Five years ago today, our lives were enriched in ways we could never have imagined…
In a time when nothing is more certain than change, the commitment of two people to one another has become difficult and rare. Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced. ~Robert Sexton
Surf truck
My dad was a genius. He could fix nearly anything. He was funny, and told me my first dirty joke – I think I was 9. He played piano by ear and had a magnificently eclectic collection of records. He was also a loud-mouthed know-it-all son-of-a-bitch, who rebelled at Authority, and as a result quit more jobs than I’ve had in my life. He taught me to drive by hiring my friend to teach me to drive. He taught me how to take a punch – and to throw one.
He was 59 when he died.
Happy Birthday, Michael Henry Cassel. Hug Frosty and Tok for me. I miss you.
…and I’m so sleepy I can hardly see straight. We weren’t at the beach all that long – very choppy, unfriendly surf on the incoming tide, cloudy and very windy . But the new umbrella worked great, Kaylee and her buddy Errica had fun digging and collecting shells – Errica even got stood up on the big surfboard when Kait took her out for a bit. Kaylee’s like me – we like playing in the sand, watching the birds and the boats.
Duffy had a great time on his new board, but busted a fin off on his first wave. Surf was going SIDEWAYS! Luckily, Johnny carries extra fins, and had one that fit Duffy’s board. Johnny’s the only one who spent much time out – he’s young and strong and very experienced. Kait got a bit of a workout and Juliet did, too – meaning they didn’t catch any waves. Kait was trying to teach Juliet on the big board, but it was just too rough. The only reason Errica had any luck was because it was right on the beach in the shallowest part of the surf. Really, really rough. Loud, too.
We saw a ship leave Mayport, we saw an advertising plane, some pelicans and seagulls, and a P-3! It was a lovely trip.
The pictures aren’t great, but they’re better than nothing.
Kaylee
Errica
Kait and Juliet are in this picture somewhere. Yes, really.
Errica the Ham and Kaylee the Shy
USS NeverDock? Not a pretty day to be on the water…
Really was a lovely day, even though the weather wasn’t very nice. The company was great, and we all really enjoyed ourselves.
Hope your day was everything you needed it to be, I’m going to go finish my book and then hit the hay. Thanks for stopping by!
“Training” for hiking the Foothills Trail is going pretty well…or at least as well as expected, considering we live in Florida. It’s tough to find any significant elevation change here. We’re at 12 feet above sea level. Over at Tillie Fowler Park, there are some trails laid out and maintained by off-road mountain bikers – they’ve built up some whoop-de-do’s, and run their trail up and down the ‘ditch’ beside the regular trail. I don’t know their terminology, probably aren’t ‘whoop-de-do’s’ but you’ll know ‘em when you see ‘em.
Yesterday, that’s where we hiked, and will do that every other day till we leave. I was carrying 18 pounds. I know I’m strong enough to carry that much, and hope to carry 20 before long (as long as I don’t have to hurry, I can do anything I have to do), but getting my feet used to it is the purpose of this training. So far, so good. Got a good workout, had a good sweat going, heart rate was above my normal – and to top it all off, we saw lots of butterflies. AND my feet didn’t hurt!
Note: If you have motion sickness or vertigo problems, don’t watch this video for very long!
Anyway, it looks like we’re good to go. Duffy got his new down quilt made last Sunday (bought an old down sleeping bag and converted it – will post pics some other time) and since I’m the one who used it when we were at Black Creel Ravines, I give it two thumbs up. It’s VERY nice. I have most of the clothing and gear I need – will be getting underwear on payday – and the pack adjustments Duffy’s made so his old Mariposa fits me better are working well.
My Pixie won’t WILL be here today – it’s Spring Break at St. Mark’s – and she’s come down with tonsilitis. I had that dozens of times as a child, and hope she recuperates quickly. Maybe she can come for lunch tomorrow! Her parents got free tickets to a movie, so she’s spending the night. Evidently she’s feeling MUCH better, and I’m so relieved. Going to have another cup of coffee now, so y’all take care, and thanks for stopping by!
Social exercises on Saturday, then a short hike and hammock camping with my handsome husband and a friend from Gainesville. Another short hike this morning, and home again – too soon, but knowing I’m physically energized and spiritually renewed as a result.
I was one of the Ticket Ladies on Saturday:
L-R: Yours Truly, Jessica, Tammy
Then, Sunday at the Black Creek Ravines Conservation Area:
Many thanks to all the Friends who spent time with us on Saturday, and really great to spend some time with Florida Rider again! You can read his Trip Report about his weekend – part of which includes us – at hammockforums.net. Wonderful time. Wonderful Life!
Now I’m off to another celebration of this Life – y’all take care, and thanks for stopping by!
I ‘babysat’ Kaylee Friday night. Grandpa came home on a break, we had a little supper then he went back to work after playing a bit with her. She’s so sweet! After Grandpa left, we got ready for bed, brushed our teeth, and I read her a story – “Grover Stays Up Very, Very Late.” After I tucked her in, I ordered the Grover book that was one of Kaylee’s mama’s favorite bedtime stories – “Grover’s Resting Places.” Look forward to reading it again!
Her parents came to get Kaylee the next morning, after we had cereal…then apple…then a bagel…for breakfast. The girl can EAT! I loved having her with me!
Kaylee doing some ORIGINAL cut and paste!
Then I went after groceries. Yay. Watched “The Way” with the ol man Saturday night – really really enjoyed it.
Sunday we had one more day and night of Florida Winter – which is much like early autumn where I was born – and are now leaping into Spring. Going to be mid-70′s today! Having had no real Winter this year at all, the bugs will be horrendous…and hiking will be uncomfortable, to say the least. So we’re looking forward to kayak season, which is nice to do when it’s too damn hot to hike. In expectation of a GREAT kayak season, my lovin’ hubby spent the weekend working on my little truck.
Good to see my Go Bananas pad again!
Both trucks and the house got a good washing, thanks to nice weather and an industrious husband. All I did was make chili and watch the Sprint Cup race – no, Mark Martin didn’t win.
Busy week ahead, hope the weather and health stay good for everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
At some point just before I went to sleep, the power went off. We’d seen and heard lots of branches falling out of trees during the hike. The camp host came by to apologise, but I was pretty much asleep anyway. It was COLD overnight, into Monday morning. Sure was glad to have the sleeping bag as comforter!
It was Johnny’s job to make breakfast on Monday, and he made the best sausage mcmuffins you’d ever want to eat. Coffee was hot and delicious, too, since I brought the percolator from home. Too cold for shower for me. We got on the trail about 9am – today is the Torreya Challenge Trail – and if it’s tougher than yesterday’s loop, I’m gonna be a dead duck. Duffy was worried about my shoulder straps rubbing (the pack isn’t made for someone my size), so lightened it up a little, hoping to give some relief. My shoes were dry, though – did I mention that I hiked in wet shoes yesterday because I forgot to bring them in the camper before the deluge hit? Yeah. Rookie mistake.
We passed an eagle nest on the way to the approach trail. Didn’t see any eagles, but were told there’s a family that makes its home there. Ever seen a bald eagle’s nest? They are huge!
Eagle nest - yes, really
When we got to the loop we planned for the day, Duffy asked which direction. For no reason I can think of, I said let’s go the Aussie way – counterclockwise. So that’s what we did. It was an AWESOME trail!
Break time
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I forgot to look this one up, too. But it's pretty!
*sigh*
We got back to camp around 2pm. I took a shower and the guys packed up and closed up the camper. The drive back was long, but not unpleasant.
A beautiful weekend. Just beautiful. Thank you, God. Thanks also to the gentlemen who made the weekend so easy and comfortable for me. I love you both – and Happy Anniversary, Duffy – this was a great installment of the honeymoon we never got to take!
Off to wash my hair now – hope you enjoyed my little photo display – thanks for stopping by!
We’re going to Torreya State Park tomorrow morning, going to camper till Monday afternoon. Will be doing some hiking, some cooking in my new Dutch oven, some shakedown of whatever I have in my pack, see how the new socks and bra work, and see if I can hike with that weight. Gonna be VERY nice. My lovin’ husband bought me a new outer layer – a hooded windbreaker – AND a new-to-me down vest for Valentine’s Day. I hope I don’t NEED the vest this weekend, though it is supposed to be pretty durn chilly Monday morning. The windbreaker worked well this evening when I was running errands in the misting rain. I love my husband so much, this is so thoughtful of him. Nearly 30 years together and it’s almost like being young again.
I’m really looking forward to the hiking, because I want to see if I’ll be the least bit capable of hiking 50 miles of the Foothills Trail the first week of April. Duffy’s getting it all planned out, acquired a bit more gear of course, because he’s not used to taking care of anyone but himself on the trail. He bought a new stove last night, my new duds arrived this morning, my all natural buffalo oil soap will be here early next week, I found a bra and 2 pair of socks tonight at Target…the z-lite for making an SPE should arrive by the end of next week, too.
Here’s a picture I swiped from the Torreya State Park website, hope y’all have a fine weekend, and thanks for stopping by!
When love is lost, do not bow your head in sadness;
instead keep your head up high and gaze into heaven
for that is where your broken heart has been sent to heal.
~Author Unknown
