Albie’s Blog

 XL Browncoats Techno-Style T-Shirt 10:40pm

This original t-shirt design by Adam Levermore-Rich embraces the Techno Fusion style that’s all the rage from Sihnon to the Eavesdown Docks on Persephone. The word “Browncoats” is emblazoned across the …

how cool is that?

QMx Big Damn Heroes Lithograph Set 10:50pm

We love our captain – and the rest of Serenity’s crew. That’s why we called on Steve Anderson, one of the best portrait painters in the business (and creator of the Battlestar Galactica Starbuck and Number …

very nice

Goodbye Uncle Bobby.

Uncle Howard, Mom, Grandma Edna, Granpa John, Aunt Grace, Aunt Ruth, and Uncle Bobby. (Left to Right) 1979

John Robert Topping (Jr.) 
John Robert “Bob” Topping, 87, of Williamsburg, VA, went to be with the Lord on   August 3, 2008.  He previously had lived in Wintergreen, VA and Fairfax Co. VA.  He was born in New York City on March 14, 1921, the son of John Robert & Edna Saunders Topping.  

He graduated from Belleville HS in Belleville, NJ in 1939 and attended Essex Jr. College.  In 1949 he obtained a Business Degree from Rutgers University where he served as student body president.  He received his Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1957.  During WWII he served honorably with the US Navy from 1942 to 1946 including duty as a Petty Officer First Class in anti-submarine warfare.

Prior to being called into Christian ministry and entering Princeton Seminary, he worked as a sales executive with Lambert Pharmaceutical Co.  in New York, Connecticut, California and Arizona.   Over a period of approximately 30 years, Reverend Topping touched many lives serving as pastor to the Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church in Daretown, NJ; Garden Memorial Presbyterian Church in Washington DC; and Church at Northern Virginia in Oakton, VA. 

In addition to serving as a pastor, he also had a radio ministry and founded a seminary in the Washington DC area.  He participated in a number of mission trips sharing the gospel of Jesus to places like India, Russia and Scandinavia.  In his later years, he had a very strong prayer ministry. Throughout his life he was an avid reader and bible scholar.  He also was a sports fan and particularly enjoyed watching Washington Redskins football games.

Reverend Topping was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Paula V. “Pat” Topping who died in 2005 and his sisters, Ruth Rogers and Edna May Topping.  He is survived by his daughter, Jane B. Topping and his son, Robert G. Topping both of Williamsburg, VA.  He is also survived by sisters Alice Burdge of Cape Coral, FL and Grace Rosko of Howell, NJ and his brother, Howard Topping of Ocala, FL.  He had seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

There will be a memorial service a 1:30PM at Williamsburg Community Chapel on Friday August 8th.  Interment will be in Williamsburg Memorial Park.  Bucktrout of Williamsburg is in charge of the arrangements.

Do you remember when the whole world wasn’t made out of plastic? We used to have things that were made well and lasted a long time. Now we have fake things that look like real things but break or worse don’t work in the first place. Like today, I was trying to sweep the floor with a plastic broom, and a plastic dustpan on a stick. Both were broken and it was very difficult. When I started my sweeping days I had a metal dust pan and a wood and straw broom. But technically we do have a broom and dustpan, so we are not buying real things anymore, just buying and living in a world of technicalities.  It’s like when your four years old and think you can make anything in the world out of construction paper and some Elmer’s glue. ahh good times.

I Know Who I Am.

I Know What I Want.

I like Nascar racing, it’s an exciting sport. I watch it with my dad. It is a good father son bonding thing. But the owners of the sport so try to push their religious and political beliefs on the viewers that it is VERY off-putting. I can’t even turn the show on until the race is already started, I don’t know how they get away with it.

I’m Happy.

Today was Thrift store day. We set aside a whole day in Orlando to go thrift store shopping. And boy did we, and we stopped at all  the ones we found on the way home. I got some books a Serenity wall hanging , Dvds, and a leather jacket. But No CPK’s. We took 17 back to Cape Coral too. We stopped at a lakeside Macdonald’s halfway home, that was nice. We ended going that way by accident. Originally we were going to go I-75 so we could say hi to Mary in Tampa. But it didn’t work out. I was so tired when I got home. But at least I have tomorrow off.

Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?