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