Aboard the Blue Heron

Note: If you believe that fish are friends, not food--do not read this entry. It ends badly for some friends.

Drift fishing off the coast near Jupiter is always exciting. I look forward to a morning trip on the Blue Heron to catch dinner for the evening. Today's excursion was especially exciting as I caught two King Mackerel to add to the two that my boating companions caught for an exceptionally promising dinner.

George and Fran accompanied me on the four hour adventure on the high seas. After carefully checking the weather for the day, we decided to try to get the trip in before the afternoon storms.

Unfortunately, when we got to the Jupiter location, they had decided not to sail due to too few people, so we headed off to Riveria Beach to make the 8:30 am sailing.

Pelicans were there to wish us fair skies and winds. One got especially close--so I took his picture.

We made the sailing and were underway to the open Atlantic. The day turned out to be very good. Everyone on the boat caught fish. There were a lot of brand new fishermen on the boat and a horde of kids who kept the crew busy. We even had two baby's in strollers aboard who kept their Mom's very busy.

The catch? The most numerous were Bonita followed by the King Mackerel, a rainbow runner and a red snapper. Bonita are not really good for eating and most were thrown back. We had some exciting shark encounters--and I lost three catches (probably all Bonita) to the hungry predators which followed the boat at two stops. One of the sharks was a 10 foot Bull Shark--and he made short work of a number of catches. They were fun to watch, but it was frustrating to drag a fish up from the depths only to have a shark eat it. And while Bonita are a fun fish to land, they require a lot of work.

In the end, the King Mackerel were the best catches of the day--and we got four of them. They are also a lot of fun to land, and I know dinner will be awesome tonight.

As we returned to the dock about 1 PM--the rain started, but the intrepid fishermen were happy to have had such a successful day.

As it was raining on the docks when we returned, I was not able to get a picture with my fish, but I did get one of Fran with his.

A Stroll in the Everglades

Yesterday, we decided to reprise our adventures in the Everglades in an airboat operated by Everglades Safari and we also determined to visit Everglades National Park at the Shark Valley entrance. We had never been to the Shark Valley part of the park--so this was to be a real new experience.

For the day, so we could all travel together we decided to rent a minivan. The smaller cars we each have rented just won't do 6 people. As it turned out--the minivan decision was a great idea. We were all together and not trying to caravan the roughly 120 miles to the Everglades.

It was a rainy day, as it turned out and we have never been assaulted by as many mosquitoes anywhere as we were today.

But it was an awesome day. The wildlife was in evidence everywhere and there was a lot of bird sightings as well as the expected alligators.

The day required some rain protection measures and we emptied two bottles of bug spray--and still got bites on top of bites.

Everglades National Park - Shark Valley was an unexpectedly fantastic time. This part of the park is highlighted by a two-hour tram tour through the River of Grass with multiple opportunities to both see wildlife and to really understand the complex environment that is the Everglades. There is a tower at about the 2/3 point which provides some stunning views of the park.

The opportunity to spend quality time in the park on a guided tour is fantastic and we only wish the two-hour tour were longer. We saw deer, gators of all sizes, egrets, herons, and really gained an understanding of the Everglades.


After the Everglades, we did a return trip to Everglades Safari's airboats to allow the neophytes in our party to experience the Everglades form an airboat. A radically different experience from the tram.

It was fast and int the rain a lot of fun. We saw a lot fewer animals but really enjoyed the ride. Afterward, we toured the exhibits--but really cut that short since it seemed the mosquitoes had not been feed in what seemed like forever. They were biting through the bugspray.

Probably the scariest picture of the day was the vultures in the trees. We were afraid they were waiting for the mosuiitoes to finish with us and then pick clean the bones.

All is all though, it was a great day in the Everglades and we highly recommend both the Shark Valley part of the Everglades National Park and the Everglades Safari Airboat Tours. Convienently they are both located within about 10 miles of each other off the Tamiami Trail.

Big Ass Syrah 2005 Napa Valley Syrah - Wine Review

Big Ass Syrah 2005 Napa Valley Syrah. OK--so I was a bit amused when we decided to try this wine based upon the recommendation of the wine guy at ABC Wines in Jupiter. FL.

The wine is described as follows:

Ample, full, rich, generous - Big Ass Syrah lives up to its name! Ripe fruit aromas of blueberry and cassis are meshed with caramel and toasty oak. This powerful nose also exhibits elegant aromas of dried rosemary, which adds complexity to this full-bodied wine. On the palate, flavors of blueberry and blackberry are exhibits on the entry, while savory, smoked bacon is found on the mid-palate. This wine is aged for 16 months in new French and American oak, which adds vanilla and a hint of pepper to the fruit characters. Dark chocolate flavors linger on the finis.

The wine is excellent. We served it with pork ribs which were very well spiced and the wine held its own. The wine is definitely fruit forward with an excellent nose and good staying power--but not over-powering. It goes down very smoothly and despite a name which might cause one to over look the wine--it is worthy of a good tasting.

Rating: If you like Shiraz/syrah--try this wine. It is good with spicy foods. The nose is excellent and the staying power is well refined. I really liked this wine and found it unique enough to become a house wine. The wine is between $11-15 per bottle.

People on the Beach Part 2

I continue to be amazed at some of the people on the beach. After our walk earlier, we returned to play in the surf and get some more rays from Sol.

The waves today were beautiful--it was far to rough to snorkel, but we enjoyed playing in the water. But two people caught my attention as we were enjoying the company of our friends on the beach.

I am a slave to technology, everyone knows that. But on the beach--I put the cell away to enjoy the beach. I mean--way walk the beach if you are just going to be blabbing away on a cell phone.

Talking on a cell walking the beach represents everything that is wrong with our society--we do not know how to get away from the stresses of life. We are killing ourselves with stress and imagined importance. We take ourselves way to seriously.

Think about it--if the phone rings during a family dinner--should you answer it?
Your cell rings during a dinner out with family-- do you answer it?
Now change family to business associate or customer--does the answer stay the same?
You are toweling off after a shower and the phone rings--do you answer it?

Point is--these nifty communications devices are supposed to free time for us, yet they are making us slaves of technology.

So, while it may seem as if I am ridiculing the people on the beach, I am really sorry that they cannot free themselves from the chains of technology long enough to enjoy the sights and sounds of the beach. And to de-stress.

The kids on the beach have it right. Take time out to enjoy the sand, the sun, and the fun.

Pelicans on Patrol

This morning we decided to walk along the beach early rather than riding our bikes. We did this for something different to do and to enjoy the early morning of the beach. It is a busy place in the morning, but not from people--from the animals and especially the birds. We enjoy watching the birds as they interact with the environment.

The pelicans are some of our favorites as they seem to fly along the beach in formation, looking for breakfast. The fly close together and seem always to know where they are going. They are fun to watch. They are surprisingly big birds.

Also the beach is always alive with other sea birds who are hunting for meals. They stand so still. Waiting for the unsuspecting meal to appear. They also watch the people on the beach--I suppose wondering if we are going to compete with them for breakfast. Of course, we don't directly compete--I mean when was the last time you ate a crab fresh from its hole on the beach? But in a sense, through our disregard for the environment, we are competing with all life on the planet for the right to survive.

Ah, the beach.

Sunday in Jupiter

It is another beautiful morning here in Florida. The weather has been awesome. Last night we were able to sit on the balcony and enjoy the evening--it was almost cool with the breeze after the afternoon thunderstorm cruised through.

We went to one of our favorite haunts to enjoy Island music--Panama Hatties. So the dancing added a bit more to our exercise routine.

This morning we biked 9 miles to start the day along the ocean. It was another beautiful Florida morning.

Oh, yeah--and now we're off to the beach.

Jackson - Miracle Baby an update

Jackson is four months old. He is doing great and I linked his Mom's blog to his name so you can get an update on his progress from those first few days of life as he was undergoing open heart surgery at Johns Hopkins to the awesome child he is now.

I got this picture from the blog so you can see how bright he is. He continues to be a miracle every single day and I urge you to check out the blog to ready how great he is doing. God has worked a true miracle and we are all enjoying this miracle every single day.

Continue to pray for Jax and his development and for his mom and dad and the entire Haslup clan (don't forget Ethan).

And I still say--he is going to do awesome and wonderful things.

Hancock: Movie Review

Hancock, the movie was an afternoon project the other day. We love to watch movies during our vacation and catch up a bit with what's out there. Despite the relatively low ratings from the critics, we decided to take a chance on Hancock.

We thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Will Smith shows a great degree of versatility in the role and the supporting cast is fun to watch. The story--this is not just another superhero movie worked for us. The plot twist through which Hancock is a superhero also worked.

Kenneth Turan of the LA Times said this of the plot twist:

"But then, just about without warning, “Hancock” makes a completely unexpected and head-shaking plot turn that derails the film in a way that it never recovers from. This second part of “Hancock” has the further disadvantage of coming up with its convoluted rules as it goes along, making it especially hard to understand what is happening to its characters or the reasons for its events."

I admit the plot twist really changes the course of the movie and takes a bit of flexibility to get used to, but in reflecting back on how it worked out--I thought it worked. Let me tell you, I liked this twist a lot better than the ending of the new Indiana Jones movie.

Will Smith in the lead is great as the superhero Hancock. Jason Bateman as a supporting actor is strong as well serving as Ray, the man who begins to ressurect Hancock's career as a crime fighter. Be advised--there are no Oscar worthy performances in this movie. Jae Head is cute and makes a solid contribution to the film an the son, Aaron. Charlize Theron as Mary, the wife if Jason Batemen's charascter is beautiful, but the role didn't work well for her.

The movie moved well, I never looked at my watch to see how much longer I had to suffer.

Rating: Entertainment for a rainy afternoon. Definite rental when it comes out on DVD.

WALL-E: Movie Review

WALL-E the movie. I knew I wanted to see this movie, but I had no idea how deep this movie would really be. Pixar and Disney have teamed up for many great movies and this one is by far the best. The messages in the movie about being responsible citizens of the planet, taking care of ourselves, and of love are very mature and deep. But the movie is a lot of fun too. The movie short which precedes WALL-E is extremely funny--I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

WALL-E is not a kids movie! It is a must see movie for our generation. The main character is a lovable trash-compactor robot charged with cleaning up the world after the human race departed for a five year trip in space--which turned into 700 years. There is romance and friendship in the movie. The robot comes of age watching "Hello Dolly" which adds a surreal twist to the plot.

WALL-E is extremely well done and the animation is definitely top notch. The messages in the movie are serious and real--so the entertainment factor is high as well as the social statement factor. The movie is well balanced and there are no slow periods.

Rating: Superior. Suitable for all ages. My recommendation is that you drop what you are doing and go see this movie. Everyone will be talking about it so you need to see it too. Buy it when it comes out on video. Some of the statements made in the movie are too close to being true.

People on the Beach

I love the beach. Nearly everyone knows that. Chris is the people watcher though. She always has some really keen insights about the faces and the people that we see on the beach. Some are sad and some are happy. Today we were chatting about people that really touched our hearts.

The group here was taking mother (we guessed) for a walk on the beach.  We talked about how in years gone by, Mom, in the pink, would take the girls to the beach and hold their hands as they went to play in the crashing surf. And now, years later, the roles are reversed. Shortly after I took this picture, the girls sat Mom in a chair in the surf and let her enjoy the waves crashing at her feet.  Life is a path we follow. We begin holding the hands of our parents for security, and then we hold the hands of our children for security and we end in the loving arms of our children.

Next we saw this man walking on the beach. He was very tall and very alone--it seemed.

We were not sure of his story, but his solitary walk spoke volumes of his past. Maybe he was a basketball player or other sports related person. One doesn't really know. But he was on the beach this day and part of our beach experience this morning.

 

But, then there was this one last face on the beach this morning--looking out and enjoying the rays!