The Chatt's have "roots!"

The Chatt's have strong roots and they are persistent! It is really not that big of a deal but not many get to see the video below. Our house on White Avenue Anna Maria City, Anna Maria Island continues to see roots in the sewer pipes. So far we replaced about a 20' section for our new pool. We ripped out the old cast iron pipes under the master bathroom. The section that we did not replace for the pool was just replaced July 2009 due to roots from trees! The video below from Lapensee helped them find and estimate the spot. Unfortunately, under the guest bath we have the old cast iron pipes still and that will require an overhaul due to cracks and degradation. Not to worry for our upcoming guests, we still have at least another year before we need to replace but there is no chance we will wait. Shooting for a guest bathroom remodel September of this year to ensure it is done and over with! For anyone wondering what the inside of a sewer pipe looks like, look below. It is pretty tough to miss our root ball.

John, Laura, and family visit Anna Maria Island

We were excited to see John, Laura, Logan, Davis, and Jack a few weeks ago on Anna Maria Island. They stayed at Star Fish Cottages which are just a short stroll to the white sandy beaches of Anna Maria Island. We spent about a half an hour on the beach to watch the kids play some soccer on the beach and take in a fantastic Anna Maria Sunset.



After the spectacular sunset we retired to the Starfish pool which was perfect for kids after a long day of driving. Before I knew it I became the official judge of a competition between Logan, Davis, and Grayson. Jack sat off to the side as a spectator. The first contest, Biggest splash. Award for biggest splash went to Davis. Next up, smallest splash. The award went to Grayson. Next up, craziest jump, Logan took the award. Biggest belly flop went to Davis. Finally we moved on to fastest swimmer and Laura took over as the official judge.



At 10 PM we decided to move into the Starfish vacation rental cottage where we let the kids play in the bedroom while we all caught up with family news. It was a wonderful evening with great stories, laughter, and lots of catching up.



In the morning we met up at Cafe on the Beach and had some great all you can eat pancakes. With (7) hungry men/boys it is a great value with million dollar views of the beach. We did some more catching up while Logan to the boys to the fantastic beach playground at the Manatee Beach. Unfortunately all things must come to an end and John and family had to leave and head South to Naples, Florida to visit family. It was a great visit and we are so thankful for the chance to catch up and swap stories in paradise.

Grayson and the Winter of 2004

The winter of 2004 was spent in Rhode Island. Tough to even remember winter. I just found some hidden away photo albums that were deep in our hard drive. Below you will find some great videos of Grayson. The first below is Grayson's first hair cut. He did pretty well and you can see he was a little confused. Primarily what is this gal doing to the back of my head?

The next video was shot at the Rhode Island museum. Grayson is slowly and methodically walking down the ramp. The next video shows the progression Grayson made in about one year. From 2004 to 2005. What a difference! Same ramp, just one year later. Unbelievable how fast time goes by.

The last picture I had to insert. Grayson was 11 months old and Jennifer took this shot at the gorgeous Bristol, RI state park. It was a wonderful very large park that sat right on the ocean. Scroll down and take a look. Having a bad day? I dare you to fight back a smile after looking at the photo below. Be careful, you could injure yourself if you fight the smile!

I was "tested".....thank goodness it's over

It all started on May 17th, and ended on June 2nd, 2009. It was a journey with a clear destination. The destination is what got me through day after day after day. While the destination was under my control the only way to the destination was through a door that required entering the correct combination of A's, B's, C's, and D's.

Yup, I left paradise to go study for my Florida real estate broker exam. I traveled to Naples, Florida and met some great real estate professionals in class. Top notch. I grabbed an inexpensive vacation rental in Regatta that was located very close to Vanderbilt beach. The muli-condo complex had a fabulous large pool, at least at 10' waterfall, a hot tub, and a small wading pool above the waterfall.

On May 17th, I began the 2 hour trek to Naples, without the rest of my family. Five days of studying day and night, then a much needed break, Memorial Day weekend. Grayson and Jennifer came down to visit. We enjoyed relaxing out by the pool most of the weekend. It was a fantastic break from studying although I did break from the fun to continue my studies. The Chatt family walked the beach ONCE and never went back. Lets just say Naples beaches and Anna Maria Beaches are very dissimilar.

The weekend had to end, Grayson and Jennifer left and the following week was very tough, tiring days. Study, Study, Study. As I continued to take practice exams the results were not very encouraging. Taking two weeks from family, friends, and business is a huge sacrifice and to come up short just was a "non-negotiable." So I continued to study. Study eating dinner, study during lunch, playing study CD's in the car, you name it.

Then came the broker cram course over three days which was immediately after the class. I was not encouraged to see that half the class had already failed the Broker test once and the first time pass rate is around 30%. Time to study a little harder to make sure I get through the first time....

As always, you never get any sleep before a big test and I was no exception. I am not sure how exactly I got to the test center Tuesday morning but I got there. It was a bit of a blurr, in fact when I parked my car I said to myself, "man, they should not let anyone drive to one of these tests...that drive was a blurr, yikes."

Three and a half hours of A, B, C and D's, some light real estate law, light mathematics, and the computer shutting off to tell me no time was left. Walking out of the test exam I waited about 60 seconds which seemed more like ten minutes. I heard my name, "Mr. Chatt?" I looked over, and the proctor put her thumb up. A few seconds later, "Congratulations."

Sure, I could have hugged the proctor, screamed as I walked out the door, "Yea!" As most that know me, not my style...just walked out the door, reflected on all that I just learned about Real Estate, my family, myself and thought to myself, I passed....Thank goodness it's over.

David and Tereza visit Anna Maria Island, May 2009

It was a great visit. Unfortunately, I was away about 1/3 of the time but we had a great time visiting Starfish, the beaches, sandbar in the GEM and Tortilla Bay. No time right now but Tereza sending pictures before me putting up a post of the wonderful Parasailing in Bradenton Beach has forced my hand to get something up of the entertainment event. Thanks to Tereza and David for making our May of 2009. See you in June for the once in a life-time event!

Safari Ohio bus tour summer of 2007

In the summer of 2007 we visited mom and dad in Ohio and visited a safari ride. It was very special because Grampa and Gram made the safari ride with us.

We first toured through smaller animals like birds and goats and they offered small cups of food to feed the animals. Grayson had a ball and we all had fun watching Grayson learn how to feed the smaller animals.

Then we moved on to the safari ride which was a bus with open sides. We were able to purchase some buckets with feed and I think all of us went through 5-6 small buckets. Camels, bulls, lama, all types of safari like animals. Grayson had a blast feeding the animals. There were about 6 stops in all. Each time the driver stopped for about 10 minutes to allow the animals in the vicinity to get up to the bus for their personal feeding. The best part of all..... we got to see Grayson experience for the first time getting up and close with some pretty big animals. Grayson got up close and personal with a bull's very large tongue. "ouuuu, slimy," he said.

Click on any of the pictures to see a larger image.

Easter 2009 with the Chatt's

So, because the awesome Island Real Estate Vacation Rental team had everything under control at the office I was able to take Saturday and Sunday off on Easter Weekend. It was a great two days together as a family.

On Saturday we spent some time outside at the trampoline. Sat out on our swing and enjoyed the wonderful Florida Spring Day. We bowled on our Wii as well as all became rock stars and had our 15 minutes of fame. Yah, ok it was just on Rock Star on the Wii but it is great fun.

Easter day we got up at the crack of dawn and headed out to the Bradenton Yacht club for their Easter Egg hunt at 10 AM. It was a well organized event that was separated into two groups. Grayson was in the smaller children group and they smartly started the toddlers first then the bigger children. Below you will find the video I took of the Easter Egg hunt.

After the Easter Egg hunt Jennifer had made previous reservations for a 10:30 AM Easter Brunch at the yacht club. They had raw oysters, shrimp, make to order omelette's, plenty of other choices as well as lots of deserts. They also had $2 special cocktails.

After stuffing ourselves we headed over to Emerson Point to walk around a little. It is only a few minutes from the Bradenton Yacht club. We ran into a number of wonderful large family barbecue cookouts. The barbecue person of the family through a gas barbecue grill in their truck and brought it to the beach and by noon the entire family had arrived for what appeared to be a delicious barbecue even after we stuffed ourselves.

We watched a few kayakers head out from the point and enjoyed the views at Emerson point. We took our 25 minute drive to Anna Maria Island and we all crashed except for Grayson. Of course with his energy level he made it through the entire day without the normal "feast" nap.

We closed out the day with a three way bowling game on the Wii where Jennifer proceeded to beat the guys of the family. Grayson is just like his daddy, both of us don't like to lose. After our father and son tantrum, we calmed down and quickly turned off the game to be played another day. I knew I lost due to being well out of the "zone" and unsure Grayson's reason for losing but would guest that missing his nap could not have helped. I am sure we both will rethink a future bowling game in the future against Jennifer.

What a fantastic Easter. Wish you all could have been with us. Hope you had a wonderful Easter also!

Grayson in the local newspaper at Heritage Days

Grayson and Jennifer made Heritage days on Pine Avenue in early March, 2009. Grayson wearing his Harley Davidson shirt somehow peaked the photographers interest and they snapped a number of shots. Heritage Days had some great exhibits to help us all learn a little about Anna Maria history. Here is the link to the Herald Tribune where Grayson is shown in a photo. Click on the photo below to enlarge it and you can read most of the article. Thanks to Melissa, the principal of Steam Designs for sending the JPG article!



If you have never visited the Anna Maria Historical museum it is a must visit. Here is some information on Anna Maria history.

Grayson having fun on trampoline and Spring Break 2009

Grayson had a lot of fun on his Spring Break 2009. My schedule was a bit crazy this week so during the week I worked all week however Jennifer spent the entire week with Grayson. The weekend prior to Spring Break we pulled out the trampoline. The Trampoline has NOT been up since 2000 in Colorado. We have moved the trampoline several times and it is a pain with large pipes that become the stand for the trampoline...

So how many moves? (CORRECTION, This is what wives are for. I have just been reminded that the trampoline was purchased in Youngstown, Ohio back in 1997, so add one move to the series) Three locations in Boulder, Colorado where I recall putting the trampoline in storage, in the rafters of the garage which was about 14' up. I think that may have been the first back breaking initiation that pulled my back out and to this day still gives me problems. Then we moved to Newport, RI in a sea cost winter house, then on to our second location in RI where once again I stored most of the 5' long structure pipes to the rafters of the garage. On to Anna Maria Island Florida, where I moved it from side to side in the garage and finally to across the street to our second garage. Finally to Key Royale where last weekend we pulled it out and put it up in our back yard. Good as new even though it has seen some serious travel time and has not been opened in 9 years!...scary. Longer than Grayson is old.

The below videos are two fold. One of our back yard on Key Royale that features Grayson having fun on his new toy...the trampoline.

The second video is Grayson and Jennifer at the Tampa Zoo where he was waiting to go on a roller coaster named the Tiger...

Magical Birds found in Rochester, NY

In January 2000 Jennifer and I visited Chatt Seniors in Rochester, NY. It was late January and a pretty cold day. I don't recall why we made the trek to Rochester from Youngstown, Ohio but it was a magical afternoon for all of us that day. Mom or Dad said, lets to on a hike and see if we can feed the birds with seed. Jennifer probably coaxed me into going as I am sure I had plenty of other things to be doing and we made the trip to the "bird" trail with seed in hand.

We started out on the trail and began to put seed in our hands. With a little patience birds came to our hands and ate the seed. Consistently as soon as we put out seed, the birds came. We started putting seed on our shoulders,our hats and they ate seed wherever they could find seed. It was an amazing experience and those few hours went by in a flash. Take a look at the photos below and please look past the coke can size glasses. What a great memory!

You can see from the above picture that Chatt Senior has a bird on his cap. We all had birds on our head that day. Just an awesome experience on a cold wintry day in Rochester, NY.

Grayson at swimmming lessons in Bradenton Florida

Jennifer signed up Grayson for swimming lessons at the Bradenton, Fl YMCA. It was inexpensive and was a good idea for Grayson to get some "professional" training. Last summer, 2008, at our home on Anna Maria Island Grayson was jumping in the pool without floaties but I could tell was still uncomfortable with the whole idea of water and Grayson with no Dad in the water. I would rather he be scared than to be jumping in the pool without regard for his safety.

Anyways he would stand on the side of the pool and jump in. Then go figure, the training really took off when I started to challenge him to jump past a string float in the water. I took off his floaty's and he started to jump in and get himself to the top and struggle to the side of the pool. Then the cold came and the training stopped. Until now...

March 31st is the last day of his swim lessons and we will be getting his grade if he is ready to move on to the next class. He doggy paddles well but is not quite comfortable yet swimming under water. This summer he will get it at our home on the canal with a pool. He will get plenty of practice and we will no longer need to worry about Grayson falling into the pool.

Below is a video of Grayson I slapped together. Have fun watching it. Gramma and Grampa Bryant left yesterday and so far Grayson has been so busy I dont think he has gotten a breather to realize there are no more grandparents in town. I am sure he got used to it since between the Chatt and Bryant Grandparents he has been spoiled for two consecutive months.

The above picture was taken in the Summer of 2008 just as Grayson was learning how to jump from the edge of the pool into the pool at our Beach Vacation Rental on Anna Maria Island. It is not often you capture this amount of fear in a boys face. Awwwww....

Above Picture taken in Orlando at Water Park in 2008. This is the Wave pool which we all loved. Good stuff! (It has a swimming, so threw it in)

Grayson's first play - Anna Maria Elementary

Grayson was pretty excited to be in his elementary school play. He practiced for weeks, prepared, and constantly reminded us about his big night. Each child had a line to say and Grayson had it down cold. His elementary school puts on a play after the PTO dinner. The dinner in February was provided by Lee Roy Salmon's. They donated 100% of the food so all the proceeds from the $6 per person dinner went to the Anna Maria PTO. Thank you Lee Roy Selmon's, the ribs and chicken was fantastic. The PTO announced 2009 they will be using their raised funds to hire a computer lab person to aide all our children in computers. Sounds like a great plan.

So, below there are several videos. The first is Grayson practicing his parts. If you know Grayson when he puts his mind to something he wants to do it right and he is pretty serious. I cut out a few parts but take a look at the below video.




The next video is of Grayson and the actual play. There were two parts to the play however the most active part is shown. About 1/4 of the way through Grayson says his line and is downright serious!



Grayson is a very lucky boy, Gramma and Grampa Chatt, Aunt Patty, Jo, Carol and Uncle Marty, mom and dad made his big play. Below Grayson is doing his rounds in the "after play party" in his classroom. Hugging everyone that was nice enough to take part in his big night on the town....



Thank you to all that made the play and are making Grayson's childhood so special. As a father, Grayson's videos are priceless. I hope you enjoyed his big day as much as I did.

Memory lane - Karate Kid - Orange Belt

I woke up a few mornings ago and took a trip down memory lane for myself. I visited with some old friends on Facebook and found some Elementary school pictures through several friends from Leary Elementary school. What was a amazing to me is several of my friends in high school were friends in elementary school. Alot of them! What a lucky group of children to grow up through the same school system and know each other all through childhood. Amazing.

Anyways I began to make the connection to my son and hope for the same childhood for him. Of course nothing is the same but my friends that were able to find old class pictures reminded me that a picture is worth a thousand words and I hope my immediate and extended family continue to enjoy this blog. I hope it will be like a fine wine, as we age, this blog will be even more valuable.

Anyways, Grayson has been in karate almost 8 months and figured it is high time to show some pictures as well as a new belt he earned...Orange. Thanks to Granpa Chatt for the pics and the video. He enjoys it and is going two to three times per week. Early in the week it is stretching and practice, Wednesday if he goes it is "weapons" class and finally on Friday's he spars. Take a look below....

Below - Grayson in full body gear for sparring. See his grin?

Below - Greyson and Grayson sparring, that's right, our Grayson is on the right. Who ever said girls can't punch. Ms. Greyson is one tough cookie! Plus she is a little bigger too. She would be a tough big sister....

Below - A proud Grayson admiring his hard work and dedication. Ahhh - finally the Orange belt...only another 22 to go. Can't eat an elephant in one bite.

Below - Grayson video receiving his Orange belt.

Chatt Senior Spring Break on Anna Maria Island

Well the Chatt Senior's came down for the month of February 2009. They just left today March 1st so it is the first time I have had a chance to post some of our pictures together. They stayed at Sandy Pointe which is just across the street from Publix. They enjoyed staying out of their car and walking to the supermarket or across East Bay Drive to the wonderful white sandy beaches of Anna Maria Island. We did lots together and enjoyed our time but as usually it went way too fast. Below are some miscellaneous photos of the family with some highlight act ivies listed later.

Grayson Fishing for the first time on Key Royale, Holmes Beach

Grayson and Larry together at our new home on our new to us couch.

Mark, Patti, Dad, and Grayson enjoying Daytona 500 at Vista Grande in Holmes Beach, Fl

Jennifer grinning from ear to ear - a cold Feb this year!

Grayson's First Birthday - Newport, R.I.

Grayson's first birthday brings smiles to anyone looking at the pictures. We lived in RI at the top of a hill with a great view of the bay. I miss the clam chowder but don't miss the COLD. We just saw a cold snap in the Eastern United States this week. Upstate New York saw -10 degrees. In Florida we dropped to the 50's....Brrrr. Take a look at the pictures below...

Seaworld - Orlando - JAN 11th, 2009

January 10th was a great day for the Chatt family. We made the 1.75 hr journey from Anna Maria Island to Orlando and stayed in a hotel just of International drive. The hotel appeared to be set up as a time share but they were definitely selling it as real estate and it appeared as though they were using the rental business to help slow sales. The resort was a great concept, 2 and 3 bedroom villa's with elevators and a small resort hub outfitted with bar and swimming pool. We called for Orlando resorts and they were all sold out for SAT evening. Not one room available under $350. Who says we are in a recession? Anyways for a two bedroom large suite it was $120. At least that is what Jennifer told me...?

After a nice sleep on SAT we braved Orlando and hit the Denny's just across the street from Sea World. The research on where we stayed was great. We could have walked to SeaWorld from our resort. It was very close. Good job goes to Jennifer.

Our first show was Shamu which was good. All the normal stuff you would expect. Lots of jumping, lots of splashing, Grayson had a grand time. The task master put us on a strict schedule to immediately go see the dolphin show which was spectacular. Dolphins flying everywhere with divers jumping into the water from 30' up!

Jennifer and Grayson went on the water ride at Journey to Atlantis. See the below video. I was unable to go due to bags we carried but they seemed to have a good time and did not get too wet. Then to the penguin encounter which seemed to be Grayson's favorite. We then hit the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium. On to a modified tea cup ride, on to the sea lion show which was good for small children and good comedy. On to the childrens area where Grayson ran like a crazy boy does in a HUGE net jungle gym the size of half a football field. Oops, go back a few rides, we had lunch which was more like a thanksgiving feast for $35. Barbecue Chicken, pizza, and Chicken Parmesan at a dining hall called, Voyagers. I think they dumped the vat of fries on our plates as we all had enough to eat! Last round was on the helicopter ride.

We fed Sharks, walked through a very large aquarium tunnel and lastly on to the Wild Artic where we took a helicopter simulation that was a hard roller coaster ride but was a lot of fun for everyone and after Grayson wanted to go on the helicopter ride a second time.

Lastly one of the last things of all. On the ride home while Grayson and Jennifer slept I was able to listen to the Pittsburgh Steelers kill San Diego on the radio. It took a little work as I had to re-find the football game a few times as I moved through cities but I heard most of the game on the way home. A great day for the Chatt's.

ONE down, ten more to go...Vacation rentals that is

Anyone who knows me (Larry) knows I get bored maybe too quickly. I constantly analyze alot of different things to determine what is the next big opportunity to work on. Well recently it has been to renovate and rent out our duplex on Anna Maria Island. This is our second renovation into a weekly rental on Anna Maria and our first is right across the street. So, lately the Chatt family has not made long distance geographical moves however lots of moves we have. God bless Jennifer...Anyways, officially the West side of our duplex is ready. Through alot of sweat of our own, Mark, and Patti, 131 West White Avenue is open for BUSINESS.

We spent a great deal of time planning the WEST side as it is a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath. A spectacular pool was put in with a 1 ton rock that forms the top of the 5' tropical waterfall as well as a HUGE sun deck that is 3" under water with 4 jets that pop up out of the pool surface to create hours of toddler fun. Lastly, we have seating for more than 30 outside in 20X40' screened in enclosures so that the outdoor living is maximized. XBOX, Tv's with DVD's, Plasma, Granite, Stainless Steel, I think we have it all. We have made the rental prices very aggressive which has helped to already book out most of the season. Not to worry, late January and earl February are still available.

Of course 131 West and once 131 East which is scheduled to be complete FEB1st will be on the fabulous Island Real Estate Vacation Rental website. Click the direct link to more information about 131 W White avenue, Anna Maria, FL vacation rental. Take a look at some of the pictures - lots of work, not for the faint of heart but once complete it helps make it all worth while.

So there you have it, getting 131 W White avenue renovated has taken about 50% of my spare time. The other 50%? New office on Pine avenue, gutted everything but the kitchen of a 3 bedroom canal home, and getting 131 E White Avenue ready, oh yah...we are moving in 1.5 weeks.

Every year or so its good to clean out the pipes in the mind and take on 4X the amount that you "think" you can take on. It redefine's your "busy" periods. But, this is the last time I do all this at once! Of course a few close pessimistic people at Island Real Estate and close friends say, this wont be the last....you have about 10 more left in you....Nope, its my NEW YEAR's resolution to relax more with friends and family. A very noble and necessary cause and since it's my New Year's resolution it's a done deal to happen...right? RIGHT?

Bristol Rhode Island, Rico, Sunrise, and 4th of July

Well, it appears the day has arrived. They have announced that the plant in Bristol, RI will be closing in February. It is a sad day for many in Bristol. While I cannot say that my time in Bristol, RI were the best years of my life I created some friendships that will last a lifetime. Sharing blood, sweat, and at times, tears of fear and tears of joy will do that to a person. I will never forget what the people of Bristol sacrificed for PCC and my short two years finally became unbearable. Many have endured 10-20-30 and more years at Rico. WOW. Plenty of bad changes and not many good ones. The history of Rico is a case study of how not to run a business. I remember my first month all too well. Arrived to zero formal manufacturing leadership at the plant. Several folks stepped up to help and make sure the plant continued to run. Let go the scheduler almost immediately and promoted several good people that were passionate about keeping the plant open. Did I mention a surprise OSHA inspection with 100's of infractions? Alot of great people that I miss and feel for. Terrible but it is the future of American Manufacturing.

Our first three months we spent in a Winter Rental in Newport, RI which had fabulous views of the ocean. The below video shows the view from our second floor rental. If you listen carefully you can hear Grayson crying in the background.

Did I mention that Bristol, RI has the oldest 4th of July parade on record. So believe me Bristol knows how to throw a parade. The streets are even lined with red, white, and blue stripes on the parade route. The city has received special approval for the colors. The small town feel was wonderful with plenty of little restaurants to eat and a fabulous playground that Grayson loved to play in. The clam chowder was to die for and Blount knows how to make great soup! One day we will visit Bristol again on vacation and see all the changes and maybe even shed a tear or two after seeing the Rico plant closed up. I shared alot of laughs with the great people of Rico Bristol. I wish the best for everyone and I hope that the door closed creates bigger and better opportunities for everyone. I know the last 10 years at Rico have not been easy. God Bless...

More Marching Bands than you could shake a stick at!

Ever seen a Blue Fire Truck? Now you have!

New Year's at Chatt Senior, New York

Another New Year and unfortunately we did not make the family meeting at Chatt seniors in New York. Although we did not make it we were able to talk with Mary Jo regarding the festivities. Here are some pictures from MChatt. Although we did not see the snow ourselves there are plenty of pictures. The big news - MChatt (Dad) did not fall asleep after dinner, seems as though Molly has taken over that tradition.

Dads new shed, covered in snow.

Jackson and Sydney...everyone is growing up!

Jackson and Julia....

HAPPY NEW YEAR - BEST WISHES FOR 2009!

Flashback - 2004 Christmas in NY and Ohio

The year was 2004. The holiday was Christmas and the focal point was Grayson. The Chatt family visited Ohio family and NY family and am sure it resulted in someone becoming very ill. It could very well be the year I went to the Rochester, NY emergency room at Strong Memorial for Bronchitis but I think that was 2005. Anyways, see photos below for some flashback pictures of how small Grayson was. At the time we lived in Bristol, RI so the sled did come in handy. We did get to try it out on our hill in Bristol.

Scary but the radio flyer from John and Laura has made it through three moves. We still have it and Grayson just wheeled around on it last night! DEC 27th, 2008!

Grayson's sled that we got to try out in Rhode Island. No more sledding on snow on Anna Maria Island, Florida. Maybe if we kept it we could have used it on sand!

Christmas at the Bryant's. Plenty of presents for all. Laura, Logan, and Davis in the picture.

Jennifer playing with Grayson with Santa walk-e-talkie

Here is the front of our home in Bristol, RI. It sat up on a hill and had fabulous water views. The hill also made for a great sledding hill and also made a few winter treks up the driveway interesting!

May be difficult to see with the lighting but great water views. Winter...Brrrrr.

Chatt Christmas 2008

Please see the video below for an update on the Chatt 2008 Christmas. A quick recap - Grayson singing at Roser church in Anna Maria City. Christmas Eve dinner at Al's and Lynn's in Key Royale. Grayson had a blast using nut crackers all night and Larry had his first Chocolate Martini. Christmas morning it was clear Santa delivered the goods for Grayson. Christmast dinner at Jeff and Linda's. We saw the quarter behind the ear trick, sang the twelve days of Christmas, and had a fabulous dinner. After we traveled to see 350,000 Christmas lights synched up with music at a Sarasota church. The night peaked when a robotic boy came out of the Christmas drum at the church and beat with "the little drummer boy." Fantastic 2008 Christmas with lots of Anna Maria Island and Sarasota Friends!

Halloween - Grayson 2004 in Rhode Island

Time to get back to our pride and joy...Grayson. Here are some photos for Grayson for Halloween 2004. See below for a video of some of his first footsteps on Halloween. Grayson dressed up as a commando and a Lion...ROAR!!

Here is Grayson at the block Halloween parade where he got to sit in the front seat of the fire engine. He had a blast!

Hungary 2003 - Larry's Europe adventure continued

This video would get you in BIG trouble if you tried this in United States. I was in Hungary during Easter and a tradition in Hungary on Easter was for men to dump a bucket of water on women. Over the years Hungarians became more refined and now use perfume to spray on the heads of women. Fascinating stuff...This actually occurred in the manufacturing plant I was helping.

The below picture is me eating home made Hungarian sausage on bread in the Hungarian plant. It was very good.

The below series is a great story. One town over from Retsag there was a restaurant that several locals told me I must eat at. They told me the restaurant was in the middle of the square and they kept using the word special to describe the location. Well anyways one night I drove out to go to the new restaurant alone and I drove around the statue below and clearly there is not building in the middle and no restaurant. I went back the next day to the manufacturing plant and said ha ha you got me, I went on your little scavenger hunt but did not see the restaurant. Well they all clearly became very worried and made it a point to tell me to go back a second night but really look. You are in the wrong square, there is a special restaurant in the middle of the square. They were really passionate about it and I could tell they were quite concerned I did not find it. So I drove back out, I looked around for another square but the picture above was the only square. I drove around it another time and clear as day I could see grass, I could see the statue, and some bushes but there is definitely no restaurant in the middle of the square. Am I going crazy? I went back the next day and spoke with a new person that had a better grasp on English and said you are all crazy. There is NO restaurant in the middle of the square. I am not going to fall for your scavenger hunt again. The girl told me, Larry, get out of your car and walk to the center of the square. It is a special in the dirt location. Please, try it, trust me, there is a restaurant there. So for the third night in a row I drove 20 minutes, reluctantly parked and got out of my car to go look for the phantom restaurant in the dirt. Low and behold the restaurant was underground in a CAVE! It was underground and the food was fabulous! Well I made sure to go back the next day and taught all my close Hungarian friends the word "underground."

Larry spends six months in Europe

Going backwards a little in time Larry spends most of Jennifer's pregnancy with Grayson in Eastern Europe. I traveled to see alot of great places. Austria was fabulous, Prague was amazing, but the most unspoiled spot I visited was Croatia. I stayed in a little resort town called Opatija. I arrived at about 10 PM after a 5 hour drive from Hungary and stopped at a local bar in the middle of town. I asked him where is the best hotel in town? He forwarded me to a hotel where I picked up a corner room with 180 degree views of the Adriatic sea for $90 per night! See the photos below...

There is a peach building in the distance. I stayed in the corner room on the top floor. Click the picture for a larger image.

Below image was a small deli like restaurant where you could eat right on the edge of the Adriatic sea.

The below shot is the view from one of the windows. Unbelievable - see the statue way below...

Here it is up close... Still takes your breath away, gorgeous!

Visit to Paul's with plenty to celebrate - if you are happy and you know it

These videos are from a trip Larry took in the summer. They were taken at Paul's house...

If you are happy and you know it....

Memorial Celebration we dearly missed

In 2003 the Chatt's threw a fabulous Memorial day gathering and unfortunately Larry and Jennifer could not make it. In 2003 Larry was still in corporate America but now living on Anna Maria Island should provide for an easier time in making more family functions. From the pictures it appears the whole gang made it and we are very sorry we missed such a wonderful event. Enjoy the pictures below from Rochester, NY. There are some fabulous pictures of Tyler climbing trees, children playing, and the family reminiscing that I could not fit on the blog. If you ever want additional pictures from events in the blog just gimme a call or email. I hope we will make more of these family celebrations in the future. It can be difficult getting off Anna Maria Island, Florida in May and especially on a holiday week like Memorial day. We will keep trying!

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Rachel Retires 2003 - Time to Celebrate

Jennifer was still pregnant and Roy/Dad arranged a surprise retirement party for Rachel/Mom. Once again I have a shot that speaks a million words. See the first shot below which shows the moment after "surprise" as well as who received credit for arranging the party. Lots of great photo's below of all the family that participated in the grand celebration for mom's retirement. What a wonderful day and I am sure a dream finally realized. We can all dream a little...ahhhh

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Woodworking tools - you think you got tools?

If you have never had the opportunity to visit senior's workshop then you are missing a treat. For you have never seen so many planes, chisels, and woodworking tools. It is a regular who' who of woodworking shops that would make Norm Abraham blush. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so take a look at the pictures below...

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Visit to Andrew's in the Colorado Mountains

This is a bit out of order however it was a visit to Andrew and Yolanda's place in the mountains of Colorado. Jennifer was pregnant with Grayson at the time and it was early 2003. We enjoyed a fabulous hamburg and hot dog dinner with lots of fix ins. The fenced area was great with a nice campfire to keep us all warm. Later in the day Wayne arrived. Andrew and Wayne made a climb up a ladder to a makeshift tree fort Andrew made and we were told on a clear night you could see the city of Denver. Larry was not daring enough to go up and get a birds eye view.

Chatt's, Bryant's, and Jarmen's brought together by Grayson

A newly born child is cause for celebration to bring families together. The birth of Grayson Chatt is no exception. Great Gram and Grandad and Rachel and Roy were good enough to make the 4 hour trek to NY. It was a proud mother and dad day to show off their son. Mary still tells the story today. Grayson was born just over 4 lbs so he was hungry all the time and pretty cranky too. An automatic swing became my best friend and life ended as I knew it if batteries ran out without spares. I think that year I bought stock in Duracel or Energizer. It's called a captive audience. Anyways, Mary tells the story of two comatose parents, Larry and Jennifer walked in the door after a flight to Rochester and gladly handed Grayson to her as we both walked up to our guest bedroom for the first half way decent sleep in months. Enjoy the great family photos below and found below is Great Gram meeting Grayson for the first time. Priceless!

Grayson the early days - 3 months old

Grayson with Uncle Paul at Gramma Mary's



Proud mommy and Daddy at Gramma Mary's

Mama and Grayson

Larry getting some rest with Grayson

Gramma Mary getting some rest with Grayson

Gramma Mary and Jennifer with Grayson in Colorado, Erie

Grayson's beautiful blue eyes on his fun blanket

Chatt - Senior Family - Grandma Chatt

Gramma Chatt in 2002/2003.

Mary Jo and Rick: Pre-wedding bliss years

Melanie and Jonathon


Mark and Gramma Chatt. Look at the hair! Wow...good stuff

Chatt - Krandall's first grand daughter - Julia

Grampa Chatt and Julia on Christmas morning of 2002. Grampa Chatt is discussing the age old argument, modify shutter speed or leave the darn camera on automatic. If I recall correctly Julia did not have much of an opinion.

I have added a potentially embarrassing photo of Julia in hopes that some day the funds from Julia will be quite large in order to remove the photo from the site. I figure this should have a return on investment of 1000 times in about 10 more years. ha ha

Last photo is of mom - Julia - and Jesse Jane. Of course the Christmas tree gives away the season!

Jennifer and Larry - the dating years

The year was 2001. Larry weighed less, % fat ratio was more impressive, and the hair was receding but it was still there!

This picture was taken in the Grand Cayman's during a cruise. We fed Sting Ray's and who would have known we would soon root for a baseball team called the Ray's? During this period of time we lived in Boulder, Colorado. It was a fabulous trip although I have to admit (Larry) I don't remember the exact details.