Adventures in the Dream

Hudson, FL - Tampa Bay area - Best for Me

2012-12-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

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After almost two years of house sitting all across the USA, Florida's fantastic weather, beautiful beaches, fishing opportunities and laid back life style for retirees have won out over all other places. I remember reading somewhere years ago that everyone who decides to move to Florida asks the Governor to "please close the state to any more people." I understand why.

Although Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and so many other areas are plagued with traffic; even though if you go to www.crimereports.com and find tons of crime in almost every part of each major metro in Florida (and every other state, for that matter); even though you can't speak English in some parts of the state and expect to be understood...none of this matters to me.

I'm slowly disconnecting from what Gary Renard calls our "psycho planet" as best I can. For example, although I still listen to Rush and Fox News on occasion, I am disconnecting from politics. The re-election of Obama and the already-forecast Hilary ticket in 2016 are helping me decide that no matter what happens, it doesn't affect my place here in this world of form. Part of me is sad to see the noble USA falling from excellence to a much smaller, lower place driven by people whose world view I just cannot understand. But another part of me knows that this is all illusory and not real in the sense of ACIM. So...this retirement in Florida beckons me to enjoy the years I have ahead, to meet and make new friends, to dance like no one is watching, as they say, and to get more and more into my "right mind."

So...for the last month I've been house sitting in Hudson, FL. Here are some pics that illustrate some of the scenery and the very sweet 13-year old Black Labrador, Maggie, who has been in my care for the last month. She's a true sweetie (what dog isn't???) and we've bonded in many ways.

Livin' life and Lovin' it in Florida.

Mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Springs

Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park near Tampa. They have a 1/2 mile "nature walk" that's really peaceful.

Maggie sniffing who knows what at the Werner-Boyce park

A typical 7:00 AM walk with Maggie in Hudson, FL

A net-casting fisherman pulling in 10-15 mullet at a time at the Baypoint Harbor pier in Spring Hills, FL. A great
little fishing spot. You can use bobbers and bait, or fish on the bottom with a sinker. I saw manatee, otters, dolphins, gators and all kinds of birds on various trips to Baypoint Harbor. One of the guys on the pier caught some blue crabs.

Yep. Lots of seagulls here at Baypoint.

A foggy morning as we take our 7:00AM walk. The day turned into another wonderful Florida 80-degree day once the

fog burned off. No wonder all us older folks, "seasoned citizens," want to live here in waning years. I met some people
from "The Villages" who said "Florida is God's waiting room." LOL What a great way to think about retirement.

Clearwater? Sarasota? Who Knows Where the Next Dream Leads?

2012-08-26T07:44:00.000-04:00

Well, starting Friday we've been all over the place here in the Gulf coast area of Florida looking for that place that "just feels right" and can be our next home. At this point in our lives nothing is "forever." What we may like and even love as a place to live can change. Like Becky says, "I might change my mind some day." Indeed. And so might I. But for now Florida looks like the next place for us to live. So we came to Orlando to house sit for a few days and have been traveling to nearby areas on the Gulf coast to see if there's a place that feels like it could be home for a while as we continue to dream this dream.

St. Pete does have a neat downtown area, just as Mike told us. It's a nice place and could possibly become home. We drove over to St. Pete beach and liked it. Here's a picture of the 250 miles we drove over a 10 hour period with various stops along the way to check into visitor info centers, beaches and so forth.


Yes, we drove for 10 hours checking out all the different areas on the peninsula. Everything from St. Pete at the South end over to Clearwater Beach (super crowded and waaaay to commercial and touristy) to Pinellas Park and Gandy Road. The peninsula is huge and offers all kinds of neighborhoods ranging from "you don't want to live THERE!" to upscale gated communities. Hmmmm, where to land???

St.Petersburg Beach ("D" on the map) is actually out on a spit of land -- a barrier island -- and was quite nice.

St. Pete Beach. Nice!

And there's downtown St. Pete that also looked like a lot of fun. It had shops and restaurants a-plenty all along Central Avenue.

The Central Avenue area in downtown St. Petersburg

The St. Petersburg pier looking out into the Gulf of Mexico

Then, on Saturday we went to one of the places Becky especially wanted to see: Sarasota. Wow! What a nice town. It reminded us both of Jupiter. The landscape architects have definitely been in Sarasota. It has art and culture everywhere in the downtown area including a campus of the University of South Florida. Performing arts. Museums. All of that and more. We drove through a number of beautiful neighborhoods and visited the beaches at Siesta Key and Longboat Key as well as Armand Circle on Longboat Key. There is so much to explore there.

Siesta Key Beach - proudly proclaimed as the #1 Best Beach in America by local chambers of commerce and others
who promote the area. And it is beautiful. The sand is so fine that it feels almost like talcum powder. And it's
nearly as white as snow. The beach is very deep and a few miles long, so there's plenty of room to
play soccer, beach volley ball and to pitch umbrellas and toss towels on the sand -- all without worrying about

being too crowded. Overall, YES! It is the nicest beach we've seen in Florida to date.

We got back home to Orlando and began checking out the long term rental situation in Sarasota only to find mostly condos -- very few single family homes to rent. So we'll keep looking. That's what this dream is all about at the moment. Just looking. Hoping to find that "perfect" place and "perfect" house. ha!

Me thinks there's nothing "perfect" this side of Heaven. The cat sitting next to me as I type might disagree though. She's perfectly happy licking her feet and purring. Is there something we're missing here?? LOL

A Trip to the Battleship -- North Carolina

2012-07-19T10:22:00.001-04:00

Wednesday we decided to see the Battleship North Carolina. It's a WWII ship that was commissioned in 1941 and went to the South Pacific to wage war. The ship carried out nine shore bombardments, shot down at least 24 enemy aircraft with its anti-aircraft guns and sank an enemy troop ship. She was torpedoed once by a Japanese submarine and had to return home to get patched up. She also took some accidental friendly fire that did substantial damage. Yet by the end of WWII she had lost only 10 men and 67 wounded.

Well, as wars go, that's probably not so bad. Walking around this ship gave us a feeling of history - the technology on this boat is 70+ years old. Gigantic turbines that drive the 40,800 ton ship. Armored cable bundles carrying power everywhere throughout the ship. Monstrous guns spread out over her 729 foot length and ducts that draw outside air into the lower decks to provide a modicum of comfort for the sailors and marines.

Today the ship serves as a memorial to all North Carolinians who fought in WWII.

20mm anti-aircraft guns. Just point and shoot. It was all up to humans in those days before radar-controlled fire systems.

Here's the "big daddy" gun, the 40mm anti-aircraft banger. A sailor sat in each seat and sighted the approaching aircraft through the little iron sight. Shooting by the seat of your pants. Foot pedals down below let you rotate the entire gun left and right. The crank controlled azimuth. I wonder if they issued ear protection in those days?

An air search radar antenna rotates at the top of this tower. Just below is the 16-inch gun director, a lookout point for
aligning the big guns with their targets.

The main deck. The ship is 108-feet wide and 729-feet long. It topped out at 28 knots and carried 141 officers, 2,115 enlisted sailors and 85 Marines. It carried a lot of food to feed all those troops: 7,800 eggs, 16,800 pounds of butter, 94,200 of sugar, 214,000 of fresh meat, 466,000 of fresh veggies and 135,000 pounds of fresh fruit. Well, it's good to know that they focused on the fruits and veggies! Sounds like a lot, but start dividing those numbers by 2,341 men times three meals each day. Hmmm, doesn't seem so much now, does it? The eggs would be gone in three days.

Here's a view from the top deck where the Captain gave orders and the crew carried them out. Those are six of the nine 16-inch cannons -- some big guns!

Just two of the 20 five-inch guns that bristle from every corner of the ship. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of these.

Compartments are all lockable to prevent flooding from one area of the ship to another.

The ship carried two Kingfisher planes that were launched on a catapault assisted with a black powder rocket engine. The planes were use to scout for enemy ships, submarines and planes, and to rescue fallen airmen from the sea, deliver mail and drop messages onto other ships. On returning the plane would land in the water then be lifted by a crane back onto the deck -- ready for another flight.

Some engineering specs on the engine and power train.

All in all a great visit to this old ship. We had a wonderful dinner at the Front Street Pub then back home for the evening.

"Know Your Beaches Day" in Wilmington, NC

2012-07-18T05:01:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was a perfect day to begin checking out Wilmington and the surrounding area. We started with a walk, then hit the road to visit area beaches.

We're house sitting in Leland. It's about a 20 mile ride to Wrightsville Beach, which has many upscale homes

in the million dollar range. That beach has been a playground for people living in Wilmington for hundreds

of years. Heading South we find Masonboro Island (just next to Myrtle Grove, NC). It's the largest

undisturbed barrier island along the southern part of the coast, is completely undeveloped and is

accessible only by boat. Further South are Carolina and Kure beaches.

Wow! No shortage of sun, sand and surf here :o)

First we drove to Wrightsville Beach, which is closest to the city of Wilmington.

Next we made our way down to Kure Beach, pronounced "curry."
Kure Beach slopes very gently so that you can be 200-feet off shore and still be only
knee-deep in the water. I'll bet this would make a good surf fishing area.

It's illegal to walk through the dunes or among the sea oats and grasses. They protect the shoreline by holding
the sandy soil together.

There are public access points all along the coast that lead to the beach.

Becky in pensive moment. There's something about the beach that does that to a person.

No beach would be complete without a pier for fishermen.

As we left Kure Beach we headed up to Carolina Beach, sometimes known as Pleasure
Island. It was a raucous party place for years, but now is much more family friendly.

So that was our Tuesday. We came home, had a fine dinner and planned out the many activities we're going to enjoy over the upcoming week. Let's see:

Go see the Brunswick beaches South of Wilmington
Talk to some real estate agents
Visit the Battleship North Carolina
Check out the workout center, pool and hot tub facilities here
Visit the farmer's market
Take in a blues concert
Check out the UNC campus and the Osher Lifelong Learning Center here

...and lots more. The Wilmington area is a really attractive place to consider as our next home.

Packing "Heavy"...

2012-07-15T19:57:00.001-04:00

After three wonderful months house sitting in Jupiter, FL it's time to move on. The very kind and likeable homeowners for whom we house sat, Aleta and Steve, returned from their ocean cruise and visit to Chaing Mai, Thailand that began back in April on June 13th.

Becky left Jupiter to begin a new house sit in the Wilmington, NC area a few days before the Florida house sit ended. So once again, Allan became the house cleaner and straightener-upper, putting everything back in place for Aleta and Steve. During that process their lovable male cat, Polaris, realized something weird was going on: suitcases and boxes were being packed up, Becky was "missing" and the routines of his life were all messed up. He seemed to get a bit concerned and somehow climbed or jumped to the top of the 7-foot tall TV console in the living room. Stuck up there, he called out for help until I helped him get back down to the floor. I have no idea how he managed to get up that high.

Then, an hour later I couldn't find him anywhere and got a bit worried that he may have sneaked outside somehow and run off. After looking everywhere I found him nestled in the clothes washer with sheets and towers about to be washed.

So...yes...the pets do know when something is changing But even if homeowners and house sitters coming and going creates a little stress, it's nothing compared to the discomfort most pets would have at a boarding kennel. Not to mention -- it would cost a small fortune to board pets for three months at a time.

I asked Aleta how they managed to pack everything they needed into a single backpack for each person. She kindly and without laughing at the monstrous pile of Becky's and my "stuff" that I had to somehow cram into my car explained that you need to look at everything you think you need two or three times. Then if it still looks like you need that item, pack it. But only pack one of three things you really think you'll need. I like that advice and will take it seriously the next time we leave home for any length of time.

Here's a video of the "heavy packing" I had to do as I left Jupiter for the new Wilmington house sit.

Next time I'll leave lots of stuff at home and am determined to get all the clothes I need into a single bag. That leaves just my PC and/or laptop, iPod and a few others little items to carry along.

Of course if the destination is a beach area, you can bet the trunk will be carrying our beach umbrella, towels, flip-flops, SPF30 sun block and all that's needed to enjoy the sea, sand and surf :)

After the Storm...

2012-06-28T23:55:00.000-04:00

Tropical storm Debbie is the fourth tropical storm of the season to affect Florida this year, and all four of them have happened before the end of June. That's probably a record. Debbie dropped gazillions of gallons on the panhandle and Gulf Coast all the way down to the Tampa area. It finally took an Easterly route, ran over Jacksonville and out to sea on Wednesday. None to soon.

We have been ensconced in the house for almost a week now, dodging almost constant rain and heavy winds -- although nothing really threatening or damaging. Now, today, on Thursday, we hit the beach at Jupiter once again.

Here's a short video to celebrate the sunshine once again!

Summer SOULstice in WPB

2012-06-22T11:03:00.004-04:00

West Palm Beach comes alive on Thursday nights. The Norton Museum stays open until 9PM and hosts a Summer SOULstice gathering with music, food and performances until 11PM. We stopped in at the museum, enjoyed the art work and a couple of five year old girls singing their hearts out at the "open mic" event...and then headed into downtown for the weekly food and music festival on Clematis street.

Becky hiding out with a simulacrum of her new pal,
author/artist Edward Gorey, at the Norton Museum.

Here's a short clip of the downtown area and a bit of the fun that takes place every Thursday night. Clematis Street is the "go to" place in West Palm Beach for restaurants and a picturesque look at the intracoastal where many million dollar boats are docked. We had a great seafood meal at the Tin Fish. Maybe on another trip we'll try out the "Word of Beer" restaurant.

Wind Surfing at "Kite Beach"

2012-06-19T19:55:00.000-04:00

Whatta Day! We got a very leisurely start today that began with just that first cup of coffee. We spent the morning and mid-day hours just enjoying being alive until Becky said, "Hey, it's almost 2 o'clock. We haven't eaten anything today. Let's go have dinner!"

We had picked up a menu for the Thirsty Turtle restaurant in Juno Beach and liked the looks of it. Lots of really fresh seafood. Hop in the car and a few minutes later...a feast of 50-cent wings for an appetizer washed down with a margarita and bloody Mary, followed with a platter of fresh oysters for Allan and a Seafood Silva for Becky: Sea scallops, shrimp, dolphin and calamari sautéed with diced tomatoes, mushrooms and scallions in a vodka marinara sauce served over pasta. So much Seafood Silva we had to pack the overflowing plate into a go-box and head for home.

The Thirsty Turtle is in Juno Beach, FL. What a great place for fresh seafood! The wait staff was more than
excellent and the food... OMG delicious.

It's getting ready to rain here for the next several days, maybe for the next week, due to a big front coming up from the Caribbean. The skies are a bit gray and winds are coming in from the East, which means the waves breaking along the coast are going to be a bit bigger than usual. That weather front led up to the balance of our day.

On the way home from the restaurant Allan said, "Let's go walk the beach for a while to let our dinner digest." So we headed over to A1A and stopped just North of the Juno pier. Here's what we saw as we parked the car and headed toward the beach access point: A huge "kite" of some kind blowing and flying like a crazy dancer gone wild in the wind.

Wow, someone's flying a really big kite over there. Let's check it out!

We walked over the ridge and down onto the beach to behold...a couple dozen wind surfers, aka kite-boarders, racing across the 4-5 foot waves like juggernauts looking to find the opening point so they could cross into some kind of nirvana.

Oh my! Dozens of wind surfers blasting like race cars across the waves. A bystander told us this section of Juno Beach
is also known as "kite beach" and is one of the ultimate wind surfing beaches in the area. With the "steerable" kites, each surfer can choose to turn his/her kite into the Easterly wind to go North or South along the beach. Most of these amazing athletes would ride the waves and wind from South to North, and then turn around and go back the other way. Just amazing!

Here's a video and a few more pics of our wonderful, amazing day as we walked and loved being alive and in love.

Father's Day Fun

2012-06-17T22:59:00.001-04:00

Allan wrote...

Father's Day today found us in Miami again, this time touring the Lincoln Road Mall area. Here's one of the latest fashions for ladies who want to make "an impression" (although I'm not sure what the impression would be!)

Hmmm, let's see: a spiky purse on the left, spiky shoes at top and some other unkknown spiky accessories.
Can't imagine who would wear them...or why. LOL

After Lincoln Road we walked our feet off snapping pics of some of the old art deco buildings on Collins Avenue in the South Beach area. Art deco was an architectural style popular in the 1920's and 1930's and at that time was considered ultra modern, cool and exciting. Today it's considered retro and still cool. The city of Miami Beach at one point wanted to demolish many of them because they were just too old. A team of women got together and managed to have some 800 of the old buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, effectively protecting them from the wrecking ball. Architects were brought in to renovate them and voila ... now we have the permanent art deco district of Miami Beach.

Arriving back in Jupiter I went to the beach to do some surf fishing, but found the tide was approaching its highest, which mean two to four foot waves crashing to shore. I quickly found out what "rip tides" are about when I waded into the water to cast my line. Almost getting knocked down by the water rushing back to sea I got out of the water and turned the beach trip into a photo opp. Here's a little video that nicely shows the Jupiter Inlet where the ocean pours inland and creates hundreds of channels, canals and streams that criss-cross the entire Jupiter area.

Waves crashing over the Jupiter pier as high tide came in.

Surfers were catching a few of those high tide waves this evening.

Amazing House Sit Opportunity...

2012-06-11T20:01:00.002-04:00

We're always on the lookout for an exciting new house sitting opportunity. Here's one that tops the list for "excitement" but, unfortunately, it's a bit too extreme for our taste. Nevertheless, it's a fantastic opportunity for someone.

What a amazing opportunity for someone to enjoy a VERY different environment!

Here's what the home owners asked for:

Adventuresome, self-reliant, financially sound, physically fit, boat and navigation savvy, jungle-friendly, off-the-grid-everything familiar couple needed to take care of "Cerro Velero," our 5 acre waterfront jungle property and home.

There are two easy dogs who also need tending to. Reasonable facility with Spanish needed for communicating with the gardener.

The home is in a roadless area, so there are no roads. It is a 30 minute boat ride (you drive the boat) to the nearest town with supplies. The small house is on a hill with good breezes, and has a knock-your-socks-off view of the water and mountains and sunsets. Lots of kayaking and walking and hiking opportunities on the property and nearby.

While it is paradise in many ways, it is definitely not a resort! You can't go out at night because it's not safe to take the boat out where there are no lights or aids to navigation. (There's nowhere nearby to go, anyway.) There is no television unless you set up a Slingbox in the states to watch over the internet.

Yes, at least there is good, fast internet!

The nights are 12 hours long, dark unless the moon is out, and often loud with howler monkeys, night birds, insects and frogs. And there are bugs. It really is a jungle.

While there are good Gringo neighbors nearby, there is no grocery store around the corner. Bocas del Toro, a half hour away by boat, is the nearest town. Everything has to be schlepped around Bocas on foot (or taxi), stowed in Cricket, our small launch, and then schlepped up the hill to the house. Unless you want to lug it all yourself, you have to get back before our worker goes home for the day.

Most folks in the area go into town no more than once a week. If you forget something, you just have to do without until the next time you go to town. Or borrow from the neighbors.

And, it rains a lot. Like, oh, close to 140 inches a year. But that is what makes it a jungle!

So, if that doesn't put you off...it really is magically, wonderfully beautiful! TONS of birds, including toucans and oropendolas. Also, sloths and howler monkeys, and dolphins and turtles in the bay out front.

We have a site with lots of photos if you want to take a look and learn more.

I Do require Pet/Animal Care Pet/Animal Types: Dogs,

No Such Thing as "Blue Monday"

2012-06-11T17:28:00.000-04:00

Allan wrote...

Sunday was a lay-around day for the most part, but Becky did stir up a fantastic papaya and avocado dinner.

Romaine, almonds, beets, papaya, avocado, ginger and just a splash of EVOO. Good!

Today, on Monday, Becky got up and said, "When you're retired there's no such thing as 'blue Monday.' Let's go to the beach!" So we did. A gorgeous day in the mid-80's with a nice breeze and blue skies.

Under the Boardwalk -- actually under Juno Beach pier.

At 7PM this evening we'll attend a teleseminar with a five-times New York Times Best Selling book author to learn a bit more about writing.

Sawgrass Mills, Lincoln Road Mall -- It's All About Shopping

2012-06-10T17:02:00.001-04:00

Allan wrote...

It's been raining here for a solid week with very few breaks for the sun to peek out. Nevertheless, Becky made plans to visit the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall in Sunrise, FL on Saturday with the excellent logic "Hey, if it rains I'll be inside, so it won't matter." We made the 70 mile drive down to Sunrise and found what is actually the sixth largest shopping mall in the USA. The mall was built by the Simon company, the biggest real estate company in the world. It's got 20 anchor tenants (!) and is twice the size of Town Center in Cobb County with over 2.3 million square feet of shopping. 'Nuf said. The place is huge.

I dropped Becky off at noon with a promise to return by 6PM for dinner with old friends who were to meet us at the Grand Lux Restaurant. I headed over to Miami Beach and the South Beach area to investigate Lincoln Road, the famous art-deco area of the city and what some have called the "social hub" of Miami. Lincoln Road runs from the Atlantic Ocean to Biscayne Bay and is almost entirely closed to vehicular traffic. It's been renamed the Lincoln Road Mall, and what a mall it is!

The entire area was awash with people speaking English, Spanish, French, German and a couple languages I couldn't identify. Besides those walking the streets I saw people go by on segues, on roller blades, bikes and skateboards. A true international gathering place just lined with restaurants to satisfy every conceivable taste from pizza to sushi to shepherd's pie.

Restaurants line each side of the Lincoln Road Mall, as it's called.
Most people choose to eat outside under the umbrellas.

Lincoln Road Mall. One of the many outdoor seating areas.

After walking the area for a while I drove over to the beach, jumped in the 85-degree surf, soaked up some sun and drove back to Sawgrass Mills to meet Becky for dinner. That's when I knew something strange had happened. With those two million square feet of shopping and over 300 different stores Becky had only managed to pick up a couple small items! She said she finally got tired of looking at merchandise and just "burned out" on shopping. I didn't know that could happen to a woman! LOL

Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall. Just the place to get your 10,000 steps for the day. And then some!

Later that evening we learned that people fly to Sawgrass Mills from all over the Caribbean, from Puerto Rico and even Central America to shop. And shop they do! We saw people pushing luggage carts like you see in airports, except here at Sawgrass they were filling their empty suitcases and roller bags with the merchandise they were buying. There was some serious shopping underway.

We had a great dinner with an old friend of Becky's -- a man she knew as one of her son's playmates almost 40 years ago -- the headed back to Jupiter and to bed. A great day after the week of rain that had kept us close to home.

The Kindness of Strangers...

2012-06-02T20:24:00.001-04:00

Allan wrote...

Today was "free fishing day" throughout Florida. That means anyone can fish without a license. I do have a saltwater license but did not buy the freshwater license, so today was an opportunity to go to Lake Okeechobee to catch some freshwater fish: crappies and bass. The write-ups I've been reading on the web tell of fishermen who catch 30 to 50 bass in a day! The bag limit for black (large mouth) bass is five per day and they have to be at least 18-inches long, otherwise you've got to release them immediately. In fact, Okeechobee is such a phenomenal bass lake that many professional contests are held there every year. Needless to say, I had been looking forward to this 40 mile ride and a day of fishing and sunshine all week.

The people at the bait store were very helpful, explaining that the 20 or so "shoreline fishing spots" on the Corps of Engineers map of the lake "aren't quite right. There are only really two places you can do any worthwhile fishing from the shore. And neither of them are actually in the lake. They're in the rivers, canals and wetlands surrounding the lake. Why don't you try the Kissimmee River?"

A highway runs all the way around Lake Okeechobee. While the

maps show several places to fish from the shoreline, most of the lake isn't

really accessible. This picture shows a berm just beyond the line of palm trees.

That's the berm the Corp of Engineers built to hold the lake in place.

If you could park and get to the other side of the berm I suppose you

could fish from the shoreline. But I wasn't able to find a single place

to cross. Either there was no parking available or the berm was on private

property.

OK. I headed toward the Kissimmee River spot, took a wrong turn and stopped at a gas station to ask for directions. A local man said, "Just follow me. I'll show you where to go." So I did and he did. He was so kind to go out of his way! I drove a few miles down a sand road that had little trails leading to the river every quarter mile or so. I found the one in the video below and settled down to "go fishing."

The river is on the right, through the

trees and bush. This sand road ran

on for miles and miles along the river.

With no action underway I closed up shop and drove to another bait store. The man there told me of a pier and a place that's "filled with bluegill and bass." He even took time out to draw a map that showed me where to turn, where to park and where to fish! So I headed that way. So helpful!

View from the pier. These are the wetlands and canals that

surround Lake Okeechobee.

Just as I was settling in to make my first cast a pontoon boat floated by. Richard (from Kentucky), one of the fishermen on board, asked "Would you like to have some bluegill? I've got four of them and we won't be able to eat them tonight."

"Sure! And thanks so much." The kindness of strangers once again. I fished until late afternoon, caught nothing, got no bites but did enjoy watching the alligator approach my bobber, then veer away when I tweaked it.

Arriving home I cleaned the bluegill, breaded and fried them and chowed down. Not bad.

That was "free fishing day" and, again, I enjoyed "going fishing" -- would have preferred to catch fish -- but had a wonderful day in the sun regardless. Thank you for dinner, Richard!

Bluegill with avocado and tomato. Good!

Gorgeous Day :) It was probably close to 90-degrees, but the breeze made for a comfortable day!

Two gators off in the distance

As this couple and I approached one another I said, "It looks like a special occasion with all the balloons!" The man

replied, "Yes, it's our son's birthday today. He died last July and would have been 25 today. We thought this was a fitting way to remember him." We talked, I expressed condolences and they made their way to the end of the pier where the man video'd his wife speaking before she released the balloons. Very touching.

As I drove back into Jupiter I saw this car, apparently driven by a 72 year old man. I can't imagine what the police did

to earn his "advertisement" but there's got to be a story behind it!

A Perfect Day???

2012-05-30T18:56:00.000-04:00

Allan wrote...

After all, what is a PERFECT day? Is it one where everything goes right? Where everyone you meet loves you? Where you love everyone else? I don't know. I suppose a "perfect day" is different for every person. Yet for me, today was indeed perfect.

These guys have everything. From tackle to bait to advice.

Up at 6:30 AM and off to the bait store where I bought a bunch of live shrimp. A quick stop at BK for breakfast -- eating fast food is something I rarely do, but it just seemed like a good idea today. I wore my old sneakers, a shirt and a bathing suit. With my son's remarkable, collapsible heavy duty spinning rod and reel outfitted with 30-pound test mono-filament line, plus a dozen live shrimp from the Fishing Headquarters (along with some advice on where to fish, how to rig the line and what's been running lately), I headed off to Jupiter beach.

There was NO ONE on the beach at 7:30AM today. I waded out to waist deep water with a 1.5 ounce sinker at the end of the line, a two-hook rig about two feet upline from the sinker and casted -- oh, maybe 20 to 30 yards out into the surf. I noticed the waves break at a couple different places, each due to various sand bars beneath the water. According to what I'd read it's best to cast between the sand bars because that's where the fish hang out, waiting for the "rip" current to carry food to them. And there was food a-plenty. Minnows were darting around me in gigantic schools. "Hey," I said to myself, "this is the place and the day I'm gonna catch some fish."

Nothing like getting out into the water about waist deep
and waiting for that big one to bite!

The guy at fishing HQ said I should cut up the live shrimp and put about one-third of a shrimp on each hook, just enough to cover the bottom of the "J." OK. He said, "Don't worry, just toss your line out there and you'll definitely catch some fish this morning. The tide is right and the time is right. If you wanted to catch snook you're about an hour late, but you'll get all kinds of pan fish. No problemo."

I did cut up the shrimp. I put them in the leftover Burger King coffee cup, which I stuffed into my shirt pocket so I wouldn't have to go back to shore each time I needed to re-bait the hooks. I casted. Re-casted. Jigged the line. Tossed it out to deep water. Tossed it parallel to the shore. The fishing prognostication at weather.com had said the best time to catch fish in Jupiter waters was between 7AM and noon, peaking at around 9AM. With no fish biting I finally waded back to shore to check my iPod: It was 11AM. Not a bite. No fish. And now the bathers were everywhere, laughing, playing, surfing and having fun.

The June pier is 990 feet long. Four bucks and you can fish
from it all day long. Locals say the snook hang out beneath
the pier but I've yet to see anyone catch snook in spite of
all the talk about them.

"Hey, it's still early. I'll go to the Juno pier." So I did. It's about five miles down the road and costs $4 to enter and fish from the pier. Done. There were about 8 or 10 other people fishing at that hour. A couple guys at the end of the pier were all excited about snook, but never did catch any. A woman from Massachusetts (my best guess based on her accent) pulled a tiny fish out of the water. After a couple hours of trying this side of the pier, the other side of the pier, the end of the pier, the part of the pier where there were big shadows cast upon the water, casting my line under the pier as best I could -- I finally met my objective when a 10-inch fish grabbed onto a shrimp and allowed me to haul it 20 feet from the water up to my tackle box. "What's that you pulled out?" asked a bystander. "I don't know, but I hope he'll send his big brother along soon" I replied as I tossed him back into the water.

The "fisherman's eye view" from the Juno pier. Nothing
but blue. Water and sky. Beautiful!

Hey. I caught a fish. I'd been on or in the water now for about six hours. The sun was blazing down on me and I kept adjusting my hat to keep that burning feeling off my forehead. Ain't life grand? I don't care if I catch fish or not. It's just about being outside in the sun feeling the breeze against my body. The water washing me in/out/in/out with each wave that comes to shore.

Finally around 2PM I headed back to the car and drove over to Rosetta's Produce where I picked up an amazing amount of food for $10 and change. Then to the ABC store for a bottle of Menage a Trois for Becky and a spiced rum for me.

Back to the house and it's time to build a rollup with all the wondrous veggies Rosetta sold me. For me there are few things that taste better than avocados and tomatoes. Toss in some jalapenos and onions and it's Heaven on a tortilla.

Rosetta's Produce store, just down the road, has got the
BEST veggies around. Tomatoes are sweet and soft and
ready to eat. Brussel sprouts are gigantic. Jalapenos are
available in green or red, along with many other peppers.
This whole load of veggies was just $10 and change.

Now, fully fed and ready for another adventure, it's off to the pool. No one is there. Wonderful! Jump in to deliciously warm water, swim around for a while then migrate to the shallow end a meditate for a long time. The sound of my breathing is all I can hear as my ears are under water, my eyes are closed and only my prayers and thoughts exist.

Now...mellowed out...communing with All That Is...I return to the house to find Becky has returned from a phenomenally successful shopping trip where she bought me a new shirt and SEVEN items of apparel for herself for just over $20. What a shopper! Designer labels and not even a dent in the budget.

Tomato, avocado and jalapeno. Nothing better, especially
where everything is fresh, locally grown and just ready to eat.
Nothing left to do but roll it up and chow down!

I guess this day teaches me that for guys it's all about getting out in the wild, catching wild things -- while for the ladies, bless their hearts, it's about finding beauty, finding bargains and sharing them with their loved ones. Ain't life grand?

My sweet Becky bought me a new shirt today!
I love it :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2012-05-28T10:29:00.002-04:00

Allan wrote...

We began this long weekend on Thursday by reconnecting with Jim and Jill D, old friends from Atlanta back in the 1980's when Jim and I both worked at that amazing computer company, AST Research. It was really great to talk with them again. Jim suggested we eat at Guanabanas and I'm so glad we did. It's exactly the kind of restaurant we had been looking for in vain since we arrived in Jupiter. It has no windows; it's open to the air; it serves seafood; it's got live music in the evenings (Julian Marley, son of Bob Marley, played with no cover charge on Friday night!) Just an amazing place.

Jim and Jill - we reconnected after almost 20 years.

This restaurant looks like it's in the rain forest somewhere,
and that's exactly the feel we'd been looking for.

No windows. no doors either! It's all outside just as it "should be" in a
tropical setting like Florida.

The have live music almost every night, often with no cover charge.

Outdoor seating for everyone

It's right on the intra-coastal (on A1A) in Jupiter.

Cool place !

Friday we rode over to West Palm Beach to meet the homeowner who wants a house sitter for six weeks in late November through early January. We thought it would be nice to come back to South Florida in the winter season and spend Christmas here. We met the owner, a very nice and interesting guy who will be going to the Philippines with his wife for those six weeks. We enjoyed our time visiting him, touring his property and meeting his dogs, but decided to forego that assignment.

Saturday was not memorable except that we worked on our computers much of the day. Sunday, however, was a gorgeous day that reached 90 degrees, so we decided to go to the beach. The parking lot at Jupiter beach was overflowing so we drove down to the pier in Juno, pitched our umbrella and soaked up the sun. Beautiful.

The 990-foot pier at Juno Beach, just south of Jupiter. Memorial Day weekend brought everyone to the beach.

The condos in the distance rent for about $1700/month if you live here all year long. Some are rented only during
the winter season and can go for as much as $5000 per month! Apparently the snowbirds from New England, New
York and other places where the snow falls fast and heavy find those rates affordable.

Fishermen on the pier were catching panfish all afternoon.

As I was jogging the beach I came upon a group of people standing at water's edge screaming, "Shark, get out of the water!" I looked and, sure enough, I could see a dark shadow just a few feet off shore. It wasn't a big shark -- maybe three feet long -- but within about one foot of the shark a little girl, maybe 5 years old, was splashing and playing, oblivious to the screaming or the shark. I jumped into the water, grabbed her up and put her on dry land. Then, looking at the shadow in the water, I realized it wasn't a shark at all; it was a manta ray flapping his "wings" in all his glory, looking like a giant, beautiful bird floating through the waves. I hollered out, "It's a manta, not a shark" and suddenly everyone wanted to get close to it. Funny how the fear turned to excitement and big smiles appeared on everyone's face. I followed the manta along for about a hundred feet, watching as his "wing" broke the surface over and over again. Finally he headed out to deeper water.

On Sunday the first tropical storm of the season, Beryl, made landfall near Jacksonville. By Monday morning, as I write this, the storm has traversed about half the width of Florida, heading West, and is weakening. Here's a half-hour video of its path as it ambles toward Tallahassee.

So today is Monday, Memorial Day. We have no plans but will probably go to the pool later. I've been reading "Spirit Junkie" by Gabrielle Bernstein and might finish it up today. It's about her life and how it changed when she began studying A Course in Miracles. Becky is reading a book about a man's life with his Sheltie; she said it brings tears of happiness and remembrance to her eyes because it reminds her of our wonderful Sheltie dogs we loved for 13 years.

Our beloved Sunny Rose and Bonnie Blue

2012-05-19T03:42:00.000-04:00

This past week has given us its fair share of rainy days, some even with nickel-sized hail spotted and winds up to 60MPH. We spent a good part of the week quietly working on our computers. Allan's been writing articles and book reviews and Becky's been creating art and working on her novel.

Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to in the last week or two.

Stuart, Florida - Marlin Capitol of the World

Becky learned about an arts and crafts fair in Stuart, Florida so last Saturday we drove about 20 miles up the coast to check it out. As we walked from our parking spot we passed the city hall with two huge marlins mounted on the roof and a sign proclaiming that Stuart is the marlin capital of the world. Imagine that.

Marlin capitol of the world??

We discovered that Stuart has a very walkable downtown filled with shops and restaurants of every description.

The main street in Stuart is lined with shops and restaurants
that make a great shopping district. For the craft fair they
closed the road to traffic. Vendors of every imaginable craft
line the street under white umbrellas. Nice! We had fun.

The city of Stuart is right on the water. We found a small amphitheater with a huge multi-colored fabric roof that fronts on the bay. It's a gorgeous view looking out into the Atlantic.

Ahhh, fresh sea breeze and sunshine. What a feeling!

City Place in Downtown West Palm Beach

We've discovered that West Palm Beach, WPB as the locals refer to it, is where it's all happenin'. It's quite an upscale community that is surrounded by all kinds of cities with very similar names: Palm Beach Gardens, Royal Palm Beach, Royal Palm Estates -- you get the idea. Lots of BMW's and Mercedes there. If you travel across the A1A Flagler Memorial Bridge heading East, you'll find the island known as Palm Beach. It is a very wealthy place to live. According to Wikipedia...

"The Intracoastal Waterway separates Palm Beach Island from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth. As of 2000, Palm Beach had a year-round population of 10,468, with an estimated seasonal population of 30,000.

"Many of Palm Beach's residents are affluent, with a median household income of $124,562 and a median family income of $137,867. The town's affluence and its "abundance of pleasures" and "strong community-oriented sensibility" were cited when it was selected in June 2003 as America's "Best Place to Live" by Robb Report magazine."

We have not been to Palm Beach island, but on Sunday we drove to WPB to visit City Place. It's a 72-acre shopping, entertainment and restaurant area laid out much like an old time European village with a central plaza that spins off into over 100 shops and businesses. It even has some very upscale condos which would allow one to live without ever needing a car. It has a Publix grocery, Macy's, a 20-screen theater with IMAX, in Improv Comedy Club and lots more.

Checking out the goods at Anthropolgie

Yep, they still have happy hour here in FL. At some places happy hour runs all day long!
Atlanta killed happy hour decades ago because people were driving drunk after downing
a few too many after-work cocktails. No such problem here in Florida apparently. BB King's
blues club and many others all do the two-for-one. We stopped for lunch at
Brewzzi for a sample of their microbrew and some great eats.

The plaza at City Place

Vegetation and beautiful landscaping is the order of the day in Florida,
including this avenue running through City Place.

Taking a minute out from shopping to rest on the ceramic stairs.

Jupiter Beach

On Friday (5/18) we hit the beach after spending the last few days indoors while the rain continued to fall. The day dawned sunny and bright so around noon we headed out to the sand. The water was warm, the waves were small, the sun was bright and it all felt just soooo good to be alive.

Jupiter Beach at low tide. This could be paradise.

Nothing like a good book to pass the time while cool breezes keep you comfortable.

Taking a break from swimming

This poor fellow landed on the beach with monofilament fishing line tangled around his leg and a fishing hook
caught in his shoulder. He just stood there, a foot or two away from bystanders until someone found a pocket
knife and cut the fishing line free and removed the hook. This magnificent bird spent quite a while grooming himself
before eventually flying off. He didn't seem to mind at all that Becky stood just a step away from him in taking this picture.

We had a great time on the beach, worked on our suntans and -- on the way home -- stopped at Rosetta's Produce store to pick up some bright red tomatoes and veggies for dinner. We're loving Florida so much that we applied for another house sit in WPB for November and December. We'll see what happens...if we are chosen...

Beach Cleanup & Loggerhead Turtles

2012-05-05T15:27:00.000-04:00

Today Becky and I helped 160 other people collect 445 pounds of trash from Jupiter Beach. Then we visited the Loggerhead Marine Center.

Beach Cleanup

The first Saturday of each month volunteers meet to pick up trash others have left behind, as well as what has washed ashore. The event has been underway for 20+ years and has many sponsors.

Keep America Beautiful and these companies and organizations sponsor
the monthly Jupiter Beach Cleanup. It is organized by Friends of Jupiter Beach

Our backs thank
this handy pickup
tool.

The organizers supplied gloves, plastic bags to carry the trash and one of those handy pickup tools (see pic) that lets you deftly pick things out of the sand without bending over, and over, and over.

We organized into teams of 8-10 people and each team was assigned a segment of beach to cleanup. Just like "police call" I remember from my Army days, we walked along the beach picking up cigarette butts, every kind of plastic -- hair barrettes, bottle caps, plastic bags, plastic forks and spoons, shower curtain rings, you name it -- as well as broken glass bottles, beer cans, Dunkin Donut and Taco Bell debris and so much more. We learned later that plastic doesn't biodegrade. It photo-degrades and eventually breaks into small pieces that are ingested by marine life.

Highway A1A is a Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean. The Southern-most end terminates at Key West, while the Northern terminus is at Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway. (Last week Becky drove us about 65 miles South on A1A so we could have dinner in Ft. Lauderdale). Jupiter Beach runs along A1A with a dense strip of mangrove separating the road from the beach.

Mangrove trees act as buffers between the land and the sea. They prevent soil
erosion and because they grow aggressively, they can actually "reclaim"
land area as they grow toward the sea.

Headin' toward the beach...

In about an hour of picking and grabbing junk and trash from the sand we reconvened for coffee, bagels, all kinds of baked goodies, lemonade and conversation with people we'd met. It was a nice way to spend the 8-10AM segment of the day. Hey, we even got some great T-shirts!

Loggerhead Marine Center

The LMC is a hospital for turtles that have been injured and need rehabilitation before being released back to the sea. It has a fully equipped veterinary hospital authorized to treat endangered loggerhead, green, hawksbill, leatherback and Kemp's ridley turtles. We saw turtles that had been injured by boat propellers, bitten by ocean predators and tangled in fishing line. A few had flippers amputated due to their injuries. Others were being treated for problems ranging from diverticulosus to anemia.

Here is a typical case, Anna Belle, who was brought to the Marine Center with propeller wounds. And below is Anna Belle's "turtle cam" that updates every ten seconds.

Anna Belle's "turtle cam."

Along Jupiter Beach you'll find pink wooden stakes randomly driven into the sand. Each one marks a turtle nest filled with about 120 eggs. The turtles hatch between May and October. We're told there are night-time vigils where people gather under the moonlight to watch the baby turtles head across the sand to reach the sea. Male turtles never return to land for the remainder of their 80 to 100 year lifetime. Females return only to lay eggs. It's quite an amazing story.

Jupiter, Florida

2012-04-28T08:23:00.000-04:00

This might be paradise.

Every day is in the 70's or 80's with blue skies and a few fluffy clouds that block the sun from time to time as if to give those of us on the ground, shirtless, in shorts and without SPF 50 smeared from head to toe, a break.

What might one like about Jupiter, Florida?

The heavenly weather (at least until the dog days of summer arrive).
Wonderful clean, uncrowded beaches.
A sparkling, warm swimming pool just around the corner.
Bike riding is easy; there are no hills to speak of in Florida. You can ride for miles without having to conquer a big uphill grade.
Every store one might want to shop at is within a few miles.
Florida is manicured to the max. Vegetation rules! Shopping centers (and even Wal-Mart stores) are hidden behind palm trees. Everything about South Florida screams "look at me, I'm beautiful."
As you drive down the road, most of which have 2-3 lanes in each direction, you notice how light the traffic is and how courteous the drivers are. Riding around at night the traffic is even lighter. With the windows open the cool evening air fills the car and you feel peaceful and happy.
Getting up as early or late as you like with nothing that has to be done, save the simple duties involved with caring for two sweet and affectionate cats.
Lots of attractions, events and things to do.
There's no feeling that "oh, we only have until the weekend then vacation is over and we go home." No. This Jupiter trip is for several months -- plenty of time to experience South Florida living as a resident rather than a tourist.

Yep, this just might be paradise. We're grateful to have been chosen for this house sit. Lovin' it.

Jupiter, FL and the inlet area. The inlet and intracoastal waterway divide the city into different communities. The island
just North of the inlet is Jupiter Island. It's home to celebrities incuding Celine Dion, Tiger Woods and others. The beaches are clean and, so far, we've not found them crowded.

Becky's doing some creative new kind of art using special papers and Allan's writing articles and book reviews for a psychologist/client at GoStrengths.com and others. A Course in Miracles fills our hearts and minds in very personal ways, and we both give thanks for the good life we are enjoying together.

Here's a snapshot from the Jupiter Beach cam looking from the South toward the inlet. People at Fishing Headquarters say the best fishing is in the curved area just before the jetty seen here. Lots of bonito, redfish, snook and some occasional big game fish.

Jupiter Beach cam looking toward the inlet from the
South. This pic updates every 15-20 minutes.

2012-02-25T03:50:00.002-05:00

Allan wrote...

Time to catch up and wrap up on the latest travels. A drive from Atlanta to San Antonio to house sit for about two weeks was fun. Then, with 70-degree weather throughout Texas and Oklahoma, I drove to Omaha to visit my daughter, her husband and 9-month old son. What fun!

Superman Watching Over Metropolis

The trip back to Atlanta took me along I-70 through Kansas City to St. Louis and, after about 600 miles, to the small town of Metropolis, IL, just at the Southern tip of the state on the Ohio River. Anyone who remembers the old George Reeves Superman TV show knows that Metropolis was Superman's home. True to form, Metropolis, IL has a huge bronze statue of the super hero himself. Just down the street is a statue of Lois Lane.

Rolling into St. Louis

Harrah has a casino in Metropolis, so I ambled in to see whether I could find a good meal there. Sure enough: it was easy to make a big veggie plate from the all you can eat buffet line. The food was nicely done. So many buffet restaurants over-do the salt. Not this time.

I'll have to admit: back in the days when the annual COMDEX computer show in Las Vegas drew 100,000+ people, I always enjoyed spending a week in Vegas, working the trade show booth, pitching the latest computer...then hitting the casinos after hours. Now though, walking through a casino is not "depressing" but it does leave me with a feeling that something is "not quite right" about tossing money into a slot machine or onto a blackjack or roulette table, hoping to somehow come out ahead when it's time to go home. I noticed that almost everyone in the casino was a "senior citizen." Perhaps many seniors are attracted to the casino because it's something different to do. I don't know.

As I waked through the place I thought, "Well, just for old time's sake, I'll toss a couple quarters into the slots and see what happens." Hahaha. Am I ever out of date. There wasn't a single slot machine in the place that takes coins. Each machine proudly announces that it "Accepts $1, $5, $10, $20 and $100 bills." Oh my. Stuffing greenbacks into a slot just doesn't seem right, so I passed the machines and made my way back outside.

Yep, just stuff your folding money in here!

A healthy meal at Harrah's

Seniors with nothing much to do

Oh yes, before I forget, I found a curiosity all through the state of Missouri: Road signs at freeway exits sometimes had only a large letter or two, often with no city names at all.

What's this about "A" and "Z?" It suggests that, just maybe,
one can go almost anywhere by taking this exit. You know,
like "from A to Z." Strange.

I didn't realize that my route to Atlanta would take me through Clarkesville, TN, the home of Ft. Campbell and the 101st Airborn -- the "Screaming Eagles." Ft. Campbell was where the Army sent me for Basic Training when I was drafted back in 1969. Those were eight tough weeks. I dropped into the base, got a visitor's pass, learned that they no longer do Basic Training at the base, and drove around looking for my old barracks. They were built to house troops during World War II, and in the 1960's were used to get raw recruits ready to go carry a rifle in Viet Nam. I didn't find my old wooden barracks, but here is an example of what they looked like 40+ years ago.

World War II vintage barracks, still in use today

Ft. Campbell, home to the Screaming Eagles,
the 101st Airborn.

A memorial to Desert Storm soldiers
who didn't come home.

That wraps up the trip for now. A total of 2904 miles, according to Google. My G6 Pontiac gave me over 32 MPG in some legs of the trip, but never below 29MPG. Nice!

Another house sit in Florida beckons in April. More fun ahead!

2012-02-22T22:58:00.000-05:00

Allan wrote...

And so it goes. Will is my 6th grand child and yet I've spent more time with him in the last week than any other. Jennifer and Eric are stationed at Offut Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska. The USAF has given them a fantastic four bedroom house with a garage, garage door opener, brand new carpet throughout, tons of closet space, a peaceful, safe and quiet neighborhood and lots of young people in the same age range to get to know and befriend. Offut AFB has a great Base Exchange that's a lot like any shopping mall, as well as a commissary that is, for the most part, the best place to shop for groceries and eats. Omaha is a big city too. It has everything one could hope for: Targets, Wal-Marts, upscale shopping malls, (a wonderful Course in Miracles study group that meets on Sunday morning at the Unity Church), endless restaurants and perhaps the very best zoo in the entire USA (according to many comments on Tripadvisor.com and elsewhere.) Once the weather warms up I know Jenn and Eric will find many things to do in Omaha. The roads there are clear of potholes that plague the Northeastern part of the country. Traffic is moderate. Rolling hills seem to be the rule and the landscape is attractive, even in winter. This week we had lots of warm weather. Jenn and Will and I had a nice walk around the neighborhood with Will in his stroller the other day.

Hey! This is my fun so if this is boring, I'm sorry. Here is yet another great little video of Willem having fun.

2012-02-19T21:29:00.002-05:00

Allan wrote...

San Antonio remained cool and rainy for most of my house sit with Ria, the Australian Cattle dog. On 2/15 I set out to visit my daughter and her family near Omaha, NE. The drive took me to Wichita, KS the first night, about 600 miles. I finished the balance of the trip the following day. My drive was filled with A Course in Miracles "study" which consisted, essentially, of meditating (while driving) on topics I had read about the day or night prior.

Yes, one can drive and meditate. We normally drive with our ego minds blathering on about a million disjointed ideas, worries and countless topics for hours on end. Instead, focusing on the car ahead and consciously quieting my mind, watching extraneous thoughts flit through for a moment, then returning to the quiet and solitude...that's a great way to drive. It's almost "outside of time" because I don't get tired, worry about how many miles away something is or when I'll get there. Instead, those 10 hours behind the wheel became very productive, fascinating and (let's say,) educational.

My sweetie, Jennifer, and her husband Eric have a gorgeous little boy, Willem. Without further ado, I'm going to post several pictures and videos I've grabbed with my iPod in the last few days.

Jennifer and Willem - Big smiles all around

Will & Mommy at the Base Commissary, Offut AFB

Eric, Will & Jenn snacking after a hard day's shopping

2012-02-07T15:32:00.000-05:00

Allan wrote...

After a few days of rain, today is sunny and warm, perfect for visiting the San Antonio River Walk area. According to one of the non-profits that support it, the River Walk is the number one tourist attraction in Texas. The River Walk is actually one story below the streets of the city. It began as a flood control program when a flood killed 50 people in 1921. Today, one can walk the 2-1/2 miles end to end and find countless restaurants, retailers and other attractions one story up on the surface street area.

2012-02-04T19:40:00.000-05:00

We had a gigantic thunderstorm last night that dropped buckets of water on San Antonio. It woke me up with lightning, the sound of rain and thunder about 3AM. I tossed and turned for a while with Ria sleeping next to me, but finally got up around 3:30 to cook breakfast: an omelet replete with curry and garlic baked ground turkey, cheese, tomatoes and hot sauce. And coffee. A tasty but very early start to the day.

I checked my A Course in Miracles daily lesson. In recent days I have discovered that the entire Course -- text, workbook for students and manual for teachers -- is online. It is amazing how the Internet has extended the distribution and awareness of the Course so far beyond what the printed book could ever have hoped to accomplish. I have also discovered several excellent teachers and mentors who help all of us studying the Course penetrate its often dense and difficult content. At some point I'll post my favorite links to those resources. After all, this blog is called "Adventures in the Dream" because of influence from the Course.

One can only watch so much Fox News, so around 4AM I decided to go for a ride to see what of interest is in the neighborhood. The answer: everything one could ever want. It's a shopping mecca. There's an HEB Super grocery store (similar to Winco in the Northwest, but even more upscale), Lowes, Target, every kind of restaurant imaginable and retailers to satisfy anyone's need for virtually anything. It was nice to be the only car on the road at that early hour so I could amble around to check things out. No doubt: people in this area have all the "shopping infrastructure" one could hope for.

Normally Ria does not go to the dog park on weekends. It tends to be crowded, I was told, and there is always a concern about less socialized dogs, aggressive dogs, etc. But we took a chance and left about 7:15. As we arrived Ria's two dog pals were just leaving, so we had the entire park to ourselves for about 30 minutes.

Later a woman showed up with a small dog, which she kept in the "Small Dog Area" of the park. A fence separates the small and large dog areas, but that didn't stop her dog and Ria running the length of the fence, back and forth again and again, for about 10 minutes at top speed as if they were having a foot race to see who could get to the end faster. So after all, Ria got some good exercise. She also seemed intrigued by the standing water left from all the rain.

2012-02-03T15:03:00.002-05:00

Allan wrote...

I woke up around 5AM for some reason. By 7:15 Ria and I were in the car heading for the dog park. As usual her two friends arrived at about the same time. The dog park has plenty of trees and the dogs never fail to find squirrels to harass. Today was no different. They spent most of their time barking and jumping as if they could snatch the squirrel from the treetops.

The park also has what appears to be a tree house built just a few feet off the ground with a ramp leading to what looks like a dog house. Jim, the owner of Ria's dog friends, interrupted the three dogs barking with the call, "Dog House!" All three came racing to the dog house, ran up the ramp and got ready for the treats Jim had for them.

That's Ria on the right with her pals.

San Antonio gets its water from the Edwards Aquifer. I had heard people talk about the aquifer water level as if it was as common a topic as the weather. "I haven't checked the aquifer level today..." for example.

A quick search reveals the Edwards Aquifer is 3,600 square miles of carbonate limestone underground that captures water as it runs over an 8,000 square mile area. It has the capacity to feed San Antonio some 13.6 million gallons of water daily, making it one of the most productive artesian aquifers in the world, according to www.edwardsaquifer.net. Apparently there are about 92 wells that tap into the aquifer to provide water to the San Antonio area. The water level in Bexar county is known as "J-17." Its depth is measured daily. I noticed yesterday it was at about 658 feet. The measured levels correspond to how drought conditions and watering restrictions are managed in the area. It is supposed to rain today and Saturday. In fact, there is a flash flood watch in effect from 8 PM through Saturday morning for Bexar County. Texas has had much drought, so this rain is welcomed.

In fact, Jim told me today that San Antonio had several weeks of temperatures last summer when the high temp for the days did not fall below 105-degrees. Doesn't sound like Becky and I will be settling permanently in Texas! Just a bit too warm for us.

2012-02-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

Allan wrote...

Tuesday...I'm on the way to San Antonio via Interstate 10. There is a an 18-mile stretch of elevated highway between Lafayette and Baton Rouge known as the Atchafalaya Swamp Freeway. It goes over the Atchafalaya River, across the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge and the adjacent swamps. It crosses the Mississippi River at the Horace Wilkinson Bridge.

Interstate 10 from Hammond/New Orleans area to Baton Rouge

Just a few hundred feet of an 18-mile long
"elevated highway" (aka bridge). Note the
swampy bayou between the two bridges.

It's quite an amazing piece of engineering. There are actually two, 2-lane bridges: one Eastbound, the other Westbound. Each is held up by thousands of huge concrete and steel pylons. There is very little berm, so any traffic incident could result in hours of delay while the wreck is cleared. On the map you'll see Interstate 10 running just south of Lake Pontchartrain, through Metairie and over to Baton Rouge.

A bit further along, in Baton Rouge, the Wilkinson Bridge spans the Mississippi River. It too is quite a piece of work. Here's a snapshot courtesy of Wikipedia.

Horace Wilkinson Bridge, built in 1968.

After leaving Georgia, traveling through Alabama, a snippet of Mississippi and, now, Louisiana, I was happy to see the Welcome to Texas - Drive Nice, Texas Style sign. I had been driving for several hours with an outside temperature around 72 degrees. There was no need for air conditioning, so I just drove with the fresh air filling the car. After a while, though, I did start to feel like it would be a good idea to find a place to stop and freshen up, change clothes and be presentable when I arrived at the final destination and met the folks for whom I'd be house sitting.

It turned out that Sealy, TX has America's Best Value Inn - Garden Lounge. I got some fresh clothes from the suitcase, my toothbrush, toothpaste and headed for the front desk. A polite young man agreed that I could use their restroom to freshen up. Hmmm. Did you ever try to wash your hair with that lavatory soap that comes out like a foam...in a tiny sink...to rinse it with hands-full of water...then only to discover that the "touchless" paper towel dispenser is also "paperless" and out of paper? Hmmm. Well, the shirt I had just taken off worked well as a towel, and I left feeling refreshed and at least somewhat presentable.

America's Best Value Inn. Actually a very nice, rather upscale
but reasonable ($60/night) hotel. The paper towel issue
wasn't a reflection on the hotel. In fact, it kind of made
me laugh at the way unexpected details surface.

The trip through Houston was rain-filled. I got off the Interstate for about 30 minutes to let the worst of the storm subside, then continued on toward San Antonio. A multi-car wreck in San Antonio added another 30-minute delay as hundreds of cars in each direction waited while emergency personnel cleared the crash scene. I counted 11 emergency vehicles on the scene and saw three vehicles being towed away. None appeared to be devastatingly smashed, so hopefully everyone survived.

Arriving at the destination I met Ryan, the homeowner and Ria, his Australian Cattle Dog mix. She's extremely well-trained and became an instant friend. Today, Wednesday, Ryan took Ria and me to the local dog park -- a daily routine. Ria ran like the wind and found two of her best dog friends there to play with, squirrels to bark at and generally had plain old dog fun.

Ryan said DNA tests on Ria showed signs of wild Aussie dingo,
hound and Cattle Dog. Her disposition is excellent and she does many
"tricks" that I'm eager to see up close later today.