Lush And Green

With all of the rain we've been getting lately, the world here is lush and green. Everything that can bloom is doing so, and the grass and all the plants look amazing.

While it's inconvenient for it to rain almost every day, it only does so for a while. And though Central Florida is the lightning capital of the world, the storms sure clean the air and then, when the sun is shining, just driving around here feels like I'm on vacation.

Yesterday Evening (Mon. 7/28/08)

There was a great sunset yesterday, and even the east view over the ocean was blue and beautiful.

The Atlantic was as calm as I've ever seen it.

Lovely.

Black and White #29 (Texture)

Nothing special, but I did like the texture of this board that's part of a local boardwalk along an Atlantic beach.

Years of weathering brings out the lines and "character" of this wood.

Kind of like how years of life and dealing with life's issues exposes our character.

Mmmm, Pizza

Our daughters love Bizarro's Pizza, but they have absolutely THE toughest pizza crust I have ever tried to chew.

Tasty pizza, guaranteed to cause a TMJ flare-up.

Relax

The sun is peeking at you one last time for the day on the horizon back there.

You enjoy the warm breeze and the colors and the smells of the late evening by the water.

It's still kinda hot, but the hardest thing you have to do is sit in your chair for a while and relax.

No sweat.

Black and White #28: Sea Grapes

I had never seen sea grapes until we moved to this part of Florida.

Sea grapes are a great buffer plant to have on the dunes of a beach. The wind shapes the whole tangled mess into a big swooping profile when seen from the side of the whole plant.

They protect the sand from being blown away by the daily efforts of the wind, and especially are beneficial when hurricanes come through.

Besides this, they are neat looking and have big round waxy leaves that I like.

This particular photo is of a batch of sea grape plants along the beach in Indialantic, Florida. But there is also a boardwalk there too, so the sea grapes are cut back from taking over the boardwalk, and interrupting your stroll along the beach.

I liked the way the sun shone on these trimmed sections of sea grapes, showing the interesting shapes of the limbs.

Here are some other views of sea grapes I have posted, here, and here.

Almost There

Just a few more steps, over the boardwalk, and you'll be on the beach.

Toes in the sand. Hot sun on your shoulders. Sounds of seagulls and of the waves breaking. The smell of Coppertone.

Shower

When you go to the beach, you don't want to track that pesky sand into your car, right?

Hence the convenient public showers for rinsing off.

The water is quite cold.

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On the ipod:

All In A Day's Work by Aaron Sprinkle from his Moontraveler cd.

A Favorite Of Mine

Number One Daughter is now 22, but when she was a kid, she was in constant motion.

On a trip to Yellowstone National Park in July of 1989, we were waiting for Old Faithful geyser to erupt, but Number One Daughter couldn't sit still.

She had to run around as usual, and I took this one photo of her as she trotted back and forth in front of us.

Later when I received my developed slides, this instantly became one of my favorite photos I've ever taken.

If I could show you one photograph that best illustrated Number One Daughter as a kid, this would be the one I'd present.

Independence Day 2008

Despite what we have shoved down our throats relentlessly by the modern 24 hour news, America is still a great place where hard work can make dreams come true.

We are NOT in a recession, even though some make that claim. (Recession is actually a technical term where the economy shrinks for two straight quarters, and our economy hasn't shrunk even for one quarter in YEARS; it has only slowed in the amount of growth. But growth is growth.) We are NOT destitute because of high gasoline prices; any fool can cut back on luxuries when times get lean and put gas in their cars.

America's existence does NOT hang in the balance based on who will be elected as the next President this November. We'll continue on regardless of who our next President will be.

I once made my living by lifting heavy things, and had a dream of going back to college to learn a skill that would help make a better life for myself and my family.

With a wife and two kids and five years of hard work, I earned an electrical engineering degree and HAVE made a better life for my family and myself.

And I am a thoroughly average man who was not born into wealth.

So if I can do it, anyone can.

Americans, get off your butt and work; NO President is going to make a difference in your life.

Only you can do that. Only you.

Happy Independence Day folks.

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On the ipod: This Ain't No Ordinary Love Song by Payable On Death (P.O.D.), from their new When Angels And Serpents Dance cd