Keeping Jesse Busy

New Years Camping

2012-01-25T19:37:00.001-05:00

Well after a fun New Years camping with Joaquin and Karen last year, Jesse and I go it alone again.

We booked a great park in Sebring called Highland Hammock State Park.

The only down fall was how close the sites were to one another.

Luckily we didn't have anyone on the other side of us.

We arrived on Saturday and set up camp. We ate lunch at the picnic area and then set off with the dog and completed 5 hikes for the day.

We also visited the CCC Museum. There were so many interesting facts about what went on during the Great Depression.

After dinner we sat in on a campfire with stories about the boys of the CCC. I learned so much that night. Capone curled up in my lap and slept since it was past his bedtime.

The next day we started out early and completed 2 hikes before catching our tram ride through the hidden parts of the Park.

We spotted 4 Gators, turtles, Several different birds which included a red tail hawk.

After the tram ride we headed back to the camp site to complete our final trail in the park.

Capone kept up with us everywhere we went.

We went outside of the park for dinner at the sunset grill which was on the lake.

We drank Margaritas and Pinacolada's while eating a great burger.

Monday we packed up and went back to our favorite trail before leaving the park.

The holidays of 2011

2012-01-05T18:41:00.001-05:00

Now that everything has settled down I can finally post the last two trips.

In November Jesse and I headed to North Carolina and Tennessee to see my family.

We drove friday night and stopped over in Savannah for the night.

The next morning we drove to Congaree National Park.

This park reminded me of the Florida Everglades but without the alligators.

We set off on the Oakridge trail which was 7.5 miles. We made good time stopping only once for lunch.

Capone dined on peanut butter since we forgot to bring him a snack.
After hiking we were back in the car and drove to my moms house in Newport Tennessee.

The next day mom and Ricky took us into Knoxville for the Craft Fair. Such amazing artists!! The ride home was great going through the Smoky Mountains.

Then we stopped in Gatlinburg and walked around before having dinner in Pigeonforge.

On Monday Capone met his first cow in the morning then we met my Dad and Wanda in PigeonForge and went to the zoo..

I always love seeing the animals but it also makes me sad that they are locked up.

We did a little shopping and then lunch at Fudruckers.

Tuesday we drove to Canton to see my Dad and Wanda.

We took the afternoon to ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway stopping for a hike.

Wednesday we went to Dupont State park and hiked several trails.
We started with the Triple Falls Trail and then further down we walked the High Falls Trail.

Thursday was Thanksgiving with lots of family and food.

I think I ate way too much but I had the best time... I just wish I lived closer to everyone.

On our last day we headed to Asheville and the Artists District.

We spend several hours walking around the warehouses and looking at all the artwork.

I don't think we hit them all but we came pretty close.

We had a great lunch at a Mexican Restaurant before walking around the downtown area.

I can't wait to do it again!!

Another vacation in Marco Island/Naples

2011-10-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

So after a fun and frantic Wyoming vacation we had a semi relaxing Marco Island vacation. The condo we stayed at was in the middle of the Everglades.

We took a hike at the Thousand Islands. The view was great but the mosquitoes ate us alive... I don't think I've seen Jesse run that fast in a long time.

After that we spent the day at the beach on Marco and drank wine at sunset.

Day 3 was a drive into Naples.

We walked around downtown and did some shopping, grabbed some lunch and yes once again drank beer at the beach.

The Pelicans were out in full force doing some fishing.

Day 4 we watched a few movies took a walk on the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk.

We didn't see any gators on this one but we did spot a Bald Eagle in her nest.

We lounged at the pool for the rest of the day.

Day 5 it was back to the beach in Marco.

We found some free parking at a resort that had a great pool, jacuzzi and a bar right on the beach.

We drank beer and swam for most of the day and took in the sunset again with the swarms of birds.

Day 6 our final full day I had filled with some adventure.

We spent the afternoon eating lunch and walking the 2.25 mile boardwalk at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

I definitely want to do this again... It was incredibly beautiful. A nice long soak was in order at the gym before heading out for the evening.

We jumped on the Naples Bay water shuttle. They had the cheapest drinks on board while people got on and off stops.

We ended up getting out at The Dock restaurant and having dinner.

The next day we headed home and back to work...

Family Reunion and National Parks Trip

2011-09-24T16:09:00.000-04:00

I was reminded by someone tonight who shall remain nameless (the person I started this blog to keep busy) that I have not updated the blog in a while.

The family reunion was July 16th at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. My Dad and Rinah joined us.. We also shared a house with Joaquin, Karen and Pam.

We spend 2 days lounging in the hot pool and Rafting down the river. It was so much fun!! I loved catching up with Jesse's family and seeing Idaho.

On the 18th we headed to Yellowstone National Park. We spent 3 days there seeing as much as possible. I don't think I took a breath.
Dad complained that I left him in the dust the whole time.

Which of course I did but I knew we might never see such beautiful places again.

We set up our campsite in Canyon which ended up being in the middle of a park that's the size of a state.

So many amazing sites and animals to see..
We did a lot of hiking which ended up with hail raining down on Rinah and myself.

After Yellowstone we headed to the Grand Tetons.

I really thought Yellowstone could not be beat but Pam told me otherwise and I'm glad I cut out one of our Yellowstone days to spend time here in this park.

Wow!! is all I can say.

I think that in all the hiking I have ever done in any park just doesn't come close to the hike I did near Jenny Lake.

Around every corner was something completely different to see.

The water, the mountains and the Moose!!!!

Yep... The moose were my favorite....

We had a pretty primitive campsite in Gros Ventre. I was told is was not as popular than the others but I loved it!

We were only 10 min from Jackson Hole so we walked around the town and took it all in.

I could talk on and on about this amazing trip but we have another trip around the corner so I will save some talking for later...

Visiting Oregon..

2011-06-04T10:08:00.071-04:00

Oregon was such a beautiful place.. I hope that we are able to go back one of these years and take in some more of the wonderful sights. The first day was spent trying to do some hiking but the weather set us back a bit. So we decided to see a cute town called Silverton. We walked around a little while and then set off to the wineries.

First stop was pudding river wine cellars. This was my favorite of the two places we stopped at.. We tasted 8 of their best wines and I took one home with me.

The next stop was Piluso winery which was a really cute place. We tasted 6 of their best wines and gave a lot of attention to their furry greeter.
On Monday we drove to the coast and through the beautiful town of Lincoln city. Stopping at the devils punch bowl and feeding the squirrels.

Then we drove to Newport where we had lunch at Moes on the water.

The sea lions were out in full force entertaining everyone. Joaquin tempted the crew into doing a tour at the rogue brewery and then we proceeded to taste as much beer as we could.

Tuesday we went back out to do the waterfall hike and saw 10 of the most beautiful waterfalls. Most of them you could walk behind and feel the spray.

The hike was 9.5 miles and we were very tired afterwards.

The four of us, Rinah,Skyler,Karen and myself stopped for food at the wooden nickel in Sublimity.

Wednesday we did a driving tour with some lunch...
The rest of the day was spent catching up with grandma.

Thursday a few of us walked around downtown Salem.

We stopped at city hall, drank some coffee in a really cute place and did some shopping. Afterwards we ate at an Indian buffet.

Friday our last day we went to a cook out at mike and suzys house.

We did a lot of eating and a lot of drinking.

Saturday Jesse and I flew to Utah for his cousins wedding before heading home on Sunday. I was able to meet Capones future girlfriend Molly at his aunt and uncles house. More vacations to come....

Our own island..

2011-03-31T21:19:00.000-04:00

We started this trip intending to camp at Jonathan Dickenson State Park. The day was beautiful but our site was barren. No trees, no grass and all gravel. Jesse, Lisa and I decided to have lunch, explore and then go home.

Then something wonderful happened and we got a phone call to go camping with some of our other friends on the boat. So we headed to Jensen Beach.

Rob and Michelle picked us up at the dock and we headed to one of the small islands in the intercoastal just outside of Jensen Beach.

Others were already set up when we got there but I think we got the best part of the island.

We set up camp and realized that the zipper on our tent broke. No big deal. We put the tarp over the front and had a flap for an entrance.

There was plenty of wildlife, birds, starfish and dolphin.

The water was beautiful and the drinks were flowing..

The puppy was having the time of his life.

The girls went exploring to the other side.

Michelle was swinging on the rope with the kids.

We drank so much and started crashing the rest of the parties on the island.

The sunset was amazing!!
Once the dark was upon us we then realized that the place had rats... Thank god for my ratter Capone who kept watch of our doorway.

He managed to keep them all away from our tent. We had an awesome time and hopefully we will visit a different island without rats next time...

Taking a trip down the Tamiami Trail..

2011-03-13T21:06:00.000-04:00

A bit of a history lesson on the Tamiami Trail.

Construction on the north–south section was begun in 1915. The east–west portion was originally called the Miami-Marco Road. The following year, Miami’s Capt. James Franklin Jaudon first proposed a road connecting Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts with an eye on developing his properties in the Everglades. While a 1927 Rand McNally map indicated the southern terminus to be Fort Myers, US 41 signs were already up on the completed segment (south to Naples) in late 1926; US 94 signs made their appearances when the final section was completed in April 1928. The Tamiami Trail took 13 years, cost $8 million US, and used 2.6 million sticks of dynamite in its construction. The Tamiami Trail officially opened on April 25, 1928.

So with that being said we decided to see all there is to see on the Tamiami Trail. We also decided that we were going to skip the section between Tampa and Naples. Since there is not much to see except built up shopping malls.

So we began the trip on Saturday morning early in Naples just outside of Marco Island. Our first stop was the Collier-Seminole State Park. We stopped to see the existing Bay City Walking Dredge which was used to build the Tamiami Trail.

The visitor center was closed but it was a beautiful building. We then walked to see the Collier Monument. Barron Collier donated a portion of his land to the county. He owned a million acres of florida swamp. Here is where he is remembered.

We walked the 2 mile Hammock trail before heading out for our next stop which was the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in the Facahatchee Bay. Jesse was taking donations instead of giving..lol Just kidding..

The board walk was long and had huge Cypress trees with bald eagles, birds

and Gators that lived all along the walk.

Our next stop was the Gulf Coast visitor Center in Everglades City. They also had a Boardwalk of their own...

We saw crabs, Alligator and a Manatee. Unfortunately I could not get a picture of that but it was really cool.

Moving further South we stopped to see the smallest Post office in the world which is in Ochopee,FL.

We stopped for lunch at Joanies Blue Crab Cafe. Very expensive but the food was great. We dined on blue crab cakes, gator, shrimp, Indian Bread and washed it down with a cold beer.

After lunch we stopped in at the Skunk Ape Headquarters to take a look around. The owner was there to tell his tales of his last Skunk Ape sightings..

Moving along now.. A quick stop at the H.P Williams roadside Park for a quick look at what their boardwalk had to offer. There were gator, and birds and some beautiful trees.

So far it had been quite a long day and taken alot more time than we had originally expected. One more stop was made at the Clyde Butchers Galleries.His photographs are amazing and I wish I could afford one of my own.

What a perfect end to our day.

The property was beautiful.. Filled with gators and so many different species of birds like the Blue Heron, Egrets and Ibis.

The sights were amazing and I wish I had a really great camera with attachments to capture it all.

We ended the day in Little Havana in Miami for dinner at Versailles. Standing next to an old time Cadillac.

Well we plan on returning to finish everything we missed. So the trail will continue another time...

A little late but this was camping at Koreshan

2011-02-20T11:52:00.001-05:00

Our new years camping trip was back at Koreshan for a second time.
I loved it again!!
Jesse, Karen and myself all traveled together with the dogs.

Joaquin met up with us after his work shift was done.

Once the camp was all set up we drove over to lovers key where they had a dog beach next door. The dogs had a blast!!

When we came back Joaquin pulled up and the party was on. We celebrated new years in a drunk and loud way!

Next morning hangovers and all we hiked the trail in the park and took in the history of Koreshan.
The old buildings were still there and we learned about the community and how the Koreshans lived.

After that we had a nap and got ready for a star gazing lesson at the camp fire.
Everyone got a look through the telescope at the star formations that night.. It was early to bed.

After packing up in the morning we drove to Naples for a walk around the town and some lunch.

We drove home after that... I am now working on the next camping trip for this year.

Last Minute Cruise...

2010-12-26T16:40:00.002-05:00

We just got back from our first cruise and on day 16 I still have land sickness. From everything I read this is normal for some people. Jesse has been fine only after 2 days but I'm on day 21 and still a little dizzy.

Thanks to uncle Mike we booked the Norwegian Pearl for 7 days. On the first day we hit the food, pool Jacuzzi and the Casino.

We won dinner for 2 at one of the pay restaurants and saved it for the end of our cruise. Our day at sea we relaxed by the pool, worked, played bingo and watched a show.

On the 3rd day we docked in Honduras. We decided on zip lining with the beach for our excursion. It was so much fun.

They also had monkeys running around everywhere.

Once on the ship it was time for heavy drinking gambling and more shows. The food was awesome!!

Day 4 was the Mayan ruins of Altun Ha. Our tour guide was excellent.

He knew the history of everything and shared amazing stories with all of us.

We stopped for a local beer on our way to the ruins and a little beer for the way back.

We were just a few blocks from the ship when our van broke down.

They sent a new one out right away to pick us all up and we made it back with time to spare.

On day 5 we stopped at Costa Maya, Mexico. I think this was my favorite day laying on the beach and swimming in the crystal clear water.

We were greeting by Jaime who owned the bar where we were lounging.

We had yummy fish tacos and beer all day and relaxed.

We came back to the ship feeling renewed.

Our day at sea was spent playing Bingo, laying by the pool, eating, more eating, drinking.. ect.

Day 7 we were at my home away from home in Key West.

We stopped at the Little White House, walked past Hemingway's house and had a few beers and conch fritters at the Hogs Breath.

We celebrated our last night with bottle of champagne.

Jesse says a sad goodbye with a bagel and a big heaping pile of lox.

Another great vacation..

2010-10-01T20:02:00.000-04:00

Camping at Shenandoah National Park was amazing.. After getting our rental car at Washington Dulles airport we drove 2 hours to our campsite.
We stayed at Big Meadows where the deer were all around.
We did a full 2 days of hiking. We did see a momma bear and her cubs but I failed to get any pictures because of the low light in the woods.

The first hike I think was one of our best. This one was called bearfence trail and it's near the place that we actually saw the bear. It was near Lewis Mountain and this trail was unique because you had to climb the rocks to get through. It's was challenging but very cool.

Our second trail was near Skyland and was called Stony man trail.
The views were amazing....

The final trail of the day before a late lunch was in the same area and called White Oak Canyon trail and had a waterfall at the end of it.

It was very pretty but the waterfalls were very dry this time of year.

We had a bagged lunch and beer to celebrate surviving our first day.

On our way back to the site for much needed showers we stopped at Crescent Overlook for a little peek.
Once we were showered and fed we stopped at the lodge for a game of cribbage and some entertainment at the pub. The beer was excellent!!

Day 2 of hiking was even longer. We spend this final day doing all the trails near Big Meadow.
It was so foggy that we couldn't see 2 feet n front of us so we decided to have some coffee at the lodge.

Once it cleared our first trail was called the Lewis Falls Trail.

After this 3.3 mile hike we ate some lunch and went to the visitor center to view the meadow.
A short nap was had and then it was off to do the Dark Hollows Fall trail.

This was the best waterfall in the park.
The last trail was the Big Meadow trail which was the easiest.

Day 3 we headed out to Herndon,VA to check into our hotel.
We relaxed the rest of the day to get ready for days of walking through the city.

Day 4 was our museum day in DC..

We spent the morning at the Holocaust Museum, the afternoon at the American History Museum and then the National Archives Building.

On day 5 we took a morning White House tour.

The tour was of the East Wing. Our next stop was the Supreme Court Tour and lecture.
We had the best lunch there in the cafeteria...

We finally arrived at the Capitol and was able to sit in while the House was in session and the Supreme court where Al Franken was the president for the day.

Our last day in DC we spent the day at the memorials.

Washington Monument, World War II, World War I, Korean War, Lincoln and the Vietnam Memorial.

Now I need a vacation from my vacation...

Never stop exploring where you live..

2010-09-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

Saturday was family day at the historic Bonnet House in Ft. Lauderdale.

I have always wanted to check it out but the prices are normally too high. This Saturday it was half price so how could you go wrong?

The place is really old but has a lot of history behind it. It is 35 acres of beautiful property in the middle of an over built Ft. Lauderdale.

Hugh Taylor bought 3 miles of property in Ft. Lauderdale in 1895. He gave 35 acres to his daughter Helen and her husband a famous artist Frederick Bartlett in 1919.

But in 1925 Helen died from breast cancer.

Frederick did not return to the house until 1931 after he married Evelyn Lilly.

They returned every winter until Frederick died in 1953. Evelyn continued to stay in the house until she was no longer able to travel in 1993.

Before she died in 1997 Evelyn gave the Bonnet House to the Florida Trust of Preservation.

There are 11 Costa Rican squirrel monkey still on the property and we were told 4 of them are pregnant. Hopefully they will continue to run the place...

Key Largo Day trip..

2010-08-16T20:56:00.001-04:00

We decided to spend the day in Key Largo with some friends, Renauri and Altair.

The wine and seafood fest was going strong so we booked a 2 course dinner which was paired with wine and a sunset cruise.

We spent the afternoon at Harry Harrison Park since John Pennekamp turned us away.. lol

They were full and directed us toward the park down the road. It ended up being unique with all the rocks. The ocean felt like bath water but the drinks were plentiful and we snacked while relaxing.

We ended up at the Pontunes Tiki Bar for dinner. The food and wine were excellent! On our way to the boat we ran into a huge Mastiff that lounged around the dock.

The sunset sail was great and the weather held up for us all day....

Falling behind..

2010-08-04T20:10:00.000-04:00

I have been falling behind on my blogging.. We spent 4th of July on Delray Beach listening to blues bands and knocking back several drinks.

It rained most of the day but Lisa and Tim managed to meet us there and the fireworks were good.

I also turned 40 in July. Jesse and Lisa surprised me with a Birthday party at Mellow Mushroom.

Everyone was there and I was very surprised.

Joaquin, Karen, Renauri, Altair, Tana, Barbra, Tim, Rick, Jill, Lauren, Lisa, Heather, Ben, Carolyn, Caleb and of course the love of my life all made my birthday a great one..

The drinks were flowing and the cake Barbra bought was awesome!!

Great weekend!

2010-06-13T09:34:00.000-04:00

Friday night we had dinner at the knife restaurant with friends. It's a Argentinian Steak House which includes a bottle of wine per person. I'm getting too old to drink that much anymore and paid dearly the next morning.. lol

Saturday I drove to Stuart to reconnect with the family I grew up with that I have not seen in 12 years or more. I had such a wonderful time catching up. I hope to stay more connected now that we are older and hopefully life will not pull us in our own directions again. I can't wait to spend more time together in the future..

A week of relaxing..

2010-05-23T19:31:00.023-04:00

Jesse and I vacationed for a week on Marco Island. We rented a condo on the beach with incredible balcony views. We stayed at the Apollo where we had 1 bedroom with a kitchen and everything we needed to cook with.. The closet was filled with beach chairs, umbrellas and beach toys.

The wildlife on the Gulf side is very different than the east coast of Florida. Plenty of dolphins in the water everyday. The pelicans were out diving for food and the stingrays would jump up out of the water now and again. The beaches are filled with lots of shells and we collected quite a few.

We drove to a little place called Goodland and enjoyed some live music and Happy Hour.

Our days were spent at the beach, pool, hot tub and the happy hour downstairs in the building. We rode our bikes a couple of days and I read 3 books.

We drove out to the Isle of Capri and had lunch at the Pelican Bay one afternoon. The food was ok but I liked the view on the water.
On our last night we decided to have the all you can eat seafood buffet at the Snooks Inn. I think I ate way more crab legs than I needed but they were really good. On the day we left we had breakfast at Breakfast Plus and it did not disappoint.....

Another trip to Orlando..

2010-04-25T13:03:00.022-04:00

Once again we head for the parks. This time it's Epcot the first day and Hollywood Studios on the second day. I'm sad that my 4 day pass had to end.

In Epcot we searched for the hidden Mickeys and probably only found a few.. I need to check on that. All the rides were fun but the beer was better. Also Jesse used his booze belly that I bought him and we brought in some Vodka. Mixed drinks were plentiful all weekend.

We saw a show in China, tried on hats in Mexico, ate lunch in Morocco, had desert in France, received a great work out pushing Karen up and down the hills near France and finally got too tired to ride anything else.. lol

Hollywood Studios was lots of fun. We rode the Rockin Roller Coaster 3 times and the Tower of Terror twice. We have a roller coaster picture which came out pretty good since we used our camera to capture it from the screen. I think I bruised Jesse's arm on the Tower of Terror.

We captured Darth Vader outside of the Star Wars ride.

The Indiana Jones show was great and so was the Extreme Stunts Show. The only thing I missed was the Toy Story ride which was almost an hour and a half wait. Great weekend overall.... Love Jesse with the Barrel of Monkeys...

Jesse's first trip to Disney World..

2010-03-21T09:49:00.031-04:00

Well after 5 years or more of begging and pleading we finally decided to visit the Disney parks. They were running a really good deal for Florida Residents so we decided to take it. This weekend we spent one day in the Magic Kingdom and one day at the Animal Kingdom.
The Magic Kingdom was packed...

We started out in Frontier Land since that area has the most popular rides. Jesse and Joaquin on Splash Mountain..

Karen and I in Piglets house..

The boys are having fun racing in the cars.

On our second day we were surrounded by animals. I had never been to this park before so I was excited.. We raced to Africa first for the Safari ride. I have to say that it's better than the Safari ride in Busch Gardens. The tree of life was amazing but we will get back to that.

We rode the water ride and the roller coaster in Asia which was great.

There were several walking trails with different animals to see.

I highly recommend the Dinosaur ride for a good scare.

I wish we had that picture of Joaquin and Karen screaming while Jesse and I kept our cool... lol

We caught the parade which was really cute.

You must see the 3D movie a bugs life. It's located in the tree of life and I was just amazed by the detail of the tree. See pictures.... Well until next time....

Recap on Jan and Feb

2010-03-09T06:19:00.016-05:00

Jan was Joaquin and Karen's wedding for those of you who don't know Joaquin is Jesse's brother. The house was full of family and a great time was had by all... The bathroom fell apart but that's a story for a different day. We are still working on it.
Feb my dad came for a visit.

Jesse surprised me with a special Valentines Day trip to the zoo which was so much fun.

There was a Toga Party thrown by Lisa for Tim's 40th Birthday. I was able to catch up with so many childhood friends and hope to see them more often.
We spent a day at Renfest which is always a good time.

Also Jesse and I have fixed up our bikes and will now be biking to the beach more often. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.. lolol Sorry for such a short recap. There will be more adventures to come. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Camping for the New Year

2010-01-09T08:49:00.022-05:00

This year we camped at Bahia Honda. The park is located just south of Marathon Key in the Florida Keys. The first day was sunny and warm and the island was beautiful. They said no dogs at the shore line but of course we had to break some rules. Capone loves to play in the water. After we set up camp we started to explore our side of the island and went for a swim with the dog. After a little dinner we set off to explore the other end of the island where the old Flagler railroad was built.

It was destroyed in a 1935 hurricane.

The sunset was amazing and Capone made a friend.

On the second day we set off for Key West.

We walked the island and had drinks at the Hog's Breath Salon. Jesse ate the biggest oysters I have ever seen while we both put back several beers. We wandered our way over to El Siboney for lunch and had the best Cuban food. We eventually headed back to our campsite after everyone was tired. We enjoyed a colder night at the site and headed back home in the morning. We definetely would like to go back to this camp site again.

Christmas is upon us....

2009-11-29T10:26:00.003-05:00

Well we made it through Thanksgiving with some weight gain and hoping that it ends there.. We went to Tim and Lisa's for Thanksgiving this year and hope to return to see my Dad and mom next year. We have been keeping ourselves busy with wine festivals, art festivals and other assorted activities. I haven't been taking any pictures but will try to improve on that. I see that all my blogger friends have not updated in a while as well. We still have an upcoming camping trip for New Years and the beer fest this weekend. I promise to bring the camera along and capture all the drunk people. I will exclude myself of course... lol Jesse's mom is doing well and back at work since last week. We will see the whole family soon for the wedding in January. Well I am off for now but will try to do a better job..

A lot has happened...

2009-10-09T12:36:00.016-04:00

Well since the last post we did go on another vacation to Mammoth Caves and soon after Pam was really sick and in serious condition in the hospital. The boys went out to stay with her and lots of other relatives came out as well. I am actually writing from Pam's house.. I'm here for a few weeks to look after her while working remotely. She is improving by leaps and bounds with each passing day. It looks as though she will make a full recovery...

Our trip to Mammoth Caves was great even though Pam was in the beginning stages of Pneumonia. My dad came to meet us in Nashville and the 4 of us stayed with aunt Sherry.

Our cabins were very quaint and very rustic. The first day we took a 2 hour tour and relaxed in the cabin with lots of beer.

Our second day we took a 4 hour trip and stopped for lunch in the cold cavern. It was something to see and we enjoyed the experience.

There were deer right outside the cabin every morning.

On our last day we did several hikes above ground and saw the Green River and of course more deer.It was a great time.. I am looking forward to returning to Florida next Sat and seeing Jesse finally after 3 weeks. Miss you!!!!

Vacation 2009 all over the place...

2009-09-03T17:37:00.048-04:00

Ok I know it's been a while. Of course my cousin Steve reminds me of this so I must not disappoint.

Our trip started in Albuquerque where we stayed with Jesse's mom and drove out the next day to Colorado. On our way we stopped at the Aztec Ruins and had a picnic lunch.Back on the road we stopped in Durango and had some coffee while we checked out the town. Finally we made it Ouray around 4:30 to see my friends Lora and Steve at their Chalet. We had enough time to hike to Box Springs before dinner.

Thank you Steve for the great tour!! Dinner at Papillon which was some of the best Cajun cooking around.The next day was the jeep ride to the top of The Alpine Loop. I could be wrong about this. We saw several mining sights and went over the 12,000 foot mark. Thank god Lora was driving because I had to keep my eyes closed since the road was narrow with a steep drop off. That night we ate at the Beaumont hotel. Great appetisers and drinks. We then went to this great hamburger place and had the best burger and fries. The name of the place complete slips my mind.

Next day we head back to Albuquerque for some rest. On the 4th day we make our way to Jemez Springs. We stopped at a place on the side of the road for lunch where the women were making taco's. I can tell you that I didn't feel so good the rest of the day but good enough to drink wine.. lol Jesse went for a swim at the waterfall.. We also stopped at the Ponderosa Winery. We had a bit of wine tasting and I helped with the owners computer and scored myself a free bottle of wine. The wine was very good and I think I'll order some soon. On the porch there were hummingbirds every where.

Day 5 was back on the plane traveling to Seattle where Jesse's friend Steve picked us up and took us to Vancouver. I'm just realizing that I have mentioned 3 Steve's in this blog so far. LOL

Day 6 we hung out in the city, visited parks and walked around China Town for the day.

Next day we headed to Bowen Island for some bike riding and Kayaking.

Well the boys did a lot of drinking while Michelle and I did the Kayaking. We caught up and did a bunch of drinking after our kayaking.

Day 8 was early to rise to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island. We camped for 3 days in Little Qualicum Falls. Great place!!! As soon as everyone arrived everyone went to the river for a swim and of course crayfish hunting. They caught enough for everyone to have a taste.

Next day was a early morning hike to Qualicum Falls and various trails.

More swimming in the river. More trails for Rinah and I plus a group trip to Spider Lake. It was interesting but still not warm enough for me to swim.

Day 10 was a group trip to Cathedral Grove in the morning. It's a beautiful old growth forest. Once we finished the trails there we headed to Cameron Lake. It was amazing and yes you guessed it!! I did not swim... It looked inviting but I just could not do it. I think if I lived there I would eventually toughen up. After the Lake we went back to camp for some R&R. Later in the afternoon it was back in the car and out to Englishman Falls. The place was great and the water was so crystal clear. On our way back to camp we stopped in Coombs and stopped at the market called goats on the roof. They really had goats on the roof which was so weird and cool.Our last day we packed up and stopped in Coombs again for one more look at the goats. We headed to Victoria to finally catch a shower at Rinah's apartment of which I was eternally grateful.. lolol After Nadia arrived we all went out for dinner and then an evening walk on the water for sunset.

Day 12 was awesome. Nadia scored the 3 of us a free whale watching adventure. The best ever!! We saw Humpback whales, Sea Lions and Killer whales on our trip. We met Jeff (Jesse's Dad) for lunch afterward and walked around the town.

We stopped at Beacon Hill Park which of course is my absolute favorite. Later we had dinner at a great brewery called the Canoe. Great beer and I am craving more...

Our last day in Victoria we drove in the AM to East Sooke and did the coast trail.

We found some interesting sea life once we hiked to the water. Afterward we ate at the Cafe of which I don't remember the name once again. After a little swimming and hot tubing at the rec center we ate fish and chips at the house and had beer while we played Cranium.

Day 13 was sad because we had to start heading home and back to reality.. I'm ready to retire damn it!!!

Long time coming..

2009-07-08T16:22:00.017-04:00

It's been a while since I wrote in the blog.. Sorry everyone!! Since Rinah's visit Karen and Joaquin have come back home from a long 4 years in the Philippines.

Jesse had his back surgery, which was successful and he is doing great!!

Jesse and I have hit several wine tastings along with a really lame trip to the Miami Museum of Modern Art. The only good thing about it was the picture Carolyn and I took with Obama.. lolol
We went to the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art with Karen and I was able to get a picture before Jesse could protest..

July 4th was great.

The night before we hung out at the beach with Joaquin and Karen and listened to a blues band, went to a few cook outs on the 4th and watched the fireworks on Deerfield Beach. Most of the pictures are crappy but hopefully you will enjoy the videos..

A visit from Rinah..

2009-04-23T20:07:00.013-04:00

Rinah came to visit us after a week in Honduras. We were pleasantly surprised and I can't wait to visit her, Skyler and Nadia in August. Rinah's first day was at the pool hanging out with Jesse after he left a little early from work.
I had a half a day on Friday and already planned to go to the Delray Affair with my Dad. It worked out perfect to have Rinah and my Dad to hang out and shop all day with.. We tasted all the free food and drank a beer for lunch. After getting home Jesse cooked us a kick ass steak dinner and then we headed out for happy hour at the Cove. We took our drink and walked to the beach.

Saturday was beach day at Spanish River along with a Pickle Barrell sub. After getting home we showered and dressed.
A few snacks later and then we were off to a wine tasting. I came home with 3 bottles of wine. Sunday we hung out in downtown Ft. Lauderdale and walked along the river. We ran into a Turkish Festival so we stopped to enjoy the music and ate a pizza looking burrito which I think is called Alanazik. I'm not really sure about the name but I'm sure Rinah remembers. Dinner was had at a new place we found called Lime. The fish tacos were to die for...

We met Karen and the fam for dinner Tue night at Five Guys. Jesse took off of work to spend with Rinah on her last day and they spent it at the beach. Oh and we did get Rinah to try the best Cuban food around. We were all sad to see her go... See you soon Rinah and Sky!!

Morikami Museum and Japanese gardens

2009-04-04T15:53:00.027-04:00

It's that time of month again we we investigate a new Museum. This time we visited the Japanese Gardens with my dad.

Jesse sitting in the Bamboo
Grove.

The 3 Amigo's...

There were several rock gardens. The first one pictured with Jesse is the Early Rock Garden from the 14th century. It's created in a dry area where your imagination creates the water.
The second one is the Karesansui Late Rock Garden from the 16th to 17th century this was used in the Buddhist temples.

The third garden is called the Hiraniwa Flat Garden from the 17th to 18th century. This is a flat garden that makes use of plants material and has a stone pagoda.

There was also several water gardens along the way. The first is called the Modern Romantic Garden in the late 19th to 20th century.

The Koi like to gather at the Memorial Fall.
Over on this little island are several Bonsai Trees on exhibit. No make that about 40 bonsai trees. Jesse went a little overboard with the pictures so I will only pick one.

There was also a beautiful bridge. At the end of the walking tour which was about 1 to 2 miles of walking was the Morikami Falls.

After the walking tour there was an art exhibit that we were not able to take pictures of but I did sneak one of the Authentic Tea House.

A day in Miami..

2009-03-07T21:27:00.010-05:00

Jesse and I drove to downtown Miami and went to the Miami Art Museum. After a few hours there we headed to Bayside for some music, drinks and a game of Cribbage. If anyone is curious I beat Jesse.. LOL

One of the girls that Jesse works with gave us names of a few great Cuban Restaraunts in Little Havana. We ended up going to La Carreta for dinner. The food was amazing!! The we walked across the street to one of the other places Jenny recommended which was Versailles and had Tres Leche for desert and cafe con leche.

Pam's visit..

2009-03-02T17:20:00.015-05:00

We had a great weekend last weekend with my mother in law.. Yes I know we are not married but I get to keep Pam one way or another.. LOL
So to start with Jesse tore the MCL in his knee so he was not too mobile. Friday night we had dinner and sat around drinking wine.

Saturday morning we had to get Jesse some crutches so he could go places.

We had lunch at
the Deerfield Buffet, made some drinks and went to the pool for a little relaxation. I almost said Jesse made us dinner but no I made dinner. Now don't fall off your chair!! It was just pre-made turkey burgers. We played some games and watched a few movies.

Sunday she tried to sneak away from us but we held her captive for one more day.

We took her to the Jazz Brunch which she enjoyed. Had some lunch and yes!! More drinks!! The puppy came with us and enjoyed himself as well. Afterwards we stopped at the book store for some coffee and a sit by the water. This morning I dropped Pam off at the airport and I am hoping she made it since I have not heard from her yet...

Weekend in the Bahamas..

2009-02-18T06:27:00.015-05:00

Jesse and I headed to the Bahamas for Valentine's Day weekend. The island was really nice but I wish we had more time to explore it. The ship took off around 8:00am and I'm glad I listened to my girlfriend Lisa and reserved a cabin. It was so nice to go in and lay down when we were tired. The breakfast buffet was good. The gambling even better since we won 108.00 on Roulette.

We got to the island around 1:00 and by the time we checked into our hotel it was 4:00. The islanders are a little too laid back.. lol We headed over to the sister resort across the street for a free drink and then to the room for a little rest before dinner. We stayed at the Flamingo Bay. The rooms were really good for the price. Dinner was had around 6:00 which I must say was excellent. There were people dancing and having a great time at the bon fire on the beach. We joined everyone after dinner but ran back to the room to make our drinks with the rum we bought on the ship.

The next day we had breakfast and waiting for the rain clouds to pass by. We took a long walk on the beach which was beautiful. We caught a ferry to the Marketplace, shopped and ate lunch before catching the ferry back. We had to leave the hotel at 1:30 to get back on the ship. The boat did not leave until 5:00. On the way home we had the buffet dinner which was good. Unfortunately lots of people were sick due to the rocking of the boat. Once again.. Thank you Lisa for recommending we get a room..

Long winter for Florida..

2009-02-08T10:48:00.004-05:00

I think this is not only the coldest winter but one of the longest. I'm not complaining of course because I am happy to have the change. I'm becoming a little pasty from the lack of beach weather but that will end soon I'm sure.
January was a good month since Jesse and I had been hitting the gym heavily. This month started out a little rocky since I threw out my back but after a weeks rest I'm back in the game. Last weekend the poor dog had his shots and a micro chip put into him. I felt so bad because I know it was painful. At least I know if he ever gets lost we will be able to get him back. After the torture we went to the Riverfront in downtown Ft. Lauderdale and listened to the Jazz music. Capone seemed to enjoy himself.

Yesterday Jesse and I met a friend of his at the Science museum downtown. Bank of America is giving all their customers free entrance into several museums all around South Florida. This is happening once a month for 2009. After the science museum we had some lunch at the Briny on the water. We then walked to the Art museum and saw the exhibit 0f Pablo Picasso and Carlos Luna. Carlos was actually in the museum giving a talk. I thought the dogs on stilts were a bit strange so I had to sneak a picture.
That's about it right now for the updates. Pam will be coming into town at the end of the month so I will post something after that.

Camping with the puppy..

2008-12-28T10:30:00.024-05:00

So let me just explain that normally we go camping for New Years. This year we were forced to go during Christmas since we both have to work the day after New Years day. I have a picture of grumpy drinking his coffee..

Capone was lucky enough to join us on our Thanksgiving trip to the Smoky Mountains.

Since he was so good we decided to give him a try on a camping trip.

This year we went to Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka Florida. They had so many trails for hiking, biking and
horseback riding.

We decided to hike the White Blaze trail which took us almost all day. We saw so many different terrains in our 13.5 mile hike.

The dog surprised us by keeping up the whole way. He stayed right by our sides.

He did decide he wanted to roll in the mud to get cool. At night he kept quiet and slept so he has won himself a lifetime of us taking him on future camping trips.

The springs area was beautiful.

We had lunch by the springs and walked on the board walk before moving on to Sand Lake.
This was a really nice and quiet area. It was hard keeping Capone away from the water.

He wanted to go swimming and become gator bait.

We headed back home after that.

Next year I look forward to Joaquin and Karen joining us.. Mark your calenders guys!! New Years camping is back on in 2009!!

The Spirit of New Orleans..

2008-12-20T21:12:00.032-05:00

New Orleans is always a fun place to visit. The flights were tight so I sent Jesse ahead while I tried the next 3 flights for availability. I ended up getting there by 6:30 pm and Jesse had checked in and had wine waiting when I walked in the door. We listened to some great blues music that night. Sunday was spent riding the trolley through the garden district and stopping at the Audubon Park. From there we walked about 4 miles through the district looking at all the houses.

After a short rest it was off to the French Market and Jackson Square where the local artists sell their art.

A friend of mine told me to go to the Cafe Du Monde for Biegnets and coffee. I recommend it to everyone.
That night we hit Harrah's Casino and made 120 dollars on roulette. Feeling good we walked away and had dinner at ACME. After it was scary hurricane drinks and since we didn't remember much after that we have pictures to fill in the blanks. I guess I was playing the water glasses with Santa before getting back to the hotel.
Monday we walked around the water and spent some time at the cemeteries.

Lunch was spent at Johnny's eating the best Po Boys around. Tuesday came and even though I was exhausted I wanted to stay a little longer.

Let the holidays begin!!

2008-12-07T15:07:00.003-05:00

We finally got the lights out and set up the courtyard. We are ready for Christmas!!

Back to reality after a week of vacation..

2008-11-29T22:32:00.042-05:00

I don't know what it is but vacation goes by way too fast. Day 1 we left early on Saturday morning, stopping to see Savannah Georgia. It was a beautiful city with lots of little squares and old buildings and the cemetery looked more like a park. We arrived in Canton (near Asheville) around 6:45 pm at Wanda's house, who was nice enough to invite us up for the holidays.
Day 2 we drove to Grandfather Mountain with my dad to do some hiking and walk across the swinging bridge.

The blue ridge parkway was closed due to a rock slide so we didn't get to drive it.

We also stopped and hiked 3 miles to Linville Falls. The view was amazing with lots of snow on the ground.

Day 3 was our day in downtown Asheville. First stop was the Arts District where the local artists create and sell their goods. In the city we walked several blocks. We ate lunch and drank beer.
Day 4 we drove over the Smoky Mountains and did some hiking on the Tennessee side.

The hike was to Laurel Falls. The dog had a blast since we took him off the leash and let him hike the trail on his own. We arrived at my mom's house around 4:30 and relaxed for the day.
Day 5 my mom , Ricky, Jesse and myself walked through Gatlinburg and had lunch. We took the ski lift to the top of the mountain to take in all the wonderful views. After much shopping we drove through the park for a few hours and through Pigeon Forge.
Day 6 was Thanksgiving so lots of eating and being lazy along with a serious game of Monopoly. Wanda fixed a great Thanksgiving feast. Katie, her boyfriend and a few friends were there as well.

Day 7 we hiked through Chimney Rock and several trails.

We packed a lunch and ate by the falls. We decided to drive through Black Mountain and walk around this cute little town. Stopping only for a few brews and a few games of Foosball.
Day 7 was the long drive home....

Girls Day!!!

2008-11-08T11:07:00.007-05:00

At my place of work if you don't take all your time off you will lose it. So the girls decided to take a day off together. Brenda and I left the house early to meet Lisa at the beach. We had a extremely relaxing day considering none of us stopped talking for 5 hours straight.
We made a gallon of a alcoholic beverage and drank all day. We ate lunch at the patio bar on Deerfield Beach and had ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. This was a well deserved and relaxing girls day. I need to do this more often..

Our second Peace River trip of the year...

2008-10-21T09:14:00.019-04:00

Jesse's mom flew in for the trip and partnered up with my dad. Every trip seems to have a different group of people. Usually it's more women than men but, this time we had a huge group of guys. Most of them were people that Tim works with. I couldn't begin to tell you every one's name but I do remember a few. This group was alot of fun and I hope they join us for more trips.

The first day of paddling was great and one canoe capsized. It was hilarious except that they lost alot of food and drinks. Luckily everyone brought more than enough so no one went without... That night I had trouble sleeping and I was not the only one. There was snoring from at least 3 tents and it kept the raccoons away. I left a bag open with all the food in it and thought for sure it was going to be gone in the morning. Someone else left out steak on the picnic table and even that was still there in the morning.

I have a great picture of all the guys trying to fit 4 boats side by side under the bridge. I have to tell you it did not go so well... lolol The gators were also out in full force Sunday morning.My dad and Pam had such a great time that they will be there for the next one in March or April.

Our vacation continued...

2008-09-19T20:54:00.022-04:00

The rest of our vacation was just as good as the first part.. The boys attended a baseball game while the girls did some shopping. Afterwards everyone went to the Hard Rock to do a little gambling and have dinner.

After a little time at the home front we headed to Tampa. We set off on Monday and stopped at Billie Swamp Safari.

The air boat ride was good but our best alligator sighting was on the trail.
Another few hours and we were in Ft. Meyers, stopping for lunch at Hooters and then taking a dip in the Gulf of Mexico.Since some of us were burnt from our previous beach excursion we only stayed an hour which was more than enough time. Once in Tampa we checked into the hotel and jumped into the pool right away. If you have ever seen Jerry Springer then you will understand that a filming of the show could have been shot around the pool area.. Let's just say 2 hair weaves came flying off in the ordeal. We wandered into Ybor City for a little drinking and dinner. The Greek restaurant we found was fabulous!! The two for one Martinis were strong so I slept well that night. We spent all day in Busch Gardens and had a blast.. Several roller coaster rides and lots of free beer had everyone feeling great. It was an early night because we had to get up early to swim with the Manatees. The water ended up being murky but the girls had a great time playing with the manatees. The journey home was a long one but we ended our last supper at the Indian buffet. I just want to say thank you Steve, Michelle, Elan and Marielle for a great vacation. I hope to see everyone soon. Before I go I have to post my favorite Michelle picture... Fabulous shoes!!

The hurricanes have gone away...

2008-09-14T10:14:00.012-04:00

Good news is that everyone made it into the Ft Lauderdale airport and we are having a great vacation..First day we all jumped on the water taxi and took a tour of Ft. Lauderdale. Everyone enjoyed the all you can eat steak house at night. As you can see in one of my pictures I caught Elan in the act.. lololThursday we left the house early and headed to Key West. We made several stops along the way and enjoyed lunch at the Islandmorada Fish Company. Steve was feeding the birds while the staff fed the sharks. We finally made it to Key West... We had drinks in the room first and the girls left the boys for a little shopping before the sunset activities.We finished up and met the boys out and hit the bars. The next morning we woke with headaches and upset stomachs but managed to make it to Pepe's for breakfast. Michelle and Steve were not there because we were unable to wake them..
The rest of the day we rented bicycles and saw the rest of the island. We stopped at the Aquarium for a tour and to learn about the sea life. Before leaving we stopped at the Cuban restaurant for lunch. After coming home we showered, picked up Popeye's chicken and ate on Deerfield Beach.
Saturday was spent on Spanish River Beach having fun and getting too much sun. Elan the chef made an awesome dinner before we retired for the evening.. More to come!!!!!!!!

2008-09-07T08:42:00.007-04:00

Well looks like Ike will miss us by just a little bit and everyone will be able to fly in Tuesday night. It might be a little wet and rainy the first couple of days but after that it should be beautiful. I am hoping that Key West does not have any damage and that we are able to get down there without any problems.

Jesse went in Friday for his first Epidural and he is really sore. I could not resist but I have a picture of him in his gown before they stuck the needles in his back. Hopefully this will work for him. I am still unable to get my foot in a shoe but working on it.

Jesse and I hung out by the pool yesterday and Jesse found himself a friend. We have so many skinks and Iguanas that live by the pool. Jesse shared his PB and J sandwich with him so he hung out with us the rest of the day. Today we have Jesse's company picnic so that should be fun...

The Hurricanes are amoung us

2008-09-03T16:39:00.013-04:00

Just a little update on our hurricane situation.. Hanna is just east of us and if we are lucky it will only brush us late tomorrow. That's not the one that worries me. Ike is right behind Hanna and looks like it will be hitting Key West when we are suppose to be out there.
It's a little depressing when you have people that are coming in from out of town and hoping for the Florida sunshine. Worst case scenario, we postpone Key West and save it for later on in the week.
Tropical Storm Josephine looks to be curving off to the east so that is a good thing.

This past weekend we attended a cook out with a live Reggae band on Saturday. I was feeling pretty good that day and Capone had his fill of people food.
Sunday was a lazy day but Monday was a great beach day after the rains came through last weekend. Counting down the days to my vacation next week and I hope that everyone is well...

Getting lazy...

2008-08-07T14:36:00.003-04:00

I haven't had much to report since the surgery. The doctor says the only thing I am suppose to be doing is laying with my foot up. Everything is healing up well so hopefully I will be ok by September. I figured I would bring my foot cast with me to Busch Gardens so our group can get to the front of the line for all the rides... LOLOL

Jesse has been really great with taking care of me and picking up my portion of the chores. I am enjoying not driving for a little while anyway..

Shayna and Pat were here last week. We had a great visit with them and hopefully we will see them again soon for more Cribbage tournaments... The best was watching Shayna hum a tune while playing Cranium. I have to say it was the best laugh I have had in a while..

Hopefully I can return to the beach once again soon and maybe I will have some pictures to post for next time.

Hot sticky summer..

2008-07-18T11:09:00.010-04:00

Well so far this month we have been spending a lot of time at the beach. It's been too hot for anything else.

We had some fun watching the fire works on the 4th on Deerfield Beach. They had food, drinks and live bands playing most of the day. We also attended a Tom Petty concert which Jesse surprised me with for my birthday. He might be fugly but I love his music!! I have a few pics that I took from my phone. The pictures are not that great but you get the idea anyway.

Jesse is currently taking care of his herniated disc so hopefully he will heal up fast. It might take a while but we are hoping not to have him go in for surgery. I on the other hand will be having surgery on my foot next friday. I hope to see everyone's updates soon... HINT HINT to those of you not keeping up.. LOL Karen has been doing a great job by the way. Talk to everyone soon!!

Visiting Jesse's family in Utah and California

2008-06-27T20:59:00.022-04:00

We took our trip to Utah for the family reunion. It was nice to finally meet all of Jesse's relatives. Everyone was nice and they were lots of fun. Jesse, Pam and I stayed at Uncle Greg and Carol's house. What a great spot on the mountain side. The views were amazing and I would love to go back and stay longer next time. Jesse, Brent and myself went for a little hike up the mountain before getting to the reunion on Sat. The altitude just about killed me but it was really pretty and well worth it. At the reunion Grandma Shirley gave us some history of the family while

Pam and Linda sang. Afterward we all celebrated a few birthdays at Robin and Steve's while everyone swam in the pool. I had a great time for sure...

Sunday brought us to California where we visited Grandma Kline. I met the rest of the family on that side as well on this trip so I accomplished a lot. Sam, Chantille and the baby were there along with Shayna and her boyfriend. Rinah and Skyler I have waited forever to meet and I love them both. Most of our time was spent with grandma and having cribbage tournaments. We did manage to get out for a half a day to go to the Getty Museum and have some Tito's for lunch. I think I am still paying for it..... Hope you enjoy the pictures. Rinah, I need more stories!!! LOLOL

September Itinerary Draft

2008-06-16T19:17:00.010-04:00

For those who are coming to visit in September: Go ahead and add any comments for anything you want to change, add, or delete.

Tuesday PM: Arrive in Fort Lauderdale, relax, eat.

Wednesday AM: Day at local beach/pool
Wednesday PM: Cookout/local

Thursday AM: Key West - 4 hour drive. Sight see on the way.
Thursday PM: Sunset cruise/Duval Street/etc

Friday AM: Key West stuff.
Friday PM: Drive home, eat, go out if up to it.

Saturday AM: South Beach. 45 min drive
Saturday PM: Marathon/Miami/Coconut Grove, drive home.

Sunday AM: TBD. Local Beach/Pool/or Billy's Swamp Safari
Sunday PM: Marlins Game/ Hardrock Hotel/Casino. 30 min

Monday AM: Drive to West Coast, beach TBD. 2-3 hour drive
Monday PM: Drive to Tampa(1 hour), c hotel, dt Tampa.

Tuesday AM: Busch Gardens
Tuesday PM: Drive home. 4 hour Drive.

Wednesday: Day at local beach/pool/Fort Lauderdale

Memorial Weekend...

2008-05-26T15:16:00.015-04:00

Jesse and I did not go to St. Augustine due to some needed hours on Saturday at work. We still managed to have a great weekend.
After putting in a few hours at work we headed to the Discovery Museum to see the Frog Exhibit. They had frogs from around the world. All of which are becoming endangered. This event was followed by a 3D movie about the Ocean life in South Africa. We also went to see some gators and a Florida Panther at the Indian Reservation.There was still time to kill before dinner so Jesse climbed the rock wall in the Sawgrass Mills mall.
Dinner was at the Knife. This is the Argentinian Steak house that we love. All you can eat, a bottle of wine each and dessert for 27.00 per person. After dinner we went back to the mall to sober up before driving home... lol
Saturday was spent at the pool, watching a movie and then going to a block party at Lisa and Tim's house. More eating and drinking was done...
Tim had a huge foam board set up against the entire side of the house and everyone played Wii outside in the yard. Pretty cool!!! I'm not sure if we would enjoy it as much in the house.
Today has been lazy and relaxing and I am enjoying the time. My dad made breakfast for us this morning. We had BBQ at shorty's for lunch. This completes our weekend.
I can't wait to meet Rinah and Skyler in a few weeks since I missed them in Victoria. See you soon!!

Summer is here!!!

2008-05-18T21:15:00.005-04:00

I took a picture of our favorite beach at Spanish River. You can see why we love it..

We hung out at the beach from 9:30 to 1:00, we then left and headed to Deerfield Beach where there were a million people and parked to have some drinks and lunch. Pool playing was a must...

After that we headed home and went to the pool for an hour before heading in for the day.

Life as usual....

2008-05-14T16:10:00.002-04:00

There is not too much to report. Jesse and I have been spending most of our weekends at the beach. This weekend will be much of the same. We bought our beach pass for Deerfield Beach and I think it has paid for itself already. Deerfield is not the only place we are sunning ourselves... Spanish River in Boca is now one of our favorite beaches because it is so quiet. I don't know when Deerfield became so crowded but I miss the old quiet days.
I felt guilty all weekend leaving Capone at home so Sunday night we took him to the beach so he could dig in the sand and have fun as well.

We are looking forward to our vacations starting next month. I was hoping to get my foot surgery this year. Going to the doctor costs way too much money so foot surgery and surgery for my Cyst removal will have to wait. Not sure why I pay insurance since I am unable to afford to get anything done. I don't want to switch jobs just for better insurance but I am not sure what to do... I might have to sell off the furniture soon.

We are going to St. Augustine next weekend so I will have some pictures soon...

Going down the Peace River..

2008-04-20T18:45:00.025-04:00

There was lots of drinking and fun on the Peace River this year. Everyone showed up on time and we had everything hauled for us again which turned out nice. We had 6 canoes in all. We hooked together as one for a while so everyone could get a break. As you can see Jesse took full advantage of his break.. lol It looked a lot nicer than the last time we went. The trees have had time to improve since there have not been any hurricanes in a few years. We sobered up after we got there and had to set up camp.
This year we didn't have to get out of the boat once to drag our canoes across the shallow water. It was plenty high with a few low spots but nothing we couldn't glide across. This morning was a little easier as it only took us 2 hours instead of 6 the day before.I am hoping that Joaquin and Karen will join us next year.

Lazy weekends..

2008-04-07T08:38:00.004-04:00

We haven't been doing too much lately. Last weekend we hung out with friends. This past weekend we checked out the new IKEA store by the Sawgrass Mills Mall. Very cool store! It took us a few hours to get through it but we ended up getting some things. This place was huge and had it's own restaurant.
We watched a few good movies of which I recommend. Copying Beethovan and The Persuit of Happiness.
We also had some lunch at the beach yesterday. It was a beautiful day!! Well I'm off on business in Connecticut. Be home in a few days. Since I can't get a hold of Pam... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-23T19:34:00.012-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday... Jesse and I went to Lion Country Safari. First we took the driving tour through to see all the animals walking around. They said keep your windows up at all times but you know how that goes... lolol
Once the driving part was over there was an area to park your car and walk around. First we went through the kids section with rides and putt putt. I fed the Lorikeets. I hope I spelled that right. Jesse and I both fed the Giraffes. Their tongues were rough and slimy and we ended up with lots of slobber.
We walked the rest of the park and saw all the animals. If you are not careful in the petting zoo the goats will kick you when you stop feeding them.

A day in Jupiter Florida...

2008-03-16T09:45:00.010-04:00

We left early on Saturday and headed north to Jupiter. Our first stop was the Busch Wildlife Center. This is where injured animals are taken and cared for.. They had many different birds, turtles, panthers, otters, snakes, gators, deers, fox, and several others. The center is free to enter with donation boxes throughout the walk. There is a nature boardwalk and a nature trail.

After a coffee break at the bookstore we drove to Blowing Rock Preserve. This is something I have never seen nor heard of in Florida. There were huge jutting rocks right on the shore. We ate lunch and walked on the rocks.

Walk for the Animals....

2008-03-01T22:28:00.010-05:00

Well I can proudly say that we raised $345.00 for the Humane Society. Thank you to everyone that donated... We arrived downtown for the event at 8:45. We registered and stood in line for our free breakfast. We had huge pancakes that were made by IHOP. Once breakfast had been consumed we went around to all the booths and loaded up on free stuff and coupons for dog products. My co worker and friend Dan also joined us along with Zoe his black lab. The 5 of us were underway with the walk at 10:00 am. All the dogs were excited and basically walking their owners. You had to watch where you were walking because it became a huge toilet in a matter of minutes... lololol Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I have pictures that I took with my cell phone. No one was looking at the camera and the cell phone took forever when taking a picture.
We headed back to the car around 12:30 with exhausted puppy in tow. Once we arrived at where our car use to be we realized the car was not there anymore. Instead we arrived to a mob of angry people finding out that the tow truck company had taken all of our cars. You have no idea how ugly it got. We actually had permission from the establishment to park our cars in their lot but they would not help us. So to make a long story short we had to walk the 7 blocks and give up 100 dollars to get our car back. Besides the obvious we still managed to have a good day.

Weekend with Pam...

2008-02-18T12:59:00.015-05:00

Well I can honestly say I can't come close to reporting any exciting news that will capture the audience the way Joaquin and Karen have with their latest blog. I can however just tell you what we did this weekend with Jesse's mom.

Pam came to visit and as I write Jesse is dropping her off at the airport. We seem to wear her out with each visit. Saturday started off with the Bodies exhibit. It was the 4 of us. My dad decided to join us and I have to say that it was really cool!!! It was a little creepy when you think of the dead people but they preserved it so well that you could almost pretend that they were fake.

After a little walk around downtown and the crafts festival on the water, we decided to eat lunch at Five Guys. This is a famous hamburger place that our friends have been raving about for months. We loved it and I think that I would rate it one of the best.

Later that evening the 3 of us went to the founders day fair on Deerfield Beach. We listened to music, looked at the arts and crafts, drank beer and played games. We also watched a 30 min firework display.

Sunday we gave blood and received our freetickets into the Renaissance Festival. There were a lot of shows and of course lots more beer... Later that night we had a very soggy barbeque. The rains came and Jesse grilled without complaint.

Monday morning we went to the Coconut Creek Casino and had our $3 buffet breakfast. Ever since I signed up for the players club I keep getting these wonderful deals. They also have a 2 cent lunch and yes you read that right. We will take everyone that comes to visit... lolol

Lot a nothing going on....

2008-01-29T16:55:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Let me see if I can recount everything we have been doing.

So far we have been sprucing up the house a little. I put Dad to work and now the outside of the townhouse is freshly painted along with the ceiling of the entire downstairs. Dad's next project is painting the outside patio. If you are wondering why my Dad is having all the fun it's because us working folk don't have the time and I have to keep the retired busy with things to do.. lolol
Jesse and I picked up carpet for the living room and stairs for $100. What a deal!!! It's installed and looks great. I am picking up the paint this week and painting the entire downstairs when I get a chance. I am hoping to start Friday. We will worry about the upstairs at a later date...

A few weekends ago Jesse and I went bowling with Wendi and Chris. I did ok and bowled a 124 and Jesse bowled a 148, not too shabby for 2 people who have not bowled in years.

We are now proud owners of a beach parking sticker and have been going to the beach almost every weekend. Last weekend there was an art festival on Deerfield Beach, along with live music and drinks. We had a great time relaxing... Jesse is getting over Strep Throat and other than that everything is going good. We have a party to attend this weekend so if all goes well I will have some pictures to show you.
I almost forgot... We are doing the Walk 4 the Animals on March 1st and raising money for the Humane Society. So donate if you can or come join us for the walk.
I will write later.. BYE!!

A night out at lips....

2008-01-12T19:48:00.001-05:00

Ok before I begin I have to tell everyone to keep in mind one thing. Every woman you see dressed up wearing heavy makeup is a man. So with that in mind I will give you the story.I have a group of friends that I get together with as much as we can. It was always Pedro, Rey, David, Joselyn, Michelle and myself and our other halves for the last 7 years or so.
Last night we decided to have dinner at "Lips". This is a place for drag dining. I missed out on the last adventure and this was everyone's first time at this place. We were celebrating the December birthdays. It was Michelle, David and Pedro's birthday. The food was great and the entertainment was hilarious. This was Jesse's first time in a gay dining restaurant as a patron. I am happy to say he had a great time. I am posting the picture of him and our waitress (waiter). I would definitely go back there. We did get lucky and happened to get a little less attention than the rest of the tables. Trust me you don't want them ripping on you... I will post as many pictures as I can of all the entertainment.

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-01T13:53:00.001-05:00

I am wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
We just returned from our camping trip. This has become a tradition for us now. It's only been 2 years in a row but you have to start the tradition from some point in time. We went to Koreshan State Historic Site. There is a great length of history behind the park so I will just point you in the right direction by making the name a link. Let's just say everyone believed in celibacy. Not a town I would like to reside in...
We had rabbits that liked to hang out in our neck of the woods. They would not hold still for a photo. There seemed to be so many and they were around every corner. There was also an abundance of Gopher turtles in select areas.

The park was very beautiful with old houses and lots of nature in the campsites. We had a campsite with only one neighbor. The only draw back was the long haul to the bathroom and showers. We walked the trails that ran along the river mostly.

One full day was spent on Lovers Key. This island was untouched beauty with a long hiking trail and miles of beaches. We managed to see dolphins swimming in the cove close by.
Not much else to tell. Wow!! We don't have a definite vacation schedule yet. I do know that Jesse's friends will be here in September for a week so I will keep everyone posted.

Christmas Eve has arrived..

2007-12-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

So far our 4 day weekend has been fun. We took Jesse's car to get fixed again.. I think it has a black cloud over it. We worked out this weekend, met friends for breakfast and drinks.
I received a free dinner for 2 in the mail for the restaurant in the casino right down the street. We also got 25 dollars in free play. The food was great!! We ate prime rib and lobster tails. I think we will be going back. The 25 dollars in free play went rather quickly but we had a good night. I have a picture of this enormous ginger bread house. The roof was made of Hershey bars.
Sorry for the poor quality picture but the camera phone isn't one of the best.Tonight is Christmas Eve and we will dine on Stone crab and Spinach dip. Our neighbors will be over for drinks and a few rounds of darts. Christmas day Jesse is making a brisket with vege's. I will make a sweet potato casserole. Maybe one day we will have family here for our holiday festivities.
Next week we will prepare for our camping trip. We are spending New Years at Koreshan State Park. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!!

Jesse’s Turkey Vegetable Soup, near zero carb

2007-12-09T15:52:00.001-05:00

Day 1, cook a 16-18 lbs turkey, around 4 hours at 325 F. 2 hours on one side, 2 on the other. (this method produces juicy white meat, go ahead and try it at Thanksgiving)

Store all pan drippings in a container, refrigerate overnight. Eat as much turkey as you can for the next 24 hours, keep all bones.

Day 2, gather ingredients:

NOTE: All ingredients are fresh, and soup stock is made from scratch.

½ bunch of fresh Basil

4 medium yellow (or sweet) onions

1 bunch of green onions

½ head of cauliflower

2 lbs of fresh green beans

2 hearts of celery (the leafy stuff in the middle most people toss out)

4 stalks of celery

All leftover turkey meat.(hopefully 3 lbs or so is left)

Take pan drippings from fridge, and scrape/throw away thick layer of fat from the top.(yes, this is a low fat meal as well - not just low carb)

Drop all turkey bones/carcass into 12 quart pot, along with drippings. Fill with water until all bones covered, probably 2/3 of the pot. Cover and turn up high to boil, then medium boil for 45 mins.

Meanwhile,

Quarter and slice onions and pan fry in olive oil until very brown(and sweet and delicious), then set aside.

Snap off ends and dice green beans, green onion, and all the turkey that is leftover from the 24 hour binge. (if there is none, then you may have overdone it….)

Very finely dice celery, cauliflower, fresh basil.

Once pot has boiled for 45 minutes, remove from heat and pull out/strain bones, saving every piece of meat for the soup. This can take some time, but it is the base of the entire soup.

Bring pot to boil, add browned onions and green beans.

After 10 more minutes of boiling, add celery, green onion, fresh basil and turkey.

After 15 more minutes of boiling, add cauliflower, two teaspoons of salt, and two teaspoons of black pepper.

Boil another 5 minutes, remove from heat and cool pot in sink of ice water (preferably)

ENJOY!

If you need boullion cubes, you added too much water. But go ahead and add them if needed. Freeze off a gallon so you don’t get sick of it after 4 days. Potatoes and carrots were reluctantly excluded from this recipe to keep it low carb, but if you want them, don’t add too many and dice them and add the carrot at the same time as the green beans, and the diced potatoes the same time as the green onion.

Don't skip the cauliflower if you don't normally like it, it really makes the soup good and consistant, and will not taste like cauliflower anyway. In fact, since there are so few ingredients, don't skip ANY OF THEM.

Christmas Season is back again

2007-12-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

Yes you heard it right... All the drivers on the road are in a hurry to get their shopping done. More accidents are happening because every one is in a hurry to get nowhere. Maybe I'm a little bit cranky and not in the Christmas spirit at this moment but hopefully that will change.
I spent most of the week putting up Christmas decorations and getting things for Jesse's work party. We went to his party last night and had a great time. The food and drink were excellent and everyone danced all night. We took a few pictures before leaving so I will put one up for everyone.

Deep in the Caves..

2007-11-15T19:41:00.001-05:00

Well we had ourselves a little road trip. Starting from Albuquerque and driving through Santa Rosa. In Santa Rosa there was a natural spring called Blue Hole. It wasn't that big but just as nice. On the road again and heading for Ft Sumner to see Billy the Kid's grave. His two friends were buried next him. I can't remember what their names were. After taking a few pictures and seeing the museum we made our way to Roswell. Jesse made me stop and take pictures of him walking down a deserted highway. I guess he was trying to be the star of highway to heaven. Roswell was ok... I guess I was expecting something different from the various museums and stores filled with alien T shirts and trinkets. We stayed long enough for a bathroom break and coffee. We then made our way to Carlsbad Caverns and the next morning went 70 something floors deep into the earth. That was so cool... It was cold in the dark caves. What a beautiful sight!! We did a tour, then walked the self tour which took an hour and a half. We scouted around the area and checked out the nature before heading home to Albuquerque. We rushed to get ready for the Majic Mystery tour at the college. The concert was great and they sounded just like the Beatles.

The next morning we took a drive down the Turquoise trail and stopped at our favorite mining town on the way. The shops were filled with local artists. We made our way through all of the shops before stopping for coffee. Finally that night we went to old town before flying out the next day.

Happy Halloween!!

2007-11-01T06:16:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture for Joaquin and Karen. It wasn't the same without you guys here but I am posting this picture so you can feel like you were.

Awaiting winter..

2007-10-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

The temperature is dropping. It's not enough to break out a jacket but better than summer. Not much went on last weekend. Capone went to the vet for a broken and infected nail. Unfortunately they had to pull it off. Poor puppy was walking around with a club foot for a while, but now he has been set free from the bandages.

This weekend we went downtown for an art and music festival. Once we got there we were disappointed by the turnout of vendors. I started scrap booking again on Sunday and got a jump start on my Christmas cards.
We have been watching so many movies since we switched to basic cable. Netflix has been really great. A few movie recommendations... King of Scotland, A Painted Veil, The Pianist and The Departed. I will keep you informed about others. Oh yeah!! Little Miss Sunshine was a little silly, but had some funny parts.
Jesse brought home a pumpkin so we carved it Saturday night. I am hoping to scare off the kids.. LOL

We love New York

2007-10-16T16:46:00.000-04:00

There was never a shortage of things to do and see on our trip. Irene and Fred were so good to us. I loved meeting them and we will see them when they come to Florida in January. The view from their condo was amazing. We arrived late on Sat and walked at least 20 blocks before dinner. We saw Rockefeller Center, New York Library (the outside only), Grand Central Station and St Patricks Cathedral.Sun we spent at the Guggenheim, (they were doing major construction on most of the buildings) The Metropolitan Museum, Zabars, Lincoln Center (where Jesse was sitting and having a snack) and walked through Central Park to Strawberry Fields.
If it wasn't for Irene and Fred we wouldn't have gone to as many museums as we did..
Monday we went to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall St, Ground Zero, China town and Little Italy. There was a street festival down wall street for Columbus Day. Jesse managed to get footage. I will attach a video.

Tue we spent at the Museum of Natural History. Let me tell you we were getting very tired and our feet were killing us.. lolWe also went to the flat iron building, Times Square and Madison Square Gardensbefore going to see Chicago on Broadway.

Wed is when everything slowed down a little. We took a tour of the UN and had the chance to sit in on one of the meetings. It was China and Great Britain. We also went to the New York Library again to see the inside and Carnegie Deli where Jesse took a picture for Joaquin. We had dinner in Little Italy with Fred and Irene.Thursday it was off to the Jewish Museum and upper Central Park. We went back home for a rest and walked around town later that night.

Friday was the last day to run around and fit everything in.. We left early and went to the Museum of Modern Art. We also went to the Empire State Building and waited for 2 hours to get up to the top and see the view. I wouldn't recommend the trip up.... We finished our day with a little Zabars and back home..

Response to Joaquin's blog that he blocks comments on and takes the "blog" out of blogging

2007-10-05T08:10:00.001-04:00

I totally disagree. We are just as successful on the War on Drugs as we have been on the War on Terrorism. Haven't you heard about all of the poppy fields in Afghanistan that Saddam personally cultivated? After Saddam bombed Oklahoma (yes, I know that was a while ago but he did it, I swear!) he sold a sh'load of weed to a bunch of hippies, I saw it for myself. Our next campaign, if you are interested, is going to be the "War on Prostitution". Even more so than the millions of dollars each city drops on their own Vice units. You might think to yourself, how can I pick a side? It doesn't effect me? Wrong!! You are either with us or against us!! We want more laws and agencies to support the existing laws and agencies to really crack down on BJs and possibly even straight sex encounters that did not come from a loving relationship, or at least toward the end of an expensive meal or a "connection" made .."it was like I have known him/her my whole life"... You can buy the $50 bottle of wine to intoxicate and damper the other person's morals, but $20 with no tax revenue to a "lady" who doesn't even have the dignity to giggle and flirt over two hours before-hand in disgraceful.
I think I have made my point, and lets get on board before this whole sex trade thing gets out of hand. It is a new phenomenon, just like the intoxicants trade, and we can stop it in every city and small town. Now go vote for one of the two major parties to make it happen!!!!