January 27, 2018. Quiz Results and Ibises Return to Say Goodbye.

January 27, 2018.  Quiz Results and Ibises Return to Say Goodbye.  The quiz results are in and we have a winner.  Actually, we have seven winners.  Each of the three families of grandchildren correctly identified the source of all ten cutout photos displayed in the quiz.  That means that all seven grandchildren win money.  Annie is pretty good about awarding the cash rewards, but if we forget, please remind us.

We spent several hours today cleaning Villa Jazmin.  It has tile floors which show each speck of dirt and each crumb.  We swept, vacuumed, wet-mopped, did dishes and washed towels.  The rental fee includes a modest amount to clean the unit after we leave.  Still, Annie doesn't want the cleaning staff to think we are slobs.  She is the kind of woman who would spend hours cleaning before the housekeeper came.  I love that girl.

As we cleaned, scores of ibises flew over the house and landed between the pool and the canal.  They appeared suddenly, fixed their wings and settled onto the lawn.  It was as though a puffy white cloud blew over the house.  At one time, there were 106 ibises behind the villa.  They disappeared as quickly and as mysteriously as they arrived.  Nice of them, don't you think?

So, this stay ends tomorrow.  We will leave here before sunrise and hope to spend tomorrow night somewhere around Atlanta.  We might stay south of Atlanta, then leave early Monday morning, before the morning rush hour.  Who knows.  One of the fun things about the way we travel is the freewheeling nature of it.

This blog will close out this trip.  We'll be back on the road in May-June.  At the moment, we don't have a destination.  Chances are that it will be somewhere north of home, maybe Minnesota, Wisconsin and/or Michigan.  We might venture into Canada again.  You know that I speak Canadian, eh?  Until next time, goodnight and goodbye.

January 25, 2018. Winding Down.

January 25, 2018.  Winding Down.  We have two more days before heading north.  I told the folks at the office that this has been the most relaxing trip we've had.  It probably has something to do with staying in one place and not constantly moving around.  The only "negative" is that I have become lazy.  I get up early still but I don't do much.  I read, watch the news, eat and exercise.  That's about it.  I have had jobs since I was seven years old.  I feel a little guilty, but not much.

This is the next-to-last blog for this trip.  I will announce the quiz winners Saturday and we leave Sunday.  I won't blog on the way home.  You have seen enough barn pictures.  We are trying to figure out how to avoid Atlanta traffic on the way home.  At the moment, the plan is to circumnavigate it.  Another option is to veer further west and bypass it altogether.  However, that could add several hours to the drive home.  We've made no decision, yet.  But, we are agreed that we don't want to drive directly through Atlanta.

We made a final trip to the beach today.  We found evidence of the amphibian man again.  I know the grandkids will remember him, the guy with six toes.  I'm not sure why I assume he is a man.  There could be an amphibian woman, too.  The foot appears to be medium sized.  It could be a small amphibian man or a large amphibian woman.  But, if it is a woman, wouldn't she be a mermaid?  I don't know.  If you do, feel free to comment and tell us all.

We saw a couple of osprey today.  One was sitting next to its nest, looking for food, I assume.  The other had food in its talons.  He was clutching a very big fish.  I'd guess its weight at five pounds.  The osprey actually lost altitude on the upstroke of its wings.  It was a good day for the osprey, a bad day for the fish. 

Another picture shows a blue heron who greeted me in the early morning half-light.  The lighting makes him appear lighter than he actually was to the naked eye.

Annie has been having problems with the battery in her iPhone.  So, we took it to UbreakIfix, a locally owned repair shop about a mile from where we are staying.  An hour and $40 later, her phone is as good as new.  She has a 90-day warranty on the new battery.  That probably won't be of much use to her.  In another week, we will be 1400 miles from here.  It is a nice thought though.  At least the shop thinks the replacement will last 90 days.  In any event, it was cheaper than a new phone.

You may have missed the kiteboarder above.  He is in the photo with the three palm trees, between the two trees on the left.  I am surprised we didn't see more kiteboarders.  There was a good breeze today and it looked like fun, skimming over the water using the power of the wind.  Maybe I'll try that . . . someday.

There is a picture of my feet in the Gulf and a picture of Annie's arm as we walk the beach.  I included those so you would be deluded into thinking I am artsy.  Did it work? 

The final picture I will comment on is the man walking with the boy.  The man appeared to be the boy's grandfather.  As we passed them, I heard the man say, "Then, we lived in Sedalia for five years . . . "  I was tempted to ask him what state Sedalia was in.  There are Sedalias in several states including Missouri, Colorado, Indiana and Texas, among others.  However, I didn't want him to think I was eavesdropping.  But, of course I was.  A grandpa ought to be able to pass on family history to his grandson without the interloping of a complete stranger.  So, I stayed my tongue, a rare occurrence.

So, that's it for now.  I apologize for my low energy this trip.  On past trips, I did daily blogs. In fact, the ticker on my dashboard says this is the 427th blog since March of 2011.  You'll be glad to know that I have books containing each blog through 2016.  I'll do 2017 when we get home.  See what you have to look forward to - someday you'll have to decide who gets the blog books.  I expect a big fight.

Goodnight.

January 20, 2018. Grandchildren's Quiz.

 

January 20, 2018.  Grandchildren's Quiz.  Hello, my favorite grandchildren. There are ten photos above. The contestants must identify the day of the blog in which the picture appears.  Some are easy. But, some will be more difficult to find.

You can again expect I will grade gently because I want everyone to win.  The deadline will be next Saturday at 8:00 PM, one week from today.  Of course, you don't have to wait until Saturday to submit your responses. If I get them all early, I'll announce the winner(s) early.

First place prize is $30, second gets $20 and third place gets $15. Good luck to all.

January 19, 2018. The Puffy Coat.

January 19, 2018.  The Puffy Coat.  It has been cooler the last several days.  The thermometer showed the ambient air to be in the lower 50s yesterday in the late afternoon.  So, what did we do?  We bought Annie a winter coat, a puffy coat.  The coat was offered by North Face at the Miromar Outlet Mall.  The mall is large, offering more than 140 stores.  It appears to be fairly new and covers a lot of ground.  Even if you aren't shopping, it is a good place to take a walk. 

The mall is decorated with flowers, fountains and sculptures.  Of course, it offers a number of eateries, none of which appealed to us.  I would show you a picture of Annie in her new puffy coat, but she forbids it.  She is shy, you know. 

We are approaching our final week in southwest Florida.  The weather prediction for the next week is exactly why we came to this area.  The temperatures will be in the mid-70s with a couple of days as high as 80.  February in the Midwest will be a shock for these two snowbirds. 

The grandchildren's quiz will be offered tomorrow.  Gotta go now and create it.  Goodnight. 

January 16, 2018. I Know, I've been Delinquent.

January 16, 2018.  I Know, I've been Delinquent.  I have no excuse, but you're entitled to an explanation.  I just haven't had much to tell you because we haven't done much.  We like the vacation house and spend a lot of time looking out over the water and enjoying the mild weather.  The national news has been fascinating and we spent time watching both CNN and Fox news.  We hope that by blending those two together, we'll get a fair understanding of national issues.

We went to the movies.  Well, to be accurate, we went to a movie.  We saw The Post which tells the story about the Pentagon Papers and the decision of the Post to publish classified government documents.  The articles disclosed that the Government had been lying to the American people for 30 years about our involvement in Vietnam.  President Nixon tried to bully the Post by threatening criminal prosecutions.  It is a good and timely story which informs viewers of the importance of freedom of the press.  The Supreme Court upheld the Post's right to publish the papers by a 6-3 vote.

We went back to Sanibel and Captiva today.  We strolled the beach on Captive for nearly an hour.  Annie discovered the tracks of an amphibian man.  The footprint in the sand showed a foot with six toes.  I assume the other foot had six toes, too.  I suppose the amphibian man walked out of the water during the darkness, then returned before the sun rose.  At least, I didn't see any six-toed men on the beach today.

Anna told us to visit the Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.  We intended to do that after our beachcombing.  However, the traffic on Sanibel was worse today than it was last week, so we passed on the refuge.  Maybe we will make another trip and start earlier.

We did have lunch at the Mucky Duck on Captiva.  The Mucky Duck is a bar and grill on the Gulf where locals gather to watch the sun set over the Gulf.  Clif told us about the Mucky Duck years ago and we try to eat there each time we are in the area.  The dining room is decorated with patches from various law enforcement agencies from all over.  There are also a few quaint signs which reinforce axioms we all know.

Who knows when I'll be back?  Not me.  There will be a grandchildren' quiz before we come home.  Stay tuned.

Goodnight.

January 12, 2018. The Rare and Endangered Blowhole Shark.

January 12, 2018.  The Rare and Endangered Blowhole Shark.  Loyal readers will recall my friend, Bob.  Bob sometimes looks in on the blog because he is old and retired and has nothing else to do.

Bob has always admired Annie.  He has known Annie as long as he has known me, over 50 years.  He has always thought I dated, then married above my station.  It hurts me to admit that he is right.  Bob has always been keenly intelligent and articulate.  He was and is one of the smartest people I have known.  I really don't recall him ever being wrong, so when he comes to Annie's defense, I listen.

Bob says Annie was correct when she identified what I called dolphins as sharks.  You will remember that I distinguished the dolphin from the shark by telling you that the big fish we saw had a blow hole and that sharks breathe through gills.

He tells me that he researched my theory and found it failing.  He says the literature describes a rare and endangered "blowhole shark."  According to Bob, it is classified as a shark even though it breathes through a hole in the top of its head.  He says there have been sightings of the blowhole shark off the beaches of Sanibel.  He also says it is an extremely dangerous man-eater and has been known to walk onto a beach standing upright and bouncing on its flipper.  The blowhole shark grabs a victim by the head with its conical teeth, then bounces back to the ocean.  There, he devours his prey.  He says Annie was right to be alarmed about the creature with the holey head shown above.

Bob was a much better student than I - everyone was - so, I am inclined to take his word for it.  There you have it.  I claimed that I was right and Annie was wrong.  Actually the reverse was true.  The pattern continues.  When will I learn just to say, "Yes, Dear."

I have talked about brumating alligators in other editions of this blog.  Brumation is akin to hibernation in gators.  Mammals hibernate and reptiles brumate.  The second picture shows a brumating gator with his snout punched through the ice so he can breathe.  He is no threat to the man holding his mouth shut.  His entire body is running on low voltage and he is essentially in a deep sleep.  I had never seen that before.  One of the local news channels posted a clip on its web page and what you see is a screen shot taken from the video clip.  Odd, huh?

Finally, there is a picture of Publix, a regional supermarket.  I include it as the only non-wildlife photo and because we have been there four times in two weeks.  It's a nice store, but I don't go there because it's nice.  I go because I am in the preliminary stage of my famous disgust diet.  I've explained that to you before.  It is when I eat everything I can find until I get so disgusted with myself that I firmly resolve to lose weight.  The second phase will kick in when we get home . . . if I don't go into a diabetic coma first.

I hope you had a good day.  Goodnight.

January 10, 2018. Outlet Mall, Biking and Iggy, the Iguana.

January 10, 2018.  Outlet Mall, Biking and Iggy, the Iguana.  We went to an outlet mall yesterday so Annie could purchase a few clothing items.  The mall itself wasn't very photogenic.  However, there were a few things I thought you might like to see.  There was a strange looking grove of trees with gnarly, twisted roots.  Do you know what kind of tree it is?  I think it a banyan tree, but I'm not sure.  I encountered a tiny lizard.  Inspired by my granddaughter holding an iguana, I tried to pick it up.  The lizard was having no part of that.  He scampered off the instant the camera clicked.  Shoot!  I wanted to show Lauren I am as brave as she is.

I think I have pretty much exhausted the neighborhood photos.  I did find a second "boy-fishing-in-the-ditch" yard ornament.  We happened upon several ducks.  At least, I think they were ducks.  As a longtime member of the Vernon County chapter of Ducks Unlimited, I know my ducks pretty well.  I have never seen ducks like these.  One appeared to be injured.  The others hovered close, I suppose to comfort him.  That's a nice thought, anyway.

The 4-5 foot iguana came back today strolling in the opposite direction.  I was on my way to pick him up when I recalled the lizard at the mall.  I didn't want to frighten the iguana, too.  So, I decided to let him pass the house unimpeded.  See, that's one of the reasons I am adored by the animal kingdom.  I am considerate in allowing them to coexist with us without disturbing their movements in their natural environment.  Besides, those things bite.

Annie sent a photo of the iguana to Elijah, our oldest grandson.  She asked him to suggest a name for the iguana, since he evidently intends to be a regular passerby.  Elijah suggested "Iggy."  That works for me.  I'll bet it works for Iggy, too.  It will have to.  I refuse to disappoint my grandson.

Goodnight.