, Rodney on a hot tin roof.  Just a simple backyard job, easy-peasy with power tools.

Bonus:  The guys install a new super-duper theft-proof mailbox:

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Better Homos and Gardens

The warm weather has brought the DIY'ers out in droves, on YouTube anyway, and my truckbuddies may be interested to see what somebody is doing with an old plantation house in South Carolina.  Brian Branton, a D.C. attorney and lobbyist, saw historic Cedar Grove for sale online a while back, and by his own account, immediately fell in love with the place and snapped it up.  Now he's hard at work writing checks to have the house and gardens restored to his idea of fabulous.  

An enormous "passion project," as monied people like to say, but he seems to have the requisite energy and enthusiasm for it.  Well, good luck to him in that reddest of all red states - I'm sure it's great fun to have a whole estate to play with. 

You can choose how much you want to see of this project, from among a dozen or so vids Brian has posted already.  Here's his first introductory overview from April 2024 (2 min.):

 

 Here's Brian's walkthough of the whole house, a work in progress (47 min.):

 

And here's his latest video, just posted yesterday, an overview of the garden and grounds (29 min.): 

 

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Todd and Rob Fly the Flag!

Pride comes to the North Georgia mountains:

These boys have big ideas that your Head Trucker wouldn't dream of attempting even if he was able to do it.  And obviously, they have Money.To.Burn.  But it's sweet to see a gay couple living out their idea of domestic bliss.  More power to 'em.

Here in Texas, M.P. has been working like a Trojan the last few weeks on clearing brush, mowing the lawn, trimming the bushes, and replanting some herbs and flowers.  I hope to get a few pics to post soon.

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