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...
So it looks like we are in for some rough waters this week. I bet the shell seekers are loving this! Its got to be sending some treasures this way. Most of our beach time so far has been at high tide so its not the best time for shell searching. So the beach angels and I tried our hand at a little Beach art today. Meet Katy (momma turtle's name) and Lacey (Baby turtle's name) Beach Art 2013 Lexi, Taylor and PaPa We are seeing a lot of rain so far this week. After we completed the beach art the beach angels were ready to head back to the house and the pool. No doubt as long as the water stays this rough their favorite spot this week will be at the pool. Captiva Cutie has a nice Lanai (I think that's the correct spelling, back home we call it a screen porch!) it connects to the pool deck its a great place to catch the breeze and chill. Also my place to sit and work on the blog. Vie...
The 30-day Beach Bum tour has come to an end. Back home to reality and Day 1 had me wishing I was back at the Beach. Why is it when you're gone from home for an extended period of time, the home has a way of reminding you that you can run, but you can't hide from the maintenance requirements of being a homeowner. The well tank decided to give me such a reminder while we were gone. The pressure relief valve decided to pop off and partially flood the basement. Fortunately, water was contained to the unfinished side of the basement. I spent half the day yesterday troubleshooting and making repairs. A faulty pressure switch was the culprit causing the system to over pressurize, I shouldn't complain it was the original switch from when we built the house but of course it waited to fail while we were gone. Thanks to Ryan, the grass did get cut once while we were away for a month, but today I'm sure I pissed off all the local frogs. I sent them running for their life while ...
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.
At the end of February, my life has changed. No more 9 to 5 for me, every day is a vacation as retirement has officially kicked in! My blog has been mainly devoted to our experiences on some small islands in southwest Florida, Sanibel and Captiva Island. While I hope to still visit and share more experiences from this magical place, I will be sharing other trips and experiences as we continue to navigate along Life's Highway. Before, it seemed like I only wrote about the annual trip to that special place. My intentions were to share a bit of humor and to memorialize some of our precious memories and life's lessons we learned along the way. Most recently, I have become a Soccer PaPa. No, I don't drive a minivan, I'm not overly vocal when sitting in the stands, and I'm not jumping up to dispute the referees calls (although I have questioned the lack of a call from time to time). My gosh, since when has soccer become wrestling at the Chase? ...
Time, no matter how much we will it to change, it's the one thing in life that is constant. We watch it pass us day by day. Sometimes it feels like time is something we are loosing. I sit here today watching my firstborn grandchild transition into adulthood. I feel like it was only yesterday I held her in my arms for the first time. I was there for Baby Einstein, Barbies, and Dora the Explorer. Then there were sled rides, Power Wheels, Go karts and more. From Crayons and Cartoons to Cars and Cosmetics, wait time, you've gone too fast. You were my first original Beach Angel, and I still remember our time experiencing the beach together. I watched you run and chase the surf with squeals of excitement, I watched the fading sunset shimmer through your long curly hair as you looked out towards the ocean in amazement at the vast world that was before you. I was there when you showed your sister the beach for the first time, your little hands gra...
We Today is our oldest Beach Angel "Lexi's" birthday. They grow up so fast. we looked back on some pictures and videos from vacations past they are filled with many great memories of our time on Sanibel/Captiva. We made a little video to celebrate Lexi's special day. We also made up a little display box to safely store Taylor's rare shell find she has told everybody about her shell. I have no doubt she will have this shell for years to come.
Life's Highway can lead us down many paths. Concrete, blacktop, gravel, dirt roads and sometimes no road at all. That's the case for our adventure today. We take a Two and one quarter-hour boat ride 70 miles west of Key West to Dry Tortuga National Park. I wouldn't consider myself a history buff, but this place had me in total awe. We recently bought the Senior Lifetime National Park Pass and this is officially our first stop using the pass. It did not disappoint. There is no way the pictures I will post here can really reveal the true beauty of this area. The blues and turquoise water were breathtaking and sitting in the middle of this natural beauty 70 miles off the coast from Key West sits Fort Jefferson on Garden Key. Fort Jefferson is the largest brick and mortar building in the Americas. Some 16 million bricks were used to build the fort. The bricks came from Maine and Pensacola. Can you imagine the challenge of getting ...
We're back home now and I thought I would make one last post to catch up and share some pictures from the week. Have you ever noticed the older you get how time seems to fly by faster? I can remember as a child summer vacations that seemed like they went on forever. Now a week is here and gone before you know it and a weekend goes by in the blink of an eye. If I didn't know better I would swear the earth was turning faster. One thing for sure when I was a kid it was a time when things were much simpler and took longer. While technology is great, I think it will deprive some of our younger generation from some of the simpler joys in life. Things like "kick the can" and staying out and playing all day just making sure you got home when the street lights came on. The waters have been clear and full of sea life this trip. You can stand in the ocean chest deep and see your feet! We were concerned about how the week was going t...
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