I am a life long Christian. I have always believed in God, right from the time I was just a young kid wearing my itchy wool pants to church every Sunday at a wealthy church on Long Island's Gold Coast. We didn't have money, but I loved being in that beautiful church, sitting next to my dad and surrounded by fur coats and the smell of wool and moth balls.
Much later I got a clear handle on my own faith and accepted the Lord into my life, but I know I had the mark of the cross right from the start And He has NEVER let me down. My prayers are always answered, maybe not exactly the way I ask them, but answered just the same. My faith has added much peace and meaning to my life. This is important in today's world, where steadfast faith in God is more and more viewed as a fool's errand by a "me" centered society.
There is a movie out there called "The Rookie". It was made in 2002 and stars Dennis Quaid. It's a true story about a high school baseball coach who discovers that it is never too late for your dreams to come true. It's a very entertaining film and worth seeing or seeing over if you already have.
There is a special scene in this movie that always makes me weep. Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) finally realizes his dream and gets to pitch in the major league with the Tampa Bay Rays. As he walks into the stadium to pitch for the first time, people in the stands cheer wildly for him and all of his friends and family are there. At this point I always lose it, as it strikes me that this is exactly what happens when we enter heaven. The people there will be cheering wildly and lovingly for each of us as we enter those pearly gates!
There is a song by Josh Garrells called "Farther Along". In it he says:
“We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes”
Jesus is our rope. Joanna and I embraced the Lord years agowhen we were called to serve Him. We have spent our lives living up to that calling, and we have learned to rely on Him. In turn, He has blessed our lives together to no end. Amen!
The next time "The Rookie" comes on TV, look for that scene at the stadium and think of me!
The weather has been quite nasty around here for the past 2 days. Very chilly and a ton of rain. So today we headed over to the movie theater to see "A Star is Born" starring Lady GaGa and Bradley Cooper. We arrived early and got the seats we wanted. Good thing because many people had the same plan for a cloudy chilly Florida day. Soon the theatre was quite full, with the exception that the first 15 rows were empty. People don't want to get too close to the screen. The lights went down and the movie started. Ten minutes later a couple walks in. They are late. OK, I've been there. They manage to find 2 empty seats in the middle of the theater. Now everyone has to stand in the row while they squeeze in to their special spot. What about the 15 open rows? Maybe I am wrong, but I would never do what they did. And that is today's topic: I would never do that! Now let me preface this by saying that I am no better or more perfect than anyone else. I've done plenty of dumb stuff in my time. But I like to think that I have enough character so that certain things I just wouldn't do. We arrived back in Ft. Myers from Stuart and had a temporary spot the first day. Yesterday we were supposed to move to site #4, our permanent site. I was all ready to go by 8:30 am. With heavy rain forecast, we wanted to get moved before the downpour. But no, we could not make the move because somebody parked a car in our site and left it there. I guess it was convenient for them. I would never park my car in an empty campsite, especially when there is an open space in front of my own site!!!! After all, somebody might be pulling in at any time!! We had to wait over an hour for them to return from whatever they were doing and move it. I would never park in a handicapped parking spot if I was in a hurry. My favorite handicapped story is told by a family member. She was on her lunch break and zipped over to the mall to pick up something. She arrived just in time to see her boss slide his car into a handicapped slot, get out, and limp into the store. Of course, he doesn't have a limp in real life! Just about every day on the highway, we see people do crazy things like weaving in and out of traffic or zipping across 3 lanes to make a turn. I especially love the motorcycle riders with flip flops and no helmet. But hey, I will admit to not always wearing my bike helmet, especially on sunny days when I need a big floppy hat to protect my pinky skin. There are times when I have gone through the express checkout line at the grocery store with more than ten items. I am not immune from bending the rules at times when it is convenient for me. But I like to think that I don't go to extremes! And speaking of extremes. There is also the other extreme: Caspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character created by H. T. Webster for his cartoon series "The Timid Soul". Webster described Caspar Milquetoast as "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick".
Here is Caspar's Christmas card:
But the one below is my all time favorite Caspar cartoon:
There is a happy medium here somewhere! Finally, what about the movie? Well, as usual, useless profanity ruined it. What is it about Hollywood and the "F" word? And the language usage model they are for our young people? I enjoyed the first hour of the film. I liked Cooper and GaGa, especially their duet of "Shallow".. But in the end, the story disappoints and drags on way too long. Joanna did not care for the film at all. OK, over to you. If you can think of stuff people do that you would never do, let me know at Bucko27@earthlink.net
Headed to the local RV show today. We spent the morning/afternoon and had a great time checking out coaches and campers from 20k to 700K. Some amazing stuff! Pretty good crowd and a number of coaches already sold at the show. The economy is clearly doing very well as evidenced by the quantity of units on display and the large crowds in attendance.
We are very satisfied with our 2005 Fleetwood, but it was fun to inspect the latest stuff. I can't imagine trying to negotiate the highway in one of the monster 40+ footers we checked out today. We have a 32 footer now and that is challenging enough to handle. If anything we would downsize.
I took lots of pictures!!
Check out this monster!
Helllllooooooooo!!!!!!!!
I focused my fight eyes on the large coaches, but there were campers of all sizes at the show. They've got something for everyone! From tiny tow behind your car to giants larger than a Greyhound bus! It is an industry clearly thriving at present.
Well to do Americans (and Canadians) are spending big bucks for luxurious homes on wheels with hefty carbon footprints. But some are just massive in size! Coaches clearly out of hand and hard to justify in my mind. After all, who needs 3 tv's and two full bathrooms on a 44 foot coach? That is just excessive! 'Merica, gotta love it!
Sitting in our bus watching the Syracuse game when suddenly I hear hooting outside. Is it two old people courting? I am hoping it is two great horned owls calling to each other as I slide into my slippers and grab my special flashlight. As much as I love SU and hoop, I head out for a gander. They are hooting back and forth and I follow the sounds over a few sites. I am closing in when two cars pull in to the park. Suddenly, people are talking, doors are slamming, and a big dog is barking. One lady calls out loudly, "Have you got something?"
Well, that was the end of that! Total silence from the treetops thanks to Mrs. Loud! So, back inside to watch the game, which by the way the Cuse won against Miami. They went to 5-1 in the ACC, tied with the big boys for first place! Watch out Duke and NC!
Later I hear the owls talking again. Well, what the heck! Back outside for a 2nd try. This time there is nobody around and I can focus my beam on the hoots unfettered by humans. After a few minutes, bingo! I have the male in my sites. He is sitting at the top of a tall pine tree. I can hear the female not far away, but can't find her as she is hidden in the branches. I know pretty much that I have spotted the male as they are smaller than the females. The female is huge! Not to say this male isn't good sized. He is! What a treat!!! Owls are so cool!
So here is what I am going to do. The next time I get a spotlight on one, I am going to try to video it for you. This may or may not work but it is worth a try. This new flashlight is so powerful, I think it will work!!! Until then, here are some fight eyes of what we are seeking:
They eat just about any small animals, including cats (Ouch!) and skunks, and chipmunks. Chipmunks are a big nuisance at my house. I plan to lure in a nesting pair of owls this coming year. Oh yeah baby!
How about this for boat watch! It's hard for me to have any sympathy for a guy with a boat like this. He probably will write a big check for whatever it needs!!
Today we are going to turn the spotlight on to Scamper!
Scamper is our 14 year old torty cat that we have had to endure all these years. She basically just lives with us. We feed her, provide her with care and a home. In return for that, we get...nothing!! Not a hug, not a sit in your lap and purr, we can't pet her, we can't even pick her up. A cat with no redeeming qualities. She even tried to kill me once as I ended up in the hospital with a serious case of cat scratch fever after she bit me. And she has bitten me many times! So why do we keep her? Beats me!
Believe me we have entertained thoughts of getting rid of her. But after all these years, she is still with us. There is really only one time when we relate to each other. That is when I am eating. Then she will bump my legs and rub up against me in the hope of my sharing a tender morsel with her. I threaten her with going without but in the end I always cave and share. She likes meat, of course, and also likes eggs. But basically anything I am eating she wants to sample.
Here is a shot of her helping me to eat breffis. A tender moment, right? Sorry but that is as close as we get. She snatches and is gone.
Now leave me alone she says!
Scamper is a great traveler though and has gone over 10,000 miles with us! What stories she could tell if she could talk.
So, does anybody out there want a cat? Let me know!
We have another cat on board named Teddy. I will feature him in another episode.
We had a delightful time today with Nancy and Charlie Hinman. We went to lunch at Berry Fresh here in Stuart.
Hey...what happened to Charlie??? Oh well! I can tell you Charlie had the cheese stuffed pancakes and I had the Monte Cristo sandwich. Boy was it good!!
After stuffing ourselves we headed over to Sandsprit Park at the entrance to Manatee Pocket on the ICW. Here we found a colony of wild parrots and some wonderful scenery on a very breezy day.
And here is Charlie!
I got a few bird photos:
Here is some info on these creatures:
"The Monk Parakeet, also known as the Quaker Parrot, is colorful, sociable, and highly intelligent, which makes it a popular part of the pet trade. And that is how it came to Florida.
"Florida's Invaders" is a diary series exploring the non-native plants and animals of the Sunshine State.
Monk Parakeets in St Petersburg FL
The Monk Parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, is one of the smaller members of the parrot family. Standing about a foot tall, these parrots are a bright electric green with splashes of yellow and blue, and greyish on the chest. They look very similar to the introduced Nanday Parakeet, but lack that bird's distinctive black head. In the wild, they are found in dry areas in Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentina. The birds form gregarious flocks that live in large communal nests. Unlike most parrots, which eat mostly seeds, the Monks also eat large amounts of fruit and berries, as well as insects. As the pampas grassland areas in South America were planted with fruit orchards by humans, the birds found perfect habitat and moved in, becoming a serious agricultural pest. In some areas up to 40% of a fruit orchard's yield may be lost to the marauding parrots.
In the 1960s, the Monk Parakeet became enormously popular in the exotic bird trade, prized for its small size, its intelligence, and its skill in learning to talk. By 1968 some 16,000 birds were being taken from the wild and imported to the US each year. By the time the trade in wild birds was restricted, some 65,000 Monk Parakeets had been brought in.
Inevitably, there were escapes; the birds found North America's suburban parks, golf courses, and lawns to their liking, and it wasn't long before feral colonies became established, even in cold northern cities like New York and Chicago (in their native South America they often live in the Andes foothills, and are thus adapted to tolerate colder temperatures than most parrots can stand). In the American south, the Monks are able to make a living from fruit trees and shrubs; in the north, they depend on human birdfeeders to get through the winter.
The USFWS made a brief attempt to eradicate the non-natives and was temporarily successful in removing colonies in California, but it soon became apparent that the effort was futile. Within a few years, Monk Parakeet colonies could be found in New York, Connecticut, Illinois, California, Texas, Louisiana, Oregon, New Jersey, and Alabama. The first nesting colonies were seen in Florida in 1969. Today, there are established populations in over 50 counties, including Tampa, St Petersburg, Jacksonville, Bradenton, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, and Boca Raton. Flocks of the bright green birds can often be seen flying overhead or covering lawns looking for seeds and bugs. The parrots keep in contact with each other through constant screeches and squawks, and flocks can usually be heard from quite a distance away. A number of individuals serve as sentinels, watching out for hawks or other dangers.
So far, the Monk Parakeet's effect on Florida has been minimal. The feral flocks have preferred to stay in the urban areas and have not moved into the rural agricultural regions, where they have the potential to become a serious economic pest. In the cities they do not appear to be having a negative impact on native birds, instead filling the ecological niche that has been empty since its American relative the Carolina Parakeet became extinct. It is estimated that about 35,000 Monk Parakeets now live in Florida.
The bird does have one habit, however, which has made it a serious annoyance to city governments all over Florida. Unlike most parrot species, which nest individually in tree cavities, Monk Parakeets make huge communal nests, woven from twigs and grass stems, which can contain hundreds of birds. These resemble a large section of thatched roof, sometimes ten feet across, and can weigh several hundred pounds. The small number of entrances (usually at the bottom) prevents snakes and other predators from entering, while the thick insulation provides warmth in the winter, and contains a honeycomb of interior chambers for egg-laying. In the wild, these nests are constructed in tall trees, but in the city, the Monk's favorite spots are urban utility poles.
A small Monk Parakeet nest on a city water tower
"Electricity" and "dry twigs" don't go together very well, and it is not unusual for the nests to catch fire, roasting all the birds, destroying the electric lines, and cutting off power to the neighborhood. And during Florida's frequent rainstorms, wet twigs can also short-circuit the power lines, with the same result. And so Florida's electric companies have declared war on the Monk Parakeet. Every so often, the power company will come by and knock down the entire nest. The now-homeless birds will in turn quickly rebuild it. It then becomes a contest of will and endurance, and since the city is prevented from killing the parrots by the potential public outcry from bird-lovers everywhere, the Monks always win. And for many people, the birds, though non-native, are a welcome addition, adding some color and sound to their city life."
This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member.
We had a great afternoon with some people we really like. Thank you Nancy and Charlie! Life is good!
It rained hard last night and although it is sunny out, it is chilly and windy. With temps headed for the forties tonight, this has been a good day to hunker down inside the bus. I know, this is nothing compared to weather on the home front.
Did some reading and finally finished my latest Wilbur Smith book, Blue Horizon. A great read!
Wilbur Smith is perhaps the finest adventure writer of all time. His books are spellbinding and are written in an accurate historical context. The best part is that he has written dozens of them. If you like historical fiction, then get on board with this guy. You won't be sorry!
Boat watch on a quiet day:
I found an old post that I want to share which shows us locking through the lock here back in 2013 on our 38 ft. sailboat, Cross Roads.
Read and enjoy this post from yesteryear, February of 2013.
Here's a picture of us arriving at Indiantown Marina today. I guess you could say we look a little disheveled.
We made it safely under the Palm City Bridge this morning but scraped the antenna on the under side s we went through. I did some hard swallowing. Then we managed four more "short" bridges (55 feet) and the St. Lucie Lock which lifted us 13 feet. All in all a good day for us and now we are safely tucked into the marina here at Indiantown with a nasty cold front moving in. You folks up north will be pleased to hear there are freeze warnings posted for tomorrow night!!!
We are feeling a little worn out right now from battling the waterway and plan to stay a while at Indiantown. Here are today's pictures: The first shows a bridge gauge indicating we can make it. My boat needs 54.6 feet of clearance. It's close!
Here is a shot on the Okeechobee.
Coming in to St. Lucie Lock
We are still at bottom of lock in this one:
At the top...13 ft. later
Joanna wanted me to add the fact that we saw our first two gators today. The first of many! Finally, here is a shot of us pulling into the marina.
Notice Joanna in the back of the boat checking her internet signal on the laptop!
Footnote: As it turned out back in 2013, that was as far as our cruise would go. I was very ill with a viral infection of my heart and we had to abandon our trip across the Okeechobee. I did eventually recover and we sailed home to North Carolina the following year.
Two of my fishing pals braved 11 degree weather today to fish for steelhead trout on the Salmon River in Pulaski. They came from out of town even though the weather prediction was for a terrible storm. I am very proud of Mike and Phil for being dedicated fishing role models for the rest of us! And their travails were rewarded as this picture proves:
This is a shot of Phil stepping to the plate in the ninth inning and making it happen! Well done laddies!!
In the meantime, the not so tough guy, me, is sitting here in a pair of shorts on a hot sunny day in Florida. My heart is with the lads, but my head says this ain't so bad either!
