I'm Always Mentally on Vacation

Wood Fired Pizza! Almost

This is what I got today. It was easy to put together and no tools required. It looks sturdy and well thought out.

The accessories are top quality, a nice stone, peel, and cooking or serving pan.

Okay I went cheap cause I wanted to get my first one off. Dough mix, jar sauce, cheap wine, but I promise to never go cheap again.

Then the bottom fell out and I was punished by the Pizza gods for buying Betty Crocker Dough and Canned Sauce.

Maybe another day.

© 2011 wReggie’s I’m Always Mentally on Vacation. These Terms and Conditions of Use apply to you when you view, access or otherwise use the blog located at www.wreggie.com (the “blog”). Terms and Conditions can be found at http://reghunnicutt.com/terms.html.

Plan B

Yes, I have a plan "B".

Only weighs 1 pound with tooth brush and paste … I now have my overnight lodging whether caught in an airport, The Shack, on some beach in the Caribbean or just a snooze in the yard. It is being stowed under the back seat of my truck for emergencies. Add a blanket and tarp and you have high class homelessness.

Weekend

I am really getting stoked about this coming weekend.

As you know Gigi’s spine surgery was postponed and now is scheduled for the 25 of July. This is the surgery that will rebuild her spine.

We decided to take a quick road trip to the NC coast. We are headed to Wrightsville Beach, NC.

Our plan is to arrive Friday and stay at a local Mom and Pop Hotel at the Marina. They allow dogs so we are taking the two oldest.

Nearby are three restaurants/bars within walking distance that get decent reviews for local food.

Just beyond is the boat I will be catching Saturday morning for an all day off shore dive to Ed’s Lobster Wreck (Porta Allegra on Map).

The dive site is 50 miles off shore in 120 feet of water. It is said to be loaded with life that includes spiny lobster and lion fish. I’ll be going after both.

The challenges are many. The boat ride alone will be 5 hours at best. I don’t know these people like I do in St Croix although Aquatic Safaris has a good reputation for safety. I don’t know the crew or the other divers I will encounter but can assume a decent level of experience since we are diving depth.

I will be taking my 30 CF pony bottle out for the first time. This is a complete redundant system in case my primary system fails or in case I go into decompression mode from the deep water and need to spend 15 minutes just breathing air to equalize the gasses to a safe level in my body.

An unexpected decompression stop occurred to two divers I was with in St Croix and enough air became an issue. I personally try to be more careful but one never knows.

Oh and for fun I am dragging along the Jeep so Gigi can have the truck and I’ll have a vehicle.

Old Family Photos Just Found

My Family circa WWII

My father (middle) and his parents. I never knew my grands parents. Think cigarettes might have caused that?

My mother and still quite alive and well. Look at the details of this beautiful dress and shoes.

My fathers brother....I knew as Uncle Fab. Strange guy and a mans man. Big adventurer in his youth.

My fathers sister and my aunt Martha. A wonderful woman with many problems. She loved to laugh and enjoyed a good cry.

For Mic

An NC Dive

I am going here next Saturday weather permitting.

The site is 46 miles off shore of North Carolina and is an old dredge that was headed to help dig the Panama Canal but sank on the way down from Maryland.

It is loaded with lobsters and Lion Fish. I am taking a snare and gun.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

The smoked pork was so good last night that it made grown men weep. It had a distinct infusion of hickory flavor and a real smoke ring to boot. It was moist and oh so tender.

The Duke Hunnicutt Poultry Institute (TDHPI) has been rather quiet concerning its new class of 2011. I can tell you that all 16 hens are about adult size now and are filling out. They should be producing eggs in about 6 weeks.

In addition TDHPI is pleased to announce the addition of a new observatory adjacent to the main facility. This area will be open roofed yet secured with protective wire. It is now known as The Yard. It has state of the art roosts and feeders and will soon attach directly to the main facility via a portico.

BBQ Is On!

I woke up naturally at 4 AM and decided now was as good of time as any to try out the new smoker attachment on my new Weber.

So Haley and I headed into the damp darkness and filled the cooker with 48 briquettes, and I lighted 12 briquettes separately to get the fire started. I then added the hot briquettes to the pile along with some hickory wood and water.

Then the Boston Butt went on.

The temperature is holding steady at 240ish which is a tad hot so I cut back on some air supply.

I check it every hour and add some water and knock off the white ashes to keep the fire going.

It is 7 AM now and this thing looks so good.

I’ll leave it on another three or four hours.

On a positive “Made in USA” note my other grill after 8 years began to weaken at a spot weld. I called Weber last night and they are going to replace the entire cooking dome free.

A Mic Update.......

Just Like wReggie to Do This

I welcome my 4^th Weber grill to the family. It is a 22.5 Kettle Charcoal Grill that will accept all the new accessories I have bought….rotisserie, slow cooker and soon to have pizza oven.

This time I decided to adopt a rescue Weber from Craig’s List. Here is what I got if I bought new:

Weber 22.5 inch kettle grill $80

Weber Charcoal Chimney $15

Weber Kettle Cover $18

Weber Charcoal Briquette Holder $16

Weber tool Holder $ 4

Total with Tax $143.64

I paid $40 for it all and he threw in a bag of charcoal.

New Items

This Pizza Oven add on get to 700 degrees and works with my Weber. It is on order.

This Smokenator 1000 came in yesterday. It cooks steady at 230 degrees and uses moisture.

NEWS UPDATE

Gigi’s surgery has been postponed because of an infection.

Great news is I bought this!

I Was a Pirate for a Night

Back in September 2009 my pal Ty and I sneaked away to St Croix for a week of snorkeling (pre-dive wReggie), hiking, swimming and general rest and relaxation.

Officially I was there to donate and help install hardware for a web cam at the Pickled Greek, which I must say is running to this very day. I used an old outdated office computer and a new web cam along with some free software. Michael synched up the software to the server and the rest is history.

Lastly I was also there to install a vent in the kitchen to help alleviate some of the intense heat.

Being the peak of hurricane season the weather was iffy most of the week with tropical depressions, squalls and heavy thunderstorms.

The weather forced us inside on occasion and what better place than one of the many island bars.

One night we ducked into Angry Nate’s on the Boardwalk for a nightcap and sat at the bar that was shaped like a giant U.

We had our drinks and were talking when we both became annoyed at the increasingly loudness of our fellow drinkers at the bar. Suddenly a big dark haired fellow burst out on a long, funny, vile Pirate limerick that ended with a loud Arrrrrr and cups being pounded on the bar.

It was like I was in a Disney movie.

Pirate Mike as he introduced himself claimed he was writing a book of Pirate limericks and went on into the evening with one after another never repeating himself.

At the end of every limerick we would all be a Pirate and pound the bar and scream arrrrrh!

We finally called it a night late after being thoroughly entertained.

On subsequent trips I would run into Mike sober and he was mild mannered and no fun, or he was so drunk his breath smelled like vomit.

Little did I know that for once that dark stormy September night I caught Mike with the perfect storm of buzzes to produce a night of Piracy.

I caught up with Mike’s whereabouts back in June while visiting the island. It seems Mike had sold his sailboat and moved to Florida and basically given up the Pirate life.

What a night that was and the memory lives on.

Epic Cheeseburger

Gourmet burgers are all the rage. I ate this one last month in St Croix.

Yesterday I indulged in some summer eatery second to none. I fired up the gas grill to high heat and made some hamburger patties from ground chuck.

Fresh home grown tomatoes sliced, Colby jack cheese, lettuce, sliced onions and by golly a perfectly cooked cheeseburger thick and moist. I was tempted to add a fried egg on top but didn’t.

I used a press so the burgers were uniform in size and fit the standard bun perfectly.

So good it was that I ate two. I never do that so maybe that’s why I did it.

At the grocery store there was ground pork next to the ground chuck. Would this have been better? Maybe…..I’ll have to try.

Perhaps a thin smear of Miss Anna’s New West Indies sauce to spice it up….next time.

Or any number of added veggies or mushrooms and or a fried organic egg.

This burger was epic in flavor and simplicity yet lent itself to countless options and add-ons.

My Soapbox on Money

I know more than a few folks with money and more than a few folks without money who are obsessed by money. Both seem equally miserable contemplating wealth.

Those that have it, and are obsessed, are afraid they’ll loose it, for what I don’t know. The source of happiness and pleasure is between ones ears….same for those who don’t have money.

Honestly if you put these people in a room you couldn’t identify the wealthy from the non wealthy. But you would notice the same attitude about money.

Those with or without are slaves to money.

I don’t get it.

Friends, relationships, kind works, love and family are wealth. It doesn’t take money to have this and money will not enhance this.

Tee for Four

It is kind of weird. Normally this morning I would be waking up at Jekyll Island, GA in site E6 with all the familiar smells of campfires, bacon and coffee. The dogs would be a bit confused and excited to be back.

But this year we are home awaiting surgery for Gigi with no regrets.

Today I play another round of golf. I swear I may have to give it up because I play so bad and infrequently.

The small group I played with regularly a few years back just quit playing and so did I. It was fun playing with a group that had equal skills and personalities.

We all shot decent scores of 99ish which isn’t bad for a group of hackers. My best games were 89 and 93 a few years back.

Most folks I play with now are strangers and are serious about the game so it not so fun for either of us anymore.

But today I am playing with 3 out of four of the old gang so it should be a lot of fun.

Yesterday....

Yesterday was darn near perfect.

The weather was warm and clear. I was coming off a great nights sleep and felt so rested and renewed.

Recently Gigi has been getting a bit tense/nervous about her surgery on the 6^th, so I have been hanging close to home when I can.

I stayed at home in the morning and relaxed with Gigi. At mid day I had a client meeting over lunch at the club and expected nothing, but it turned out to be a lucrative meeting.

Then I did a great workout in the gym. A nice sweaty run on the treadmill and some weights hit the spot.

Afterwards…what the hell….I got a pedicure and headed home.

The phone rang in my car and my buddy Thomas asked if I wanted to come over and sit in his outdoor man cave and have a few beers. I did and had a few laughs.

Then home to Gigi and a few great glasses of wine and conversation.

So relaxing, yet so productive.

I am a lucky man. Ahhhh.

DMV

I was at the DMV on Monday getting my last divers license before I am a geezer. This one I just got is good for 8 year. 8 + 55= geezer.

I also renewed my conceal carry handgun permit just last week

So now all my documents are in order and I can drive and carry a deadly weapon that you can’t see.

One thing troubled me on both renewals. On both renewals the officer looked me in the eye and told me that if I was a sex offender that I would have to register as such and then asked me if I was a sex offender.

I’ve always tried my best but I’ll have to admit I may have offended my partner a few times in the past.

No she was looking for a convicted pervert.

No, I am not a convicted sex offender but here is the rub.

If I was a convicted murderer and served 25 years I would be free and clear. I would not have to register as a murderer living among free men.

But a sex offender serves his/her term and must register among free men forever that they committed the crime.

Isn’t the murderer as likely to murder again after sentencing as the sex offender? Or is the sex offender is more likely to commit the crime again, why is he out of prison?

Very Important News

This morning I bestowed myself with the highest honor imaginable. I declared my self Ambassador of St Croix.

Three very cool things now fall into place.

My residence while on island will be my Embassy.

You may now refer to me as The Honorable wReggie.

And I get to have little flags on the front fender of my car while on island cause I’m a diplomat.

I will be representing the sovereign blog of wReggie.

Working....

This weekend was a work weekend for me….work at home stuff that is.

I have lots of general yard work and storm clean up along with animal poop to clean.

Notice the spiffy news tires on the trailer. First thing Saturday Tanner bit out both tires while he was herding the yard tractor. The new tires are solid.

Apparently I had violated the chicken security zone and had to be punished.

We finished the weekend with a chicken spinning on the rotisserie and an early bedtime.

Super 8 Movie of the Month

Me flying over San Whan Portah Reeca on the approach to Saint Croix.

"Its' a jungle out there Andy". - Barney Fife

Lessons From a Beach Bar

In St Croix like all islands, fresh water is a scare commodity. Water is collected from rain and stored in giant pools under homes. If it doesn’t rain regularly then you can run out of water.

So I notice clever ways water is used and reused before it is discarded. People frequently use gray water (wash water) again to water plants.

While sitting at a beach bar last week dining on ox tails and potatoes and boiled peanuts I noticed a small pipe leading to a large collection basin. The water was coming from an air conditioner’s condensation and was being collected to water dogs and was sandy feet. It was cold and clear and felt so refreshing.

Today I set up a basin in my yard near the AC discharges pipe for the birds and neighborhood dogs to have a constant source of cold fresh water in the summer.

Why….I think this may be the greatest discovery since grated cold butter.

A Day Off Finally!

Good News …. My injuries are healing (cuts and bruises) from vacation falls on and from boats.

Bad News …. Cisco has stopped making the Flip Video recorder. It makes high definition video and I just bought one in January (cheap) with a $240 (expensive) water proof case to do underwater video.

Good News … I bough another Flip new in the box cheap on eBay as a back up so the case is good for a while.

And now on to my dream last night…..

I dreamt I paid an unannounced visit to The Shack (ala Phrankies house) and was welcomed as a guest.

In the back beyond the fireplace in the big field Phrankie built what I discovered was a practice baseball facility, a track and field training area, all on top of a brand new particle accelerator.

This had to be a billion dollar out lay. It was state of the art.

Learning Friday

You'll thank me for this knowledge.

I Want One of These

Imagine tricking this basic custom model dog cart out with a sound system, generator, flat panel TV, grill, griddle, beer taps and lights with team logo?

Then when I retire at the island I convert it to a beach vending cart for dogs and tacos and beer?

Some Dive Photos

A Johnson Sponge

Paddling out to the wall.

54 Years Ago....

I was celebrating birthday one. Today I am 55.

The Last Day

Last Dives

The last dive day was perhaps my best dives ever. I now have logged 55 dives.
We went out with a group of seasoned divers and a crew that I knew and is always safe.

The first site was called Armageddon. It I'd the ruins of the old pier destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. In about 120 feet lie a pile of the most fantastic rubble covered with coral and lots of life.

I like to start deep and slowly spiral up around the wreck.

The second dive was BK and I took the spear gun on this one because we knew LIon Fish were in the area.

At 60 feet we started seeing Lion Fish and I opened fire killing 5 and missing one.

I glanced down at my air and realized I had breathed a lot in the last few conflicts...so I motioned to the dive master that I needed to surface.

All ended well with me having about 100 PSI. I normally surface with 500.

It Had to Happen

Where to begin......long story short.

Yesterday we took a trip to Buck Island on a friends 44 foot sail boat.

We loaded the boat with scuba tanks, beer, soft drinks and food.

We powered over and circumnavigated the island before anchoring on the west end. Two long dives later we headed back to port under power.

The marina slip was tight and we all had our jobs at docking. I had the job of securing the line on the port side. When my time came to perform I stepped off the boat and missed the dock entirely, landing in the water unharmed.

Later unloading the boat I fell down a few stairs down below and managed to bang myself up pretty good.

This morning I have a sore body, cuts and bruises but fortunately I am okay to have my last two dives.

Lion Hunter

Wednesday I took a PADI Lion Fish Eradication course. It consisted of a pool dive, some class room training, then two open water dives to hunt the fish.

Lion fish are not native to the Atlantic and have no enemies. They are a serious threat to the local fish population and the reefs.

We were instructed the proper protocol of using the spear gun and what to do to the lion fish once speared.

I ended up taking 6 shots and killing 4.

Numbers

Today I announce two major milestones in my life. The first is that this is my 2000th blog post. Thank you to all my readers. I get a great release writing my feelings and opinions here daily (almost daily).

Second, today I will log dive 50, 51, and 52. The last being a night dive under a bright full moon.

St Croix Update

Finally a respectable blog post. If you know me you know I rarely slow down on a vacation.

So far 4 dives with two more scheduled this afternoon off a boat. The second dive was a record for me. I dove to 124 feet. That is just 6 feet short of my recreational limit of 130 feet.

When we got to shore after boat dive 2 and 3 we went to our parking place and discovered every car on the street had been towed. I found a cop and he said that we were warned on the radio that there was an event today and all cars not moved were to be towed.

This was news to me.

We walked about a mile to the police station where we were supposed to get our car. There was a small crowd of people gathered that were equally pissed at the circumstance.

Soon we discovered the car had been towed to the other end of the island. I asked the cop to please call me a cab but was informed that cabs didn't run on Sunday afternoon and I would have to make other arrangements.

Finally two local Crucians gave us a lift to the impoundment area.

When we arrived we saw our car being blocked by a tow truck and one enormous man that could pass for a silverback lowland gorilla. He was huge and had massive hands. He was very black.

He stood there and made polite conversation while I argued with him. All the while we were talking he was husking coconuts with his bare hand and teeth. This requires unbelievable strength. Then once the coconut was husked he cracked open the nut with his bare hands. He dug out the meat and offered me a piece.

By now I had great respect for my new friend and gladly handed over $75 to free up my car.

Here Tis

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

St Croix Day

In my culture St Croix comes two to four times a year. And so yesterday like any St Croix eve I set out my green, yellow, and red stocking in hopes that Rasta Clause would make a visit.

I left out a Johnny cake, glass of dark rum and a fatty for the old man just in case he came by.

Sure enough, this morning I saw a roach in the ashtray, the glass was empty and two bites were out of the Johnny cake.

I opened my stocking and there was smoked herring and rice, goat water and a sticky bud.

These are all good signs.

One Day and Counting

I have an amazingly busy schedule for a Friday and more so considering it is the day before I travel.

Plans are now to hit the deck running at 5AM and head to the airport for a 7AM flight via Atlanta. Then we’ll be in St Croix by 2PM.

The rest of my group arrives at 3PM. Meanwhile I get the rental car and secure cold adult beverages.

Then off to the villa and dinner and dive planning and sunset watching.

Sadly...I cannot locate "yellow boys".

New On This Trip

For the first time ever I am traveling to St Croix without my PC. This portal of choice with all its cords, mouse, cables etc is being replaced by my iPad….one clean little gadget the size of a small clipboard with only a charging cable and ear buds.

My iPhone will be my camera and video recorder. It is my camera of choice now and is always at my side.

I will be able to watch movies on the plane, surf the Internet, write and read blogs and facebook, do work if necessary, sign documents, and generally do what I can do on a PC at 1/3 of the space and with 10 hours of uninterrupted and un-tethered battery life.

I even typed the last blog posting on my iPad in the waiting room of a doctors office. I love the virtual keyboard.

With me I will have all my digital music and pictures and dozens of apps that make it work.

Instructions to the House Sitter (first draft)

Most Important!

Every day everyone needs fresh water. Pour out the old, rinse and add new fresh water to the horse buckets inside and out; the dog bowls inside and out (blue bowl at barn and red bucket on deck) and do the same to the red buckets in the kitchen and the pan in our bedroom. Also check Pickens in the guest house.

Check the chicken waterers and add water as needed but rinse out the tray at the bottom by turning the container over and rinsing with the hose. Make sure you set the chicken water on level ground or it will seep out.

Second Most Important!

Be nice and kind to our animals. Two are old and screw up. Be attentive to them please. Abby has to pee and crap first thing. Make sure you let her out when her feet hit the floor. The dogs are our kids so watch over them carefully please that they don’t get over heated or wonder off. Make sure they go out enough but do not let Abby stay outside in the 90’s hour on end or she will over heat.

Yes she Abby is stinky and overweight but we love her and expect her to be treated kindly.

The Chickens

Make sure their water is clean. Usually I fill up the container every few days and tilt the tray at the bottom until the crap is rinsed out.

Little chickens get a red container of starter feed in the morning and one at night. The starter feed is the one that is on the right with the top on the top pointing up.

They don't need much else.

The big chickens get a large red container of layer feed twice a day with a small handful of crushed oyster shells on top. The layer feed is on the left in the container with the angle top.

Then take out their eggs and take them to the guest house and wash them off and store them in the refrigerator.

This is a good time to feed Pickens some dry food anew one can of soft food. Make sure he has water. Clean his box upstairs every other day please. Plastic grocery bags are available at the kitchen sink for this.

The Horses

You know the drill here. I feed the 1/2 red bucket in the morning and about 1/2 bale of hay. In the summer I fill both big red buckets with fresh water.

At night they get a bucket of feed...Sassy a little less and a few flakes of hay.

Millie

Clean her box every other day and feed her daily. She has been sleeping outside at night.

Dogs

Feed them once a day in the evening and let them out for a last potty.

Behavior

If any dog acts unusually friendly and bothersome that means they have to shit. Let them out.

If any dog is suspected of having the shits should be given Pepto-Bismol. If you can figure out who then give them all Pepto-Bismol.

Make sure they all go out and pee first thing in the morning and several times during the day...especially Abby. If Abby is on her feet she needs to shit or eat. Usually they all go to bed after supper.

Meds

Cedie needs to be pilled morning and night. Abby gets pain Meds in the morning.

Mistakes

If a dog shits or pees please clean it up. Guilt them into a confession but don’t hit them.

We have plenty of paper towels and cleaners. Please give it your best effort. BE NICE TO OUR DOGS.

If you need and more feed or supplies the just get them at McCoy's. Take anybody that is sick to Greenock Vet on Flowe Store Road.

Other Stuff

Please pick up the mail daily. Also the garbage is picked up very early Monday Morning so roll it out Sunday night.

Our phone service is spotty so leave a message if you need to, but often a text will get through when a call doesn't.

I'll Share a Short Cut

Now optimized for mobile devices!

Just call me wFerdinand Magellan. You’ll note please the map of the east end of St Croix. It is narrow with a high ridge running down the spine. The island here is about ½ mile wide.

Highway 82 is the road that takes you from the north shore to the south shore and covers an additional 4 miles. This is precious time when on is trying to maximize a vacation.

Several years ago I discovered an unpaved short cut (in red) that is well maintained and the views are spectacular. Last trip there in February I started using this short cut on a regular basis.

There are two other north south short cuts on the island, one mid island and the other just before the mountainous area on the west end.

They make for nice detours if you are trying to avoid traffic and don’t mind getting off the beaten trail.

Next Week

Next week....ahhhhhh. I telling you....you have to come here some time.

My Bride

I have not been able to switch to mental vacation so far as I have been doing a lot of adult stuff…..paying taxes, conference calls, paper work, client meetings etc.

The Hottie on the right about 1 year before I married her.

I guess you would call it work.

All of this is in preparation for what turns out to be very likely my last vacation in a while to come.

For 20 years my bride’s health has declined until now she is so strapped in pain that it is difficult for her to do what we all take for granted. She rarely travels with me and often can’t do normal tasks around the house.

Since 2003 the condition has gotten much worse.

So we have been on a quest to see if someone can fix her since treating the problems symptoms have only allowed her condition to become worse.

Untreated Gigi will be confined to a wheel chair or so slumped over that she would have to look up like her grandmother to see where she is going.

We found such a doctor few weeks back and on July 6 Gigi will have one long or two shorter surgeries to rebuild her lower spine and straighten and reinforce her spine. The doctor said she will be taller by up to 2 inches.

The recovery is long and the risks are real. The reward however is worth chancing since she could join the rest of us that are not racked with pain.

I’ll keep you all posted.

Nasty Air

I spent the weekend packing and servicing scuba equipment, cleaning chicken coops, and generally resting in between.

We have had frequent “code orange” ozone days. I used to scoff at those affected but now at the ripe old age of soon to be 55 I can feel the difference.

The air is thick and nasty. It covers a large part of the metropolitan area so there is no escape. It makes me a bit wheezy and not conducive to deep breathing. I need clean air so I sit inside during the worst part of the day to avoid exposure.

It will be like this on again and off again thru August or any time a big high pressure is set up off the coast and temperature soar stagnantly into the mid 90’s.

Officially five days until St Croix.

Balls of The Gipper

When it comes to domestic economic policy President Obama tops my list of worst Presidents. He doesn’t possess the fundamentals of a college Econ 101 text book, much less does he possess the ability to stimulate the world’s number one economy…..soon to be the worlds number two economy. China is slated to move past us in a few years.

Other Presidents who get an honorable mention are Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt.

But my hat is off on President Obama for his tactical military achievements of the past few months with his “screw the congress and the constitution” approach to military strikes.

I can’t quite grasp why we are spending millions in Libya but who can argue the beauty of cruise missiles rising from a submarine or destroyer headed to force our might on some unsuspecting bad guy?

Bin Ladin…POW! POW! SPLASH!

Yesterday in Pakistan a missile took out number two terrorist leader Ilyas Kashmiri. KABOOM!

A few weeks ago a missile just missed its target of American born terrorist leader Anwar Al-Awlaki in Yeman. A few more yards accurate and he would be buzzard fodder. Now he has ringing ears and a new respect for security.

President Obama has shown all this guts and glory with out congress, the constitution, allies, and tens of thousand of troops.

Marshall Dillon is alive and kicking. Ronald Reagan would be proud for the balls he has shown

Tricking out My Stuff

This weekend I am working on my dive gear, silicone gaskets, washing goggles and gear and just generally checking out my scuba equipment.

I especially like this little dive knife I found so I attached it to my BC (vest). It has a bottle opener too.

Wow! I thought this was true!

From this blog....

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Cool Beans Again

I’ve been busy as a cat covering crap on a tin roof.

First let me show you a couple a gadgets I have that are cooler than grated butter.

This slender little thing about the size of two candy bars is my scanner/copier. It scans and picture or document and gives you the option of printing or saving or emailing or sending documents to “The Cloud” via google docs and many more options.

I carry it with me everywhere and scan documents at client’s homes. I can the email them to the office or whatever. I love this thing. The brand is Scan Snap.

This other contraption is a wireless printer that also will act as a scan and copier and sits on my credenza. It will allow remote printing too.

So if I was to give Phfrankie the high sign he could print on my desktop from The Delta.

Cool beans huh?

I have booked my first 5 dives and two of them will allow me to be a Certified Lion Fish Eradication person. I dare say I will be the first in NC with such distinguished honors.

Only 10 Days

Been there…done this…wanna do it again. I love this island, the music, the attitude and the people. Damn good food and diving too.

This is my happy drinky place on The Boardwalk. I catch boats here, watch boats, eat good food and shop in town.

About Me

Archive

The man...wReggie