Custer State Park, South dakota

 Admission to the park is $15.00 and it is good for 7 days. The first time we went into the park we saw a few buffalo bulls grazing. We went back two days later. We were rewarded. The herds were close to the road and we were able to not only view the animals close up, we got some great pictures. The buffalo mamas are very protective of their calves. You would never get between a mother and calf. We watched several cross the road. An approaching car slowed but did not stop soon enough  and the mother moved so her body was between the car and baby. We saw over 599 buffalo, including about 200 calves. It was just awesome. Gizmo and Pillo remained in the cabin.

This little guy seemed all tuckered out.

There were a number of antelope throughout the park.

The mules were once used in the construction of local roads. Once the project was complete they were released in the park. They are very tame and are the only
animals in the park that folks are allowed to feed.

Black Hills, South DAkota

 We recently returned from a vacation in the Black Hills. This will be the first of several accounts of that trip. Our journey took us through several states with overnight stays in Tupelo, MS, Springfield, MO and Kearney, NE. We arrived mid afternoon on the fourth day. I had arranged to stay in this cabin earlier in the year. The cabin is off West Argyle Road below Pringle. The elevation was about 5000 feet above sea level. We both noticed the difficulty breathing. After all, we live at 21feet above sea level. Breakfast was included and Cindy and Stoney prepared an excellent meal every morning. Several days we skipped lunch.

Following is a picture of Carol standing on the front porch. Stoney had just put together a new grill and I did grill one night. Their home is in the background.  A second identical cabin is also available.

Stoney designed and built the cabins. Each cabin can sleep 5. There is a queen bed, a queen fold out couch and a bunk bed in the loft. Following are several pictures of the inside.

Pull down stairs to the loft area. Carol peeked and said it looked comfortable.

The bed was quite comfortable and we slept fairly well. Probably a combination of the rarefied air and the tiring days that we had.

Stoney and Cindy have three horses and a mule. The dark animal below is the mule. This was part of the view from our porch.

While we were there we saw  wild turkeys, mule deer, and white tail deer roaming the property. I am sure that there were critters we never saw when we walked the dogs just before bedtime. Both dogs badly wanted to rush into the darkness.

The cabin is about two plus miles on a dirt road from the state highway. No lights, just a wonderful vantage point to look at the stars in the heavens.

St. Andrews State Park

 We purchase a yearly pass to Florida State Parks. We have been doing this for several years. I recently purchased a pass and we have been going to the local St. Andrews State Park. Since late February, this local area has received  substantial rainfall. The picture below was taken April 10th. This was a favorite area for the alligators to sun themselves. The bench usually is about 20 feet from the normal water's edge. I am not sure where they are sunning, but I am not adventurous enough to tramp through the brush looking for them.

 Another favorite of ours is the boat launching area. Currently the Spanish mackerel are running. The pier has two fish cleaning stations and the pelicans come in abundance to feed on the guts that the fishermen throw to them.

Yesterday we were pleased to see one of the dolphins that occasionally swim into this area. I managed several decent pictures as he swam around the pier.

In this picture the dolphin swam into the flock of pelicans. They quickly moved out of the way.

This guy "maybe" was flapping his wings. I suspect that he was washing them. It made quite a ruckus and provided a nice picture.

I was lucky in that I caught this bird in flight.

Carol and I spend many afternoons sitting in the sun on the bench near the alligator pond. We are looking forward to more time in the park. Maybe if the pond recedes we will once again see the alligators sunning.

Pensacola Naval Air Station Visit

Recently, I took a day trip to visit the U S Navy Aviation Museum. I have been several times and I always enjoy visiting the exhibits. I was an aviation jet mechanic while in the Navy. The vast majority of my time was spent working on the line crew. Mostly I was a plane captain.  I was also able to perform other functions associated with maintaining the planes for flight. Pictured below is a cutout of the J 65 jet engine that I was trained on. Damaged engines were removed from the planes, placed in containers and shipped to O & R stations.

The museum contains planes from all eras of Naval Aviation. There are simulators where a person can experience the feel of carrier take offs and landings. There is also an early space capsule.  A small cafeteria is located within the museum and a very well stocked gift shop. Admission is free. Guided tours are available.

 There are several other attractions located on the base in close proximity to the museum. There is a Civil War era fort (admission) that is quite interesting. Over 6 1/2 million bricks. A military cemetery and the Pensacola Lighthouse pictured below.

The day I was there the lighthouse was open for those willing to climb to the top. The lady in the gift shop told me it was 177 steps. I decided to give it a try. I paid the nominal fee (lower for us seniors) and began the trek. I did rest twice on the way. Once at the top, I was rewarded with views that made the effort well worth it. Below is a view of the Gulf and part of the beach.

The following picture is a view of the museum.

I stayed at the top for awhile chatting with the docent, and more importantly, getting rested for the decent. It was a wonderful exhilarating time at the top. Well worth the effort. I will admit that my legs were sore for a few days.

Christmas Lights

Each Christmas Season a magnificent display of Christmas lights are erected around the lake in DeFuniak Springs. It has become part of our Christmas tradition to visit the display. Last year there were a reported 6.5 million light. This year, I estimate that there are at least 7 million lights. The displays are varied, religious, patriotic and winter Christmas theme lights. The trees are strung with white lights. Tree trunks are wrapped in white in one section, red in another. The circle around the lake is probably about 2 plus miles. In most areas the distance from curb to water is about 100 feet. The road is blocked and traffic is one way only. A small fee per person is collected to defray electrical costs. This year it runs from November 29 to December 31. There are numerous anti bell um and Victorian houses along the road that are beautifully decorated by their owners.

Following are a few of the of the better pictures that I took. Most were shot from my open drivers window. We did the circle twice.

May you all have a Merry and Joyous Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Mom

 My mom had once again been in the hospital in Rhode Island and was back in the nursing home. She was slowly adjusting to the realization that this would be her home. She will be 97 on November 11th. I told Carol that I wanted to see her before it got too cold and before the snow flies. We decided that it was best that I do this trip alone. I could cover more miles alone. Carol stayed home with the "boys" our two dogs. I left on a Friday morning and would stop twice on the way up. The earliest I could get into my favorite hotel in Rhode Island was the following Sunday. I did well on Friday and stopped in Lumberton, North Carolina. I prefer to bypass DC, so I leave I 95 in Emporia, Virginia and go towards the coast and cross over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. There was hardly any traffic on the bridge. No one was behind me, so I stopped and took a picture of The Cape Charles Lighthouse through the passenger window. That picture follows.

I decided to stop early and stay in Chincoteague, Virginia. I wanted to see the wild horses. They were no where to be found. I was told that the local volunteer firemen had rounded them up for the fall checkup by the local vet and were given their inoculations. The horses are usually mad and when released they usually go deep in the preserve and stay there for a while. I did take a nice picture of the Assateague Lighthouse. I was also treated to a magnificent sunset. Those pictures follow. The sunset made up for no horses.

I arrived on the Sunday, and went right to the nursing home. I walked into mom's room and she asked "Is it you Edward?" "Yes, mom, I am your early surprise birthday present." I visited with mom every day and on the Wednesday, I took her to Twin Oaks for lunch. It is her favorite restaurant. She had her fried scallops, mashed potatoes and house salad along with a coke. She loved it. I offered to take her to see dad's grave, but she ran out of gas. Once back in the nursing home, she laid on her bed. I think she was asleep before I covered her with the throw. I managed to see my son and his three girls at one time or the other. He and I had dinner at Ted's Montana grill. I had Yankee bison pot roast. Fantastic! I had dinner twice with my niece, Janine. I managed to have diner at my favorite Portuguese restaurant and two lunches at EATS where I had the wienies. I did take several pictures of foliage. The foliage was past prime and somewhat muted, but it pleased this former Rhode Islander. Below is a representative picture.

Mom usually takes a nap every afternoon. I visited all morning the last day I was there. I told her I would return after lunch. She told me not to as she would be napping. I said I would be back. I did  go and sat with her as she slept. I do believe that the orderly woke us both when he came in with her meds. I sat for awhile and left, telling that the Lord willing, I would see her next summer.

Kitchen Remodel

 Carol and I had been talking about a redo for our kitchen. It was smaller than we wanted. It seemed like we were always in each others way while we prepared meals. I had approached one contractor but he was always too busy to call me back. Finally I asked my plumber if he could recommend someone. He did and we began talking to Tommy Day. He is a cabinet maker and he showed us several styles of door fronts and we agreed on maple with clear lacquer and a very plain door design. Projects like this always seem to "snowball". My back is very sore and therapy is not doing the job yet. So I asked if he could raise my bath room vanity to kitchen counter height and also redo the vanity in the second bathroom. The bathrooms will be a later explanation. Carol and I looked in  several warehouses looking at granite. I bet everyone was easily over 100 degrees inside. We finally found our granite,


The first three pictures are of the original kitchen. It was bright and functional, but cramped. The first picture is the corner to the left of the stainless sink. A feature neither of us liked

The second picture is a view to the right of the sink. Note that the dishwasher was located in the corner of the right El-shaped counter. The lower part of this counter had doors that opened to shelves. One of us was always on bended knee searching in the back space looking for something.

The third picture shows the window and sill and the double cabinet above the counter. Carol had a number of cactus plants on the wooden sill.

Tommy was to begin while Carol and I were away attending family functions and visiting family in Michigan and Rhode Island. The goal was to have a working kitchen by Labor Day. We talked to Tommy weekly to check on progress. Unfortunately, it rained almost every day for three weeks. Tommy explained that he could not shoot the lacquer. We understood. We had a useable kitchen the Monday after Labor day.

Following are pictures of almost finished kitchen. Tommy still needs to install the crown molding and the 1/2 inch round along the bottom of the counters. Tommy is on vacation with family and will finish when he returns home.


The following picture shows the window area. Now the dishwasher is  located next to the under mounted sink. It is a composite of granite and other stuff. Larger than the old. Remember the "snowball effect". This was the time to replace the garbage disposal and the dishwasher. The first time we used it, Carol asked if I could hear water. I could not. Shortly we heard a whooshing sound and we figured the correct buttons were pushed. The kitchen was expanded by slightly more than the width of the dishwasher. The faucet was replaced also. There are three cabinets above the counter now.

The following picture shows the counter top. We were very pleased with the quality of the install. There is a seam, but barely detectable.

This pictures shows the storage space in the counter. Note now there are drawers that pull out and will hold over 200 pounds according to Tommy. We may not currently know what is in each drawer, but we can easily look. No more crawling into the area below the counter. Over a year ago we had all new tile installed through out the home. Fortunately, our tile guy was nervous and has us buy an extra 100 square feet. When the kitchen was expanded part of the cement pad was exposed. Tommy got his tile guy to come in and tile the area. He removed part of one strip and it now looks like it was always there.

Another view of the kitchen, The crown molding across the top of the cabinets will further dress up the cabinets.

This is a close up of the new granite window sill. It of course matches the counters. I asked Carol when her plants would return. She said the sills so pretty and I think she is in no hurry.

We did wash dishes in the bathroom sink for about two weeks. Every thing that belonged in cabinets was stored in boxes or on a folding table in the guest bed room.  Our kitchen is fully functional. We think we know where everything is now located.  We know the inconvenience was well worth it.

Birthday Quilt

 Carol decided that she would make me a quilt for my 70th birthday. I told her that I would like a theme that would be representative of our beach locale. Off we went to the quilt fabric shop and we picked out appropriate materials and Carol began the quilting process. There would be a flurry of activity followed by time outs as other knitting and volunteer work absorbed her time and talent.

Recently, Carol finished the quilt just in time for my 71st birthday. Needless to say, I am thrilled with the result. The first picture is of the front and the second shows the material used for the backing.

I will treasure my quilt and will use it when the Florida version of winter comes.

Narragansett Bay Cruise Part III

During the cruise several interesting landmarks, yachts, and an aircraft carrier were pointed out to us on board. We sailed past this antique wooded yacht flying the Canadian flag. I thought that it had such a simple and beautiful design.

Following is the "house on a rock". It looks like it is a precarious location, yet the house has been there for some time. it is currently owned by a family from Boston and is their vacation home. Note the wind electric generator above the roof line.

This recently constructed boat, designed for charter work was also used in the Johnny Depp pirate movies. It is home based here in Rhode island waters.

The boats pictured below are ocean racing yachts. Hence the reason for the very tall masts.

Long ago when I was young, I joined the U S Navy. I was trained as an Aviation Jet Mechanic and was assigned to VA 36 a seagoing squadron. I basically became a plane captain working from 5 in the evening until 5 in the morning. My squadron flew off the USS Saratoga, CVA 60. I have a great love and very fond memories of working on that flight deck. I was fortunate to be invited to the decommissioning of that ship in 1994. Then she was freshly painted and looked like a great lady. Today, that ship is slowly deteriorating in dry dock in Portsmouth, RI. Years ago, I watched her being towed through Narragansett Bay to her dry dock. I was dismayed then at her condition. Today, the ship is in even worse shape. I grew up on that flight deck. I was a scared teenager when I flew aboard in 1960, and a confident young man when I was discharged several years later. I am still close to the great friends I made in that squadron.

The navy put the Saratoga on the donate list years ago. She could be such a great tourist attraction. The Yorktown in Charleston, SC is an example of a ship  museum done right. I was sadden to see her in this shape.