Coral Cactus "Cristata"

Carol and I were walking through the garden shop at Home depot. We had ordered a front storm door with hidden screen and a sliding door with screen for the back of the house. I would like to take advantage of the cool breezes. With three dogs we can't leave the doors open. We went into the garden shop as I wanted a shovel. We have begun planting some mums and petunias. On the way to the register, Carol spotted a table full of many types of cacti. She picked out a Coral Cactus. We have never seen one. The pictures below are of both sides. It will live on the kitchen window sill.

Carol asked me to remove the blinds from the window. This was quickly accomplished and after washing the window inside and out, the Cactus has a bright window to reside in. I think it is neat.

Early Voting

Yesterday, Carol and I went and cast our ballots for the mid term election. This was the first time for me voting in Florida. Rhode Island never had early voting while I voted there. I have not missed an election since I have been eligible to vote. We went to our local library which is only three blocks away. I have to say that I was very impressed with the procedure. I showed my drivers license, I was checked by a computer, signed an electronic scanner and was given a receipt which I then handed to the next person. She printed out my ballot and I went into a booth and completed my choices. I then fed my completed ballot into a machine and the process was complete. Florida has come a long way since the "hanging chad" problem with the first Bush presidential election.

One interesting note (at least to me) every Florida Supreme Court Justice name was on the ballot with the question "should they retain their job" We could vote yes or no. In Rhode Island once the person is confirmed to the RI Supreme Court, they serve until retirement, death or disgrace.

Usually my voting decisions are well defined and thought out. My vote for Governor was a difficult decision. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic candidate seem worthy of the position in my opinion. I choose what I considered to be the lesser of the two evils.

Now all I have to do is wait until November 3rd for all the nasty political adds to be done.

A walk in the park

Carol and I live close to St. Andrews State Park. I buy a yearly pass good for all the Florida state parks. St. Andrews is the one most visited. Sometimes five times a week. The park never fails to please us and in some way add to our already pleasurable days. Recently we decided to visit the park and wander around our favorite spots. That day we visited one of the several areas where swimming in the Gulf is permitted. The picture below was taken as we approached the beach. Ample boardwalks are provided to access the beach as much of the dunes are off limits to protect the fragile grass and sand dunes.

Next we went over to the Alligator Pond. It seems weird that a fresh water pond would be so close to the salt water. Several alligators are purported to live in this pond. I have only ever seen two at a time. There is a path that will take you along the waters edge. Some days an alligator might be spotted swimming or sunning along the shore. It is just a matter of luck.

Even though is was quite warm that afternoon and there is soft sand part of the way, we decided to walk along the path that borders the edge of the pond. We came upon the area where there is a small bench for sitting and viewing and we were rewarded with an excellent view of a decent sized alligator. I was willing to walk within four feet of it and took several pictures. This was the last taken. It almost looked like he was smiling as I approached. If left alone, they will ignore humans here.

Our final stop was the small fishing pier near the boat ramp. There is a much longer pier on the Gulf side. Carol and I have seen dolphins here, but never when we had a camera. We were rewarded.

We believe he / she was putting on a show for everyone there.

I must have taken 20 pictures.



Over the years we have been blessed with many varieties of birds, deer, owls, sting rays, turtles and alligators. All with in a beautiful park available for all to enjoy. There are hiking trails, beautiful white sand beaches and even an old Turpentine Mill. Marvelous!

PEPE

Carol has been talking about getting a Chihuahua puppy for sometime. Recently she did some research on the Internet and last Monday we went to visit two breeders who had puppies ready to be sold. We set off in the truck as the directions to the first location included dirt roads. We eventually drove over 228 miles on the Panhandle including several miles on dirt roads that did not deserve to be called roads. The first puppies we saw were cute, but the parents were stocky and Carol was looking for a svelte puppy that would grow to less than five pounds. So off we went on the next quest to find the "puppy". Lets just say, I did not think there were such rural spots at the end of several miles of unpaved wash board roads. Carol was rewarded. As soon as she held this puppy, I knew our search was over. He was the perfect color, the parents were both only 4.5 pounds. Carol made the financial arrangements and we were off. As we drove we started with the alphabet trying out names. We eventually narrowed it down to Chico, Jake, Pepe and Slade. Pepe stuck.

He looks so sweet. Right! No one slept the first few nights. Now his crate is next to Carol's side of the bed during the night. He has become a little terror. He loves to jump on Tiny our 17 year old Chihuahua as he sleeps in his bed. He ducked under Gizmo our Yorkie and bit him on the stomach. I believe Pepe was looking for his mom's equipment. Last night Tiny was wagging his tail and I saw Pepe moving his head following the tail. Yep, he struck and bit Tiny's tail as it wagged.

He likes to drag stuff around the house. This morning I watched Carol's sandal move across the living room. Later I watched the power cord to my laptop move from under my desk. The two older dogs have started sleeping on chairs so they can have some peace.

I told Carol we missed the boat on naming him. We should have called him "Attila". He has become Carol's puppy. He follows her around and comes when she calls his name. He is adorable and I think he knows it. Carol is pleased and so am I.

Shipmates

I joined the Navy in January of 1964. After boot camp and jet mechanic school, I was flown over to the Mediterranean to catch up to my duty assignment. I was assigned to VA 36 aboard the USS Saratoga. During my time in VA 36 I made the dearest life long friends. I was blessed to know them, serve with them, and remain in touch with them to this day. There is a small group of shipmates that try to get together once a year. We are all in our late 60's and early 70's now. We still enjoy each others company and share a bond that was forged on the flight deck night crew so many years ago. There are some shipmates that we have tried to find and have not yet. We recently lost one ship mate to cancer. This year we spent several days on the Gulf Shores in Alabama in rented condos. It was planned that most meals would be in the condo together. The ladies went shopping during the day and the guys spent our time talking and around the outdoor pool. We had the occasional beer. On our last night we went to Lambert's (home of the throwed rolls) for dinner. Lambert's is an raucous experience wrapped around good food.

From left to right. Mike originally from Denver, now he splits his year between Denver and Mesa, AZ. Manuel originally from Louisiana and still lives there. Hugh originally from Texas and now lives in Mississippi. Hugh retired from the Navy. Myself originally from Rhode Island. I now split my time between Rhode Island and Florida. BJ originally from Georgia. BJ also retired from the Navy and still lives in Georgia.

Here we are with the ladies, Hugh and Samra, Carol and Ed, Marsha and BJ, Manuel and Zella, and Mike a single guy. We all had a great time, we talked and ate too much. We left two ideas on the table for next year. Gettysburg or the low country of South Carolina, possibly Charleston.

I am so lucky to have served with them.