Road Trip....& More

This month has been pretty hectic..at least for me anyway....and it's not even Christmas yet..Went to my son and his family in California at Edwards Air Force Base...got some great shots of the grand kids and had a great week just hanging around...they have some crows out there that could carry off a small child ...took a couple of shots of them on the neighbors roof...one crow would be plenty for a dinner for two...baby Callie had her first birthday at Chucky Cheeses...its been so long that I almost forgot how so many high pitched screams can rip your nerves to shreds in just seconds....but I still had a great time..

We played some golf and went bowling...had a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of Shannon's great cooking ...she went all out as usual and everything was superb...

You'll see in this months slide show some of that trip and then the following week in New York visiting Ryan, Andy, Kelsey and Kevin and his family...notice Kevin in his very strange but warm hat...I'm so glad that I don't need to keep my head that warm or that funny looking just to be outdoors...lol....

Of course you'll also see some of the great fishing I've been doing down here ...to bad snook are out of season now ...I have caught some beauties...the one in the slide is 30 inches and right in the middle of the very narrow slot of 28-32 inches that you are allowed to keep, in season, of course season doesn't start back up til January first....but what a fight..I just happened to be casting on the dock behind the house when he hit...his first run nearly stripped all the line off the reel...I was lucky to be able to turn him in time and start to retrieve my line....it took another three reel screaming runs and five more minutes to bring him in....I thanked him and sent him on his way...hopefully in January he or one or two of his close friends can join me for dinner....

Got a shot of the local jewelry store all decked out at night in the spirit of Christmas..and some nice sunset shots...threw in the frog shot because it looks like he's smiling at me..he held still for several nice close ups...and then made about a six foot jump just to show off....the bird shots are just a few of the great shots I've been getting of them..I've framed some and they actually look good enough to sell..

Went to my friend Ronnie's annual Christmas party when I got back...brought my now almost famous...crab and shrimp dip...and sampled some very good appetizers and deserts that all the others had contributed...thanks Ronnie ...and it was great to see all my old friends... and meet some new ones...once again.

Enjoy the slide show...remember to run your mouse over the top to bring up the controls and you can always look at the whole thing by clicking in the lower corners...You can save any pic to your computer by clicking on it and then right clicking on it when the Picasa site brings it up ...click "save picture as" and you've got it for all time...have fun.

That's All For Now....

Live, Love, Laugh ..and Dance

Semper Fi

Monk

The New Season Begins...

Traditionally down here the month of October heralds the beginning of the next "Snow Bird" season...the people who come for the winter begin to arrive and each day the number of out of state plates you see increases by what seems ten fold....I'm sure that is not the case ...but we do seem to get our share here in the Englewood area...all the merchants start smiling again and everyone that rides a motorcycle or bike goes on high alert...some of our older visitors seem to have a hard time spotting anything less than the size of Buick (which is what most drive..a piece of knowledge that for the agile, gives you a few second jump on your evasive maneuvers) ...as a matter of fact many of them feel that driving down the center of the road or the bike lane makes it much easier to stay out of trouble...and of course 25 to 30 is the recommended speed to maintain car stability and control....and I'm talking about in a 55+ speed zone....of course the stop lights are another danger zone...for the most part green means go...yellow means go faster and red is just a suggestion....stop signs are not for the faint of heart..if someone waves you through a stop sign while he or she waits....don't do it...it's a trick..it's a game they play...as soon as you move they move ...you stop ...they stop...everybody waves again...and repeat the above...they just love to piss you off...

But I digress...here is the latest slide show from the last few weeks...I had a birthday..don't ask...my friend Ingrid threw me a birthday dinner it was fantastic...had all the ingredients for a good time great people, good food, and booze....thanks to all of you ...I'm a lucky man....of course the WCGK's are just adorable..going to see them next week...caught some fish..did a nice print of my first keeper Redfish of the season...went to the Keys and had a great time..it was Pirate Festival..I wish I had my costume then...I will next year....AAARGH....the two underwater shots do contain fish in them both see if you can spot them...these were taken just before the ocean tried to drowned me once again...I just can't seem to master my breathing technique with a snorkel...if I get water in my mouth I never have enough air left to blow out..then the fun begins as I panic for my next breath while treading water in three foot seas..everything is fine when it's calm..I do great in the pool...of course you don't get much coral or fish to take pics of in the pool...but at least the water doesn't try to kill me..at least not yet...that's why I'm smiling in the pool....

You'll also see some great shots of the local bird life and my friend Jill's fantastic sharks tooth...hard to find one on the beach down here much bigger than a dime...she found this beauty and is going to have it mounted on a chain...My friend David found a way to get his Kayak and dog to the water without spending money on gas and it works just fine...my friend Shirley sang at a local benefit and of course got a standing "O"....she has a fantastic voice and personality to match...the little "peanut" in the car seat is my friend Sara's baby..she is adorable with those big eyes...just had to have a pic...

Don't forget you can click on any picture to get a better view or you can stop or pause the show with your mouse..just pass it over the slide...you can see all the pics at once by clicking on the right or left lower corner and choosing the November link...and you can adjust the music in the box a few blogs down....

Enjoy..

Til Next Time...

Live, Love, Laugh, and Dance...

Semper Fi..

Monk

Special Halloween Slide Show...

Englewood has a Halloween safe walk every year and each year it just gets bigger...the kids and adults all have a great time and go home before dark...

This year I decided for the first time since I was a kid...to dress up...and pass out candy as a volunteer at the diner on Dearborn street...I had a great time and did my best Pirate act all afternoon long....got some great shots of the kids and adults and when you see some of the little faces looking up at the Pirate wondering..."Is he for real"...it just makes you smile....

Remember you can change or adjust the music by scrolling down a couple of blogs....

Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday and I'll post another one...when I get back from visiting my son in California and the grand kids...Callie will be one on December first and I'll be there for the party...then heading to New York for a week and back home on the 8th ...and that's all the traveling for the year...

Enjoy...and appreciate the little ones...When you look into the eyes of a small child ...you are looking into the eyes of God.....

That's All For Now...

Live, Love, Laugh and Dance...

Semper Fi,,,,and remember our Vets next week....

Monk

Fall Is In The Air....

At least fall is in the air up north....Down here it's the beginning of our fourth season..."Feels Like Summer"....the other three are "Almost Summer", "Summer" and "End of Summer"....

Another month has gone by and for a man who is supposed to be retired and have a lot of spare time on his hands...I sure don't feel like I have a minute to spare...But, I must say...Like the song you should be listening to.."I'm Living the Life Jimmy Buffett only sings about"....In the slide show this month you'll get a glimpse of my trip back up north for a few days and the fantastic fall colors that I was lucky to capture..You will see my son Andy's graduation from New York State Fire Academy...top 5%....I'm so proud....Kyle and I stopped in Gettysburg on the way north..I didn't want to spend the whole day touring the actual battlefield...so we just went into the main building looked around and got some pics and brochures ...Kyle told his brothers and sister that it sure was a quick stop....he said that we were at Gettysburg for less time than breakfast at the Waffle House that morning...Hey what can I say...I wanted to get home...he's lucky I stopped at all....I got a chance to visit with old friends and make some new ones at my breakfast hangout up north....and got to play cards and go bowling with the boys..my special friends...Karen, Bob and Kathy all had a great time at our dinner together.... you will also see some of my latest handy work on the Gyotako...as well as some just having fun shots from the last month...took Jenny out to see a dinner show with a Neal Diamond and Streisand look alike...Neil ...good...Barb ...not so good...also went to another show with the cousin of Rod Stewart and came away with the impression that it may be him on all those albums...he was fantastic and pulled off every vocal nuance that is Rod's trademark vocals....We also went to a dinner theater in Cape Coral to see a very funny four person play about love and marriage called..."Married Alive".....only could get one shot of stage before the show ...no pics allowed....got a good one of Jenny looking very pretty in her dress for the evening....

Take a look at the beautiful sail boat that my Neighbors Ruthy and Tom have been working on all summer ...it's almost ready to go and they plan on a trip to the Caribbean on their maiden voyage...that golf shot is my pal David...take a closer look in the background...for the gator out for a little sunshine....also there is a shot of the "Monkmobile" in front of the house that I'm very lucky to be living in...my landlady is also one the nicest people you will ever meet and a good friend of mine...Hi Shirley....she has a couple of pics in previous blogs...she is an excellent singer in her own right...and loves to dance in the rain or not.....

Well enjoy the show and the music that's playing can be changed or turned off ...just go to the box in the last blog and make your choice...



That's All For Now....

Live, Love, Laugh,...and Dance

Semper Fi

Monk

Time To Do Some Catching Up....

Wow..I can't believe it's already half way through September..where did the summer go?... I spent the last month or so doing what comes naturally...fishing, golfing, working at fine tuning my Gyotako prints and some photography...and of course spending as much time as I can with Jenny and her family in Cape Coral...We caught some nice fish over the last few weeks and spent time catching a couple of good summer movies...and my first trip to the new Ft. Myers Bass Pro Shop...check out the fish tank and the stuff they have hanging from the ceiling..I guess I'm just to easily impressed but we had a good time....This month I'm going to keep the chatter to a minimum and try and give you a pictorial stroll through the last few weeks...at the end are shots of the Englewood celebration of Pioneer Days that included a cardboard boat race and a parade over the Labor Day weekend...lots of fun and loads of laughs....and of course there are shots of the World's Cutest Grand-Children...and Here is a NEWS FLASH....Travis and family will have another new addition....following in his old man's footsteps...I think he is trying to beat my record of five kids under ten....God Bless...as long as they are happy and healthy..that's what counts...enjoy the slide show...I put several tunes on the player for you to listen while you watch...pick your fav or not.....

Hope you liked the show...click on the comment section below and let me know...

That's All For Now...

Live, Love, Laugh and Dance...(Life isn't about hiding from the storm, Life is about learning how to Dance in the rain..)

Semper Fi...

Monk

July....With A Bang !!

Wow...Where to begin...July was a whirlwind of activity and accomplishment...it started in New York..the last of my road trip back home to see my daughter graduate and my new grand-daughter baptised ..

..and ended with me back home in Florida on a more permanent basis having rented out my house up north over the phone to someone who needed a place to live in a hurry..long story short...I took a chance that all will work out well and since I feel that Florida is my new home now, I was thinking that I wanted someone living in my house up north rather than have it sit empty most of the year...

On the 5th I got to see my new grand-daughter, Callie, baptised and I got some great shots of the flower garden that had been planted for the church...

..everything was in bloom and it made a great setting for the special event...




This shot of Dakota is one of my favorites...




Here my oldest son Kevin and family pose for a family portrait with the beauty of spring all around...




After the ceremony we all headed for the park for a family picnic and had a great afternoon of games and food...


I still haven't lost my touch, I just love babies...



The cake was a work of art and delicious..a tough combination to beat...the diet bit the dust for one day at least..


When I got back to Florida I treated Jenny to dinner and got to meet a blogger buddy..Brian and The Yard Dogs...we have similar interests in that we both love to fish from Kayaks..he reads my blog and I read his..but we had never met...We just happened to hit their Christmas in July show and it was fantastic...

I think if Mrs. Claus saw this she would be a little upset..not to mention all those kids who think Santa only likes cookies and milk..Santa (Brian) said, "When he's on vacation, and has that suit on in July, a cold one is allowed"...

I'm not to sure about the cigar..it came pretty close to causing a Flaming Santa Jubilee...Then who would play the "Suitcase" ?....

Jenny, her brother Jay and I went to the Keys for a weekend getaway and I snorkeled for the first time..the water was rough..four foot white caps..and as I have mentioned before..as evidenced by a couple of stories in my book...the water wants to kill me...don't get me wrong..I love to fish and I spend a lot of time on the water...the key word there is "On"..when I get in and the water is over my head.."water will try to kill me"...a word of advice to first timers..if you think swimming pool practice is all you need..as witnessed here by my wave of superior confidence after having stuck my face in the water in the hotel pool for a few minutes believing I had mastered this simple sport...you are sadly mistaken...little did I know, that standing up in a calm pool is not constructive practice...when it came time for the real thing.. four foot waves submerged my snorkel every few seconds and nearly drowned me several times.. each time I attempted to breath without clearing the snorkel I inhaled salt water and came up gasping for air..after having made several attempts at trying to keep my face in the water for more than a few seconds I finally gave up and headed for the boat..I was coughing up enough salt water to fill a small aquarium...back at the boat I waited for "Jenny the Unsinkable Mermaid" and her brother "Aquaman" to finish playing in the water like it was their personal playground...Believe me there is nothing that can take the place of years of experience and she and her brother are both experienced scuba divers as well....

After moving to another spot where it was somewhat calmer...I did get back in the water and finally managed to spend several minutes with my face in the water...I have to say it was a joy to see the coral and fish going about their business..even though the water was murky because of the strong wave action...

We did get a few fish shots...I will do this again..but it will be on my terms next time...calm water and a trained paramedic on board...

I did enjoy spending time by the pool and the Tiki Bar at poolside..

On a short sightseeing trip just a block from the hotel we discovered the original "African Queen" of Bogart and Hepburn fame..

It doesn't quite look as romantic as it did in the movie but it still brings back memories of one of the great romantic movies of all times...remember the sound of that engine chugging away, sounding like any minute it would just quit and die for ever...

We also got some great eats just down the road at a seafood restaurant all decked out with strings of lights and memorabilia that had every conceivable nautical theme...

Back in Englewood I did get some more Gyotako Prints done and as of now I have sold six prints...which is six more than I thought would sell...






I have my own corner now at Shelly's Coffee Shop with books, artwork, and my flower and sunset photography displayed...

It does make me feel like I'm not just treading water down here...
It also gives me a sense of accomplishment that I never had before when it came to anything dealing with the Arts...
I'm not saying I'm good at it but it does make me feel good that someone appreciates it enough to spend hard earned money on it...
Here are some shots I thought you would enjoy....

















That's All For Now...
Live, Love, Laugh, and Dance...
Semper Fi
Monk

A June Adventure..

Before I left for my trip to the "great white north", and it felt like winter all month long, I got to see Kenny and Ronnie play one more time...



Another friend of mine who raises Parrots brought a beautiful bird with him to"Coconut Grove"..

I still can't get used to it's new name "Englewoods on Dearborn"....My personal opinion is it should have never been changed....but who am I....I do know that everyone I talk with agrees...so I will continue to call it by the name I love...anyway this bird was fantastic...very tame and loved to be petted...don't we all...

It seemed to like Ronnie best of all....the bird did not want to part with his shoulder...and when the boys broke into song that bird really did move to the beat...I've always been fond of Parrots and have, on occasion, seriously thought about getting one...however I know that I could not give it the attention that a pet like that deserves...and besides...knowing the little bastard would outlive me by about fifty years is kind of upsetting to think about....

I did finally catch and make a Gyotako of a Seatrout before I left...I think it came out pretty good...my son Kyle tells me that I've sold three of my Gyotako prints since I've been gone..I guess I'll have to get busy and catch more fish when I get back home...It's a tough life...fishing almost every day and playing artist...but someone has to do it...

I did get some shots of Florida's native lizard...they are everywhere and I'm glad they are...besides being kind of cute in there own lizardly way....think Geico...they eat a lot of insects and that can't be bad...the shot on the tree is my favorite...it has a lot going on with Flora, Fauna, Pottery, and an old anchor chain....

The first event when I got back to the lake was my beautiful daughter Kelsey's graduation party at my house..lots of fun and lots of laughs...

My brother Terry put on a cookout that was perfect....Italian Sausage, Pulled Pork, Jalapeno Burgers and lots of chips and a great Macaroni salad....the low carb diet bit the dust...at least for one day anyway....I have lost about 25 pounds and unfortunately have some more to go before I reach my goal....I know the Atkins Diet isn't for everyone but it sure works for me...I practically live on chicken wings and scrambled eggs with bacon....and believe it or not...the blood pressure is down and so is the cholesterol....I don't know how...but it works...

I did manage to get in a little fishing while I was here...I wish I could take the Perch and Sunfish with me back home...I'd love to do some Gyotako with them....next time I come up I think I'll bring some supplies with me...I was going to freeze them and take them back..but I'm not sure if they would make it in the condition that I need...next time I'll be ready...

Got Travis to fish a couple of times...but I couldn't get him to catch anything...I feel bad...he really wants to catch fish with his "old Man"...maybe next time...

Got to go to my grandson Kev's soccer game...he made some great moves and passes..
Also got to see grandson Alex get two doubles and pick off men at first and second..

The Grand Babies are cute as ever and I finally got to meet Callie in person...what a little doll...she smiles all the time...

Got some good shots of the girls with lots of relatives...

The most precious is with great Grand-Ma...at 86 it makes it even more special....

I even got a squirming shot with me...this was just a few minutes after not seeing me in over a year...I don't think Dakota remembered much about our last visit....she was shy at first but warmed up to me fast...she can't say Grandpa very well but she can say "PaPa"...so "PaPa" it is...

It's a great place to be in the summer and sunsets on the lake are beautiful..but I have "sand in my shoes" and Florida is now home...

I did get a chance to experience the biggest hail I have ever seen in this neck of the woods...it lasted only a few minutes but as you can see...some of it was as big as a quarter...I was afraid the "Monkmobile" was toast but no dents.....

Graduation day was Sunday and a prouder father you will not find...Kelsey will being going to school to be a surgical PA...wow...my little girl is all grown up.

Well That's All For Now...

Til Next Time...

Live, Love, Laugh, and Dance

Semper Fi

Monk