The Happy Carpenter

Green Flash last night

Laura, sorry you missed it. 

copywrite 2006 PBT

copywrite 2006 PBT

copywrite 2006 PBT

copywrite 2006 PBT

Once again, these pictures have not been enhanced in any way other than zoom & crop.  Like I keep telling Laura, the green flash is actually pretty common if you have just a little magnification (this is 5x) and keep your eye on the ball.  It only lasts for about 1/2 a second and it's more of a "wink" than a "flash".  I've put these pictures in the Summer Sunsets photo album on the lower right side of this blog.  These pictures are mine, copywrite The Happy Carpenter.

Today's fishing

I got my son up early to go fishing this morning.  After filling up at the marina ($158!  Yikes!) we hit the flats.  The tide had just begun to ebb and we had a 15 knot breeze blowing.  We spent most of our time off the east side and southern tip of Honeymoon Island.  We didn't catch much -- just a little crevalle jack , a small spotted sea trout, a nd a lizard fish.

But today's trip was special for what we saw.  We both saw several dolphins (the mammal, not the fish).  We saw a huge school of crevalle jacks going wild right next the little bridge seawall.  The frigate birds are back.  Noel saw a pair of 5' spotted eagle rays, and even saw them jump!  And I saw a school of really big tarpon swim right past our boat, rolling and feeding (but not on my bait -- grrrr).

.

I love it here!

New photo album

Check out the new photo album from yesterday afternoon, 3 Rooker Football.

Memo to real estate developers: Build a city on the east side of the South Dakota/Minnesota border & they will come

Look at this chart ranking states by how business friendly they are.

 

I'm not sure what the numbers are, actually, but the ranking tells the tale, does it not?  Let's build some office parks at the South Dakota/Minnesota state line and some apartments and stuff and see what happens.

Big surprise: You mean to tell me Michigan has learned its lesson?  Amazing!

No surprise: The highest concentration of idiots is in the north east.

Florida is looking good, as usual.

A foot of rain yesterday

That's a lot, even for Florida.  Where the heck did that come from?

January in Florida

The storm has passed, and my Mom, sister, and two daughters are out climbing the shore searching for rainbows.  I've got a turkey (49 cents a pound, Kash 'n' Karry) cooking on the rotisserie, the doors and windows are open and a fire is going in the fireplace.

Life is sweet.

For the few Yankees who haven't moved down here yet

I feel your pain.  What the heck is keeping you up north?

Download icescraping.wmv

Last party

Man I am so partied out.  Sooooooooooooo paaaaaaaaaartied oooooooout.  Seriously, dude.

Yesterday's finale was a real North Crystal Beach milestone.  Brother Lee threw a bowl party like no other.  Get this:  right after the kids got on the school bus, we all went directly to Lee & Jenifer's house to start on the Mimosas, Bloody Mary's, and, in Philip's case, Martinis with the whole 9 yard breakfast.  And since Lee is a former bar tender, he makes delicious cocktails.

But now, today, the New Year's resolutions are in effect.  My resolutions:

• Run a 1/2 marathon
• Swim 2-1/2 miles
• Bike a century
• Make a million dollars
• Fun with facial hair

Wish me luck.

You know you live in Florida if...

--You have FEMA's number on your speed dialer.

--You have more than 300 "C" and "D" batteries in your kitchen drawer.

--Your pantry contains more than 20 cans of Spaghetti-O's.

--You are thinking of repainting your house to match the plywood  covering your windows.

--When describing your house, you say it has three bedrooms, two baths  and a safe hallway.

--Your SSN isn't a secret, it's written in Sharpie on your arm.

--You are on a first name basis with the cashier at Home Depot.

--You are delighted to pay $3.00 for a gallon of regular unleaded.

--The road leading to your house has been declared a "No-Wake Zone."

--You decide that your patio furniture looks better on the bottom of  the pool.

--You catch a 13 pound red-fish...in your driveway.

--You can recite from memory portions of your homeowner's insurance  policy.

--You consider a "vacation" to stunning Tupelo, Mississippi.

--At cocktail parties, women are attracted to the guy with the biggest  chain-saw.

--You have had tuna fish more than 5 days in a row.

--There is a roll of tar paper in your garage.

--You can rattle off the names of three or more meteorologists on the  Weather Channel.

--Someone comes to your door to tell you they found your roof.

--Ice is a valid topic of conversation.

--Relocating to South Dakota does not seem like such a crazy idea.

--You spend more time on your roof then in your living room.

--You've been laughed at over the phone by a roofer, fence builder or a tree worker.

--A battery powered TV is considered a home entertainment center.

--You don't worry about relatives wanting to visit during the summer.

--Having a tree in your living room does not necessarily mean it's Christmas.

--You know the difference between the "good side" of a storm and the "bad side."

--Your kids start school in August and finish in July.

--You go to work early and stay late just to enjoy the air conditioning.

--You own more than three large coolers.

--You have 2-liter coke bottles and milk jugs filled with water in your freezer.

--Your child's first words are "hunker down" and you didn't go to Ole Miss!

--Three months ago you couldn't hang a shower curtain...today you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight.

Learning to kayak

Life in Florida -- it's not all hurricanes!

Don't fret about the absence of life jackets -- the water was only 2' deep.