On a whim tonight after church I took Penny for a ride up and back on Hwy 85. The timing was good and being Saturday there was no commuter traffic to deal with. She likes it when she sees a single deer so I thought this might be fun for her. We saw many deer and the drive was fun.
We are in the get ready for the cruise mode now and that occupies our day more and more.
For the past 2 nights Meredith has shown up for dinner. Marmalade has been here consistently here and Buzz on and off. To my surprise Velcro showed up for 1 night about a week ago. Just that 1 night but at least I know she’s alive.
We went crazy buying stuff this past week. Target was getting rid of a lot of kitchen stuff. We got pots and pans and a seal-a-meal for K&T. We got a couple of pans, a griddle, a toaster oven and new seal-a-meal for us. For Christy we got a big iPod player/cd/radio for her desk at work. That’s just the big stuff.
It’s also been an expensive week because I had to renew the vehicle registrations (by my birthday)and buy some wider pants to accommodate my lyrica belly. 90% of my pants and shorts don’t fit me now—I can’t even button them.
I’m also losing some arm and leg strength. I’ve been contributing that to feeling my age but I’m not so sure right now. The question of which is better, the pain or the side effects is a real tough one to answer. But as side effects keep piling up I’m wondering if the pain route would be better and even healthier for me. My philosophy about life has always been that everything is a trade off. This is really bringing home that point.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Exploring Fairhope
We have been alternating work days and fun days. As long as this beautiful weather holds we will continue.
We went to Fairhope Alabama today. This was our first visit there and it was fun. We ate lunch at another Diners , Drive Ins and Dives restaurant –Panini Petes —and it alone was worth the 2-hour drive.
Fairhope has a municipal pier with a pleasant park, fountain an rose garden. We spent some time there taking pictures and relaxing.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=c56632501bc667e244948b&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
We went to Fairhope Alabama today. This was our first visit there and it was fun. We ate lunch at another Diners , Drive Ins and Dives restaurant –Panini Petes —and it alone was worth the 2-hour drive.
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| pannini and chips |
Our final place to visit was the Grand Hotel. It is now a Marriot but it has been there since 1848. Its beautifully manicured grounds sit right on Point Clear. It’s a beautiful location on Mobile Bay with a distant view of the Mobile skyline.
At 4 PM they fire a canon and also have high tea in the lobby.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=c56632501bc667e244948b&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
Our highlight on the drive back was seeing dozens of deer along Hwy 85.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Another "Us" Day
We took the day off and hiked through Tops'l a local state park that has this countries only barrier island fresh water lakes (11of them?). I saw what I thought was a tree branch floating out in the lake but when I blew up the picture it was a gator!
Here are some pics of what I saw.
Here are some pics of what I saw.
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| GATOR! |
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| dolphin |
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| lake |
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| beach |
Saturday, October 16, 2010
We are Stardust --Back to the 60s
Apart from Church this evening I spent the day cleaning up the trailer removing rust and 6-years accumulation of dirt. It was another beautiful day with bight sunlight and clear blue skies.
I heard one of Hurlburt’s gunships flying over so I shaded my eyes and looked up at it. It provided me with a flashback to good ol’ 1969, the summer of love and Woodstock, the gathering of half-a-million of my contemporaries on a farm in upstate NY for rock concert.
There is a line in Crosby Stills Nash and Young’s song “Woodstock” that goes:
And I dreamed I saw the bomber death planes
Riding shotgun in the sky,
Turning into butterflies
Above our nation.
Well today when I looked up at that Airplane it was a beautiful sight. The bright sun was reflecting off the four propellers giving the plane a golden glow. Then, as I watched, a Monarch butterfly passed above me between me and the plane. It was as if the plane turned into the butterfly with its wings all aglow in the bright sun. Maybe the paint fumes were getting to me. I just thought it was interesting and I couldn’t help but remember the lyric.
The lyrics to that whole song captures the way a great many of my generation felt-wandering, searching, lost and believing the older generation has got it all wrong.
Well, I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, Tell me, where are you going?
This he told me
Said, I'm going down to Yasgur's Farm,
Gonna join in a rock and roll band.
Got to get back to the land and set my soul free.
We are stardust, we are golden,
We are billion year old carbon,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.
Well, then can I roam beside you?
I have come to lose the smog,
And I feel myself a cog in somethin' turning.
And maybe it's the time of year,
Yes and maybe it's the time of man.
And I don't know who I am,
But life is for learning.
By the time we got to Woodstock,
We were half a million strong
And everywhere was a song and a celebration.
And I dreamed I saw the bomber death planes
Riding shotgun in the sky,
Turning into butterflies
Above our nation.
We are stardust, we are golden,
We are caught in the devils bargain,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.
Well the paint fumes are wearing off now.
The big question for tomorrow is whether I continue to take advantage of the nice weather to work on the trailer or do something more interesting like go kayaking or run off with our cameras?
I heard one of Hurlburt’s gunships flying over so I shaded my eyes and looked up at it. It provided me with a flashback to good ol’ 1969, the summer of love and Woodstock, the gathering of half-a-million of my contemporaries on a farm in upstate NY for rock concert.
There is a line in Crosby Stills Nash and Young’s song “Woodstock” that goes:
And I dreamed I saw the bomber death planes
Riding shotgun in the sky,
Turning into butterflies
Above our nation.
Well today when I looked up at that Airplane it was a beautiful sight. The bright sun was reflecting off the four propellers giving the plane a golden glow. Then, as I watched, a Monarch butterfly passed above me between me and the plane. It was as if the plane turned into the butterfly with its wings all aglow in the bright sun. Maybe the paint fumes were getting to me. I just thought it was interesting and I couldn’t help but remember the lyric.
The lyrics to that whole song captures the way a great many of my generation felt-wandering, searching, lost and believing the older generation has got it all wrong.
Well, I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, Tell me, where are you going?
This he told me
Said, I'm going down to Yasgur's Farm,
Gonna join in a rock and roll band.
Got to get back to the land and set my soul free.
We are stardust, we are golden,
We are billion year old carbon,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.
Well, then can I roam beside you?
I have come to lose the smog,
And I feel myself a cog in somethin' turning.
And maybe it's the time of year,
Yes and maybe it's the time of man.
And I don't know who I am,
But life is for learning.
By the time we got to Woodstock,
We were half a million strong
And everywhere was a song and a celebration.
And I dreamed I saw the bomber death planes
Riding shotgun in the sky,
Turning into butterflies
Above our nation.
We are stardust, we are golden,
We are caught in the devils bargain,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.
Well the paint fumes are wearing off now.
The big question for tomorrow is whether I continue to take advantage of the nice weather to work on the trailer or do something more interesting like go kayaking or run off with our cameras?
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Didn’t We Just Go There?
Somehow we ended up at Harbordocks today. It really wasn’t that difficult. We had a beautiful Fall day, perfect for enjoying the sun glistening off Destin Harbor. This visit had everything. Good food was there. That goes without saying. But the visual entertainment was fantastic. It began with seeing all the birds we usually see, a heron, some seagulls and a pelican. Then there was the guy paddling across the harbor with his dog standing in front of him in the kayak. A half-dozen good sized sailboats were anchored in the harbor spaced out evenly. The best part of the show was a pod of dolphin that splashed and played out there. The porpoise show ended with one jumping completely out of the water.
We ended up in Destin because of our Target run this morning. This was our weekly run and Target is dumping a lot of inventory right now. While looking through kids clothes we found a body suit that had the body of Lucy from Peanuts on it holding a sign with the name Lucy. The only problem was that it wasn’t in any size larger than 9 mos.
After we loaded our booty into the car we headed out to the Destin Target to see if they had any of the bodysuits. There we found even more good buys but no Lucy bodysuits. 9we found out later that they don't go larger than 9 mos) When we finished at this Target it was 11 AM and the restaurant was right there and it was a gorgeous day so that’s how we ended up there.
All of Penny’s machines went to the shop this week. Her 2 sewing machines and her car. All are now back home again after being looked at or repaired. The repair was to the Honda. A rear wheel bearing was bad and needed to be replaced.
I’ve finished the deck refinishing and now am moving on to the trailer. I’ve got to remove some rust and put some protection on the wood. Then come the house siding.
There has been a flood of credit card applications in the mail. I guess the credit crunch is ending.
With the elections coming, if you believed all the negative adds, all our politicians are corrupt. Maybe they are telling the truth.
Penny and I got to chat with Sophie for a while on the phone. We actually had a nice conversation until her short attention span kicked in. I asked her if she remembered that we made believe she drove us to Disney world. She said “Yes, I sure did.”
We ended up in Destin because of our Target run this morning. This was our weekly run and Target is dumping a lot of inventory right now. While looking through kids clothes we found a body suit that had the body of Lucy from Peanuts on it holding a sign with the name Lucy. The only problem was that it wasn’t in any size larger than 9 mos.
All of Penny’s machines went to the shop this week. Her 2 sewing machines and her car. All are now back home again after being looked at or repaired. The repair was to the Honda. A rear wheel bearing was bad and needed to be replaced.
I’ve finished the deck refinishing and now am moving on to the trailer. I’ve got to remove some rust and put some protection on the wood. Then come the house siding.
There has been a flood of credit card applications in the mail. I guess the credit crunch is ending.
With the elections coming, if you believed all the negative adds, all our politicians are corrupt. Maybe they are telling the truth.
Penny and I got to chat with Sophie for a while on the phone. We actually had a nice conversation until her short attention span kicked in. I asked her if she remembered that we made believe she drove us to Disney world. She said “Yes, I sure did.”
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Happy 10/10/10
Penny and I celebrated Columbus Day with food as if we were in VT. We had pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. (no picture-I forgot to take one), pumpkin, pork and apple cider stew for lunch and pumpkin pie with whipped cream and coffee for dinner. Right now I’m eating a snack of roasted pumpkin seeds (w/brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter coating) trying not to get the keyboard sticky. I roasted the seeds while I talked to my sister and didn’t watch them carefully. So I ended up burning them slightly, but not too bad to eat.
In between the food servings I finished painting my deck. No picture of that yet either—maybe tomorrow.
Last night another possum showed up so I reset the trap. 3 kitties have been showing up in the evening with Velcro gone for too long to expect him back again. I did see 1 hummingbird at the feeder yesterday.
Penny’s CRV is starting to show its age. The AC compressor is making noise and is on its way to failure. The struts may need replacing next year and now a humming noise is coming from the passenger side rear wheel. I suspect a wheel bearing but who knows? It’s time to bring it in and have it looked at. Poor Penny also has both her sewing machines in the shop!
You may have noticed that I haven’t been complaining about my thumbs. Even with the painting Ive done this week they are not s sore as they used to get. I’ve found I can sort of stand the amount of pain I have when I use my thumbs but I have also found I have lost considerable strength in my thumbs. There are many things I simply can’t do now so Penny helps. The toughest jobs are opening containers and ripping open some plastic packages. I bought a pack of those prune single packs. Each prune is wrapped in a nice little package that is tougher than my thumbs are. At first when I ran into something I couldn’t open I thought it was the packaging being made too strong. I now realize it’s me and not the packaging.
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| YUMMY STEW |
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| slightly singed seeds |
Last night another possum showed up so I reset the trap. 3 kitties have been showing up in the evening with Velcro gone for too long to expect him back again. I did see 1 hummingbird at the feeder yesterday.
Penny’s CRV is starting to show its age. The AC compressor is making noise and is on its way to failure. The struts may need replacing next year and now a humming noise is coming from the passenger side rear wheel. I suspect a wheel bearing but who knows? It’s time to bring it in and have it looked at. Poor Penny also has both her sewing machines in the shop!
You may have noticed that I haven’t been complaining about my thumbs. Even with the painting Ive done this week they are not s sore as they used to get. I’ve found I can sort of stand the amount of pain I have when I use my thumbs but I have also found I have lost considerable strength in my thumbs. There are many things I simply can’t do now so Penny helps. The toughest jobs are opening containers and ripping open some plastic packages. I bought a pack of those prune single packs. Each prune is wrapped in a nice little package that is tougher than my thumbs are. At first when I ran into something I couldn’t open I thought it was the packaging being made too strong. I now realize it’s me and not the packaging.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Friday Ramblings
Penny and I did some “us” stuff today, a trip to Target, picking up inexpensive medical costumes for Halloween (we will be playing doctor), lunching at Harbordocks and picking up some fixings for an interesting weekend meal. I spent the afternoon staining the deck.
But as all this was going on here are some of the meaningless thoughts that crossed through my mind.
While driving out to Destin I hit many dragonflies and butterflies. I don’t feel too bad when I hit a dragonfly but I always don’t like hitting butterflies. I always look in the rear view to see if they are still flying.
Penny’s meal came with banana pudding. I wondered if she would eat it all or whether I’d get some. I usually do. Not today though. She ate it all up.
I saw a dog come up on deck on a sailboat anchored in Destin Harbor. I wondered out loud to Penny if dogs liked being on boats. She said they loved it and recounted a story about a neighborhood dog that liked to go on her dad’s boat. I asked where does the dog poop? This obviously was not the best subject to discuss at lunch but we did discuss options for the dog. Then it hit me. It would poop on the poop deck, of course.
Lots of Monarch butterflies flew by while we ate. They pass through our area on their way to Mexico. If Kathy lived here she’d grow plants to feed them as they passed through.
But as all this was going on here are some of the meaningless thoughts that crossed through my mind.
While driving out to Destin I hit many dragonflies and butterflies. I don’t feel too bad when I hit a dragonfly but I always don’t like hitting butterflies. I always look in the rear view to see if they are still flying.
Penny’s meal came with banana pudding. I wondered if she would eat it all or whether I’d get some. I usually do. Not today though. She ate it all up.
I saw a dog come up on deck on a sailboat anchored in Destin Harbor. I wondered out loud to Penny if dogs liked being on boats. She said they loved it and recounted a story about a neighborhood dog that liked to go on her dad’s boat. I asked where does the dog poop? This obviously was not the best subject to discuss at lunch but we did discuss options for the dog. Then it hit me. It would poop on the poop deck, of course.
Lots of Monarch butterflies flew by while we ate. They pass through our area on their way to Mexico. If Kathy lived here she’d grow plants to feed them as they passed through.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Swab the Decks
That was my day. I used deck wash and a scrub brush to clean off a year and a half of use on the deck. It was interesting to find all the bits and pieces of the projects I worked on during that time.
Tomorrow the new protective stain goes on.
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| still wet after being cleaned |
Tomorrow the new protective stain goes on.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Juniper Creek Trail
We hiked the Juniper Creek Trail today. It’s north of Milton and appropriately follows Juniper Creek. http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/panhandlewest/trails/blackwater_juniper_creek.htm
The trail is easy but interesting for being located here in NW Florida. It actually has ups and downs, hills and bluffs and the creek is nice. We may float on it someday. Here are some pictures.
See the pretty scenery?
We saw a kissing tree.
Do you see the duck?
What do you see here?
I looked at some of the pictures I took in Jax and had some nice ones showing Sophie and Lucy interacting.
I was watching Jeopardy today and the answer to a question was “The Van Allen Belts”. The answer that came into my head was “The Van Hallen Belts”. I’m afraid I've let my mind go to mush along with my body!
Although we drove down HWY 85 too early for the deer to be out we still had the enjoyment of seeing 1 out grazing beside the road. Penny especially enjoys seeing deer.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Life is Short Even on the Longest Day
It’s been a while but I’m back!
Earlier today I had an enjoyable phone chat with my sister Kathy. Important things were discussed. One was, and to quote Kathy, “Things click better when you have a guide”; and the other is that I’ve been mispronouncing cockroach all my life. I say cock-a-roach. Maybe I can change.
Last week was spent at the Feagins’ nursing Sophie back from adenoid surgery. Well, more watching than nursing since Sophie only had a few periods where her fever or pain affected her behavior. She came through the surgery like a champ. During the week I had the joy of watching a 3 year old eat a PBJ sandwich—finishing it off by scrapping all the PBJ off with a spoon and leaving most of the bread and reading through her Disney Princess book 3 times in 1 day and watching both Sophie and Lucy enjoy their music class.
Since my last blog I’ve taken a couple of trips down memory lane. One was when we kayaked up to the end of Poquito Bayou to see what the lot (where the cottage we lived in the first 2 married years) looked like now. We expected to find a huge house. We found a vacant lot.
The 2nd was a visit to Penny’s old house in Orange Park. That’s where our wedding reception was held. There we did find a big house—built over and around her old house. We also found some very nice people . We pop in unannounced and they go out of their way to give us a tour of the place. Penny was moved to tears (good ones) upon seeing what they had done to the house and also because the woman may have found and not thrown out Penny’s grandmothers wedding dress.
We didn’t go to Vermont this year and are being rewarded with a long stretch of beautiful fall weather. Each year when we go north we miss the best weather for our area. This year we are here and enjoying the “windows open” weather.
When we got back home from Jacksonville I found the hummingbird feeder disturbed and the cat feeder jammed. The cat feeder had a small 3 oz paper cup jammed in it. I must have somehow dumped it in with the food. The feeder works again but needs some maintenance. No cats showed up the first night, Marmalade showed on night 2 and Buzz showed on day 3. I haven’t seen Velcro in 6 weeks or so and Meredith has been gone 3 or 4 weeks—correction as I was writing I heard cats fighting outside. I ran out and made my mean cat sound to clear out any bad cats. As I headed back in here comes buzz down the trunk of a tree he had climbed. Shortly after that Meredith showed up. I got a can of food out and it barely hit the plate before she wolfed it all down just pushing Buzz out of the way. So Velcro remains unaccounted for.
I’ve spent the last week clearing and arranging the storage sheds. I got far enough now that I’m moving on to staining the deck. I managed to get the deck all cleared off and ready for the deck wash prep treatment. The weather is supposed to hold for another few days so I should be able tod clean it, let it dry and stain it without any rain.
Penny and I are planning on taking a hike tomorrow.
Earlier today I had an enjoyable phone chat with my sister Kathy. Important things were discussed. One was, and to quote Kathy, “Things click better when you have a guide”; and the other is that I’ve been mispronouncing cockroach all my life. I say cock-a-roach. Maybe I can change.
Last week was spent at the Feagins’ nursing Sophie back from adenoid surgery. Well, more watching than nursing since Sophie only had a few periods where her fever or pain affected her behavior. She came through the surgery like a champ. During the week I had the joy of watching a 3 year old eat a PBJ sandwich—finishing it off by scrapping all the PBJ off with a spoon and leaving most of the bread and reading through her Disney Princess book 3 times in 1 day and watching both Sophie and Lucy enjoy their music class.
Since my last blog I’ve taken a couple of trips down memory lane. One was when we kayaked up to the end of Poquito Bayou to see what the lot (where the cottage we lived in the first 2 married years) looked like now. We expected to find a huge house. We found a vacant lot.
The 2nd was a visit to Penny’s old house in Orange Park. That’s where our wedding reception was held. There we did find a big house—built over and around her old house. We also found some very nice people . We pop in unannounced and they go out of their way to give us a tour of the place. Penny was moved to tears (good ones) upon seeing what they had done to the house and also because the woman may have found and not thrown out Penny’s grandmothers wedding dress.
We didn’t go to Vermont this year and are being rewarded with a long stretch of beautiful fall weather. Each year when we go north we miss the best weather for our area. This year we are here and enjoying the “windows open” weather.
When we got back home from Jacksonville I found the hummingbird feeder disturbed and the cat feeder jammed. The cat feeder had a small 3 oz paper cup jammed in it. I must have somehow dumped it in with the food. The feeder works again but needs some maintenance. No cats showed up the first night, Marmalade showed on night 2 and Buzz showed on day 3. I haven’t seen Velcro in 6 weeks or so and Meredith has been gone 3 or 4 weeks—correction as I was writing I heard cats fighting outside. I ran out and made my mean cat sound to clear out any bad cats. As I headed back in here comes buzz down the trunk of a tree he had climbed. Shortly after that Meredith showed up. I got a can of food out and it barely hit the plate before she wolfed it all down just pushing Buzz out of the way. So Velcro remains unaccounted for.
I’ve spent the last week clearing and arranging the storage sheds. I got far enough now that I’m moving on to staining the deck. I managed to get the deck all cleared off and ready for the deck wash prep treatment. The weather is supposed to hold for another few days so I should be able tod clean it, let it dry and stain it without any rain.
Penny and I are planning on taking a hike tomorrow.
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