84 Called Because of Rain

Well, it looks as if our big Street Festival & Car Show tomorrow is going to be called on account of rain. The forecast isn't very pretty.. and for the first time ever, it's fairly certain we're going to postpone until next Saturday. While it's quite a burden for us, consider all the food vendors that ordered quite a lot of extra food for tomorrow. Hopefully, they can freeze what they have until next week (and hope that next week it doesn't rain either!).

Well, I'm anxious to show you all my other great picture of the vacation.

Tell me what you think:

 

(Click on the picture to get a good look at it)

I don't know what exactly makes it so beautiful to me.. maybe it's the angled bars coming down and the sea through them.. but I really love this picture.

 

Next, I have a joke sent to me by my friend Mike H:

A Russian woman married a American and they lived happily ever after in

Buffalo.   However, the poor lady was not very proficient in English, but did
manage to communicate with her husband.  The real problem arose 
whenever she had to shop for groceries.
One day, she went to the butcher and wanted to buy chicken legs.  She  didn't
know how to put forward her request, and in desperation, clucked like a 
chicken and lifted up her skirt to show her thighs.  Her butcher got the  message,
and gave her the chicken legs.
Next day she wanted to get chicken breasts, again she didn't know how to  say
it, and so she clucked like a chicken and unbuttoned her blouse to show  the
butcher her breasts.  The butcher understood again, and gave her some  chicken
breasts.
On the 3rd day, the poor lady needed to buy sausages.  Unable to find  a way
to communicate this, she brought her husband to the store...
(Hold your left mouse button down as you roll over the next two lines)

What were you thinking?  Hellooooooo, her husband speaks English! 
Now get back to work.   I don't know about you sometimes!

Well, that's it for today... have a great weekend all!

83 Wordless Wednesday (5/18/08 One of my best photos)

 

(Click to 'embiggen')

82 Cruise News

Well, as I said in my last post, the cruise was outstanding. The weather was 90 degrees every day, the breeze was just right, and we had fun no matter what we did.

While waiting to leave port in Fort Lauderdale, we were sitting on deck chairs on deck 5,
watching all the beautiful boats sail back and forth by us, we saw a manatee in the water! These shy creatures aren't often seen where there's a lot of traffic, so it definitely was a treat.

The picture at right was taken where we were watching the world go by, before we set sail. You can see it was a gorgeous day.

After the mandatory muster drill, we had a wonderful dinner, then went back out on deck to see this beautiful sunset.

I knew at this point, I was going to have a great time. We had been on this same ship back last October, and we had the special key to the Concierge Club, where we met up with our friend Julian, the Concierge.

Sunday, we had a day at sea, where we just relaxed by the pool, and read some books we brought along (I brought along I Robot, but it's nowhere near what the movie was).

Make sure you come by Wednesday, I have an outstanding picture for Wordless Wednesday.. though I may end up posting a full post as there's so much to see.

I've put all my photos up on Photobucket, but I'm trying to arrange them, and then I'll post the link here hopefully Wednesday.

I'll have more soon.. just still picking up the pieces from being gone and all.

Caroldee, yes, I'm worried about Trucker Bob too.. haven't heard from him in ages.

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day!

81 Home Safe and Sound!

Yep, we got home yesterday afternoon but I've been up to my armpits in stuff around the house.

We had a FANTASTIC time, and photos will be forthcoming I promise.

Other than that, I have a very busy Holiday Weekend coming up, and I Hope yours is an outstanding one.

Sorry there's not more now, but I'm still busy answering emails from while I was gone and there's so  much to do with our big car show coming up in a week from tomorrow!

I'll post again Monday morning, so I'll see you then! *S*

80 Vacation Time Again! WHOO HOO!

Yep, our flight leaves at a bit after 7am on Saturday, and the weather forecast for Fort Lauderdale (where the cruise leaves) is for 92 degrees and bright sunshine!

I don't have a lot of time tonight, as I haven't even begun to pack yet and I really need to get started.

 

I do have one more picture of the robins, but the darn window has such a glare, that the shot didn't come out very well. You can see at least 2 of the 3 little ones in there. Momma Bird comes in every few minutes and as soon as she arrives, the mouths go wide open waiting for something to eat. It's amazing already how much they've grown.

 

Well people, I'll see you next Friday (we return Thursday afternoon).

Take care while I'm away!

79 Wordless Wednesday - Barbados

 

Click on picture to 'embiggen'

78 We Have Baby Robins!

 

The picture you see at right, is of one of the baby robins. I've seen two of the three, not sure if the third is hatched, or if it's just out of my view. The mommy robin comes back and forth bringing them food and keeping them warm.

This all had to happen from Friday night to Saturday morning, as I found the babies Saturday morning early.

Six more days till vacation. Am I ready? No. By now usually I have everything ready to go, but I've been doing so much work on the Auto Club, and the responsibilities that they've given me, I haven't had a chance to even try on my shorts! Oh well, I have this week.

This past Saturday, our auto club finally got in their first cruise night, and despite cool and cloudy weather, we had a pretty good turnout.

 

At left is one of my wife's favorite Corvettes. A 1959 in Roman Red with the white coves.

It's owned by one of our members' wife, and it's still in great shape. Those year Corvettes, while looking great, rode rough as they had a solid rear axle.

 

I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful mothers day. We had my mom over for lunch today, and we made a big batch of spaghetti and meatballs and sausage. Everything was great, and everyone had a good time.

Well, enough for now.. I hope you all have a great Monday!

77 Memories of Camping and Family

Today, I got some pictures in my email from my Godparents' daughter.

The pictures are from a camping trip we took in 1971 (I was 15) up to Mont Tremblant National Park, Quebec, Canada. Today, Mont Tremblant (MT) is a bustling vacation place, with many resorts and things to do and see.
When we were there, it was nothing but logging roads, lakes and forest. From the park gate, where a ranger had us read and sign multitudes of forms letting them know where we were going, for what reason, and how long we were going to be there (in case we didn't come out, they'd come in looking for us). The park was hundreds of miles long and wide, and from that gate, we drove 40 miles to find a good place to pull over and make camp.

The only living humans we saw, were on Monday mornings, and Friday nights as the loggers went in and came out. Other than that, we were on our own. My mom, dad, mom's friend "sis" and I were in our truck-camper, my Godfather and Godmother were in a pull-behind camper and my Godfather's brother and his family were in another pull-behind camper.

The story will have to wait, but I will share a couple of pictures from the trip (forgive the quality, this was 1971 after all!)

The picture at left is my Godfather, or as I referred to him, Uncle Al. He was a short, fireplug of a guy, funny as the day is long (only surpassed by his brother), and loved me like a son.

The fish he's holding is a Walleye. About the Walleye:

Walleye are also called walleyed pike, pickerel, jackfish, dore, and ol' marble eyes. The sides of the walleye are olive-green with gold flecks. The spiny dorsal fin lacks spots, but has a black rear base. The lower lobe of the tail has a white tip.

Strong fighters, walleyes stay deep and wage a determined battle. Walleyes are light sensitive. They have a layer of pigment in the retina of the eye called the "Tapetum lucidum". Because of their light-sensitive eyes, they bite best around dusk and dawn, at night, or in cloudy weather. Popular baits and lures include minnows, nightcrawlers, leeches, jigs, spinners, and plugs, especially minnow plugs.

This next picture, is of my dad, cooking over the hibachi in the rain! *laughing*

I'm sure he's having fun, and that truck-camper to the right is/was ours.

Sometime soon, I'll tell some stories about this trip.. it was one in a life time, and I'm sure you'll enjoy.

For now, have a wonderful weekend and we'll type back atcha on Monday!

76 Vacation Countdown.. 11 Days!

I love looking forward to vacations. We have one booked for next February, and I'm looking forward to that too. This one is a cruise, but the February one is an all inclusive vacation in Curacao. There may be one in between with our friends in Alabama, and we'll probably be meeting them in Cozumel, Mexico when our cruise ship docks there.

I forgot to mention on Monday, but last Friday night, my friends Dan, Dave and I went to the movies to see Iron Man. Out of all the "comic book" movies including Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk  and X-Men, this was (in my opinion) my favorite. I've heard it said already that there's 2 more movies coming, and a total of 5 is possible. Iron Man even has a cameo in the new Incredible Hulk movie coming out.
Curt, in your words, this would be a 4 out of 4 moon-pie movie! *chuckling*

Well, I have a good funny for you tonight, then I'll say goodbye:

George Carlin's Solution to Save Gasoline

Bush wants us to cut the amount of gas we use.....

The best way to stop using so much gas is to deport 11 million illegal immigrants!

That would be 11 million less people using our gas. The price of gas would come down.....

Bring our troops home from Iraq to guard the Border....

When they catch an illegal immigrant crossing the border, hand him a canteen, rifle and some ammo and ship him to Iraq ...

Tell him if he wants to come to America then he must serve a tour in the military....

Give him a soldier's pay while he's there and tax him on it.....

After his tour, he will be allowed to become a citizen since he defended this country.....

He will also be registered to be taxed and be a legal patriot.....

This option will probably deter illegal immigration and provide a solution for the troops in Iraq and the aliens trying to make a better life for themselves.. ....

If they refuse to serve, ship them to Iraq anyway, without the canteen, rifle or ammo.....

Problem solved.....

Have a great Hump-Day!

75 Weekend With My Godmother

My wife and I picked up my mom at about 11:30am on Saturday for our trek to Woonsockett, Rhode Island, birthplace of my dad.

Driving there was very strange (at least to me), as it's the first time I've taken this road without my dad. My mom wanted us to leave early and have lunch at the State Line Diner in Rhode Island, right over the border. When I pulled into the parking lot, the first thing I noticed is the "Cinco de Mayo" signs. The restaurant was now a Mexican Restaurant!

My mom still wanted to eat there, so in we went. Surprisingly, they had an enormous menu, that had American as well as Mexican food. My mom had a hot dog with fries, and I had a bowl of their famous (at least used to be famous) New England Clam Chowder. The chowder was good, but I've had it there before, and it wasn't up to par.

Off we went after that to my Godmother's granddaughter's house. (I'll call her my aunt from here on in). She wasn't there yet when we arrived, and there were about 40 people there, many of them my aunt's grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

When she arrived, she was so surprised (why they decided to surprise a 90 year old woman I'll never know), she had to sit down, she was shaking so much. After a few people went to wish her a happy birthday, I walked over.. and she was curious as to who I was. When I mentioned who I was, she smiled widely and kissed me on the cheek, asking how I was and all. My mom went over and had a chat with her, and seeing them, just brought back a lot of wonderful memories. One of her children made a CD that was shown on the TV of hundreds of old pictures of her, and her family (including my Godfather). On the screen, time to time, I also saw my own grandfather, who was good friends with them long ago.

Leaving, over two hours later, I couldn't help but feel that I won't see my aunt again.

Here's a good read that someone sent me in email last week that I thought you'd like:

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this?
Fifty Years of Math 1957 - 2007 (in the USA)

Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:
1. Teaching Math In 1950s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?
2. Teaching Math In 1960s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math In 1970s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Math In 1980s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Math In 1990s
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok. )
6. Teaching Math In 2007
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

Have a great Monday!

74 Vacation Countdown, 16 Days

Yep, in 16 days I'll be on a cruise in the Caribbean. I've been so busy I haven't even had a chance to think about it. I even bought a new pair of Teva sandals for the trip. I haven't worn sandals since... oh... I was about 17. That's a lot of years ago.. *chuckling*

This weekend, as I had mentioned before, is our first Cruise Night for our car club. Hopefully we'll have good weather.

I'm also going (as I mentioned before) to see my Godmother on Saturday for her 90'th birthday. I can remember spending a week there when I was a kid. I remember they had a cage in their back yard, where they had squirrels for pets! *S*
I also remembered what a close family they had. My Godparents had 4 children, one, a certifiable genius that graduated from MIT for chemical engineering (at least that's what I think it was). He passed away long ago though...
Their daughter was older than the other two boys, and one of them (Bobby) was my age. We hung around and did a lot together. It'll be strange seeing him after about 35+ years.

Have you seen this list of high and low gasoline prices around the world?

Most expensive places to buy gas

Rank Country Price/gal

1. Sierra Leone $18.42
2. Aruba $12.03
3. Bosnia-Herzegovina $10.86
4. Eritrea $9.58
5. Norway $8.73
6. United Kingdom $8.38
7. Netherlands $8.37
8. Monaco $8.31
9. Iceland $8.28
10. Belgium $8.22
111. United States $3.45

Cruisin' Where gasoline is cheapest

Rank Country Price/gal

1. Venezuela 12 cents
2. Iran 40 cents
3. Saudi Arabia 45 cents
4. Libya 50 cents
5. Swaziland 54 cents
6. Qatar 73 cents
7. Bahrain 81 cents
8. Egypt 89 cents
9. Kuwait 90 cents
10. Seychelles 98 cents
45. United States $3.45

While our gas prices still stink, we're not the worst off.

Time to run... I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...!