The girls out number the boy 2 to 1 in this family. As retirement has officially kicked in, we'll share some thoughts, memories, and life's lessons along the way. As we travel down Lifes Highway!
Dolphins anyone??
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Fun with Flipper and the gang off the coast of Sanibel Enjoy
So today, my family and I got some terrible news, a close friend of ours passed away overnight. Our family is of course devastated by this. My blog has generally been about trips and experiences down life's highway. Mostly about the good times and trips we have spent with family. Occasionally I'll share a few life lessons I've learned along the way. I'm typically not an outspoken person, but the blog allows me to convey what comes from my heart, and my heart is compelled to share this one with you. Let's start off with a little about faith and me. My parents sent me to church. We didn't go as a family unit. I went with a neighbor. Dad was typically not feeling well on Sunday mornings after spending most of his day and night on Saturday at the local bar. I know he believed in god, but there were also demons that chased him through life. In his later years the alcohol and smoking took a toll on his body, he'd sp...
Posting a little later today sitting out on the lania listening to the thunder roll and having a glass of Liquid Lubrication. Strawberry/Plum wine 2008. (It was a very good year). As you regulars on the forum know I enjoy making homemade wine. This one was actually made by a friend of mine. His name is Gil. He's the one that introduced me to the art of winemaking. Strawberry Plum 2008 Gil is best described as one of those country boys that can survive. He's does it all from making his own deer sausage to turning various fruits into liquid lubrication he makes some good stuff! The first time I saw him making deer sausage I was a bit perplexed he was using the camper on the back of his old Ford pickup as a smoker. I thought the darn truck was on fire when I first saw it. Some of the best deer sausage I ever ate. Before I get to todays agenda I should back up a bit to dinner last night....
So Tuesday we spent on the beach. The nice thing about being right on the beach is you seem to spend much more time on it. We have logged quite a few hours on beach time this week. Since we only see it once a year the more time soaking up the sun and the surf the better. On Tuesday morning we got out early Carol wanted to see if she could get some pictures of the sunrise. We are not on the best part of the island for sunrise or sunset pictures we are spoiled from spending so much time on Captiva where sunset especially, is worshiped. One beach Angel (Taylor) was up for the task the other Beach Angel (Lexi) did one of her favorite things SLEEP! When we hit the beach like a kid and a mud puddle I'm drawn to the water and automatically go into treasure hunting mode. I looked up and Carol and Taylor are gone. They were on a mission to find that sunrise and it was some where down the beach around the bend. A quick check of my pockets, ...
The adventure continues as we head further south, down to the keys. Home base this week will be Marathon. On Monday, we have a trip planned to Dry Tortuga National Park. That is pretty much the only thing that has a time commitment to it. We're just going to let the week play out and see what each day brings us. We drove through Fort Myers Beach on our way to an overnight stop in Bonita Springs. I think due to the higher concentration of houses and businesses on FMB the devastation was extreme. We stayed in a house on the south end FMB back in 2019. Below is a picture of that house taken in March of this year. Bottom floor blown out, and what you don't see in this picture is the whole back of the house is gone. Beach house FMB March 2023 When we drove by, all that is left is an empty lot. Property on FMB is selling for the same dollar evaluation post hurricane Ian as it was before hurricane Ian, house or no house. There's no do...
So I have been a little behind in posting to the blog this year. The time is flying by way too fast. Wednesday's plan was a day at the beach. I started off by getting a few shots of the sunrise from the dock. Nothing like watching the world wake up in paradise. I was then off to Baileys for some Doughsants. This was another first for us. We never heard of a doughsant before but thought what the heck lets give them a try. I kind of envisioned the light airy texture of a croissant mixed with the glazed goodness of a doughnut. The folks at Baileys are so polite. The lady at the Bakery counter told me this batch came out smaller than normal so they gave me double the amount for the same price! The outside was like I expected but there was some sort of filling inside a little like a cream cheese but with some sort of flavoring that was not sweet. Sorry not a big fan of the doughsant...
So today is Lexi birthday! For her birthday she was given the present of a perfect beach morning. Calmest water we've seen all week. The sky was filled with sunshine and the ocean was full of sailboats, paddle boaters, Parasails, pelicans, people and even a manatee. It was just like when you have a bad round of golf somewhere during the round you hit a great shot and its enough to make you want to come back and do it again. Today was that good shot! Around 1:00 the sky opened up and we made a hasty retreat to the house but it was ok because Lexi dinner of choice for her birthday was where else but Cheeburger Cheeburger. This little 60# is going to tackle the monster burger. She determined to get her picture on the wall. I don't classify Lexi as a big eater but to all of our astonishment she polished that thing off. She challenged Don to take on the one pounder and he didn't disappoint. So early dinner and back to...
It's been a rough week this week. While I generally keep my blog on the lighter side. My words come from my head, but my desire to write comes from my heart. My heart this week has felt both pain and Joy some of which I'll share with you today. On Monday Nov. 20th I'm on the mends from a rough couple of days on what looks like could be a precursory strike from a future Kidney Stone. Spent a couple of days on pain meds, telling myself I'm not going to the ER. Carol's been battling the crud and been coughing a lot for the past week. We get a visit from Kristine, our daughter (technically Daughter-in law) but we adopted here years ago when she moved down here from Oregon to carve out a life with our son Ryan. In her selfless manner, she's here to deliver a spare nebulizer to her Missouri mom, who's been fighting the crud. Why? Because that's just who she is. She didn't visit for long, and we shared a few passing comments about her not wanting...
If you read part 1 of American Icon, have you figured out who, or what, is the American Icon? I gave you some hints. I started off with a picture of my 66. There were other hints as well. Like the flag video when they passed by it on the highway. Maybe the comment about eight generations of Styling, Engineering, Technology and Muscle. I'm talking about the Corvette. Bowling Green is where Corvettes are born. We were fortunate enough to get to tour the Corvette Assembly plant. Stingray ZO6 The corvette is now in its eighth generation with the C8. This car is radically different from other corvettes because of the redesign placement of the engine and advancements in handling. GM closed the assembly plant to tours back in 2024, but recently have opened it back up for limited visits. I'm of course a car guy, so a trip like this is right up my alley. I wasn't too sure how much my co-pilot would enjoy it. The assembly plant wa...
Manatees behind Green Flash Well we made it back home. Reality is setting back in only a few short days till back to the daily grind. I have posted several pictures from the week. We get to have our annual contest and decide which ones get blown up and framed to hang on the wall till next years visit. It gives us something to look forward to while we are waiting.
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