Day Off

Yesterday was a day off. Gigi asked if I could get some mahogany doors she found on Craig’s list and I said yes.

We talked to our contractor and he insisted he could work those old glass and mahogany doors into the remodel.

About noon I got a call from Diver’s Supply that my Spare Air filling valve was in so I ran over and got it. Now I can do my own refills on my emergency air tank.

Finally the compound had a very recent flyover by Google.

Upcoming Vacation

Swallow a toad in the morning and you will encounter nothing more disgusting the rest of the day. --Nicolas de Chamfort

As you know I am not really one to talk up a vacation so it may come as a surprise to you that in two weeks I head off to Jekyll Island for 10 days of fun.

We’ll take the RV and Origami II and this year I’ll take along the dive equipment just in case I can go offshore to a decent dive site. Of course we will take the tandem bike to ride the miles and miles of trails.

I stay in the exact same place in the Jekyll Island Campground each year. The entire campground is covered in a thick canopy of trees with one little opening there where I can pull in a Direct TV signal. So I reserve that spot on year in advance.

I also take along a 4000 watt generator because Jekyll Island has numerous power outages especially during the afternoon thunderstorms. It gets might stuffy in an RV with no power and temps in the 90’s with dew points in the 70’s. So I’m kicking back all cool watching TV while the rest of the world suffers with outages.

Never fear…I will continue to blog because while I will be in the wilderness the campground is completely wifi.

Before and After

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.....

I just finished on of my favorite breakfasts….Old fashioned Quaker Oatmeal and a cold Diet Pepsi.

This time of year is unusually stressful. I have been dealing with my taxes…yes I flung a bunch of money at them and filed an extension last April 15. Plus I am renewing my business line of credit.

The line of credit used to be easy. I would ask, they would look at my tax returns and they would loan more than I would ever need.

Not anymore. I have to prove that I don’t need the loan and have to prove I could repay it 5 times over.

Yesterday I got to my office to find a certified letter from the IRS on my seat. I have never gotten goods new from a certified letter.

It seems the IRS wants to fine me $89 for not filing my business taxes. I did back on March 15 so I called them. They said that they received my tax return but it didn’t show up until March 28 and for that sin I must pay $89.

I asked what the postmark was on the envelope and they didn’t know. What they are going to do is pay someone more than $89 to research to see if the envelope had a March 15 postmark and they will write me again to let me know. That ought to keep them busy for a while.

Finally I just made another batch of Chipotle sauce for the fall tailgate season. I love that stuff. It’s not too hot and comes off like a strong BBQ sauce. It is great on burger and brats or most anything grilled.

Update

Coming soon.

Been fighting the feds, the bank, the CPA and trying to make an honest living.

I Am Very Old Soon

I would prefer that every year my birthday fall on a cool date like it does this year ….the third Sunday in June. Father’s day and the US Open weekend makes for a guy’s weekend for sure.

I will turn 54 next Sunday. That is a young old person and an old middle age person.

My father and his father had massive and debilitating heart attacks at 56. It killed my grandfather in a week and put my father in a downward spiral until his death at 61. So you can imagine the death clock I have programmed in my mind,

Yesterday I was loading grain at the feed store. I was in the back of the pickup and some young buck was handing me the 50 lb bags and I was stacking. It was time for me to dismount and he had that panicked look like he was about to witness a train wreck.

“Sir… Need some help getting down?”

I jumped off the bed gracefully as I always have but it got me to thinking about my age and my perceived age.

I still feel good but am I kidding myself? Yes my back aches in the morning after any non normal exertion. My reflexes are not as keen. I don’t like to drive at night…never did but now I avoid it.

I didn’t feel well last night after excursion in the high humidity and heat of Saturday.

I have avoided many roles in life because I don’t have children. Never have I been the responsible father or the wise old grandfather that many of my friends are playing now. They were forced into roles that society dictates, behavior norms that I never had to follow.

One thing I do know is life is marching on and I do not know the end time. I decide years ago that I would try and drink up as much life experience as I could manage with out negatively affecting others.

I try to keep current with technology, music, politics, and explore new concepts in science not as a chore but because I like new things.

But at what point do I play the part of an old fool?

Mickey wisely told me something the other day and I confirmed it with my contractor. We were talking about jacking up a sagging house and Mickey said, “The house will tell you when you have jacked it up enough. You will hear it groan and creek but then you will reach a point where it says…STOP! You learn to listen for it.”

I guess I going to keep jacking life for now.

Yellow Tanks Abound

Yesterday I got home early to enjoy the heat…yes I like the stifling heat of summer.

I decide to paint the scuba tank yellow in the tradition of my swim trunks Yellow Boys.

It just so happens that my Spare Air tank came in yesterday and the only color available is yellow.

Assuming that I will be able to continue my walk among the land creatures with all these tanks I should be safe once I get in the water… and weightless.

Good Times

I have big doings this weekend. I plan to take my mower to my car mechanic to see if he can put on the mower belt. The logistics of raising that mower 3 feet to the truck bed without busting a gut will be entertaining.

First though I will drop by the office and sign a few papers between Asheville and home.

Then sometime tomorrow I will spray paint my scuba tank yellow. I have a blue boot and cap I ordered last week.

Then weather permitting I’ll continue deicing the 757…no I mean wash the exterior of my RV in completion.

Hopefully I’ll be cutting grass by late Saturday or Sunday.

And finally I won $3 in the Powerball lottery!

A Very Rare Late Thursday Afternoon Post

I have really been saving money with this Priceline app on my iPhone. Last night I stayed at the Doubletree Inn in Oak Ridge, TN. The going rate was $144 and they wouldn’t budge. I whipped up Priceline and got the room for $109. A savings of 24%.

Today Cedie and I walk up to the counter at Comfort Inn in Asheville, NC. The going rate is $89 a night. The clerk said she could not reduce the rate herself and I was welcome to book it on my phone for $59 which I did. A savings of 34%.

Amazing.

And now our main feature………

I take care of my stuff. I am a big believer in maintenance and keeping equipment fixed if something breaks.

So my riding mower that I bought from Home Depot 6 years ago is getting some age. It was made by John Deere. Last year I replaced the back tires, battery along with an oil change and blade sharpening.

This year I decided to resolve the gas odor, slipping belt and get an oil change and blade sharpening.

I called my usual place but they had new owners and a new name, STI TURF Care Equipment East of Midland, NC.

I arranged for the mower to be picked up. In a few days I got a call telling me that my oil had been changed and the blades had been sharpened, but……I had a crack in my gas tank and they couldn’t find a replacement belt for my mower.

Why in the hell would I want sharp blades and fresh oil if I can’t turn the blades and cannot start the motor without gas? They told me I needed to go to John Deere to get the parts which I did.

After a few days I get a call and they told me that the gas tank was on but they never could get the new belt to fit.

My mistake was I assumed they would at least put the old belt back on even if it slipped but no they didn’t.

They delivered back to me something that was once a mower and it now a slow go cart.

I called them back and they insisted neither belt would work even though the old one had been on the mower for 6 years.

So at least I have identified some idiots and if you are ever in the Midland area looking for a mower…keep driving.

A Day You Don't Get Every Day

I spent the afternoon with Micky-T and his bride the lovely Bicky.

What led to this is I needed to go to Asheville, NC to see some clients. And I always promised I would let Cedie visit East Tennessee Border Collie Rescue whenever I could because she was always their special girl and she consumed most of their medical budget saving her life one year. Plus I really wanted to meet Mic a blogging buddy and his wife so like the space missions of old I shot for all of them in a few days. After all they were all in the same general direction.

I arrived at the marina precisely on time at high noon. Mic said he would be provisioning Malihini. Cedie and I pulled in and called him to let him know I arrive and met Mic and the lovely Luca on the dock. Luca is a sweeeeet yellow lab.

Mic and I gave each other that stupid grin of two guys that knew each other so well from a blog and never met.

We talked for a while and shared a Southpaw Beer and discussed the origins of this fantastic boat Malihini.

Soon Bicky joined us and we were off down the Tennessee River having lunch.

What struck me was how nice this couple was, how passionate they are about life and how much they both loved adventure and the sea. Both are very talented individuals.

Mic is a Boatwright by trade and Bicky is a fantastic artist….although she denies this. I saw her work. Trust me she is good.

We mad our way to “The Bar” where I could see some of Mic’s handy work. Pictures don’t do this work justice. I kept rubbing the smooth wooden panels and the bar knowing that under my hands was solid mahogany, the wood of Gods. Words can’t describe the beauty of his work and the attention to detail. We sat and had a few beers and talked.

When we arrived to his home I got to see for myself the fruit of years of labor. Amazing…. This is one huge house.

I really don’t know where they fine the energy to do it all.

Thanks guys for a great day.

I Got My Money's Worth

I’ve been blinging out my scuba stuff and one thing missing was a signal whistle. I ordered this plastic one from Diver’s supply and they swore it was the loudest whistle in the world. It can be heard from a mile away. They are used when boat diving and in case you surface away from the boat you can signal your where abouts.

So I went by the mailbox and there it was. I opened it and this cheap looking little yellow whistle was in a blister pack.

I opened it and asked if it was okay to let her rip in the reception area.

I swear this whistle ranks right up there with a handgun in noise. My ears are ringing. I think I am building up to a headache.

Just Curious

I wonder if Anonymous is still lurking out there monitoring this blog for potential trespassers on Cumberland Island.

Still might try it. I'll go heavily armed with my turtle nest eating dogs.

Is that enough bait to call Anonymous out? You should be working for homeland security if you bite.

Spring Cleaning

This morning I continue to clean the RV until my back gives out. I swear washing that thing is like deicing a 757 jet. Yesterday I power washed the roof until some valve gave out in my washer arm.

Next it is time to take a brush and soap, then move to the inside for a spring freshen up. Then I’ll check all the mechanicals and declare it sound for travel.

Just last week I had a jack repaired that had been on order since last fall.

Lastly I will check tires, torque the hubs and lube the bearings. I will try and avoid the disaster on I-95 of last summer. If it does occur I will stay cool.

Found out what was wrong for the past two summers with my AC. The clutch was giving out and couldn’t keep up the demand when it really got hot. Not a problem this year.

Right now I am giving the truck a good cleaning. I have a road trip this week that takes me to East Tennessee and it will actually intersect with Micky-T. That should be fun.

My mama warned me against meeting internets people.

We Need to Laugh

I Am Impatient

People that wait 7 days to respond to an email bug me. Just stay offline if you can’t do better than that.

A person that doesn’t acknowledge an email that has a matter that needs acknowledgement bugs me.

Long quiet pauses on the phone are awkward. Don’t do it. If you brain works that slow make some notes.

Death of a Blog

I looked in my Google reader this morning and looked at the dozen of blogs I have followed over the years, most of which are dormant now. Some I really liked and some just never caught on to my fancy.

Terri has moved twice and I think Teresa has too. I don’t mind moving urls but I do mind seeing a once vibrant blog dry up and wither.

I’ve seen several people quit and then come back at a different angle and a new title. That’s fine. I like to see a continuance of what ever made you get out there and write.

For me….I guess I‘m old school now. I keep plugging away almost daily at my observations, my sick stabs at humor, my joys and low points.

Ponderings

When I was a kid I loved to run in the school halls in my socks on freshly waxed floors.

I have been doing a lot of education and study online. I learn and comprehend better if I read the test questions out loud.

I have been daydreaming way too much about the new iPhone release that is rumored.

Why do dogs have a little slit under their nose?

I sure could go for maybe three days back to back without torrential rain.

Help Me Please Guy

Been trying to see and buy some of this stuff for over a month now. This guy checks his email at 5AM about every 4 days and is always out of town.

I contacted him before I went to St Croix back in early may. Wonder why it’s not selling buddy?

Dude…if you want to sell your stuff be available for the transaction part of it.

Anyone see anything you want? I’ll pick it up for you if I ever get to see him.

Dive Gear - $1 (Shelby)

Date: 2010-05-05, 9:40PM EDT

Reply to: sale-ba4ab-1726710112@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Aqualung: Micra ADJ, LP Octopus, SEA 1st Stg, Environmental Kit, Yoke and DIN connectors. $250

Seaquest: XR2 Cryo/ octopus and 3 gage console (never in water) $300

Malibu RDS BC SZ L (never in water). $275

Oceanic Data Trans Plus dive Computer, Air integrated/hoseless, air/NITROX capable, Programmable. Mounted on lanyard w/ compass $150

Oceanic Mako Scooter w/ charger (needs new Batteries) $700

Spectrum Oxygen analyzer in Pelican 1200 case. $150

DUI FLX 50/50 Dry Suit (needs new seals) Polartec undergarment w/ booties $600

Wetsuit one piece 3mm (L) $50

Wetsuit Two piece 6MM (L) $75

Dive Skin (L) $15

2 Wenoka Knives, $20 ea

Dive lights Princeton Tec NIB (1) 8 cell (1) 4 cell $40 ea.

2 Used (1) 8 Cell (1) 4 cell $15

Other odds and ends

Gear belongs to a PADI instructor who had to quit diving for medical reasons.

Stuff I learned last Friday

If one farts in a wet suit the air exits around the neck. With a hood it works its way to the face. Plan accordingly.

Observations on Quarry Diving

Dive 5 and 6.

The main purpose for this dive was to check out new equipment, and gain dive time for safety. Plus I had to see what fresh water diving was like.

It is not the Caribbean Sea but it is better than not diving. The visibility is 6 to 10 feet tops. But that is the way fresh water diving is I am told.

Suiting up for this dive is a chore. This is the first time I have worn a heavy wet suit, gloves, boots and hood. It took me 5 minutes to get suited out and I was soaking in sweat. Then I put on the tank and BCD. We waded in the water and put on our fins and masks.

The water felt good as we inflated our bouncy vests and moved to deeper water.

After our final checkout we deflated the BCD to dive.

I had 14 pounds of weight in my vest to compensate for all the air trapped in my wet suit. It was barely enough to get me down. Eventually at 10 feet the effort was over and I began to sink and equalize my ears.

In this murky water the best way to see and navigate is by staying close to a rope that marks a trail. The trail consists of sunken objects to observe.

At 20 feet it gets cold. At 35 feet it gets colder. At 56 feet it is in the 40’s and damn cold. My feet and lower back was cold. My face that was exposed between my hood and mask was very cold but the suit kept me from dangerous cold.

I enjoyed two dives with my dive buddy Bruce. The dives were not very long as we are both beginners on out first “grown up” dive on our own and rookies tend to gulp air in cold conditions. This shortens the dive time for obvious reasons.

Bruce saved me once when I took out my air regulator to smile for a picture. Then I couldn’t locate my air and he saw my need, grabbed my air and I was okay. Lesson learned was not to toss away the air regulator so casually,

Overall mission accomplished and the trip was worth it and I hope to dive there again.

Dive Weekend

I am going to scuba dive today at a rocky quarry with my dive buddy from class.

I spent much of the past few days securing protective clothing such as gloves, hoods and the thickest wetsuit I could rent.

Believe it or not this sport has become so popular that equipment was difficult to find this weekend. There are groups headed to the coast of NC to dive wrecks and tons of idiots like me going to the quarry to dive those icy waters.

So I will be wrapped in neoprene like a beer bottle in a koozie from head to toe with only an open place on my face for a mask and regulator. Kind of makes me claustrophobic thinking about this.

But you know….I am a hearty man not afraid to stare a catfish or brim right in the face.

Duke

I can’t believe it. My little buddy Duke woke up this morning and died.

We don’t know how old he was because he was a rescue. He was kind and gentle. He loved to herd and worked yesterday.

He had slowed down the past few weeks and stayed in most of yesterday.

Watch Chicken

Yesterday morning I stopped by the small engine repair shop to arrange for my lawn tractor to be serviced and was greeted by a very suspicious chicken. She ran up to my truck, paused, turned an eye to me a stared.

A guy in the parking lot laughed at the sighting of this watch chicken at work.

Turns out that this hen just showed up one day and made her self at home. They named her Henrietta.

I played golf yesterday and the heat was stifling.

When I got home Gigi showed me two Bougainvillea that she bought me. I love Bougainvillea. They are seen everywhere in St Croix. They flower all year down there and come in many spectacular colors. They are very drought resistant.

I will plant these and enjoy them this summer but like Hibiscus, Oleander and other tropical woody shrubs these will die in the winter.

The Truth

I find it strange that many of my liberal friends keep their eyes pealed on Fox News, while many of my conservative friends stay glued to MSNBC. Both want to keep an eye on the enemy thought patterns.

I watch World News Tonight for 30 minutes each day and that is all the TV news I take in. And yes I am quite able to discern political spin, but pictures of a flood, volcanoes, speeches, laws are what they are. Then I switch over to The Science Channel and learn things like octopus have beaks.

In a strange turn of events Gigi and I were told by several family members yesterday that the MIL is just fine, nothing out of the normal (even though she is still in a hospital and is described by the attending physician as confused and has a motion alarm attached to her for when she wonders at night). It was suggested several times that once we have this blissful thought correctly placed in our brains we should avoid contact with her by phone lest we get the unsettling feeling from her that something could be wrong. The problem with her is us and not her. Further communication with her will only make her worse so it is best not to answer the phone and maybe visit her once in a while. The less communication with family the better and neighbors should deal with her emotional outcries.

Okay…..that is one plan I’ll take under advisement. Gee thanks for the swell suggestion. Makes my life simple.

SEX!

My wife and I have the same primary physician. She is having her annual checkup this afternoon.

I asked her, “Does Dr. Justus ask you about your sex life?”

Gigi, “He used too.”

Me, “Me too, but he doesn’t anymore.”

Gigi, “That’s sad.”

A Rare Afternoon Post

Have you noticed everyone is kind of angry lately? Just plain old negative thinking?

Why harbor anger over something that you have no control over? Taxes, the government, idiots, big business, weather, whatever.

It will kill you having all that rage streaming from your thoughts. It cultivates sinister behavior. Let it go just for a day.

Think your dog or cat is sitting around all pissed off and worried? Now who is wiser?

Now be nice, say something nice to someone. Smile.

Wramping Up The Learning Curve

Right now I am going through this huge absorption phase over diving and I like that.

Whatever I do, golf, RVing, boating, travel, Jeep restoration, chicken raising, beer making, tailgating or scuba, I do with intensity. It is my personality to gain as much knowledge about a new activity. I enjoy ramping up the learning curve.

And so the weather here has been rainy, Gigi is out of town, and I have bee reading everything I can online about scuba and diving from a safety and technical point of view….comparing equipment and seeing how the sport has progressed over the years.

I want to get in as much dive time as possible to become as comfortable and efficient and safe as possible underwater and realize all knowledge can’t be obtained from reading. I need underwater experience.

So when I go to Jekyll Island this summer I will be looking to dive at nearby sites off the Georgia and Florida coast. And much to my first negative thoughts I may have to dive some rock quarries here near my house.

Freshwater diving has its own problems like poor visibility, poor buoyancy, and it is damn cold. I had a friend do his open water dives yesterday in a quarry and it was 42 degrees at 35 feet. This doesn’t warm up much even in the summer. Plus there is nothing to see but catfish and brim and maybe an old school bus they tossed in to explore. But it is dive experience that can be applied when I get to great dive destinations like St Croix.

A Man Friday

The end of the week didn’t turn out at all like it was scheduled because Thursday and Friday I was supposed to be in Boston. In fact Teresa and I talked about meeting briefly until she pulled her back.

My MIL’s bizarre behavior took center stage so Gigi went down to the beach to check on her and I stayed back and watched the animals.

Turns out that nothing on the medical films can explain why her sudden conversion to bag lady-ism and her bizarre behavior. I am not sure what we are going to do except maybe change our phone numbers.

Yesterday morning I saw a Craig’s list ad repeat for the 3rd time and for the third time I researched all the items offered and figured it was time for me to act. This guy had almost a whole set of scuba gear for a great price. I made him a lowball offer and he came back at a discounted price.

So Cedie and I drove the Jeep to meet his wife at a gas station and the deal was done. I tool all the equipment over to a nearby dive shop to have everything tested and serviced. I even have an air tank.

I stick by my earlier comment that local dive shop operators are weird. This guy was pissed first of all that I had bought seemingly good name brand equipment from a stranger on Criag’s list. I would have paid 4 times as much in his shop. After the entire objective is to breath safely underwater.

Then I see a sign about a local dive club but it has very specific rules:

NO profanity

NO drinking

NO smoking

NO racist, sexist jokes / language

I don’t smoke. Guess I won’t be joining that dive club.

Finally I got a call from Thomas and an afternoon golf game ensued.

I came back, fed the critters, grilled a steak and concluded a good man day.

Attention to Details

That Direct TV commercial where everyone turns into a $100 bill Benjamin Franklin is kind of freaky. Much like the Burger King.

I know...this picture and post have nothing in common but I like both and it is all I had.

Need me to come to your house and Caribbeanize something of yours?

A Boring Post Yet A Post None-the-less

Yesterday I had to drive to the coast of NC and SC to visit some clients. I decided to take the Jeep top off after seeing the weather looked promising.

About 30 minutes into the trip I hit a cool ground fog that persisted until 10 AM.

Finally sunny weather for the last hour of the drive.

The beach was beautiful and the water was unusually clear by our coastal standards.

The weather promised clear and sunny inland with a 40% chance of thunderstorms on the coast around 7 PM.

I figured I’d take those odds since I wasn’t planning to linger around the coast and certainly would be gone from the area by 3 PM.

You guessed it…a lone cell of rain hit me about 5 miles inland. I pulled up the radar on my iPhone just to prove how unlucky I was. There was one tiny bright red dot and I was under it.

I manage to find a sizable gas station to take shelter and leisurely refuel while waiting out the storm.

Almost forgot....got a BCD yesterday to begin my life as a scuba person.

Okay...Another Watch Dog

I’m sitting here sipping my morning coffee before I shower and head to the office. At my feet is my sweet little Cedie, pronounced Sadie.

She is the one who looks like an angel chinchilla, has three legs and epilepsy.

In my mind she is an angel and wouldn’t hurt a flea.

Yesterday she was lying on the deck sunning while the other dogs were busy herding the horses and chickens.

Our contractor dropped by between rain showers to do a little work. He had a question to ask Gigi, he walked to the back door opened it and began talking to Gigi.

Cedie bit him on the ass….three times.

Our contractor actually apologized because he knows dog behavior and he crossed the line in Cedie’s eyes. Gigi was shocked.

No skin was broken and in fact she mostly snapped at pants leg.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have Cedie down as a protective watch dog.

How Do I Keep Evil Spirits Out of My RV?

A Confession

Secretly to most folks, overtly to people that know me; my lifelong desire has been to operate a Hotdog cart at the beach.

If I ever do this consider me in my mind that I have arrived. I don’t need your stinking money and prestige.

I lust over hotdog carts I see on Craig’s list and eBay. I have almost bought several carts before but backed out at thoughts of practicality. I could justify a cart for tailgating but then I would be stuck eating hotdogs every week. Don’t get me wrong…I love a good messy hotdog.

Back in February I was at one of my favorite beaches in the entire world and there, next to the road was a middle aged woman operating a hotdog cart.

I approached her and said, “You know, you have my dream job,” to which she said, “I was thinking just now how much this job sucks.”

Well, there you have it…my secret desire.

Gotta run now and pick up some dogs and buns, some chili, onions, slaw, mustard, relish….

Sandy

I got a call from the island this afternoon.

“This is bla bla with St Croix animal welfare. Did Sandy reach?”

My island translator has been off now for 48 plus hours. I ran it through the brain filter.

This lady was calling was from the St Croix humane society following up on my escort of the dog named Sandy. She wanted to know if Sandy had “reached her destination” without any problems.

“Oh yes, she was an angel”.

“I hope so…she is missed.”

It cost a lot of money and effort to get this little Pit Bull mix here. She will have a good life now.

Donate or volunteer a few hours to your shelter if you can in honor of Sandy.

A Fact!

Tis the time of year for a great convergence of fun….but before I continue did you know that an octopus has a beak? The size of the beak is the only obstacle keeping the octopus from assuming most any space between a crack or passage? And the beak is nasty and will bite you. So there.

The conversation came up the other night with dinner guests. I was fresh off a documentary from the science channel so I knew the subject matter.

My guests assumed this was some Wreggieism and demanded an accurate answer from a marine biologist. Just so happens Gigi has one on speed dial.

Her friend answered all confused that Gigi would be asking her this and confirmed that yes indeed an octopus has a beak.

So there you go…walk confidently knowing you know that an octopus has a beak.

I write about the great convergence of fun later.

Stuff I noticed II

I really missed my bed. As nice as that resort was it didn’t hold a candle to my memory foam mattress. I didn’t wake up once last night.

I drove to the drug store on the right side of the road and it felt natural. I did miss seeing mongoose scampering back and forth.

We escorted a sweet little dog back from St Croix and she will enter her life as a North Carolina dog now. She is in the Charlotte Humane Society shelter this morning.

I learned that 70 and 100 SPF sunscreen is available now. Up to now I was using 30 and 50.

I learned also once can get sunburned through a tee shirt.

I came back refreshed and motivated to work. I now want to study and get some advanced diving classes.

I have found another hot sauce I like called Island Fever. I brought back a few bottles.

And So It Ends

The end had to come. Today I travel back to Charlotte with a rescue dog in my checked baggage. He/she will find a new home in Charlotte.

Yesterday Gigi and I had breakfast out at The Golden Rail and did some shopping downtown.

By lunch time we headed back to the hotel.

Gigi stayed behind and I headed to Michael and Terry’s for a visit. I came upon Terry soaking wet with sweat keeping up the grounds of Sundog House.

They have done an incredible job upgrading and maintaining their vacation villa.

We soaked in their pool, had conversation and then Terry said she would make some bread fruit salad.

Bread fruit….the stuff of history lessons and Magellan.

The salad she made was much like a potato salad but strangely better. She added some hot sauces and olives with traditional potato salad fixings and presented it on a bed of lettuce. Damn good it was. I was one with Magellan.

I had a date to meet a woman about some new hot sauce I had found on the island. I didn’t meet up with her until 5 PM. A nap was involved between lunch and the sauce rendezvous.

By then we decided to get some picnic items and head back to the room for a quiet evening.

What a wonderful week

Another First

Chalk down another first on this trip.

Yesterday, after lunch at The Deep End, I lay down under a grove of coconut trees beneath a thatched roof beach hut and took a peaceful nap.

It was actually better than the now famous Jeep Nap of ’08 in the Pueblo parking lot.

Thus Far

Yesterday I accomplished something on my “Bucket List” if I had a bucket list and that was to become certified to dive.

It was a wonderful final dive, the stuff of a documentary on Discovery HD except I was seeing it for my own eyes.

Afterwards we celebrated with cold beers and a fantastic lunch.

Saturday was equally satisfying with multiple dives.

Previously I was on a boat at Buck Island with old friends and new friends snorkeling, and then drinking sparkling wine, toasting in Italian, listening to Italian classical music, enjoying pasta and various cheeses and salads. We laughed and talked the afternoon away pausing for a refreshing swim in the perfect waters.

Thursday I sat on the boardwalk and talked to new friends that knew some of my other friends and we knitted together any connections we may have sharing a few happy hour beers while Gigi shopped.

I have 2 and a half days ahead of me that are a blank slate except for dinner tonight with Michael and Terry at the Terrace to watch the sun set and the “city” of Christainsted light up.

Finally I don’t know if this is coincidental or a side effect of diving. Both nights after diving I have experienced vivid nightmares.

The Dives

Yesterday we got in three dives around the Frederiksted pier.

The weather was very hot and the water felt refreshing. So intense is the sun that my sunscreen at 50 barely keeps away the burn. My shoulders actually burned through my tee shirt. I thought the tee shirt barrier would be enough.

The Frederiksted pier is where cruise ships dock while in port. Divers can’t dive there for security reasons when ships are in port.

The area has a flat sanding bottom with a gradual slope toward the end. The pylons of the pier are host to lots of cool sea creatures.

We witnessed a school of herring that literally must have been hundreds of thousands of fish and they schooled for hours.

I am really enjoying the underwater calmness, the weightlessness, and quiet except for the life giving air that goes in and out of my lungs. I also wish I could exhaust the exhales further away from my face.

By the end of the day I was so tired that I showered and went to bed and slept 12 hours.

Today I am back in for my final dive and certification.

A Loss in The Family

It is with great sorrow that I tell my readers of the loss of one of my chickens. I now have 11 chickens.

This will throw off the loading of egg cartons.

We have decided to continue our vacation and will have a memorial service on our return.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you give any sympathy money to me.

Anatomy of a Vacation

I am staying at a resort that reminds me much like The Silverado near Napa, CA. This is an old quaint place, built in many phases and spread over a large area. It has tennis courts, a golf course, restaurants, beaches, a spa, shops and lots of service personal. It is well maintained.

Theoretically I could stay here the entire week, never leave the grounds and that would be my experience of the island.

I am not a resort person per se. Gigi is a resort person. She is enjoying the relaxation and convenience of the place.

Yesterday I went to Buck Island on an 80’s era sailboat. The owners have been renovating this boat starting with the motor and rigging and avionics. Now the process of wood restoration has begun with many coats of varnish.

The weather was iffy but seas were calm and the clouds broke by the time we launched.

A nice long snorkel reveals a lobster as big as an infant, an equally large flounder, a few barracuda, and lots of colorful fish.

We had lunch, drank champagne, and laughed.

I came home and took a long nap with Gigi then went out to forage for supper. I ended up with a large pizza from The Deep End. They really need to perfect pizza crust before they try and sell pizza.

Today…I dive.

Day II

Yesterday was a rest day. We slept in late.

I walked the property and eventually we headed to a beach restaurant beside our room.

Back for a nap when housekeeping knocked. We hung around and decided on a trip in town.

I headed to the brewpub and watched the day go by. Gigi shopped.

Dinner at The Pickled Greek and back home to an early bed.

Day One

We made it to the island not without some drama.

We left around 5:30 AM for the airport, got through security to a boarding jet.

I didn’t have time to pee.

The plane flight to Atlanta is short by most standards so it was up to 22,000 feet then descend. They turned off the seatbelt light.

Our connection was tight. Again the plane was boarding the tiny regional jet to St Croix. They would not allow our carry ons and packed them in the plane belly.

After a three hour twenty minute cramped flight with a hard landing we were safe on the island. ….minus two bags. Couldn’t be…I saw them put the bags in the underbelly.

Turns out the door to the cargo bin was stuck for almost 2 hours. The cargo included live animals.

Finally we got the rental car, bags, made supper plans with Terry and Michael and headed to the hotel.

This place is nicer than I expected and I have stayed at many fine hotels. Our room alone must be 1000 square feet. They put me in the honeymoon suite under the name of Wreggie Hunnicutt. I am not kidding.

This room runs about $800 a night during the high season. Wreggie got it for $148.

This morning I installed my reader lenses in my dive mask. It is darn handy to be able to read gauges when life and death depend on this.

Oh, and a wonderful dinner with old friends and new friends. The Cultured Pelican rocks. Thanks Nikki and Mitch and all the staff. The lobster was the cap of a long day.

Hopefully......

Unless my plane went down I should touchdown on the island of St Croix about 1:35 PM. Either way I am at peace.

By 3 PM EDT expect me to be drinking a Carib with a slice of key lime looking at Tidy bowl blue water or a continuance of death from an airplane crash.

(Warning to thieves: I have a male house sitter at home watching my critters)

I will do my best to relax….I have promised my wife I will.

This weekend weather permitting and I am alive, I will do my open water dives and become certified.

Of course I will blog…blogging is life sustaining to me. Unless I’m dead.

Did You Know?

When a pig drinks beer she spreads her toes.

Help me Decide the Fate of Yellow Boys

I’m getting that urge to retire my old pal and swim truck referred to as yellow boys. Best I can recall they have made at least 16 trips to the Virgin Islands and I only recall one trip that they stayed behind.

Heck I wore them last weekend in the dive tank. We have seen a lot of good times together.

On the right column you can anonymously vote the fate of yellow boys.

Who is worthy enough to see my pools?

On St Croix there are a set of very remote tidal pools that for me are a natural thing of beauty and a calm oasis. Being there with a few companions and hearing the crashing waves against the rocks lets me know that I have arrived to my sanctuary. Money can’t buy a more pristine view.

The pools are well defended both from people and natural barriers and unsuspecting environmentalists who just as soon you not see them.

On foot one must get past the first barrier, a guard shack at the Carambola Resort. Here the guard listens to your intension and decides if you will park on the hill and hike to your hike or allow entry to park in the resort.

If you park on the hill expect to add a strenuous mile to your already strenuous hike. I have learned to lie and tell them I am having lunch at the resort. I get a pass and prime parking.

On the trail expect steep hills, exposed rocks and roots from foot traffic, thorned trees, an active bee hive, numerous but harmless hermit crabs and a poorly marked trail often leading to indecision about ¾ the way through the hike. As nasty as this sounds the forest is beautiful and the views are incredible.

Once there one must carefully move along the ragged sharp rock wall to enter the pool area.

Plan B is one can drive there on and equally challenging Jeep trail. This is where the local environmentalists come in. You see while nothing is said about driving to and from most anywhere on the island driving to the pools is considered an unforgivable sin. Driving this beautiful trail makes your vehicle dirtier and more harmful than any car on the planet.

The entrance to this trail is hidden; I had to find it on satellite photos from Google Earth. Not a local I know would reveal the entrance to me.

The drive is very slow, deliberate and gorgeous. I drove by several ruins and vistas that I plan to explore when I am down next week.

As before once there one must carefully move along the ragged sharp rock wall to enter the pool area.

What sets plan B apart is anyone who is physically challenged can now experience the beauty of the pools if they can climb the last barrier.

If you are able to hike the trail I strongly suggest it. If you are not physically able then take the Jeep trail.

In both cases respect the land.

Resorts and Hyperlinks

I am normally not a resort person. However I have always longed to stay at The Buccaneer Resort on St Croix.

I have passed the gates often while going to many of the rented villas in the Shoys section of St Croix.

Whenever I enquired about rooms, even in the off season the minimum was $400 a night. No way.

Introduce Skyauction and The Great Recession and I have seen rates budge to Wreggie standards.

Back in January I bid on a room…any room at The Buccaneer and won for a nightly rate taxes included for $148 a night. That is what a cheap room goes for off season at The Divi Resort on the south shore of St Croix.

So for a week I’ll be high styling with room service and breakfast in bed, maybe a round of golf on the resort course.

The fun begins Wednesday.

Craig's List

I have been looking for some rudimentary dive equipment on Craig’s list and eBay.

Craig’s list is still the Wild West compared to eBay where the rules are whatever the seller wants and there are no consequences for behavior.

I found one guy loaded with dive stuff in good condition …his and her dive stuff. I asked if I could only buy the men’s stuff and he said no, I would have to take all the pink stuff, the small fins and small BCD or nothing.

Then I found a guy who lived an hour away willing to piecemeal his stuff but he said he would be out of pocket until Tuesday night of next week.

I hate that term “out of pocket” and why in the hell list something on Craigs list if you aren’t going to be around to show it.

I guess I’ll have to “cool my jets” (how do you like that term mister out of pocket) and rent down on the island.

By the way I did a head count this morning and I still have 12 chickens. It was their first night camping out.

State of the Chickens Message

Today we moved the chickens from a large dog kennel to a summer home made of a chain link dog kennel.

First thing is I tried to make it varmint proof by topping the kennel with hog wire. Then I put chicken wire on the bottom portion to help deter snakes and foxes.

Then I tarped the kennel for sun and rain protection.

I made some feeders and waters from Home Depot buckets.

Strung a few branches up for perches.

This summer I'll build a connecting coop for winter and nesting boxes for eggs.

Looks like we have some diversity in the group. It appears 11 of the hens are Rhode Island Reds and one appears to be a Golden Comet.

Class of 2010

Sunday's graduation picture.

Hobby Snobs

There are several activities that involve danger and technical knowledge that allow the field to become saturated with snobs.

One is equestrian, the other diving.

Horse people have their elite techniques, equipment, opinions, etc. To me they are just dangerous, below average intelligence animals that people are stupid enough to ride.

I now own three and they are my wife’s horses.

A new horse we bought yesterday is a black and white mare paint quarter horse. I am bored typing this now. However the transaction went on for 2 ½ hours yesterday while they talked excessively about every nuance of this animal.

I was looking around for some reliable bullets and a check book so this transaction could end.

Diving is hyped in knowledge of equipment and experience. Every trainer, instructor and dive shop owner is trying to up sale you anytime you walk in their store. After all one’s life is at stake in an unnatural environment and you deserve the best.

I would like my own buoyancy control vest and my own regulator. I would like a dive computer in the instrument cluster.

The price they ask and recommend would allow me to carry a Dell PC down with me. Add the other components, weights belts, hoses, etc and one is easily looking at $2,000. No thanks. I’ll rent.

I used some fins the other day that I liked and the dive shop wanted $189 plus I had to buy boots. Are you kidding?

I will study and become an expert and then buy used.

Golf and Scuba

I’ve had a pretty fascinating weekend thus far.

I played golf for Jesus Friday in a church fund raiser. I do this annually with my twin cousins who are a year younger than me. It is the only time I see them.

We share golf, a few beers and some laughs.

The guy I was paired with was so serious that it made the event a bit stressful. He took his game too seriously and coached us on what we did wrong.

My cousin came up to me and said,”Wreg, you have to get some water when the water girl comes around.” Huh?

Turns out that she was a smoking hot 20 year old and my cousin and I giggled like school girls.

The guy I was with said, “Hey…careful…I have a daughter that age.”

It ain’t your daughter and loosen up. We’re just two very seasoned middle aged guys having some school boy laughs. Big belly laughs are few and far between when one gets old.

Yesterday I spent 5 hours in a pool getting my scuba certification. I spent maybe and hour and 30 minutes under water.

I am much more comfortable with all the equipment and things such as a mask flooding or mouthpiece falling out while underwater.

I am also very sore today and have another 5 hours of pool time ahead of me today.

Just Down the Beach

Just down the beach from Off The Wall is Spratnet Beach Bar also at Cane Bay. Same hills in the background. Cold drinks and good food. I drank a delicious Bushwhacker there last winter after driving to the tidal pools. The drive actually took us up high in those hills over 600 feet on the GPS.

Release the Kraken

My new saying whenever I can get away with it is in my best Liam Neeson accent I’ll say, “Release the Kraken.” This works well when I let the dogs out in the morning. I always get a giggle out of Gigi.

The Kraken makes appearances in many movies and is said to be a sea monster. There are many depictions of the Kraken with the latest in the remake of the 1981 movie Clash of The Titans.

Last night Gigi and I woke up around 3 for a brief conversation about the Kraken. We wondered if the Kraken was properly vetted and if so how much the vet bills would be. We wondered if the Kraken had heartworm preventative, immunizations, and was treated for parasites.

I would think one would want their Kraken to be in top shape whenever it was to be released.

Mental Vacation

13 days till I am there. This is Off The Wall at Cane Bay. Best damn pizza. I love the colors on the tables.

Planning The Fall

The NFL released our schedule yesterday and ours couldn’t be any drabber. The schedule is straight missionary style with all games starting at 1 PM. Nothing fancy here just get it over with is what the NFL is telling us. They don’t expect much from us with only one prime time game on the NFL network. We’ll show ‘em.

I got my fancy tailgate table last Saturday. It fits on the 2 inch receiver hitch and unfolds to two smaller tables that align to the right and left of the truck tailgate. This table along with my sub woofer will be a nice addition to the festivities this year.

Who needs 4 PM and prime time games anyway.

I’ve been studying my diver stuff so much I swear I’m getting the bends. It is a lot of crap to read for someone who swore off book learning as soon as I got my college degree.

Stuff in My Life

Friday didn't turn out at all how I had planned. I woke up with an old man creek in my neck so severe that I had to call off golf.

I called my massage therapist and she managed to work me in. My muscles were so knotted up that it almost made me sick to have them worked out.

I'm blaming it on IRS day and the office audit last week.

My pal and business partner came back last night from 10 days in St John. He checked his laptop instead of carrying it on board and had it stolen somewhere between St Thomas and Charlotte. Fortunately he doesn't keep anything of value on his PC except maybe some old porn cookies.

Today he went out and bought a new iPad to replace his PC.

I remember 18 years ago when he bought his first PC. It ran on Windows 3.0 and had a 40 MB hard drive and 1 MB of memory. The monochrome monitor weighed 50 lbs and it was as slow as steam off a dog turd.

Today he buys something a lot cheaper and thousands of times faster all about the size of a small magazine.

It did make him mad that his age was the next to the last category when he registered it with iTunes.

LB of Flesh Delivered

I dreamed Ludacris and I were tossing a football in a big open yard. Gigi’s mother leaned out of an open screen door and yelled,”Healthy snacks for everyone! They are blue cheese!”

I was embarrassed.

What the hell was that about?

Yesterday I delivered fruit of my labor to the Feds under threat of imprisonment. I had a good year so that made it a good year for the Feds.

Today it is golf Friday. I’m playing at a private club in Monroe, NC, home of the late senator Give ‘em Helms Jessie. Maybe old Jessie Helms played at this course.

Oh yesterday I got my Netflix player disk for the Wii. I ordered up a silly man movie and was entertained by a streaming movie for 90 minutes. All for $8.99 a month.

I didn’t have to move a muscle, go on any car rides, and not even picking up or dropping off envelops at my mailbox. This kind of defeats the purpose of a Wii but it is a nice conversion of a gadget.

Who Knows What I am Trying to Say....

I spent all day yesterday in an audit of my business. I get these once a year and they are stressful. The hard part if the prep…the mounds of documents that in their eyes relieves them of liability should anyone turn a nasty eye toward them. Plus it makes me the scapegoat and I have papers to prove it.

So most of yesterday I stand ready to explain anything the auditor has a question about.

I in turn studied for my diving class coming up in 10 days. I chose to knock out most of the written class time online.

So while I was contemplating underwater emergencies like running out of air at 50 feet I would occasionally be asked a question like, “I see you did 126 signature guarantees last year but you are missing one log entry in the signature guarantee log. Why is that?”

Who the hell knows….then I compose myself and scrape my feet, hat in hand and tell him what he wants to hear and promise I will put in systems for this to never happen again. He discretely hand me a doggie treat and I go bouncing back to my computer to study.

Next weekend I will spend two days in a pool doing my in pool stuff and then in early may I do my open water dives in St Croix and then I will be certified so that I can scrape barnacles off of your boat.

Did you notice I used the word scrape twice today and off and of in the same sentence beside each other? This is getting kinda deep for me so I’ll stop for the day.

I Survived Without It

I am a technology nut. Just today at lunch I was feeling up a new iPad at the Apple store. That is one sweet device. The picture to the left is my blog on an iPad.

With my PC and iPhone I am plugged in to the Internet during most of my waking hours. I follow news, sports, weather, the markets and converse with friends and family via email and Facebook and my blog.

This may sound hectic but I find comfort in this connectivity.

But last Friday I had to surrender my technology to the old and ancient customs of golf. You see all electronic devices including phones and rangefinders and pagers and even cameras are banned from the golf course.

It felt strange at first….like I was holding my breath under water.

Did the miners get out of West Virginia alive? What is the temperature? Damn I can’t use my Masters app for the iPhone. What did the market do today? What…did someone say a plane went down with the president of Poland?

I got up so early and in so late that I didn’t have time to catch up with the world until this morning.

The world kept turning without me. I’ll be damn.

At The End of The Day

I walked and walked every day until my calves burned and kept walking. I could feel my body burning calories and processing water. Damn I have been sitting too much of late.

The Masters was perfection…the weather, the grounds, the staff and even the bathroom. I did a number one day and the stall was cleaner than back home. They had quilted toilet paper…top shelf stuff.

There were to guys in the bathroom directing traffic and announcing open stalls. The toilets flushed automatically. The sinks, soap and towels were all automatic.

I saw a guy taunt Tiger on his set up and two guards snatched him from the crowd. He is gone and privileges revoked for life.

There were tens of thousands of happy people all four days and I was one of them.

I had long chats with a CBS Sports sound man. He had interesting stories to tell. I talked to some officials especially one old fell who had an Appalachian State ball cap on.

I struggled to stay cool in the bright sun. My face and arms and legs are brown and my feet are white. Typical golfers tan.

I sat beside an old fellow that flew in for the day. Going to the Masters was on his bucket list. He had a great time.

Masters badges and the opportunity to go are rare. I hope I can do it again one day.

Almost Live From The Masters

Perfection. The weather, the grounds, the service, the food, the golf. Heaven should be this nice.

I saw a young man cleaning the pollen off of the freshly painted green water fountain. They are into the details.

Free parking. $1.50 sandwiches. $2.50 16 ounce beers. Very cheap by most any standard.

The first two days are just warm up. Saturday and Sunday get serious.

Sport Time

I wonder if Donavan McNabb’s mama will do some new Campbell’s Chunky Soup ads since he is a Redskin and not an Eagle. God I miss NFL football. Patience, less than 4 months grasshopper.

Wreggie turns a bit snobby and Wreginald his golfer alter ego will be attending The Masters (heavenly harp music) this year. The Masters is second to none in the sporting world except maybe some screwed up soccer match between Mexico and someone, anyone else.

The grounds are perfect as will the flowers and weather. Even if it rains it is done orderly and by old and ancient rules of gentlemen.

This is when I wish I had knickers and argyle socks.

This time I will take the binoculars. There are some awesome sights to see on the other side of the green. I shall look dashing in my Masters green wind breaker along with my gigantic green and white Masters umbrella. They are calling for an orderly rain on Thursday.

And finally I shall be stripped of all electronic gadgets. Nothing…. No smart phone, dumb phone, camera, no hollow leg of good hooch. Nothing except a pair of binoculars. Dems the rules.

In Vacuum News.....

I would be remiss if I didn’t update my readers on dirt removal in the Wreggie household.

We finally diagnosed the problem with the Roomba and no it wasn’t the fact that my mother in law tried to weigh herself on it. It seems the battery died prematurely and Roomba or Irobot will replace it free.

I miss that thing making daily rounds cleaning up after me. Plus with RV season coming up I need a full time robot cleaning behind the dogs. It is a big help.

We have finally bitten the bullet and purchased a Dyson vacuum. It is a Cadillac pet hair machine. I’ll believe it when I see it. It will have its work cut out for it for sure.

The shop vac is fine…thanks for asking.

Stuff I noticed

Guys in Vegas dressed like they just picked up their clothes off the bedroom floor. Women were dressed to the nines.

My life is nearly complete yet the ability to peel a perfect hard boiled egg the majority of the time eludes me.

It’s not necessary that people postpone happiness. Enjoy life now.

It annoys me that men that work with their hands and body are call working men. Hell I work but I do it with my mind and mouth. I flap my gums for a living.

The past few days I have been working with my hands and body. My hands are swollen and my back aches. I had to take my wedding band off. I can see why working men rarely wear a wedding band.

Spring Progress

Friday I took off for religious reasons and the market was closed so I turned to transitional spring things that must be done now.

With a bath tub full of spring chickens I decided to get on with the outdoor dog kennel chicken coop conversion. Basically I am taking a 10X10X6 chain link dog kennel and putting heavy duty wire mesh on top supported by a steel tube. This should help keep out predators like hawks and owls, foxes and coyotes.

Then, I tightly tarped the kennel/coop for rain and sun protection. Next I built a waterier and feeder using home depot buckets with lids and a round planter holder. 5 gallons of water and feed should keep grown chickens going. Finally I will need to run a tight mess addition around the skirt of this kennel for added protection.

This summer I will build warmer winter roosting facilities adjacent to the open kennel.

Instead of my usual flowers around the deck I decided on herbs instead. I planted mint for mojitos, rosemary, onion chives, and lavender. This stuff smells so good. I’ll toss in a few flowers for color.

The first alfresco event will be Easter dinner where I will prepare grilled lamb.

By sundown I was tired and sweaty and decided to sit up at the barn in the quiet and enjoy a few adult beverages. It was interesting to watch the border collies work as the horses came up for the night.

Life is good.

US Airways

I am a regular US Airways flyer for two reasons. Charlotte is a US Airways hub so the majority of direct flights to most anywhere are on US Air. Plus, I collect miles from US Air and apply them the only direct flight to St Croix every winter.

The planes are sparse, no power jacks, no movies/screens, an antiquated radio of sorts on an ancient double jack system. Basically you need to bring a book or iPod to be entertained.

One must pay for food and they always run out before they get to your seat. Bring your own food and your own bottle of water.

I have found the flight attendants are getting grouchier. We know the crew on the St Croix run and they treat us rudely. Kind of hurt my feelings last time because I thought we were family.

But alas I thought this was the general state of the airline industry. And after all it is transportation at 550 MPH and 39,000 feet.

I had the chance to fly on Continental last week and I was in for a shock. It was a brand new and unblemished 737. The seats were comfortable. I got a free breakfast…everyone got one. They had live Direct TV at each seat for $6! That included pay-per-view movies that cost me $4.99 on my Direct TV.

The crew was nice and professional. They stayed up and walked the isles for 5 hours making sure everyone was comfortable and well hydrated. They walked around with trays of water and orange juice.

This flight was a joy and I paid $156 to fly from Vegas to NJ and on the Charlotte. The Charlotte leg was equally nice.

Shame on you US Airways. I know better now.

One For The Ages

Okay so we went from cold snow, warm spring days, to 87 degrees yesterday in about 3 weeks.

Oh Wreg was a bit rusty on the golf course but I managed a few mighty shots and some decent recoveries. But it came down to one mighty whiff on my number 10 tee shot that caused some pain.

You see a tiny golf ball does offer some resistance when struck properly. It is the natural course of things. But when one misses the ball entirely, ones body compensates by augering into the ground in a mass of twisted back muscles and embarrassment.

Winter for me is like a long space journey. Even though I hit the gym regularly the old body has a lot of recovery to do from 6 months of relative inactivity.

But I managed a great time. I love warm weather.

Chicks after One Week

coffee and bananas

I just discovered this morning that my wife has a secrete stash of Edison light bulbs and plans to use them in defiance of federal law. There are piles of 40s, 60s, 75s, 100s and 3 ways all ready to use and throw off the light man was intended to have.

I’d guess we need a footlocker full in addition to take us to our dirt nap.

When I was younger I used to worry about getting enough coffee and bananas. I reasoned that because they were such an exotic items that any interruption in transportation would interrupt my coffee and bananas.

Looks like I’ll have plenty of both for the foreseeable future.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Girl Scout cookies and light bulbs would be threatened. The girl scout cookies suck now.