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