The Holidays In Paradise...Oh Yeah !!

Just before Christmas I visited a place called Spanish Point and got to walk in the warm sunshine through a 19th century estate that had also been the home territory of a native American culture that dated back at least 4,000 years...even before the Native Americans that we know as the American Indian...Archaeologists had documented thousands of years of use of a shell mound used by the inhabitants over that length of time....in plain terms it was their "dump" for all that time and everything from thousands of everyday shellfish to pottery and tools were documented...Spanish Point was the home for one of the Sarasota area's founding families and was a retreat for them and many of their friends for many years.

Needless to say that it was a beautiful location along the bay and was a great way to spend the day .... and of course..what is a mansion without a sunken garden..volunteers have done a fantastic job preserving and restoring all of the grounds...we followed a path from site to site that was more beautiful at every turn... I didn't realize how bad I look in those shorts...I look like a guy who needs a makeover in a very bad way.......


Last Sunday was a great day for a breakfast outside at the Dearborn Diner...especially when you can be with some of your nearest and dearest friends...Shirley, Lisa, Ronnie and Richard along with Ronnie's beautiful daughter Cathleen joined me for great food and even better conversation...








Cathleen certainly gets her beauty from her Mom...she is a major player in the world of IT...Lisa who was also in that very challenging field got a conversation going with Cathleen that absolutely no one else at the table understood... one word of....








Kyle had a visit from his friend Galen...we took him down to the fishing pier...guess who was the only one to catch any Pompano...not just one but Two....of course this was the first time he had ever fished salt water....beginners luck is alive and well...good going Galen....Kyle got a ride back to Rochester for the holidays and Galen got a great vacation...






Of course Travis and family enjoyed a first Christmas with baby Callie Jean and Dakota's second...at two she can definitely have a fun time and be old enough to really get into it....



They had eight inches of snow in the dessert...it was the first time in decades that Edwards had any accumulation...A Christmas miracle for all the kids who haven't seen any snow...they even got to make a snowman for the kids....













Callie is getting cuter by the minute and Dakota has excepted her role as the Big Sister...a little jealous but still very much the protector...


Dakota had to make sure the carrots and cookies left for Santa and the reindeer were OK to eat....










New Years Eve we watched the sun set at the beach...we watched the perfect sunset....had a little wine...and after dark had the only fire allowed on the beach...a candle in a hole in the sand (see a future blog for pics of candle)...surprisingly the candle gave off more light than we expected and we had a great time for an hour or so after dark visiting with a local family and their three girls...the girls serenaded us and we all had a few laughs...by the way...never accept potato chips from kids at the beach....I was spitting out sand for an hour...fortunately I had Captain Morgan to thank for finally rinsing it from my mouth....after two-thirds of a bottle it was also completely wiped from my memory.....


That's It For Now...

Happy New Year...

Semper Fi...

Live, Love, Laugh, Fish

Monk

A Little Pre-Christmas Cheer...

Attended a couple of very interesting Christmas parties and had a chance to catch up on all the latest gossip...

I have been promised pics of the party we attended at Merrill and Tony's house and here are a few of the one at Ronnie's...the house was beautiful and the food (we all brought something) was more than we could handle...here are Shirley and Helen enjoying themselves...I'll post the rest of the pics when I get them....




Here is a great pic of "Monk's Covey"...at least that's what Richard called it..I am not seeing all these women..I'm no "player".. but they all are very dear friends...and I adore every one of them...it just seems that I have more women friends than men friends..but it only seems that way...all the men I hang with are on poker nights at the Moose and it's like two .... actually three....different sets of friends...one set never meets the other...then of course there are all the guys I hang with at the fishing pier and that's another whole set of different friends...so I consider myself a very lucky man for having all of them in my life....of course the only ones that draw all the attention are the women...as it should be...it seems that they are the only ones that I like to take the most pics of ....I wonder why that is?....From left to right..Ronnie, Ingrid, Helen, Shirley, Kellie (Ronnie's sister), and Covina...can you blame me for wanting to hang with all these beautiful women...I'll say it again...I'm a very lucky man.....


One of my friends send a couple of shots of some backyard buddies that have been hanging around her house....the Osprey is a young bird that has been hanging out in the trees around her house...we watched up close for a long time the other day and got some great pics...it seems that it was dining on a snake it had captured...the remains were on the ground under this perch...the Armadillo has been hanging around her house for awhile....she finally got a chance to get up close to it and surprise it...when he saw her he didn't run he just buried his head the leaves, closed his eyes and "hid" from her...must be part Ostrich...















While we are on the subject of animals....I took this shot of a Heron down at the pier..I don't believe I've ever seen a bird perch like this...it was a warm day and I thought that it was getting rid of excess heat...if anybody has a better answer...let me know....










Kyle got the Mustang Selene all cleaned up...he was so proud of it that he took a great pic...I told him I'd put it on the blog for him to gloat to his friends...he loves that car...hey the "Monkmobile" ain't so bad either...Kyle's car will however run mine ragged...it's in great shape and for sale if anyone is interested.....If you have to ask how much...you can't afford it.....














Of course no blog entry would be complete without a W.C.G. update...first a happy birthday to my grandson Kevin and my granddaughter Samantha...both December babies...now we have to add Callie to that list and her mother Shannon birthday is Today the 16th...Happy Birthday to you all....






Dakota and the new baby are getting along well according to the reports from Mom and Dad...she is a little jealous and wants the same attention as the baby is getting...she climbs on the bed when the baby is getting changed and rolls over on her back to let them know that she wants to be changed...she climbs into the babies carrier and makes baby sounds to get attention...which I'm sure is hilarious...but all in all she is being a good big sister and trying to help out in her own way...














Dakota still is the star of the show and she wants everyone to know it....

















Well That's All For Now...

Semper Fi

Live, Love, Laugh, Fish

Monk

So Much To Be Thankful For...

I know that last year I referred to this time of the year as the "Holi-Daze" and in many ways they still are a crazy mad rush that either pushes you toward an anxiety attack or just overloads your senses until you get that glazed look in your eyes and begin to mumble a lot...but this year has been very special to me...Callie Jean...the newest arrival on the planet...has come into my life..On December first...she is my son's brand new baby girl and I'm sure she has become a major player in the "World's Cutest Grandchildren" competition...my grandchildren (as far as I'm concerned) will now hold the top five positions in the competition...your welcome to compete but I'm the only judge so your odds of winning are slim and none..and as they say...slim left town...















We had a great pre-Thanksgiving dinner at my friend Ronnie's house...she is a 911 operator and was working on T-Day...so she decided to share with us a little ahead of time...it was a good time and we all ate to the extreme...lots of laughs with my friends and as a special Thanksgiving bonus...I got to spend it with my son Kyle as well...

Kyle and I have been doing some fishing together...before this he could care less about the sport...but I took him out to the local fishing pier here and we just happened to catch some fish that day and that was enough to get him excited about returning to try again...here he is with a nice Spanish Mackerel and a Pompano...there is nothing like success to wet the appetite for more of the same...when we fail and still keep coming back for more is when it becomes a true test of either our desire to achieve, our will power, our love, or..in some cases...our level of stupidity...

Got some great pictures of Dakota's Thanksgiving with her Mom and Dad...she loves to dress up and loves to share with her Mommy and Daddy...I truly believe that when you look into the eyes of a child under the age of five..(before they go to school)...that you are truly looking into the eyes of God....there is nothing more innocent and pure on this earth...

Some additional thoughts and pics...got lunch for this Osprey at the fishing pier...when I laid a nice size Jack on the deck and stood back this magnificent bird swooped down and came in just above our heads to grab it and take it to this perch where he or she spent the next two hours finishing every last bite...all I can say is that the vacationers on the pier that day thought that I talked to the animals...I had told them to get the cameras ready and I set the whole thing up...when I whistled that bird came right down on cue...I was just as amazed as they were..but I didn't tell them that....

This by the way is what someone sent me as a representation of what goes on in a woman's brain as compared to a man's...(it's supposed to be animated but if your computer doesn't show it you can still get a good idea) ...it seems that the woman has all these balls she is using to make decisions and remember things and a man only has "two"....hence the supposed difference of reason between us...of course I don't believe that for a minute..where did I put those car keys?......

Well That's All For Now...

Til Next Time....

Semper FI...

Live, Love, Laugh, Fish

Monk

"Carpe Diem" Or As I Say.."Fish Of The Day"

Just in case you doubted...I do catch some great fish down here...Take this nice Snook for example..(even though he looks dead he was released unharmed..Lisa) as a matter of fact that picnic table is over three feet wide...(just kidding this table is a miniature table at the end our local dock..about two and a half feet) but still a nice fish...This year so far I have caught plenty of Reds, Snook, Trout and Pompano and scores of fun fish that are not good to eat but fight like Jack Bauer backed into a corner....

Had a great birthday...a group of my friends (Shirley , Flo and Helen pic on left)and I went to a local Pub and listened to half of my favorite group...Smoked Mullet..the two of them call themselves "Finger Mullet" (a fishing reference..a young Mullet is called a "Finger Mullet")....Picture is of whole group...got to dance a little and drink a lot...slept til noon....they tell me that I had a great time....Here I'm well on my way as evidenced by the "Where am I" .."What Day Is It?" look on my face.....That's my boy Kyle..Says he's found his goal in life...he wants to be President...Hey, now that we know anybody can...you go Kyle..."W" and Obama are so far apart it would take light ten years to get from one to the other...if they could do it so can you....

Speaking of smoked mullet....here is the real thing...my next door neighbor Chris..who is also a very accomplished artist...he carves small and large marine life pieces and in the next installment I'll show you a few....he also smokes mullet as well as other fish...I got to sample one of these smoked Redfish and can't wait for more.....

Dearborn Street had it's First Annual Art Walk in October and it was very successful...my friend Richard was the featured artist at the Englewood Art Gallery here in town... you can check out or buy some of his work on line at... www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/s/seagull ...



Forgot why I took this picture..Oh Yeah!..the half naked girl in the background..body painting is an art form isn't it?...Sign me up...I just found a new hobby...

Halloween in Englewood is a very special event...for the past ten years or so the merchants on Dearborn Street all get together and invite all trick or treaters to a safe walk for treats...it has become so popular that the crowd has grown to nearly ten thousand in the last two years...it's an all day event and some of the costumes are hilarious.....

Not that my friend Tony's is that funny..I just don't know what or who he was supposed to be...at least I think it was a costume..with Tony you never know for sure....Maybe the surprise comes when he opens the coat...don't know...even if I did...I wouldn't say.....

T.W.C.G. had her Halloween with Mom and Dad and she just can't get any cuter...got lots of candy...and enjoyed her first real Holloween (to young for the last one) ...of course like most of us...to much of a good thing finds you passed out in some very strange places and positions...

Looks like Dad had to work on Halloween...it will be any day now and our new baby Caley will arrive on the planet...God gives us miracles every day....

My friend Lisa has gone to Greece...she had found an old high school friend on line and they got to talking....her friend invited her to come stay awhile...at least a month...and she may consider staying for even longer....we'll miss her but what a fantastic adventure...she'll have to come back and get her dogs so I know we will see her again...and even if she decides to live there she will come back for visits...I've talked to her a couple of times and she is having a ball...the only pic I got before she left was at her going away party...Kyle and she had to stand under a light because all I had was my cell phone camera...I have been amazed at how well that thing works...most of the shots in my blog are from the cell phone....what did we ever do without them...I know one thing...I used to have dozens of phone numbers memorized that I couldn't even attempt to recall now....I don't want technology to do so much for me that my mind turns to mush...so I ponder Quantum Physics and my place on the continuous chain that is mankind's existence...yeah sure!....I'm lucky if I remember what day of the week it is...

Here is a picture for you to ponder...do you think this is Mother Nature's way of saying..."Have A Nice Day"...what a fantastic shot....

Can't leave without at least one beautifull sunset from Paradise...this is across the bay from the dock behind the house....

That's All For Now....

Semper Fi...

Live, Love, Laugh, Fish

Monk