After a few days in bleach
Here's me learning yard maintenance
Supper (maybe)
Oct. 27/30th.....Beach days. Bought a mask,fins and snorkel at Walmart and picked up a large shell in the water off the beach. Paul advised me to freeze it to facilitate removing the inhabitant from the shell. Went out w/ Paul,Katherine and some of their friends for pizza on Friday night in Apollo Beach. Good stuff and good company!
Paul invited me to go out w/ them on the w/end to do some snorkelling. He's got a "hooka" which is a small compressor that floats on the surface and pumps air down to you so there's no need to wear a tank as in scuba diving. Paul also has a spear gun. I'm really looking forward to that & wish I had an underwater camera.
Couple of things that I've observed that I haven't mentioned.... on the causeway which leads to the beach there's a guy w/ a van who has wooden crosses all over it along w/ various signs denoting that it's a prayer station!!!! Another nut case. Like people are going to stop along the road and join him for a quickie prayer. The other interesting thing I've seen are the garbage trucks. When I arrived here I noticed that everyone had a large green garbage container with wheels on it. On the lid are instructions on how to put it out. The truck comes along and an arm comes out, grasps the can, tips it onto a conveyor that fits in between the two arms, tips it and the conveyor carries it into the back of the truck thus eliminating the need for a grunt on the back of the truck to do the work. The downside is the trucks can't turn around in front of here so they back down the street leaving the conveyor on the wrong side of the truck. Gotta get a picture of how this works and post it on here.
One more thing. While riding my bike I came across some prisoners (yeah with the cool stripes) cutting weeds. They also wear cool white boots to frustrate the snakes.
I've noticed the oranges on the trees outside are getting close to being ripe. No sign of anything on the lime tree though which I need for my rum & coke (at $11.00 for 1 3/4 litres)

An example of a serpentine wall
Live Oak in the Aiken Park

Joe and Sally's backyard and pasture

Oct 24th..... Left beautiful Aiken and returned to Tropic Isles. No sign of any damage and the water hadn't even come up onto the street over the seawall (25' away).

Oct. 25th.....Took Lynn to the airport and returned Katherines truck. Unfortunately Lynn didn't have time to accomplish what she'd come down for so I was left w/ a list of things to do. (we'd better get some rainey days or nothing will get done.)

The view from the front door
100 year old Live Oaks on South Boundary Rd.
Joe, Sally, Jude, and Finnigan
Oct. 21st.... Headed out to S. Carolina 8 hours from here. We were fortunate to have Katherines truck as the old Ford wouldn't have liked the freeway speeds. Took all our luggage and the mountain bikes.
We had been invited by Joannes friends Sally and Joe to visit w/ them until hurricane Wilma passed Fla. They live in Aiken S.C. which is just across the state line from Georgia and about 2 miles from Augusta.
Very beautiful country. They live on a horse ranch of 10 acres surrounded by woods. Stable, corrals, 3 dogs, and 2 cats. Aiken is a very quaint town and looks like a movie set. Lots of galleries, and antique shops. Everyone has horses and they have a hunt on the weekends in the woods (which includes getting drunk on horseback), play polo (same as a hunt only with weapons). The place looks like a movie set. South Boundary road is lined up w/ Live Oaks (as opposed to oaks that are alive) which form a canopy over the street. These trees predate the civil war

Oct 21.... Some sunsets of Terra Ceia Bay outside Paul and Katherines house

Getting Board
View from the deck
Oct. 20th....Went over to my friend Katherines to help her board up the house prior to her flying North to join her husband Paul. Big job w/ lots of plywood and wingnuts.

Oct. 15th Lynn arrives with the death certificate and will. Unfortunately mom left her car up North to Lynn's daughter Michelle. They interpreted that as being the car down here so it's back to the drawing board. Faxed the papers to Michelle for her to sign relinquishing the car and then we finally had wheels.
Oct. 18th Now to get the phone hooked up as it had been on vacation. After many wasted hours on hold talking to computers I finally got a live body at Verizon. They have problems!!!!!!!!!! Can't even reach a live one to complain. Got the phone hooked up in minutes once I was able to talk to someone.

Oct 11th.........Arrived at TPA (Tampa) at midnight to 82 degree weather (that's about 26 for the Northern folk). Picked up the rental car & it was only 3/4 full of gas. Went back inside & told them and then got authorized to only fill it 3/4 full when I returned it. Ha Once I fired it up the guage went to full.
Oct 12th........woke up to beautiful sunshiny day. Checked out the car and it started right up but the plates had expired a year and a half ago. No problem I'm thinking so I bum a ride to the license bureau (also known here as the tax collector). I'm informed that I can't get plates as the car's still in my mothers name so she tells me what I need and I head off to get car insurance which I need prior to getting plates. I put it in my name and then phone my sister to tell her what I need her to bring down here to get the plates. Like a death certificate and a copy of the will. So that wraps up a non productive day other than swimming for an hour or so and a long bike ride.

The Endangered Manatee

Manatee nurse their young for up to two years and seldom breed during that time. Their milk glands are under their flippers.
This picture clearly shows one of the reasons they're endangered. These mammals live in warm shallow water and eat vegetation. They are a prime target for outboard engine props.

A SERIES OF 9 PICS TAKEN IN 2003