|
|
We stay in the house of some good friends. It’s a block from the beach and there is a park 2 blocks away. A block in the other direction takes you to the bay where I go kayak fishing. The house has plenty of room
buy kamagra 100mg
, is nicely decorated and even has a garage where I can store my kayak and fishing gear. It’s a pretty sweet setup.
In the past I would pull my kayak on a cart down the dead end street where I would launch into the bay. An older couple lives next to this spot and I asked if it was OK for me to launch here. They said they owned it and it would be fine as long as I didn’t park a car there.
This year I went by to make sure it was still OK and there was something going on there. A dock was being built where I used to launch. Linda and I talked to the old couple and opened a can of worms. Apparently they didn’t really own the property
https://ivermectin-apotheke.com
, they and their neighbors kind of divided it up and took care of it. It was a super skinny strip of grass along the dead end road. Well someone bought it from the city. The neighbors are up in arms
Pharmacie Montignac Dordogne Pharmacie de la Vézère
, that patch of grass allows cars to turn around, neighbors to get to the water and things like yard maintenance trucks to park to work on the yards. Motions were filed, cops are coming by, people were going to court, fences and logs now block access. It’s no bueno. In the past I would launch from there 4-5 times a week, it looks like I will be loading up the truck instead of the cart.
One of the things we like to do in Vero is to go to Ft Pierce on Saturday mornings. They have a market there where we buy bread, produce and usually breakfast. It’s at a park right on the water, there is live music, food and vendors selling all kin ds of stuff. It’s a great place to spend the morning. That’s how we started our stay.
We have done these trips a number of times and we have gotten pretty efficient at packing, unpacking and getting setup. One of the keys to our success are the plastic tubs we use. They have locking lids and come is several sizes. By now we know what stuff goes in what tubs and where they get packed in the truck. During our stay they may act as coffee table, night stand or cloths hamper. Don’t leave home without them.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Just before we reach our destination for the night in the town of Midway west of Tallahassee we cross into the Eastern Standard Timezone and our 12.5 hours car trip quickly turns into 13.5 hours. We won’t mind going to bed early but we won’t be our usual chipper selves when 6AM rolls around. But I am getting ahead of myself. First we shall have dinner and we are now in Sonny’s BBQ country. When we are seated the waitress tries to hand us menus and we give her the “do we look like we are fooling around here?” look and she knows she is dealing with professionals. There will be 1 turkey lunch special (yes you can order it for dinner) with Cole slaw, french fries, garlic bread and a giant sweet tea, AND 1 sliced pork lunch special with Cole slaw, french fries, garlic bread and water, oh, and a side of BBQ baked beans to share. In less than 8 minuets the BBQ sauce was applied to the smoked goodness and it was having a medicinal effect.
We had stayed at the Comfort Suites in Midway before but it was in February instead of July. It was a nice enough place, good location, reasonable price. But, we will not be returning, at least not between the months of March and December. This hotel like many Comfort Suites has a “feature” on their air conditioners called “e-save”. It doesn’t matter what temperature you set the thermostat for, it will decide for you when you have had enough. Yup, it just quits and there is no turning it back on. After an hour or so maybe it will give you a little more – maybe – if you’re nice. This is especially handy in the middle of the night when you wake up sweating. This is a major fail for Comfort Suits, it e-sucks.
The first few times we traveled like this, hauling half of what we own in the back of a open pickup truck, I was pretty nervous about people stealing my stuff while we were sleeping. Most things were in tubs except some fishing gear
, 12 packs of soda and of course my kayak but someone could just pop the lid off a tub and make off with my underwear or crunchy peanut butter. Turned out there were fewer people than expected interested in my underwear and all those boy scout knots must make the kayak a less desirable target. I still worry a bit and always check on it when I have to get up in the middle of the night to berate the air conditioner but I am no longer surprised when I find that everything is still there in the morning.
We chose to go south on I-75 then to the turnpike instead of taking I-10 to I-95. Florida has the SunPass for their toll roads. In Texas we have EZ Tag. In Florida we were able to buy a SunPass from a vending machine (right next to the cookies) for $5.40 at the Florida welcome center. Then we activated over the internet with a credit card. The only down side is that you have to go through the toll booths at 25mph. The EZ Tag works at several times that speed.
So we took the turnpike to our exit
, and I am not making this up, Yeehaw Junction. Next we went due east 30 miles into Vero Beach. Destination reached.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
One thing we did different this trip was change up when we got gas. Usually we get down to around a quarter of a tank then pull off and fill up. These stops may or may not coincide with a meal break. The reason we wanted to make a change is because on our default schedule we end up at some pretty seedy fuel stops. One gas station brags that not only do they have gas but a pork rind buffet and casino. The whole thing is the size of a 7-11. We managed to avoid this stop this trip.
Every time I pack the truck for the trip I use a slightly different strategy for lashing down the kayak on the rack I install above bed. I keep thinking there must be a perfect Eagle Scout type solution. Most of the time my strategy works but not always
2pharmaceuticals.com
Buy Nolvadex UK
https://deutschland-doxycycline.com
, and I never made it to Eagle Scout so I have yet to find the perfect solution. This time the upside down orange plastic boat that looks like my truck’s Mohawk is holding steady. One fellow traveler was not so lucky, his kayak looked like the guy in a car chase scene who jumps on the car hanging on by his fingernails while the driver tries to shake him off. We went around that guy.
Here comes Mobile Alabama. We pick up the dice, blow on them for luck and let them fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Yahtzee! No rain, no fog, no 15 mile backup to squeeze through the tunnel 2 by 2 under Mobile Bay. Of course we had to stop outside the tunnel but only about a quarter mile. You can’t expect people to drive right into a tunnel without stopping first, what if it’s leaking or scary in there? All in all it couldn’t have gone much better.
 Florida s Turnpike rest area rest stop service plaza Florida is now only a couple of rest areas away. We will have to eat up a good chunk of the panhandle before we stop for the night but the end is in sight. Speaking of rest areas, Florida and Texas have the best rest areas in the country. This is appreciated on long journeys especially if you fell for the pork rind buffet earlier in the day.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
” a movie, book, or illustrated lecture about the places visited and experiences encountered by a traveler”
The actual traveling part
We have been to Florida many times since we moved to Texas. We have visited most of the coasts (Gold, Space, Treasure, First, Emerald, even the Forgotten Coast) and of course we have gone to central Florida to visit Mickey. We flew occasionally but mostly we drove. The trip can take anywhere from 8 hours to get to Pensacola to 18 hours to get to Miami. Key West would be another 3 hours from Miami. For this trip we were going to Vero Beach about half way down the east coast of Florida, which is about 16 hours away.
 Having a plan is required for a trip like this. Our plan was to pack up Wednesday and leave around 6 Thursday morning and drive to Midway a town just outside Tallahassee. We prefer to travel farther the first day of a 2 day trip, then we can have an easy second day. Thursday morning we were eastbound and down, all was going according to plan as we left Texas.
There are 2 spots along this trip where the chances of headbutting your steering wheel or suffering a temporary bout of Tourette syndrome goes through the roof, Baton Rouge and Mobile. These are the cities that time (or at least the Corps of Engineers) forgot.
First up, Baton Rouge. 99.3% of the people on I-10 west of Baton Rouge traveling east just want to make it out the other side. This number drops to 99.1% on football weekends as the local clans gather. We will just say neither the 99.1% nor the fans of the opposing team will make it out unscathed.
On this particular Thursday as we approach the Mississippi river bridge we come to a full stop. Unfortunately this is not unusual. Just about everyone wants to stay on I-10 heading east, as you go over the bridge only half the lanes are for 10 East and only 1 lane gets you where you want to be. The other two lanes are populated with those who feel waiting their turn is for suckers and those who have no idea of what the 50 year old traffic pattern has in store for them. On this day one driver of each of these two tribes met on the down side of the bridge. It was just a fender bender but it was enough to turn a bad situation into a Baton Rouge situation. 45 minutes later we made it several miles to the construction zone which has been under construction since the Louisiana Purchase. Finally back to the brake/accelerator tap dance
, finally back to normal.
Part 1, Part 2
, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
 Sitting on the counter in the kitchen where the radio used to sit is our personal cloud servant in a can. Her name is Alexa and she comes from Amazon and is otherwise known as Amazon Echo. If you are not familiar with the product, it’s sort of like Siri in a stand alone bluetooth speaker that is connected to WiFi. You can ask it questions like “Alexa, what will the weather be like tomorrow” or “Alexa, What year did the movie Animal House come out” and she will speak the answers. You can also say “play NPR” and it will use internet radio and knowledge of where you are to stream you local NPR station. With an  Amazon Prime account you can say something like “Alexa
cialis uk
, play some Rolling Stones” and it does. There is a companion app for your phone and tablet. You can add things to a to-do list or grocery list (Alexa
antibiotika-online.com
, put Fruit Loops on the grocery list) and they will show up in your app.
I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised with how well the system works. It’s pretty fast. The ability of the device to pick up your voice from across the room and understand you is truly impressive. The sound is good and can get really loud without breaking up. The hands free thing is a lot more useful than I thought it would be.
They have only been shipping to Prime members. We ordered ours in January and got it just last week. They seem to add features regularly and because all the brains are in the could they usually don’t even need to update the software on the device itself.
Alexa won’t make you a sandwich (I asked) but she has some funny quips if you ask her pop culture type questions and she has enough useful features to justify her $99 price tag and dethrone the venerable CD/Radio unit that had been ensconced at the end of the counter for 20+ years. I think this is going to be one of Amazon’s wins.
I just stumbled across this and I had to post. Apparently it’s the 40th anniversary of one of my favorite albums and all time favorite songs. The album is Physical Graffiti, the song is Trampled Under Foot, the band is Led Zeppelin.
it was a double album and the cover had windows cut out with pictures and letters that could slide back and forth changing what was in the windows. You used to pour over albums and their artwork it was part of the full musical experience.
This is from the laughingsquid web site where I found the video. Make sure you find the boy in the picture (this one struck close to home
https://stromectol-apotheke.com
, I guess Sarah came by it naturally) and the lady on the couch, you might not be able to look away. You can navigate using the arrow keys while the song is playing, you can also click on the windows when the video starts. I had to watch several of them all the way through. I am hard pressed to tell you why but I am doing it again as I write this. I love this song
, I’m talking bout love.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the legendary Led Zeppelin album Physical Graffiti
, the surviving members of the band, in collaboration with director/creator Hal Kirkland, storytelling agency Interlude and production company PRETTYBIRD, have created a richly interactive video that invites viewers to explore the mysteriously enticing rooms behind the building facades pictured on the album cover. All the while, a previously unreleased rough mix of “Trampled Under Foot” (in its early working title form called “Brandy and Coke”) accompanies the visitor’s virtual journey.
Fans have never had so many ways to explore and see a music video come alive. By selecting one of the featured 16 windows, the audience can enter into the room and will discover events that pay homage to the window illustrations on the original artwork. Featuring archival footage, such as the band’s full Earl’s Court performance of the song, original animation and more, Interlude technology allows viewers to follow and interact with characters from room to room without disrupting the flow of the song.
Linda and I just attended the HP CodeWars event in Houston on March 7th. It was a truly impressive event. This program got started at the Compaq campus in Houston in 1998. It has grown to 8 HP sites around the world. 
It is an open 1 day competition for high school students. They are given around 20 problems that must be solved using Java programming. Kids compete on teams of 1,2 or 3 students. Each question is assigned a point value based on it’s difficulty. There are Advanced and Novice divisions. Both groups are given the same problems. The solutions are submitted to the judges electronically who test the programs and assign points.
If you would like to see the questions and rules the students used at this event click here
There appeared to be about 700 students at the 2015 Houston event. Most teams were from Texas but some groups came from as far away as Florida (who came in 2nd this year). Teams came in school busses, multi-vehicle caravans and in the back of mom’s minivan. Having a team name and identity was part of the fun. Plenty of kids went all out and dressed up. I saw Harry Potter and his friends, a Wookie, Dorothy and her pals and of course team Chef Boyardee who were “cooking up a win”. The top team came from Clements High School in Fort Bend ISD. Other winners can be found here.
HP was a gracious sponsor of the event. They provided breakfast, lunch, drinks, posters, tee shirts and a backpack filled with goodies to all the students. They also gave away some really nice computers with a raffle. The logistics of such a large event were also expertly handled.
The value of programs like these are many;
- Skills learned to compete in these events are “real world” skills, some of these students already possess enough knowledge of programing to get a job.
- Participants start building their network, they see hundreds of other students who are passionate about the same things they are, it’s not unlike sports teams getting together.
- Coding clubs and teams give a whole group of kids the opportunity to be part of a team and a social group at school. Being involved in extracurricular activities at school is good on many levels.
Over the years my wife and I have been involved in many student based programs from kindergarten through college. Programs like the coding teams who participated in CodeWars have students, teachers and parents who are significantly “above average”. They value education
Buy Amoxil Without Prescription
, participation and are great to work with. Yes, there are many reasons to participate in programs like these.
kamagra oral jelly usa
 It will come as little surprise to my fellow Texans that we are in the top group of people with general good well being. We are happier
https://2-pharmaceuticals.com
, healthier and more comfortable than most. You can draw your own conclusions as to why this is the case.
This was a massive year long study based on polls by Gallup and Healthways.
Alaska scored the highest.
 You know those people who get their haver on while staggering out of the convenience store parking lot? Cylindrical paper bag in hand. Yes we have all sat in judgment. What if we just want to have a little public adult beverage consumption without all the added judgment? At last there is Cool Baby. It’s a baby shaped koozie that will have even the most righteous reformed alcoholic saying Aawwwwww when they see you sucking your MD20 through your baby’s head.
You can’t by Cool Baby in stores, at least not yet. You need to back the brilliant/twisted individuals on KickStarter so they can bring this product to market. Speaking of twisted, this is perhaps the most twisted product promotion video I have ever seen. So much so that I am making it a link instead of embedding it on my site. View at your own peril Cool Baby Promotion Video
 
koupit-pilulky.com
buykamagrausa.com
As some of you know, I have been spending a fair amount of time working with our local school district. I spend time with 4th and 5th graders every week whether they like it or not. I am often surprised by what I see and hear. Turns out, even those who spend most of their time with kids (and the other adults who do the same) still get surprised. I am guessing that is one of the reasons they do what they do.
This was originally a Facebook post from Angela Wrigglesworth who is one of our elementary school teachers .
“So I have bus duty. All week our assigned bus had a substitute bus driver. Well today as we walk out all in a line to the bus, the kids can already see that Mr. What’s his Name is back. And honest to goodness, it was like JJ Watt was driving.
My life suddenly flashed to slow motion as the children began cheering and high fiving. “He’s baaaaaaack!!!!!!” They all shouted. They were hugging each other! They RAN TO THE BUS and couldn’t wait to get on! FIFTH grade BOYS were hugging this man! The news to the back of the line spread and the joy was so contagious to the point that all other buses stopped to watch ours!!!!!!
I honestly wanted to cry.
After they all boarded and were smiling from ear to ear
, I peeked in and shouted, “Sir! You are loved!!!!! I’ve never seen anything like that in my life!”
He said watch this….
He grabs the radio and says “Here we go guys!!!!!” Then sings Boy George (in perfect pitch, I’ll have you know…) “Do you really want to hurt meeeee” And all of the children raise their arms in a choreographed moment, “Yes!” He goes through the entire chorus and the children are singing and doing their hand motions and laughing and loving it!!!!
I’m not doing this justice at all
https://antibiotics.top
, but I would count this as one of the top 5 most amazing things I’ve even seen at school. Ever!!
I want to be an awesome school bus driver when I grow up.”
|
|
