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

A Boring May ?...No Way !

Well for starters..I got some of the most beautiful Sunset shots yet....


This is just after a storm had passed...it was perfectly timed for this amazing sunset...


This one is my first attempt at a panorama three shot....I think it's fantastic..

This one I call "The Odd Couple"...the peace and serenity when I took all of these shots are memories that I shall cherish forever....

The fishing has been great all month....I caught this 18" Pompano and several other nice ones over the last few weeks...there are more here in the bay than the last few years...the red tide had really effected the area and it has taken several years to recover..


I've also caught more trout and grouper in the bay than ever before...here are a couple of nice trout and a pompano....the grouper are to small to keep ...because 22" is legal and the bay has only juveniles for the most part....but some of these juveniles will weight several pounds and pull harder than any freshwater fish ten times bigger....This grouper is a Goliath and is a protected species...I released him after the shot...Goliath grow to hundreds of pounds and some are as big as a Volkswagen.....saltwater fish all fight harder than any fresh water fish pound for pound..

I've also been updating my photos of all the colors of spring that this part of Florida is...here are some more shots from May....


These two are blooming just outside my gate and some of the others are just across the street...


This...by the way...is what it looks like when your time has run out trying to get in before a storm...we were in a torrential downpour for the last two miles of this trip on the river....but it was an adventure and worth the soaking we got...We didn't have enough room to dance in the rain...but had some laughs.....


Been working on the fish prints this month..here is a Jack Caravel that I caught out in the bay.. I actually sold one of my prints at Shelly's Coffee Shop....I really didn't expect it but a young man came in and liked one of the Sunfish Gyotakos and said he would have bought one of the bigger ones also but he was flying out and didn't want to carry it on board...the smaller one would fit in his bag I guess...hey...I guess I'm officially an artist now that I have sold a piece...my big head won't fit through the door if someone buys one of my sunset photo collages ...then I'll be an Author, Artist and Photographer....don't worry...I'm not expecting to become a rich and famous celebrity snob....It's not my style....

This is nice shot I took I call "Tropical Moon"...Jenny and I were out for a walk and I wanted to try some shots at night....turned out pretty good....

Got some nice pics of the grandchildren and of course they are just getting cuter by the minute...they got a couple of studio shots for the family and they look great...



Baby Callie will get baptised while I'm home up north in June and Kelsey will be graduating High School...I'm just so proud of my children...they all are a joy and have truly become wonderful adults...

Well that's all for now,...I leave you with this shot of one of my fishing friends...Don't be like him ...take small bites and chew your food...It's a lot more satisfying.... by the way..he got it down in one bite...


Til Next Time...

Live, Love, Laugh and Dance...

Semper Fi...

Monk

More April Happenings...

As promised here are a few more stories for April....Speaking of fishing...I was wasn't I ?.....I have been fine tuning the Gyotako Japanese Fish Prints and have added a few of the fish that I have caught lately...pictured in the close up are a nice Spanish Mackerel and a Pompano that I caught at the Tom Adams Bridge and a Sunfish donated by a friend...I framed several and got Shelly to hang them up at the coffee shop...I don't know if any will sell but she seems to think there might be a few people interested in buying them...I do not consider myself an artist but that's what she put on the tags for the prints...I'm flattered but I'm also a realist...but it was nice...

I've also been making good use of the digital camera and have been cataloging the local Flora as it blooms here this spring...I put together a nice poster for Jenny and I'm working on one for my darling daughter Kelsey...the beauty that is this part of the country just continues to amaze me...


A good friend of all of us here in Englewood just joined the Navy and a few of us gave her a going away lunch...Christi pictured here in the center worked at Shelley's (pictured front left) coffee shop with my son Kyle (next to her) ... she will be missed...but she has definitely made a move to better her life and we are all very proud of her....Lisa and our friend Jimmy joined us for the lunch as well....Good luck Christi and God Bless...

The Red Hat Ladies came to town again this year for their annual parade and luncheon...we even had a panel of judges picking winners at the makeshift viewing stand in front of the coffee shop...I believe the winners were the group pushing Minnie Mouse as their favorite Disney character and mascot....every body looked like they had a great time and downtown got a little boost of business...
















My friend Diesel the bulldog even got into the act...I think he might of been a little upset being a guy and of course the Marine Corps mascot...but he didn't get a vote....



My other friend Harley wasn't having any part of it as evidenced by the "Go ahead, Make my day!" look on his face.....

Here is another one that if she had a vote would have said "Nay"....I bet she is not looking forward to the bath that will get this paint job out....


Lisa's brother and his family came to town for a visit and got to spend some time with her ..besides the great beach days here...they spent a day in Tampa at Bush Gardens and the Zoo...for those of you not wishing to spend hours in line for every single amusement ....those are two great places to take visitors or spend a little fun time yourself...

I had a piece of art done for me by a local artist and I think it depicts my life down here pretty well..." If the fish don't get me first, I'm going to catch every one I can." Got a scene you'd like in stone...let me know and I'll get you a special deal.....


Can't leave without an update on my two cuties in California...it looks like Easter was a fun time and I'm sure Callie and Dakota won't remember how cute they were but we will show them all the pics some day....


This may not be cute but it sure is funny....this is one pic that I know Dakota will get a kick out of someday...when mom puts on her makeup it looks so easy....

Just remember this is who you have to thank for the swine flu...


That's All For Now...

Live, Love, Laugh and Dance...

Semper Fi...

Monk