FATTY AND COOKIE!

Tropical Storm Hermine has stalled out in the Gulf of Mexico a couple of hundred miles off shore. This has resulted in bands of rain that have already dumped what I would estimate to be 3-4 inches of water on the island.  From a previous post you already know how well the island drains water so right now with a combination of the rain, high tide and the Holmes Beach Public Works Dept. 69th Street is flooded.  We're in no danger but we're also not going anywhere today or probably tomorrow although I could paddleboard down the street pretty easily.  So I'm using this time to do a little research on one of my favorite subjects............NaNa.
In spite of her constantly beating me in rummy, checkers, scrabble, rook I kind of like her.  She's funny, witty and has some great stories that she has shared with me.  Now I'm not really sure if they're 100% factual but like my friend Christine Stewart always said, "never let the truth stand in the way of a good story".
Last week Beth and her sister Debbie had some shopping and running around to do that neither NaNa or I were interested in doing so we volunteered to stay behind.  I used this time to take her on a little outing to one of our favorite hangouts on the bay side of the island.  When it was time for lunch I ran across the street to a small ice cream shop and picked up three hot dogs.  When I came back and proudly proclaimed that I had three hot dogs for us NaNa immediately fired back "well why did you only buy one for yourself"?  That's NaNa and her quick wit!  She's also pretty nice because she actually let me have two of the hot dogs.
She shared with me some great stories of coming out on the island as a child and spending the entire summer in what was then a non-air conditioned cottage where when you went outside you were attacked by swarms of mosquitos, thankfully this was the pre-Zika era.  She told me about how they ate fish for practically every meal and would sit around all day rubbing ice on their arms and necks because it was so hot.  Sound's like a lot of fun doesn't it?
She also shared with me stories of there being a military base on the island back in the early 40's and that she used to get lots of letters from soldiers that she had met during her summers out here.  One of the interesting things about the letters were that as from what I understand was a common practice back in those days the letters had been screened and anything considered "classified information" had been cut out of the letters.  Maybe that's something we should consider requiring for Hillary's e-mail correspondence going forward!
Sorry for the momentary digression into politics, I guess I short circuited a little.
We also talked a little bit about her high school years and she told me that she graduated in 1946 (Palmetto High School, Palmetto, Fl.).  Just think about that, if my math is correct that's 70 years ago!
So I did a little digging to confirm a rumor that I had heard for quite some time and found out that it's true.  NaNa was selected as the female with the best figure from the Palmetto High School Class of 1946!  My source to confirm this rumor, none other than her yearbook, complete with a photograph to prove it.
The confusing thing about all of this is that if you look closely at her senior picture her nickname is listed as "Fatty"!  Just think about the politically correct "everybody gets a trophy" world we live in today, something like "best figure", "most attractive", "best dressed", "most bashful" or "best complexion" which were all recognized in her yearbook would never be allowed unless there was accommodation for everyone.
So congratulations Fatty on being voted best figure in the Palmetto High School Class of 1946!
By the way, Beth's dad, Howard was also in the Palmetto High School Class of 1946.  In addition to being Sr. Class President he was also "Best All Around". "Most Popular",  "Best Personality" and "Best Complexion"!
His nickname as you can see from the picture below was "Cookie"
Fatty and Cookie, you guys rocked the Palmetto High School Class of 1946!
Congratulations from your Son-In-Law, Kent, named something from the Mulberry High School Class of 1975.  I wish I could remember what it was, I know it wasn't "Most Studious", "Most Likely to Succeed" or "Best Figure"!

Not exactly sure what the "Commercial Club" was all about!

That's not Cookie standing there in his underwear holding hands with NaNa!

Melba was also Cookie's partner for Best All Around and Best Complexion..............still not as cool as Fatty!

Big Man on Campus!

 

Spectacular!

Beth took these three amazing pictures of tonight's sunset.


No written words to add to these spectacular shots!!!!  Enjoy

Oops.........bad engineering, poor installation or both........................somebody screwed up!

In our travels we have had the privilege of seeing some of the most amazing engineering and construction marvels around the world.  The Roman Coliseum, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Acropolis in Athens and the Great Wall of China were all fascinating tributes to smart folks and strong backs with a few fatalities probably mixed in along the way.
Anna Maria Island where Beth's mom (NaNa) lives is currently the home of an engineering and/or construction project gone bad quickly and I have the pictures to prove it.
When we got here in early May the city was doing a little work at the intersection of 69th St and Marina Drive to improve the drainage.  It seemed to me like a pretty simple and quick project, put a bigger drainage pipe under the road, tie it into the pipe that drains into the canal, fill in around the pipe, repave the road and you're done.  This was probably a one week project that they somehow managed to turn into at least a three month job that was just recently completed.
Yesterday this project got it's first real test.  Not a tropical storm or hurricane but a real heavy rain.
Well, something went wrong!  The heavy downpour caused erosion around the pipe which resulted in it popping out of the ground causing more flooding or standing water than I've ever seen at that intersection.
There is more rain on the way today and throughout the week.  When we rode by a few minutes ago they now have a backhoe holding the pipe down so the water can drain which I'm sure the homeowners down the street are both appreciative of and befuddled by. I'm sure there is going to be plenty of finger pointing around city hall tomorrow morning.
Thank God these guys weren't in charge of the coliseum, pyramids, Acropolis or Great Wall!  

If the water rises another three feet that sucker is gonna drain the water like crazy!

They may want to change the children playing sign to a "No Wake Zone" sign!

What about your "stuff"?

Meeting new people or running into people I have known for a long time but haven't seen in some time is really amusing these days.  After all the niceties during the first couple of minutes of conversations the inevitable question(s) that will come up is "where are you from" or "where do you live"? 
Early on the way I answered the question would make people think we were buying an RV.  More frequently these days I tell folks that we sold practically everything that wouldn't fit in a Honda Accord, which doesn't hold too much and that we are "intentionally homeless".
The looks of bewilderment and amusement are something to see and the conversation usually turns to "what about all your stuff"?
This is where I have to convince them that we don't own a customized Honda Accord that is the size of a motorhome and that we really did get rid of practically everything we own, aka "stuff".  Now I know this isn't for everyone.  Most people do tell me that it sounds like a great idea although I really don't believe too many of them actually mean it.
Even though Beth and I were never really accumulators of too much "stuff" we still had a bunch of it and for us it was very liberating to get rid of it.  So here are three fun things I've figured out that I don't miss about my "stuff":
Finding my stuff-Hey, I don't own it anymore so other than keys, wallet and sunglasses which I've always had trouble keeping up with I haven't lost anything in the last four months.
Repairing or replacing my broken "stuff"-nothing to own, nothing to break, nothing to replace!
Wondering where I'm going to put my stuff-Isn't it amazing how many people can't park their car in the garage or close their closet door because it's full of "stuff"?  So what do they do?  Go out and rent space in one of those U-Store It buildings that seem to now be more common than Baptist Churches in Texas so they can put more stuff.  Amazing isn't it?
So what if you want to get rid of some of your "stuff"?  Give me a call.  I'd be happy to come over and help you get rid of your "stuff" although you might not like me too much at the end of the day. Another option is to simply call Goodwill or have a Garage Sale, there's thousands of people out there just dying to buy your "stuff" although they really don't need it.

Greetings from Durand, Wisconsin!

 I guess I should say in full disclosure I'm actually about 99% retired.  I am so thrilled that Adventist Health System (AHS) has allowed me to stay on as a member of the Mission Integration Peer Review (MIPR) team.  As a member of the Mission Integration Peer Review team we are charged with visiting hospital's throughout the system to assess and audit how they are doing in terms of mission fulfillment.  I had the privilege of  surveying our hospital in Sebring, Fl. earlier this year and tonight I am here in Durand, Wisconsin to assist in the survey of our hospital here.
AHS has an unwavering commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of the communities we serve which range in size from large cities such as Orlando, Tampa, Denver and Kansas City to small communities like Durand.  It was the commitment to doing healthcare for the right reasons that initially attracted me to AHS some 31 years ago. I feel very blessed that they saw something in me and gave me the opportunity to be a part of this incredible organization. 
Durand is about 75 miles from Minneapolis, Minnesota and is a beautiful small town of approximately 2,000 located on the Chippewa River.  Once I was out of the Minneapolis area I was in lush green rolling farm land with field after field of corn and what I assume was soybeans.
I got into town a few hours before sunset and took the pictures below as I walked around the downtown and hospital areas.
I'm looking forward to learning more about the great things our hospital is doing for Durand and the surrounding communities tomorrow!
http://www.durand-wi.com

Chippewa River & Downtown

They don't have signs like these on Anna Maria Island!

What a deal on some beautiful corn and I love the honor system, says a lot about the people here!

I ran across these guys while walking to the hospital!

Growing Up in Mulberry-Part 3 of Many-The Freezette

One of the things I learned quickly about Texas after we moved there back in 1993 was that there was a Diary Queen (DQ) in practically every town.  A little research shows that there are over 600 DQ's in the state of Texas which makes up approximately 10% of all stores they have world wide.  The DQ tag line for their commercials in Texas is "DQ, That's What I Like About Texas" and the red DQ sign is often referred to as a "Texas Stop Sign".
I share with you all that useless background information to bring you back to that dusty little town of Mulberry, Fl. that I grew up in and remember so fondly.  If Mulberry would have been in Texas we would have been a shoo in for a DQ.  There were about 3,000 people in Mulberry back in the 70's and I've seen DQ's in Texas towns half that size. Well we weren't in Texas so we didn't have a DQ but we did have the Freezette.
The Freezette was Mulberry's version of a DQ with a touch of Arnold's Drive In from the old Happy Day's TV show.  It served burgers, fries, ice cream, shakes, etc and was a hang out for us kids growing up in that neck of the woods in the 60's and 70's. 
My earliest memories of the Freezette were from back when I was 8 or so years old and would sometimes go to the Freezette with my parents to get an ice cream cone.  That memory was a sad reflection of the times, probably an early indicator of my being incredibly naïve and  proof of my level of intelligence.  I remember there was a sign on the roof of the freezette that simply said "White Only".  In my eight year old simplistic and naïve mind I can remember thinking "why do they only serve vanilla ice cream and milk shakes"? 
The Freezette evolved a lot over the next 10 or so years.  At some point that terrible sign of racial divide came down, the Freezette was purchased by Homer and Louise Futch who were a really nice couple that lived right behind it. They expanded it putting in a pool table and pinball machines.  It was a great place to hang out after school and after ball games while in high school.  The cool thing was that by the time I got to high school I'd be hanging out there with both my black and white friends under the same roof having a good old time.
The Futch's have passed away and the Freezette burned down sometime after I left Mulberry but the memories of the good times remain.  I wished I could have found some pictures of the Freezette to include in this post but I haven't been able to run across any yet.  If any of my Mulberry brethren out there have one I'd love to include it.
Oh, by the way, the Freezette served really good chocolate ice cream and milkshakes too!

DQ-That's what I like about Texas!

I'm coming out.............

It's August 10 and we're back in Florida.  Just 32 days ago early on July 9 Beth and I were on a plane to Dallas heading to Fort Smith to meet Sweet Baby James (SBJ).  Of course we enjoyed Sarah, Joey and Ben, you know we love you, but sorry guys, there's a new kid on the block, he's precious and he's stolen the show. 
We're already looking forward to seeing them in a few weeks when they are all going to be down here with us in Florida.  I can't wait for James and NaNa to meet.
One of the things that I did differently on this trip that was a little out of the norm for me was I actually talked to people.  Vacation for me in the past was an opportunity for me not to have to talk to anyone (other than Beth) and I frequently took full advantage of it.  A quick smile and hello was usually good enough for me while Beth would engage in great conversations with folks from all over the world.
So now that I'm Mr. Congeniality a couple of the interesting people I met along the way; a real "rocket scientist" (he worked on Apollo missions), a woman who recently attended the men's finals at Wimbledon and a college instructor who teaches college classes for men and women who are serving on Naval ships around the world.  There were also two brothers from Canada who were driving all the way to Austin to see what is supposed to be the first photograph ever made. I wasn't aware of this and feel quite ashamed to be so out of the loop but it's actually in a museum on the UT campus.  I hope that while they were there they also went to Franklin's or one of the other great bbq places in the central Texas area.
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/firstphotograph/
https://franklinbarbecue.com/
You meet interesting people with fascinating stories when you come out of your shell!

SBJ celebrating his One Month Birthday

James was so happy to see us he could hardly contain himself



No caption needed!

Jelly Bellies by the Billions!

Yesterday (Friday) morning we flew out of Sacramento where the morning temperature was a very pleasant low/mid 50's.  Three hours later we touched down in Dallas and were greeted by balmy 100+ temperatures.  As the great Mic Hubert would say, Oh My!
On our last full day in Napa we visited the Sterling Winery which was very cool and unique.  The unique part was that to reach the winery you take a gondola ride up the mountain.  Once there we were able to tour and taste and had great views of the Napa Valley.
http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/age_gateway?destination=home
We left Napa for Sacramento where we spent our last night in California but ran into a most pleasant and unexpected surprise on the ride.  The Jelly Belly Factory!  Whipping quickly off I-5 we pulled in and immediately joined what seemed like several thousand kids and kids at heart for a tour of the factory and free samples!
The tour was actually pretty interesting very automated and it seemed as if we were surrounded by billions of the tasty morsels!  And of course we couldn't pass up a bargain so we took advantage of the by three bags of "belly flops" and get three bags free!  "Belly Flops" are the ones that get culled out because the shape, size or logo are imperfect, however the taste is the same.  Because I'm sure you are wondering, each bag is two pounds so we walked away with 12 pounds of Jelly Bellies, eight pounds of "Sour" and four pounds of "Regular".  I think we've worked it down to 11 pounds already, it's a rough job but somebody's got to do it!
We didn't spend too much time roaming around Sacramento but "Old Sacramento" was interesting.  It's very similar to the Fort Worth Stockyard area.  The FW Stockyards were historic for the cattle drives and the Old Sacramento area is known for the gold rush, pony express and Wells Fargo Stage Coaches.  The small but interesting Wells Fargo Museum provided some great history and was fun to visit.
https://www.wellsfargohistory.com
Once again this visit to Texas we're staying at the Marriott Champions Circle on the North side of Fort Worth which is quickly becoming one of our favorites because of it's rates and amenities. Later today Ben is going to join us and we're going to drive up to spend a couple of days in Fort Smith seeing Sarah, Joey (Happy Birthday) and of course Sweet Baby James!
Tuesday it's back to Florida where Nana will start pounding me in rummy, checkers and scrabble again!
I want to send a special "Get Well" wish out to Kandice Thomason!  Thanks for having the foresight to order those THH lunch bags.  The Idiots use it frequently and really appreciate it.  Our prayers are with you for a speedy recovery!

Oxbow Public Market-easy walking distance from our Napa Hotel and Gott's makes a mean Blue Cheese and Bacon Hamburger!

The watch may say 11:51AM but the song says "It's Five O'clock Somewhere!

Sterling Vineyards-Napa



Jelly Belly Factory!

 

Wall to Wall Jelly Bellies!

 

True Art-The Mona Lisa made entirely of Jelly Bellies!

My best Intoxicated on Jelly Bellies Look!!!!



God Bless Texas!!!!

The Road Most Traveled and The Road Less Traveled

Sunday morning before leaving Tahoe we were able to squeeze in a little bit more fun.  We rented bikes from a great vendor (Anderson Bike Rental) and did about a 14 mile ride on the Forest Bike Trail.  This is a paved path through the National Forest on the Southwest side of the lake between South Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay. If you do decide to hop on a bike check out Anderson's.  They have been in business since 1978 and are passionate about what they do and provide excellent customer service.  The lady that checked the bikes out to us (Sue) I'm pretty sure was a member of the Anderson family and she said they are now into the third generation of owning/operating this business.  What really impressed me was her enthusiasm when she was telling us the route that would take us to the start of the actual path.  I'll bet she's done that little spiel thousands of times over the years and it was just so enthusiastic and professional it really caught my attention.  Most service related businesses could learn a lot from Andersons!
http://laketahoebikerental.com
The ride took us to Pope and Baldwin Beaches.  Both were really nice although the Pope or the Baldwin brothers were no where to be seen.  Below is a short video of some bears taking a little swim on Pope Beach yesterday.  It would have been a blast to have been there when this was going on.
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/watch-bears-take-a-swim-in-lake-tahoe-737114691626 
The "Road Most Traveled" is leaving South Lake Tahoe on a Sunday afternoon.  Getting there from Sacramento was about a two hours, getting back to Sacramento on Sunday afternoon was  about double that time.  We had a minor issue with the rental car and had to drop it by the airport and pick up a new car before driving the additional hour to Napa.  All in all it turned into about a six hour trip but we arrived in Napa safely and semi-sane.
The "Road Less Traveled" was our outing yesterday (Tuesday) to the coast.  We drove from Napa to Sonoma Coast State park by way of some wonderful back roads.  On the drive over we went through the Sonoma Valley which has tons of vineyards and wineries.  We did a great hike at Bodega Head and were joined along the trail by a mom and a couple of baby deer as you will see in one of the pictures below.  We then drove up the coast to the small town of Jenner (no relation to Caitlyn) before turning inward along the Russian River and passing through the small towns of Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, Guerneville as well as a Redwood Forrest.
http://www.duncansmills.net
http://monterio.org
Sandwiched in between the two road trips was spending Monday here in Napa.  Doing what you're supposed to do when you come to Napa which is visit the wineries.  One suggestion on visiting this area, if at all possible do it on a weekdays when it is far less crowded.  As we were driving in Sunday afternoon the traffic leaving was a sight to see.  I think every Californian that wasn't at South Lake Tahoe was in Napa for the weekend.  It's summer, the grapes are on the vine and getting ready for harvest, the weekday crowds are very manageable and its a blast!
http://www.vsattui.com
https://www.inglenook.com
OK a few fun facts on wine that we've learned:
There are over 450 wineries in the Napa area.  We've got about 445 left to visit in the next couple of days.
It takes approximately a ton of grapes to make two barrels of wine.
A barrel contains right at 60 gallons which turns into 300 bottles of wine.
A grapevine can live and produce grapes for over 100 years although they are most productive when they are between 20-40 years of age in most regions.
The drier and more arid the climate the longer the vines live and produce, some of the vines in Australia are over 150 years of age.  We'll be sure to swing by and pay our respects to those vines when we are down there later this year.
Sutter Home produces over 6 million bottles of zinfandel per year (hey, you can buy it at CVS and Wal-Mart and pretty much any where else that sells wine).
One of the wineries we visited today was the Inglenook Winery which is owned by Francis Ford Coppola and his family.
Mario Andretti also owns a winery in Napa.
Many of the vineyards have roses planted at the end of the rows.  We didn't know if there was a purpose behind this or not so we did a little investigating.  We learned that it was believed that the rose bushes would show signs of disease before the grapevines so they served as an early indicator for the growers allowing them to treat them before the crop was ruined................and we sure don't want to ruin the wine!




Mount Tallac from Baldwin Beach.  Elevation 9,000+ feet (South Lake Tahoe)

Baldwin Beach-South Lake Tahoe



Inglenook Winery-Napa



My attempt at creating an "artsy photograph"

V Sattui Winery-Napa

Picnic at V Sattui Winery

 

Wine on the Vine!



Bodega Head-Sonoma Coast State Park

Bodega Head Trail

Had to get close to the edge for this shot!  I'm glad Beth didn't push me.

Some friends along the trail.  They never "spooked" we just stared at each other for about 5 minutes from around 10 yards away

Picnic on the Pacific

 

Duncans Mills General Store-I have a thing for "real" General Stores and this is a real one!