Summer Flowers

I love the flowers of summer.

They bring life and excitement to the scene and keep everything interesting.

Yesterday was a work day around the house. We had a lot to do and catch up on after being gone on vacation and really tired when we returned.

We made two trips to the landfill in the newly repaired pickup truck. I am proud to report that with the exception of two small items--everything was recycled!

And then we had the idea to remove a fairly homely, tall bush which was out of control near the deck and replace it with a crepe myrtle.

We have one beautiful red crepe myrtle on the other corner of the pool area. We have watched it grow now for the past four or five years and it has become a magnificent specimen and so we decided to drop another one on another corner--nearer the deck.

This activity was preceded by removing the 10-12 foot tall bush which was previously occupying the spot. Cutting down was easy--digging out the stump--not so much. Thank goodness for an all wheel drive vehicle which could assist in encouraging the stump to come out of the ground. That was a lifesaver because the digging was really tough. And did I say it was hot?

If you look in the picture of the red crepe myrtle you can see the tire tracks in the grass as we drove down around the back of the pool to access the area where the stump needed to be pulled--I love driving on the lawn!

It was very hot like in the mid-90's. Probably not the best time of day to labor outside--but it was all good and the end results are nice. We still need some additional top soil and a bag of mulch; which is the project for today.

I like the blast of color that the crepe myrtle's provide and it is one of the advantages of living our area that I enjoy. They just provide a canopy of color to enjoy. And then underneath--as this newly installed crepe myrtle grows--aha, then come the hostas for ground cover underneath.

And we have hostas the need to be moved because they have matured into huge hostas!

We have become a fan of hostas because they are green and they keep the weeds down.

Here are two of the varieties we have--the little standard green hosta that most people get, and then the huge Frances Williams variety--which was recommended to us and we love. With their huge leaves they fill up an available space.

Who knows what today will bring--another project and more satisfaction about being home and working around the house.

Sand Castles and Memories

Sand Castle built by Mike, Ethan and Jax during July 2010

Works of art arrayed on the beach, for only a short time.

Built by hands striving to make their mark on the world--no matter how temporary.

It is like writing your name in the sand on the beach. A strong statement that "I was here" but one that will soon be gone with the wind or the tides.

I have seen some fabulous sand art. And I am always impressed by its transient nature--the artist, or sand sculptor, uses their talent to create a design which causes people to pause and consider it, but also realize that the art is only temporary. And then the canvass is clean for them to start over.

It must be a freeing experience.

Not to be constrained by what has already been done and yet free to take yesterday's creation and remold it to make it different for the mood of the day. Even, in some manner, better.

I am sometimes so busy trying to create something that will last and have an enduring quality, that I forget that like the flowers of the field that bloom and then die in a day, transient things can be beautiful because they make a memory!

It is memories that really last and endure. Not the item or the thing. Over time things grow old and weathered. They crack and peel and become soiled with the passage of time.

But memories--they remain. And they are always with me.

And I can smile at the remembrance of them.

Plagiarsim Conundrum--A Newspaper Item Hits Home

I read a fascinating article in the New York Times the other day titled, Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age.

It brought back memories of college and writing long involved 20-30 page double-spaced and typed (yes typed) papers after poring over texts in the library. How I wish that I had had a computer in my dorm room back then to help me do the research in the comfort and clutter of my room.

Or so I thought, until I realized how the blurring of lines between original thought and creating collages of thoughts has affected today's computer-literate generation.

I strive to ensure that when I use items from other's works, I document them with hyper-links back to the original--not because I worry about plagiarism, but more so that the reader can read the entire piece and determine for themselves if I have used the extract in a consistent manner that is contextually consistent.

But as I read the article I referenced here, I realized that despite the best efforts of all of us, the boundary between common knowledge and unique theme-specific knowledge has become blurred. I often ask myself--how do I know that? Was that my idea? Or did I read it somewhere?

The information age is truly a complex one.

The tendrils of thought have become confused.

And then--the article I referenced earlier ends with the following paragraphs:

Many times, said Donald J. Dudley, who oversees the discipline office on the campus of 32,000[UC Davis], it was students who intentionally copied — knowing it was wrong — who were “unwilling to engage the writing process.”

“Writing is difficult, and doing it well takes time and practice,” he said.

And then there was a case that had nothing to do with a younger generation’s evolving view of authorship. A student accused of plagiarism came to Mr. Dudley’s office with her parents, and the father admitted that he was the one responsible for the plagiarism. The wife assured Mr. Dudley that it would not happen again.

It is easy to justify what you are doing in your mind--right up until someone asks about it.

Writing like any skill, must be learned and practiced.

But we live in an instant society--where we can have and we long for anything we can get, instantly!

Hence--writing is reduced to copying someone else's thoughts.

We all need to strive for originality and creativity--but when someone else says it just the way we would have said it--at least give them credit.

Cheap Blessings and Cheapened Grace - A Rant

OK, look out, here comes another rant. And this one is likely to really get the hairs on your neck ruffled.

This one is about some of the "well meaning" stuff I receive in my email.

They seem to end with something like this:


Pass this to 12 people including me. A blessing is coming to you in form
of a new job, a house, marriage or financially. Do not break or ask
questions. This is a test. Does God come first in your life? If so, stop what
you're doing & send it to 12 people now. Watch what he does!


Really? Do you believe this nonsense?

This is the Joel Osteen-style Christianity that sells books and keeps people's email full of empty hopes and promises. The "If I do, then God will " type of non-biblical Christianity. The type of Christianity that is so shallow it doesn't work. It is a Laodiceian-type of Christianity. Or form, but no substance.

What is the biblical basis for something like this?

Do we really pray to God and do things in his name to have him reward us like Santa Claus?

God blesses us in so many ways that we never even appreciate--and then we cheapen our relationship with Him by playing a game like--if I send this to 12 people then he will give me the desires of my heart!"

Really, come on!

He has already given us the greatest gift he could give us--through grace we have eternal life. We did not earn it by sending an email to 12 people. We were given it because His Son died for us, while we were still sinners and certainly did not then nor even now deserve it.

And then to top it all off, He blesses us every day and lavishes upon us things we don't even know we need, until He makes them known to us.

And so our response to this is to send little email messages to our friends promising that if they do this, then God will do that? I wonder if this is some of what John was writing about to the church of Laodicea in Revelations 3:14-22?

Emails that end like this, with the "If you do, then God will" promise are really missing the mark.

We are not going to heaven based on our works, 'cause we can't do enough to pay the price. And we certainly are not going to get there by sending emails to other Christians encouraging them to send emails in order to receive blessings.

Ah, some might say, it is a way of letting unbelievers hear of God. Really? How many of those emails really go to unbelievers. They are not even designed to go to people who have never heard of the Living God. And if one should be sent to an unbeliever, do we want them to learn of a god who seems to be little more than a purveyor of incantations? There is a lot more they need to learn--like starting with, you feel guilty about something you did way back when, let me tell you what our God did for you, already!

It is that old problem again--we think we need to do something to earn God's love.

Wrong! We can't earn it.

It is tied to the age-old question about works. We can't do enough to earn on our own what was freely given to us already by God. Why would we want or need to?

It's free. Accept that.

We must, however, reflect in our lives and the way we live how God has changed us from the inside--but it certainly should not be tied to doing little deeds with the expectation of receiving earthly rewards. And as a result of our joy, we do things (works) which confirm the faith we have.

We already have the reward--eternity.

I guess when I read emails that end with the action and the promise, I hear the televangelists at the end of the broadcast pleading, like so many politicians who have been coming to my door lately, "send me money and God will . . . "

God will anyway. Just ask.

The alternative to these emails?

Here is a thought.

I have felt that the stories that come in many of those emails are great and uplifting. Some are just fun to read. So delete the ending, the "if you send this to 12 people and me . . ." part.

Change it to a simple blessing to your friends--something like: I saw this and thought you would appreciate it. I'm thinking of and praying for you today.

A simple blessing.

That's what we all really need more than anything else. A reminder that we are loved by God and others.

Weary Already and Grinding Away

Back already for only two days--and weary of the grind already.

My head is still on "some beach, some where" (to quote a country song).

It is hard to believe the level of seemingly meaningless activity, meetings, questions, and actions that stream by me on a daily basis.

I am caught, it seems, in a bureaucratic for bureaucracy sake situation where the paper required to do intelligent things keeps them from being done.

And to top it all off, my truck is broken. But it should be fixed today, for a small transfer of large unmarked bills from my piggy bank.

I'm not sure what it all means at this point--but getting back into the saddle, as they say, after a wonderful vacation away sure is getting tougher.

I am, of course, excited that the Orioles have a new manager--but they will still likely finish last in all of baseball this year. It is hard to get worse than last. I guess the new manager is taking over at a good time--that can't really go anywhere but up. At least they won last night--which in itself is newsworthy.

And I am sure A-Rod is hoping to see the O's soon so he can finally hit his 600th homer. Want to talk about frustration? Another game last night--no home run. There you have it!

Talk here has already turned to football--and the Ravens are self-destructing in training camp! Injuries are putting people out for the season. Unlike the Redskins who can't seem to even get their players onto the field for training camp. It might be a good time to change teams, like someone in the family I know!!!

Did I say my truck is broken!

But it is all good.

My dog is happy to see me when I come home at night. And it makes me smile when she heads back upstairs to bed in the morning after mooching my toast to get a few more hours of shut-eye with Chris. They are quite a pair in the morning when I leave for work--nestled deep into the bed sleeping.

Lucas at Dinner in Outback

It would be a funny picture.

And the pool is there for me to fall into and wash away the cares of the day when I come home.

And I had dinner last evening with Lucas ( and his Mom and Dad). It was an awesome time!

So all is not lost--it is just seems like it is hiding.

Fizz in the Glass of Life

While on vacation, I discovered something really different.

I am provided with fizz in my glass of life to spice it up. Just like a cola or champagne--the fizz is there to keep me excited and interested.

What is this magic fizz in the glass of life?

Grandchildren!

Yup. Watching grandchildren play on the beach, or wrestle with their Mom and Dad on the floor, or fight like the brothers they are, and discover the world is truly the fizz that adds interest to life.

They are canvasses to write memories upon--memories which will remain long after I have changed my address from where I am now to eternity.

They explore and interact with the world and people in ways I had long forgotten and sometimes in ways that as a parent, I didn't appreciate then and only now after my own children are grown and having children of their own can I appreciate the ways of the child.

So what is this fizz?

The joy of discovering sea urchins on the beach and realizing that they are not plants, but animals.

The fear of letting a snail crawl on their hands.

The excitement of running headlong into the pounding surf driven by a tropical storm with the red flag flying.

Finding a small turtle on the beach and then learning all about turtles at the turtle rescue place.

Watching helplessly as they strike out again at the baseball game.

Seeing them struggle to roll over and become more like a person as they grow from a baby.

Yes, there is stress--and like a glass or more of champagne, the fizz can be overwhelming at times. But it provides the interest in life to help me see things differently.

It is fizz surely. Sometimes it gets up my nose and makes me cringe--but usually it helps me appreciate life and something that I have forgotten that I had a lot of fun learning and doing.

I guess it keeps me from getting too old, too fast.

Monday Musings - August 2, 2010

1. It's August already? What happened to July?

2. Sunrise and sunset today are combining to make today 2 minutes shorter of daylight than yesterday.

3. And so it is off to work today--the first time in over two weeks that I will be wearing long pants and shoes. Should be a lot of fun.

4. I was having so much fun on vacation last week that I totally forgot to write Monday Musings and no one missed them.

5. The oil spill in the Gulf is turned off but the disaster continues.

6. Question: If the people who run WikiLeaks knew they were publishing US Govt classified information, why shouldn't they go to jail for treason or espionage? Is it not the responsibility of all citizens to protect US classified information? I'm confused!

7. Have a positive outlook for the day and it may surprise you and be a good day!

8. Do not despair the passing of July because August is still summer!

9. As of today the Orioles have a new manager--they still are the worst team in baseball though.

10. Chris and I saw two movies alone as a couple while on vacation We believe it has been probably over a year since we have seen a movie together and alone. We enjoyed it.

Morning After the Two Weeks Before

We are back home in Maryland.

After over two weeks of vacation we returned safely home to resume life.

Our home, despite hosting at least three parties while we were away, was in fantastic shape. All told there were only three causalities--all plants, while we were away. Which is good for any vacation during the highest heat of the summer.

The signature symbol of Jupiter is the lighthouse. Designed by Gen George G. Meade to provide safe passage to mariners, it now provides passage for me to my happy place. The place where everything seems to be right with the world and I am able to blot out negative thoughts for a time.

Maybe it is a small preview of heaven, in that sense.

Chris snapped this image on our last evening in Jupiter--I have lots of images of the lighthouse in daylight, but she had the idea to get it at night--and it is an awesome shot.

A beacon to navigate the dark night.

A memory to grasp and hold onto during the hectic days of life--a place where I am unhurried and the biggest decision of the day is whether we go to the beach at 8:30 am or 9:00 am.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring as I head back into work and resume my 50 week per year life. But, I am armed with many memories and fully relaxed and ready to tackle the challenges that I will inevitably face.

But the lighthouse is the signal to help me to find my way back.

South Carolina dawn

After a fitful night's sleep in a hotel near Savannah, we are back on the road.

The last leg of the trip back to the day-to-day grind and farther from vacation.

Yesterday we were snorkeling the warm Atlantic and today we are looking at a ribbon of highway in front of us.

Home is ahead of us and fantasy is behind as we travel the road through purgatory from one world to the other.

All good things end I guess to remind us that they are good things.

OK, I do miss my dog.



Sent from my iPhone

Jupiter in my Rearview Mirror

Well we are on our way back to Maryland. Hard to believe. We are currently stuck in traffic north of Cocoa Beach due to an accident. We've lost about 20 minutes.

I can't believe my love affair with the ocean is now on hold for probably another year.

We just drove by the accident the had the road closed and it was on the other side of the road. Our lanes were closed for the medivac helo. It was a horrific two car accident. We said a prayer for those involved in the accident.

It put a real downer on my vacation's end. But we are going to drive a bit safer.

The image is of Jupiter Island beach this morning. A memory caught in an image.

Just Another Sunny Day in Paradise

Fundamentally, what is wrong with vacations is that they seem to end right when I begin having fun and am fully decompressed and can really enjoy the vacation the most.

The thought of returning to the grind of daily life begins to weigh heavily on me as I write this knowing that in less than 72 hours, I will have a tie around my neck, socks and shoes on my feet, and again be stuffed into a windowless room lighted with the harsh glow of florescent lights.

While this morning--my last on the beach for this vacation, I snorkeled for over two hours with Chris and we had a magnificent day. We played with birds and urchins on the beach, we saw a huge barracuda, and a 6 foot lemon shark and then had a manatee swim within 10 feet of us. Had my underwater camera not been toasted a few days ago, I would have images to match these memories--but alas, they are only memories.

Chris called it the best day snorkeling ever! I agree. I decided not to go diving so I could snorkel with Chris and God did not disappoint us with the diversity, size, and ferocity of the marine life we saw.

And so, as the packing out moves into a frenzy--I have fond memories of a great vacation which showed me so many different things and taught me about the fizz in my life as well and the constants. I'll write about the fizz soon.

Mostly, I got in touch with my real self again--if even for only a few moments on the beach mindlessly watching the waves.

I was mostly in the moment--not thinking about what was going to happen but just enjoying what was happening. I even got bothered when people asked me about the "plan." Ugh. Plan was in the future and I just wanted to enjoy the moment, or the bird, or the fish, turtle, manatee, or shark.

But even now, my mind is looking towards the trek back to Maryland and the life I have for 50 weeks a year.

It is a long trek--but I will ride spectacular memories of family, friends, and awe at God's creation.

The Turtle Whisperer

Just Hatched and Looking for the Ocean

Crawling Across the Beach

Off to the Deep Ocean

First Contact with the Surf

Missed the First Wave--Waiting for the Next One

She did it again this morning.

Found little turtle hatchlings on the beach after a nest had an eruption.

The Turtle Whisperer

The weather this morning was awesome--a second day in a row of pristine snorkeling conditions--but first, we had to rescue, or rather watch, some small turtles make their way to the ocean to begin the swim to the Sargasso Sea where they will grow and mature.

It really is amazing though--they dig themselves out of the nest, crawl across 50 yards of no easy to navigate beach and then into the ocean! But once they hit the water, they really begin to motor and these little guys can really motor!

One of the pictures here is of a hatchling just breaking the surface of the sand and the Turtle Whisperer was there to capture the moment.

we spent a long time this morning watching the turtles from at least three nests make their way to the surf. Sadly, the Turtle Whisperer could not save one hatchling which became caught in the sea grass drying on the beach and was plucked up as breakfast for a big black crow.

Mini-Lobster Season

Today, July 28th was the first day of the mini-lobster season here in Florida.

The pictures highlight the ending for one unlucky lobster--left dead on the beach after having its tail removed.

Spiny lobsters do not have claws like Maine lobsters do, but their tails are every as bit good to eat.

The ocean was alive today with boats, snorkelers, and divers looking for lobsters as private citizens get two days before the opening of the commercial lobster season.

We met a guy on the beach today who had a lobster in his bag and saw one out on the reef as we were snorkeling earlier in the day. If I had not destroyed my underwater camera I would have taken a picture of it--but alas, my camera suffered from unplanned exposure to sea water when the housing failed for some unknown reason.

I hate seeing the results of this type of harvesting--half a lobster washed up on the beach. I love to eat lobster, but seeing this really caused me to question why I continue to eat lobster since we use only a small portion of the total animal.

But, that is just the way it is--having a season protects them so they can reproduce and we do not take the species to extinction in over harvesting.

Usually, we hear of four or five divers who die lobstering--and those numbers aren't available yet.

But--it is a season like deer season in Pennsylvania and trout season in New York.

Lots of people took the day off from work to go hunting lobster.

I just wanted to take pictures of them--

But fish are food, not friends.

Inception Movie Review

The movie Inception is a movie which while full of action, is not a mindless trip to the theater.

I am not a Leonardo DiCaprio fan, but I found his acting to be stellar in this sci-fi movie which requires the movie goer to stay engaged and understand the movie.

Director Christopher Nolan has engineered a true thinking movie and at 2:28 running time it can get almost exhausting before it is over.

The plot is as follows: Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

The cast seemed well suited to the task of pulling this complex plot off. DiCaprio gives an excellent performance as Cobb assisted by his close aid Arthur, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Michael Caine stops by to play Cobb's father-in-law and former professor.

The movie really moves along very nicely at time at almost a frantic pace--except for the end which begins to drag some as the pieces of the plot come together. Some of final scenes are just to long--I checked my watch during them as it just seemed to go on and on in a plodding sort of way. It seemed as if they spent a lot of money filming these scenes and decided they couldn't cut them down--but the length of the action and the violence begin to detract from the movie. They were out of character from the rest of the movie which is very crisp and focused.

The ending, no I'm not going to reveal anything, works on multiple levels and fostered spirited discussion among our friends as to the clues which were left in the ending to help the viewer determine what happened.

Be prepared to think and actively watch if you see this movie. The viewer will be lost if they are expecting the usual Hollywood fare of mindless action.

RECOMMENDATION: See this movie. There is violence (a lot of it). Probably not suited for the under 13 crowd who will not be able to follow the plot.

Bird Brained

Most everyone knows that flamingos are one of my favorite birds.

I don't know why--they just are.

I have a pink flamingo statue on my desk at work which greets people who come to visit me.

I just find them to be a very stately acting/looking bird.

I could watch them for hours--but alas, life keeps me moving all to quickly. The other day at Lion Country Safari, I was enjoying the flamingos and snapped a few images to remind me of the visit.

No--we do not have pink flamingo statues in our yard or gardens.

Yes, I do have a pretty unique pink flamingo wine bottle holder that I bought at the West Palm Beach airport twice! The first one got broken a few years ago and I replaced it.

Yes, by the way, the flamingo is drunk!

You Talking to Me?

Sometimes we take images that just scream out a caption and make me laugh, like this one.

We were driving through Lion Country Safari, and these water buffalo's were enjoying a dip on the start of another hot day. As we drove by this one looked right at us as if to ask:

"You talkin' to me?"

I think he could have made any response to my answer to his question stick, so we stayed silent and kept driving.

He remained cool and did not pursue.

Manatee Surprise

It seems that every day of this vacation is filled with some new unexpected surprise. Most of them good--except for the sunscreen failure we suffered.

Today we were treated to a very rare treat.

A herd of manatees chose to spend some time sunning themselves very close to us on the beach. It was a surprise as there were about 10 manatees in the herd. They had been playing about 100 yards offshore and when spooked by a boater who came too close and probably sis not see them. We had seen the herd playing out in the water and spent a lot of time trying to decide what type of animal it was.

Fortunately, they decided to come close--about 50 feet offshore onto the rocks near us and I was vindicated when everyone else saw they were manatees--which is what I had postulated.

They are huge!

Some had fresh wounds--although from what we do not know--it could have been the barnacles on the rocks or something else.

As close as they were, we really did not want to disturb the herd as it had definitely assembled for some purpose and stayed close together until their departure when they went in many different directions.

They continued to play off shore for a long while--separately. The herd had dissolved into a separate groups of single and paired manatees playing in the warm, late-July Atlantic Ocean.

It was really very cool to see these gentle giants playing together, just offshore.

We had read an article last week that the cold weather of the past winter had killed many manatees and so seeing this herd gather together was a good reminder that nature has a way of surviving.

Finally, Some Snorkeling

Well it took over a week for the water to calm enough to allow some snorkeling off my favorite Jupiter island beach, but this morning it did and I went out, armed with my camera, to see what I could see.

And did I ever see a lot--it was awesome. I suppose, if I had actually remembered to set my camera on the correct settings the pictures would have been better. As it was, I had to do some magic to make them as good as they are. I even found a free program to help reintegrate the red into the green and blue. Yes--I forgot to switch my camera from land to sea mode. Duh!

Once I got out from over the rocks, the water cleared and I found myself in a large school of the fish you see here. sadly, I left my fish identification book home and do not know what these schooled fish are, but there were a lot of them and they had a lot of company: snook, a jack, a couple barracuda, and a tarpon or two.

I was out there with them for a long time enjoying all of the fish and then occasionally, I'd head in over the rocks to view some of the sergeant majors, and an Atlantic spadefish among other fish that were there. The waves crashing on the rocks though, made them somewhat harder to both linger over and see the fish amongst.

I got a pretty good shot of the barracuda--there were actually two of them and they were pretty little guys, as barracuda go.

A couple of really cool shots happened when an especially big wave broke out over the more open water and it stirred up the bottom--you can see the sand rising in the picture. The school continued to swim over top of the cloud coming from the bottom and it gave the appearance of the fish swimming in the clouds.

I felt bad that Nicole and Mike left before the water got to the condition it was today, but even so, it was still too rough for Chris to trek out. The waves crashing on the rocks for the 100 yards between the edge of the rocks and the shore made for a rough transition and there was a strong current pulling down the beach. It took a lot to stay in one place.

But it felt good to finally be in the water with the fishes rather than just looking at or sailing upon the water.

Good things seem to be in store for the week ahead.

Romantic Evening Beach Walk

Moon over Carlin Park in Jupiter, FL

Last evening, after dinner and to help work off a scrumptious dinner, we went for a walk along the Atlantic at Carlin Park.

It was beautiful as the day was beginning to end and the waves were moderating just after high tide.

From where we stay it is a very short, less than 5 minute, walk to the beach.

And we were treated to a very beautiful evening along the near deserted beach. As the sun was setting, behind us of course since we are on the Atlantic side of Florida looking east, the colors of the sunset were reflected in the clouds.

We found a point of rocks and sat for a while watching the waves crash up into the air on the rocks and the colors of the day begin to deepen into those of the night.

And then, just to add the perfect exclamation point on a near perfect day, the moon appeared from behind a cloud the add the perfect ambiance.

We looked at the clouds and thought that the dark one to the left of the moon seemed to be a small dog jumping up to catch a ball (the moon).

Thanks to the magic of the iPhone, we actually were able to image the scene to help us remember the moment, the thought, and the emotion.

This is what vacations are all about after all--experiencing those things that we cannot regularly enjoy where we live, making memories we hope we never will forget, and recording them with cameras to help ensure that we really won't forget them.

Elvis has left the building

Really while I was at dinner. Elvis departed and walked by.

The power of the Storm

Yesterday I indicated that we would not be going to the beach because of Tropical Storm Bonnie--but as the weather would have it, shortly after I wrote that the skies over Jupiter cleared a bit and we decided to hit the beach and watch the power of the storm.

In a word--it was awesome.

It had been a long time since I was on a beach with the red flags flying.

The waves were powerful and rough.

The boys enjoyed playing in the rough surf--but we did not let them go deeper than their knees.

The power of the storm was magnificent--we watched one dark group of clouds come across the water towards us until it forced us off the beach with wind and waves.

We really had the beach pretty much to ourselves--there were very few other crazies out on the beach enjoying the oncoming storm.

As it was, Tropical Storm Bonnie stayed pretty much south of us--so we missed the true brunt of the storm but were in a great position to have patches of blue sky interspersed with the true power of a tropical storm.

Barnacles--who wants to play?

There always seems to be one of this kind on the playground. The one who is a little crusty--and while he/she may be nice--they are definitely unappreciated.

I took this picture a couple of days ago and remembered it yesterday morning while watching Tropical Storm Bonnie brew over top of us.

The barnacles were on a rock on the beach and provided a good reminder that walking on the rocks without foot protection was something that should not be attempted.

On this sunny day they were basking in the sun at low tide waiting for the life giving waters of the Atlantic to wash over them again soon, covering and protecting them.

They seemed a bit lonely as no one really wanted to play with them on this bright and sunny morning.

But, I guess that's the way they like it.